News linked to this event type.
Circle has submitted a comment letter to the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), offering recommendations on the implementing rules for the GENIUS Act and outlining six core positions.
Securitize announced partnerships with Jump Trading and Jupiter Exchange to launch a fully on-chain, compliant tokenized stock trading service on Solana. The solution integrates regulatory compliance infrastructure, liquidity support, and distribution channels to build an integrated on-chain securities trading system, accelerating the migration of traditional financial assets onto blockchain.
According to Crowdfund Insider, Circle’s French subsidiary, Circle Internet Financial Europe SAS (referred to as “Circle France”), received formal authorization from the French Financial Markets Authority (AMF) on April 20 to provide custody and transfer services for its stablecoins USDC and EURC across the entire European Economic Area (EEA). Under Article 60(4) of the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), this authorization enables Circle France to operate via the “passporting mechanism,” allowing customers in all EEA member states to access these services without requiring additional local licenses. Circle is the largest compliant issuer of electronic money tokens (EMTs) under MiCA regulation in the EU. The authorized custody services cover secure storage and management of clients’ crypto assets, while the transfer functionality supports seamless asset movement. Dante Disparte, Circle’s Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Global Policy and Operations, stated that this milestone reflects Circle’s commitment to operating within Europe’s regulatory framework and supporting the development of trusted digital financial infrastructure in France and across the EU. This authorization builds upon Circle’s prior authorization as an electronic money institution in France.
According to Cointelegraph, a survey by the Dutch financial newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad (FD) found that although Polymarket was banned in February this year by the Dutch Gaming Authority (Ksa) for operating without a gambling license, Kalshi, crypto exchange Hyperliquid, and investment giant Interactive Brokers continue to offer prediction market services to Dutch users.
according to The Wall Street Journal, crypto trading platform Bullish will acquire stock transfer agency Equiniti for $4.2 billion (including debt). The acquisition of Equiniti is expected to close in January next year, pending regulatory approval. Equiniti serves nearly 3,000 listed companies, including Berkshire Hathaway and Moody's.
According to The Block, cryptocurrency exchange Bullish announced on Tuesday that it will acquire global transfer agent Equiniti from private equity firm Siris for $4.2 billion, aiming to integrate its tokenization infrastructure with a compliant shareholder services company that processes $500 billion in payments annually.
Polygon has launched a privacy-focused stablecoin payment feature, utilizing zero-knowledge proof technology to hide the sender, recipient, and transaction amount while maintaining regulatory compliance. (Cointelegraph)
According to FinanceFeeds, cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have recently recorded strong inflows. U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs saw single-day net inflows exceeding $600 million, reflecting sustained institutional demand for allocating digital assets via regulated investment vehicles. Specifically, BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) continues to dominate, posting approximately $284 million in single-day net inflows and remaining the primary vehicle for institutional Bitcoin allocation. Fidelity’s Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund also contributed significantly to inflows, helping push total ETF demand above $600 million. Inflows are concentrated among a few major issuers, underscoring the importance of liquidity, scale, and brand trust in attracting institutional capital—BlackRock and Fidelity products have consistently accounted for the majority of total ETF inflows since launch.
According to Chosun, Korean-listed IT service provider ITCEN Global announced raising KRW 40 billion (approximately USD 3 million) through the issuance of convertible bonds. The funding round was fully subscribed by ITC Holdings, which is wholly owned by the KCGI Innovation Growth ESG Fund. The proceeds will be used to expand new businesses, including Web3 and security token offerings (STOs). The company stated that if South Korea’s digital asset regulatory framework is finalized in the second half of the year, these initiatives are expected to accelerate.
Coinbase Australia has launched a dedicated support service for Self-Managed Super Funds (SMSF), providing Australian trustees with a compliant and secure digital asset investment solution to help incorporate crypto assets like Bitcoin into retirement portfolios.According to Coinbase's official blog, the service leverages its recently obtained Australian Financial Services License (AFSL) and local team capabilities, offering entity verification processes tailored to Australian fund structures, downloadable audit reports compliant with local accounting standards, and institutional-grade security measures.Data from the Australian Taxation Office shows there are currently over 653,000 SMSFs in Australia, managing assets worth A$1.05 trillion and serving more than 1.2 million members. Coinbase stated that SMSFs are among the few retirement structures globally that allow individuals to directly manage digital assets, becoming a key gateway for investors to include cryptocurrencies in their long-term retirement strategies. (The Block)
According to The Block, Coinbase Australia announced on Monday that it will support cryptocurrency investments for self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs), providing trustees with a compliant channel for allocating crypto assets. The service offers downloadable data compliant with Australian Accounting Standards, as well as a streamlined entity verification process tailored to local fund structures.
According to CoinDesk, Ripple announced on Monday that it will share its internal intelligence on North Korean hackers with Crypto ISAC, a threat intelligence-sharing organization for the cryptocurrency industry, to help businesses identify coordinated intrusion campaigns. This move comes amid a recent shift in attack patterns targeting the cryptocurrency sector. The April theft of $285 million from the Drift protocol was not a traditional smart-contract vulnerability exploit; instead, North Korean hackers spent months building relationships with Drift contributors and installing malware on their devices before stealing private keys. Ripple stated: “The strongest crypto security posture is a shared one. A threat actor rejected by one company after background screening may submit resumes to three other companies the same week. Without shared intelligence, each company starts from scratch.”
According to The Block, on Monday, five major U.S. banking trade groups issued a statement regarding the latest compromise text of the U.S. Clarity Act, stating that the proposal “falls short of its intended goals.” This statement came just days after Senators Thom Tillis and Angela Alsobrooks finalized the compromise.
According to a report by the Hong Kong Wen Wei Po, Eddie Yue, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), stated after attending a Legislative Council meeting yesterday that the HKMA will consider issuing new licenses once the first batch of stablecoins is launched. However, the number of licenses will still be strictly controlled based on market capacity and emerging risks, to prevent unrealistic market expectations regarding the number of licenses. The HKMA will also conduct long-term, continuous monitoring of stablecoin implementation.
Securitize, an asset tokenization platform, announced that it has received approval from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) to expand the scope of its broker-dealer business through its subsidiary Securitize Market. This enables Securitize to provide custody services for tokenized securities within the traditional brokerage framework, conduct on-chain atomic swaps and clearing/settlement between tokenized securities and stablecoins, and participate in underwriting and sales of tokenized securities in both primary and secondary offerings.
But Bin’s analysis points out that the core catalyst for this rally is the U.S. Clarity Act making critical progress: the Senate has reached a compromise on stablecoin regulatory provisions, resolving the key分歧 hindering the bill’s advancement and opening up long-term growth potential for compliant stablecoin leaders such as Circle.
According to CoinDesk, Payward—the parent company of Kraken—filed a second amended complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado against its former custody partner Etana Custody and its CEO, Dion Brandon Russell, alleging misappropriation of over $25 million in customer funds and operation of a “Ponzi scheme.” Payward claims that Etana commingled custodial assets with its own funds to cover operating expenses and make high-risk investments, while using false account statements to conceal the resulting funding shortfall. In April 2025, when Kraken attempted to withdraw approximately $25 million in reserve funds, Etana delayed the withdrawal, citing fabricated reconciliation issues, and instead relied on new deposits to fill the gap. At least $16 million of the misappropriated funds was invested in promissory notes issued by Seabury Trade Capital, which later defaulted. Subsequently, Colorado state regulators issued a cease-and-desist order against Etana, which entered liquidation proceedings in November 2025 and is now under the management of a court-appointed receiver. Kraken is seeking at least $25 million in damages, plus treble civil theft penalties.
: South Korea's crypto industry has expressed strong concerns over proposed amendments to anti-money laundering (AML) regulations, arguing that the rules could impose excessive compliance burdens on Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs).According to Yonhap News Agency, the Digital Asset eXchange Alliance (DAXA), representing 27 VASPs including Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit, and Gopax, submitted comments opposing the classification of all overseas virtual asset transfers exceeding 10 million won (approximately $6,800) as suspicious transaction reports.DAXA warned that this rule could cause the number of suspicious transaction reports from South Korea's top five exchanges to skyrocket from approximately 63,000 last year to over 5.4 million—an increase of about 85 times—severely impacting the efficiency of actual compliance execution. Furthermore, the industry also opposes a new obligation requiring exchanges to verify the accuracy of customer information, arguing it exceeds the scope of current legal authorization.South Korea's Financial Services Commission (FSC) and Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) proposed the relevant amendments on March 30, which have now entered a public comment period, with final deliberation expected to be completed in July.Meanwhile, legal disputes between Korean exchanges and regulators over AML penalties continue. Multiple platforms are challenging previous business restrictions and fines through the courts, reflecting an escalating tension between regulatory tightening and the industry's execution capabilities. (Cointelegraph)
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Korea Digital Asset Exchange Alliance (DAXA) submitted its official comments on the draft Enforcement Decree of the Act on Reporting and Using Specified Financial Transaction Information (“Special Financial Information Act”) to the National Participation Legislative Center of the Ministry of Government Legislation on April 29. The comments reflect the collective views of 27 Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs), including the five major exchanges Upbit and Bithumb. DAXA raised objections to two core provisions in the draft revision: First, the proposal to categorize all virtual asset transactions exceeding KRW 10 million as suspicious transactions—mandating compulsory reporting to the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). This change is projected to increase the annual number of suspicious transaction reports filed by the five major exchanges from 63,000 to 5.445 million, an 85-fold surge. Second, the draft introduces a new obligation to verify the accuracy of customer information, going beyond existing customer identification requirements—and exceeding the scope of authority granted under the higher-level law. Moreover, penalties for noncompliance are significantly harsher than those applied to other financial sectors. While DAXA supports the legislative intent behind the revision—to strengthen the anti-money laundering (AML) framework—it contends that certain provisions overstep the statutory delegation of authority and impose discriminatory treatment on the virtual asset industry. The draft revision’s public consultation period ends on May 11, with formal adoption expected in July. The relevant provisions will be implemented in phases between August 2026 and 2027.
stablecoin infrastructure startup Rain is now valued at $1.95 billion and has announced a partnership with payment giant Mastercard to issue credit and prepaid cards, while also exploring the use of stablecoins for payment settlements. Previously, Rain primarily relied on the Visa network for its card products. This collaboration with Mastercard marks its entry into a "dual-card network" strategy, further expanding its institutional client market. Rain stated that the partnership will focus on serving large institutional clients already deeply integrated with a single payment network, enabling them to introduce stablecoin settlement capabilities without altering their existing payment systems.Meanwhile, the application of stablecoins continues to expand across the industry, with institutions such as Stripe and Coinbase actively promoting the integration of stablecoin payments and settlements. This indicates that the convergence of traditional finance and crypto payment infrastructure is accelerating. Analysts suggest that as regulatory frameworks gradually become clearer, stablecoins are rapidly transitioning from trading tools to enterprise payment and cross-border settlement infrastructure. (Fortune)