Richard Heart Detained in Istanbul, Starknet Suffers Sharp Decline
HEX founder Richard Heart was detained in an early morning raid in Istanbul, while Starknet's value plunges amid protocol changes.
HEX founder Richard Heart was detained in an early morning raid in Istanbul, while Starknet's value plunges amid protocol changes. Starknet (STRK) is trading at ₹5.73 ($0.0603), up 0.8% since this brief published. This is an original Token Times brief based on reporting by Cointelegraph, with live market data added, as of Mon, 19 Oct 2026 00:15:01 UTC.
The detention of a prominent crypto figure and the significant decline of Starknet highlight regulatory and market risks in the sector. Such events can impact investor confidence and trigger volatility.
- Richard Heart detained in Istanbul, specific charges undisclosed.
- Starknet TVL drops 43.2% in a week to $361.31M.
- Starknet price falls 47.17% in 7 days to $0.059831.
- HEX Founder Richard Heart Arrested in Istanbul Police Raid
- Richard Heart Detained as Crypto Market Sees Mixed Developments
- Richard Heart Detained in Istanbul, Starknet Suffers Sharp Decline — this brief
Richard Heart, the founder of the controversial cryptocurrency HEX, was detained in an early morning raid in Istanbul, according to Cointelegraph. The specific charges against him have not been disclosed, but the incident has raised concerns among investors and the broader crypto community.
In a separate development, 
Starknet, a layer-2 scaling solution for 
Ethereum, has seen its Total Value Locked (TVL) drop by 43.2% in the past week to $361.31M, as per DeFiLlama. This decline coincides with a protocol vote to transition into a layer-1 blockchain, which may have unsettled investors.
The market data reflects the uncertainty, with Starknet's price falling 47.17% over the past seven days to $0.059831. This decline is significantly steeper than the overall crypto market, which has remained relatively flat.
The broader market context shows a total crypto market cap of $2.8T, with 
Bitcoin up 0.48% in the last 24 hours. The Fear & Greed Index stands at 53, indicating a neutral sentiment among investors.
The detention of Richard Heart and the decline of Starknet underscore the volatility and regulatory risks present in the crypto market. Investors will be watching for further developments in both cases, as they could have wider implications for the sector.
Since this brief published about 1 hour ago, Starknet (STRK) has moved from ₹5.69$0.0598 to ₹5.73$0.0603 — +0.80%.
The chart plots STRK's price: grey is the move before this brief published, the vertical dashed line marks the moment it published, the horizontal dashed line is the price then, and the coloured area is the move since — from Token Times's market data (daily resolution). It shows what happened after the news, not that the news caused it; many factors move prices. Not financial advice.
At today's peer-to-peer rate, 1 STRK ≈ ₹6.23 (about $0.0603), down 6.1% over 24 hours. The rupee itself trades about 8.6% above the official rate on the P2P market, so a Indian buyer's effective cost differs from the headline dollar price.
Live market data
Current prices for the asset in this story — live, source-stamped, updated every 15 minutes.
Figures and sectors in this story, checked live against on-chain aggregators · October 18, 2026.
Token Times reads these figures directly from on-chain aggregators (DeFiLlama, mempool.space) at build time — independent of what any outlet reported. Sector totals aggregate every protocol DeFiLlama tracks in that category. Values are live and will change.
Richard Heart Detained in Istanbul, Starknet Suffers Sharp D — questions & answers
What charges is Richard Heart facing?
The specific charges against Richard Heart have not been disclosed.
Why did Starknet's TVL drop?
Starknet's TVL dropped amid a protocol vote to transition into a layer-1 blockchain.
How much has Starknet's price fallen?
Starknet's price has fallen 47.17% in the past seven days to $0.059831.
How much is 1 Starknet worth in rupee today?
About ₹6.23 at the live peer-to-peer (P2P) USDT rate, which is what Indians typically trade at — equivalent to roughly $0.0603. The rupee price moves with both STRK's US-dollar price and the USDT/INR rate; use our Starknet in rupee page for any amount.
Has Starknet's price moved since this brief was published?
STRK is up 0.80% since this brief first published — trading at ₹5.73 ($0.0603) now versus ₹5.69 ($0.0598) at publication. Token Times re-checks this figure against CoinGecko and Binance every 15 minutes.
Which outlets reported this story?
This is an original Token Times brief that synthesises reporting from Cointelegraph. It is not a copy of any one article — follow the source links above for the original reporting.
Original summary — not financial advice. This is an original Token Times brief that summarises a development reported elsewhere and adds live market data for context; it is not the original article and reproduces no part of it. Follow the source link above for full details. Crypto is volatile and high-risk — always do your own research.