regulation

According to FinanceFeeds, the Indian Parliament's Standing Committee on Finance has recommended that the government establish a temporary regulatory mechanism led by recognized Self-Regulatory Organizations (SROs) to oversee the domestic cryptocurrency and virtual digital asset market. The committee warned that the lack of a clear legal framework exposes millions of retail investors to operational, custodial, and fraud risks.The SRO will implement standardized codes of conduct under the direct supervision of the Reserve Bank of India or the Securities and Exchange Board of India, covering consumer protection, platform transparency, and token disclosure standards, and will be responsible for auditing exchange reserves, mandating the segregation of customer funds from corporate funds, and establishing user complaint handling channels. The committee emphasized that the temporary SRO must operate under strict oversight from the central bank or the securities regulator to address macroeconomic risks such as cross-border capital flows, dollarization of stablecoins, tax evasion, and violations of foreign exchange management laws.

The European Union has further tightened restrictions on cryptocurrency assets related to Belarus, prohibiting Belarusian citizens and residents from owning, controlling, or managing cryptocurrency service providers regulated by the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). According to the Council Decision (CFSP) 2026/1847 passed by the EU Council, this measure is an extension of the EU's sanctions framework against Belarus's involvement in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.The new regulations will officially take effect on July 24, with the expanded restrictions on the cryptocurrency industry set to be implemented from August 25. According to MiCA, the affected services include operating cryptocurrency trading platforms, cryptocurrency exchanges, executing and transmitting customer orders, cryptocurrency issuance services, asset transfer services, investment consulting, and portfolio management.This restriction comes as the MiCA transition period ends on July 1. The EU had previously required unauthorized cryptocurrency businesses to cease related operations, or face regulatory enforcement. The EU stated that this expansion of restrictions is part of its efforts to combat the use of cryptocurrency platforms to evade sanctions against Russia. Previously, in the 21st round of sanctions against Russia, the EU had expanded the trading ban to 14 cryptocurrency-related service platforms outside the EU and established a mechanism to prohibit future transactions with any foreign cryptocurrency service providers identified as helping Russia evade sanctions. Market participants noted that as the MiCA regulatory framework is fully implemented, the EU is further strengthening its regulatory control over the cryptocurrency industry through licensing systems and sanction mechanisms.

According to official social media news, Huobi HTX will hold a themed debate titled "The Life and Death of Privacy and Regulation: Will Privacy Coins Eventually Be Eliminated, or Will They Experience a Dark Explosion?" today at 8 PM. At that time, representatives from the affirmative side, including Yi Ge, Dog Treasure, Draco, and Qiang Ge, will engage in a heated exchange with representatives from the opposing side, DaDa, Sasaki Hoshino, Volcano Brother, and FomoDao, focusing on hot topics such as the future development of privacy coins, regulatory pressure, technological value, and market demand.

The South Korean Financial Services Commission stated that it will submit the government bill for the second phase of the "Basic Law on Digital Assets" as soon as possible, and will coordinate the release of guidelines for corporate cryptocurrency asset trading with the legislative process. At the same time, it plans to include digital asset custody under independent business regulation and holds a cautious attitude towards the mandatory separation of custody business from exchanges.In addition, South Korea will refer to the practices of the European Union to provide a more convenient access mechanism for traditional financial institutions applying for virtual asset service provider licenses. Regarding the market's concern about the separation of exchange custody business, the South Korean Financial Services Commission stated that there are currently few cases of mandatory separation overseas and prefers to prevent conflicts of interest through improved behavioral regulation rather than requiring exchanges to operate custody business independently.

According to Edaily, the South Korean government will hold a forum hosted by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choi Sang-mok to officially launch the legislative discussion on the "Basic Law on Digital Assets (Phase Two)," focusing on the regulation of stablecoins. This forum is the first stablecoin legislative forum organized and hosted by the government. The South Korean government and the ruling Democratic Party plan to push for the passage of the bill within this year.In the economic growth strategy announced on July 14, 2026, the authorities stated that they plan to advance the legislation of the "Basic Law on Digital Assets" in the second half of the year, segment the digital asset industry, establish a regulatory framework for business conduct, and lay a legal foundation for the regulation of stablecoins.

According to Bits.media, Anatoly Aksakov, chairman of the Financial Market Committee of the State Duma of Russia, stated that the cryptocurrency market regulation bill will undergo its second and third readings. Aksakov mentioned that the bill will "combat the illegal use of cryptocurrencies" while providing a legal framework for international settlements.According to the bill, non-professional investors must pass a special test to purchase cryptocurrencies, with an annual limit of 300,000 rubles, restricted to trading through licensed institutions, and can only buy the most liquid crypto assets. The bill was originally set to take effect on July 1 but has been postponed to September 1. The Duma's Financial Market Committee has previously rejected several amendments to ease restrictions, including increasing the purchase limit for non-professional investors and allowing the use of non-custodial wallets. If passed, the bill will also require approval from the Federation Council and the president's signature.

Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has signed an executive order to coordinate the regulation of virtual assets, strengthen cooperation among the country's financial, tax, and capital market institutions, and address the fragmentation of digital asset regulation. The executive order establishes a virtual asset committee composed of heads of Nigeria's main financial regulatory agencies, responsible for guiding relevant policies. The Nigerian tax authorities will update digital asset policies and provide more details on their impact on taxpayers.The President's Special Adviser Bayo Onanuga stated that the executive order does not establish new regulatory bodies nor transfer power between institutions; each agency retains its statutory responsibilities and independence, and registration requirements will be determined based on the nature of the activities and the assets involved. A report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in June indicated that since 2019, Nigeria has accounted for about 60% of the stablecoin inflows to sub-Saharan Africa; from July 2023 to June 2024, the country's cryptocurrency inflows are estimated to be around $59 billion.

The State Duma of Russia will conduct the second and third readings of the cryptocurrency regulation bill on Tuesday. The bill is titled "Digital Currency and Digital Rights," and it includes rules for investors and regulations related to cross-border payments.The bill proposes restrictions for non-qualified investors, including a limit of 300,000 rubles, approximately $3,800, for purchasing cryptocurrency through a single intermediary each year, and a limit of 100,000 rubles for transfers abroad. The purchase limit for qualified investors is set at 3 million rubles, with a limit of 1 million rubles for transfers abroad.If the bill is approved, Russia will establish a legal framework for cryptocurrency activities, covering rules for investors and cross-border trade operations. The main provisions of the bill are expected to take effect on September 1 and will allow companies supplying goods to Russia to use crypto assets.

According to South Korean media KBS, the Financial Services Commission of South Korea has announced the results of virtual asset market regulation. Since the implementation of the "Virtual Asset User Protection Act" two years ago, approximately 40 investigations into unfair virtual asset trading have been completed, and more than 30 cases have been reported or notified to judicial authorities, focusing on cracking down on market disorder behaviors such as short-term manipulation and "pump and dump."In the future, the ability to monitor the market will be further strengthened, and an AI-based virtual asset regulatory system will be established, including real-time market monitoring, second-level price manipulation analysis, and automatic identification of suspicious accounts and trading intervals.

U.S. Congressman Bryan Steil expressed optimism on Fox News that the CLARITY Act is expected to pass in the Senate next week, emphasizing that the U.S. needs to establish a regulatory gold standard in the digital asset space. Bryan Steil currently serves as the Chairman of the House Administration Committee and also chairs the Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology, and Inclusion within the Financial Services Committee.

The Clarity Act will establish clear federal rules for centralized platforms, brokers, dealers, and custodians used by consumers to buy, sell, and hold digital assets, covering registration, regulation, disclosure, custody, asset segregation, market integrity, conflicts of interest, fraud prevention, and bankruptcy matters.Since the collapse of FTX nearly four years ago, many consumers have been unable to confirm the location of their assets, whether their assets are separated from platform funds, and how their assets will be handled in the event of the company's failure. Regulatory agencies, bankruptcy courts, and law enforcement agencies have since addressed these issues.

According to Etoday, the Financial Services Commission of South Korea has announced a draft amendment to the "Special Law on Preventing Telecom Financial Fraud and Returning Victim Funds," planning to include funds from phone scams that are transferred to crypto assets within the scope of victim compensation, and to clarify the standards for the return and valuation of crypto assets. The relevant regulations are expected to officially take effect on October 1.According to the new regulations, if the frozen assets are cryptocurrencies, victims will generally be compensated based on the type and quantity of assets; if the defrauded assets differ in form from the frozen assets, compensation will be made in the form of assets that existed at the time the account was frozen. In cases where cash and crypto assets are mixed, the regulatory authorities will value the crypto assets based on the market price at the time of freezing to determine the final compensation amount.The Financial Services Commission of South Korea stated that clarifying the form of returned assets and the timing of valuation will help achieve faster and fairer compensation in complex cases involving mixed funds from multiple victims. It is reported that the public consultation for the draft amendment will continue until August 24.

According to Bitcoin News, the Czech Ministry of Finance officially listed the decentralized prediction market platform Polymarket on the "Unauthorized Online Gambling List" on July 13. The Czech gambling regulator requires internet service providers (ISPs) to complete access blocking for the platform within 15 days.The Czech regulator stated that Polymarket lacks necessary oversight, its operations essentially fall under gambling products, and due to its decentralized nature and unlicensed operation, it bypasses local gambling legal frameworks, posing risks such as market manipulation using insider information and lack of risk control. Recently, several European regulators have continued to tighten control over Polymarket, with Italy re-adding it to the ban list and the Netherlands also rejecting the platform's appeal.

According to the memorandum, on July 14, 2026, SEC Crypto Task Force staff held a meeting with representatives from Hyperliquid Policy Center, Highland Labs Pte. Ltd. (Hyperliquid Labs), XYZ Ltd., and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP to discuss in-depth topics such as the regulation of crypto assets and the technical architecture and market ecology of the Hyperliquid protocol.

According to the Korea Times, South Korea's financial regulatory authorities will hold a high-level meeting on Thursday to discuss the risks and countermeasures of single-stock leveraged ETFs. This meeting is expected to take place under the framework of the South Korean government's macroeconomic and financial issue coordination mechanism, the "F4 Meeting," with officials from the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Financial Services Commission, the Financial Supervisory Service, and the Bank of Korea in attendance.Recently, fluctuations in the South Korean stock market have intensified, and single-stock leveraged ETFs are receiving increasing attention from regulators and market participants. Various parties believe that these products have become a significant factor driving extreme stock price volatility.Informed officials stated that the regulatory authorities have been coordinating relevant plans internally in recent days, but the policy direction has not yet been finalized. Possible measures discussed in the market include raising margin requirements, limiting daily price fluctuations, and adjusting leverage ratios. However, regulatory officials believe that these measures may only provide temporary relief and are unlikely to fundamentally address the structural causes of market volatility.

According to a report by the Procuratorial Daily, researchers from the People's Procuratorate of Yuhu District, Xiangtan City, Hunan Province, and the Law School of Xiangtan University have jointly written an article proposing a systematic response plan to the regulatory dilemmas of money laundering crimes using virtual currency. The article points out that current judicial practice faces three major dilemmas: first, Article 191 of the Criminal Law limits money laundering crimes to seven types of upstream crimes, resulting in many cases being treated as "concealment crimes"; second, methods such as mixers, privacy coins, and cross-chain transfers lead to fragmented evidence chains, making traditional investigative methods difficult to penetrate; third, conflicts in the legal attributes of virtual currency, a vacuum in procedural rules, and barriers to cross-border cooperation make it difficult to recover assets.In response, the article suggests promoting "dual investigations for one case," establishing the principle of self-authentication of blockchain data, constructing a tiered standard of proof, and establishing a national-level custody and disposal platform for involved virtual currencies, while actively promoting the signing of special agreements for international criminal justice assistance in virtual currency crimes.