COMMODITY TRADING: Vitol paid $75 million to buy out a former employee who was charged with conspiring to bribe government officials — and kept making the payments even after his landmark corruption trial, according to court documents. @jfarchy

COMMODITY TRADING: Alex Beard, the billionaire ex-head of oil at Glencore, pleaded not guilty to bribery and corruption at court in London, setting up a highly anticipated trial in 2027.

Two leading commodity trading houses have seen their profits soar, according to company financials seen by Bloomberg News, highlighting how the war in Iran has created a bonanza for the traders and their top executives

Crypto’s Wall Street Moment: Stock & Commodity Trading Explodes to $778 Billion in August Trading in stock and commodity perpetual futures on crypto exchanges surged to a staggering $778 billion in August, accounting for roughly 23.5% of all perpetual-futures trading. That represents a dramatic rise from just 0.5% previously, highlighting how rapidly crypto platforms are expanding beyond Bitcoin and other digital assets into traditional-market exposure. The surge signals a growing appetite for 24/7 trading of assets tied to stocks and commodities through crypto infrastructure. The scale of activity suggests that crypto exchanges are increasingly becoming venues for speculation on traditional markets, potentially blurring the line between conventional finance and digital assets.