DeFi
Swiss FINMA Approves First Retail Bitcoin ETF Holding BTC Directly
Switzerland’s Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) approved the country’s first retail exchange-traded fund that holds Bitcoin directly on October 20, 2026. Classified as an “other fund for alternative investments” under Swiss law, the product received an exemption from standard risk-diversification rules. FINMA justified the exception by citing Bitcoin’s long trading history and particularly high trading volume compared with other cryptocurrencies.
FINMA emphasized robust custody and investor-protection requirements. Supervised institutions must take measures to reduce operational and custody risks in line with guidance the regulator published on January 12, 2026. Conduct rules at the point of sale under the Financial Services Act (FinSA) also apply, and the fund documents must clearly highlight and explain the risks, including Bitcoin’s high volatility. The regulator stressed that investments in Bitcoin remain highly risky even through an approved ETF.
This marks a step beyond earlier crypto funds limited to qualified investors. FINMA authorized a multi-crypto fund for qualified investors in 2021, but the new product is the first to offer direct Bitcoin exposure to the general public under Swiss fund rules. Existing Swiss Bitcoin exchange-traded products are structured as debt securities rather than investment funds. Other providers have submitted or announced applications for Bitcoin ETFs. One provider, BIT Asset Management, publicly confirmed its Bitcoin Fund ETF (ticker BBIT) received the approval and is expected to list on the SIX Swiss Exchange.
The approval expands regulated retail access in Europe at a time when U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs continue to dominate global flows. It positions Switzerland as an early European jurisdiction offering a fund-structured, directly held Bitcoin product available to everyday investors under local supervision.
The content on CoinReporter.io is for informational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. Cryptocurrency investments are highly volatile and risky. Always conduct your own research and consult a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. CoinReporter.io and its authors are not liable for any losses resulting from actions based on this website’s content.
The rehabilitation trustee for the collapsed Mt. Gox exchange pushed the creditor repayment deadline to October 31, 2027, with Tokyo court approval. A notice dated October 16 from trustee Nobuaki Kobayashi extended the previous October 31, 2026 deadline by one year. Many creditors have still not completed the required procedures, while others have encountered processing issues that prevented payments.
Base repayments, early lump-sum repayments, and intermediate repayments have largely been completed for eligible creditors who finished the necessary steps and experienced no problems. The extension covers these three repayment categories under the rehabilitation plan. This is the fourth annual one-year extension since the original 2023 deadline. Repayments began in July 2024 through intermediaries including Kraken, Bitstamp, and BitGo, with more than 19,500 creditors reported as having received distributions by March 2025.
Wallets linked to the estate continue to hold approximately 34,388 BTC (roughly $2.8 billion at current prices), according to blockchain analytics data. The remaining balance has been relatively stable in recent months, with no major transfers reported since June. Analysts view the outstanding supply as limited relative to today’s Bitcoin liquidity and trading volumes, and no longer a major market overhang compared with earlier stages of the process when larger amounts were still pending.
The original rehabilitation plan covered roughly 142,000 BTC, 143,000 BCH, and ¥69 billion in cash. The latest delay provides additional time to complete remaining distributions where practicable, further postponing any potential incremental supply from the estate.
Mt. Gox Extends Creditor Repayment Deadline to October 2027
The rehabilitation trustee for the collapsed Mt. Gox exchange pushed the creditor repayment deadline to October 31, 2027, with Tokyo...
U.S. Spot Bitcoin ETFs Post Best Inflow Day in Nearly a Month
U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $526.7 million in net inflows on October 19, 2026, the largest single-day haul since September...
Swiss FINMA Approves First Retail Bitcoin ETF Holding BTC Directly
Switzerland’s Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) approved the country’s first retail exchange-traded fund that holds Bitcoin directly on October 20,...
Crypto Hacks and Losses Reach $1.18 Billion in Q3 2026 Across 107 Incidents
Security firm Hacken reported that crypto hacks and related losses totaled $1.18 billion across 107 incidents in the third quarter...
Strive Discloses Additional Bitcoin Purchases, Holdings Reach 36,818 BTC
Strive reported acquiring approximately 1,223 BTC for roughly $100 million between October 14 and 16, 2026, at an average price...
Arbitrum Rallies on Stablecoin Growth Program as DeFi Tokens Outperform
Arbitrum (ARB) led major altcoin gains on October 19, 2026, rising 6–9% toward the $0.20 level, driven by the Arbitrum...
World Liberty Financial’s USD1 Stablecoin Sheds Over $400 Million in Market Cap Amid Redemptions
World Liberty Financial’s USD1 stablecoin saw its market capitalization decline by more than $400 million over roughly two weeks, falling...
Strategy Adds 267 Bitcoin for $22.1 Million, Bringing Holdings to 848,517 BTC
Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) disclosed in a Monday SEC filing that it purchased 267 BTC for approximately $22.1 million between October...
JPMorgan Expands JPM Coin Deposit Token to Ethereum Mainnet for Institutional Clients
JPMorgan Chase announced on October 19, 2026, that its dollar-denominated deposit token, JPM Coin (JPMD), is now available on Ethereum...
Bitcoin Rebounds Above $82,000 as China GDP Beats Estimates and Nasdaq Futures Recover; DeFi Leads Altcoin Gains
Bitcoin extended a rebound above the $82,000 level on October 19, 2026, recovering from a weekend dip near $80,700, as...
-
DeFi1 month agoBitcoin Reclaims $81,000 and Closes Above Key 50-Week Moving Average
-
DeFi3 weeks agoHong Kong Moves Licensed Stablecoins Onto Exchanges and Into Fund Settlement
-
Crypto2 weeks agoESMA gives EU crypto firms three months to exit non-MiCA stablecoins
-
Crypto2 weeks agoBinance Burns 334.88 Million LUNC in October Fee Batch as Second Transaction Lifts the Day’s Total
-
DeFi4 weeks agoCoinbase Adds Fixed-Rate Bitcoin-Backed Loans via Morpho Midnight
-
Bitcoin2 weeks agoSEC clears listing path for first U.S. 3x Bitcoin and Ether ETFs
-
DeFi3 weeks agoTOKEN2049 Opens in Singapore Next Week as the City Leads Regional Crypto Flow
-
DeFi3 weeks agoRobinhood Puts Hedge-Fund Tools in the App as Macro Turns Softer
-
DeFi4 weeks agoSolana Advances Alpenglow Upgrade to Public Testnet
-
Bitcoin1 week agoStrategy (MicroStrategy) Adds 250 Bitcoin, Holdings Reach 848,250 BTC
-
DeFi3 weeks agoHSBC Names Its Hong Kong Stablecoin RedCoin, and Starts With PayMe
-
Bitcoin3 weeks agoStrategy Adds Another 1,665 BTC, Lifting Holdings to 847,666
-
Bitcoin2 weeks agoBitcoin breaks under $84,000 as oil spikes on Hormuz tanker attacks
-
DeFi1 week agoBitcoin Drops Below $82,000 Amid $770M+ in Liquidations as Volatility Spikes
-
Bitcoin4 weeks agoRecord ETF Inflows and a Short Squeeze Drive Bitcoin’s $87,000 Break
-
DeFi3 weeks agoSouth Korea Ranks Second in On-Chain Crypto Holdings as the Tax Date Holds
-
DeFi4 weeks agoBitcoin Surges Above $87,000 as Crypto Market Cap Reclaims $3 Trillion
-
DeFi1 month agoCFTC Submits Crypto Market Rules to White House Amid Congressional Stall
-
DeFi4 weeks ago
Bitcoin Surges Above $87,000 on ETF Inflows and Massive Short Squeeze
-
Bitcoin3 weeks agoCoinbase Receives CFTC Approval for U.S. Derivatives Clearinghouse
-
Crypto2 weeks agoTreasury and FinCEN drop unhosted-wallet and mixer surveillance proposals
-
Bitcoin4 weeks agoX Partners With Coinbase, Kraken, Gemini and Brokers to Trade From the Timeline
-
DeFi3 weeks agoBTSE Receives a Full Licence to Trade and Custody Crypto in Bhutan
-
Crypto3 weeks agoSingapore Reclaims the Regional Crypto Lead at $284 Billion as the Rest of CSAO Shrinks
-
DeFi1 week agoBitcoin Holds Above $84,000, Shrugging Off Heavy ETF Outflows as Oil Declines
-
DeFi2 weeks agoGovernment-linked wallets move seized coins
-
Bitcoin4 weeks agoStrategy Resumes Bitcoin Buying, Adds 950 BTC
-
DeFi2 weeks agoWinklevoss files a 0.25% Zcash ETF
-
DeFi1 month agoAvalanche Gains on NYSE Tokenization Testing Reports
-
Crypto2 weeks agoCFTC opens Regulation CTX and CAM after Clarity Act stalls
-
Bitcoin2 weeks agoSpot bitcoin ETFs flip to a ~$487 million outflow
-
Bitcoin2 weeks agoBitcoin loses $84,000 as Hormuz attacks lift oil and yields
-
DeFi1 week agoU.S. Spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs See Significant Weekly Outflows
-
DeFi3 weeks agoQuant Surges After Selection for U.S. Bank On-Chain Payments Initiative
-
DeFi4 weeks agoBitcoin Pulls Back Below $84,000 After Hitting Multi-Month Highs Near $87,000
-
Bitcoin3 weeks agoSpot Bitcoin ETFs Record Strongest Weekly Inflows of 2026, Flipping Year-to-Date Flows Positive