Crypto week ahead: Fed, ECB and BOJ rate decisions plus Coinbase and Strategy earnings

26 Oct 2026

26 Oct 2026, 10:28 UTC+01:00

Markets TradeReviewed News Desk

Crypto week ahead: the last full week of October is packed with central bank decisions, U.S. macro data and earnings from the biggest listed crypto companies. According to CoinDesk’s weekly calendar, the Federal Reserve and the Bank of Canada announce rate decisions on Wednesday, October 28, the European Central Bank follows on Thursday, October 29, and the Bank of Japan closes the run on Friday, October 30.

Fed, ECB and BOJ: guidance matters more than the number

The Fed’s two-day meeting runs October 27-28, per the Federal Reserve’s official FOMC calendar, with the decision due at 2 p.m. ET (19:00 CET) and Chair Kevin Warsh’s press conference at 2:30 p.m. ET. The current target range is 3.75% to 4.00%. A hold is already priced in, so traders are watching for any signal about the December meeting. MEXC CEO Vugar Usi Zade told CoinDesk that keeping rates steady “is unlikely to serve as a significant positive catalyst.”

The ECB decision is listed for 9:15 a.m. ET (14:15 CET) on Thursday with the deposit rate currently at 2.50%, followed by President Christine Lagarde’s press conference. The Bank of Japan’s meeting runs October 29-30 according to its official schedule, with the policy rate at 1.25% and a new Outlook Report due.

Macro data to watch

• Oct 27: U.S. durable goods orders and new home sales for September.
• Oct 29: U.S. Q3 GDP advance estimate (consensus 3.2%, previous 2.2%), September PCE inflation (previous 3.4% headline, 3.0% core) and weekly jobless claims.
• Oct 30: Eurozone Q3 GDP flash estimate and the U.S. Employment Cost Index.

Crypto earnings: Coinbase, Strategy, Robinhood, Galaxy

Galaxy Digital reports before the U.S. open on October 27 and Robinhood after the close the same day. Coinbase and Strategy both report after the close on October 29, with CoinDesk listing consensus EPS of -$0.10 for Coinbase and $8.34 for Strategy. PayPal, Mastercard, Intercontinental Exchange, SoFi and Cboe also report, making it a busy week for fintech and market infrastructure names.

Other crypto dates

Blast’s normal withdrawal interface closes on October 26, with assets still withdrawable through its Ethereum bridge contracts. Unichain targets moving its sequencer operations from Uniswap Labs to the Optimism Foundation on October 29, and Binance ends spot trading in Epic Chain (EPIC) and QuickSwap (QUICK) on October 27.

What it means for traders

• Volatility clusters: Wednesday evening (Fed) and Thursday (ECB, U.S. GDP and PCE, Coinbase and Strategy earnings) are the most event-heavy windows. Spreads and funding rates can move quickly around releases.
• Tone over decision: with holds largely expected, surprises are more likely to come from forward guidance than from the rate itself.
• Know your venue: if you trade around macro events, fees, liquidity and liquidation rules matter. Compare platforms in our crypto exchange comparison, read our BingX review and OKX review, and see how we test exchanges.

This is not financial advice. Dates and times can change; check official sources before trading.

Related reviews

• Bingx review
• Okx review

Sources

• CoinDesk: Fed, ECB and BOJ interest-rate decisions, Coinbase earnings: Crypto Week Ahead
• Federal Reserve: Meeting calendars and information (FOMC)
• Bank of Japan: Monetary Policy Meetings schedule

News is for information only and is not financial advice. More crypto news