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Jack McDonald, Senior Vice President of Ripple Stablecoin, stated in an interview with CoinDesk that corporate treasuries represent a significant growth opportunity for the RLUSD stablecoin, with Ripple Treasury clients processing approximately $13 trillion in transactions annually. This business is built on Ripple's acquisition of financial management software provider GTreasury for $1 billion last year, providing Ripple with a vast customer pool of around 1,200 corporate treasurers and CFOs who transfer funds across borders, between subsidiaries, and domestically.McDonald pointed out that the circulating supply of RLUSD has increased by over 50% in the past month, reaching $2.4 billion, with about $1 billion on the XRP Ledger and $1.4 billion on Ethereum. However, he emphasized that he values the token's utility and daily activity more than its market capitalization, noting that RLUSD's daily active volume has more than doubled since the beginning of the year, rising from about $200 million last month to approximately $750 million. Payments and capital markets are currently the two main application areas, and Ripple has collaborated with institutions such as Franklin Templeton and DBS in tokenized money market funds and lending.In the European market, Ripple plans to introduce RLUSD locally through a dual issuance structure compliant with the EU MiCA framework and has already obtained regulatory authorization in Luxembourg.

According to Bloomberg, citing informed sources, Italy's second-largest bank, UniCredit, is considering expanding its digital asset services, including cryptocurrency custody. Headquartered in Milan, UniCredit is selecting technology providers to build the infrastructure needed to hold digital assets and support their buying and selling.The report states that tokenized investment products, fixed-income securities, the use of stablecoins, and exposure to cryptocurrencies are all under consideration. Meanwhile, other banks in Europe are also expanding their crypto services: Spain's BBVA has launched Bitcoin trading and custody for all customers through its app, and Santander's Openbank has also introduced trading services; Germany's Deutsche Bank is collaborating with Bitpanda's technology department to build a custody business.The EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) provides a legal definition, regulatory bodies, and a familiar obligation framework for banks to launch crypto services. Additionally, UniCredit is one of 37 banks from 15 European countries that are jointly creating a company called Qivalis, aimed at issuing a euro stablecoin. Last year, the bank also offered structured products linked to the BlackRock iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF to professional clients, providing full loss protection.

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) stated in its latest risk report that major prediction market platforms such as Polymarket and Kalshi have not obtained the necessary authorization to provide event contract services in the EU, and some platforms only restrict users from certain EU countries. ESMA questioned the effectiveness of their geographical restrictions and VPN blocking measures.ESMA pointed out that event contracts may be classified as financial instruments based on their specific structure, fall under the MiCA framework, or be regulated by member states' betting regulations. If classified as financial instruments, their marketing, distribution, and sale to retail investors are generally subject to existing binary options restrictions.

Gate Europe CEO Dr. Giovanni Cunti stated in a LinkedIn post that financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, with digital assets, stablecoins, and tokenized assets merging with traditional finance, reshaping the pathways for cross-border capital flow. The core of liquidity is no longer just depth and trading volume, but also the efficiency of capital circulation and the ability to access it instantly.He emphasized that future liquidity not only means more capital but also aims to make capital flow more easily and be accessed more efficiently, achieving better connections between different markets. Broad market access can break the fragmentation of liquidity and enhance the efficiency of capital operations. As stablecoins accelerate payment settlements and tokenization introduces new assets, the focus is on promoting seamless collaboration across all links.Relying on the compliance foundation of the MiCA and payment institution PI dual licensing system, Gate Europe has established highly regulated operational standards to enhance the confidence of institutions, enterprises, and investors with a clear regulatory framework. He pointed out that Europe is advancing digital asset innovation alongside regulatory compliance. Gate Europe stated that it will continue to empower this transformation and work with industry partners to shape the future together.

Spain's largest cryptocurrency exchange Bit2Me announced the establishment of an independent company Bit2Shield (registered name CryptoShield S.L) to assist courts, police, and financial institutions in tracking, seizing, storing, and selling cryptocurrency assets. This department will support investigators in extracting wallet data, locating cryptocurrency assets, and issuing digital signature forensic reports that can be used in court, while also being responsible for fraud investigations, source of funds verification, and providing training for police, judges, and banks.This move formalizes the work Bit2Me previously conducted for public institutions. In 2025, Bit2Me handled seized cryptocurrency assets worth 1.5 million euros (approximately 1.74 million dollars) for Interpol, Europol, and the Spanish police, using blockchain analysis company Chainalysis to track the assets. Bit2Shield will store seized assets in cold wallets that require multiple signatures and arrange for their sale when ordered by authorities, with proceeds transferred to government bank accounts in euros.Bit2Shield is part of Bit2Me's expansion from retail trading to banking and public institution infrastructure, with investors including Bankinter, Unicaja, Cecabank, Telefónica, and Tether. Since Bit2Shield focuses on investigations, forensics, and training, it is not considered a cryptocurrency service provider under the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA); any operations involving the exchange of cryptocurrency for euros will be handled by Bitcoinforme S.L., an entity authorized by the Spanish securities regulator MiCA under Bit2Me.

According to Bloomberg, citing informed sources, Binance announced in June plans to exit the European Union, and the market generally expected it to be forced out due to not obtaining a MiCA license. However, the July 1 deadline has passed, and Binance is still maintaining operations in the EU through various means.European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde personally intervened to push for Binance's application, which was not approved, and Binance has withdrawn its license application in Greece. Previously, users in six EU countries with local entities were asked to migrate away from the platform, and some users later regained trading access through "reverse solicitation" clauses. Binance has also routed some EU users' trades to its Abu Dhabi entity, which is under different regulations.Currently, the European Securities and Markets Authority has sent a letter requesting confirmation of its orderly exit progress. Binance stated that it is committed to achieving long-term compliant operations under the MiCA framework. Data shows that its global spot trading volume share exceeds 45%, with the euro-denominated trading share around 3% to 4%, which has not changed significantly from before.

The digital asset trading platform Gate announced that its users have surpassed 60 million. Gate's 24-hour spot trading volume ranks second globally, while its contract trading volume and overall trading strength have consistently ranked among the top three worldwide.Multiple entities under Gate have completed relevant regulatory registrations, license applications, or obtained authorizations and approvals in jurisdictions such as Malta, the Bahamas, Japan, Australia, and Dubai, among which Gate Europe has obtained the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) license and a Payment Institution (PI) license.As of August 19, 2026, Gate's total reserve size is $8.215 billion, with an overall reserve coverage ratio of 127%, covering nearly 500 types of user assets. The excess reserve ratio for BTC is 22.79%, and for ETH, it is 22.05%. The total user assets for USDT, USDC, USD1, and GUSD amount to $1.578 billion, with a comprehensive reserve ratio of 111.63%.

Gate Europe CEO Dr. Giovanni Cunti posted on LinkedIn that with the rapid proliferation of on-chain financial activities, the technological paradigm of blockchain is expanding from a singular digital asset to the underlying infrastructure of financial markets. In core scenarios such as clearing and settlement, process automation, and cross-market connectivity, blockchain can integrate transaction data into a unified shared ledger and endow it with programmable features, significantly reducing the connection costs between systems and redundant operational processes.Dr. Giovanni Cunti emphasized that the potential of blockchain is by no means limited to the assets themselves. As technology becomes deeply intertwined with the financial system, its empowerment in clearing, automation, and connectivity will drive the construction of a more efficient and closely-knit global financial ecosystem. In the face of investors' growing demand for diverse asset classes and cross-border allocations, financial infrastructure must possess stronger cross-market interoperability. Blockchain can achieve efficient collaboration among market participants and business processes by sharing data and logical code while being compatible with existing financial facilities.He also pointed out that Europe's increasingly clear regulatory framework for digital assets provides solid support for the integration of blockchain into the mainstream financial system. Relying on the MiCA and dual licensing system for payment institutions (PI), Gate Europe will continue to explore the pathways for blockchain to empower real financial activities, creating more compliant and inclusive digital asset services for the European market.

According to Cointelegraph, the cryptocurrency exchange MEXC has chosen Bybit EU, which has obtained MiCAR authorization, as the recommended alternative platform for Dutch users before exiting the Dutch market. MEXC is preparing to cease its related services in the Netherlands and guide local users to migrate to compliant exchanges.Bybit EU has obtained authorization under the EU Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCAR) to provide compliant services in the relevant jurisdictions. This move aims to help Dutch users continue to access trading services after MEXC's exit while complying with local regulatory requirements.

Morphic Financial Group founder and CEO Mateusz Kara wrote in CoinDesk that the MiCA transition period ended on July 1, and the Polish Ministry of Finance confirmed that existing virtual currency registrations no longer constitute a legal basis for VASP or CASP operations. Crypto services can only be provided by entities holding valid MiCA authorization. Poland previously had about 2,000 registered virtual asset service providers, but a domestic political deadlock prevented the establishment of a viable authorization pathway. Germany issued 57 licenses, France and the Netherlands each issued 26, while Greece, Hungary, Poland, and Romania collectively issued zero.Kara stated that Polish investors hold about 9.4 billion euros in digital assets, and the relocation of businesses will lead to the loss of compliance teams, capital, and investments, with rebuilding the ecosystem potentially taking years. The compliance costs for MiCA can reach up to 700,000 euros, and serious violations could face fines of several million euros, narrowing the space for small participants. However, he believes that MiCA will be beneficial for the European crypto industry in the long term, as accelerated consolidation will eliminate weak operators and create a safer market. The UK's FCA is also launching a similar system, but Poland may become a sales market for others rather than an active participant in European digital finance construction.

According to Gate Europe CEO Dr. Giovanni Cunti's latest LinkedIn post, the next phase of digital asset adoption may no longer focus on guiding users to crypto platforms, but rather on integrating digital asset capabilities into the financial services that users are already using. Through embedded finance, scenarios such as payments, commerce, and fund transfers can directly connect to digital asset infrastructure, allowing users to access digital asset-related services without changing their existing financial service usage.Dr. Giovanni Cunti also pointed out that this trend is reshaping the competitive logic of the digital asset industry. Liquidity and product capabilities will still be important foundations, but whether payment channels, asset custody, risk management, and compliance systems can achieve synergy in different markets and regulatory environments will become increasingly critical. Europe has significant advantages in this development process, as MiCA is gradually establishing a more unified regulatory framework for digital assets, and the continuous evolution of payment infrastructure is creating new opportunities for compliant digital asset companies to collaborate deeply with the traditional financial system.For Gate Europe, the integration of digital assets and payment systems is becoming an important direction for business development. Relying on the compliance foundation established by the dual licensing system of MiCA and payment institutions (PI), Gate Europe will further promote the connection between digital assets and payment services, as well as a broader financial ecosystem. As digital assets gradually integrate into daily financial activities, they are expected to evolve from independent financial products into a core component of a new generation of financial infrastructure that is more open, interconnected, and programmable.

According to Cointelegraph, the European Commission is assessing whether to include crypto lending (including DeFi vaults) in the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). The relevant targeted consultation was launched on May 20, 2026, with a feedback deadline of September 30. MiCA originally excluded crypto lending and completely decentralized activities, but Brussels is currently reviewing these gaps.EU digital asset lawyer Yuriy Brisov stated that there is no category of "vault" in EU law, and lawyers need to define by function rather than label. Vaults decentralize economic functions such as lending across smart contracts and multiple participants (such as owners, curators, distributors, and sentinels in Morpho Vault V2), making it difficult to correspond to a single regulated entity. Cahill partner Jonathan Galea cautioned against treating "DeFi lending" as a single label, as products with different structures may be subject to a one-size-fits-all approach. Curve founder Michael Egorov noted that if included in regulation, they should be treated differently, as DeFi does not require all the protections of traditional lending and may need different rules.

The Hungarian Parliament passed Bill XXXVIII of 2026, which abolishes legal provisions related to cryptocurrency asset conversion services, including the verification requirements that European exchanges must pass to operate legally in Hungary. The bill was voted on and passed on July 31 and came into effect on August 7.This abolition simultaneously cancels two charges related to cryptocurrency assets: unauthorized trading of high-value cryptocurrency assets can result in a maximum of 5 years in prison, and violating verification obligations when providing cryptocurrency exchange services can result in a maximum of 8 years in prison. The relevant provisions were criticized for overlapping with the EU MiCA framework.

According to Decrypt, the Irish government has released its first national anti-money laundering (AML) strategy, which plans to strengthen the review of digital asset transfers involving self-hosted wallets and increase due diligence requirements for crypto companies when cooperating with overseas institutions.According to the announcement from the Irish Department of Finance, this strategy implements the remaining requirements of the EU's Transfer of Funds Regulation, which will require crypto asset service providers (CASP) to perform "enhanced checks" on transfers involving private wallets, while implementing stricter customer due diligence when conducting business with overseas crypto companies.The related measures are based on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Travel Rule, which requires the inclusion of sender and receiver information in digital asset transactions to enhance the transparency of fund flows. Ireland stated that the new regulations will be advanced in parallel with the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA).MiCA establishes a unified regulatory framework for crypto asset service providers, while Ireland previously granted a 12-month transition period for its domestic crypto companies, which is shorter than the maximum 18 months allowed by the EU. The transition period is set to end at the end of December 2025, so the new requirements will directly apply to companies that have obtained formal authorization.

ChianCatcher news, Circle's Senior Director of Strategy and Policy for the EU, Patrick Hansen, pointed out in a tweet that among the approximately 23 authorized electronic money token (EMT) issuers in the EU, only 9 have been granted permission to provide crypto asset services (CASP). This means that only these 9 can offer custody and transfer services for the stablecoins they issue, while the remaining 14 can only mint or burn tokens directly to customer wallets and cannot hold or send stablecoins on behalf of customers. This greatly limits the range of services that issuers can provide.Hansen stated that Circle has obtained the necessary CASP approval through the MiCA Article 60 notification procedure to provide custody or payment services related to USDC and EURC for institutional clients. He expressed surprise that more EMT issuers have not taken this step. The 9 that can currently offer some crypto asset services include Circle, Société Générale - Forge, CACEIS Bank, Banking Circle, Bridge, Fiat Republic, Newrails, Blue EMI, and Stable Mint.

The Monaco government submitted Bill No. 1131 to the National Council, intending to replace Law No. 1.528 passed in 2022, and to align the regulatory framework for crypto assets more closely with the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards.The proposed regulation will clarify the crypto asset services that can be conducted in Monaco and enhance corporate governance, prudential safeguards, and professional conduct requirements. Service providers must obtain prior approval from the Commission de Contrôle des Activités Financières (CCAF), and the relevant licenses must also be jointly reviewed by the Autorité Monégasque de Sécurité Financière and the Agence Monégasque de Sécurité Numérique. The bill also expands the supervisory and enforcement powers of the CCAF. If approved by the National Council, Monaco will further develop supporting implementation rules; Monaco has been placed on the FATF grey list starting in the summer of 2024 and has been included in the European Commission's list of high-risk countries for money laundering.

According to the official announcement, Bitget has added 25 stock spot rTokens including rHPQ (HP), rRL (Ralph Lauren), rBAP (Credicorp), rCTSH (Cognizant), and rDOW (Dow Chemical), covering multiple sectors such as finance, consumer goods, and utilities. As of now, the Bitget platform supports a total of 660 US stock tokens.It is reported that the rTokens, identified by the letter r + stock code (for example, Nvidia is rNVDA), are issued by Reality, a licensed RWA protocol under Bitget, and are directly connected to global liquidity pools such as Nasdaq and NYSE through collaboration with the compliant brokerage Alpaca. Their features include: 1:1 reserves of underlying assets held by licensed custodians, stock dividends distributed in token form at a 1:1 ratio, support for corporate actions (such as stock splits and consolidations) being mapped in real-time, and positions can serve as joint collateral for unified accounts and U-based contracts, allowing users to flexibly manage funds while holding global stock assets.

According to Cointelegraph, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) updated the MiCA registration list this Wednesday, with the Slovenian electronic money institution Dinaro officially joining the list of electronic money token (EMT) issuers, becoming the first institution from Slovenia to enter this list. Dinaro is regulated by the Bank of Slovenia and provides payment services including issuing and acquiring, and holds principal membership with Mastercard.After this update, the total number of EMT registrations has reached 43, the asset-referenced token (ART) list remains empty, and the list of non-compliant entities remains unchanged at 167. In terms of crypto asset service provider (CASP) registrations, the Czech Partners Banka and Germany's Volksbank Beilstein-Ilsfeld-Abstatt have been added, bringing the total number of registrations to 325; the Czech company Altlift, which was added to the list in early July, has been removed.

The European Union (EU) has decided to review the current regulatory framework for crypto assets and stablecoins, even as the European Commission's Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union is still consulting on whether to review the MiCA-related stablecoin provisions. This review aims to address the issue of non-EU stablecoin issuers being unable to obtain licenses due to current requirements.The review will be influenced by the passage of the U.S. GENIUS Act and the Trump administration's push for stablecoin policies. The current framework does not include major foreign stablecoin issuers, including Tether, and Patrick Hansen, Senior Director of Stablecoin Strategy and Policy at Circle, stated that this leaves European crypto users unprotected or isolated. EU diplomats will also assess whether to expand the scope of MiCA to include tokenized payment methods and tokenized deposits. The transition period for MiCA, aimed at crypto asset service providers, ended on July 1, and the framework was approved by the EU Council on May 16, 2023, with some provisions based on market conditions from over three years ago.