Ireland’s national police service, An Garda Síochána, regained control of two official X accounts after hackers took them over to promote a cryptocurrency app offering XRP. The breach affected accounts with nearly 900,000 followers, but Gardaí confirmed that no police systems or data were compromised as a criminal investigation continues.

Visa has launched USDC prefunding for cross-border payouts through Visa Direct, allowing businesses to fund payments around the clock. Inyo Global is the first provider to offer the service, which supports payouts across more than 180 countries.

Solana displayed its brand on Shanghai’s Citigroup Tower and opened a local office as it expands its developer network in China despite strict cryptocurrency restrictions. Binance founder CZ expressed surprise at Solana’s ability to advertise and establish an office in China, noting that BNB Chain has yet to achieve similar visibility.

Developer Brandon Thomas has released three free, AI-built alternatives to Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. The open-source apps cover most core features but remain in early development, with 50% to 60% readiness for real-world use.

Ledger has suspended hardware wallet sales across six Southeast Asian countries and Hong Kong after tampered devices linked to Malaysian reseller CryptoBilis were found to contain implants capable of stealing users’ 24-word recovery phrases.

Apex Accelerator and Stone Venture reportedly face a Singapore police report over claims they pressured attendees to install remote-access software at a TOKEN2049 security event. Dominion Market’s co-founder also linked Apex to the protocol’s September exploit, while Apex’s official X account appears to have been taken down.

The US arrested two Americans accused of helping North Korean IT workers use stolen identities to secure jobs at more than 70 US companies, generating at least $3 million. The FBI seized 187 devices from more than 40 suspected laptop farms in Texas as authorities investigate fraud, identity theft and overseas money transfers.

South Korea’s Jeonbuk Bank has launched the country’s first Bitcoin-backed loans for businesses, using regulated third-party custodians. New rules allow the bank to recover unpaid loans through court-ordered Bitcoin sales.

Calendar phishing attacks surged in recent months, with scammers using fake meeting invites, payment alerts and malicious links to steal login details and money. Cybersecurity experts warn that AI is making these scams more convincing and advise users to block automatic invitations from unknown senders and avoid suspicious links.

Chinese developer Autumn-27 has made AI cybersecurity tool Artex closed-source and stopped public updates after it was linked to cyberattacks affecting at least nine South Korean banks and more than 68,000 people.