Switzerland’s Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) approved the country’s first spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund for retail investors on October 20, introducing a Swiss-regulated investment fund structure for direct Bitcoin exposure alongside the cryptocurrency exchange-traded products already available in the country.The regulator classified the ETF as an “other fund for alternative investments” with a specific risk
France’s proposed tax on cryptocurrency-to-stablecoin conversions faces another parliamentary test on October 20, 2026, as the National Assembly prepares to vote on the revenue section of the country’s 2027 budget.The measure advanced on October 16, when lawmakers approved amendment I-3898 by 38 votes to 37, with 25 abstentions.Introduced by Nicolas Sansu and fellow lawmakers, the
Ethereum developers have scheduled the Glamsterdam network upgrade for October 26, 2026, on the Hoodi testnet, marking another milestone in the blockchain’s efforts to increase transaction-processing capacity and improve block production.According to an October 16 announcement from the Ethereum Foundation, the upgrade will activate at 17:42:48 UTC, corresponding to epoch 132,352 and slot 4,235,264.Hoodi’s block
Tether has claimed that its wallet-freezing measures reduced Iran-linked stablecoin transaction volumes by 94%, defending its sanctions compliance practices amid scrutiny from US lawmakers over the use of USDT in illicit financial networks.Chief Executive Paolo Ardoino made the claim on October 19, 2026, responding to a report from Democratic staff of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee
Multicoin Capital has identified Hyperliquid’s HYPE token as the largest holding in its cryptocurrency hedge fund, reaffirming its commitment to digital assets as other venture investors expand into artificial intelligence and robotics. Spencer Applebaum, a general partner and co-head of venture investments at Multicoin, confirmed the position in comments reported on October 19, 2026. The
US-listed cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds recorded approximately $416.7 million in combined net inflows on Monday, October 19, 2026, reversing Friday’s $164.8 million withdrawal as Bitcoin products attracted substantial fresh capital.According to Farside Investors, spot Bitcoin ETFs received $526.7 million, their strongest daily inflow since late September. Ethereum ETFs recorded approximately $103.3 million in withdrawals, according to secondary
The Hyperliquid Policy Center (HPC) has urged the US Securities and Exchange Commission to revise its proposed cryptocurrency regulatory framework, submitting five recommendations aimed at clarifying how token distributions and decentralized markets operate under federal securities law. In an October 19, 2026 comment letter, the organization expressed support for Regulation Crypto Assets, which the SEC
Mastercard (NYSE: MA) has launched Stablecoin Security, a new risk intelligence solution designed to help financial institutions identify fraud, scams, sanctions exposure and other financial crime risks across stablecoin payment transactions. Announced on October 19, 2026, at the Money20/20 USA conference in Las Vegas, the service combines Mastercard’s existing payment intelligence with blockchain analytics to
Germany’s Sparkassen savings-bank network began offering cryptocurrency trading to retail customers on October 19, 2026, marking a significant shift for a banking group that previously resisted direct digital asset investments. The service, branded Krypto – powered by Deka, allows eligible customers at participating savings banks to buy, sell and hold cryptocurrencies through the existing Sparkasse
Japanese Bitcoin treasury company Metaplanet has moved closer to establishing a US-listed subsidiary after shareholders of Super League Enterprise approved proposals supporting a transaction involving 2,100 Bitcoin and $2.5 million in cash. Super League announced the approval on October 19, 2026, following its annual shareholder meeting on October 16. The agreement, originally announced on August