• OFAC sanctioned seven TRON addresses linked to an alleged Tren de Aragua money-laundering network.
• The seven addresses received about $6.1M in crypto inflows since March 2022, according to TRM Labs.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned seven TRON blockchain addresses linked to an alleged ATM jackpotting and money-laundering operation connected to Tren de Aragua (TdA).

The action, announced on September 30, designated eight individuals and two Mexico-based companies tied to the alleged scheme, while also targeting TdA leader Juan Gabriel Rivas Nunez, known as “Juancho.” The seven TRON addresses were added to OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List.

According to Treasury, the operation used malware to force U.S. ATMs and interactive teller machines to dispense cash without charging a customer account. The stolen money was then moved between TdA members and associates to hide its origin, including through cryptocurrency transactions.

Treasury said reported losses from alleged TdA jackpotting attacks in the U.S. reached $40.73 million across more than 1,500 attacks as of August 2025. The Justice Department has also indicted 98 people since October 21, 2025 for alleged involvement in ATM jackpotting schemes.

Seven TRON Addresses Received $6.1M Since 2022

Blockchain analytics firm TRM Labs found that the seven sanctioned TRON addresses received about $6.1 million in total inflows since March 2022. The largest share, around $2.1 million, went to an address attributed to Eric Gabriel Cardenas Arzola.

TRM said all seven addresses were deposit addresses hosted by a centralized cryptocurrency exchange. The addresses received funds from multiple sources and later transferred money to other addresses associated with TdA. TRM also cautioned that the full $6.1 million cannot necessarily be attributed to the alleged ATM jackpotting operation.

The seven addresses subsequently sent funds to other TdA-linked addresses, which in turn transferred about $35 million to a network U.S. authorities have associated with Venezuelan national Jorge Figueira, who has been charged with laundering about $1 billion. Figueira has not been convicted, and those charges remain allegations.

OFAC’s action blocks property and interests in property of the designated persons that are in the United States or under the control of U.S. persons. The designation also means U.S. persons generally cannot conduct transactions involving the blocked property unless authorized by OFAC.

• DogeOS has opened its public testnet, bringing EVM-compatible smart contracts to the Dogecoin ecosystem.
• DOGE will power transaction fees, while developers can build DeFi, trading, stablecoin, and gaming applications on DogeOS.

DogeOS has opened its public Chikyū testnet, bringing an EVM-compatible smart contract layer to the Dogecoin ecosystem through a zero-knowledge rollup.

The testnet went live on September 30, giving developers a place to build and test applications on top of Dogecoin without changing the network’s underlying Layer 1. DOGE is used as the native token for transaction fees on DogeOS.

The launch gives Dogecoin developers access to Ethereum-compatible smart contract infrastructure. Developers can use familiar tools including Hardhat, Foundry and Remix, while the Chikyū testnet currently operates with chain ID 6281971.

DogeOS Brings DeFi and Other Applications to Dogecoin 

DogeOS is designed to support applications that are not available directly on Dogecoin’s base layer, including decentralized exchanges, lending platforms, perpetual trading, stablecoins, prediction markets and games. Several projects are already building on the testnet, including Barkswap, Superposition Finance, Derps, Split Markets and USDoge.

The network targets about 300 transactions per second, compared with roughly 30 transactions per second on Dogecoin’s Layer 1. DogeOS also uses a separate application layer so that smart contract activity can run without requiring changes to Dogecoin’s core network.

The zero-knowledge rollup is designed to settle its state to Dogecoin. However, Dogecoin does not currently verify DogeOS’s zero-knowledge proofs directly. The testnet instead uses a trusted execution environment, validators and a permissioned sequencer, with bridge state transitions requiring valid proofs along with validator and TEE signatures.

DogeOS has previously proposed a Dogecoin Core upgrade that would allow the base network to verify ZK proofs directly, but that upgrade has not yet been implemented.

For DOGE, the immediate change is therefore on the application side rather than the base blockchain. The cryptocurrency can be used to pay fees for smart contract activity, while developers get an EVM-compatible environment for building applications around Dogecoin.

DogeOS has not announced a mainnet launch date. The current public testnet is being used to allow developers to build and test applications before the project moves toward mainnet.

DOGE was trading around $0.0976 on October 1, up about 2.5% over the previous 24 hours, according to CoinMarketCap data at the time of writing.

Rodolfo Andragnes discusses Bitcoin’s evolution, growing institutional participation, self-custody, stablecoins, regulation and how digital-asset adoption is developing across Latin America.

Bitcoin has changed significantly since Rodolfo Andragnes, co-founder of ONG Bitcoin Argentina and founder of LABITCONF, first became involved with it in 2011. What was once a small community outside the traditional financial system has grown into a global market, with Bitcoin ETFs, institutional investors and governments now part of the conversation.

For Andragnes, however, Bitcoin’s importance goes beyond its price or its growing presence in traditional finance. The LABITCONF founder has spent more than a decade advocating for Bitcoin in Argentina, building communities and taking part in discussions around its use and regulation.

In an exclusive interview with TheNewsCrypto, Andragnes spoke about Bitcoin’s early years, the rise of institutional adoption, why he continues to see self-custody as important, and where he believes regulators still misunderstand the technology. He also discussed stablecoins, financial privacy, the U.S. crypto regulatory debate and what years of bringing the industry together through LABITCONF have taught him.

TheNewsCrypto (TNC): Can you tell us about your journey in Bitcoin and what initially convinced you that it could become important?

Rodolfo Andragnes (RA): Back in 1997 I’d already started a project with the same name and owned the domain bitcoins.com and I first got involved with it in 2011. What made me realize this mattered was how it reshaped the way I understood Money, Power and where value, Trust and its role really come from. They’re simple concepts on the surface, but we rarely stop to consider how powerful they are, or how an entirely new kind of society could be built around them.

TNC: You entered the Bitcoin ecosystem more than a decade ago, when it was still largely outside the mainstream. Looking back, what has changed most in the way people understand Bitcoin, and what misunderstanding still remains?

RA: People still struggle to see this as more than an investment – to grasp that it’s really about recognizing that the monetary and power system is broken, and that Bitcoin is a key part of the solution. What’s easier now, at least, is finding clear, digestible information in multiple languages to help people start down that path of discovery.

TNC: Right now, Bitcoin ETFs and institutional adoption have become two of the biggest trends in the market. Do you think this institutionalization is changing what Bitcoin represents, or simply creating new ways to access it?

RA: Not at all. Bitcoin is free for anyone to adopt. Some people adopting it that way doesn’t stop others from adopting it directly or self-custodying it themselves. It’s simply another entry point for people who aren’t quite confident to take that step, or for companies that have no other way to do it. That said, it’s obviously not the same as holding your own Bitcoin. 

TNC: As more financial institutions enter the market, how important is it to preserve the ideas of self-custody, decentralization and financial independence that originally attracted people to Bitcoin?

RA: As important as ever, maybe more so. Bitcoin is the only asset in the world, and the only sound money, with guaranteed scarcity, and that awareness keeps spreading. Why would anyone hand that over to a third party and have to ask permission to use it? Real ownership only exists through self-custody.

TNC: You’ve been involved in Bitcoin advocacy in Argentina for more than a decade, including discussions with regulators. What is one thing policymakers still misunderstand about Bitcoin today?

RA: Almost everything. For starters, they assume Bitcoin and crypto are the same thing, that blockchain is inherently secure, that it’s just another financial asset, just to name a few. These are all fundamental misunderstandings. There’s no such thing as “the blockchain” – there are many different networks, each with its own risks and problems.

And unlike nearly everything else out there, Bitcoin isn’t a promise or a claim on something, the way a financial asset, a stablecoin or a tokenized instrument is – or the way yield-bearing tokens, infinitely issued coins, or entity-controlled cryptocurrencies are. So the basic concepts they work with are simply wrong, and no law or regulation to date has actually drawn that distinction.

TNC: With the CLARITY Act becoming an important part of the U.S. crypto regulatory debate, how do you think it could affect the broader crypto industry?

RA: The U.S wields enormous power globally, which can shape the decisions and regulations of other countries. The CLARITY Act would have brought more clarity to the crypto world as a whole, even though it doesn’t affect Bitcoin at all. I think it could have given a potential boost for developing projects operating under clear, favorable regulatory frameworks in the US. Stille, the CLARITY Act is just one of several steps the current US administration is trying to take in that direction.

TNC: From your experience working with regulators in Argentina, where do you think regulation can help the crypto industry, and where can it create problems?

RA: Regulation helps companies understand and define the legal and operational boundaries they need to work within, while also giving them legitimacy as recognized players and better access to relationships with banks and other institutions. That doesn’t mean regulation is automatically positive. Often, the requirements are so strict or impractical that smaller projects can’t survive them, or companies simply choose to leave the market instead.

TNC: At the same time, stablecoins have become one of the most widely used parts of the digital-asset ecosystem, particularly in emerging markets. From what you have observed in Latin America, what problems are stablecoins solving that Bitcoin alone has not solved as effectively?

RA: That’s comparing apples and oranges, as my math teacher used to say. Stablecoins are essentially a version of the dollar, gaining blockchain’s traceability, global reach and speed, but also taking on greater execution risks, control, state abuse or system failures.  Bitcoin, on the other hand, definitely doesn’t try to be a dollar. It’s something fundamentally different: the only asset in the world with certainty of scarcity that’s also divisible, transferable, unforgeable and portable, all hallmarks of sound money, while also being digital and programmable. No other asset has managed to combine all of that.

TNC: You have also raised concerns about digital currencies that could give governments greater visibility or control over financial transactions. As payments become increasingly digital, how do you see the balance between financial regulation and individual privacy? 

RA: Well, that path is already mapped out, and it ties into my previous answer. CBDCs and stablecoins represent that scenario, though it’s hardly unfamiliar territory, since the whole world already runs on financial transactions that can be, and often are, traced or blocked. Stablecoins and CBDCs simply take that control even further. Bitcoin, by contrast, can’t be frozen or blocked unilaterally: it’s a pseudonymous system, and it’s entirely up to each person whether to reveal their identity to states or companies. 

TNC: Looking across Latin America today, which differences between countries do you think are most important for understanding how crypto adoption will develop in the region?

RA: Every country is its own world, honestly, but a few key factors stand out: how much people trust and have adopted the financial system, past experiences with inflation, the level of international payments, how heavy the tax burden is, and so on. Together, these shape how willing citizens are to use cryptocurrencies, treat Bitcoin as a store of value, or embrace circular economies. 

TNC: You have spent years building communities and bringing people together through LABITCONF. Beyond the conference itself, what have you observed from watching developers, entrepreneurs, investors and policymakers interact in the same room that you would not necessarily see from following the industry online?

RA: That’s the big difference: going into meatspace – meaning meeting in person, flesh and blood – not only allows you to understand what’s happening but also builds relationships that let you find partners, save time, debate and dig deeper live on the topics you care about with others who share the same interests. 

TNC: Finally, after more than a decade in Bitcoin, what do you think is the biggest question the Bitcoin and digital-asset industry still needs to answer?

RA: I´m not sure it needs an answer. I think it’s mostly a matter of time before society fully recognizes Bitcoin as the best asset for storing value, thanks to its unique qualities as money, especially heading into an AI-driven future built on abundance. As for crypto more broadly, I expect it will keep gaining ground, gradually being adopted for more and more solutions and control. 

Disclaimer: The information provided in this interview article is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be, nor should it be construed as, investment advice, financial guidance, or a recommendation to make any specific decisions. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research.

• Standard Chartered predicts Ethena’s ENA to reach $2 by the end of 2028, with targets of $0.42 for 2026 and $1.10 for 2027.
• ENA is trading above $0.25 after a strong September rally.
• Around 1.4B ENA tokens will unlock on October 5, adding selling pressure.

The leading global bank, Standard Chartered has made a first research coverage of Ethena’s ENA token and set a $2 price target for the end of 2028, putting the bank’s forecast at roughly seven times ENA’s current market price. The report, published on September 30, focuses on Ethena’s position across yield-bearing stablecoins, perpetual futures and tokenized real-world assets. The bank also forecasts ENA to reach $0.42 by the end of 2026 and $1.10 by the end of 2027.

The bank’s case is built largely around USDe, Ethena’s synthetic dollar stablecoin. Standard Chartered expects USDe supply to reach about $40 billion worth by the end of 2028. Right now Ethena issued USDe value stands at $4.98B, meaning the bank’s projection is about 8x higher. 

This comes as the bank expects real-world assets deployed on blockchains to expand from around $40 billion currently to $2 trillion over the same period, creating a larger market for Ethena’s tokenized-asset and yield strategies.

Ethena initially generated USDe’s yield mainly through the crypto basis trade, holding spot assets while shorting perpetual futures to hedge price exposure. The protocol has since expanded into institutional credit, tokenized U.S. equities and equity perpetual futures. 

As well as, its latest equity strategy uses Binance bStocks as tokenized spot exposure and stock perpetuals as the hedge. Since then, open interest in Binance’s equity perpetuals had surpassed $2.9 billion, while the reported six-month annualized basis return averaged 3.56%.

The ENA token’s economics are another part of Standard Chartered’s valuation argument. Ethena’s approved revenue-allocation framework links future ENA buybacks to USDe supply milestones. The first threshold is $7.5 billion in USDe supply. At that level, 5% of eligible net revenue is allocated to buybacks, rising to 10% at $10 billion, 15% at $15 billion and 20% at $20 billion.

ENA Regains Key Support as 1.4B Token Unlock Approaches

ENA is trading at around $0.2586 at the time of writing, according to CoinMarketCap. The daily chart indicates that ENA has pulled back after a sharp September advance, nearly to $0.3. Binance historical data shows ENA closed to $0.2566 on Sep, 28 and $0.2484 on Sep. 29. The Sep. 30 session has so far traded between $0.2441 and $0.2633.

Technical readings also hint that the short-term trend has slightly weakened. In the 4-hours EN/USDT snapshot, ENA is trading around $0.2586, a modest recovery after finding support near the $0.24-0.250 area. 

Zooming in, the recent candles indicate that buyers have returned, with ENA moving back above its 9-day MA at $0.2514. Still, the token is trading just below the 21-day MA at $0.2603, making that level an important near-term resistance.

That puts RSI at 54.55, moving back above the neutral 50 level. This suggests that buying momentum has improved, but the indicator is still well below the 70 overbought zone, leaving room for further movement if buyers remain active.

So, a sustained move above $0.2603 would strengthen the short-term setup and bring the next resistance around $0.2675 into focus. A break above that level could open the way toward the $0.275-$0.280 region, while the recent September high near $0.3 remains a larger resistance area.

But there is also a major supply event ahead. Around 1.4 billion ENA is expected to be released on October 5, bringing a large amount of previously locked tokens into circulation.

Due to that, if ENA price faces rejection, $0.2514 is the first support to watch, as it currently aligns with the 9-day MA. If ENA falls below that level, attention would shift toward the $0.245-$0.250 zone, where the latest rebound began. A clear break below that area would weaken the current recovery structure. 

• Illinois has released draft rules for its 0.2% crypto transaction tax, including stablecoins and memecoins.
• The tax is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027.
• NFTs are excluded from the proposed digital asset tax rules.

The U.S. state of Illinois has released draft rules for its new 0.2% digital asset tax, giving crypto exchanges and other service providers more detail on how the levy could work when it takes effect next year.

The Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) posted the draft rules on September 28 and is accepting public comments through October 30, 2026. The rules have not yet been filed with the Secretary of State or submitted to the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules.

The underlying Digital Asset Tax Act was signed into law in June and is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027. It applies a 0.2% tax to the value of a digital asset involved in covered business activity received by an Illinois customer. Digital asset brokers are responsible for collecting the tax.

What the Draft Rules Cover

The proposed rules define taxable activity as the exchange, transfer or storage of digital assets through a business or for a customer. Exchanges include buying or selling crypto for dollars, trading one digital asset for another, converting fiat into crypto, converting crypto back into fiat and bridging assets between blockchains.

Transfers can also fall under the tax when a broker performs them for a fee. The draft specifically includes transfers between accounts belonging to the same customer when a digital asset broker facilitates the transaction for consideration. Direct peer-to-peer transfers without an intermediary are not covered.

The proposal also covers stablecoins and memecoins, while specifically excluding NFTs. Network or gas fees paid directly to miners and validators are not treated as taxable consideration. DeFi transactions generally fall outside the tax unless a platform receives qualifying fees, such as protocol fees.

The tax is based on the dollar value of the digital asset when the taxable activity is completed, rather than on whether the customer made a profit.

How It Compares With U.S. Federal Crypto Taxes

Illinois’ levy is separate from federal crypto taxation. The IRS treats digital assets as property, meaning sales and exchanges can create taxable capital gains or losses. Federal rules also require certain brokers to report digital asset transactions to the IRS through Form 1099-DA.

Illinois is currently the first U.S. state to enact a transaction-based tax specifically targeting digital asset activity. A separate Illinois bill, HB 5798, has been introduced to repeal the Digital Asset Tax Act, but it has not repealed the law.