The UK is moving to compensate victims of a massive Bitcoin fraud tied to a 61,000 BTC seizure, but court filings and policy signals suggest the government may retain most of the estimated $7.2 billion haul after restitution. The Home Office is developing a centralized “crypto storage and realisation framework” to manage confiscated digital assets, while civil recovery proceedings determine how funds are distributed.

Kenya’s Parliament has approved the Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASP) Bill in a major push to legitimize cryptocurrencies, with the measure now awaiting President William Ruto’s assent. The law aims to create a licensing and supervisory framework for crypto exchanges and wallets, strengthen consumer protection, and align with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (AML/CFT) standards.

House members are urging the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to move quickly in implementing President Donald Trump’s crypto 401(k) executive order, which aims to expand retirement investment options by allowing digital assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum to be included in retirement accounts. The order directs the SEC to revise existing regulations and provide clearer guidance for 401(k) plan administrators so that alternative assets can become more accessible to

France is taking a hardline stance against crypto firms operating under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) due to perceived regulatory loopholes. The French financial regulator, Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF), warned it may block companies that use MiCA’s “passporting rights” to enter France through licenses from jurisdictions with weaker oversight.

Japan is preparing a sweeping overhaul of its cryptocurrency tax rules, shifting from one of the world’s harshest regimes to a more investor-friendly framework. Currently, crypto gains are taxed progressively at rates up to 55%, far higher than the flat 20% rate applied to equities. Under the new proposal, starting in fiscal year 2026, crypto trading profits would be taxed at a uniform 20% rate, aligning digital assets more closely with traditional investments like stocks.