Solana Reduces Slot Time to 250ms, Bitcoin ETF Inflows Surpass Ethereum Outflows

Solana is implementing an upgrade that reduces its target slot time to 250 milliseconds, a 17% decrease from the previous 300 milliseconds, while also reducing work per slot to maintain overall transaction capacity. CoinDesk reported that shorter verification times will allow applications to receive blockchain data faster.

US spot Bitcoin ETFs saw $159 million in net inflows on October 17, while Ethereum ETFs experienced $39.24 million in net outflows. BlackRock's IBIT was the only Bitcoin ETF recording net inflows, and Ethereum ETFs have seen three consecutive days of net outflows according to Odaily.

The Bank of Japan raised its benchmark interest rate to 1.25%, reaching a level not seen since 1995, with the decision passing 7-2. BeInCrypto reported that rising energy costs due to the Iran war are pressuring the economy as the BoJ increased rates.

The New York Stock Exchange is considering introducing 24-hour on-chain trading for Avalanche, with Foresight News reporting ongoing discussions between NYSE and Avalanche teams regarding potential implementation, though specific details remain undisclosed pending regulatory approval.

Nostra, a Starknet lending protocol, suffered an oracle manipulation incident resulting in approximately $3.5 million in loans being issued to a single account exploiting NSTR price oracles. BeInCrypto reported that Nostra has suspended all lending, borrowing, withdrawal, and liquidation functions while conducting asset reconciliation, with unclear recovery prospects for funds.

A fake AI trading software targeting browser wallet extensions was discovered as malicious code Needle Stealer replaced legitimate extensions to steal user credentials. HP's October 17 threat intelligence report revealed attackers used Microsoft-signed legitimate software alongside malicious DLL files to evade detection.

Zcash ecosystem has agreed on the NU7 upgrade, setting mainnet activation for November 5. The NU7 update will reduce block generation intervals from 75 seconds to 25 seconds and deactivate v4 transactions. Official testnet upgrades are scheduled for October 6, with mainnet timing subject to adjustment based on testnet results.

Virtual asset and blockchain venture capital investment reached $568.3 million in Q2 2026, a 31% increase from the previous quarter. Investment was concentrated 78.3% in late-stage companies with transaction counts rising 10% to 384 deals. Galaxy Research noted that larger late-stage funding rounds drove the investment surge compared to deal volume growth.

WTI crude oil futures dropped 5% during trading while spot silver rose 2%, and gold surpassed $4,370 per ounce. WTI futures fell to $96.03 per barrel, with spot silver at $66.52 per ounce. PANews reported that physical gold saw a 0.69% intraday increase on October 18.

Privy launched 'Privy Treasury Management,' a financial tool for businesses to manage on-chain asset custody and transfer approvals. The tool, available as a separate workspace within Privy's dashboard since October 17, allows companies to view wallet, chain, and asset-specific holdings while handling transfers and approvals in one interface.