Finance news on October 24, 2026

1. 0114:22 UTC

   Xapo CEO says wealthy bitcoin holders borrow against coins instead of selling

   3 outlets · first: Moomoo Banking

   Machine summary Xapo Bank CEO Seamus Rocca told CoinDesk that wealthy bitcoin holders are increasingly borrowing against their coins and seeking income products rather than selling. He said about 45% of Xapo customers take dollar-savings interest paid in bitcoin, at an advertised variable base rate of 4.1% plus a temporary 4.6% rate, and the bank charges a $1,000 annual membership fee.

   1. Xapo Bank CEO Seamus Rocca said customers are seeking cash without selling bitcoin, income-generating investments, and accumulation through interest paid on dollar savings (CoinDesk interview).
   2. About 45% of Xapo customers use the feature that pays dollar-savings interest in bitcoin, Rocca said.
   3. Xapo's members pay $1,000 each year to access dollar banking together with bitcoin custody, investments, and borrowing.
   4. According to the report, the bank promotes a 4.1% variable base rate for dollar savings that are paid in bitcoin, and it also offers a temporary introductory rate of 4.6%.
   5. Rocca said holders who entered around 2018 and 2019 prefer borrowing against their coins for liquidity, while some earlier adopters took profits as bitcoin reached record prices.

   Reported by CoinDesk, Moomoo and cryptonews.net.

   • Bitcoin
   • CoinDesk
   • Xapo Bank
   • Xapo

2. 0215:15 UTC

   US Treasury proposes wider outbound investment curbs; China opposes

   2 outlets · first: economictimes.indiatimes.com Regulation

   Machine summary Certain American investments linked to China—covering quantum technologies, artificial intelligence, and semiconductors—are already limited by America's existing outbound-investment security program.

   1. The proposals would add biotechnology to the covered sectors and expand controls on high-performance computing and hypersonic systems, according to the report.
   2. Certain American investments involving China, across semiconductors, quantum technologies, and artificial intelligence, are already restricted by the existing US outbound-investment security program, the report states.
   3. The Treasury Department maintains the restrictions aim to prevent American capital from supporting sensitive dual-use technologies in countries it views as potential national security threats, and Washington has emphasized the measures are not exclusively directed at China, according to the report.
   4. The Commerce Ministry said the proposals contradict a consensus reached by the Chinese and US presidents, who the report says have met twice over the past six months.

   Reported by economictimes.indiatimes.com and news.az.

   • United States
   • China
   • US outbound-investment security program
   • Hypersonic systems
   • High-performance computing
   • Biotechnology

3. 0313:05 UTC

   MNT-Halan lists on Egyptian Exchange as tranches draw heavy demand

   2 outlets · first: Arab News Markets

   Machine summary Arab News reported that MNT-Halan, an Egyptian fintech, started trading on the Egyptian Exchange as HALN.CA following an IPO involving 320 million already-issued shares, equal to 20 percent of its issued capital. Oversubscription reached 11.2 times for the institutional and private tranche, rose to 19.4 times with cornerstone investors left out, and came to 43.6 times on the retail side, where over 41,500 subscription orders were placed. According to the report, as of June 30 the firm had extended financing exceeding EGP178 billion and reached approximately 7.9 million customers.

   1. Arab News reported that MNT-Halan is now listed on the Egyptian Exchange with ticker HALN.CA, following an IPO covering 320 million existing shares, 20 percent of issued capital.
   2. The institutional and private tranche of the MNT-Halan offering was 11.2 times oversubscribed, rising to 19.4 times excluding cornerstone investors; the retail tranche was 43.6 times oversubscribed with more than 41,500 subscription orders.
   3. As of June 30, the report indicates, MNT-Halan had reached roughly 7.9 million customers and issued over EGP178 billion in financing.
   4. In a pre-seed round, Kuwaiti consumer-research startup theQA secured over $550,000 from a family office in the region plus strategic angel investors, while the company says verified participants have surpassed 20,000 from April 2025 onward.
   5. A $1.5 million seed investment commitment for Vitalls, a UAE healthtech, came from Singapore's EST Growmore, which took anchor investor status and holds an option to add $1 million more.

   Reported by Arab News.

   • Y Combinator
   • Arab News
   • Egyptian Exchange
   • MNT-Halan
   • Vitalls
   • Databuddy Analytics

4. 0421:50 UTC

   Booking's fiscal 2025 margins and balance sheet compared with Five Below

   2 outlets · first: The Motley Fool Markets

   Machine summary As of the December 2025 balance sheet it cites, debt-to-equity was negative 3.5x and the current ratio was 1.3x. The article also reports that the ETraveli acquisition was terminated after a negative European antitrust ruling.

   1. Booking Holdings reported fiscal 2025 revenue of $26.9 billion, up 13.4% from the prior year, according to The Motley Fool
   2. The report puts Booking's fiscal 2025 net income at $5.4 billion, a net margin of 20.1%, and free cash flow at $9.1 billion
   3. As of Booking's December 2025 balance sheet cited in the article, debt-to-equity was negative 3.5x and the current ratio was 1.3x
   4. The article reports that Booking's ETraveli acquisition was terminated after a negative European antitrust ruling
   5. Booking connects travelers with more than four million properties through brands including Booking.com and Priceline, the report states

   Reported by The Motley Fool and fool.com.

   • The Motley Fool
   • Booking Holdings
   • Five Below
   • Priceline
   • Booking.com
   • ETraveli

Each summary and its key facts are a machine summary of the reports linked under it; the outlets, times and counts come from those reports' own records. How a rundown is built.