Crypto Week Ahead Highlights TOKEN2049, FOMC Minutes, and XRP Nasdaq Debut

The crypto market is entering a week marked by key events and conferences, starting with Bitcoin closing the prior week near $84,650 after a weak U.S. jobs report shifted expectations for the Federal Reserve. The focus this week includes the TOKEN2049 conference in Singapore, the release of the FOMC minutes, Ethereum’s Glamsterdam upgrade, and the debut of Evernorth’s XRP treasury on Nasdaq.

The macroeconomic backdrop has turned dovish following the September jobs report, which showed the U.S. added only 29,000 jobs against expectations of 90,000, with unemployment rising to 4.2%. This has significantly reduced the odds of another rate hike at the Fed’s next meeting. The main macro event this week is the release of the FOMC minutes on Wednesday, which may provide additional insights into policymakers' assessments of inflation, employment, and monetary policy.

TOKEN2049 Singapore, one of the largest crypto gatherings, is expected to draw over 25,000 attendees from October 7-8, with a week of side events running October 5-11. The conference will feature speakers from both crypto-native and traditional finance sectors, including Hyperliquid’s Jeff Yan and Nasdaq’s Adena Friedman. Additionally, Evernorth is set to begin trading on Nasdaq under the ticker XRPN, following shareholder approval of its merger, making it the largest publicly traded pure-play XRP treasury.

On the protocol side, Ethereum’s Glamsterdam upgrade will activate on the Sepolia testnet on Tuesday, introducing several key improvements, including enshrined proposer-builder separation and block-level access lists. However, the mainnet activation remains unscheduled, with a target of Q4 2026. The week also includes significant token unlocks, such as Hyperliquid’s HYPE tranche, estimated at $856 million, though the actual value may vary. Ethena’s ENA unlock on Monday carries additional nuances due to contractual developments involving StablecoinX.