Japanese financial giant SBI Holdings and Web3 infrastructure firm Startale Group have signed an MoU to develop a regulated Japanese yen stablecoin targeted for launch in Q2 2026. The stablecoin will be issued and redeemed by Shinsei Trust & Banking, a subsidiary of SBI Shinsei Bank, while SBI VC Trade, a licensed crypto asset exchange, will handle its circulation.

The SEC’s Crypto Task Force has scheduled a public “Roundtable on Financial Surveillance and Privacy” at its Washington, D.C. headquarters. The session, led by Commissioner Hester Peirce, will gather regulators, technologists, market participants, and civil-liberties advocates to discuss how oversight should work in an on-chain world where transactions are transparent by default but users still expect some level of privacy.

France is weighing two contradictory crypto policies that signal a split vision in Paris: treating digital assets as taxable “unproductive” wealth while pursuing a strategic national Bitcoin reserve. A first-reading amendment in the French National Assembly rebrands the real-estate-focused wealth tax into a broader tax on “unproductive wealth,” explicitly including digital assets.

The UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has initiated a civil lawsuit against HTX, formerly Huobi, in London's High Court. The regulator accuses the global crypto exchange of illegally promoting cryptoasset services to UK consumers without proper authorization or registration, marking a significant escalation in the FCA's efforts to enforce its new financial promotions regime for digital assets.

BlackRock has launched the iShares Bitcoin ETP (ticker: IB1T) on the London Stock Exchange, giving UK retail investors regulated, direct exposure to spot Bitcoin for the first time. The physically backed ETP removes the need for self-custody while tracking BTC’s spot price, and debuted at $11.10, rising 5.54% on day one. BlackRock set a temporary total expense ratio (TER) of 0.15% through 31 December 2025, increasing to 0.25% thereafter, and confirmed reserves are held with r

The U.S. SEC approved 21Shares’ Form 8‑A (12B) for its Solana Spot ETF, officially registering it on the Cboe BZX Exchange and signaling trading could begin soon. This SEC approval has fueled bullish market sentiment, with investors debating whether Solana (SOL) can rally to $300 and set new all‑time highs.

The Bank of England (BoE) has clarified that its proposed caps on stablecoin holdings and transaction sizes are intended to be temporary safeguards, not permanent barriers to digital asset adoption. Speaking at DC Fintech Week, Deputy Governor Sarah Breeden emphasized the BoE’s aim to support a role for regulated stablecoins within a “multi‑money system” while preserving financial stability during the transition.

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse is urging U.S. policymakers to treat compliant crypto companies on par with traditional finance (TradFi) institutions. Speaking at DC Fintech Week, he said firms that meet Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Know Your Customer (KYC), and Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) standards should receive the same regulatory benefits as banks—most notably access to a Federal Reserve “master account.”

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.

The Bank of England (BoE) plans to exempt crypto exchanges and other operationally critical firms from proposed stablecoin holding limits, a move that could channel significant liquidity into Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH). By granting waivers for market-making and settlement operations—and allowing stablecoins for settlement in the Digital Securities Sandbox—the BoE addresses industry concerns that previous caps were unworkable.

The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has lifted its ban on crypto exchange-traded products for retail investors, opening the door to Bitcoin and Ethereum-linked exchange-traded notes (cETNs) as part of the country’s push to become a global “crypto hub.” However, despite headlines that the “UK crypto ban is lifted,” retail investors still can’t buy immediately due to administrative holdups.

Going forward, crypto stakeholders should closely watch whether this no-action letter becomes a precedent for other token projects that link blockchain incentives to real-world services. If so, DePIN adoption could accelerate, transforming how global infrastructure—from internet bandwidth to IoT devices—is deployed and monetized, while reassuring builders and investors that innovation can coexist with regulatory compliance.

South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party (DP) has officially launched a crypto policy task force, signaling a more proactive stance toward shaping the country’s digital asset industry. The task force is tasked with drafting policies aimed at fostering innovation and promoting growth in blockchain, cryptocurrency, and fintech sectors.

Australia has unveiled draft legislation to tighten oversight of crypto exchanges, bringing digital asset platforms under the same rules as traditional financial services. The proposal, described by Assistant Treasurer Daniel Mulino as the cornerstone of the government’s digital asset roadmap, would create two new financial products under the Corporations Act: “digital asset platforms” and “tokenized custody platforms.”

The price of Bitcoin (BTC) slipped below the critical $115,000 level after the U.S. Federal Reserve executed a widely anticipated 25-basis-point interest rate cut, lowering the benchmark range to 4.0%–4.25%. Despite the dovish shift, Bitcoin’s immediate reaction was muted, as traders weighed the Fed’s cautious stance on inflation, employment, and growth.

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.

The long-anticipated GOP crypto bill has run into political headwinds after Senator John Kennedy (R-La.) warned that lawmakers are “not ready” to move forward. The bill, designed to establish a regulatory framework for digital assets in the U.S., aimed to clarify oversight between the SEC and CFTC, while also providing guidelines around stablecoins and consumer protections.

South Korea’s two largest political parties have both introduced competing bills aimed at regulating stablecoins, reflecting the country’s push to become a leader in digital asset regulation.

The U.S. Senate Banking Committee has released a new discussion draft called the “Responsible Financial Innovation Act,” aiming to overhaul the regulatory framework for digital assets in the United States. This draft, which follows the recent CLARITY Act, seeks to provide clearer definitions and regulatory boundaries for digital assets, with a strong focus on investor protection and regulatory clarity.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Federal Reserve (Fed), and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) have jointly issued new guidance clarifying how U.S. banks can offer crypto custody services. The agencies emphasized that existing banking regulations for fiduciary duty, custody, and information security already provide a framework for safeguarding digital assets.