Polymarket is lobbying regulators in the UK, Brussels and several EU countries to classify prediction market contracts under MiFID and other financial rules instead of national gambling laws, as it also seeks relevant European licenses.

South Korean Democratic Party lawmaker Min Byung-deok said virtual asset taxation should begin only after the Digital Asset Basic Law is passed, arguing the current framework is not ready for fair collection.

Russia could allow parts of its crypto industry to begin legal operations by year-end as supporting rules advance, while the central bank and Sberbank outline a controlled framework for trading, custody, and limited investor access.

South Africa is moving to bring crypto assets under foreign exchange controls, with cross-border restrictions already linked to suspended transactions and industry concern over compliance, enforcement, and possible migration of activity offshore as the draft rules remain under consultation.

Crypto super PAC Fairshake said it will launch a $30 million ad and mail campaign against Ohio Democratic Senate candidate Sherrod Brown, expanding an election strategy tied to its push for more favorable U.S. crypto policy.

The European Central Bank has launched Pontes, a pilot system linking blockchain-based financial transactions to TARGET Services so banks can settle tokenized asset trades in central bank money, separate from the retail digital euro project planned for later testing.

The UK Financial Conduct Authority said it inspected three London premises over suspected illegal peer-to-peer crypto trading and issued cease-and-desist notices, underscoring tighter enforcement of anti-money-laundering rules ahead of the country’s new crypto authorization process.

The U.S. House Financial Services Committee advanced amended H.R. 8957, a bill that would put a federal Bitcoin reserve framework into law, require a 20-year holding period for certain government-held Bitcoin, and direct Treasury implementation steps.

Bastion said it received conditional approval from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to form a non-depository national trust bank focused on digital asset custody and payment-clearing services, pending pre-opening requirements.

The Bank of Russia has proposed limiting banks’ covered crypto and foreign digital instrument exposure to 1% of capital, with separate treatment for custody positions and reporting set to begin in January 2027.