self-custody

Blink Wallet, a Bitcoin wallet, announced a monthly idle fee of $1 for custodial accounts that have not logged into the app for 12 consecutive months. This adjustment was initiated at the beginning of September through a change in the terms of service and push notifications were sent to inactive users, with the first deduction completed in mid-October. According to a blog post released by the company, users who log back in within 12 months will have the deducted fees refunded.This fee applies only to custodial accounts and aims to alleviate the burden that inactive accounts place on the startup. The announcement stated that these accounts incur ongoing costs related to ledger and infrastructure maintenance, record verification retention, compliance monitoring and reporting, as well as support for claims, which were previously shared by active users through regular in-app transaction fees. Sources told Bitcoin Magazine that approximately 100,000 accounts met the criteria for inactivity at the time of the first deduction, with a total balance exceeding $800,000. The first deduction collected about $45,000, primarily from accounts that had been idle for over a year with small Bitcoin balances. Blink Wallet originated from the Bitcoin adoption wave in El Salvador, initially named Bitcoin Beach Wallet, and was an early custodial Lightning Network wallet that introduced the Stable Sats feature to hedge value against the US dollar. The wallet was spun off from the founding company Galoy in October 2024, operated by Lukas Duczko and a new board, with Duczko holding a controlling stake, while Galoy continues as a service provider and minority shareholder, also establishing the Bitcoin Beach Fund.In recent years, custodial wallets have faced overall pressure, with Wallet of Satoshi, Alby, and Blue Wallet successively halting custodial wallet services and shifting to self-custody infrastructures like Spark. The EU MiCA regulations regarding licensing and KYC compliance requirements are an important backdrop. Blink launched a self-custody wallet supported by Spark in June 2026, and its user base is still adapting to this transition. On September 19, hackers withdrew 6.61 Bitcoins from custodial wallet users through compromised management tools, and the company's investors subsequently announced that they would fully compensate affected users.

According to CoinDesk, a snapshot from Galaxy Research in October shows that out of approximately 21 million mined Bitcoins, about 11.1 million (approximately 55%) are held in addresses that cannot be linked to exchanges, funds, governments, or other known entities. Alex Thorn, the head of research at Galaxy, stated that this indicates that despite the increasing institutionalization, a significant amount of Bitcoin may still be self-custodied by individuals. Xapo Bank believes this reflects the fact that retail investors have been in the market for over a decade.However, this portion of unallocated Bitcoin does not all belong to individuals who have been self-custodying for the long term; it may also include coins that are inaccessible due to lost private keys or the death of the holder, holdings from institutions or over-the-counter traders that Galaxy has not yet identified, as well as custodial assets spread across multiple addresses. The remaining 45% has been allocated, including ETFs from issuers like exchanges and BlackRock, as well as the U.S. government; among them, the single largest holder is "Satoshi Nakamoto (Patoshi model)," holding 1,123,658 BTC.

On October 12, the Central Bank of Russia clarified in its updated guidelines that individuals are not allowed to withdraw cryptocurrency from regulated digital accounts to self-custodied wallets. The Central Bank stated that this restriction is based on Article 31(9) of the new Russian cryptocurrency market law (Federal Law No. 282-FZ), which will take effect on September 1, 2026. Digital accounts are statutory accounts used to record crypto assets, and digital custodians are registered institutions that register and transfer these assets and provide access to wallet addresses.This restriction applies to the withdrawal of funds under the regulated custodial system in Russia. For withdrawals from ordinary investment accounts, the rules cover resident individuals and do not provide exemptions for qualified investors. According to Article 31, individuals who pass the required tests and receive risk disclosures can transfer cryptocurrency to wallets managed by legally authorized foreign custodians, which is different from withdrawing to personal wallets outside of institutional custody. The law also sets exceptions for foreign trade settlements and mining.The Central Bank also stated that transfers between individuals using addresses managed by digital custodians are not allowed, including transfers generated from transactions between individuals. The aforementioned provisions belong to the general cryptocurrency market law and are not rules applicable only to participants in experimental projects. The Central Bank indicated that direct peer-to-peer transactions between individuals are only permitted until July 1, 2027, when Article 30(1) will take effect; thereafter, residents who are not authorized as intermediaries in the cryptocurrency market must complete transactions through or with the participation of authorized intermediaries, with optional channels including licensed brokers and operators of cryptocurrency exchanges listed in the Central Bank of Russia's registry.

Sui lending protocol Scallop announced the launch of the browser wallet Scallop Wallet. This wallet is a self-custody product and is now available in the Chrome Web Store.According to the official introduction, users can manage assets, exchange or purchase cryptocurrencies, compare lending rates within the Sui ecosystem, and track their positions in Scallop, all within the same wallet.

Zhao Changpeng stated that users should pay attention to asset security (Stay SAFU out there) and clarified that he does not oppose hardware wallets or self-custody.Zhao Changpeng added that different wallets and products are suitable for different use cases, and their security implications and best practices vary. He also disclosed that YZi Labs has invested in hardware wallet projects such as OneKey and SafePal, as well as mobile wallet products like Trust Wallet.

According to Decrypt, Decrypt has announced that its self-custody Money Accounts are now live on Solana, providing readers with a single balance that can be used across all Decrypt products to support its financial and intelligence market, The Information Exchange. Decrypt co-founder Ilan Hazan stated that the goal is to achieve one account and one balance, allowing users to utilize various financial tools directly from where they obtain information, from prediction markets to perpetual contracts and swaps. Users can manage all positions in one place without worrying about wallets, cross-chain bridges, or public chains, with relevant partners to be announced in the coming weeks.Deposits and balances are denominated in USDT on Solana, and the same balance can support products such as Earn, Swaps, Predictions, and Perps. Gas and rent are sponsored through joint signatures by payers, so users do not need to hold SOL or consider network fees. The account operates in a self-custody mode, meaning Decrypt does not hold private keys and cannot perform operations on behalf of users, with a private key export feature coming soon. Cross-chain operations are completed at the underlying level; for example, the Myriad Predictions market settles on the BNB Chain, yet users can still trade using the same Solana USDT balance without needing to interact with a cross-chain bridge.Existing Myriad Wallet users can directly use Decrypt Money Accounts, with one account and one balance covering both Decrypt and Myriad without the need for migration.

Swiss cryptocurrency wallet provider Tangem announced the launch of its first physical Visa card, supporting offline and online spending as well as ATM withdrawals, with an initial issuance limited to 5,000 cards. Users can directly top up the card from their self-custody wallets and transfer funds back to the wallet when the card is suspended or closed. The card also offers cashback settled in USDC stablecoin issued by Circle, with Basic users receiving 1% and Plus users receiving 2% on qualifying purchases. Tangem plans to showcase the first batch of physical Tangem Pay cards at the Token2049 event in Singapore.Tangem told Cointelegraph that over 40% of Tangem Pay's payments come from Latin America, with over 30% from the United States, while the supply of physical cards remains limited in some markets. Andrey Ilinskiy, head of Tangem Pay, stated that the issue is not just where people want crypto cards, but rather where demand, regulation, banking infrastructure, and issuance requirements align, and these maps do not always overlap.Tangem stated that it is currently unable to ship physical Tangem Pay cards to about 20 countries, including China, Russia, North Korea, and Palestine. The company noted that these restrictions do not necessarily align with the rules of cryptocurrency itself, as KYC requirements, sanctions, local banking rules, and issuance compliance may all determine the availability of crypto-linked cards.

According to BitcoinNews, Bringin is launching a corporate banking platform for European businesses, connecting Bitcoin with traditional banking services while supporting corporate self-custody. The platform offers dedicated virtual IBANs, instant SEPA transfers, Bitcoin to Euro exchanges, Lightning Network payments, stablecoin support, and cross-border payments. Businesses can directly purchase Bitcoin into self-custody wallets and use Bitcoin, stablecoins, or Euros to pay employees and suppliers.Bringin also supports integrating payment functionalities into existing systems via API and plans to support AI-oriented MPP and x402 payment protocols; the company plans to expand to the United States, South Africa, the Philippines, Mexico, and India.

According to BitcoinNews, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has proposed a new draft of digital asset custody rules, which aims to allow investment advisors and regulated funds to custody Bitcoin and other crypto assets under specific conditions, and to provide a formal regulatory pathway for state-chartered trust companies to become qualified crypto asset custodians.According to the proposal, when a certain digital asset lacks qualified custodians willing to provide services, investment advisors may self-custody client assets under strict conditions, including written proof that custodians are unavailable, reassessment every three months, implementation of multi-signature transfers, isolation of client wallet addresses, and acceptance of independent audits. SEC Chairman Paul Atkins stated that current custody rules are primarily designed for traditional financial assets and are no longer suitable for the development of the digital asset market.The report points out that Bitcoin may become one of the main beneficiary assets of this proposal, as its institutional custody infrastructure is relatively mature. However, the relevant rules are still in the proposal stage and have not yet officially taken effect.

Changer+ announced the launch of its self-custodial wallet centered around stablecoins, aimed at making the holding, transferring, and using of stablecoins simpler.Changer+ currently supports mainstream stablecoins on the Ethereum, TRON, BNB Chain, and Solana networks, including USDT and USDC. As a self-custodial wallet, Changer+ allows users to always control their private keys while providing flexible Gas fee payment options, and integrates practical features such as security risk alerts, global eSIM data plans, and a lifestyle ticketing market, offering users a safer, more convenient, and enriched digital asset usage experience.To celebrate the launch, new users can receive three eligible free transactions per device on each supported chain (including Ethereum, Solana, and BNB Chain) from October 6, 2026, to November 6, 2026.Changer+ has also completed an independent security audit and VAPT conducted by Echo Pulse. It is reported that Echo Pulse is a CREST-certified, Singapore-licensed cybersecurity service provider.

Austrian cryptocurrency exchange Bitpanda's co-CEO Christian Trummer stated in Cointelegraph's Chain Reaction program that with the implementation of the European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), European crypto users' trust in regulated platforms has increased. He pointed out that most users trust regulated market participants more than managing private keys themselves.Trummer described the preference for self-custody as a small circle focused on "Crypto Twitter," believing that most users are more inclined to choose regulated service providers. He also called on regulators to enforce MiCA more strictly, stating that some companies are still providing services to European customers without obtaining a MiCA license, putting compliant businesses at a competitive disadvantage.The transition period for existing crypto service providers under MiCA ended no later than July 1, and the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) instructed national regulators to take action against unauthorized companies that continue to provide crypto services after the transition period. ESMA subsequently called for stronger regulatory powers to address unauthorized crypto services and third-country companies soliciting business from EU investors without MiCA authorization.

According to The Block, Jeff Yan, co-founder of the decentralized perpetual contract trading platform Hyperliquid, stated during a fireside chat at the Korea Blockchain Week 2026 that around-the-clock trading is not the essential difference between on-chain trading venues and traditional exchanges. He pointed out that cryptocurrencies do not need to adhere to traditional market opening hours because these assets inherently possess international attributes, and some traditional exchanges have already begun to actively extend their trading hours.Yan emphasized that the more enduring value of on-chain finance comes from allowing users to retain control and custody of their funds, which helps to avoid a common single point of failure risk. In his view, once a counterparty, intermediary, or even custodian encounters issues, the ability to self-custody becomes particularly crucial.In addition, transparency constitutes another distinct feature of on-chain trading. Although it does not have a strong appeal in serving ordinary consumers, it is essential for building trust in the entire system. In a system controlled solely by a private organization, users cannot obtain the same level of trust and neutrality guarantees.He also mentioned that for assets lacking publicly available prices during the closing hours of traditional exchanges, continuous trading remains necessary. He cited commodities, stocks, and Pre-IPO targets that had already traded on Hyperliquid before the reference market opened as examples to illustrate that the demand is indeed real.

Spain has confirmed that cryptocurrency assets stored in self-custody wallets do not need to be declared as foreign assets. Cryptocurrency assets held in foreign custodial institutions must be declared if the holding value exceeds 50,000 euros; however, if they are bought on a foreign exchange and sold entirely within the same year, they do not need to be declared.

According to official news, Tether announced a partnership with the fintech company Shiga to utilize its open-source Wallet Development Kit (WDK) to launch self-custody financial products for individuals and institutions in Africa and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.The two parties will launch two core products: the self-custody wallet ENTA for individuals and businesses, which supports deposits in fiat currency or Bitcoin, and holds and transfers Tether (USDT), Bitcoin, and Tether Gold (XAUT); and the infrastructure Pulse for banks and financial institutions, aimed at assisting institutions in customizing digital asset services for specific payment channels and fund settlement processes, and supporting institutions in deploying in a private environment to retain key control.In addition, Shiga is currently completing the final approval process for the digital asset license in Nigeria, and once approved, will conduct compliant digital asset trading, brokerage, and custody services in the country.

The Central Bank of Brazil issued resolutions No. 588 and No. 589, requiring virtual asset service providers (VASP) to report self-custody wallet transactions that amount to or exceed $10,000, and to strengthen anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regulations.Resolution No. 588 stipulates that relevant transaction data will be submitted to the Financial Activities Control Council (COAF). This agency may compile transactions based on this data and establish a self-custody address database to record the asset status of Brazilian users holding cryptocurrencies through authorized centralized exchanges. Resolution No. 589 prohibits conducting business with virtual asset service institutions or entities operating in Brazil without authorization. The new regulations will take effect on October 1, 2026, and currently, only 5 VASPs have applied for licenses to operate in Brazil.

According to the official announcement, Binance.US has announced that the self-custody wallet Binance.US Wallet built into its App is now available to eligible iOS and Android users.Users can switch between the centralized exchange and the wallet without leaving the Binance.US App, and access tens of thousands of tokens and hundreds of DApps, supporting major blockchain networks such as Ethereum, BNB Chain, Base, Arbitrum, Polygon, Solana, and Robinhood Chain.

Miden launched the privacy self-custody wallet Bread, supporting iOS, Android, and Chrome, currently running on the Miden testnet. Users can gain mainnet access through the early access list. Miden Wallet is no longer in service.

According to CryptoBriefing, the Bitcoin wallet Xverse has launched a joint Bitcoin staking service, allowing users to pair sBTC with STX tokens to participate in the Stacks PoX-5 locking period. During the staking period, Bitcoin remains on the Bitcoin mainnet and is controlled by the users, without the need for cross-chain or wrapping. This feature requires an upgrade to the Xverse v2.9 version wallet.Registration will close on September 9 or when the quota is used up. Staking rewards are expected to be distributed starting September 10 (Bitcoin block 966350, corresponding to Stacks' 143rd period). Institutions such as UTXO (a subsidiary of Nakamoto Inc.), HashKey Cloud, and 21shares have joined as anchor participants. Previously, Xverse managed approximately 152 million STX in non-custodial staking.