The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued Interpretive Letter 1186 on November 18, authorizing national banks to hold native crypto assets and pay blockchain network fees. The guidance enables banks to acquire tokens needed for transaction fees and testing purposes on distributed-ledger networks. Banks may now hold assets on networks including Ethereum, Solana, and Avalanche for operational requirements rather than speculative positions.

The Sky community has approved the allocation of up to $2.5 billion in USDS stablecoins to support projects developed through the Obex incubator. Framework Ventures is leading a $37 million funding round into Obex and will oversee the initiative focused on generating onchain yield within the Sky ecosystem.

Obex has raised $37 million in a funding round led by Framework Ventures, LayerZero, and Sky ecosystem to launch an incubator for stablecoins backed by real-world assets. The 12-week program will provide early-stage teams with capital, technical resources, and infrastructure access. Successful projects may qualify for additional funding from Sky's $2.5 billion allocation.

The Trump Organization and Dar Global announced a blockchain-based hotel project in the Maldives on November 17, 2025. The development allows investors to purchase tokenized units during the pre-construction phase, with the resort scheduled to open by the end of 2028. The Trump International Hotel Maldives will feature approximately 80 beach and overwater villas near Malé.

Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin unveiled Kohaku, an open-source privacy framework for the Ethereum network, at Devcon on November 16. Developed by the Ethereum Foundation and ecosystem partners, the modular architecture enables developers to build privacy-focused wallets without relying on centralized intermediaries. The framework integrates protocols including Railgun and Privacy Pools to obscure transaction details while maintaining compliance mechanisms.

Aave Labs introduced a mobile savings application on November 17, 2025, designed to compete with traditional banks and fintech platforms. The app offers annual interest rates up to 9% and insurance protection covering deposits up to $1 million. Users can fund accounts through stablecoins, bank transfers, or debit cards, with interest accruing continuously around the clock.

SlowMist identified critical security vulnerabilities in NOFX AI, an open-source crypto futures trading platform built on DeepSeek and Qwen architectures, that allowed attackers to access wallet private keys and exchange API credentials. Binance and OKX worked with SlowMist to identify affected users and revoke compromised credentials by November 17. The flaws affected multiple system versions, with authentication controls failing to protect administrator functions and sensitive endpoints returning API keys by default.

JPMorgan has launched its USD-denominated deposit token, JPM Coin (JPMD), on Base Layer 2 for institutional clients following a pilot program. The token enables 24/7 blockchain settlement while representing the bank's existing deposits. Major institutions including B2C2, Coinbase, and Mastercard have completed test transactions using JPMD.