Lyft has agreed to hand hundreds of millions of dollars to California drivers who say the company treated them as contractors instead of employees.

The settlement totals $272.5 million, including fees and costs, and resolves claims from the state attorney general, city attorneys, the labor commissioner and private plaintiffs covering April 5th, 2016, through December 15th, 2020.

At least $237,075,000 is reserved for drivers based on hours and miles driven, with payments allowed over four years plus up to $12.4 million in interest. Lyft booked a $210 million accrual in the fourth quarter of 2025.

“The lawsuit followed the introduction of the ‘ABC test:’ the groundbreaking legal test used to analyze the misclassification of workers, which was first adopted by the California Supreme Court in 2018 in Dynamex Operations West, Inc. v. Superior Court and then codified into law under AB5. In the midst of litigation, Proposition 22 altered how the ABC test is applied to certain app-based drivers. Despite several appeals and changes in the law, the Attorney General and his partners remained resilient, winning every legal challenge in court and remaining steadfast in their demands for drivers’ deserved wages and protections.”

Says California Labor Commissioner Lilia García-Brower,

“This settlement is about the workers who came forward and spoke up. Their voices made this outcome possible.”

In an SEC filing dated September 30th, Lyft says the deal is not an admission of liability and that resolving the matter now lets it avoid the costs and distraction of drawn-out litigation and keep management focused on its business goals. The attorney general announced the agreement today. The deal is still subject to court approval.

Follow us on X, Facebook and Telegram
Don't Miss a Beat – Subscribe to get email alerts delivered directly to your inbox

The post Lyft Handing Out $272,500,000 After Ride-Hailing Giant Settles Over Alleged Misclassification of California Drivers appeared first on The Daily Hodl.

Hundreds of thousands of Medicaid beneficiaries in the District of Columbia now face fraud risk after its Department of Health Care Finance (DHCF) potentially exposed sensitive member data.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights says the District of Columbia’s DHCF experienced unauthorized access/disclosure that could affect 399,086 individuals.

According to DHCF, members of its Medicaid and DC Health Care Alliance (Alliance) enrolled between 2023 and July 2026 could have been impacted, as unauthorized entities may have accessed sensitive data hidden on its website.

“On July 21, 2026, DHCF learned that two reports on DHCF’s website contained hidden personal information that could be accessed by people who did not have permission to view it. These reports were intended to display only summary information about groups of people, such as enrollment counts and other statistics, and did not show anyone’s personal details on the screen. However, underlying personal information that supported these reports may have been reachable
by unauthorized users between 2023 and July 2026.

The information that could be seen may have included personal information, such as your, your child’s, or your family member’s Medicaid ID, date of birth, provider name, race gender, ward, or ethnicity. The information did not include Social Security numbers or financial account information.”

The DHCF says it abruptly removed the reports from the website while checking that its systems are safe and member information is protected. The agency also tells its members to ask a credit company to place a free alert on their credit report.

“DHCF has not learned that anyone looked at or used any of this information in the wrong way, but we are contacting you so you can understand what happened.”

Follow us on X, Facebook and Telegram
Don't Miss a Beat – Subscribe to get email alerts delivered directly to your inbox

Generated Image: Midjourney

The post 399,086 People Warned After DC Medicaid Agency Potentially Exposed Sensitive Data – Personal and Health Records Now at Risk appeared first on The Daily Hodl.

Cardano’s (ADA) recent price surge is running into fresh headwinds from fading trader interest and large-holder exits.

Futures open interest for ADA has dropped 9% over the past week, sliding from $1.99 billion to $1.81 billion as traders cut back on leveraged bets, says Ali Charts on X.

Whales also appear to be taking profits.

“Since September 20, large holders have offloaded roughly 90 million ADA, worth approximately $22.5 million, adding to the recent selling pressure.”

This decline in demand aligns with a Tom DeMark Sequential sell signal that appeared on Cardano’s daily chart.

“Since then, ADA has fallen 10%, and the correction may not be over yet.”

According to the analyst, a parallel channel on the daily chart points to $0.24 as the key mid-range support.

“If ADA loses that level, a move toward the channel’s lower boundary near $0.21 becomes likely.”

If $0.21 holds, it could present the next buying opportunity, targeting the channel top near $0.28.

Looking at Bitcoin, Ali says whales have cut their BTC holdings significantly over the last seven days.

“Most of the market has moved sideways over the past week. So what have whales been doing during the lull?

Bitcoin whale holdings have fallen by roughly 30,000 BTC, worth about $2.52 billion.

Large holders appear to be reducing their exposure.”

Follow us on X, Facebook and Telegram
Don't Miss a Beat – Subscribe to get email alerts delivered directly to your inbox

Generated Image: Midjourney

The post Cardano Faces Bearish Signals as Futures Demand Cools and Whales Sell appeared first on The Daily Hodl.

Federal prosecutors have secured a guilty plea from a Boston man accused of using fake identification to drain hundreds of thousands of dollars from customer accounts.

William Shaw, 68, admitted to four counts of bank fraud and four counts of aggravated identity theft in federal court, says the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.

The defendant posed as at least 13 account holders from late 2022 into early 2025 by presenting forged driver’s licenses that carried the victims’ details alongside his own photograph.

He also submitted withdrawal forms listing the customers’ names and account numbers to obtain cashier’s checks and cash totaling more than $900,000.

Judge Julia E. Kobick set sentencing for January 6th, 2027, after Shaw was charged in January 2026.

Separately, authorities charged six additional men in July 2025 as part of a larger multi-state bank fraud investigation covering Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Three of those defendants have already entered guilty pleas and await sentencing, while another received a sentence in a connected case.

A bank fraud conviction carries up to 30 years in prison along with fines reaching $1 million or twice the amount gained or lost.

Each aggravated identity theft count requires at least two years in prison served consecutively to any other term.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Kearney is handling the prosecution.

Follow us on X, Facebook and Telegram
Don't Miss a Beat – Subscribe to get email alerts delivered directly to your inbox

Generated Image: Midjourney

The post Massachusetts Man Pleads Guilty to $900,000 Bank Fraud Using Fake IDs appeared first on The Daily Hodl.

A Wyoming orthopedic practice has disclosed a cyberattack that put the personal, financial and medical records of tens of thousands of people at risk.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says Casper Orthopedic Associates PC suffered a hacking/IT incident on July 23rd, impacting 56,197 people.

In a notice to impacted individuals, the healthcare firm says an unauthorized entity accessed its systems and stole files that may include patients’ first names, last names, dates of birth, driver’s license numbers, Social Security numbers, financial account records, and medical information.

“On or about May 23, 2026, Casper discovered it was the victim of a cyberattack by an unauthorized third party. Immediately upon identifying the incident, Casper engaged third-party cybersecurity experts to assess, contain, and remediate the incident. Law enforcement was also notified.

Casper’s investigation, which concluded on June 11, 2026, determined that the unauthorized party may have acquired sensitive information from Casper’s systems. Casper then undertook an in-depth review process of the impacted information to determine the impacted individuals and their address information, which was completed on September 2, 2026. As such, Casper notified those who are believed to be impacted on September 8, 2026.”

Casper says it has found no evidence that anyone’s information was specifically misused.

The practice has added safeguards and tightened physical security while urging affected patients to reach out to credit reporting agencies such as Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

Casper Orthopedic Associates PC is an orthopedic practice based in Casper, Wyoming.

Follow us on X, Facebook and Telegram
Don't Miss a Beat – Subscribe to get email alerts delivered directly to your inbox

The post 56,197 Americans Now at Risk of Fraud – Names, Social Security Numbers, Financial Records and More Potentially Exposed appeared first on The Daily Hodl.

An armored truck driver hired to load cash into ATMs has been accused of stealing $259,574 from the machines and spending the money on cars, a cruise and other purchases.

Federal prosecutors say Christopher Skinner, 41, formerly of Milford, New Hampshire, worked alone at ATM locations across the state and removed cash bundles before servicing the machines between February 2nd and February 26th of 2024.

A federal indictment charges Skinner with 18 counts of bank theft plus money laundering and conspiracy counts tied to two FDIC-insured banks. His partner, Amee Skinner, 37, formerly of Conway, faces related laundering counts. Both pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire and are presumed innocent.

Prosecutors say cash deposits into the couple’s accounts rose sharply afterward, and funded the purchase of cars, a luxury cruise and other purchases.

“The defendants allegedly used the stolen funds to make substantial personal purchases, including $40,000 in cash for a 2019 GMC Sierra and $28,814 in cash for a 2019 Lincoln Nautilus. According to the indictment, the defendants also used stolen funds to pay for additional travel, retail, and online purchases.”

If convicted, the Skinners face years in prison.

“The bank theft counts each carry a maximum prison term of 10 years. The money laundering counts carry a maximum prison term of 10 years, and the money laundering conspiracy count carries a maximum term of 20 years.”

The indictment was filed August 5th of 2026.

Follow us on X, Facebook and Telegram
Don't Miss a Beat – Subscribe to get email alerts delivered directly to your inbox

The post New Hampshire Bank ATM Loader Accused of Stealing $259,574, Spending the Loot on Cars, Luxury Cruise appeared first on The Daily Hodl.

U.S. prosecutors have seized nearly $84 million from bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets tied to a Montana payments firm linked to Tether.

The civil forfeiture targets Capstone, a money services business that allegedly posed as an information technology company to open accounts at major banks while moving money for crypto firms, reports Reuters.

Court filings say Capstone, registered in Montana, processed payments for two crypto companies through a bank in Dominica. Prosecutors say the firm also ran a scheme that converted fraud proceeds into crypto by posing as FBI agents.

Nearly $81 million was seized from Capstone accounts at Wells Fargo and about $2 million from an account at JPMorgan Chase. Roughly $1.2 million worth of Tether’s dollar-pegged token was taken as well, according to the July filing first reported by The Information.

Tether said it was a customer of the Dominica bank and that its assets there were limited. A spokesperson addressed Capstone’s alleged conduct.

“Tether had no knowledge of the conduct by Capstone alleged by the Department of Justice.”

The Justice Department did not allege wrongdoing by Tether or the other firms involved. Spokespeople for Wells Fargo and JPMorgan declined to comment.

A lawyer for Capstone told Reuters the firm denies wrongdoing and plans to challenge the complaint.

Tether issues USDT, a dollar-pegged cryptocurrency used to move value on crypto networks.

Follow us on X, Facebook and Telegram
Don't Miss a Beat – Subscribe to get email alerts delivered directly to your inbox

The post $80,000,000+ in JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo Belonging to Montana Payments Firm Abruptly Seized Over Potential Fraud appeared first on The Daily Hodl.

October 2nd, 2026 – Singapore, Singapore

class=”ql-align-center”>With around 16% of AVA’s circulating supply already locked, the AVA Smart Program introduces new lock levels as part of a wider overhaul of AVA’s tokenomics.

The AVA Foundation and Travala today announced new standard lock levels for the AVA Smart Program, alongside a long-term goal of 30% of AVA’s circulating supply locked.

The AVA Smart Program, Travala’s crypto loyalty program, has more than 170,000 members, up 110% year on year as of August. Approximately 12.1 million AVA is now locked across the program and AVA+ Rewards, representing around 16% of the token’s circulating supply.

Travala, a crypto-native travel platform, has more than 1.87 million monthly active users and generated over $113 million in gross revenue in 2025. It sees more than 17,000 room nights, flights, car rentals, and activities booked every month.

From no earlier than 1 November 2026, new Smart memberships will require double the current AVA lock for every tier. Existing members keep their current requirements while their membership remains active, and can choose to move to the new levels after implementation to increase the AVA eligible for the AVA Smart Bonus. AVA Smart Bonus amounts remain 15% per year for Steel to Platinum and 20% for Diamond, subject to the program rules.

If all existing members moved to the new levels, locked AVA could reach approximately 20 million, around 27% of circulating supply, depending on the choices individual members make. The AVA Foundation’s long-term goal is 30%.

Steve Hipwell, AVA Foundation Lead Contributor, said: “Having 16% of AVA’s circulating supply locked within a travel loyalty program demonstrates genuine real-world utility. The new lock levels reward our existing members for being early, and give the whole community a clear long-term goal of 30% of circulating supply locked.”Juan Otero, Travala CEO, said: “More than 170,000 travellers are now part of the AVA Smart Program, and those who lock AVA get more from every trip they book with us. This update rewards everyone who has already made that commitment and gives our most loyal members the option to go further.”

The update follows last week’s launch of the AVA Permanent Strategic Reserve, under which Travala matches the AVA Foundation’s monthly open-market buybacks, doubling buyback volume. Travala’s matched tokens are held in a multisig reserve it has committed never to sell or transfer. In September, the two buybacks together repurchased 739,762 AVA, and more than 4.8 million AVA has been repurchased through the Foundation’s program to date.

See this article for full details, including tier requirements, grandfathering rules, and FAQs.

About AVA Foundation

The AVA Foundation oversees the AVA token ecosystem, including the AVA Smart Program, AVA token and Travel Tiger NFTs. The AVA token functions as the key to accessing the AVA Smart Program, which provides travel perks and other benefits to Travala customers, such as AVA payment discounts, AVA loyalty rewards and other benefits. AVA tokenises the concept of loyalty reward programs using blockchain technology, bringing web3 to traditional loyalty models. For more information, users can visit www.avafoundation.org.

About Travala

Founded in 2017 and now backed by industry giant Binance, Travala is the leading crypto-native travel booking service, offering 2,200,000+ properties across 230 countries, 600+ airlines, 50,000+ car rental locations and 400,000+ activities globally. Travala is a champion of cryptocurrency adoption, accepting over 100 leading cryptocurrencies alongside traditional payment methods. For more information, users can visit www.travala.com.

Important Information

This announcement describes planned changes to the AVA Smart Program, which may be adjusted. It is not financial or investment advice, and not an offer, solicitation or inducement to acquire, hold or lock AVA. AVA Smart Bonus amounts are subject to the program rules and may change; nothing here guarantees any token price or return. Locked AVA remains the member’s property and is not a deposit, investment product or interest-bearing account. Not directed at persons in the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates or any jurisdiction where distribution would be unlawful.

Contact

Chief Marketing Officer
Sam Woollard
Travala
sam@travala.com

The post Travala’s Crypto Loyalty Program Passes 170,000 Members, Sets Long-Term Goal of 30% of AVA Supply Locked appeared first on The Daily Hodl.

Banks risk losing $230 billion in payments revenue as stablecoins, tokenized deposits and central bank digital currencies move into wider use, according to a survey conducted by IT services and consulting firm Capgemini.

Capgemini’s World Payments Report 2027 projects those instruments will make up about 4% of global payments volume by 2030, pressuring foreign exchange spreads, correspondent banking, float income and transaction fees that banks thrive on, says Capgemini.

The study says about $4 trillion sits trapped in accounts used to fund cross-border settlement. Nearly 60% of large corporates would take stablecoin services from non-banks if their banks fall behind, even though 71% still prefer banks for tokenized payments when cost and quality are equal.

Only 21% of banks are actively scaling at least one of these tools. Tokenized deposits ranked as banks’ top near-term priority because they stay on balance sheets and fit existing rules. Leaders that are already scaling are three times more likely to find new revenue streams and expect to offset losses in 15 months versus 25 months for other banks.

Capgemini’s global head of payment services Jeroen Hölscher framed the stakes for lenders.

“With $230 billion at stake, banks must decide what role they want to play in this emerging ecosystem.”

The report surveyed 1,110 corporates with more than $1 billion in revenue and 300 banking executives across nine markets. Capgemini is a global consulting and technology firm headquartered in Paris, France.

Follow us on X, Facebook and Telegram
Don't Miss a Beat – Subscribe to get email alerts delivered directly to your inbox

The post Banks Risk Losing $230,000,000,000 in Payments Revenue As Stablecoins and Tokenized Deposits Scale, According to Survey appeared first on The Daily Hodl.

The City of Sacramento is launching an $8 million guaranteed income program that will pay eligible foster youth $900 a month with no strings attached.

The city and United Way California Capital Region say the Foster Youth Guaranteed Income Program will send the money for up to two years, or until a recipient turns 25, whichever comes first.

Applications open October 1st of 2026 and close at 11:59 p.m. on October 31st of 2026. One hundred eligible applicants will be chosen by lottery, with notices starting the first week of November. Payments are set to begin January 15th of 2027.

Applicants must be ages 16 to 23 when payments start, live in the city or county of Sacramento, or be receiving homeless services there. They must be former foster youth who left care after age 16, or current foster youth within 90 days of leaving when payments start. Household income has to sit at or below 300% of the federal poverty level. Immigration status does not affect eligibility.

Recipients do not have to join any other services to keep the checks. They can spend the money as they choose.

The city is paying for the program with Measure L, the 2022 Sacramento Children’s Fund that requires the equivalent of 40% of local cannabis tax revenue to go to child and youth services.

United Way California Capital Region will run the program. The nonprofit has administered guaranteed-income pilots in the region since 2021.

Mayor Kevin McCarty addressed the funding.

“Supporting former foster youth as they transition into adulthood is an investment in their future and our community’s future. We’re putting our Measure L funding where it can have the greatest impact.”

Follow us on X, Facebook and Telegram
Don't Miss a Beat – Subscribe to get email alerts delivered directly to your inbox

The post Major US City Launching $8,000,000 No-Strings-Attached Guaranteed Income Program That Pays Enrollees Hundreds of Dollars Monthly appeared first on The Daily Hodl.