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According to Russian crypto media Bits.media, the Governor of the Central Bank of Russia, Nabiullina, stated at a press conference that the core purpose of the digital ruble is to automate the monitoring of national contract expenditures, replacing the existing manual review process.She emphasized that the digital ruble does not differ in transparency from the current cashless ruble, and monitoring individual payments is a "misunderstanding." Nabiullina also promised that the central bank would not force citizens to open digital ruble accounts or to use them, and plans to allow the public to experience it voluntarily starting in September, guiding voluntary adoption through promotional advantages. Previously, the Central Bank of Russia updated the relevant rules for businesses and individuals to open digital ruble accounts.

The European Central Bank (ECB) has signed agreements with European Card Payment Cooperation, Nexo Standards, and Berlin Group to reuse existing open payment standards for digital euro transactions, aiming to reduce the system access costs for banks, merchants, and payment service providers.The relevant standards cover contactless payments, connections between merchants and payment service providers, as well as alias payments based on mobile phone numbers. The European Central Bank stated that this move helps to reduce market adoption costs and promotes a unified digital euro user experience in the euro area. Previously, the European Central Bank analyzed that the digital euro could bring about 4 billion to 6 billion euros in costs to EU banks within 4 years.

The People's Bank of China and seven other departments jointly issued the "Management Measures for Online Marketing of Financial Products," which will be implemented starting September 30, 2026, to systematically regulate online marketing activities for financial products. The measures specify that only approved financial institutions and their self-operated platforms, as well as entrusted third-party internet platforms, may engage in online marketing of financial products, prohibiting the provision of online marketing services for illegal financial activities such as illegal fundraising, virtual currency issuance and trading, and illegal foreign exchange margin trading.The measures put forward detailed requirements regarding the authenticity of marketing content, risk disclosure, algorithm recommendations, pop-up advertisements, account naming, trademark usage, cooperation models, and the protection of data and personal information, and clarify the regulatory responsibilities and penalties for financial management departments, internet information, telecommunications, and market supervision departments.

India is promoting the application of the digital rupee through about 10 welfare pilot projects, distributing part of the approximately $80 billion in subsidies and food benefits via e-rupee to reduce fund leakage and corruption, and to provide a clearer use case for central bank digital currency.At the same time, the Reserve Bank of India is pushing for a cross-member CBDC interconnection plan to be proposed at the 2026 BRICS summit, aiming to enhance the efficiency of cross-border trade settlements and reduce reliance on the US dollar. Currently, there are about 10 million e-rupee users, with a cumulative transaction amount of approximately $3.6 billion, which is still significantly lower than the UPI system that processes about $300 billion in transactions monthly in India.

According to the Belarusian National News Agency BELTA, Alexander Yegorov, the First Deputy Chairman of the National Bank of Belarus, revealed at the "Digital Banking - 2026" conference that Belarus has signed Decree No. 19, officially establishing a regulatory framework for crypto banking.According to the relevant regulations, crypto banks will support 26 types of cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), TON (Toncoin), Solana (SOL), and various stablecoins; at the same time, they will open 11 types of operations, including crypto deposits, crypto loans, crypto staking, crypto collateral, crypto transfers, issuing their own tokens, and crypto storage and exchange, among others. Yegorov stated that the list of currencies and operations mentioned above is not yet closed and will continue to be updated and improved as investor demand and new ideas emerge.

Alexander Egorov, Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Belarus, stated that the country is advancing the construction of a "crypto bank" framework, planning to support about 26 types of crypto assets and 11 core business categories.According to relevant decrees, crypto banks can use mainstream cryptocurrencies and stablecoins, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Toncoin, and Solana. In terms of business scope, it covers a total of 11 operations, including crypto deposits, crypto loans, staking, staking mining, asset transfers, self-issuing tokens, trading exchanges, and custody.

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) released a report indicating that cryptocurrency exchanges are gradually providing bank-like services, such as lending and earn products, but lack the regulation and deposit protection found in traditional financial systems, posing systemic risks.The report states that these high-yield products are essentially closer to "unsecured loans," where user assets are often used by the platform for high-risk operations such as lending, trading, or market making, and users only hold a creditor position against the platform. If the platform encounters problems, users will be directly exposed to repayment risks. The BIS also noted that leading cryptocurrency platforms have evolved from single exchanges into "multi-functional intermediaries," integrating the functions of banks, brokerages, and exchanges, but lacking transparency and risk isolation mechanisms. The previous collapses of Celsius Network and FTX are typical cases of such structural risks. Additionally, the report mentioned that the flash crash in the cryptocurrency market in October 2025 triggered approximately $19 billion in forced liquidations, highlighting the chain reaction risks under high leverage and opaque structures.

Web3 travel platform Staynex announced that its native token $STAY will officially launch on KuCoin and LBank exchanges today at 20:00 (HKT). This is the first round of listings, and the platform claims it will also be listed on more mainstream exchanges in the future.According to official disclosures, the total supply of $STAY is 100 billion tokens, with an initial circulation of 3% at TGE, and the launch price is $0.00035 (corresponding to an FDV of $35 million). The project has no VC institutional investment, no private placement rounds, and the team tokens will have zero release during the TGE phase.In terms of token economics and application scenarios, $STAY is tied to real consumption scenarios on the platform, allowing holders to enjoy up to a 25% discount on travel passes, 15% staking rewards, and access to airport lounges based on their level. Additionally, Staynex plans to use 20% of the platform's total revenue to buy back $STAY and has set a long-term goal of burning 70% of the total supply.Public information shows that Staynex previously acquired the European Web3 travel platform Sleap and has established partnerships with Gate Travel, Coinbase, and others. It currently has over 40 ecological partners and nearly 200,000 users.

According to market news, SoftBank Group is seeking a $10 billion margin loan secured by its holdings in OpenAI, with a loan term of two years and an option to extend for another year. This move aims to provide financial support for SoftBank's continued investment in the artificial intelligence sector.

According to KOL AB Kuai.Dong (@_FORAB), FTX founder SBF is imprisoned for misappropriating about $16 billion of user assets, but the potential value of his investment portfolio has sparked widespread discussion.If FTX had not gone through bankruptcy liquidation, the estimated returns on its holdings are as follows: Anthropic approximately $82.3 billion (about 165 times), SpaceX approximately $15 billion (about 75 times), Robinhood approximately $4.9 billion (about 8 times), Genesis Digital Assets approximately $3.5 billion (about 3 times), and the AI programming tool Cursor approximately $3 billion (about 15,000 times, with an original investment of only $200,000 for a 5% stake). The total potential value of the above assets exceeds $100 billion.

According to The Block, B2B stablecoin technology provider Infinite has launched Infinite Accounts, offering banking account services for businesses that support deposits, withdrawals, ACH, domestic and international wire transfers, as well as stablecoin minting, burning, and on-chain transfers, all accessible through a single API.This service is supported by traditional banking infrastructure from Erebor Bank, which has recently received its license. Infinite states that the fiat currency balance in the accounts may be eligible for FDIC insurance, while the stablecoin balance is not. This move comes at a time when institutional adoption of stablecoins is continuing to heat up.

The State Duma of Russia (the lower house of parliament) has passed the "Digital Currency and Digital Rights Bill" in the first reading, marking a key step towards the legalization of cryptocurrency assets in the country.According to the bill, the Bank of Russia will become the core regulatory body for the cryptocurrency market, responsible for issuing licenses, approving or prohibiting related transactions, and defining the legality of transactions. The bill proposes to classify cryptocurrencies as "property," but explicitly prohibits their use as a means of payment domestically, with the ruble remaining the only legal tender. However, in the context of Western sanctions, cryptocurrency assets can be used for cross-border trade settlements, including service payments, intellectual property transfers, and other scenarios.In addition, the bill allows Russian residents to legally invest in cryptocurrency assets through licensed institutions, but will implement a tiered investor system, setting testing and annual investment limits for ordinary investors (with a suggested cap of 300,000 rubles). Initially, only high-market-cap mainstream assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum will be allowed for trading, with a whitelist established by the central bank. The bill is expected to be formally passed and come into effect by July 2026 at the latest. However, some lawmakers and banking industry figures have criticized the overly strict regulations, which may affect market activity and even lead to funds remaining in the gray market. At the same time, accompanying legislation is also proposed to introduce criminal penalties, with a maximum sentence of 7 years in prison for illegal cryptocurrency trading.

UK digital bank Revolut plans to seek a valuation of $150 billion to $200 billion in its upcoming IPO, a significant increase from its previous valuation of $75 billion. The company's CEO Nik Storonsky also revealed that Revolut is preparing for a new round of secondary share sales in the second half of 2026, with a valuation potentially exceeding $100 billion.Previously, Nik Storonsky stated that the company's listing would take at least another two years, possibly delaying until 2028, with no IPO plans in the short term. He pointed out that Revolut is currently focusing on expanding in the US market, including applying for a banking license to access the Federal Reserve's payment channels and expand its lending and credit card business. Meanwhile, the company has obtained a full banking license in the UK.

According to Jinshi reports, Federal Reserve Governor Waller stated that he does not believe the traditional gradual development approach operated by the Federal Reserve's regional banks can meet the demands of the current situation.

The custodian service provider Fireblocks will be responsible for the issuance and distribution of the euro stablecoin by the Qivalis consortium, which is expected to launch in the second half of 2026, regulated by the Dutch central bank and in compliance with the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCAR).Qivalis members include 12 European banks such as BBVA, BNP Paribas, ING, and UniCredit. Reports indicate that the current stablecoin market size is approximately $305 billion, of which about 99% are dollar stablecoins, and the euro stablecoin market size is around $650 million. Qivalis plans to enhance the application of euro stablecoins in institutional scenarios with compliant products.

According to The Block, the new governor of the Bank of Korea, Shin Hyun-song, delivered an inaugural speech promising to promote the development of central bank digital currency (CBDC) and deposit tokens, and will expand related applications through the "Han River Project" Phase Two, while participating in global collaborations such as Project Agora to strengthen the position of the Korean won in the global payment system.It is noteworthy that Shin Hyun-song did not mention the Korean won stablecoin in his speech, despite South Korean legislators actively advancing the "Digital Asset Basic Law" to establish a legal framework for stablecoins, with discussions expected to resume after the regional elections on June 3. Previously, during his tenure at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), Shin held a negative attitude towards stablecoins, believing that stablecoins could not replace currency, but it has been reported that his stance has changed, stating that the Korean won stablecoin should coexist with CBDC.

Lion Global Investors, an asset management company under Singapore's OCBC Bank, has launched a tokenized physical gold fund, with the underlying token GOLDX issued on Ethereum and Solana.This product is aimed at institutional investors, hedge funds, and asset management companies, supporting subscriptions and redemptions through stablecoins or fiat currency. GOLDX is linked to the physical gold fund launched by Lion Global, which is set to go live in December 2025, and currently manages assets of approximately $525 million.

ChainCatcher reported live that HashKey Group Chairman Xiao Feng shared a keynote speech titled "Innovation of Economic Models for Intelligent Agents—The Fusion Revolution of AI Tokens, Blockchain Tokens, and Fully Homomorphic Encryption" at this year's 2026 Hong Kong Web3 Carnival. He pointed out that the two major business characteristics of blockchain technology are trustlessness and permissionlessness, but public transparency leads to data exposure, making it difficult for compliant institutions like banks to directly go on-chain. With fully homomorphic encryption chips expected to be launched in the second half of this year, achieving performance of about 1000 transactions per second, privacy computing technology is about to reach commercial thresholds.He proposed that the fusion of AI Tokens, blockchain Tokens, zero-knowledge proofs, and fully homomorphic encryption technology is the ultimate form of the intelligent agent economy. He used hospitals as an example: medical data, after being fully homomorphically encrypted, becomes Tokens, and anyone can call the data for computation through the blockchain in a permissionless manner, but cannot access personal privacy information, thus turning hospitals into "Token factories." Individuals can also put their encrypted health check data on-chain, issuing demands to global insurance companies, which can calculate and provide personalized optimal insurance plans in an encrypted state using their actuarial models, eliminating the need for insurance brokers and intermediaries.He specifically corrected a common misunderstanding: AI Tokens are not the currency unit of the intelligent agent economy, but rather the means of production, encompassing everything from electricity, chip computing power, to large models, algorithms, and applications, depicting the production process of intelligent agents. The currency of the intelligent agent economy must be programmable, divisible, and capable of real-time settlement, because when AI Agents call APIs, they may only need a few cents each time, and the costs of existing banking payment systems cannot support such small payments. Digital currency is the "blood" of the intelligent agent economy, and a brand new financial service system designed for machines rather than humans will definitely emerge in the future.

Nik Storonsky, CEO of Europe's largest fintech company Revolut, recently stated in an interview with David Rubenstein that the company's IPO plan will take at least another two years, with the earliest listing expected in 2028. Before going public, the company will continue to provide liquidity to employees and early investors through secondary equity sales. It is reported that a new round of secondary transactions may start in 2026, with the company's latest valuation reaching $75 billion.Meanwhile, Revolut is actively expanding into the U.S. market and has completed its second application for a U.S. banking license. If approved, it will be able to directly access the Federal Reserve payment system and offer loans and credit card services to U.S. users.

According to The Block, Thom Tillis, a key negotiator for the U.S. Senate Banking Committee and a Republican senator from North Carolina, stated that the committee is unlikely to schedule a hearing to revise and vote on the cryptocurrency market structure bill within April.The main disagreement in the current legislation centers on how to handle rewards for stablecoins. The existing draft proposes to prohibit rewards for idle stablecoin accounts but allows earnings from trading activities; banking representatives are concerned that such earnings will attract deposits away from traditional banks, while cryptocurrency companies argue that limiting rewards will hinder innovation. Tillis suggested that the committee postpone the review until May.Previously, Senator Bernie Moreno warned that if the bill fails to pass before May, "digital asset legislation will not advance in the foreseeable future."