Plus: Kazakhstan is buying BNB

GM. Crypto updates ripen at different speeds, and not all of them are worth a taste.

Here are the ones that made it into today's basket:

🍍 What to look out for in crypto this month?

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan's crypto fund.

🍋 Best money transfer apps, Deutsche Börse adopts Circle stablecoins + more

🍍 Market flavor today

Crypto Market Cap: $4.02T 3.09% (24H)
Name		Price	24H	7D
	Bitcoin BTC	$117,311.31	3.13%	3.21%
	Ethereum ETH	$4,325.31	4.13%	3.24%
	XRP XRP	$2.94	3.06%	0.74%
	BNB BNB	$1,022.33	1.51%	0.47%
	Solana SOL	$219.35	5.07%	1.82%

UPTOBER IS HEREEE!! LFG Y'ALL!!!! 🔥 THE CROWD GOES… quite mild, actually.

But hey, AT LEAST CRYPTO'S NOT CRASHING!!! 🗣️🔊

The mild greens you're seeing in the price table rn are mostly driven by macro and political factors. More specifically, this 👇

The US government shut down today after lawmakers failed to pass a funding bill.

And for crypto, that creates two immediate effects:

1️⃣ Dollar weakness: political dysfunction often drags the dollar down. And a weaker dollar = capital hunts for alternative stores of value = crypto picks up some of it.

2️⃣ Bitcoin as a "safe haven": more and more, Bitcoin's being treated like a hedge against political and financial instability, and the shutdown's good for that narrative.

That said, there's also a problem.

Because the government is shut down, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and Census Bureau are furloughed (only independently funded agencies like the Federal Reserve and Treasury keep running).

That means important economic data reports may not come out on schedule.

"And this matters becaaause...?" - you, maybe. Glad you asked.

Expectations of a Fed rate cut were one of the biggest drivers of the last crypto rally, and traders leaned heavily on jobs and inflation data to build that case.

With those reports potentially delayed, the market loses its main macro compass.

So, while uncertainty and dollar weakness can support Bitcoin, the lack of data makes it harder for traders (and the Fed itself) to confidently price in rate cuts.

And that leaves us with a very unusual October calendar 👇

❓ October 3: Jobs report

Normally one of the most important monthly clues for the Fed - but it won't be released if the shutdown is still in place.

❓ October 15: CPI

This is usually the most important pre-Fed inflation reading. Same story, though: delayed if the shutdown continues.

❓ October 16: PPI

Also dependent on funding being restored. Without it, markets lose secondary inflation signals too.

❓ Mid-October: SEC deadlines for altcoin ETFs (SOL, XRP, LTC, DOGE, etc.)

The SEC is also affected by furloughs, so deadlines may be pushed back.

🟢 October 29: FOMC meeting & Fed Chair Jerome Powell's press conference

Still on. The most important event of the month.

But Powell will have to set policy without new jobs or inflation data, which could make him lean cautious.

🟢 October 29 - 30: ECB Governing Council.

Still on. Offers global liquidity cues that spill into crypto.

So yeah, overall: issa mess.

For now, October's story looks like this: less data, more volatility, and heavier reliance on narratives and central banks.

But we'll see.

🤫 The secret's almost out

Remember BitDegree Season 7? Oh, what a ride that was 🥹

$30K airdrop, extra prizes, fun tasks, awesome partners - we really had it all.

Now...

Imagine if something like that was about to happen again... but even better 👀

Stay tuned.

🥝 Memecoin harvest

Your financial advisor hates this section 🤬

Data as of 10:50 AM EST.

Check out these memecoins and plenty more here.

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan's crypto fund

Sooo, Kazakhstan did a thing 🤪

They launched the Alem Crypto Fund - the country's first state-backed fund for investing in digital assets.

And they didn't pull up with some all bark, no bite bs: they jumped right in and bought BNB, the token linked to Binance + they even made Binance Kazakhstan an official partner in the project.

Which is... quite unusual.

Normally, when governments start experimenting with crypto, they buy Bitcoin, because it's the safest and the most neutral option.

However, Kazakhstan went with BNB, which isn't neutral at all - it's directly linked to Binance.

And that changes things a lot. Bitcoin's good for showing "we're in crypto," but it doesn't build relationships. BNB, on the other hand, ties Kazakhstan to the world’s largest exchange in a way that could attract investment, infrastructure, and influence.

Which, for Binance, is obviously a big deal. For a few reasons:

👉 Reputation;

After years of lawsuits, fines, and overall drama in the US and Europe, having a government buy its token and make it a partner is a much-needed vote of confidence.

👉 BNB's demand and credibility.

A national fund isn't gonna move markets the way a billion-dollar hedge fund would, but symbolically, it changes how BNB is perceived.

BNB has mostly been seen as a utility token for Binance's ecosystem - used to pay trading fees, access features, etc.

But Kazakhstan's purchase might make people rethink things: if a government is holding this, maybe it's not just an exchange token, maybe it's something bigger.

Let’s just hope other governments around the world start taking notes… ✍️

🍋 News drops you can't miss

💸 The right money transfer app can save you time and money. Here are our top picks.

🤝 Deutsche Börse, the big German exchange group, is bringing Circle's stablecoins into European markets. The plan includes EURC and USDC.

💳 Visa's trying out a pilot where banks and money transfer apps can pre-fund cross-border payments with stablecoins instead of fiat. And they're also using Circle's USDC and EURC. Big day for Circle news, innit.

🏎️ Ethereum treasury race: BitMine's holding $11B+ in ETH, while Bit Digital's sitting on $516M+.

📜 Wisconsin's got a bill on the table that could loosen the rules for crypto. If it passes, certain businesses and individuals wouldn't need a state money transmitter license anymore.

🍌 Juicy memes