Schwab Opens Crypto To All Clients As Blockchain Association Changes Leadership

Charles Schwab opens crypto trading to every eligible client, the Blockchain Association swaps chief executives after the Clarity Act stalls, and a judge upholds Gemini's CFTC settlement.

Moves

Oct 17
Kristin Smith returns to Blockchain Association as interim CEO
Kristin Smith to Blockchain Association, Interim Chief Executive Officer, from Solana Policy Institute
She returns as Summer Mersinger departs after the Senate blocks the industry's Clarity Act bill.
hireconfirmedOct 17, 2026Crypto Briefing: Blockchain Association CEO departure signals shift in crypto influence
Oct 14
Patrick Witt leaves White House Crypto Council
Patrick Witt to White House Crypto Council, Executive Director
The council loses its last senior staffer as the CLARITY Act stalls in the Senate.
departureconfirmedOct 14, 2026The Block: Patrick Witt exits White House crypto role as Clarity Act stalls
Oct 14
Marc Vanlerberghe leaves Algorand Foundation
Marc Vanlerberghe to Algorand Foundation, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer
The foundation's new chief executive continues a leadership overhaul after its chief technology officer also resigned.
departurereportedOct 14, 2026Crypto Briefing: Algorand Foundation's marketing chief resigns as new CEO reshapes leadership
Oct 13
Anne Giviskos joins MoonPay as Chief Financial Officer
Anne Giviskos to MoonPay, Chief Financial Officer, from Navan
MoonPay adds finance leadership as it expands into stablecoins and tokenized capital markets.
hireconfirmedOct 13, 2026MoonPay: MoonPay Names Anne Giviskos as Chief Financial Officer

Drops

Oct 21
Solana sets October 21 for Alpenglow mainnet upgrade
Solana · Alpenglow
The upgrade targets a nearly 99 percent cut in transaction finality time, from about 12.8 seconds to roughly 150 milliseconds.
DatedcodeOct 21, 2026CryptoSlate: Solana sets October 21 for massive Alpenglow upgrade that could make transactions 99% faster to finalize
Oct 17
Cardano's Leios testnet hits a record 26.8 TxkB per second
Cardano · Leios
The testnet milestone shows Leios scaling toward a mainnet upgrade Hoskinson calls Cardano's final major release.
Small ringcodeOct 17, 2026Blockonomi: Cardano Leios Testnet Logs 26.8 TxkB/s Ahead of Mainnet Push
Oct 16
Pi Network activates Protocol 28 on mainnet
Pi Network · Protocol 28
The mandatory upgrade lets Pi developers batch smart contract changes ahead of planned DEX and DeFi features.
WidecodeOct 16, 2026CoinGabbar: Pi Network News: Pi Protocol 28 Live on Mainnet, Ecosystem Summit Next
Oct 15
Schwab opens Bitcoin and Ether trading to all clients
Charles Schwab · Schwab Crypto
Every eligible Schwab client can now trade Bitcoin and Ether directly, pairing crypto access with mainstream brokerage scale.
WidemoneyOct 15, 2026GN Crypto News: Schwab Opens Bitcoin, Ether Trading to All Eligible Clients

Events

Oct 16
Judge upholds Gemini's $5 million CFTC settlement
Gemini
The ruling shows a court judgment stands even when the regulator that brought the case now opposes it.
LawsuitconfirmedOct 16, 2026CoinDesk: U.S. judge rejects Gemini's appeal to void $5 million settlement despite CFTC backing
Oct 15
Fission raises $10 million Series A for fund exits
Fission
Pantera Capital leads the round as Fission builds faster settlement for investors exiting tokenized fund stakes.
CapitalreportedOct 15, 2026crypto.news: Crypto VC funding: DATA draws $30m as Fission lands $10m Series A
Oct 15
Meow raises $31.6 million Series B led by Stifel
Stifel will white label Meow's banking platform for its venture clients starting in 2027.
CapitalconfirmedOct 15, 2026Meow: Meow Series B Announcement
Oct 14
Polygon Labs completes Coinme acquisition for payments reach
Polygon · Coinme
The deal gives Polygon money transmitter licenses across 48 states to move funds between banks and its blockchain.
DealconfirmedOct 14, 2026Cryptonomist: Polygon's Coinme acquisition extends regulated payments reach to 48 states
Oct 13
Gamdom loses over $3 million in hot wallet breach
Gamdom
The crypto casino's founder confirms the hot wallet breach and says other funds moved safely to cold storage.
IncidentconfirmedOct 13, 2026CryptoTimes: Gamdom Founder Confirms Hot Wallet Breach Resulting in Over $3 Million Loss