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Bank of America warns that the AI investment boom is showing signs of classic capital cycle risks, manifested in a surge in spending, intensified competition, and falling prices.The capital expenditure expectations of hyperscale cloud vendors have jumped from $330 billion to $1 trillion, roughly equivalent to 3% of the U.S. GDP. Meanwhile, since the summer, the prices of AI tokens have dropped by about 50%, and the increase in usage may not translate into sufficient revenue. The key risk is that AI technology may succeed, but investors could be harmed by over-investment and declining returns.

According to Jinshi Data, Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda stated that Japan's core inflation is close to 2%, marking a policy shift, and the central bank's policy has entered a new phase where inflation cannot be allowed to rise further. Due to core inflation being close to 2% and the financial environment remaining accommodative, the Bank of Japan will continue to raise interest rates and adjust its monetary easing policy. The central bank will discuss whether to adjust the assessment of "core inflation close to 2%" at the upcoming meeting.Kazuo Ueda mentioned that the situation in the Middle East, demand for artificial intelligence, and exchange rates will influence the timing of interest rate hikes. The central bank has been monitoring the impact of the weakening yen and the Middle East situation on inflation. He also stated that it is difficult to make a clear statement about Japan's neutral interest rate, and the stability of 2% inflation is becoming increasingly important. The central bank will focus on consolidating the 2% inflation target. Additionally, Ueda noted that the main takeaway from this week's meeting (including the G20) was the communication with other policymakers regarding the impact of the Middle East conflict and demand for artificial intelligence on the global and Japanese economy, and there was nothing heard that deviated from the Bank of Japan's fundamental views. He exchanged opinions with Federal Reserve Chairman Waller but will not disclose specific details; since the meeting in Asheville, he has not contacted U.S. Treasury Secretary Yellen.

According to the official announcement from Mitsubishi UFJ Trust Bank, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust Bank, in collaboration with Mitsubishi UFJ Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Mizuho Bank, and TISI, completed an empirical experiment on the joint issuance of yen stablecoins and optimization of cross-border payments from July 17 to 23, 2026.This experiment was supported by the Financial Services Agency's "Fintech Empirical Experiment Hub - Payment Enhancement Project," verifying the feasibility of a multi-bank joint issuance stablecoin model and exploring the application potential of blockchain technology in international remittances and inter-company payments. The results of the experiment showed that the issuance and circulation of stablecoins are operationally feasible, providing important references for the future social implementation of digital payment services and blockchain financial assets.

Singapore Gulf Bank (SGB) announced that personal customers can conduct two-way exchanges between USD and USDT, USDC through the mobile banking app, without the need to transfer funds to a cryptocurrency exchange.Customers can hold USDT, USDC, and other fiat currencies in the same bank account, and the service supports 24-hour exchanges from Monday to Friday. Singapore Gulf Bank was initiated by the Singapore Huangpu Group.

According to Cointelegraph, the Swedish central bank (Riksbank) recently submitted a proposal to the parliamentary finance committee, urging lawmakers to initiate legislative preparations for a potential central bank digital currency—Digital Krona.

On October 12, the Central Bank of Russia clarified in its updated guidelines that individuals are not allowed to withdraw cryptocurrency from regulated digital accounts to self-custodied wallets. The Central Bank stated that this restriction is based on Article 31(9) of the new Russian cryptocurrency market law (Federal Law No. 282-FZ), which will take effect on September 1, 2026. Digital accounts are statutory accounts used to record crypto assets, and digital custodians are registered institutions that register and transfer these assets and provide access to wallet addresses.This restriction applies to the withdrawal of funds under the regulated custodial system in Russia. For withdrawals from ordinary investment accounts, the rules cover resident individuals and do not provide exemptions for qualified investors. According to Article 31, individuals who pass the required tests and receive risk disclosures can transfer cryptocurrency to wallets managed by legally authorized foreign custodians, which is different from withdrawing to personal wallets outside of institutional custody. The law also sets exceptions for foreign trade settlements and mining.The Central Bank also stated that transfers between individuals using addresses managed by digital custodians are not allowed, including transfers generated from transactions between individuals. The aforementioned provisions belong to the general cryptocurrency market law and are not rules applicable only to participants in experimental projects. The Central Bank indicated that direct peer-to-peer transactions between individuals are only permitted until July 1, 2027, when Article 30(1) will take effect; thereafter, residents who are not authorized as intermediaries in the cryptocurrency market must complete transactions through or with the participation of authorized intermediaries, with optional channels including licensed brokers and operators of cryptocurrency exchanges listed in the Central Bank of Russia's registry.

The Swedish central bank (Riksbank) has suggested that lawmakers prepare relevant legislation for the potential launch of a digital krona, citing reasons including the European Central Bank (ECB) advancing the digital euro and the increasing use of foreign currency stablecoins.In a letter, the bank stated that the ECB plans to conduct a pilot for the digital euro in 2027 and may launch it to the public in 2029. The Swedish central bank pointed out that if the payment system lacks a digital version of the national currency, its competitiveness may be affected. The bank believes that foreign currency stablecoins, such as those pegged to the US dollar, are widely used for payments within Sweden, which may put pressure on the use of the Swedish krona, but short-term risks are limited. The Swedish central bank estimates that the launch of a digital krona will take at least five years, not including the time required for legislative changes.

According to Cointelegraph, the Central Bank of Russia stated in updated regulatory guidelines that arrangements for individuals to conduct peer-to-peer transactions in crypto assets will continue until July 1, 2027. After that, related transactions must be completed through authorized intermediaries. The Central Bank of Russia also clarified that individuals are not allowed to transfer crypto assets from digital accounts to self-custody wallets.Russia is expanding its regulated crypto market, with the country's largest bank, Sberbank, having been authorized to provide crypto asset trading services, having previously been approved to become a digital asset custodian. The new crypto asset regulatory rules in Russia took effect on September 1, bringing trading operators and custodians under the supervision of the Central Bank of Russia; the country still prohibits the use of cryptocurrencies for payment of goods and services. Jan3 CEO Samson Mow stated that P2P transactions are more resilient to regulatory crackdowns than centralized platforms.

The Central Bank of Russia has included Russia's largest bank, Sberbank, in the registry of institutions authorized to trade digital currencies, allowing it to buy and sell cryptocurrencies in its own name and with its own funds. Six days ago, Sberbank was listed among digital custodians.Sberbank plans to launch its first cryptocurrency products on December 1 through SberBank Online, SberInvestments, and SberBusiness, initially supporting Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDT issued by Tether. The specific launch time depends on the decisions of the Central Bank of Russia and the preparation of supporting regulations. According to relevant laws, retail investors can trade up to 300,000 rubles per year through a single intermediary and must pass a knowledge test; using cryptocurrencies to pay for goods within Russia remains illegal.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) released a report on de-banking on Wednesday, pointing out that some banks had established "public and non-public policies" to restrict services to multiple industries, including oil and gas, tobacco, firearms, and digital assets. This report was issued based on an executive order signed by President Trump in August 2025, aimed at preventing what it calls "illegal de-banking" practices.The OCC stated that many institutions also imposed restrictions on digital asset businesses, involving issuers, exchanges, or management agencies, often citing financial crime considerations as justification. However, this 47-page report did not provide specific de-banking cases related to digital asset activities. The OCC noted that based on a review of nine large banks, it "could not fully quantify the overall scale of de-banking or alleged de-banking activities," with the agency's head, Jonathan Gould, primarily discussing claims of de-banking related to coal and firearms.Gould stated that these decisions were not based on financial risk; banks cited concerns about negative news, public protests, and the potential reputational consequences of supporting related industries. In November 2024, more than 30 executives from the technology and cryptocurrency industries claimed they were denied banking services, informally referring to it as "Operation Chokepoint 2." Trump's executive order in 2025 came after industry-related calls, following allegations that the Biden administration might influence financial institutions to cut off certain services to cryptocurrency companies.

According to a report by The Block, Standard Chartered Bank has postponed its prediction for the stablecoin market to reach a scale of $2 trillion from 2028 to 2030. Geoffrey Kendrick, the bank's global head of digital asset research, stated that the $2 trillion scale estimate remains unchanged, but he believes the market will need an additional two years to reach it. Over the past 12 months, the supply of stablecoins has remained in the range of $300 billion to $320 billion, currently around $309 billion. Kendrick believes this slowdown is cyclical rather than structural, as it occurs during a period of weak activity in the cryptocurrency market.Kendrick pointed out that despite the stagnation in supply growth, the use and trading activity of stablecoins continue to rise. The on-chain original transfer amount set a monthly record of $19 trillion in May, with an average monthly scale of nearly $10 trillion this year, higher than the $4 trillion expected in 2025.The monthly average circulation velocity, which measures the number of times each dollar of stablecoin is transferred, has doubled this year to about 30 times, compared to 15 times in 2025, with USDT maintaining around 7 times, while USDC has increased from 45 times to about 80 times. Kendrick stated that the differences stem from different uses, with USDT primarily used for dollar savings in emerging markets, while USDC is more used for payments, financial transactions, and early payments between AI agents.Kendrick expects that competition in stablecoin payments and trading in developed markets will be the most intense, with potential challengers including Open USD, stablecoin infrastructure provider M^0, and the A+ network, which plans to allow banks to issue shared stablecoins and retain reserve earnings.

According to The Defiant, the European Banking Authority has recognized the US dollar stablecoin USDC as the EU's first "significant" electronic money token. Under the arrangement, the financial regulatory responsibilities for USDC will be transferred to the European Banking Authority on November 12.Meanwhile, the French Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority will continue to be responsible for the governance and other corporate affairs of USDC.

According to The Block, Bank of New York Mellon (BNY) and Citadel Securities completed a triparty repurchase agreement using tokenized U.S. Treasury bonds. Citadel Securities purchased a 2-year U.S. Treasury bond through Tradeweb via Bank of New York Mellon, which recorded the tokenized version of the bond on its private digital ledger and completed the settlement in minutes, rather than the traditional T+1.Subsequently, Citadel used the tokenized Treasury bond as collateral for overnight triparty repurchase financing from Bank of New York Mellon. Bank of New York Mellon stated that this is the first use of tokenized assets on a major triparty repurchase platform.Carolyn Weinberg, the bank's head of innovation and market transformation, stated that using the tokenized representation of U.S. Treasury bonds for both settlement and financing helps create a more connected, efficient, and round-the-clock financial system. The bank also plans to enhance its capabilities for digital cash and tokenized deposits for institutional settlement and financing, with plans to extend the operating hours of the relevant settlement platform to European and Asian trading sessions next year.

Deutsche Bank data shows that active fund managers are skeptical about the rise in U.S. stocks due to high U.S. Treasury yields, the Iran war, and persistent inflation, leading to stock positions dropping to historic lows.At the same time, quantitative funds continue to buy stocks due to rising stock indices and decreasing volatility. Deutsche Bank strategist Parag Thatte stated that the divergence between the two sides is nearing its limit, and a concession from one side is expected soon.

According to CoinDesk, the consortium Qivalis, supported by 37 major European banks, announced that the Dutch Central Bank (DNB) has granted it an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) license, bringing it closer to issuing Euro-denominated electronic money tokens (EMT). The Amsterdam-based company still needs to meet the remaining requirements of the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), including publishing a white paper, in order to issue the token in the coming months.This license enables Qivalis to provide a blockchain-based method for transferring Euros for banks and payment institutions. Qivalis plans to distribute its tokens through banks, cryptocurrency exchanges, and payment service providers, rather than directly to consumers. Since its establishment in September 2025, the consortium has expanded to 37 European banks, including BBVA, BNP Paribas, ING, and DZ Bank, and has chosen Fireblocks to provide digital asset infrastructure.According to MiCA regulations, EMTs are classified as stablecoins, but not all stablecoins are EMTs. EMTs are pegged to a single fiat currency and must be issued by authorized credit institutions or electronic money institutions, with holders having legal claims to them and the right to redeem them at face value at any time, and EMTs cannot pay interest.Qivalis CEO Jan-Oliver Sell stated that the currency in Europe should be carried on-chain by European rules, and Europe should have Euro-denominated on-chain settlement assets issued under European law and subject to European regulatory standards.

AI Economic Settlement Agreement AEON announced the addition of local bank transfer payments in Chile, allowing users to enter amounts in Chilean Pesos (CLP) and complete payments using cryptocurrency assets. AEON is responsible for asset conversion and settling with merchants through local banks. This integration further expands AEON's local settlement network in Latin America, enabling AI Agents to make real-world purchases using familiar banking payment systems in the future, providing broader real purchasing power for the AI economy. AEON is currently operational in several Latin American countries, including Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, and Colombia.

According to the Financial Times, Kraken will acquire Saldo Bank, which is regulated by the European Union, with the transaction expected to be completed in 2027.

According to Bloomberg, the only Renminbi clearing bank in Hong Kong, Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited, plans to issue interbank certificates of deposit in the mainland market, with the quota already registered with the People's Bank of China. A statement released by Bank of China Hong Kong on Tuesday indicated that the company plans to issue up to 22.2 billion Renminbi (approximately 3.3 billion US dollars) in interbank certificates of deposit this year.Interbank certificates of deposit are short-term debt instruments with a maturity of one year or less, commonly used by domestic banks to raise funds from peers. Bloomberg stated that this move is another step by Chinese authorities to strengthen Hong Kong as a hub for Renminbi business.