Slovakia news in English

The F. D. Roosevelt Faculty Hospital in Banská Bystrica will operate on a limited, holiday-style schedule on Tuesday, September 15, providing patients only with acute and emergency care. The reason is that although this year's public-finance consolidation stripped the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows of its public-holiday status, the day remains a state holiday on which staff are still entitled to a holiday pay supplement. As a result, the hospital is not offering routine outpatient checkups or scheduled procedures that day.

The Žilina self-governing region (ŽSK) has merged four secondary schools in Ružomberok — a technical secondary school, a school of commerce and services, a business academy and a school of arts and crafts — into a single institution with four organizational units under one leadership, effective the 2026/2027 school year. Regional spokeswoman Eva Lacová confirmed the region is considering naming the new school, which has 230 staff, 1,055 students and offers 32 study and vocational programs, "Stredoškolský kampus Ružomberok" (Ružomberok Secondary School Campus), though that requires an amendment to the education law. The region also plans building modernization and moving the technical school from Sládkovičova Street to the main campus, funded by two projects worth roughly €2.7 million and €4.9 million.

Slovak public broadcaster STVR announced that an expert jury has selected 12 finalists for the 42nd edition of the Košický zlatý poklad (Košice Golden Treasure) song festival from 146 original Slovak songs submitted. The gala evening will take place on Saturday, November 7 at 7:00 PM at the Kunsthalle in Košice, with live broadcasts on Radio Slovensko, Radio Regina and STVR's website, and singer Lukáš Adamec and his band as guest performers. The competition, run in Košice by STVR studio director Jozef Puchala, traditionally helps successful performers gain public recognition and access to recording studios.

Slovakia's national weather service SHMÚ forecasts mostly clear to partly cloudy weather across Slovakia on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, with isolated showers possible in the east of the country. Morning fog or low cloud is likely in several areas, daytime highs will reach 20 to 25°C, dropping to 18-20°C in Orava and the sub-Tatra regions. Winds will be mostly light, with precipitation not expected to exceed 2 millimeters.

Slovakia traditionally marks the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, the country's patron saint, on September 15, but a public-finance consolidation law from November 2025 stripped the day of its public-holiday status for this year. The feast dates back to a tradition from 1412 and is uniquely observed as a national holiday only in Slovakia, drawing around 20,000 pilgrims each year to the basilica in Šaštín.

Bernard Bober, head of the Conference of Bishops of Slovakia, sent birthday greetings to Pope Leo XIV on Monday, September 14, 2026, as the pontiff turned 71. Slovak bishops thanked him for his service so far and assured him of their devotion, praying that God continue to strengthen him with grace and blessing in his pastoral work.

On Monday, September 14, 2026, a vehicle struck a brown bear near the village of Svätý Kríž in the Liptovský Mikuláš district, and the animal fled the scene after the collision. Slovakia's State Nature Conservancy has sent a team to search the area and is warning residents that an injured animal may behave unpredictably. The public is asked to report any bear sighting to conservation authorities, or to call the emergency line 112 if in immediate danger.

During a city festival in Trnava, two young men damaged a municipal police vehicle by climbing onto its roof, which caved in under their weight. Municipal police identified both individuals and handed the case over to the state police, who are investigating it as suspected damage to property. Municipal police called the behavior unacceptable, saying even a seemingly harmless prank is illegal and can have serious consequences for those responsible.

The Israeli military announced it is considering a criminal investigation into the makers of the documentary NAZA, which won a special jury prize at the Venice Film Festival and examines the Israeli armed forces' decision-making during the war in the Gaza Strip based on testimony from 24 anonymized military and intelligence personnel. Chief of General Staff Eyal Zamir cited suspected false claims about military personnel and security concerns, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the film "shocking." The military rejects the film's claims, criticizes its reliance on anonymous sources, and denies using artificial intelligence in decisions about attack targets.

Catania airport in Italy, the country's fifth-busiest, had to suspend operations on Monday, September 14, 2026, due to ash from Mount Etna, initially until 16:00 CEST and later extended to 22:00 CEST for both arrivals and departures. Airport operator SAC announced the disruption on Facebook, and according to Reuters the eruptive activity from Europe's highest and most active volcano has been exceptionally intense, affecting thousands of travelers during the peak summer season.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed on the evening of Monday, September 14, 2026, that Ukraine and its partners agree to stop attacks on critical infrastructure, including energy facilities, ports and supply routes, which he said Russia strikes daily. He said that if partners can guarantee Russia genuinely stops attacking Ukraine's energy system, Kyiv is ready to respond in kind, but stressed any agreement must be "reliable and long-term" and not collapse after Russia's elections or a temporary drop in fuel prices. US President Donald Trump had meanwhile announced that Ukraine and Russia agreed not to attack each other's energy infrastructure.

Former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, in a television interview for Hír TV on Monday, September 14, 2026, laid out his strategy for returning to power after his party's election defeat in April ended sixteen years in government; he named reorganizing Hungary's right wing as the main goal and said he would wait patiently for economic difficulties or broken campaign promises to sober up voters of the current governing Tisza party. Current Prime Minister Péter Magyar responded to Orbán's remarks on Facebook, accusing him of making "open threats" against prosecutors, police and tax officials, and vowing he would not back down to "the mafia."

EU member states' ambassadors on Monday extended sanctions against more than 3,000 Russian individuals and entities by only one week instead of the usual twelve months, after failing to resolve a dispute over the list; the sanctions had been due to expire on September 15, with the new deadline now September 22. According to the Irish presidency of the EU Council, negotiations will continue, as Slovakia has long been pushing to have Russian-Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov removed from the list.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and President Petr Pavel met for roughly forty minutes at Prague Castle on Monday, September 14, 2026, coordinating foreign trips including Pavel's upcoming visit to the United States and his address to the UN General Assembly on September 23. The meeting followed a period of tension between the two officials, notably over disagreements around attendance at a NATO summit; Pavel welcomed the prime minister's return to such meetings.

Sunday's parliamentary election in Sweden is heading toward an extremely tight result between the left-wing opposition and the current right-wing governing coalition. The left-wing opposition, led by former PM Magdalena Andersson's Social Democrats (28.1% of the vote), is projected on partial counts to take 176 of 349 seats against 173 for the right-wing coalition; the final outcome remains uncertain since officials still have to count overseas and postal ballots, with a definitive result not expected until Wednesday. Both potential governing blocs face significant hurdles in forming a coalition, as key partner parties hold conflicting positions on many major issues.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned on Sunday, September 13, 2026, that escalating Russian military operations against Ukraine could directly threaten Poland in the weeks ahead. A Russian drone had shortly before struck a passenger train carrying 206 people in Volhynia near the Ukrainian-Polish border, though the attack caused no injuries. Tusk said Russia may be trying to paralyze Ukrainian border crossings, similar to what it recently did in Moldova; the train that was hit had passed the same route just minutes after another train carrying foreign guests, including former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The finance ministry under Ladislav Kamenický (Smer-SD) rejected on Monday claims by opposition party SaS that Slovakia has some of the highest fuel prices in Europe, calling the party's proposals to cut excise duty and VAT on fuel populist. The ministry argues that from January through the end of August 2026 Slovakia had the fourth-lowest average diesel prices in Europe and the eighth-lowest among all tracked countries, while neighboring Austria, Czechia and Poland have diesel prices above €2 per liter. The ministry also cites the 2022 excise-duty cut on diesel, saying that experience did not show higher consumption could offset the resulting loss of budget revenue.

Opposition MP Simona Petrík (Progressive Slovakia) called on Monday for the removal of Peter Ormandý, director general of the Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family, accusing him of neglecting the social guardianship department. She pointed to an open letter signed in late April by more than a thousand guardianship staff — nearly 90 percent of the department — complaining that instead of the EU-recommended 55 cases per worker, they handle 350 to 450. The labour ministry under Minister Erik Tomáš (Hlas-SD) counters that 371 new positions have been added under his leadership and staff pay rose by €100 last year.

KDH MPs Andrea Turčanová and Monika Kolejáková criticized on Monday that the coalition rejected their proposals on a National Council committee to preserve outpatient social services beyond 2027, as well as a citizens' petition pointing to failures in disability assessments. According to the MPs, the state subsidy per place in a day-care center is set to fall from €599 to €90, which, across a network of more than 6,200 places, could leave up to 44 percent of clients without the service from 2028.

According to the Government Office, the coalition council reached agreement without dispute on the opening and procedural handling of parliament's September session, which begins Tuesday, September 15, 2026. Parliament Speaker Richard Raši (Hlas-SD) acknowledged the session, with an agenda of nearly 300 items, could end up running longer than the planned four weeks.

President Peter Pellegrini, speaking Sunday, September 13, 2026 at the national pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of Sorrows in Šaštín-Stráže, called for people to find ways toward one another and to keep dialogue going in society even where it seems impossible, stressing mutual respect despite differing opinions. According to the president, the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows should strengthen the unity of Slovak society and remind citizens of shared values and national identity; people should maintain mutual respect, he said, in order to keep the 'strength and desire to help those in need.' Pellegrini called the appeal for tolerance and togetherness 'exceptionally urgent' in today's society, saying personal barriers and animosity often stand in the way of cooperation even for the common good, and expressed his belief that respect and cohesion can be carried into everyday life and collective action.

Opposition movement Slovensko, together with other opposition parties, has filed motions to remove Economy Minister Denisa Saková and Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok (both Hlas-SD), with special parliamentary sessions due to be held within seven days of filing under procedural rules. The Slovensko – Za ľudí caucus, whose motion was submitted by MPs Michal Šipoš and Roman Mikulec, accuses Šutaj Eštok of an ill-judged fire truck purchase, procuring radar cameras containing Russian components, breaking a promise to raise police salaries, and neglecting firefighters, mountain rescuers and interior ministry staff. Saková is accused of poor personnel decisions at state enterprises, failing to protect the state's economic interests, controversial nominations to the supervisory board of Energetika Slovensko, an inability to introduce targeted help with energy prices, and yielding to Prime Minister Robert Fico on expanding the nuclear power project, which the opposition says risks cost overruns; the opposition frames the whole move as systemic government failure that prioritizes party interests over citizens' welfare.

Investment, Regional Development and Informatization Minister Samuel Migaľ confirmed he had discussed with Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba (an SNS nominee) the possibility of abolishing his own ministry (MIRRI) as part of public finance consolidation, stressing that EU funds should go directly to mayors, not just regional governors. Migaľ said no decision has been made yet and that it remains an ongoing political discussion requiring public debate. Taraba raised the topic in a Sunday television appearance, questioning the ministry's effectiveness, noting that the Tourism and Sports Ministry costs €250 million a year, and suggesting MIRRI had served its purpose for the current EU programming period and could become unnecessary in the next one.

After a meeting of V4 leaders with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin at Bratislava Castle, PM Robert Fico declared the Visegrad Four is "alive again" and will jointly push to lower high regional electricity prices, including through reforming the emissions trading system, decoupling electricity prices from gas prices, and seeking alternatives to the Leipzig power exchange. V4 leaders also agreed to coordinate their positions more regularly ahead of European Council meetings, discussing preservation of the Common Agricultural Policy and preparations for the EU's 2028-2034 budget, which Ireland is set to present soon during its presidency.

The Association of Construction Entrepreneurs of Slovakia (ZSPS) has welcomed the European Commission's proposed new EU law on affordable housing, saying it could speed up housing construction in Slovakia too. Association president Pavol Kováčik stressed that removing administrative barriers and shortening lengthy permitting processes is key, arguing these currently drive up construction costs and, in turn, final housing prices.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, meeting European Council President António Costa in Rome, clearly rejected the introduction of new European taxes as part of the EU's upcoming 2028-2034 budget. Instead, she proposes finding savings by making the EU's administrative spending more efficient; Costa is touring member states ahead of upcoming European Council meetings to discuss the budget along with defense, competitiveness and support for Ukraine.

Czech company 2BMiner says bitcoin mining profitability today depends primarily on electricity prices, geographic location and available infrastructure, not just the raw power of the mining hardware itself. The company runs specialized ASIC rigs in several countries including the US, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates, tapping cheap surplus or renewable energy and deliberately spreading its capacity geographically to reduce the risks tied to regulatory or political changes in any single country.

News site oPeniazoch.sk has launched an interactive calculator that uses official Slovak Statistics Office data to compare how prices of everyday groceries and other goods have changed since 1997 using a "virtual shopping basket." The tool shows the picture is not uniform — while some items have risen sharply in price, others, such as pork, are actually relatively cheaper today than decades ago when viewed over the longer term.

According to a report, leading figures at major US artificial intelligence companies — including Anthropic's Dario Amodei, OpenAI's Sam Altman and Elon Musk — agree that development of the most powerful AI systems is moving at an unsettling pace and should slow down. Amodei in particular warns of growing safety risks, such as AI being used to enable massive cyberattacks, and along with other leaders is proposing independent oversight and coordinated industry-wide safety rules. The administration of US President Donald Trump, however, rejects such a slowdown, fearing it would weaken America's competitive position against China in the AI race.

According to an analysis by travel company Thomas Cook, which compared accommodation, food, city transport and paid attractions costs in over fifty European cities for early September, thirteen destinations offer a day's holiday for under €100. The cheapest is Tirana, Albania at €59 a day, followed by Bucharest, Romania at €66 and, tied at €78, Antalya in Turkey and Warsaw in Poland; by comparison, a day in Amsterdam averages around €353.

National Bank of Slovakia Governor Peter Kažimír said in a commentary that the recent interest rate increase was an appropriate response to significant uncertainty and persistent inflation risks, with the bank deliberately keeping room for further adjustments based on incoming data rather than committing to a fixed course. According to Kažimír, energy price shocks will last longer than initially expected and risk spreading into other prices, wage expectations and long-term inflation outlooks, compounded by anticipated food price increases and a tight labor market. He said the economy has proven more resilient than expected, but that resilience has its limits, and the bank stands ready to act when circumstances require it.

As of August 2026, Slovakia had drawn €2.74 billion of the €12.79 billion available for the 2021-2027 programming period, an absorption rate of 21.44%, up 1.01 percentage points from the previous month. The largest share comes from the Program Slovensko (€12.59 billion available), which drew €2.692 billion (21.38%, up 1.01 points month-on-month); Interreg SK-CZ (€85.32 million) drew €25.98 million (30.44%, up 2.03 points) and Interreg SK-AT (€55.5 million) drew €6.18 million (11.13%, up 0.52 points). The INTERACT IV program (€45 million) had drawn 42.26% (€9.02 million) with no monthly change, while the Fisheries Program 2021-2027 (€15.23 million) had drawn nothing at all as of August.

FC ViOn Zlaté Moravce-Vráble won 4:0 at home against Zvolen in round 8 of Slovakia's top football division, picking up their second straight win and moving up to ninth place in the table. Zvolen, meanwhile, are still waiting for their first league win this season and sit close to the bottom of the standings with three points.

Players' union FIFPRO and its European division have joined UEFA's call for an independent review of how FIFA is governed, criticizing in particular FIFA president Gianni Infantino's controversial plan to bring private capital into the FIFA Forward Enterprise project, which would oversee global football competitions including the World Cup. FIFPRO argues such decisions should not be made without consulting players, clubs and leagues, and is demanding greater representation in FIFA's financial decision-making; FIFA had pledged to review the plan by August 5, but has not yet said who will lead the independent review.

Former forward Joe Sakic, who had only been serving as interim general manager of the Colorado Avalanche since June after Chris MacFarland left for Nashville, has decided to stay in the role permanently. Sakic, who led the team to the 2022 Stanley Cup title, made several notable moves over the summer, including a record eight-year, $163.2 million contract extension for defenseman Cale Makar.

Slovakia's top ice hockey competition, the Tipsport Liga, starts its new season on Tuesday, September 15, with defending champion HK Nitra again aiming for the title, according to club director Miroslav Kováčik, who said the team "isn't setting a lower goal." Slovak Ice Hockey Federation general secretary Miroslav Lažo also unveiled a new disciplinary code ahead of the season, along with a 54-game regular-season schedule followed by a December playoff-qualification round that splits the 12 teams into Eastern and Western groups, with the top six advancing directly to the playoffs and teams ranked 7th to 10th facing a qualification round. The league also named its All-Star team from last season (goaltender Eugen Rabčan, defensemen Ryan Sproul and Mislav Rosandič, forwards Carter Turnbull, Adam Cracknell and Jake Virtanen) and awarded the best-goal prize to Matúš Vojtech of Liptovský Mikuláš; more than a million spectators attended the league in person last season.

In the latest round of the group stage at the volleyball European Championship, Ukraine cruised past Portugal 3:0 to keep its lead in Group B with 12 points, Serbia survived a five-set thriller to beat the Netherlands 3:2, and Germany defeated Switzerland 3:1 to remain the only unbeaten team in the tournament. The matches were played in Modena, Sofia, Tampere and Cluj, with Switzerland now winless and at the bottom of Group D after four rounds. Slovakia, meanwhile, continued its losing run in Group A, falling to Czechia 0:3 in straight sets in the same round.

International basketball federation FIBA has banned former Slovak basketball player Peter Sedmák from all basketball activity until June 8, 2034, for misuse of internal information, failing to report required information, match manipulation and obstructing the investigation in connection with his role as sports manager and board member at Czech club BK GAPA Hradec Králové. Sedmák rejects the decision and plans to appeal, stressing that FIBA's own ruling found no evidence he personally placed any bets. During his playing career, Sedmák also played for Slovak clubs in Bratislava, Handlová and Košice.

AS Roma beat FC Turin 2-0 away on Monday, September 14, 2026, with goals from Donyell Malen and young academy product Niccolò Pisilli, keeping a clean sheet and a perfect record at the top of Serie A. Como beat Parma 2-1 at home with goals from Ramón and Kaiki, remaining unbeaten, while Parma is still waiting for its first win of the season and has just one point.

Slovakia's volleyball team lost its third European Championship match to Czechia 0:3 in straight sets (21-25, 14-25, 20-25) in Modena on Monday, September 14, 2026, and remains winless in Group A. Coach Michal Masný, whose lineup included eleven newcomers, admitted afterward that the team needs to face up to its actual current level; Slovakia next plays Sweden on Wednesday and Greece on Thursday, with the top four teams in the group advancing to the quarterfinals.

A self-driving Waymo vehicle in San Francisco halted its ride and had its system alert police after onboard cameras spotted two teenage passengers with an illegal, homemade weapon lacking a serial number. The incident, from early September 2026, shows that robotaxis' advanced camera monitoring can detect a safety threat inside the cabin and respond immediately by calling in the authorities.

Journalist Brian Krebs discovered on September 1, 2026 that a dark web service called Nexus was selling digital scans of more than 153 million driver's licenses from the US and Canada. The records included sophisticated infrared and ultraviolet images revealing security features normally used for authentication, making them valuable material for producing forgeries. The investigation traced the breach to IDScan.net, an identity verification company that processes more than 21 million authentications a month, and the case is now also the subject of an FBI cybercrime investigation.

Starting in October 2026, Microsoft will gradually and automatically enable the Memory Integrity feature on Windows 11 computers through monthly updates, rolling it out based on hardware compatibility checks. The feature protects the system kernel by verifying code and drivers, though Microsoft will exclude devices where users had previously turned it off themselves. Minimum requirements include at least an 8th-generation Intel processor (or equivalent), 8GB of RAM, a 64GB SSD and virtualization enabled, though meeting them doesn't guarantee automatic activation — the company also warns that incompatible drivers could cause instability or system failures during the rollout.

Rescuers had to save three college students on California's Mount Shasta after their planned eight-hour climb stretched to 39.5 hours. The group had used the AI chatbot Gemini to plan their route, but mountain rescuers stressed that AI wasn't the only problem — a dead phone, rule violations and ignoring available official information all played a part. Ranger Nick Meyers advised people to check AI-made plans with an experienced person first.

Independent testers confirmed that Nvidia's DLSS 5 technology cuts performance by 36 to 65 percent in NBA 2K27, depending on the graphics card and resolution used. On the plus side, character animations and faces remain intact, unlike the controversial March preview that showed significant visual glitches. The technology, used to render lighting, shadows and materials, is currently available only on RTX 50-series graphics cards.

Microsoft's September update fixed nearly a thousand vulnerabilities, two of which attackers were actively exploiting even before the patch was released — one in Windows 11 and one in the older Windows 10. US security agencies flagged both flaws as urgent, setting a three-week deadline to fix them. Windows 10 users without a paid extended security package will not receive the fix for the critical flaw, even though they remain exposed to active attacks.

US attorney Stephen Aarons of New Mexico faces a financial penalty and disciplinary action after ChatGPT generated entirely fabricated witnesses and false testimony for an appeal in a murder case. The judge found that the lawyer never verified the document before filing it with the court. The case highlights the risks of relying on artificial intelligence without human fact-checking.

After years of anticipation, Apple has unveiled its first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, featuring a 7.6-inch inner display and an almost invisible crease. The device, powered by an A20 Pro chip with dual 48-megapixel cameras and up to 31 hours of battery life, goes on sale in October 2026 for $1,999. Early reviews praise its smooth software transitions and build quality, though a final verdict awaits longer-term testing.

Bitcoin is holding steady around $77,500 after a quiet weekend, with Ethereum ETFs seeing a $216 million inflow on Friday, though over the full week bitcoin ETFs actually saw a $462.7 million outflow while Ethereum funds gained $196.9 million, partly thanks to inflows from BlackRock. Swiss crypto finance firm Bitcoin Suisse also announced, as part of a global restructuring, that it plans to move up to half of its 120 Swiss jobs to cheaper locations including Bratislava and Vietnam.

According to tracking services Whale Alert and btcparser.com, 600 bitcoins mined back in March 2010 — when the block reward was still 50 BTC and the network's mining difficulty was around 1 — moved on September 5, 2026 after more than 16 years of inactivity. The transfer from 12 P2PK-type addresses was preceded by a test transaction, and the coins, worth roughly $47.8 million at a price of about $79,700 per bitcoin, were not sent to any exchange; a further 350 BTC moved from seven more addresses the following day. Analytics firm Arkham Intelligence said the block patterns show these are not coins belonging to bitcoin's creator, Satoshi Nakamoto.

US Democratic senators rejected the Republicans' final offer on the Clarity Act crypto regulation bill and prepared a counterproposal they described as a "good faith" effort on ethics rules. Republicans hold 53 of the 60 votes needed for a procedural vote, meaning they need support from at least seven Democrats; the main sticking point remains ethics provisions that would require public officials to sell their crypto holdings or place them in a blind trust. While the House of Representatives passed the bill 294-134 back in July 2025, prediction market Polymarket puts only a 25 percent chance on Donald Trump signing it by year's end.

Bitcoin traded between $77,300 and $79,500 over 24 hours before settling around $77,600, while the fear and greed index rose to 69 out of 100. Investment firm Strive bought a further 469 bitcoins for about $36.6 million between September 8 and 11, bringing its total holding to 25,000 coins, with CEO Matt Cole suggesting the company could become the second-largest corporate bitcoin holder by year-end. Bitmine, meanwhile, increased its Ethereum position to nearly 6 million coins (4.9 percent of circulating supply), worth roughly $15.4 billion.

Mobilum founder Wojciech Kaszycki argues in a September 10, 2026 commentary for Kryptonovinky.sk that genuine cryptocurrency adoption by banks is far more than announcing a new trading feature. He cites measurable signs of real integration: the volume of crypto custody deposits from non-crypto clients, the ability to buy bitcoin using a bank credit line, and above all banks' willingness to accept bitcoin as loan collateral with a clearly disclosed haircut — he notes JPMorgan applies a 30-50% haircut to bitcoin collateral, so a $1 million deposit secures roughly $500,000-$700,000 in loans. According to the author, the real bottleneck isn't crypto technology but slow traditional dollar transfers via SWIFT compared with instant blockchain settlement.

Crypto exchange MEXC reported strong growth in its stock futures market during August 2026, with trading volume across stock, index and ETF futures up 130% month-on-month and the number of available contracts expanding 35% to more than 400. Trading shifted notably toward memory and semiconductor stocks, particularly South Korea's SK Hynix and America's Micron, with semiconductor-focused ETF futures such as SOXL seeing an extraordinary 1,192% jump in volume. Tokenized spot trading in stocks and ETFs also rose 30%, with almost 99% of existing listings posting gains.

The Solana network recorded an all-time high in tokenized stock volume, reaching $684 million — a fast-growing segment of traditional assets brought onto the blockchain. Platforms such as StonkFun and the tokenized version of Grindr stock (GRND) are seeing substantial trading volumes, with GRND trading more than double the real stock's NYSE volume in a single day. The trend suggests Solana's decentralized exchanges are becoming a testing ground for a new financial market structure, though the sums involved remain relatively small next to the entire global stock market.

Circle has invested $400 million to acquire Singapore-based payments company Tazapay, aiming to reduce its reliance on traditional banks when converting cryptocurrency into fiat money. The deal will let businesses make international transfers directly over the USDC stablecoin's blockchain network without slow, costly bank intermediaries. Circle is thus shifting from a simple stablecoin issuer into a competitor of the traditional financial system, including card networks and banks.