News linked to both this project and an event.
According to the UK House of Lords’ Financial Services Regulation Committee’s report, “Stablecoins: Waiting for Regulation,” the global stablecoin market capitalization has exceeded $310 billion. However, the British pound (GBP) stablecoin market remains in its infancy, and the UK’s regulatory framework lags significantly behind those of the United States (the GENIUS Act) and the European Union (MiCA). The report levels several criticisms against the current regulatory proposals put forward by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Bank of England, with key concerns including: • The Bank of England’s requirement that systemic stablecoin issuers hold at least 40% of their reserve assets in non-interest-bearing central bank deposits is viewed by industry participants as severely undermining issuers’ profitability and the UK’s international competitiveness in this market; • The proposed holding limits—£20,000 per individual and £10 million per corporate entity—are considered operationally unworkable and potentially stifling to the development of the GBP stablecoin market; • The T+1 redemption requirement would impose substantial operational burdens on issuers; • The Prudential Regulation Authority’s (PRA) restriction prohibiting deposit-taking institutions from issuing stablecoins under independent brands is deemed overly stringent. The report does commend the Bank of England’s proposed liquidity-support lending facility, recognizing it as an innovative regulatory measure surpassing those adopted by other major jurisdictions. The Committee urges regulators to strictly adhere to the established timeline, ensuring the full regulatory framework enters into force on 25 October 2027. It further recommends adopting a principles-based, technology-neutral regulatory approach to strike an appropriate balance between financial stability and market innovation.
According to Forbes, Western Union will launch its stablecoin USDPT on the Solana blockchain in May 2026. Issued by Anchorage Digital Bank, USDPT will be accompanied by a digital asset network designed to connect crypto wallets and exchanges. Analysts note that this move represents Western Union’s deliberate disruption of its core profit model: traditionally, the company relies heavily on foreign exchange spreads in cross-border remittances, but near-instant settlement via stablecoins will render such spreads transparent and unsustainable. At the same time, Western Union must still bear substantial fixed costs associated with its extensive offline agent network—a burden absent from crypto-native remittance firms from day one. The company’s Q1 financial report already reflects mounting pressure, with net income halved year-on-year to $65 million.
Odaily Odaily News: The National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) has announced a proposed rule to establish operational and risk management standards for NCUA-supervised Payment Stablecoin Issuers (PPSI) under the framework of the GENIUS Act.NCUA Chairman Kyle Hauptman stated that the rule aims to ensure credit unions are not disadvantaged in terms of stablecoin regulatory standards and seeks to align as closely as possible with proposed standards for bank subsidiaries.The proposed rule is now open for public comment in the Federal Register, with the comment period ending on July 17, 2026.
On Friday, May 15, Poland’s Sejm (lower house of parliament) approved the government-backed Markets in Crypto-Assets bill (Bill No. 2529) during its 57th session, with 241 votes in favor and 200 against. The bill aims to formally integrate Poland’s cryptocurrency market into the European Union’s Regulation on Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA). Earlier versions of the bill had been vetoed twice by President Karol Nawrocki. Under the bill, the Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF) will be granted explicit authority to supervise market participants, impose administrative penalties, and temporarily freeze accounts and transactions. The bill has now been forwarded to the Senate for deliberation, and the President retains the possibility of issuing another veto.
Polish lawmakers on Friday approved a government-backed bill to bring the country’s cryptocurrency market under the European Union’s MiCA framework for crypto asset regulation, following two previous vetoes of earlier versions of the bill by President Karol Nawrocki. According to official parliamentary records, the vote took place during the 57th session of the Sejm in Warsaw on Friday, with 241 lawmakers voting in favor and 200 against the legislation. The approved Bill No. 2529, backed by the Ministry of Finance, grants the Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF) the power to oversee market participants, impose administrative penalties, and temporarily freeze accounts and transactions.
According to Cointelegraph, the Bank of Italy is urging the European Union to consider building a tokenized version of the SEPA payment system to keep pace with financial innovation. SEPA—the Single Euro Payments Area—aims to standardize cross-border payments within the eurozone. The Bank of Italy believes that, as tokenization and blockchain-based payments advance, the EU must assess pathways for upgrading its existing payment infrastructure.
cross-border remittance giant Western Union has announced the launch of the US dollar stablecoin USDPT on the Solana blockchain. USDPT is issued by Anchorage Digital Bank, is fully backed by the US dollar on a 1:1 basis, and is built on Solana.It is reported that USDPT will be directly integrated into its global payment system to build a more efficient settlement layer. It will serve agents, partners, and future consumer application scenarios, aiming to provide on-chain settlement capabilities for cross-border payments, combining the efficiency of blockchain settlement with Western Union's global compliance and distribution network. (Businesswire)
Odaily News, Web3 security company CertiK has released its "2026 State of Digital Asset Regulation" report, systematically reviewing global regulatory trends. The report indicates that as of April 2026, regulatory frameworks in major jurisdictions such as the United States, the European Union, Hong Kong SAR, and Singapore have been largely established, and the industry is entering a phase of comprehensive compliance.The report shows that anti-money laundering (AML) enforcement has replaced securities classification as the primary regulatory risk. In the first half of 2025, global AML-related fines exceeded $900 million, making transaction monitoring capabilities a core compliance requirement. Meanwhile, smart contract security audits are evolving from industry best practices into access conditions, becoming a prerequisite for license approval and token listings. Additionally, global stablecoin regulatory frameworks are converging, with principles such as full reserve backing and licensed issuance becoming widespread, though cross-jurisdictional regulatory differences still pose compliance challenges.The report states that with regulatory convergence and strengthened enforcement, the industry has entered an "era of strong compliance." CertiK indicated that the core challenge for enterprises is shifting from "whether to comply" to "how to quickly build and implement compliance capabilities." Multi-jurisdictional licensing, AML investment, and continuous security audits are becoming fundamental entry requirements for institutional development.
the French National Organized Crime Prosecutor's Office (PNACO) issued a statement on Friday stating that France has launched judicial investigations into 12 cryptocurrency kidnapping cases orchestrated by organized crime groups, and has indicted 88 suspects, including more than 10 minors.According to statistics, since 2023, France has recorded 135 cryptocurrency-related attacks, including 18 in 2024, 67 in 2025, and 47 so far in 2026. The accused individuals face charges including kidnapping, illegal detention, extortion, and money laundering. Recently, police arrested six suspects in two operations targeting kidnapping cases, and all individuals are currently in preventive detention. CertiK blockchain intelligence analyst Jonathan Riss stated that the masterminds behind such criminal gangs are typically located outside the European Union.
According to the official website of the Council of the European Union, the EU formally adopted its 20th round of sanctions against Russia on April 23, 2026—the largest sanctions package in two years—adding 120 new individuals and entities to its sanctions list and intensifying pressure across multiple dimensions, including energy, finance, defense industries, and trade. In the cryptocurrency sector, given Russia’s growing reliance on cryptocurrencies for international settlements amid financial sanctions, the EU imposed a comprehensive sectoral ban on cryptocurrency transfer and trading platforms operating within Russia. It also sanctioned a Kyrgyzstani platform facilitating government-backed stablecoin A7A5 transactions and banned all transactions involving the cryptocurrency RUBx, as well as any EU support for the development of the digital ruble.
Western Union has announced the upcoming launch of the Solana-based stablecoin USDPT next month, serving as an alternative settlement network between the company and its agents.Additionally, Western Union plans to launch a digital asset network connecting crypto wallets with its existing retail and agent networks. It also intends to introduce a "Stable Card" in dozens of markets later this year, enabling users to hold value in stablecoins and spend globally. (The Block)
According to a report released by a16z crypto researchers Robert Hackett and Jeremy Zhang, stablecoins are evolving from early-stage tools for trading and savings into core financial infrastructure. On the regulatory front, the U.S. GENIUS Act has established the first federal framework for stablecoin issuance. Although the European Union’s MiCA regulation—after coming into effect—led to the delisting of USDT from several exchanges, it has instead spurred sustained demand for non-U.S. dollar stablecoins, with monthly trading volume remaining steady in the $15–25 billion range. In terms of usage, consumer-to-business (C2B) stablecoin transaction volume grew 128% year-on-year in 2025, reaching 284.6 million transactions. Stablecoin velocity rose from 2.6x in early 2024 to 6x, indicating that existing supply is now being used more frequently for payments rather than held as savings. After excluding transactional and financial flow activity, an estimated $350–550 billion in stablecoin value in 2025 was attributable to genuine payment use cases. Geographically, nearly two-thirds of stablecoin payment volume originates from Asia (primarily Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan), roughly one-quarter comes from North America, and approximately 13% from Europe. Notably, cross-border transaction share has actually declined, while domestic transactions have risen from ~50% in early 2024 to nearly 75% by early 2026. The BRL-pegged stablecoin BRLA, for example, now sees monthly transfers totaling approximately $400 million—evidence of the growing adoption of localized stablecoin payments.