Cryptocurrency Trading

Coinbase has launched regulated crypto futures trading for users in 26 European countries, including Germany, France, and the Netherlands, offering contracts on cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana, as well as equity-index futures. Ripple Prime clients also gained access to these futures through Nodal Clear, expanding institutional participation in Coinbase’s regulated derivatives markets.

Searches for “buy bitcoin” have jumped to a five-year high, despite the cryptocurrency losing nearly half its value over the past few months. The surge comes amid a lawsuit against Jane Street over its alleged role in the 2022 Terra collapse, sparking renewed interest in Bitcoin as a safer option.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has sold over 17,000 ETH, slightly more than he originally planned, to fund the Ethereum Foundation and support new projects. The Foundation continues to hold around 172,000 ETH and has released a detailed roadmap aiming for faster transactions, improved privacy, and long-term network development.

South Korea has introduced a bill requiring crypto influencers to disclose their personal holdings and any payments received for promoting digital assets. The law aims to protect investors and treat undisclosed promotions like serious financial offences such as market manipulation.

Morgan Stanley will launch direct cryptocurrency trading for retail clients through E*Trade in the first half of 2026, allowing users to buy and sell Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana. The bank is also building its own crypto custody and settlement platform, while using Zerohash to run the trading, custody and settlement systems at launch.

Coinbase has opened stock and ETF trading to all US users, letting people buy and sell shares alongside crypto in one app, 24 hours a day, five days a week, with no commission. The company also partnered with Yahoo Finance to let users trade directly from market pages and said it plans to offer tokenised stocks in the future.

Internal investigators at Binance found that billions of dollars may have flowed through the exchange to Iran-linked entities, including groups tied to the Houthis, but several staff involved in the probe were later suspended or dismissed.

Coinbase reported a surprise quarterly loss of US$667 million as trading revenue fell sharply due to a broad drop in crypto prices and weaker market activity. Growth in stablecoin operations provided some relief, but regulatory uncertainty and ongoing market weakness continue to pressure the company.

Coinbase has launched Agentic Wallets, crypto wallets that let AI agents trade, pay, and earn on the blockchain without human approval. The wallets use the x402 protocol, support multiple networks including Ethereum and Solana, and include built-in security controls to manage spending and protect private keys.

South Korea’s Bithumb exchange accidentally sent over $40 billion in bitcoin to customers as rewards, causing a brief market sell-off. Most of the coins were recovered, but regulators warned the incident exposed weaknesses in crypto systems and called for stricter rules.