TechWatch — News on crypto, fintech and digital infrastructure
Solana Alpenglow Upgrade Goes Live Targeting 150ms Transaction Finality
The Solana Alpenglow upgrade replaced TowerBFT consensus on October 21, 2026, introducing off-chain BLS voting to cut finality times toward a 150 ms target under normal conditions.
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Mailchimp AI Campaign Builder Adds Analytics AI and Ecommerce Integrations
Intuit Mailchimp rolled out expanded AI tools on May 28, 2026, including conversational analytics and one-click ecommerce tracking for Shopify, WooCommerce and Wix.
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HSBC RedCoin HKD Stablecoin Launches on PayMe for 3.3 Million Users
HSBC issued its RedCoin HKD stablecoin on PayMe on 23 October 2026. The rollout gives 3.3 million users access to a regulated wallet for P2P and merchant payments.
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Whop Series D Closes $200 Million at $5.1 Billion Valuation Led by Sequoia and Shopify Ventures
Whop closed a $200 million Series D round at a $5.1 billion post-money valuation on October 21, 2026, led by Sequoia Capital and Shopify Ventures.
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Standard Chartered Zodia Custody Acquisition Moves Forward With Signed Agreements
Standard Chartered signed definitive agreements on 21 October 2026 to acquire 100 percent of Zodia Custody Limited through its subsidiary Standard Chartered I H Limited.
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Bybit VARA License Issued to Bybit Fintech FZE for Dubai Spot Trading
Bybit Fintech FZE received an active VARA license on October 20, 2026, authorizing spot trading services for institutional, qualified, and retail investors in Dubai.
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Cognitive Credit Secures $40 Million Growth Investment Led by Summit Partners
London-based corporate credit data provider Cognitive Credit raised $40 million on October 22, 2026, in a round led by Summit Partners.
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Namecheap API Supports Domain Management and DNS Automation Features
Namecheap continues to provide its XML-based API covering domain operations, DNS management and related functions for qualifying accounts.
