The week starting October 26 brings a packed schedule for cryptocurrency markets, with four major central banks preparing to announce interest-rate decisions alongside key economic data releases and corporate earnings.
The Federal Reserve and Bank of Canada will announce their policy decisions on Wednesday, followed by the European Central Bank on Thursday and the Bank of Japan on Friday. Investors are expected to focus less on the rate announcements themselves and more on policymakers’ comments about the economic outlook and future monetary policy.
Particular attention will be on Fed Chair Kevin Warsh and any indications about the possibility of a policy shift in December. According to MEXC CEO Vugar Usi Zade, markets are already anticipating that the Federal Reserve will leave interest rates unchanged.
“Traders are currently less focused on the specific rate decision and more interested in any statements from Warsh regarding the upcoming December meeting,” Usi Zade told CoinDesk. He added that an unchanged rate would probably not provide a significant boost to markets because investors have already priced in that outcome.
Corporate earnings will add another layer of uncertainty. Galaxy Digital, Robinhood Markets, Coinbase Global and Strategy are among the crypto-related companies scheduled to publish results. PayPal and Mastercard will also report, making this a particularly busy week for investors across financial markets.
Major Events on the Crypto Calendar
- October 26: Blast will close its standard withdrawal interface. Users will still be able to withdraw their assets through the network’s bridge contracts on Ethereum.
- October 28: Comments are due on IRS Notice 2026-62, which concerns potentially abusive tax strategies involving investment funds in the United States.
- October 29: Unichain is targeting a transfer of sequencer operations from Uniswap Labs to the Optimism Foundation through OP Enterprise.
- October 30: Balancer’s BIP-928 wind-down plan calls for pausable pools to become withdrawal-only, protocol fees to be reduced to zero where contract functionality allows, and bug-bounty coverage to end.
Economic Data and Central Bank Decisions
Tuesday, October 27
- 8:30 a.m.: U.S. durable goods orders for September, month over month. The preliminary estimate is 1.5%, compared with 0.0% previously.
- 10:00 a.m.: U.S. new home sales for September, forecast at 650,000 versus the previous 684,000.
Wednesday, October 28
- 9:45 a.m.: Bank of Canada interest-rate decision and Monetary Policy Report. The previous rate was 2.25%.
- 2:00 p.m.: Federal Reserve interest-rate announcement. The previous target range was 3.75%–4.00%.
- 2:30 p.m.: Federal Reserve press conference.
Thursday, October 29
- 8:30 a.m.: U.S. third-quarter GDP, annualized quarter-over-quarter, with an advance estimate of 3.2%, up from the previous 2.2%.
- 8:30 a.m.: U.S. September PCE inflation data. The previous annual headline rate was 3.4%, while core PCE inflation stood at 3.0%.
- 8:30 a.m.: Initial jobless claims for the week ending October 24, forecast at 196,000 compared with 194,000 previously.
- 9:15 a.m.: European Central Bank interest-rate decision. The previous deposit rate was 2.50%.
- 9:45 a.m.: Press conference with ECB President Christine Lagarde.
Friday, October 30
- 6:00 a.m.: Preliminary eurozone third-quarter GDP figures, annual growth and September unemployment data. Second-quarter GDP growth was previously reported at 0.6% quarter over quarter and 1.2% year over year.
- 8:30 a.m.: U.S. third-quarter Employment Cost Index. The previous quarterly increase was 0.9%.
- 11:00 p.m.: Bank of Japan interest-rate decision and Outlook Report. The previous policy rate was 1.25%.
Companies Reporting Earnings
Tuesday, October 27
- Galaxy Digital (GLXY): Before market open; estimated earnings of $0.03.
- PayPal Holdings (PYPL): Before market open; estimated earnings of $1.34.
- SoFi Technologies (SOFI): Before market open; estimated earnings of $0.17.
- Robinhood Markets (HOOD): After market close; estimated earnings of $0.55.
Thursday, October 29
- Intercontinental Exchange (ICE): Before market open; estimated earnings of $1.98.
- Mastercard (MA): Before market open; estimated earnings of $5.16.
- Coinbase Global (COIN): After market close; estimated earnings of -$0.10.
- Strategy (MSTR): After market close; estimated earnings of $8.34.
Friday, October 30
– Cboe Global Markets (CBOE): Before market open; estimated earnings of $3.42.
Token Governance and Unlocks
Several crypto projects will face governance decisions and scheduled token releases.
- ENS DAO: Voting ends October 26 on a proposal seeking 201,559 USDC to cover the meta-governance working group’s operating expenses through Term 7.
- CoW DAO: Voting closes October 28 on a proposal giving the core team continuing authority to set and adjust protocol fees within predetermined limits to generate revenue.
- Space Token: Voting remains open until November 1 to select its November 2026 “Coin of the Month,” which will be featured in the Coin Roll Game and receive a dedicated staking pool.
Scheduled token unlocks include:
- October 29 — Collector Crypt (CARDS): Tokens representing 0.6% of circulating supply, valued at approximately $20.9 million, will be released.
- November 1 — MemeCore (M): Around 56.11 million tokens will unlock, representing roughly 2.8% of circulating supply and an estimated value of $50.34 million.
Binance will also end spot trading for Epic Chain (EPIC) and QuickSwap (QUICK) on October 27 at 11:00 p.m.
Upcoming Blockchain Conferences
The industry calendar includes several major gatherings:
- October 27: The Bridge in New York.
- October 27–29: Ripple Swell in New York.
- October 27–29: Zcon7 in Cancún, Mexico.
- October 27–29: MERGE Madrid in Madrid, Spain.
- October 28–29: Meridian 2026 in Lisbon, Portugal.
- October 29–31: TUM Blockchain Conference in Munich, Germany.
With central bank decisions, inflation and GDP data, corporate earnings, token unlocks and blockchain conferences all scheduled within a few days, investors will have several developments to monitor. Policymakers’ guidance on future interest rates could prove particularly important for Bitcoin and other risk-sensitive assets.
