regulation

Circle, the issuer of USDC, submitted a proposal to the European Commission advocating for the revision of the rules regarding overseas stablecoins in the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) and the establishment of a recognition mechanism for overseas issuers. Circle suggested that overseas stablecoin issuers should primarily be regulated by their home jurisdiction's regulatory authorities, and after obtaining equivalence recognition from relevant parties and the European Banking Authority (EBA), local licensed entities in the EU would be responsible for distribution.This mechanism also allows euro stablecoins to circulate in overseas jurisdictions. Circle also requested the removal of the requirement for electronic money token issuers to hold 30% of reserve assets in commercial banks; the proportion for "significant" electronic money tokens is 60%. The company believes that this requirement increases exposure to credit risk and counterparty risk in the banking sector.

According to HOGE Wire, the U.S. federal fiscal year will begin on October 1, 2026, without a budget, and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will enter a funding interruption status, halting the review of new cryptocurrency ETFs. Registration statements cannot be declared effective, and opinion letters will no longer be issued. Existing products are unaffected, and BlackRock's IBIT, Fidelity's FBTC, and Grayscale-related products can still be traded and continue to process subscriptions and redemptions.Cryptocurrency ETFs need to complete both the 19b-4 submitted to the exchange and the S-1 or N-1A submitted by the issuer; both paths are paused during the funding interruption. On September 17, 2025, the SEC approved general listing standards for commodity trust shares, allowing eligible products to submit 19b-4 without needing to do so individually, reducing the review time from about 240 days to approximately 75 days; leveraged, inverse, actively managed, lending, and staking products are not included in this template. The article states that as October approaches, there are over 90 pending applications, with some deadlines at the beginning of the month. Nate Geraci told Decrypt that what the industry refers to as ETF Cryptober may be temporarily shelved, which is a delay rather than a rejection.The article also states that on March 17, 2026, the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission jointly clarified that agreement staking does not constitute a securities offering or sale. BlackRock's Ethereum product ETHB is listed on Nasdaq with a fee of 0.25% and will distribute 82% of staking rewards to investors.

The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) filed a lawsuit against the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) in federal court on Friday, accusing it of exceeding its statutory authority when issuing national trust bank charters to cryptocurrency companies. The ICBA stated that the OCC is implementing "broad new powers not authorized by the National Bank Act," allowing these companies to enter the U.S. banking system without being subject to the same level of regulatory oversight as community banks, putting small banks at a "serious competitive disadvantage."The ICBA is one of the largest banking advocacy organizations in the United States, primarily representing small institutions. Last month, the organization strongly opposed the Digital Asset Market Structure Bill, which failed to advance in the U.S. Senate, arguing that its stablecoin provisions did not protect community banks from direct competition for deposit accounts. ICBA President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey stated that Congress did not establish the national trust charter to provide a "backdoor" for cryptocurrency companies seeking to enter the banking system with the credibility of a federal bank charter, as these companies do not bear the same obligations regarding capital, liquidity, regulation, and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insurance requirements. An OCC spokesperson responded to CoinDesk that the agency does not comment on ongoing litigation.Recently, the OCC has continued to issue trust charters to cryptocurrency companies, but these companies' business models differ from those of typical community banks and do not offer cash deposit accounts that require FDIC insurance. Approved institutions include cryptocurrency banks Protego and Erebor, as well as existing cryptocurrency firms like Coinbase, Circle, and Crypto.com.

Austrian cryptocurrency exchange Bitpanda's co-CEO Christian Trummer stated in Cointelegraph's Chain Reaction program that with the implementation of the European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), European crypto users' trust in regulated platforms has increased. He pointed out that most users trust regulated market participants more than managing private keys themselves.Trummer described the preference for self-custody as a small circle focused on "Crypto Twitter," believing that most users are more inclined to choose regulated service providers. He also called on regulators to enforce MiCA more strictly, stating that some companies are still providing services to European customers without obtaining a MiCA license, putting compliant businesses at a competitive disadvantage.The transition period for existing crypto service providers under MiCA ended no later than July 1, and the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) instructed national regulators to take action against unauthorized companies that continue to provide crypto services after the transition period. ESMA subsequently called for stronger regulatory powers to address unauthorized crypto services and third-country companies soliciting business from EU investors without MiCA authorization.

The website managing the $TRUMP token event shows that the Trump memecoin will host its third "dinner" on November 22 at the Trump National Golf Club in Washington, D.C., inviting the first 185 registered investors. VIP eligibility is determined by the investor's participation in the token and will be locked in on November 12.The event is promoted as "the world's most exclusive dinner," claiming that three "legendary figures" will sit with the president, although their identities have not been disclosed. The club has made it clear that "no attendees will have the opportunity to meet the president privately." In previous events, Trump made only a brief appearance, and some participants were unable to meet him. This time, top VIPs will receive gifts such as commemorative posters and "TRUMP perfume."After the dinner announcement, the price of $TRUMP briefly rose about 10% to $2.25, then fell back, still far below the historical high of around $74. Since the token's launch, investors have lost billions of dollars, and the related controversies have become a focal point in the Senate's discussion of the "Digital Asset Market Clear Act." Democratic lawmakers had previously sought to restrict senior government officials' associations with digital assets, but that provision failed to materialize, and the bill did not advance last month.

According to Cointelegraph, the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) and the Wyoming Division of Banking announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to coordinate the regulation of cryptocurrency companies operating in both jurisdictions, covering license approvals, inspections, and potential enforcement actions. This agreement applies to businesses already regulated in either state, as well as companies seeking approval in both locations simultaneously.Under the agreement, the regulatory agencies in both states will share analytical results and historical inspection data to streamline the application process, coordinate inspection timelines, and promote joint inspections of companies operating across state lines. For businesses already regulated in one of the states, holding an existing license or charter for at least three years, and not subject to enforcement actions, the agreement provides an expedited approval pathway, with the second regulatory agency striving to make a decision within six months.The MOU also establishes a mechanism for sharing regulatory reports, market trend data, and notifications of potential enforcement actions, with regulatory agencies regularly sharing investigative information and being able to take joint, coordinated, or separate enforcement actions. This move connects two states that have historically taken different approaches to cryptocurrency regulation: New York has maintained the BitLicense regime since 2015, while Wyoming has accommodated digital asset businesses through cryptocurrency-related laws, regulations, and specialized banking charters.

According to The Defiant, U.S. District Judge Jennifer Rochon ruled to dismiss the class action lawsuit against LIBRA and M3M3 tokens, and it was a "dismissal with prejudice," meaning the plaintiffs cannot bring the same claims again.The judge found that the plaintiffs' reliance on a six-month issuance of Meme coins was insufficient to support the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) allegations; at the same time, the plaintiffs never listed Meteora as a suable entity.

According to The Block citing the Financial Times, EU regulators are questioning Binance's use of legal exemptions to continue providing services to EU customers after failing to obtain a MiCA license.Binance stated that the company complies with applicable regulatory requirements in the jurisdictions where it operates and is working towards obtaining MiCA authorization.

According to Cointelegraph, ESMA submitted a proposal to the European Commission to amend MiCA, aiming to establish a new category of regulated crypto services for companies providing access to DeFi protocols, while also strengthening regulatory requirements for staking, crypto lending, and non-compliant stablecoin-related services.

U.S. Senator Steve Daines (Republican from Montana, member of the Senate Finance Committee) has officially introduced a 56-page digital asset tax bill, named the "Aligning Digital Assets with Tax Principles Act" (ADAPT Act). The bill aims to establish clearer tax rules for scenarios such as stablecoin payments, network fees, staking, and lending, and plans to extend existing tax rules like wash sales and constructive sales to apply to digital assets.The core provisions of the bill state that taxpayers generally do not need to recognize gains or losses when using compliant U.S. dollar stablecoins to purchase goods and services, while exempting brokers from information reporting obligations for qualifying consumer transactions; however, this exemption does not apply to traders and market makers. The bill also extends wash sale rules and constructive sale rules to digital assets, with compliant stablecoins excluded from the constructive sale provisions to limit loss harvesting behavior in crypto assets.Additionally, the bill proposes to exempt digital assets used to pay for network, transaction, or gas fees of $10 or less from gain or loss recognition and allows qualifying digital asset traders and dealers to choose to account for them at fair market value. The bill also stipulates rules for income sources from staking and mining, a non-recognition framework for digital asset lending, a safe harbor for foreign investors' transactions, and definitions for digital asset classifications; most provisions will apply to tax years or transactions after December 31, 2026. Previously, the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee passed its own "Digital Asset Tax Certainty Act" on September 16 by a vote of 38 to 5.

According to CoinDesk, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has submitted two rules for review to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). One rule aims to include event contracts within the regulatory definition of swaps, while the other is a "temporary final rule" that seeks to exclude "casino-style gambling products" from the scope of swaps.These two rules were received by the OMB this week, with the document dated September 28. OMB review is typically the last step before rules are submitted for public comment, and the temporary final rule will take effect immediately while allowing for subsequent public input and revisions.This move comes as the CFTC engages in a tug-of-war with multiple states over the nature of prediction markets. Event contracts are typically binary yes-or-no bets on measurable outcomes such as sports events and elections. Last week, the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Kalshi's sports contracts do not fall under swaps and should be governed by state gambling regulations, while the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals made a similar ruling; however, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals previously determined that the CFTC has jurisdiction over prediction markets, creating a legal divergence at the federal level. CFTC Chairman Mike Selig believes that the CFTC has exclusive jurisdiction over prediction markets.If event contracts are classified as swaps and not as gambling products, it could weaken the positions of various states in multiple lawsuits against prediction market platforms like Kalshi. The CFTC is legally required to consist of five commissioners, but President Trump has yet to nominate additional commissioners, leaving Selig as the sole commissioner, who is unilaterally advancing regulatory and policy decisions. Additionally, information disclosed by the OMB indicates that the CFTC recently submitted a "pre-rule" focusing on cryptocurrency regulation to the White House.

According to Cointelegraph, data from Chainalysis shows that in the year leading up to June 2026, Singapore's cryptocurrency economic activity grew by 55.4% year-on-year, reaching a scale of $284 billion, reclaiming its position as the largest crypto economy in Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania amid an overall contraction in the region.The increase was mainly contributed by institutional platforms, with such activities surging by 94% to $60 billion, concentrated among a few market makers, over-the-counter trading firms, and institutional brokers. During the same period, the total crypto economy in the aforementioned region declined by 6.8%.Chainalysis pointed out that the growth of Singapore's institutional ecosystem is highly concentrated, primarily reflected in large transactions on existing platforms rather than the entry of numerous new services. At the same time, Singapore is tightening cryptocurrency regulations while promoting tokenization, stablecoins, and digital asset settlements.In 2025, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) required local crypto companies providing services to overseas clients to obtain licenses or exit the market. StraitsX CEO Tianwei Liu believes this measure curbed speculative activities and increased the proportion of banks and large enterprises applying blockchain in production. MAS is also conducting compliance stablecoin and tokenized bank deposit pilots through the BLOOM program, with Ripple joining on March 25 to test cross-border trade settlements using RLUSD.The Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam excel in small P2P transfers. Chainalysis statistics show that the three countries collectively recorded 5.4 million domestic and international peer-to-peer transfers under $10,000, accounting for 14.4% of global similar transactions, but only representing 2.5% of the global crypto economy.

Former New York Governor and OKX Director Andrew Cuomo stated that if the Democratic Party wins Congress in the midterm elections, the current regulatory progress in the cryptocurrency industry may be overturned. He noted that the ad hoc rules set by regulators are much weaker than legislation and emphasized that "regulation is not legislation."Previously, on September 15, the Senate voted 49 in favor and 50 against to veto the CLARITY Act, which aimed to establish federal rules for the cryptocurrency market, failing to reach the 60-vote threshold; the SEC granted a five-year exemption for tokenized stock trading on September 17. Andrew Cuomo expects the new Congress to closely scrutinize such agency rules and hopes that the lame-duck Congress will pass relevant legislation before January 1 of next year.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed two lawsuits in New York, accusing Cryptoaiml and TSAI of fraud under the guise of AI trading, involving approximately $15 million.The two lawsuits claim that investors were shown fabricated profit data and were asked to add more funds when attempting to withdraw.

According to Crypto in America, former CFTC Chairman Russ Behnam stated at the Georgetown University Financial Markets Quality Conference that as prediction markets experience explosive growth, Congress urgently needs to clarify the boundary between risk management and gambling, and related lawsuits may ultimately be submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court.Behnam also pointed out that after the Clarity Act failed to advance in the Senate, the CFTC's reliance on existing authority to regulate the spot market is akin to "patching things up with tape and paperclips," and regulators urgently need to establish more durable rules.

According to a report by Reuters on September 28, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier requested a judge on Monday to prohibit OpenAI from developing new artificial intelligence models without external oversight. This request is part of the state's lawsuit accusing OpenAI of harming children. Uthmeier also asked the court to order OpenAI to prohibit minors from using ChatGPT and to prevent the company from attributing human characteristics to the chat platform.Florida sued OpenAI in June, accusing it of misrepresenting the safety of ChatGPT, claiming that the platform provided information to school shooters, offered guidance on self-harm, and made young users addicted. The lawsuit was triggered by a shooting incident at a university in Tallahassee last year, as well as several other incidents in other states where it was alleged that ChatGPT provided information to individuals who later committed acts of violence. Uthmeier, a Republican, is also the first state attorney general to sue OpenAI over its impact on young users, and the company is facing related lawsuits filed by individuals and families.OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri stated that the company has paused training its most powerful models and will not resume until additional safety measures are implemented, expressing a willingness to work with Florida and other states to promote pragmatic policies applicable across the industry. The company denies responsibility in these cases, stating that the chatbot provides information widely available online and continuously updates its safety tools. The request also cited recent comments from a former OpenAI employee and a current board member, stating that the development of artificial intelligence could lead to the end of humanity and must be slowed down.

In a speech on Monday, UK Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey criticized Reform Party leader Nigel Farage's stance on Bitcoin, calling him "Liz Truss with a Bitcoin account." Healey stated that Farage wants the public to believe he is a representative of the common people, but on economic issues, he is simply "Liz Truss with a Bitcoin account." Liz Truss is the UK's shortest-serving Prime Minister, widely criticized for her 2022 mini-budget driven by debt. Healey also mentioned that his party, the Labour Party, will help the UK lead through fiscal discipline, good jobs, and a strong industry.Farage has long been a political supporter of cryptocurrency, primarily viewing Bitcoin as a matter of personal freedom since 2020, and opposing state control over currency. He has stated that he was denied banking services by the UK private bank Coutts, which led him to take a greater interest in digital assets. Last year, at the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas, he claimed that if elected Prime Minister, he would cut crypto capital gains tax and force the Bank of England to establish Bitcoin reserves.Farage has faced criticism this year for accepting donations from cryptocurrency entrepreneurs, including tech entrepreneur and Tether investor Christopher Harborne, as well as Ben Delo, one of the founders of the now-closed crypto exchange BitMEX. The Metropolitan Police have launched an investigation into reports of Reform violating overseas donation rules, with Reform denying any wrongdoing and stating that they will cooperate.

The research leaders of OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta Platforms, and Microsoft have called on policymakers to review the progress of their respective companies in the automation of artificial intelligence research.Researchers pointed out in their paper that the automation of AI research could trigger an "intelligence explosion," with the pace of technological evolution potentially exceeding human understanding, and suggested that policymakers increase transparency.