Hedera news today centers on network development rather than a single market-moving event. HBAR trades at $0.07256, up 5.08% over 24 hours, and no confirmed catalyst has been tied to that move.
Hedera news today: network upgrades
The v0.78.2 mainnet upgrade began at 17:00 UTC on October 28. It was marked complete 19 minutes later, per Hedera's status page. That is less than half the 40 minutes planned. Following the mainnet update, Hedera plans to upgrade its testnet to version 0.79 on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at 18:00 UTC.
A further change is scheduled for November. Hedera will upgrade its network data format to a block stream requiring mirror node operators to update software, though this won't affect token holders directly.
Builders and AI tooling
Hedera reported in a recent update via its official Twitter account that builders are actively shipping projects, including kids' entertainment. Activity also extends to gaming, collectibles, and music.
On AI, on October 21, Hedera launched its Network MCP on testnet—a tool that lets AI agents suggest transactions like sending HBAR or creating tokens. Hedera also engaged with US regulators at the CFTC Frontier Forum on AI trading, providing visibility into digital asset policy and compliance discussions.
Regulatory and ETF developments
On October 21, the HBAR Foundation, along with five other blockchain organizations, urged the SEC to formalize its March 2026 interpretation classifying their tokens as digital commodities under the proposed Regulation Crypto Assets rule.
Fund flows have been mixed. The American spot ETF on HBAR holds $62.57 million, down due to price declines, not withdrawals. Separately, the Canary HBAR ETF saw renewed inflows, amassing $60.38 million in net assets and $113.65 million in cumulative net inflows.
Security incident and unconfirmed reports
Bonzo Lend, a lending protocol on Hedera, lost about $9 million in an oracle exploit. An attacker manipulated a price update for the SAUCE token, borrowing 6.63M USDC and 34.5M wrapped HBAR. This caused Hedera's TVL to drop 40% and Bonzo's TVL by 77%.
An unverified report also circulated over the weekend. It claims Hitachi Reported to Exit Hedera Council, and the claim remains unconfirmed.