Charles Schwab Opens Bitcoin And Ethereum Transfers As Crypto Rollout Expands

TL;DR: Charles Schwab is expanding its direct Bitcoin and Ethereum services, including phased external wallet transfers. The move brings digital asset ownership further into the company’s conventional brokerage experience.

Charles Schwab is moving its cryptocurrency service closer to the features customers expect from a dedicated digital asset platform.

The brokerage has been rolling out direct Bitcoin and Ethereum trading to eligible clients, and its latest account documentation explains how approved customers can transfer supported assets to and from external wallets.

For Schwab, that is a meaningful step beyond providing market exposure inside an investment account.

Buying Crypto Is Only The Beginning

Brokerage customers increasingly want to decide whether to hold digital assets with a financial institution or move them to another approved custody arrangement.

Schwab’s transfer functionality is being introduced in phases. Users must meet identity verification requirements and may encounter security checks and waiting periods for approved wallet addresses.

The platform also continues to distinguish cryptocurrency from conventional insured bank deposits. The value of Bitcoin and Ethereum is not protected by FDIC insurance merely because the assets are held through a Schwab service.

As NewsBTC reported when Schwab introduced direct crypto trading, the rollout has been deliberately gradual.

Traditional Brokerages Become Serious Rivals

Schwab already has millions of brokerage relationships and well-established infrastructure. Adding cryptocurrency ownership makes those relationships increasingly valuable in a market where digital asset exchanges are competing with conventional financial firms.

The company has also discussed expanding its supported assets beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum.

The wider trend is clear: investors are increasingly being offered cryptocurrency services through the same institutions they use for stocks and other financial products.

The competitive question is no longer simply whether traditional brokerages will support cryptocurrency. It is how much of the customer experience they intend to control.

Written by the News Desk and edited by Samuel Rae.



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Crypto Giants Feature In $210 Million Political Donations Report As Regulatory Scrutiny Grows

TL;DR: An October 8 Public Citizen report links corporations and individuals benefiting from cancelled federal enforcement actions to approximately $210.5 million in donations and pledges to Trump-aligned political committees. Major cryptocurrency companies feature among the reported contributors.

A report examining corporate political donations and changes to federal enforcement has placed several major cryptocurrency businesses under renewed public scrutiny.

Consumer advocacy organisation Public Citizen said companies and individuals connected to beneficiaries of cancelled or curtailed enforcement actions had contributed or pledged roughly $210.5 million to Trump-aligned political committees.

The research, originally published October 8, includes cryptocurrency firms such as Crypto.com and Gemini. It should not be described as a brand-new October 16 investigation.

The Crypto Industry’s Political Spending

According to the report, Crypto.com-associated contributions included $35 million to MAGA Inc. and another $2 million to a separate Trump-aligned committee.

Public Citizen also examined contributions involving Gemini and the Winklevoss brothers, alongside regulatory matters affecting the exchange.

The watchdog argues that the scale of political spending deserves attention, particularly where companies also benefit from changes in how government agencies pursue enforcement.

But political contributions are not proof of an illegal arrangement. The report does not establish that the named donors purchased specific regulatory decisions.

A Broader Political Debate

The cryptocurrency industry has become increasingly involved in Washington, advocating for clearer legislation and a more predictable business environment.

NewsBTC has previously reported on substantial cryptocurrency political contributions, part of a larger push to influence rules affecting exchanges, stablecoins and token issuers.

Supporters of those efforts argue that previous regulation created unnecessary uncertainty. Critics say large corporate donors may enjoy disproportionate access to policymakers.

Public Citizen’s findings add to that debate while leaving the central legal distinction intact: correlation between donations and enforcement outcomes does not establish corruption.

Written by the News Desk and edited by Samuel Rae.



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Bitcoin ETFs Lose $82 Million As BlackRock Leads Friday’s Withdrawals

TL;DR: US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded approximately $82.4 million in net outflows on October 16. BlackRock’s IBIT accounted for $71.8 million of withdrawals, with Fidelity’s FBTC recording about $10.6 million.

BlackRock’s flagship spot Bitcoin ETF accounted for most of the selling as US-listed Bitcoin investment funds closed Friday’s session with net withdrawals of approximately $82.4 million.

Farside Investors’ figures show that the iShares Bitcoin Trust, known as IBIT, lost $71.8 million on October 16. Fidelity’s Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund recorded around $10.6 million in net outflows, while the remaining products were broadly flat on the day.

That concentration matters because IBIT has become one of the clearest measures of Bitcoin demand through traditional brokerage accounts.

Another Uneven Week For ETF Demand

The latest withdrawals followed substantial redemptions earlier in the week. October 14 saw roughly $261 million leave the category, followed by a modest return to net inflows on October 15.

Friday’s negative session therefore suggests demand remains unsettled rather than following a clear trend.

Investors have seen considerably larger individual outflow days in the past. Earlier October withdrawals approached $485 million in a single session, demonstrating how rapidly demand through these products can shift.

Context Is Important

An ETF outflow is not a complete measure of institutional Bitcoin ownership, and it does not necessarily indicate that every underlying holder has abandoned a long-term position.

Net inflows into the US spot Bitcoin ETF market since the products launched remained substantial despite the latest withdrawals.

The next trading sessions will be important. A quick recovery would suggest another temporary adjustment, while continued redemptions from IBIT and FBTC would place greater emphasis on whether traditional investors are reducing their exposure amid broader market uncertainty.

Written by the News Desk and edited by Samuel Rae.



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Circle Targets 40 New Markets As USDC Push Moves Beyond Crypto Trading

TL;DR: Circle plans to expand USDC infrastructure into approximately 40 developing and emerging markets. The company is targeting international payments and access to digital dollars rather than relying solely on cryptocurrency exchange demand.

Circle is looking well beyond cryptocurrency trading as it prepares to extend USDC’s reach into approximately 40 emerging and developing markets.

CEO Jeremy Allaire outlined the ambition during discussions surrounding the October 16 international financial meetings in Bangkok. The strategy focuses on places where businesses and individuals want access to dollar-denominated payments but may face expensive or inefficient conventional banking arrangements.

The opportunity is straightforward: a stablecoin that can move between compatible wallets at any hour could offer a useful payment alternative. The difficult part is connecting those wallets to actual financial activity.

From Exchange Balances To Everyday Payments

USDC has long been widely used by cryptocurrency traders as a dollar-linked asset. Circle now wants to make it part of cross-border invoices, business settlement and consumer payments.

That requires more than issuing tokens. Businesses need reliable local currency conversion, banking connections, compliance arrangements and confidence that USDC can be redeemed as intended.

Circle has increasingly built partnerships around these services. Existing stablecoin initiatives, including creator payouts and digital payment programmes, show how digital dollars can be incorporated into familiar financial experiences.

Expansion Will Be Uneven

Regulation is likely to determine the pace of Circle’s international push. Some countries welcome stablecoin payment infrastructure, while others restrict foreign currency access or require substantial local licensing.

Tether’s USDT is also already entrenched across a number of international markets.

Circle must therefore establish the practical value of USDC for customers who may never buy Bitcoin or speculate on another cryptocurrency. If the strategy succeeds, its next stage of growth could depend less on crypto market cycles and more on the ordinary movement of money.

Written by the News Desk and edited by Samuel Rae.



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Judge Rejects Gemini And CFTC Bid To Overturn $5 Million Settlement

TL;DR: A federal judge has rejected a joint attempt by Gemini and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to overturn the exchange’s $5 million settlement. The decision leaves the existing judgment in place despite the regulator’s changed approach to cryptocurrency enforcement.

Gemini has failed in an unusual attempt to undo a regulatory settlement, despite having the very agency that brought the original case on its side.

US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein rejected a joint motion by the exchange and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission seeking to vacate a consent judgment entered in January 2025.

The settlement arose from allegations that Gemini misled the regulator during its review of a proposed Bitcoin futures product in 2017. Gemini agreed to pay a $5 million penalty and accepted a permanent injunction.

When Regulators Change Their Minds

The CFTC subsequently reconsidered the original enforcement case as its digital asset priorities evolved. Together with Gemini, it asked the court to revisit the settlement.

That is a very different situation from the more familiar legal battle in which an exchange disputes a regulator’s allegations. This time, both parties wanted relief from the court’s earlier judgment.

But a change in enforcement policy does not automatically erase a final court order. The judge found that the arguments presented did not satisfy the legal standards for reopening the settlement.

The decision is significant for other cryptocurrency businesses hoping that a more accommodating federal regulatory environment might undo historical enforcement outcomes.

What Changes For Gemini?

In the immediate term, very little. The settlement remains in effect and the court has not imposed a new fine.

The wider message is more important: courts retain control of their judgments, even when a regulatory agency changes its view of a case.

Washington’s approach to cryptocurrency may have become more favourable, but companies cannot assume that previously approved settlements will disappear alongside the political circumstances in which they were reached.

Written by the News Desk and edited by Samuel Rae.



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MSCI Tightens Index Rules As Strategy And Other Bitcoin Treasury Firms Face Fresh Scrutiny

TL;DR: MSCI has revised its methodology for classifying non-operating companies, putting Bitcoin-heavy treasury businesses under closer index scrutiny. Any possible exclusion of companies such as Strategy must be assessed against the actual screening criteria and protections for existing index constituents.

One of the most important questions facing publicly listed Bitcoin treasury companies may no longer be about Bitcoin’s price. It may be about whether index providers consider them operating businesses at all.

MSCI announced changes to the rules governing eligibility for its Global Investable Market Indexes on October 15. The methodology is intended to distinguish companies conducting substantial operating activities from those functioning primarily as investment vehicles.

Strategy, the Michael Saylor-led business that has raised enormous sums to purchase Bitcoin, is an obvious company for investors to watch. But the new rules do not mean Strategy has already been removed from MSCI indexes.

The Financial Tests That Matter

Under the revised approach, balance-sheet composition is only the beginning. MSCI also examines operating and financial characteristics before determining whether a business falls within the non-operating classification.

That distinction matters because businesses holding digital assets can still have genuine operating activities. A large Bitcoin treasury does not by itself establish an immediate exclusion under the entire methodology.

MSCI has also outlined safeguards for existing constituents. These are intended to reduce abrupt changes when companies move between eligibility classifications.

Why Index Membership Matters

MSCI benchmarks underpin investment decisions at institutions worldwide. When a company leaves a major benchmark, funds tracking it may need to adjust their holdings even if they remain bullish about the business.

For Bitcoin treasury firms, such an adjustment would be separate from developments on the blockchain or movements in their Bitcoin reserves. It would be driven by their treatment within conventional equity indexes.

The November index review should provide clearer answers about the practical consequences. Until then, treating any specific company’s removal as a completed event would go further than MSCI’s announcement supports.

Written by the News Desk and edited by Samuel Rae.



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MEXC AI Trading Report Reveals 85% of Crypto Traders Use AI, But Most Limit Its Control Over Funds

Mutsamudu, Comoros, October 16, 2026 — MEXC, a global cryptocurrency exchange, released its AI Trading Report, based on a survey of 3,708 crypto traders. The report examines how respondents use AI, how much trading authority they would delegate, and what protective measures they expect from platforms. Blockchain security firm Hacken contributed technical analysis of risks associated with AI agent trading and the controls designed to address them.

Key takeaways:

  • 84.8% of surveyed crypto users have used AI for research or trading. While 58.3% report improved market research, 46% also report better trade execution, though 54% have yet to see improvement at the execution stage.
  • Interest in AI agents is already significant: half of respondents are interested in AI agents but have not tried them. 
  • 65.9% of AI users act on its advice at least sometimes; only 20% have tried execution without approving each trade.
  • 54% would let AI trade with some funds, but no more than 20% of their account; only 6.5% would authorize more than half.
  • Half of users with automated execution experience worry they could fail to detect or stop problems in time.
  • Willingness to use automated trading grows from 55% under the baseline scenario to 71.8% when limits on funds, positions, leverage and losses are added.
  • 95.5% support at least one mandatory protective measure, even as many want control over their own settings.

The report found that 84.8% of respondents had used AI to analyze or trade digital assets in the previous six months, with 53.1% using it at least weekly. Adoption was higher among younger participants: 88.5% of respondents aged 18–34 had used AI, compared with 69.9% of those aged 45 and older. Among respondents who reported not using AI, difficulty getting started or high entry barriers was a more common obstacle than AI mistrust, cited by 46.7% and 32.7%, respectively.

AI’s biggest role remained preparation before a trade. Summarizing news was among the most frequent tasks for 54.3% of AI users, ahead of market analysis at 48.6% and finding trading opportunities at 38%. Only 7.6% selected direct execution as one of their most-used tasks. Looking at their most recent AI-assisted trade, 68.9% said AI contributed most before execution, compared with 22.7% during trading.

Users were also more positive about research than execution. While 58.3% reported better market research, 46% reported improved execution. Another 30.9% saw no change in execution, and 23.1% said it had worsened. These assessments reflect respondents’ experiences rather than independently measured trading performance.

AI advice nevertheless influenced trading activity. Among AI users, 65.9% said they placed orders or adjusted positions based on its recommendations at least sometimes. These groups could overlap.

Risk limits changed respondents’ willingness to automate. In a scenario offering notifications, pausing and permission revocation, 55% were willing to let AI trade automatically. Adding limits on funds, assets, positions, leverage and losses, with automatic stopping at the loss threshold, brought willingness to 71.8% — an increase of 16.8 percentage points.

That willingness did not extend to most of an account’s funds. In a separate scenario prohibiting transfers and withdrawals and allowing users to stop trading at any time, 54% would authorize no more than 20% of their account assets and only 6.5% would authorize more than half.

Hacken’s contribution examines why withdrawal restrictions alone cannot prevent losses. An agent with trading access could still be manipulated into buying an asset at an inflated price or taking on excessive exposure. Its analysis outlines protective measures set independently of the agent, including limits on orders, total positions and permissions, alongside security testing to ensure unwanted actions are blocked before execution.

On oversight, 46.2% of respondents preferred exchanges to offer safety settings users could choose to enable, about 1.8 times the share who preferred uniform minimum requirements set by the platform (25.7%). Support for user choice did not mean rejecting industry standards: among those who preferred optional settings and answered the separate standards question, 97.8% backed at least one mandatory measure.

Across all 3,464 valid responses to the standards question, a risk assessment or knowledge test before first use received the most support at 55.3%. Independent audits and limits on capital and loss that cannot be disabled followed at 38.8% each.

“As AI becomes more integrated into trading, our findings show that users don’t want less control. They want clearer boundaries,” said Vugar Usi Zade, CEO of MEXC. “For traders, that means clear risk limits, the ability to intervene when needed, and confidence that the platform has done its part before automation begins.”

The full AI Trading Report, including Hacken’s security contribution, is available here.

 

About MEXC

Founded in 2018, MEXC is a leading global multi-asset trading platform built as your 0-fee gateway to infinite opportunities. Serving users across 170+ markets, MEXC provides simple and efficient access to crypto, stocks, tokenized assets, derivatives, and a growing range of TradFi-linked opportunities through one account and one gateway.

With 0 trading fees, deep liquidity, broad asset coverage, and a high-performance trading experience, MEXC is designed for retail users who want to discover earlier, act faster, and trade with fewer barriers. As crypto and traditional finance continue to converge, MEXC is committed to making global opportunities more accessible, helping users trade freely and MEXCmize every opportunity.

MEXC Official Website| X | Telegram |How to Sign Up on MEXC

For media inquiries, please contact the MEXC PR team: media@mexc.com

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