regulatory

The South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Coinone has filed a lawsuit against the penalties imposed by the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of South Korea and has applied to the Seoul Administrative Court for a stay of execution, attempting to suspend the relevant measures before the sanctions take effect.The core content of this sanction is to restrict new users from depositing and withdrawing cryptocurrency assets to external exchanges. Previously, the FIU imposed a three-month partial business suspension and a fine of 5.2 billion won on Coinone for violating specific financial information laws.

According to the official announcement from the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA), all virtual asset services are included under PVARA's regulatory scope and must obtain prior authorization before commencing operations or making public announcements.PVARA welcomes responsible innovation and encourages relevant parties to engage in communication as early as possible. Innovation can be conducted through compliance pathways such as regulatory sandboxes, No-Action Relief Letters, and No Objection Certificates (NOC).

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) today submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, reaffirming its exclusive jurisdiction over the U.S. commodity derivatives market (including prediction markets). This case involves Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. KalshiEx LLC (case number SJC-13906).CFTC Chairman Michael S. Selig stated that Congress has authorized the CFTC to have sole regulatory authority over the commodity derivatives market and warned that any state attempting to override federal law "will see you in court." The brief details the legislative history and framework of the Commodity Exchange Act, clarifying that the federal regulatory system takes precedence over relevant state laws. Previously, the CFTC has filed lawsuits against Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, and New York, successfully obtaining a temporary restraining order against Arizona to prevent it from exercising state jurisdiction over prediction markets regulated by the CFTC.

The DeFi Education Fund, along with Aave Labs, Uniswap Labs, Paradigm, Andreessen Horowitz, and other organizations, has sent a letter to the U.S. SEC in response to the recent statement released by the trading and markets division regarding the registration of "non-custodial user interface" brokers for crypto asset securities.The signatories support the statement that the "non-custodial user interface," which only provides a technical entry point and allows users to manage their assets independently, should be excluded from broker registration. They also urge the SEC to establish clearer and more sustainable definitions of "broker" through formal rulemaking, to avoid incorrectly categorizing neutral software tool providers, validators, RPC/API, oracles, cloud services, and other infrastructure under broker regulations. This would provide long-term legal certainty for blockchain infrastructure innovation while ensuring investor protection.Previously, the SEC's trading and markets division indicated that some DeFi trading interfaces do not need to register as brokers, allowing for policy space for related applications. Supporters believe that the new regulations could cover infrastructure participants such as validators, APIs, and oracles. Currently, the U.S. crypto market legislation, the CLARITY Act, is stalled in the Senate.

Kevin Warsh stated at the Senate hearing that digital assets "have become a part of the U.S. financial system" and supports their inclusion in the financial system to provide more opportunities and protections for investors.This statement is seen as a signal of a relatively open policy towards the cryptocurrency industry should he become the chairman of the Federal Reserve. Warsh has previously referred to Bitcoin as "an important asset that aids in policy-making." However, Elizabeth Warren expressed concerns during the hearing, mentioning risks such as "shadow accounts" in the crypto space, emphasizing the need for enhanced regulation and prevention of abuse.

The UK Treasury announced a regulatory scheme during London Fintech Week, planning to incorporate stablecoins and tokenized deposits into a unified regulatory framework with traditional payment services.The scheme aims to regulate stablecoins used for payments under the upcoming issuance regime, while expanding the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) regulatory scope over open banking, and exploring regulatory adjustments for payment activities executed by AI agents. The proposal also suggests reducing administrative requirements for businesses providing stablecoin payment services through new legislation.The UK Treasury also announced the appointment of EY partner and former interim CEO of the FCA, Chris Woolard CBE, as the wholesale digital market champion, responsible for advancing the development of a tokenized wholesale financial system, and committed to providing £1 million (approximately $1.35 million) in funding support to the Centre for Financial Innovation and Technology starting in April. Minister for Cities Lucy Rigby stated that the scheme aims to build a secure, competitive payment ecosystem that can seize opportunities from technological changes. The UK government recognizes the transformative potential of digital assets and blockchain technology, believing they can reshape the way consumers and businesses interact with financial services.

The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission has announced a new regulatory framework that allows tokenized investment products approved by the Commission to be traded in the secondary market, in order to promote the development of digital asset trading activities in Hong Kong.The new guidelines primarily facilitate the secondary market trading of tokenized open-ended funds on licensed virtual asset trading platforms and will consider allowing over-the-counter trading arrangements on a case-by-case basis. As of March 2026, there are already 13 tokenized products available to the public in Hong Kong, with the total asset value of tokenized equity management assets increasing to approximately 10.7 billion. The first batch of products is expected to mainly consist of tokenized money market funds. The new measures cover fair pricing, orderly trading, liquidity provision, and information disclosure.

ChainCatcher reported live that the Deputy Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury of Hong Kong, Chan Ho Lam, delivered a keynote speech at the 2026 Hong Kong Web3 Carnival. He pointed out that Hong Kong has developed into the third global financial center index and the first international financial center in Asia, providing a solid foundation for Web3 innovation.He stated that the digital asset development policy declaration 2.0 released last year proposed the LEAP framework, which covers four pillars: optimizing legal regulation (L), expanding the variety of tokenized products (E), promoting application scenarios and cross-border cooperation (A), and developing talent and partnerships (P).He revealed that there are currently over 10 licensed trading platforms in Hong Kong, and the Monetary Authority has issued the first two stablecoin issuer licenses this month. The SAR government issued the third batch of tokenized green bonds last year, which is the largest scale globally, and is actively formulating regulatory systems for digital asset trading service providers and custodial service providers.

According to Caixin, the one-month public consultation for the "Financial Law of the People's Republic of China (Draft)" ended today (April 19). This is the first overarching law in China and the world with "finance" in its name. The expansion of "quasi-judicial powers" for financial regulation is a topic of great concern in the market.According to Article 55 and related provisions, financial regulatory authorities have the right to access and copy property rights information, communication records, and transaction records of relevant entities and individuals when investigating financial violations. They can directly freeze or seal assets if there is evidence suggesting the transfer or concealment of illegal funds and securities. They can even decide that individuals suspected of violations cannot leave the country during the investigation.In addition, Zeng Gang, chief expert and director of the Shanghai Financial and Development Laboratory, believes that the "Financial Law" should also strengthen its focus and coverage on emerging financial formats. Topics such as AI-driven financial decision-making, the legal status of digital currencies, and the regulatory boundaries of crypto assets have sparked widespread controversy globally, but the draft addresses them very little. How to maintain a dynamic balance between lawful regulation and inclusive innovation is a problem left to be solved by legislation.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that a cryptocurrency company linked to "Russian gangs and intelligence agencies" is funding political opponents and influencing domestic cryptocurrency regulatory legislation.During a parliamentary vote on Friday, Tusk pointed out that some Polish politicians obstructing cryptocurrency regulatory legislation are serving the interests of a company named Zondacrypto, which is accused of providing "financial support" to political figures and has ties to Russia. Tusk further claimed that the company sponsored the CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) event held in Poland last year, during which former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem publicly supported President Karol Nawrocki's campaign. Tusk bluntly stated that the company's funding sources involve not only "money related to the Russian mafia (Bratva)" but may also be connected to Russian intelligence agencies.Meanwhile, President Nawrocki won the election in June last year, with support from former U.S. President Donald Trump. The president's office responded that it does not oppose cryptocurrency regulation itself but opposes the "flawed regulatory model" proposed by the government. This controversy arises amid the political tug-of-war in Poland over the cryptocurrency regulatory bill. The bill aims to align with the EU's MiCA (Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation) framework, but the president previously vetoed the related bill and blocked parliament from overturning the veto in December, hindering the regulatory process.

According to Decrypt, SEC Chairman Paul Atkins launched the first episode of the official podcast "Material Matters," collaborating with commissioners Hester Peirce and Mark Uyeda to publicly express a pro-innovation regulatory stance.Atkins stated that the U.S. should become the global destination for innovation and characterized the current situation as "a significant turning point for the U.S. market." Uyeda criticized the Gensler era SEC for deviating from its core responsibilities, while Peirce emphasized that regulation should be open to innovators.

According to Cointelegraph, the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has announced that it is seeking industry feedback on guidance for the future regulatory framework for crypto assets in the UK, aimed at facilitating the implementation of a comprehensive regulatory framework that will take effect on October 25, 2027.According to the announcement, this consultation will last until June 3, 2026, and aims to help businesses understand the impact of the new regulations on their operations, providing compliance guidance for key areas such as stablecoin issuance, crypto trading, custody, and staking.The FCA stated that it hopes to establish a "competitive and sustainable" crypto market, allowing compliant institutions to better serve UK users. The FCA also disclosed that the application process for relevant crypto business licenses is expected to open in September 2026 and continue until February 2027.All institutions providing crypto asset services will need to obtain authorization under the Financial Services and Markets Act (FSMA) in the future, and previous registration under anti-money laundering frameworks will not automatically exempt them. This guidance consultation is seen as an important step in the UK's gradual improvement of its crypto regulatory system, marking an accelerated transition from partial regulation to a comprehensive licensing system.

JPMorgan CFO Jeremy Barnum stated during the earnings call that if regulatory rules are not aligned with traditional bank deposits, stablecoins may evolve into a "regulatory arbitrage" tool. He pointed out that some stablecoin models already exhibit deposit-like characteristics, such as providing incentives similar to yields, but are not subject to banking regulatory requirements like capital, liquidity, and consumer protection, which could create an unfair competitive environment. "If the same products are not regulated equally, it will open up arbitrage opportunities," Barnum said.Currently, U.S. legislation is pushing for a cryptocurrency regulatory framework, including the Clarity Act, to clarify the regulatory division of labor between the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and to regulate the development of the stablecoin market. Additionally, whether to allow stablecoins to distribute reserve earnings to users has become a point of contention. Cryptocurrency companies, including Coinbase, support "interest-bearing stablecoins," while banks believe this would bring them closer to deposit products but lack corresponding regulatory constraints. JPMorgan expressed support for regulatory clarity but emphasized that "regulatory consistency" takes precedence over speed. At the same time, the bank is advancing product layouts, including JPM Coin and tokenized deposits, through its blockchain division Kinexys to modernize the payment system.

Mike Selig, chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), stated in an interview that the CFTC has "exclusive regulatory authority" over prediction markets, and states do not have the power to replace federal derivatives regulation with state laws. Mike Selig emphasized, "Whether the underlying involves sports, politics, or other areas, as long as the products are legally offered by CFTC-regulated trading platforms, they fall under our jurisdiction." This statement comes as the CFTC sues Arizona, Illinois, and Connecticut to consolidate its regulatory dominance over prediction markets.Selig stated that the CFTC is clarifying the regulatory details for prediction markets through a formal rule-making process and welcomes input from all sectors regarding the evaluation process. In addition to the prediction market disputes, Selig also mentioned the final draft of the digital asset classification guidelines jointly released by the CFTC and SEC last month, which delineates clear boundaries between tokenized securities and commodities. In the future, if companies wish to self-certify digital asset futures products, regulators can directly determine the nature of the tokens based on this classification framework, ensuring that the positions of the two agencies are aligned.

U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis stated that the United States should not continue to delay the legislative process of the CLARITY Act, or it may take nearly four years to push for improvements in the regulatory framework for the cryptocurrency industry again.She posted on social media platform X, saying, "This is our last chance to pass the CLARITY Act before at least 2030," and emphasized that "we cannot let the future of American finance be put at risk." The bill aims to provide a clearer regulatory structure for the cryptocurrency industry, clarifying the responsibilities of regulatory agencies to promote industry innovation and market development. With the U.S. midterm elections approaching, there are concerns that congressional priorities may shift, slowing down the legislative process.Former White House AI and cryptocurrency affairs head David Sacks also expressed support for advancing the bill as soon as possible, stating, "Now is the time for action," and anticipated that the relevant market structure legislation would ultimately be signed into law by the president. In the industry, several individuals, including Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, have recently called for an expedited legislative process, believing that clear rules will promote innovation and increase market participation. On the regulatory side, SEC Chairman Paul Atkins also expressed support for advancing comprehensive market structure legislation to avoid ongoing regulatory uncertainty affecting industry development.

According to the proposal, the regulatory authority over cross-border institutions that are systemically important will be transferred from the competent authorities of each member state to ESMA, covering large CASPs, trading venues, central counterparties, and central securities depositories. This is the most significant structural adjustment to the EU's crypto regulatory framework since the full implementation of the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) for CASPs at the end of 2024.Under the current MiCA framework, the national competent authorities act as the frontline regulators, while ESMA plays only a coordinating role.

According to the Hong Kong Wen Wei Po, the Vice President of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Chen Weimin, stated that the choice of which currency to issue for stablecoins primarily depends on the applicant's own decision. The issuance of a Hong Kong dollar stablecoin is the first step, and in the future, other currencies including the renminbi can be issued, which is permitted under Hong Kong's system, but the applicant also needs to obtain approval from mainland regulatory authorities.Regarding when the second batch of stablecoin issuer licenses will be issued, Chen Weimin indicated that there is currently no relevant timetable, but they have been in communication with applicants interested in applying for the license. It is reported that HSBC's stablecoin will be integrated into the PayMe and HSBC HK App applications and will support real-time transfers between individuals, as well as person-to-merchant (P2M) services.