The Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) has formalized its interim framework governing the custody of crypto and tokenized assets. The move outlined how dealer members are expected to safeguard client holdings while permanent crypto-specific rules remain under development. In a Tuesday notice, CIRO said the framework sets out its supervisory expectations for investment dealers operating…
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Bitcoin-backed borrowing at the Gibraltar-based Xapo Bank is increasingly being used for long-term financial planning rather than short-term liquidity, according to the bank’s 2025 Digital Wealth Report. Shared with Cointelegraph, the report says 52% of the Bitcoin-backed loans issued by Xapo in 2025 carried a 365-day term, with many of those loans remaining open even…
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South Korea’s financial watchdog has expanded the use of artificial intelligence to monitor digital asset markets, signaling a shift toward automated, data-driven enforcement as trading activity grows more complex. On Monday, the country’s Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) said it has upgraded its Virtual Assets Intelligence System for Trading Analysis (VISTA), a model used to investigate…
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The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), Hong Kong’s financial regulator, is preparing to grant its first stablecoin issuer licenses in March, according to a Reuters report. During a Legislative Council meeting on Monday, HKMA Chief Executive Eddie Yue reportedly said the regulator’s review of stablecoin license applications was nearing completion. Yue added that the initial…
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The European Union’s new crypto tax reporting regime under DAC8 is intentionally focused on enforceable targets, leaving decentralized finance (DeFi) outside its scope for now. Colby Mangels, a former adviser to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and now Taxbit’s global head of government solutions, said the rules prioritize identifiable intermediaries such as…
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The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) finalized the forfeiture of over $400 million in cryptocurrency and other assets tied to Helix, an early Bitcoin-era darknet mixing service, according to a statement released Thursday. The assets were seized from Larry Harmon, the operator of Helix, which processed transactions between 2014 and 2017. The crypto mixer…
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Tokyo-listed Bitcoin-focused company Metaplanet approved an overseas capital raise of as much as $137 million, combining new common shares and stock acquisition rights as it looks to expand its Bitcoin holdings and reduce debt. In a Thursday filing, Metaplanet said it plans to issue 24.5 million common shares at 499 Japanese yen per share, raising…
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South Korea’s top financial regulator said crypto exchanges should face ownership limits similar to those applied to securities markets, signaling a harder public stance on governance reforms under the country’s proposed Digital Asset Basic Act. According to a report by The Korea Times, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) Chair Lee Eog-weon said licensed crypto exchanges…
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Australia’s financial regulator, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), framed new participants in emerging sectors like digital assets as a “regulatory perimeter” issue in its Key Issues Outlook 2026 paper, signaling how it intends to regulate crypto entities in the year ahead. In the report published on Tuesday, ASIC grouped digital assets alongside payments…
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Blockchain company Wemade added Chainlink Labs to its Global Alliance for KRW Stablecoins (GAKS), expanding the consortium’s data and oracle infrastructure as it builds compliance-focused rails for won-pegged stablecoins. On Tuesday, Wemade announced that Chainlink will provide technical support for data integrity, infrastructure standards and tokenized asset use cases. Wemade said Chainlink’s role will also…
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