Bitcoin Magazine
Blink Wallet Adds Inactivity Fee to Custodial Accounts, Accelerating Migration to Self Custody
Blink Wallet announced a new $1 a month inactivity fee, aimed at custodial accounts that have not logged in to the app in over 12 months.
The decision was put into motion in early September via a Terms of Service change, with push notifications sent out to inactive users, and the first charge made by mid-October. Fees charged will be refunded if users log back in within 12 months, according to a blog post published by the company.
The fee, which only affects custodial accounts, serves to relieve the burden of inactive accounts on the startup. According to the announcement, these inactive accounts have ongoing costs such as “ledger and infrastructure, retention of verification records, compliance monitoring and reporting, and support claims.” These costs are in turn borne by active user accounts via normal in-app transaction fees.
A source familiar with the matter told Bitcoin Magazine that around a hundred thousand such accounts fit the inactive category at the time of the first fee charge, with an aggregate balance of over $800,000. The first fee pulled in about $45,000, mostly from accounts that had dust amounts of bitcoin inactive for over a year. None of these figures could be independently verified.
Blink Wallet may be one of the most popular Bitcoin wallets in the world, favored by advocates of Bitcoin Circular Economies across Latin America and Africa. Designed for an audience not already familiar with Bitcoin, the wallet first came to prominence as the ‘Bitcoin Beach Wallet’. It grew out of El Salvador’s initial wave of Bitcoin adoption, choosing design principles similar to Wallet of Satoshi, which had seen viral success in earlier years. The wallet was initially custodial and oriented around fast Lightning payments, with the innovative option of hedging value in USD via the Stable Sats feature.
Historically, custodial wallets have seen accelerated early growth compared to their non-custodial counterparts. It is arguably due to the friction introduced by non-custodial setup steps like the 12-word backup, but also by the lack of key material under the company’s control, which enabled features like the first generation of Stable Sats in the first place.
Because of the smooth interface and user experience Blink offered, it quickly became a favorite for evangelists to recommend. One particular evangelist allegedly got everyone he met to download the app and gave them about $1 worth of bitcoin. Some of those new users might have stuck around. But events like today’s Blink announcement put into question the effectiveness of such evangelism strategies, given that they may just be turned into dormant dust accounts.
Blink was eventually spun off from Galoy Inc its founding firm, to be run by Lukas Duczko and a new board of directors. The announcement published in October 2024 stated that Duczko now had a controlling stake in the company, while Galoy continued to be a service provider and minority stakeholder. The Bitcoin Beach Fund was also established at the time, seeded with Blink shares as part of the transaction. The wallet once headquartered in El Salvador is now based in the free economic zone of Roatán, Honduras, though it maintains corporate entities in El Salvador and the United States.
Despite its success gaining international adoption among Bitcoin circular economies, evangelists and supporters of the Lightning Network, the company has also faced significant headwinds. And not just Blink but custodial wallets in general, like Wallet of Satoshi, Alby, and Blue Wallet, all phased out their custodial wallet offerings in recent years, pivoting to self custody infrastructure like Spark. The tide began to rise with the EU’s MiCA regulations, which sought licensing and KYC compliance standards from custodians that these wallets simply could not provide.
On the U.S. side of the pond, the Samourai Wallet case and the broader war on crypto by the Biden administration pushed wallet operators outside of the country, with notable examples like Phoenix Wallet, Wallet of Satoshi, Wasabi Wallet, and Blink, limiting or altogether exiting American app stores. The legal uncertainty took place under the shadow of the Samourai Wallet and Tornado Cash cases, which the industry read as threats to user privacy and certainly to self custody wallets, let alone custodial ones.
Fast forward a couple of years and Google Play decided to enforce EU and American laws by limiting Play Store distribution of wallets or exchange apps that do not hold licenses in corresponding jurisdictions. The viral nature and stunningly easy-to-use apps that were possible thanks to custodial Lightning had, in a matter of 2 years, become a liability. It was time to pivot to self custody.
By 2025, Blink’s counterparts already offered self custody options; WOS was beginning to push their Spark-powered wallet, with 2027 as the deadline for custody wallet users to migrate. Alby had shipped a feature to connect self-hosted Lightning nodes to its hub and shut down its custodial Lightning option. Blue wallet had long ago shut down its custodial offer and had since doubled down on becoming an onchain wallet for new and power users alike.
Unlike its competitors, however, Blink’s biggest differentiator is the Stable Sats feature, which likely required a significant redesign to fit the limitations of self custody. It wasn’t until June 2026 that Blink launched its Spark supported self custodial wallet, a big move and one that its user base is still adapting to.
To make things worse, on September 19th, hackers managed to withdraw 6.61 bitcoins from custodial wallet users via compromised admin tools. The company’s backers quickly announced they would make the affected users whole, and the bleeding was stopped, but the blow nevertheless must have shaken the company.
Remarkably, despite some of the most difficult years for the Bitcoin wallet industry, Blink wallet has so far not just survived but stayed in the game. It has retained the slick design that made it so popular, while delivering advanced features that users in developing nations need, such as dollar-denominated value at the speed of lightning, meanwhile pivoting to self custody. The inactivity fee is but an inevitable step further down that transition. Perhaps having teams like Blink’s working on self custody will yield a new crop of sovereign technologies, its fruits badly needed by a sector of the industry battered by regulators and now AI cyber threats.
This post Blink Wallet Adds Inactivity Fee to Custodial Accounts, Accelerating Migration to Self Custody first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Juan Galt.
Greece’s under-15 social media ban starts Jan. 1, 2027. Learn who is affected, how age checks will work, and what users should know about privacy.
The post Greece Passes Under-15 Social Media Ban Starting January appeared first on TechRepublic.
Greece’s under-15 social media ban starts Jan. 1, 2027. Learn who is affected, how age checks will work, and what users should know about privacy.
The post Greece Passes Under-15 Social Media Ban Starting January appeared first on TechRepublic.
One stops a failed read leaving host-chosen bytes in the device’s buffer. I checked all 22 places that read one
Choosing a ramp provider starts with deciding how much you want to build yourself. Some teams go live in days with a ready made checkout, while others build their own screen and connect through an API. Each option comes with different compliance and legal responsibilities, so it is worth knowing what you are taking on before you sign.
Ramp providers use different names for these options. MoonPay calls them a hosted widget and Headless Ramps, while Transak offers a prebuilt widget and a whitelabel API. The names differ, but the choice is simple: use the provider’s checkout, or build your own on top of their API.
Table 1. Ramp Integration Options
Both options can be delivered through a redirect, iframe, SDK, or native mobile integration. And even with a headless setup, some parts may still belong to the provider. For example, MoonPay says KYC and authentication run through its own single use frames.
Running KYC yourself does not necessarily shift regulatory responsibility. Transak’s KYC reliance option uses identity and biometric data from your existing vendor, allowing verified users to purchase up to $20,000 without another check. Transak describes this as reducing workflow without transferring liability.
The same applies to the purchase itself. MoonPay’s European terms state that customers buy crypto directly from MoonPay, and orders are final and non refundable. If a customer wants a refund, the request goes to MoonPay rather than the platform using the ramp.
Every provider lets partners add a markup on top of its fees. The rate, payout threshold, and payment method vary by provider.
Table 2. Provider’s markup, payout, & paid in summary
Some providers also gate commissions behind volume. Ramp, for example, makes its commission program available only to partners meeting its monthly volume criteria, with quarterly payouts below its threshold. Check what the arrangement pays at your current volume.
The EU transitional period for MiCA ended on 1 July 2026. From that point, providers offering MiCA services to EU clients generally need to operate through an authorised EU entity. The ESMA register is the place to check which legal entity holds that authorisation.
Searching by brand can come up empty because the authorisation belongs to a specific legal entity. Ramp Network, for example, is listed as Ramp Swaps (Ireland) Limited, while Banxa operates through EU Internet Ventures B.V.
That legal entity matters. It tells you which regulator authorised the service and which EU markets the authorisation covers. So before signing, check the entity named in the contract against the ESMA register.
Transak publishes its partner terms, making them a useful example. Across providers, four clauses deserve a close look.
Fee changes
Transak can revise its fees at any time, so the markup sits on top of a number the provider controls.
Settlement rights
The provider may delay the first settlement, change the payout schedule, or suspend settlement when disputes are pending or anticipated.
Timing commitments
Transak states that it makes no guarantees on transaction processing times or payout schedules.
Payment asymmetry
After termination, money owed to the partner is due within 30 days, while money owed by the partner is due within 10 business days.
Card chargebacks generally stay with the provider when it acts as the payment processor. The fraud and dispute clauses should make clear what happens when they do not.
Whichever ramp model you choose, the flow does not end at the purchase. The provider sends the crypto to an address you supply, which means your platform still needs to generate deposit addresses, detect incoming payments, and manage the funds after they arrive.
That is the part worth planning for early. A ramp can simplify the purchase experience, but the underlying custody and payment infrastructure still sits with the platform. Fystack provides stablecoin custody and payment infrastructure that runs inside your own environment.
What is an embedded crypto on ramp?
It is a fiat to crypto purchase that runs inside another company’s app. The app supplies the user and the interface, and a licensed provider handles payment, identity checks and delivery of the crypto.
Which companies provide crypto on ramps?
The widely integrated names are MoonPay, Transak, Ramp Network, Banxa and Mercuryo, with Onramper routing across several of them.
How do crypto on ramp providers make money?
They charge a transaction fee and earn on the exchange rate applied to the purchase. Partners embedding the ramp add their own markup, which the provider collects and pays out monthly or quarterly.
How to Choose an Embedded Crypto On Ramp Provider was originally published in Coinmonks on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
In a major development confirmed on SEPTEMBER 29, 2026, Confirmed announcement/filing for Apple Patches Zero-Day Flaw Used In Exploits Targeting iPhone Crypto Wallets. This operational move highlights expanding activity across the digital asset ecosystem and underscores key developments for market participants.
According to primary regulatory and corporate filings verified on SEPTEMBER 29, 2026, this development introduces crucial infrastructure enhancements. Industry leaders note that maintaining robust compliance, security, and market liquidity remains essential as digital asset services integrate into broader institutional frameworks.
The transition reflects a strategic pivot toward scalable, transparent operations. Analysts emphasize that ongoing technological upgrades will play a central role in sustaining user confidence and market stability over the coming quarter.
As institutional participation accelerates across global markets, this landmark event sets a notable precedent. Traders and investors are closely evaluating liquidity signals and collateral flows following the announcement.
For complete details and primary verification, the official release is accessible via the primary source link: Apple Patches Zero-Day Flaw Used In Exploits Targeting iPhone Crypto Wallets Official Disclosure.
MeshWallet says it has raised $10 million in private funding to expand its gasless USDT wallet business.
The TRON-focused wallet announced the round on September 23, saying the capital came from private investors and smaller family offices.
Stablecoins can make sending dollars across borders much easier.
The user experience can still become awkward when somebody needs to hold a second token just to pay the blockchain fee.
On TRON, that usually means a user transferring USDT also needs access to TRX or enough network resources to complete the transaction.
Gasless wallets try to hide that complexity.
MeshWallet is building around the idea that users should be able to hold and move USDT without separately thinking about the network token required underneath.
That is particularly useful for people treating stablecoins as money rather than as part of a broader crypto portfolio.
The company says the new funding will be used to expand the wallet and develop additional benefits around its ecosystem.
MeshWallet describes the financing as a private round led by a core group of private investors and family offices.
The announcement does not provide a detailed institutional investor list or a valuation for the company.
That is worth noting because private crypto funding announcements can vary considerably in how much underlying deal information is disclosed.
The $10 million figure comes from MeshWallet’s own distributed press release.
There is no reason to turn that into a more specific institutional story than the announcement supports.
What is clear is the product thesis.
TRON carries an enormous amount of USDT activity, particularly for transfers and payments.
A wallet that can make those transactions feel closer to sending money in a conventional payments app has a large potential market.
The challenge will be turning convenience into sustained users.
Removing the need to think about gas is useful.
Building enough trust for people to keep meaningful stablecoin balances in a relatively new wallet is the harder part.
This article was written by the News Desk and edited by Samuel Rae.
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