LATEST: Wall Street Giant Citi Bank To Launch Bitcoin And Crypto Custody Services By 2026

Global banking giant Citi is preparing to enter the cryptocurrency market with a dedicated crypto custody service by 2026, as major Wall Street firms deepen their presence in digital finance. The bank has been developing the service for over two years and aims to offer secure storage of cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and ether for asset managers and institutional clients.

Citi’s move comes as a more supportive U.S. regulatory environment under recent legislation encourages traditional banks to explore digital assets. The service will allow Citi to hold cryptocurrencies directly on behalf of clients, addressing security concerns and leveraging the bank’s trusted custodial expertise. Partnerships with third-party providers and in-house technology solutions are both being considered.

The bank is also exploring stablecoins and blockchain-based payment systems to enable faster cross-border transactions. As global demand for digital finance solutions grows, Citi’s expansion signals increasing institutional confidence in the future of cryptocurrencies.

CNBC

Citi To Launch Bitcoin And Crypto Custody Service In 2026

Citi is reportedly preparing to roll out a crypto custody service by 2026, joining a growing list of Wall Street institutions expanding into bitcoin and other assets due to a friendlier U.S. regulatory climate.

Biswarup Chatterjee, Citi’s global head of partnerships and innovation for its services division, told CNBC the bank has been developing its custody offering for over two years and plans to bring it to market “in the next few quarters.” 

The service would allow Citi to hold native bitcoin and other crypto on behalf of clients, a significant move for one of the world’s largest custodians of traditional financial assets.

“We may have certain solutions that are…

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JPMorgan Confirms Clients Will Soon Trade Bitcoin And Crypto

JPMorgan has re-confirmed it will allow clients to trade Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. 

While the bank will not immediately offer custody services, it is expanding its blockchain initiatives and exploring how crypto fits into its broader markets strategy.

Scott Lucas, JPMorgan’s global head of markets digital assets, outlined the bank’s approach in a CNBC interview, emphasizing an “and” strategy that balances existing financial infrastructure with emerging blockchain opportunities. 

On trading crypto, Lucas said that, “Jamie [Dimon] was pretty clear during investor day that we were going to be involved in the trading of that, but custody is not on the table…

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Support At $105K Holds, But Bears Dominate

Bitcoin Price Weekly Outlook

I feel like a broken record saying this, but it bears repeating: Wow, what a difference a week makes! Bitcoin pulled back a little as expected early last week, but then the bears came in with a sucker punch on Friday morning as Trump’s talk of raising tariffs on China sent markets crashing down.

Things escalated quickly after liquidity dried up in the afternoon to send bitcoin down to a low of $105,617 on the index price. The price action was a bit chaotic as some leveraged exchanges went as low as $102,000 and even $100,000. After the carnage was done, bitcoin had a nice bounce back up to close the week out at $115,128. The bears are still firmly…

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LATEST: Europe’s €2.3 Trillion Amundi Set To Launch Bitcoin Investment Product For Clients

Europe’s largest asset manager, Amundi, is preparing to step into the Bitcoin ETN market, according to French crypto media outlet The Big Whale. With €2.3 trillion in assets under management, the move marks a significant step toward mainstream adoption of digital assets within Europe’s financial sector.

Amundi has recently highlighted Bitcoin’s role as a potential store of value and a macro-hedging tool against persistent inflation. The firm has also been actively expanding its ETF offerings, including leveraged products that qualify for European tax-advantaged accounts, signaling a stronger commitment to diversified investment strategies.

Momentum is building across Europe as institutional players explore regulated Bitcoin exposure. Sovereign fund activities in the Eurozone are further boosting acceptance of cryptocurrencies, paving the way for greater integration of digital assets into traditional finance. Amundi’s entry could mark a turning point, reinforcing Bitcoin’s position in the portfolios of major institutional investors.

Verifiable AI took center stage at DAS London with EigenCloud

At DAS London, Eigen Labs’ J.T. Rose argued that crypto’s next leg won’t be DeFi but “verifiable AI” — agentic systems whose off-chain work can be proven on-chain. 

Rose cast Eigen’s stack as a cloud-like trio of services (data, compute, inference) backed by crypto-economic security and proofs, letting developers keep public-cloud flexibility while adding verifiability before funds move or state updates land on Ethereum.

Three promising use cases are coming to the fore, according to Rose:

Autonomous trading agents that must prove they followed risk rules;

Agent-to-agent (A2A) payments where work receipts trigger settlement and;

Gaming with attestable… Read more on Blockworks

Canaan ($CAN) To Turn Flared Gas To Computing Power In Pilot

In a move that blends energy innovation with digital infrastructure, Canaan Inc. announced the launch of a pilot project in Calgary, Alberta, designed to turn stranded or flared natural gas into power for Bitcoin mining and high-performance computing.

The initiative, developed in partnership with Aurora AZ Energy, marks a step for Canaan as it explores how waste gas — often burned off at remote wells — can instead fuel computing power directly at the source.

The pilot will install over $2 million worth of Avalon A15 Pro miners and modular data centers at wellheads, delivering roughly 2.5 megawatts of computing capacity with a guaranteed 90% uptime.

Canaan’s stock…

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Steak ‘n Shake Stops ETH Payments After Bitcoin Backlash

American fast-food chain Steak ‘n Shake has abandoned plans to accept Ethereum payments following criticism from Bitcoin supporters.

The 90-year-old chain, which began accepting Bitcoin (BTC) in May, ran a poll on X over the weekend asking its 468,800 followers whether it should expand its crypto options to include Ethereum.

Nearly 49,000 votes were cast, with 53% in favor.

However, just four hours later, the company suspended the poll, declaring its allegiance to Bitcoiners. “Poll suspended. Our allegiance is with Bitcoiners. You have spoken,” Steak ‘n Shake posted.

Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum co-founder, defended Steak ‘n Shake’s decision. He suggested that…

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It’s selling time for stablecoin companies

Founder sources I’ve spoken to seem to agree: There’s never been a better time to be selling a stablecoin startup.

I learned this the hard way last week. After noticing the relative dearth of recent crypto acquisitions, I was planning a bratty column titled: “Is the crypto M&A season in the room with us right now?” 

Then Fortune blew up my spot when it broke the news that Coinbase and Mastercard are offering between $1.5-2.5 billion to acquire stablecoin infrastructure firm BVNK. Coinbase appears to currently have the inside track to win the bidding war, Fortune reported.

Stripe paid $1.1 billion for stablecoin infrastructure shop Bridge last year, and BVNK could get…

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The ‘Strategy Of Latin America’ OranjeBTC Expands Holdings With $1.94M Bitcoin Purchase

OranjeBTC has acquired an additional 16 BTC for roughly $1.94 million at an average price of $121,058 per Bitcoin, bringing its year-to-date Bitcoin yield to 1.5% in 2025.

As of October 13, the OranjeBTC now holds 3,691 BTC, accumulated for approximately $389.07 million — an average cost basis of $105,412 per coin.

Brazil’s First Pure-Bitcoin Public Company

OranjeBTC began trading last week on B3, the São Paulo–based exchange that anchors Latin America’s capital markets.

Backed by some of the biggest names in global crypto, OranjeBTC entered public markets holding 3,675 BTC — now 3,691 — instantly becoming the region’s largest corporate Bitcoin… Read more on BitcoinMagazine