The market this morning

MSCI finalizes classification rules that could push Strategy and other crypto treasury firms out of its indexes

By Crypto Info News

Good morning. MSCI has finalized index rules on non-operating companies that could exclude firms whose business is holding crypto, The Block reported. Named as at risk are Strategy, Metaplanet and SharpLink. MSCI's final list of affected firms is due Nov. 11.

Policy moved on several fronts. Cointelegraph reported that Australia released a draft bill to adopt the OECD's CARF crypto tax-reporting framework; it is among 77 jurisdictions committed to CARF, with its first international exchanges of crypto tax data expected in 2028. Decrypt reported that Russia's central bank confirmed a coming ban on peer-to-peer bitcoin trading: Russians have until July 1, 2027 to trade crypto directly with each other, after which trades run through a broker or exchange approved by the Bank of Russia. Cointelegraph reported that Sweden's Riksbank has recommended lawmakers prepare for a possible digital krona, citing concerns over foreign-currency stablecoins and domestic payments, as the ECB advances digital euro plans.

In Washington, CoinDesk reported that the departure of Patrick Witt, President Donald Trump's crypto adviser, leaves the digital-assets office vacant and its policy aims uncertain. Separately, Cointelegraph reported that the Wall Street Journal said a company co-founded by Bo Hines benefited from passage of the GENIUS stablecoin bill.

On industry and deals, Decrypt reported that Mastercard and BVNK launched a "Global Money Platform," the first major integration since Mastercard's $1.8 billion BVNK acquisition. Cointelegraph reported that Binance.US is reportedly seeking a $1 billion valuation in a potential $100 million funding round. The Block reported that Multiliquid, a settlement platform for tokenized assets, raised $8 million, with Polychain leading its seed round, and that Balaji Srinivasan's Network School acquired Farcaster from Neynar, with users required to sign a "social smart contract" or drop to read-only access.

In mining, The Block reported that CleanSpark and BitFuFu saw bitcoin production slip in September while Canaan stayed flat; CleanSpark is ending monthly mining reports. In a note to investors, Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan argued that an AI boom or bust both point to Bitcoin higher, Decrypt reported. Cointelegraph's Asia Express reported a scammer lost $4.8M stored on tampered Ledgers, bitcoin and ether ETFs launched in Thailand, and South Korea blocked 27 exchanges. Glassnode, with Coinbase Institutional, published its Q4 2026 Charting Crypto report on bitcoin's early recovery.

Markets were quiet at the 2026-10-15 close: bitcoin near $82,155.54 (up 0.68% on the day), ether near $2,439.96 (up 0.84%), XRP near $1.33, BNB down 0.14%, with USDT and USDC near $1.

What to watch: MSCI's affected-firm list on Nov. 11, and whether the White House names a successor to Witt.