This week’s crypto news covers Tron’s plan to expand its TRX treasury, a staff departure from the White House Crypto Council, South Korea’s proposed cybersecurity reforms after crypto exchange hacks, and VanEck’s decision to drop its Lido staked Ether ETF plans.
Top gainers and losers of the week
- Starknet (STRK) – led the market gains with a massive breakout, surging 62.61% over the last seven days to reach $0.07108;
- Raydium (RAY) – built up strong buying momentum, advancing 22.01% throughout the week to settle at $2.39;
- JUST (JST) – recorded steady upward motion, climbing 11.41% across the seven-day period to lock in at $0.142.
- Venice Token (VVV) – experienced strong selling pressure, falling 26.47% over the course of the week to drop to $21.99;
- Mantle (MNT) – took a significant hit, sliding 20.02% to close the seven-day stretch at $0.5463;
- Pudgy Penguins (PENGU) – drifted lower under market pressure, losing 19.50% of its value to finish trading at $0.007965.
Tron files for $200 million share sale to grow TRX treasury
Nasdaq-listed Tron Inc. filed for an at-the-market offering that allows it to sell up to $200 million in common stock to fund further purchases for its Tron (TRX) treasury. According to a Wednesday filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company can periodically sell shares with a $0.0001 par value through Clear Street, which acts as the offering's agent and keeps a commission of up to 3% of gross proceeds.
The filing builds on an existing TRX accumulation program announced in February, under which Tron buys roughly $50,000 worth of TRX daily for 360 consecutive days. The company's treasury currently holds 718.9 million TRX tokens, worth about $237 million, following its latest purchase of 149,369 TRX at an average price of $0.3347 on Thursday.
Tron Inc. (NASDAQ: TRON) acquired 149,369 TRX tokens today at an average price of $0.3347 further increasing its TRX treasury holdings to more than 718.9 million TRX in total. The company aims to further grow its Tron DAT holdings to enhance long term shareholder value. For live…
— Tron Inc. (@TRON_INC) October 15, 2026
Tron shares opened 2% lower on Friday, according to Google Finance.
White House Crypto Council loses its last remaining staffer
Patrick Witt, executive director of the White House's Crypto Council, announced Thursday he is leaving his role for a position in the private sector.
"Serving in this administration has been the privilege of a lifetime," Witt wrote on X, adding that he looks forward to continuing to support US technological advancements in the private sector.
Serving in this administration has been the privilege of a lifetime.
— Patrick Witt (@patrickjwitt) October 15, 2026
From helping to stand up the most successful presidential transition in history alongside @howardlutnick and @EDSecMcMahon, to rebuilding our defense industrial base as PTDO Deputy Under Secretary for R&E and…
Witt served as the administration's leading advisor on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, legislation meant to create the first comprehensive US regulatory framework for crypto markets. The Senate failed to pass a cloture motion on the bill in September, and further progress this session looks unlikely.
His departure leaves the council without any remaining staff. David Sacks, the White House's crypto and AI czar, left in March, and deputy director Harry Jung departed in July. The council's former executive director, Bo Hines, announced his own exit in August 2025, later joining stablecoin issuer Tether as a strategic adviser to coordinate the company's US expansion.
South Korea moves to tighten cybersecurity rules after crypto exchange hacks
South Korea's Financial Services Commission plans stricter cybersecurity requirements for financial institutions following an investigation into security incidents at 16 companies, including crypto exchanges. The regulator said an industry-wide review found cybersecurity deficiencies at 130 of 555 financial companies examined, with about 100,000 pieces of customer information exposed across the affected firms, including names, contact details and identification numbers.
The affected companies include Gopax operator Streami and crypto trading platform Prabang, which previously disclosed that an October 2 hack exposed personal information belonging to some of its customers.
Under the proposed reforms, larger financial institutions would face vulnerability assessments at least twice a year, up from current requirements. The FSC also plans to strengthen information-sharing systems between institutions and is considering the use of artificial intelligence for security monitoring at smaller companies with fewer resources to run their own threat detection.
The regulator is also weighing whether to allow additional cybersecurity inspections outside regular assessment schedules when urgent threats emerge, aiming to close gaps between scheduled reviews. The FSC said it is pursuing improved threat monitoring and stronger accountability for executives at affected firms, and that it is still investigating whether the incidents involved AI-assisted attacks or were linked to the same group of attackers.
VanEck drops plan for Lido staked Ether ETF
VanEck Digital Assets said it will no longer move forward with its proposed Lido staked Ether exchange-traded fund, shelving a product designed to give investors exposure to the liquid staking token. In an SEC filing Wednesday, the firm stated it "does not intend to proceed with the planned distribution" of the trust's shares, without explaining what prompted the decision or whether a replacement product might follow.
VanEck filed the fund's S-1 registration statement on October 16, 2025, a year before this week's reversal. The proposed trust would have held Lido staked Ether (stETH) directly and was expected to accrue staking rewards through that ownership, giving investors indirect exposure to Ethereum staking yields without needing to run their own validator or stake ETH themselves.
Tanya Petrusenko
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