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LATEST: 🇪🇺 The ECB launched Pontes, letting institutions settle tokenized asset trades in central bank money instead of relying on stablecoins, with full rollout expected by 2028.

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LATEST: 🇪🇺 The ECB plans to invest in tokenized securities settled through its new Pontes platform, marking the first time a major central bank will directly participate in blockchain-based financial markets as both investor and infrastructure provider.@cryptonwsuk 2 sources

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LATEST: 🇪🇺 The European Banking Authority has classified USDC as the first significant e-money token under MiCA, making it the only one of 45 EU-notified stablecoins to meet the threshold.

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LATEST: 🇪🇺 The European Parliament adopted a nonbinding resolution urging the Commission to address crypto-linked corruption risks in its upcoming anti-corruption strategy, due by the end of 2026.

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LATEST: 🇪🇺 The European Securities and Markets Authority warns that growing links between crypto markets and TradFi could amplify systemic risk, citing tokenized equities and recent DeFi exploits.

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LATEST: 🇫🇷 A French National Assembly committee approved a proposal to tax crypto swaps into fiat-pegged stablecoins from Jan. 1, 2027.

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LATEST: 🇫🇷 France's National Assembly narrowly passed an amendment that would make swapping crypto for stablecoins a taxable event from 2027, even if holders never cash out to fiat.

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LATEST: 🇫🇷 French authorities say stablecoin rewards "should be regulated rather than prohibited outright," pointing to the US GENIUS Act, which bars issuer interest but not third-party rewards.

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LATEST: 🇬🇧 Hargreaves Lansdown, the UK's largest retail investment platform, now offers nine Bitcoin and Ethereum ETNs, less than a year after warning against crypto investments.

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LATEST: 🇬🇧 King Charles convened execs from OpenAI, Nvidia, Anthropic and Google DeepMind in Scotland to warn of the "existential dangers" of AI falling into the wrong hands and call for international oversight.

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LATEST: 🇬🇧 Seven of the UK's largest banks, including Barclays, NatWest, and HSBC, completed the world's first interbank transactions using tokenized pound deposits on a shared platform built by Quant.

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LATEST: 🇬🇧 The FCA has opened its UK crypto authorization gateway, with the main application window running through Feb. 28.

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LATEST: 🇬🇧 The FCA has published guidance on its crypto rulebook two weeks before the UK's authorization window opens on Sept. 30, with the regime taking effect Oct. 25, 2027.

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LATEST: 🇬🇧 The FCA opened a consultation on DeFi guidance for financial crime compliance, saying the proposal clarifies existing rules rather than creating new policy.

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LATEST: 🇬🇧 The FCA, HMRC and the Metropolitan Police raided three London P2P crypto hubs, ordering traders to halt business, saying no P2P crypto firms are registered in the UK.

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LATEST: 🇬🇧 The London Stock Exchange is teaming up with Kraken owner Payward to bring the UK's biggest listed stocks onchain using its xStocks framework.

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LATEST: 🇬🇧 The UK has picked Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, Morgan Stanley, NatWest, and RBC Capital Markets to lead its DIGIT pilot, the country's first digital-native government bond.

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LATEST: 🇬🇧 The UK's FCA is reportedly weighing an easing of its ban on financial prediction markets after holding talks with trading platforms, per The Times.

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LATEST: 🇬🇧 The UK's FCA, Treasury and Bank of England are exploring whether to exempt tokenized gold from certain fund rules, per the FT.@cryptonwsuk 2 sources

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LATEST: 🇬🇷 Greece published a draft bill that would tax crypto profits at 10%, with annual gains up to €500 ($560) exempt.

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LATEST: 🇭🇰 Hong Kong Financial Services Secretary Christopher Hui says the city will file an amendment bill "within this year" to license crypto trading, custody, advisory, and management services.

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LATEST: 🇭🇰 Hong Kong's SFC and AFRC have signed an MoU extending financial reporting, audit and compliance oversight to licensed crypto firms, replacing a 2021 agreement.

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LATEST: 🇮🇪 Central Bank of Ireland has fined Coinbase Ireland €3.25M for failing to properly safeguard customer funds and oversee outsourcing, with the penalty still needing High Court confirmation.

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LATEST: 🇮🇪 Ireland's Criminal Assets Bureau says organized crime gangs are renting private vaults to hide crypto seed phrases and private keys.

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