We read the Bitcoin news and check the facts against independent sources: press releases, on-chain data, bitcointreasuries and major outlets. Only checked items appear here, each with its sources. We leave out opinion and hype.
Not investment advice. Times are London time. Updated: 22 Oct 2026, 19:42 London.
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Proposed class action in Ontario targets Coldcard maker Coinkite over seed-generation flaw
A proposed class action filed on Sept 11, 2026 in Ontario's Superior Court of Justice names Coinkite and co-founders Rodolfo Novak and Peter D. Gray, alleging predictable seed phrases and that they were warned in May 2025. The complaint puts losses above $140 million in Bitcoin, not the roughly $116 million cited on social media; the claims are allegations not yet tested in court.
Robinhood gets Dubai DFSA authorisation for trading and custody, including crypto
Robinhood received DFSA authorisation to offer trading and custody across all 10 approved asset classes, including crypto, from the DIFC. The product launch in the Middle East is planned for 2027.
SpaceX and Tesla review merger that would combine 30,221 BTC
On SpaceX's Q3 call on 20 Oct, Elon Musk said a merger with Tesla would be a good idea; both boards have formed special committees of independent directors, no terms are agreed and a deal is not guaranteed, and on Tesla's side it needs 50% of all shares. Per their June 30 filings SpaceX holds 18,712 BTC and Tesla 11,509 BTC, together 30,221 BTC, which would make the combined company the #6 public-company Bitcoin holder.
FINMA approves Switzerland's first Bitcoin ETF (BIT Asset Management, BBIT)
On 20 October 2026 Swiss regulator FINMA approved the first retail exchange-traded fund that invests directly in Bitcoin; the issuer, BIT Asset Management, named it Bitcoin Fund ETF (BBIT) and expects trading on SIX Swiss Exchange in November. Fees will be announced at launch.
Strive closes $630 million SATS preferred stock IPO, SATS lists on Nasdaq
Strive (Nasdaq: ASST) closed an upsized IPO of 7,000,000 shares of its 15.00% Series A Perpetual SATS Preferred Stock at $90 per share, about $630 million gross, with trading on Nasdaq under the ticker SATS. Net proceeds are earmarked for general corporate purposes, including buying Bitcoin and income-generating assets.
Liquid Network restores BTC-to-L-BTC swaps; Federation peg-outs still paused
The Liquid Federation says semi-automated BTC to L-BTC swaps through participating providers are back, while direct peg-outs stay paused until full 1:1 Bitcoin backing is restored; about 602 BTC from the September 6 exploit remain outstanding. The claim that the shortfall will be covered 'in the coming days' comes from an X post, and the Federation's own update gives no date.
T. Rowe Price's crypto ETF is overweight Bitcoin as a defensive position, not the whole $1.86 trillion firm
On Bloomberg ETF IQ on October 19, T. Rowe Price head of digital assets Blue Macellari said its Active Crypto ETF (TKNZ) holds an overweight Bitcoin position and was very defensive going into the weekend, describing Bitcoin as a macro asset. The claim that the whole firm is overweight Bitcoin is misleading: this is one actively managed crypto ETF, T. Rowe Price manages $1.86 trillion (as of September 30, not $2 trillion), and the fund's current Bitcoin weight was not stated in the clip.
JPMorgan's 2027 long-term outlook gives Bitcoin a 10% base-case annual return, above stocks, bonds and gold
In its 2027 Long-Term Capital Market Assumptions, J.P. Morgan Asset Management put a range on Bitcoin returns for the first time: a 10% annual base case over 10-15 years (bear case -9.7%, bull case 17%), versus 7.5% for US large caps and 5.5% for gold. The bank still calls Bitcoin speculative and keeps it out of its main portfolio models, so viral posts calling it JPMorgan's 'best asset of the decade' overstate the report.
BlackRock files for iShares Bitcoin Managed Protection ETF (PBIT), its third Bitcoin ETF
On 19 Oct 2026 iShares Trust filed a preliminary prospectus (Form 485APOS) for PBIT, which would use options on IBIT plus cash and short-term bonds to cap upside in exchange for partial downside protection, with each tranche initially targeting a maximum loss of about 10% before fees. It would not hold Bitcoin directly; the fee and upside cap are not disclosed and the fund is not trading yet.
Super League shareholders approve Metaplanet's 2,100 Bitcoin investment; deal still pending closing
Super League (Nasdaq: SLE) shareholders approved on October 16 the deal announced on August 18: Metaplanet contributes 2,100 Bitcoin plus $2.5 million in cash for about 95.7% of the company, to be renamed Superplanet (SUPA). It is a stake via new shares, not an outright purchase, and closing is expected in Q4 2026 subject to Nasdaq filings and other conditions.
AnchorWatch Trust Company opens as a Nevada-chartered qualified Bitcoin custodian with optional insurance up to $370M per client
AnchorWatch Trust Company opened on October 19, 2026 as a qualified Bitcoin custodian authorized by the Nevada Financial Institutions Division, with fixed monthly fees capped at $10,000. Insurance is optional, backed by Lloyd's of London syndicates, and the $370 million is the maximum limit per client, subject to underwriting approval and policy terms.
Strive adds 1,223 Bitcoin, lifting holdings to 36,818 BTC before SATS settlement
Strive's SEC 8-K filing says it bought 1,223 BTC between October 14 and 16 at about $81,734 each, after 2,822 BTC earlier that week, bringing holdings to 36,818 BTC. Its $700 million SATS preferred offering, priced October 15, is scheduled to settle on October 20.
Strategy buys 267 Bitcoin, holds 848,517 BTC and raises preferred buyback cap to $3 billion
Strategy's 8-K says it bought 267 BTC for $22.1 million (average $82,900) between October 12 and 18, funded by MSTR share sales, bringing holdings to 848,517 BTC bought for $64.02 billion. It also repurchased $193.1 million of STRC preferred stock and raised its preferred repurchase program from $2 billion to $3 billion, with $1.16 billion left.
German Sparkassen start Bitcoin trading in their app, but only five banks at launch
DekaBank launched Bitcoin buying and selling for Sparkasse retail clients via the Sparkasse app on October 19, at 0.99 euro per order and without advice. The claim that 40 million customers can buy now is overstated: only five Sparkassen are live at launch, each bank decides for itself, and the DSGV expects 30 to 40 more a month.
US spot Bitcoin ETFs: about $146M net outflow Monday to Thursday
Farside daily data for 12-15 October sum to about $146M of net outflows, matching the reported $145M of net selling for the week through Thursday. The claim of over $7.5B in weekly trading volume was not independently checked.
Deutsche Bank Bitcoin custody due within weeks, but for institutional and corporate clients only
Deutsche Bank told Reuters on 16 October that its custody service for Bitcoin, Ether and selected stablecoins goes live in Germany within weeks, after BaFin authorisation under MiCA on 12 October, with Asia planned for 2027. Viral posts saying it is for the bank's 28 million clients are misleading: the bank's release says the service is for institutional and corporate clients.
Strategy conditionally declares daily STRC dividends for November at 12%
Strategy’s board declared daily cash dividends on STRC for each calendar day from November 1 through November 30, 2026 at a 12.00% annual rate, per its Form 8-K for October 15, 2026. Payments start November 2 only if stockholders approve the daily-dividend amendments at the October 28 special meeting and the amended certificate is effective by November 1; otherwise the November 15 semi-monthly dividend remains payable instead.
Barclays notes a possible Tesla–SpaceX merge; combined Bitcoin holdings would be about 30,221 BTC
Barclays research (reported mid-October 2026) says a Tesla–SpaceX merger announcement could come before Tesla’s December shareholder meeting; neither company has confirmed a deal. Public disclosures put Tesla at 11,509 BTC and SpaceX at 18,712 BTC (about 30,221 combined). Major outlets rank that hypothetical treasury around fifth among public corporate holders, not sixth as some social posts claimed.
Viral claim that 57% of S&P 500 stocks beat Bitcoin volatility misstates Grayscale
Posts claimed Grayscale Research found 57% of S&P 500 companies more volatile than Bitcoin. Grayscale’s note (data as of 14 Oct 2026), as quoted by Bitcoin Magazine, says one-year realized volatility fell to 43% and is now lower than that of 19% of S&P 500 constituents — i.e. above most stocks in the sample. The 43% figure is real; the 57% headline is not.
UK: new HMRC VAT guidance asks crypto firms to establish where customers live, but it is not a new address rule
On 15 Oct 2026 HMRC published VAT guidance GfC21: for cross-border B2C digital services, crypto businesses must hold 2 pieces of evidence of where the customer normally lives, and HMRC says this is not new for VAT. Home addresses are already collected under the CARF rules in force since 1 Jan 2026; the 'risk of exposing addresses' is an assessment by critics, not part of the rules.
Standard Chartered launches Bitcoin trading for professional clients in the UAE
Standard Chartered in the UAE now lets eligible Professional Investor clients trade Bitcoin (and Ether) directly from their accounts. The bank calls it the first such offering by an international bank in the UAE; it was announced on 14 October.
Strive bought 2,822 BTC (about $235M) on 12–13 October, taking its holdings to 35,595 BTC. According to its 8-K of 14 October, warrant exercises brought in about $369.2M gross.
Strive plans a 15% perpetual preferred stock (SATS) offering
Strive plans to sell 5 million shares of SATS, a perpetual preferred stock with a 15% annual dividend paid every business day. After a dividend reserve, part of the proceeds may be used to buy Bitcoin.
South Korea: Jeonbuk Bank issues a Bitcoin-backed corporate loan
Jeonbuk Bank issued a corporate won loan secured by Bitcoin held with a third-party custodian. Local press and CoinDesk call it the first such loan at a commercial bank in the country; size, rate and LTV were not disclosed.
Fibank and Bitpanda plan crypto access in the bank's app, not live yet
Fibank (Bulgaria) and Bitpanda announced access to crypto, including Bitcoin, in the bank's app for about 1 million customers. Launch is expected around early 2027: for now it is a partnership, not a live product.
The Smarter Web Company buys 83 Bitcoin, treasury at 2,830 BTC
On 15 October 2026 the UK-listed The Smarter Web Company PLC announced it bought 83 Bitcoin for £5,202,111 (average £62,676 per coin). Total holdings rose to 2,830 Bitcoin; net average purchase price across the treasury is £81,979.
