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Schwab Opens Bitcoin and Ether Trading to All Clients Charles Schwab says all clients can now access Schwab Crypto, its service for directly buying and selling bitcoin and ether. CEO Rick Wurster announced the expanded access on the firm’s third-quarter business update call, completing a phased rollout that began in May. The change puts direct crypto trading alongside Schwab’s existing brokerage services for a large retail customer base. Schwab reported 40.26 million active brokerage accounts at the end of September. Access remains subject to eligibility and regional restrictions; Schwab Crypto is currently unavailable to residents of New York and Louisiana.

Vitalik Buterin Outlines a Privacy Mode for AI Agents Vitalik Buterin has combined zkAPI payments, Tor routing, random cover traffic and locally rewritten prompts in a privacy mode for his pi AI agent. The open-source setup gives each conversation its own Tor circuit and uses a local model to rewrite prompts before they reach an external AI provider. The layers address different exposure points: zkAPI separates payment identity from API use, while Tor obscures network routing and local rewriting can reduce what a remote model learns from a prompt. Buterin says the setup is becoming usable, but starting new conversations can be slow. He also cautions that Tor may not stop timing analysis if an AI provider and an entry node cooperate; he sees a purpose-built mixnet as a stronger, though more resource-intensive, option.

Binance.US Seeks $100M at $1B Valuation

Binance.US is seeking up to $100 million in private funding at a target valuation of about $1 billion, according to Bloomberg, as the US exchange looks to expand its business. The reported target is well below the $4.5 billion pre-money valuation at which the company raised more than $200 million in 2022. Binance.US lost significant market share after Binance’s 2023 settlement with US authorities. Bloomberg reports that the exchange is exploring prediction markets, working to restore some state money transmitter licenses, and considering outside sources of trading liquidity, potentially including Binance’s global platform. No decision on that liquidity arrangement has been made. World Liberty Financial was reportedly informed about the fundraising but is not participating.

Russia to End Direct Crypto P2P Trades in July 2027 Russian residents will no longer be able to trade cryptocurrency directly with one another from July 1, 2027, under the framework clarified by the Bank of Russia. Such transactions must involve organizations authorized to handle crypto circulation, including licensed brokers and registered crypto exchanges. The central bank also says individuals cannot transfer crypto from a digital account to a personal noncustodial wallet. The rules form part of Russia’s new regulated crypto market framework.

Australia Proposes Crypto Transaction Reporting Rules Australia has opened consultation on draft legislation that would require crypto platforms to report transactions involving Australian residents to tax authorities, with the proposed rules set to begin in July 2027. The package would also bring the OECD’s Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework into Australian law, enabling tax information on crypto assets to be exchanged internationally. The rules remain proposals: Treasury opened consultation on October 15 and is seeking submissions through October 28.

Gamdom Reports $3M Hot-Wallet Breach

Crypto casino Gamdom says a breach of its hot-wallet system caused losses of just over $3 million. The operator linked the incident to an unauthorized connection to an automation server and temporarily took its services offline while responding. The breach was disclosed on October 14, following the incident the previous day. The cause and full extent of the loss remain under investigation.

Ripple Prime Adds 24/7 Access to 100+ RWA Markets

Ripple Prime has launched support for institutional perpetual swaps tied to more than 100 traditional-asset markets, including equities, indices, ETFs, metals, energy and foreign exchange. The contracts trade and settle around the clock, including weekends. The swaps are offered through Ripple Prime and reference perpetual futures listed by Trade.xyz on Hyperliquid. Ripple says clients can cross-margin these positions against other supported asset classes and use RLUSD as collateral. The service is currently offered under Ripple Prime’s British Virgin Islands license.

Stripe and Plasma Develop Multi-Currency Stablecoin Cards Stripe and Plasma are working together on stablecoin cards that would let users spend from balances in the currency they hold, including without first converting euros to dollars. Plasma is joining as a design partner while Stripe expands its card infrastructure to support more currencies and stablecoins. The planned support includes USD, BRL, EUR, MXN and COP, as well as OUSD and eligible GENIUS-ready stablecoins. The infrastructure is available in more than 30 countries, with expansion to more than 100 planned for 2027. The companies say the next step is enabling a card to select the appropriate currency automatically across multiple balances.

Bitcoin Briefly Slips Below $80,000

Bitcoin traded as low as $79,797 over the past 24 hours, briefly falling below the $80,000 mark. It had recovered to about $80,195 when checked, down 2.8% over that period.

Ledger Details Months-Long Hardware Wallet Tampering Scheme Ledger says a criminal group spent months buying genuine devices, modifying them with hidden components designed to capture recovery phrases during setup, then returning them to circulation through Southeast Asian resellers. The company describes the incident as a localized distribution attack and says its secure element, BOLOS operating system and internal servers were not compromised. It has asked resellers and distributors in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong to suspend sales while the investigation continues, and says returned devices must not be resold.

Brooklyn and FBI Disrupt Crypto Scam Network

Brooklyn prosecutors and the FBI have disrupted the infrastructure behind a crypto investment scam targeting Russian-speaking people in the U.S., seizing or disabling 241 domains and 112 servers. Prosecutors say victims were drawn in by Russian-language Facebook ads and fake advisers who guided them into sending cryptocurrency to fraudulent platforms. The operation allegedly stole tens of millions of dollars; data recovered also showed scammers later offered victims paid help recovering their funds. Authorities say about $300,000 has been seized so far.

U.S. Producer Prices Post Biggest Monthly Jump Since 2022 U.S. producer prices rose 1.3% in September, the largest monthly increase since March 2022. The index for final demand was up 6.3% from a year earlier. Energy accounted for more than 80% of the monthly rise in goods prices, while services prices also increased. The figures add to a run of elevated U.S. inflation readings.

Binance bStocks Reports $1B in Assets and $40B in Volume Binance says its bStocks tokenized-equity product surpassed $1 billion in assets under management about four months after its June 11 launch. The company also reports more than $40 billion in cumulative trading volume and over $6 billion in conversions between bStocks and underlying equities, at 1:1 parity. The figures are as of October 15, according to Binance, which cites Dune data for the assets milestone. The product now covers nearly 100 listed assets, up from five at launch.

Patrick Witt’s White House Crypto Council Tenure Ends Patrick Witt’s temporary detail to the White House Crypto Council has expired, ending his tenure as the council’s executive director. The White House confirmed the expiration in an email to journalist Eleanor Terrett.

EBA Classifies USDC as Significant Under MiCA

The European Banking Authority has classified Circle’s USDC as the European Union’s first significant e-money token under MiCA. The designation follows an assessment of the regulation’s significance criteria. From November 12, 2026, the EBA and France’s ACPR will share supervisory responsibilities. The EBA will oversee requirements including own funds, reserves, liquidity, and recovery and redemption plans, while the ACPR retains responsibility for areas such as governance and outsourcing.

Perpetuals.com Plans Tokenized U.S. Stock Trading Under SEC Exemption Nasdaq-listed Perpetuals.com says it plans to offer tokenized U.S. equities on its platform under the SEC’s temporary Innovation Exemption. The company also published a notice stating its intent to rely on the framework. The SEC’s five-year conditional relief provides a pathway for qualifying venues to trade certain tokenized U.S. stocks in permissioned markets. Perpetuals.com’s announcement is a plan; it does not establish that trading is live or that the company has met all conditions.

Payward to Acquire Lithuania’s Saldo Bank

Payward, the parent company of Kraken, has signed an agreement to acquire Saldo Finance Oy, the Finnish holding company behind Lithuania-licensed Saldo Bank. The deal is expected to close in 2027, subject to regulatory approval; its value was not disclosed. Payward says the acquisition would extend its banking services in Europe, with Saldo bringing deposit, lending, card and payments infrastructure. The companies have also described plans to connect banking with crypto and tokenized assets, though those services would depend on integration and regulatory approvals.

Standard Chartered Opens Bitcoin and Ether Trading to UAE Wealth Clients Standard Chartered has launched direct Bitcoin and Ether trading for eligible affluent clients in the UAE. Clients can buy and sell through their existing bank accounts, with custody and settlement handled within the bank’s closed-loop system. The service is initially available to Professional Investor clients and is regulated by the UAE’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority. The bank says it has received the required licensing approval.

HYPE Whale Sells 100,276 Tokens for $8.17M

A whale that reportedly bought 257,928 HYPE at $3.50 each two years ago sold another 100,276 tokens, valued at about $8.17 million, according to Lookonchain. The reported sale marks another partial exit from the wallet’s original position. The figures are estimates based on on-chain activity; the transaction alone does not establish the holder’s broader market outlook.

China’s Trade Surplus Reaches $938B in First Nine Months China recorded a trade surplus of about $938 billion in the first nine months of 2026, putting it on course to potentially exceed last year’s record if the pace continues. Exports rose 36.3% year over year in September, accelerating from 25% growth in August. Imports also increased, climbing 31% from a year earlier. The September surplus was about $133.5 billion. The figures point to strong external demand, while the full-year outcome will depend on trade flows in the final quarter.