Last Updated: October 16, 2026
MSCI said on October 15 that it will make non-operating companies ineligible for its Global Investable Market Indexes from its November index review, and Unchained and Cointelegraph report that Strategy, Metaplanet and Upexi are on its list of current constituents that could be removed. Patrick Witt is leaving the White House crypto council as the CLARITY Act stalls in the Senate, and Mastercard and Visa both took stablecoin payments live on October 15. Bitcoin traded near $82,041 on the morning of October 16 (UTC), up 1.08% over 24 hours and down 0.61% over seven days, according to CoinMarketCap.
Key Takeaways
- MSCI said on October 15 that it will make non-operating companies ineligible for its Global Investable Market Indexes, effective with the November index review as of the close of November 30. Strategy, Metaplanet and Upexi are on its list of current constituents that could be removed, according to Unchained and Cointelegraph, and the final list is due on November 11.
- A White House official told The Block that Patrick Witt’s “detail has expired,” and no successor has been named to lead the White House crypto council. The Senate rejected cloture on the CLARITY Act 49 to 50 on September 15, 11 votes short of the 60 needed, and no new vote has been scheduled.
- Mastercard and BVNK launched the Mastercard Global Money Platform on October 15, one API to hold, convert, spend and move fiat and stablecoins, and Visa said the same day that USDC prefunding for Visa Direct payouts has moved from pilot to production, with Inyo Global as the first enabler.
- The European Banking Authority classified USDC on October 14 as the first significant e-money token under MiCA, out of 45 notified. From November 12 it takes over supervision of USDC’s own funds, reserve of assets, liquidity requirements and recovery and redemption plans from France’s ACPR.
- Payward, the parent company of Kraken, signed a definitive agreement on October 14 to acquire Saldo Finance Oy, the owner of Lithuania-based Saldo Bank, which holds an EU banking license. Terms were not disclosed, and closing is expected in 2027, subject to regulatory approvals.
Today’s Top Stories
MSCI adopts rules that could remove Strategy from its indexes. In an announcement on October 15, MSCI said it will implement, with minor modifications, its August 3 proposal to make non-operating companies ineligible for the MSCI Global Investable Market Indexes. An issuer first faces a core test of whether it holds substantial operating assets, and those that fail are checked against five financial ratios and become ineligible if flagged on four or more. A non-constituent is blocked if it fails the screen in either of its two most recent annual filing periods, while a current constituent is removed only if it fails in both. The rules end the interim measures MSCI applied on October 10, 2025 to companies with digital assets at 50% or more of total assets and take effect with the November index review. MSCI’s text does not name companies, but Unchained and Cointelegraph report that Strategy, Metaplanet and Upexi are on its list of current constituents that could be deleted, with the final list due on November 11. Strategy opposed the proposal in a September letter, saying it would have no meaningful effect on its business but would harm MSCI’s reputation as a neutral index provider, The Block reported. Our earlier report on Strategy’s response to the proposal has the company’s argument.
Patrick Witt leaves the White House crypto council as the CLARITY Act stalls. A White House official told The Block on October 14 that Witt’s “detail has expired,” ending his time as executive director of the President’s Council of Advisors for Digital Assets. The Block cited reporting that he was a Defense Department employee on a temporary assignment to the council, and no successor has been named. Witt had led the administration’s push for the CLARITY Act, which cleared the Senate Banking Committee 15 to 9 in May but lost a procedural vote on September 15, when the Senate rejected cloture on the motion to proceed 49 to 50 amid disputes over stablecoin rewards, illicit finance safeguards and ethics rules. He is the third senior crypto official to leave this year, after David Sacks in March and his deputy, Harry Jung, in July. Our CLARITY Act explainer tracks where the bill stands.
Mastercard and Visa both take stablecoin payments live. Mastercard and BVNK launched the Mastercard Global Money Platform on October 15, after Mastercard closed its acquisition of BVNK in August. Banks, fintechs and enterprises get one API for multi-currency accounts that hold fiat and stablecoins with real-time conversion, stablecoin-linked cards in more than 130 countries and local bank payouts through Mastercard Move. Nuvei, Marqeta, Ontop, Beem and Almond FinTech are among the first partners, and Mastercard expects payout coverage to reach more than 40 currencies across 200-plus countries and territories in 2027. The same day, Visa said stablecoin prefunding for Visa Direct has moved from pilot to production, letting eligible clients fund cross-border payouts with USDC in near real time, with Inyo Global as the first enabler. Our reports cover the Mastercard launch and Visa’s production rollout.
The EBA names USDC the EU’s first significant e-money token. The European Banking Authority said on October 14 that it has classified USDC, issued in the EU by Circle Internet Financial Europe SAS, as a significant e-money token under MiCA, the first of the 45 e-money tokens notified to receive the label. From November 12, direct oversight of USDC’s own funds, reserve of assets, liquidity requirements and recovery and redemption plans passes from France’s ACPR to the EBA, while the ACPR keeps governance, qualifying holdings, fit-and-proper assessments, outsourcing and conflicts of interest. The EBA also signed a memorandum of understanding with the New York State Department of Financial Services on cross-border cooperation, because Circle issues USDC in the US as well. Our report on the classification covers what the label does and does not change.
Kraken’s parent Payward agrees to buy Saldo Bank for an EU banking license. Payward said on October 14 that it signed a definitive agreement to acquire Saldo Finance Oy, the Finnish holding company that owns Lithuania-based Saldo Bank UAB, which is licensed by the European Central Bank and regulated by the Bank of Lithuania. The deal would give Payward a full EU banking license to offer deposit interest, lending, card issuance and banking-as-a-service to European clients, subject to regulatory approvals. Saldo Bank serves customers in Lithuania, Finland, Sweden and Germany and holds a passport for the Netherlands. Terms were not disclosed, and closing is expected in 2027. The deal follows Kraken’s full VARA approval in Dubai, and our report on the Saldo deal has the product plans.
Also in the news. SkyAI said on October 14 that it holds about $204.6 million in cash and about 210,000 locked SOL and planned to start its $3.00-per-share tender offer on October 15, expiring at the end of the day on October 29, New York time, unless extended. Bastion Trading, a 9.99% shareholder, asked SkyAI the same day to raise the price to at least $3.50 and to disclose SOL sales that it says cut the treasury by about 70% in under a month, as our report on the Bastion letter explains. The Bank of Russia said in an FAQ updated on October 12 that individuals cannot transfer digital currency from a digital account to their own non-custodial wallet and that P2P transactions are allowed only until July 1, 2027, and our report on Sberbank’s approval covers how the licensed market is taking shape.
What This Means for the Days Ahead
Zcash developers are due to set the NU7 mainnet activation height on October 20, and Solana’s Alpenglow upgrade is scheduled to activate at the start of epoch 1064, around 15:00 UTC on October 21, with a finality target of about 150 milliseconds against 12.8 seconds today, as our report on the Alpenglow upgrade explains. The Federal Reserve meets on October 27 and 28 after raising rates to 3.75% to 4.00% on September 16, and SkyAI’s tender offer is due to expire on October 29 unless extended.
MSCI will publish its final list of affected securities on November 11, removals take effect as of the close of November 30, and the EBA takes over USDC supervision on November 12. Comments on the SEC’s crypto custody proposal, published in the Federal Register on October 6, are due on December 7, and comments on the CFTC’s advance notice on Regulation CTX and Regulation CAM, published on October 13, are due on December 14.
No new CLARITY Act vote has been scheduled, and senators are slated to be away from Washington for almost all of October ahead of the November 3 midterms, according to Bloomberg Government. With Witt gone, the SEC and CFTC are continuing to write crypto rules under their existing authority.
For price and data coverage, see crypto market today, and for asset-specific coverage visit Bitcoin News Today, Ethereum News Today, XRP News Today, Zcash News Today, Hedera (HBAR) News Today, and Dogecoin Price Today.
Compare Crypto Prices Today
| Asset | Price Page |
|---|---|
| Bitcoin | Bitcoin Price |
| Ethereum | Ethereum Price |
| XRP | XRP Price |
| Solana | Solana Price |
| BNB | BNB Price |
| TRON | TRON Price |
Where to Buy Crypto
Cryptocurrencies can be bought on major exchanges including Binance, Coinbase, Kraken, KuCoin, Gate.io, OKX, and Bybit. For a look at other platforms accepting crypto, see our crypto casinos guide.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Cryptocurrency markets are volatile; always do your own research before investing.
FAQ
What is the biggest crypto news today?
MSCI said on October 15 that it will make non-operating companies ineligible for its Global Investable Market Indexes starting with its November review, and Unchained and Cointelegraph report that Strategy is on its list of current constituents that could be removed. Patrick Witt is leaving the White House crypto council, and Mastercard and Visa both took stablecoin payments live. Bitcoin traded near $82,041, up 1.08% over 24 hours, according to CoinMarketCap.
Could Strategy be removed from MSCI indexes?
It could. Unchained and Cointelegraph report that Strategy is on MSCI’s list of current constituents that could be removed. MSCI will publish its final list on November 11, and any removals take effect as of the close of November 30. A current constituent is removed only if it fails the screen in both of its two most recent annual filing periods. Strategy has said the change would have no meaningful effect on its business.
What happens to the CLARITY Act after Patrick Witt’s exit?
No vote is scheduled. The Senate rejected cloture on the bill 49 to 50 on September 15, short of the 60 votes needed, and senators are scheduled to be away from Washington for almost all of October ahead of the November 3 midterms. A White House official said Witt’s detail has expired, and no successor has been named. The SEC and CFTC are meanwhile writing crypto rules under their existing authority.
What could move crypto prices in the coming days?
The Federal Reserve meets on October 27 and 28 after raising rates to 3.75% to 4.00% on September 16. Solana’s Alpenglow upgrade is scheduled to activate on mainnet around 15:00 UTC on October 21, and SkyAI’s tender offer is due to expire on October 29. MSCI publishes its list of affected companies on November 11, and the EBA takes over USDC supervision on November 12.
