By Olivia Stephanie from crypto.news KB Kookmin Bank will launch a blockchain-based cross-border payment service for import and export companies in August 2026. The South Korean lender will use Kinexys by J.P. Morgan to support U.S. dollar payments across 10 countries. The service will connect Kinexys with existing SWIFT payment rails. It will support near-real-time
By Olivia Stephanie from crypto.news Europe’s crypto market has moved beyond the race to secure a Markets in Crypto-Assets licence. The next test is whether authorised firms can afford the staff, capital and controls required to keep operating under the European Union’s full rulebook. The cost pressure may push smaller crypto companies towards mergers, sales
By Oliver Knight from CoinDesk The crypto market is consolidating, with bitcoin modestly lower since midnight UTC as it settles into a range between $64,000 and $66,800 that has held for the past week. The price action reflects a market catching its breath. Bitcoin has rallied more than 13% since its July 1 low of
By Rony Roy from Crypto.news Odos Protocol has announced plans to shut down its decentralized exchange aggregator, giving users until July 30 to withdraw assets from the platform. According to a Thursday announcement posted on X, the project will discontinue operations and has asked users to remove funds before the deadline. The team did not
By Lawrence Mondal from crypto.news Fortune reported on July 24 that Thune does not expect the Senate to approve the crypto market structure bill before lawmakers leave Washington, removing a deadline that industry supporters had viewed as critical to its passage this year. Attention has now moved to the short period after the November midterm
By Francisco Rodrigues from CoinDesk BNY, the world’s largest custody bank, plans to support round-the-clock settlement of conventional and tokenized U.S. Treasuries in 2027, after completing an after-hours trade involving the reserves of 2 stablecoin issuers. The bank will test tokenized Treasuries on a private blockchain by the end of the year and will extend
By Olivia Stephanie from crypto.news Swiss cantonal bank BancaStato has launched regulated cryptocurrency trading through a new integration with Sygnum and banking technology provider Avaloq. Clients can now buy, hold and sell Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and Solana from the bank’s existing web and mobile applications. The service connects Sygnum’s business-to-business digital asset infrastructure directly with
By Olivia Stephanie from Crypto.News Circle has signed separate memorandums of understanding with Kakao Group and South Korean fintech operator Toss to explore stablecoin payments, blockchain settlement and digital asset infrastructure in South Korea. The agreements bring Circle’s USDC and payment technology into discussions with some of Korea’s largest consumer finance platforms. Kakao, Kakao Pay
By Olivia Stephanie from Crypto.News Japan could launch its first Bitcoin exchange-traded fund as early as 2028 as regulators prepare rules that would allow investment trusts and ETFs to hold crypto assets directly. A July 23 Nikkei report said the Financial Services Agency plans to revise investment-fund rules after lawmakers approved amendments that bring crypto
By Will Canny from CoinDesk Kraken has launched cash-settled bitcoin and ether options, positioning the product as the first step in a broader push to grow, rather than simply compete for, the crypto options market. The exchange on Thursday introduced European-style, USD-settled options on bitcoin and ether through Kraken Pro, initially via request-for-quote (RFQ). The
