An initiative to ban the U.S. Federal Reserve from issuing a government-run digital dollar has been approved in an overwhelmingly bipartisan 89-10 vote in the Senate, but it's tucked inside a housing bill that may run into headwinds in the U.S. House of Representatives. The effort to outlaw a central bank digital currency (CBDC) has long been a favorite of Republican lawmakers, though the U.S. government has never advanced beyond the research stage for establishing a government token that could compete with privately issued stablecoins (and rival other CBDCs pursued by China and other jurisdictions). "Financial privacy is a cornerstone of American freedom, and any decision to authorize a Central Bank Digital Currency must remain with Congress and the American people," said Digital Chamber CEO Cody Carbone in a statement. At particular issue is the Senate bill's forcing of large investors in U.S. housing, such as private equity firms, to sharply limit the number of homes they can own. Though Trump has supported the effort to make housing more widely available in the U.S., he recently stated that he won't sign any bills into law until Congress sends him legislation that would demand voters produce identification and proof of citizenship before they cast ballots in this year's consequential congressional midterm election. Prediction markets get tailored U.S. guidance from former foe CFTC The agency that once fought the events contracts platforms in court has now issued a new policy stance and is proposing permanent rules for oversight. Disclosure & Polices: CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is part of Bullish (NYSE:BLSH), an institutionally focused global digital asset platform that provides market infrastructure and information services.

An initiative to ban the U.S. Federal Reserve from issuing a government-run digital dollar has been approved in an overwhelmingly bipartisan 89-10 vote in the Senate, but it's tucked inside a housing bill that may run into headwinds in the U.S. House of Representatives. The effort to outlaw a central bank digital currency (CBDC) has long been a favorite of Republican lawmakers, though the U.S. government has never advanced beyond the research stage for establishing a government token that could compete with privately issued stablecoins (and rival other CBDCs pursued by China and other jurisdictions). "Financial privacy is a cornerstone of American freedom, and any decision to authorize a Central Bank Digital Currency must remain with Congress and the American people," said Digital Chamber CEO Cody Carbone in a statement. At particular issue is the Senate bill's forcing of large investors in U.S. housing, such as private equity firms, to sharply limit the number of homes they can own. Though Trump has supported the effort to make housing more widely available in the U.S., he recently stated that he won't sign any bills into law until Congress sends him legislation that would demand voters produce identification and proof of citizenship before they cast ballots in this year's consequential congressional midterm election. Prediction markets get tailored U.S. guidance from former foe CFTC The agency that once fought the events contracts platforms in court has now issued a new policy stance and is proposing permanent rules for oversight. Disclosure & Polices: CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is part of Bullish (NYSE:BLSH), an institutionally focused global digital asset platform that provides market infrastructure and information services.

Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. Oscar-nominated actor Terrence Howard declared Bitcoin is “going to die” on the PBD Podcast, while predicting silver will reach “thousands of dollars” as the gold-to-silver ratio collapses from 80:1 toward 13:1. Howard cited Bitcoin's continued dependence on fiat currency as a fatal flaw. “Bitcoin is still based on fiat,” Howard said, arguing that as the U.S. dollar weakens, any asset tethered to its value framework remains exposed. Bad Ads Live Forever — See How This AI Helps Fortune 1000 Brands Avoid Them This ETF issuer isn't chasing the index — it's building tools for income, leverage, and conviction Howard's framework positions dollar collapse leading to metals surge and crypto irrelevance. Howard is firmly in the precious metals camp with silver as his highest-conviction call. He sees the gold-to-silver ratio collapsing from roughly 80:1 toward 13:1, implying a potential multi-hundred percent move. Gold has broken records, and Howard argues it still belongs at $5,000 or higher after years of artificial suppression. He points to JPMorgan paying $920 million in fines for silver market manipulation as proof suppression is ending. China is hoarding silver while the COMEX sits near empty. This dollar collapse thesis drives his entire investment framework favoring precious metals over digital assets. Click here to see how it stacks up against the numbers most Americans are missing A break below the rising channel's lower boundary near $69,200 flips near-term structure bearish targeting $67,400. Read Next: This Lithium Breakthrough Is Turning Heads on Wall Street — See Why Investors Are Watching That's why many investors look to diversify with platforms that provide access to real estate, fixed-income opportunities, professional financial guidance, precious metals, and even self-directed retirement accounts. By spreading exposure across multiple asset classes, it becomes easier to manage risk, capture steady returns, and create long-term wealth that isn't tied to the fortunes of just one company or industry. Rad AI's award-winning artificial intelligence technology helps transform data chaos into actionable insights, enabling the creation of high-performing content with measurable ROI. Their Regulation A+ offering allows investors to participate at $0.85 per share with a minimum investment of $1,000, providing an opportunity to diversify portfolios into early-stage AI innovation. For investors seeking exposure to the rapidly growing AI and tech sector, Rad AI offers a chance to get in on the ground floor of a data-driven growth story. Instead, its ESS uses non-lithium, solid-state graphene battery technology designed for durability, safety, and long service life—positioning it as an alternative to fire-prone storage solutions that dominate today's market. Elf Labs is an IP-focused entertainment company built on a strategy that has powered giants like Disney and Marvel: ownership of globally recognized character IP. After more than a decade of rights acquisition, the company controls 500+ protected trademarks and copyrights tied to iconic characters including Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, and Peter Pan. This foundation has generated over $15 million in royalties, expanded licensing into 30+ countries, and supported development of 100+ product lines. With its Nasdaq ticker ($ELFS) reserved and valuation growth exceeding 1,600% in under two years, Elf Labs is now scaling distribution through patented production systems, global licensing, and streaming and mobile initiatives—offering investors exposure to a private entertainment company with a clear public-market trajectory. Focused on high-profile and affluent clients, Valley Wellness provides fully customized treatment plans outside the constraints of insurance, emphasizing long-term recovery, holistic wellness, and life-after-addiction strategies. Immersed is a private, pre-IPO technology company operating at the intersection of AI, spatial computing, and remote work. Best known for building the most widely used productivity app on the Meta Quest platform, Immersed enables professionals and teams to work full-time in shared virtual environments across macOS, Windows, and Linux. The company is expanding beyond software with its own productivity-focused XR headset and AI tools, supported by partnerships with major technology firms including Meta, Samsung, and Qualcomm. Backed by Jeff Bezos, Arrived Homes makes real estate investing accessible with a low barrier to entry. Through fractional ownership of museum-quality works by artists like Banksy, Basquiat, and Picasso, investors gain access without the high costs or complexities of owning art outright. With hundreds of offerings and strong historical exits on select works, Masterworks adds a scarce, globally traded asset to portfolios seeking long-term diversification. REX Shares designs specialized ETFs for investors who want more precision than traditional broad-market funds can offer. By targeting specific income objectives, volatility profiles, or market themes, these ETFs can be used alongside core holdings to introduce differentiated return drivers and reduce reliance on a single market outcome, while maintaining the liquidity and transparency of the ETF structure. Motley Fool Asset Management brings its long-standing "Foolish" investing philosophy into a lineup of passive ETFs designed around clear, rules-based investment styles. Built using decades of proprietary research from The Motley Fool, LLC, these factor-based ETFs focus on growth, value, and momentum strategies, selecting U.S. companies based on quality, risk, and long-term potential. For investors who want professionally vetted stock exposure without the demands of active trading, Motley Fool Asset Management offers a straightforward way to access expert-driven strategies through the simplicity and liquidity of an ETF. Rather than focusing on products or investment performance alone, the platform emphasizes strategies that account for after-tax income, withdrawal sequencing, and long-term tax efficiency—factors that can materially impact retirement outcomes. Free to use, Finance Advisors gives individuals with meaningful savings access to a level of planning sophistication historically reserved for high-net-worth households, helping reduce hidden tax risk and improve long-term financial confidence. Public is a multi-asset investing platform built for long-term investors who want more control, transparency, and innovation in how they grow wealth. Its latest feature, Generated Assets, uses AI to turn a single idea into a fully customized, investable index that can be explained and backtested before committing capital. Combined with AI-powered research tools, clear explanations of market moves, and an uncapped 1% match for transferring an existing portfolio, Public positions itself as a modern platform designed to help serious investors make more informed decisions with context. Money Pickle helps people connect with vetted fiduciary financial advisors—professionals who are legally obligated to act in their clients' best interests. With no upfront costs and no sales pressure, Money Pickle removes the friction and uncertainty from finding trustworthy advice, making personalized financial guidance accessible whether you're building wealth, preserving it, or planning for the future. The Atari Hotel Phoenix blends immersive gaming, live events, dining, and technology-driven experiences into a next-generation hospitality concept, backed by secured land, licensing, and development partners. As gaming and experiential travel continue to converge, this opportunity allows everyday investors to participate alongside developers in transforming a legendary brand into a real-world destination. Instead of spending hours researching advisors on your own, the platform asks a few quick questions and matches you with professionals who can assist with areas like retirement planning, investment strategy, and overall financial guidance. Consultations are no-obligation, and services vary by advisor, giving investors a chance to explore whether professional advice could help improve their long-term financial plan. EnergyX is a lithium extraction company focused on making production faster and more efficient with its LiTAS® technology, which can recover over 90% of lithium in just days instead of months. Its goal is to help meet the rapidly growing global demand for lithium, a key resource for electric vehicles, consumer electronics, and large-scale energy storage. This article 'Bitcoin Is Going To Die', Oscar-Nominated Actor Declares, But Silver Will Reach 'Thousands Of Dollars' originally appeared on Benzinga.com

Here's your quick hit of the week's biggest stories. Sigma360 has raised $17.3 million in an oversubscribed Series B funding round to expand its financial crime prevention and compliance platform. Sigma360 said it will use the funds to strengthen its risk intelligence datasets and deepen AI automation capabilities. The company provides an anti-financial crime platform that combines global risk data, proprietary intelligence, screening technology and AI automation in one system. said: “We've built the first full-stack platform that unifies risk data, intelligence, core technology, and AI - accelerating and strengthening decisioning across every level to help our clients manage risk, meet regulatory expectations and protect the integrity of the global financial system.” CRYPTO BILL: Talks on landmark crypto legislation, the CLARITY Act, have hit a new impasse after banks said they could not back a compromise pushed by the White House. The development has cast doubt on whether the bill will pass this year and sparked criticism from President Donald Trump, who accused lenders of trying to undermine it. Crypto companies have been operating in a regulatory gray area which executives say has stymied their businesses. The Clarity Act bill aims to create clear regulations that should help promote cryptocurrency adoption, say its supporters. BioCatch has launched DeviceIQ, a device intelligence tool to help banks detect fraud in digital banking sessions. The company said that DeviceIQ helps financial institutions assess whether devices used to access online banking can be trusted. The system identifies devices and checks their security status in real time. These include senior figures at the likes of Revolut and Stripe. Attendees will get key insights into the latest developments in fighting fraud and financial crime. They will also have an opportunity to network with high-profile regulators, policymakers and law enforcement figures. Further leading speakers, panellists and sponsor partners will be announced soon. SEED FUNDING: Orca Fraud has raised $2.35 million in an oversubscribed seed round to expand its real-time fraud intelligence platform across Africa and other emerging markets. Orca works with major banks, telecom operators and payment providers across Africa. FATF WARNING: Gaps in the oversight of offshore virtual asset service providers (oVASPs) enables large-scale fraud, money laundering and terrorism financing, a new report from the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) has warned. The report said that oVASPs have been used to convert illicit proceeds from scam compounds and provide financial support to terrorist groups. GDPR PROBLEMS: Finally, the EU's GDPR rules could create financial crime risks, a leading industry body has warned the bloc's Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA). ☝️ We have special offers for Individual and Corporate Members. Please reach out to James Treacy at jtreacy@amlintelligence.com for further information. Join the world's fastest-growing FinCrime community and become an AML Intelligence member. Keep an eye on our Homepage & socials for daily updates. AML Intelligence, Priory, Stillorgan Road, Woodland Blackrock, Co. Dublin, A94 X2H1, Ireland

Please be vigilant about TRM impersonation scams, especially those claiming to assist with fund recovery. See how leading agencies and organizations are disrupting crypto crime with blockchain intelligence My team owns and operates TRM's data platform, a self-service system that allows teams across the company to ingest raw blockchain and intelligence data. The platform transforms that data into reliable, queryable datasets at petabyte scale across dozens of blockchains — delivering the freshness, correctness, and performance investigators rely on to trace illicit funds and disrupt active laundering networks. The data platform now supports 55+ blockchains, enabling TRM's most complex risk exposure computations — graph traversals that trace flows of funds across addresses, entities, and chains, including cross-chain swaps. We onboarded 20+ new blockchains in 2025 alone, and onboarding a new chain is now largely self-service and measured in days, not quarters — allowing us to expand coverage quickly as the ecosystem evolves. On top of that foundation, we shipped 25+ new data products, including Universal Wallet Screening, Entity Screening, Portfolio Balance, Unlimited Custom Entities, and Risk Indicator Trends. These aren't small features — they're net-new experiences and APIs our customers use to block risky transactions in real time, monitor high-risk entities, and understand exposure across the full graph of crypto activity. An orchestration layer of 750+ Airflow DAGs coordinates millions of tasks every day to keep the platform's datasets fresh, reliable, and ready for investigator workflows. Under the hood, we launched our next-generation serving platform: a StarRocks + Iceberg lakehouse that allows us to run fast, cost-efficient analytics over petabyte-scale blockchain datasets stored in cloud object storage. The platform's serving layer now operates over more than 6 petabytes of blockchain intelligence data, yet backfilling large datasets still takes hours instead of days — dramatically accelerating how quickly we can launch new blockchains and data products. We also released high-throughput infrastructure that can handle Solana-scale write throughput (~90K TPS). We've begun deploying AI agents that assist with data quality monitoring, incident triage, and platform optimization — early steps toward an AI-native data platform where routine operational work can increasingly be automated. What's at stake is simple: if our systems fail to keep up with the scale and complexity of blockchain activity, investigators fall behind. We operate as an internal platform team with strong product sensibilities. Our work centers on deep platform-level infrastructure — distributed systems, data modeling, query optimization, and AI-native system design — while collaborating closely with product, data science, and go-to-market teams. One example I'm particularly proud of is the Next Gen Address Transfers migration. We moved one of our largest and most business-critical workloads onto StarRocks + Iceberg, eliminating significant legacy storage and operational complexity while maintaining effectively zero customer impact during the transition. You could spend the next chapter of your career optimizing ad auctions or feed ranking. Or you could help build a petabyte-scale data platform investigators rely on to trace illicit funds and disrupt money laundering, terrorism financing, and large-scale fraud on the blockchain. If you're a data engineer who wants to build an AI-powered data platform at petabyte scale — and you care that your work makes it harder for illicit actors to operate — this might be your next mission. Take a look at our open roles on the TRM careers page: https://www.trmlabs.com/careers. TRM Labs delivers blockchain intelligence to detect crypto-facilitated crime, ensuring compliance and safety worldwide

Dan Forest is launching a coalition designed to give blockchain, artificial intelligence, finance and energy companies a more unified voice in Raleigh and Washington. The group, called North Carolina Blockchain + AI Initiative, builds on work started in 2019 by Forest, who helped create a state blockchain task force. Forest is now expanding the mission to include artificial intelligence as regulators shape rules around emerging technologies. “North Carolina has the infrastructure, the talent, and now the unified industry voice to become a national leader in blockchain and AI,” Forest said in a statement. Some communities have imposed temporary moratoriums on new data centers to study the impact on electricity usage, water resources, and the environment, raising questions about how to balance innovation with local concerns. The group's priorities include supporting federal stablecoin legislation, reforming data center permitting and forming a bipartisan legislative working group to produce a comprehensive blockchain and AI policy framework. Dan Spuller, executive vice president of the Washington, D.C.-based Blockchain Association, will be chairman of the board, bringing federal policy experience to strengthen the coalition's influence. The board also includes intellectual property lawyer Lyle Gravatt; financial technology entrepreneur Eric Porper, national security and financial crimes specialist John Bridge; and media and technology entrepreneur Alej Navia. Patrick Riley, a former assistant to Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, coordinates the coalition's day-to-day work.

The new exchange-traded product, which will trade under the ETHB ticker, will pass on 82% of its staking rewards to investors through monthly payments—a schedule similar to how other funds pay dividends. “It's been around for almost two years and has $6.5 billion in assets. But based on outreach to clients, he said “the majority of Ethereum investors are interested in staking, so we believe that there will be some shift to ETHB.” “I also think there's going to be a significant shift from people who are just owning ETH directly into ETHB. For people who own it directly that were engaging in staking, they may not have seen existing ETP solutions as kind of apples to apples,” he said. “But now that ETHB will offer staking, then I think it's much more comparable to what they were expecting in owning ETH and staking it directly.” BlackRock has chosen Coinbase and Anchorage Digital as its custodians. In an amendment to the fund's prospectus filed on March 9, BlackRock disclosed that Coinbase will receive 10% of all staking rewards as a “base staking fee.” But if the fund reaches $20 billion in assets under management, then the fee will drop to 6% of rewards. So far, the fund has approved Figment Inc., Galaxy Blockchain Infrastructure LLC, and London-based Attestant Limited as validators, according to its prospectus. A recent SEC amendment said Coinbase will be responsible for the initial review of “Approved Validators” that facilitate ETH staking. BlackRock is also requiring validators to not “commingle or pool” its ETH with digital assets of any other person or entity and maintain a separate keypair that's only associated with ETH belonging to its fund. The firm said in an SEC filing that 94% of rewards earned pass through to investors in its Ethereum Mini Trust, and 77% of rewards pass through to ETHE investors. It's worth noting that ETHE carries a 2.5% management fee, which is several times higher than the 0.25% BlackRock will charge on ETHB once its introductory fee of 0.12% expires. Meanwhile, the Grayscale Mini Ethereum Trust charges a more competitive 0.15% fee. Both Grayscale and BlackRock were beaten to market by the REX-Osprey ETH + Staking ETF, which launched in September 2025 for U.S. investors. The fund charges a flat 0.75% management fee and passes on all staking rewards to investors—but the bulk of its assets are invested in other funds, with 13.7% sitting in Ethereum at the time of writing. The latest news, articles, and resources, sent to your inbox weekly.

Bitcoin Miners ‘Sitting on a Gold Mine' as AI Demand Ramps Up: VanEck VanEck's head of digital asset research, Matthew Sigel, said Bitcoin miners are uniquely positioned to benefit from a global scramble for electricity and computing power, arguing the sector has underappreciated upside as AI demand accelerates. Speaking on CNBC's Squawk Box, Sigel said miners have been “aggressively diversifying” their Bitcoin capacity to serve the AI market. “These miners were early to identify that they were sitting on a gold mine in terms of the cost of capital that they can earn by pivoting,” he said, noting that Bitcoin mining firms “still trade at a huge discount to other data center peers on a market cap to megawatt basis.” Sigel argued that Bitcoin mining firms are becoming more relevant to grid management because they can curtail power usage during peak demand. “It's a really useful load balancing tool,” he said, pointing to increased demand on the grid from reshoring, AI and even defense applications. The VanEck analyst's comments come as a growing number of Bitcoin mining firms are transitioning to AI compute. He added that selling from longer-term holders appears to have eased over the past month, after they locked in profits ahead of the four year cycle—something that he argued is “giving more stability.” Per CoinGecko data, Bitcoin is currently trading at around $70,120, up 0.9% on the day. The latest news, articles, and resources, sent to your inbox weekly.

Stablecoins and cryptocurrencies promise speed and innovation, but for most CFOs at middle-market firms in the United States, an evolving patchwork of regulations and operational risk are keeping digital assets firmly on the sidelines. Complete the form below for free, unlimited access to all our Data Studies, Trackers, and PYMNTS Intelligence reports. Please confirm your email to view all our Trackers. By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions. Yet despite this broad movement, the question for most middle-market companies now is not how to optimize a digital asset strategy but whether to engage at all. Stablecoins (digital tokens designed to maintain a stable value by being tied to a traditional currency, such as the U.S. dollar) are less volatile but come with drawbacks. Most middle-market firms aren't even thinking about using either asset anytime soon. Interest in using digital assets generally remained flat or even declined throughout 2025. Both promise faster money movement and new ways to transact. But both also raise hard questions about regulation, accounting, liquidity and risk. For finance leaders responsible for safeguarding cash flow and ensuring compliance, those questions seem to matter more than the technology itself. It draws on insights from a survey of 60 CFOs at U.S.-based middle-market companies with annual revenues between $100 million and $1 billion. Most middle-market firms have not even considered using digital assets, though adoption of stablecoins is further along than that of cryptocurrencies. Fifty-eight percent of CFOs say they haven't considered using stablecoins. Middle-market firms with higher revenues are more likely to use stablecoins and cryptocurrencies. Firms operating in environments with low levels of uncertainty about the business environment are most likely to use these digital assets.1 It would seem, by contrast, that high uncertainty proves to be a major barrier to adoption. Likewise, they're the least likely to have become less interested, at 16% and 23%, respectively. Clearly, though, even low uncertainty companies were more likely to have turned away from crypto than to have become more enthusiastic. The majority, 55%, became less interested in both stablecoins and digital wallets. Overall, firms were about equally likely to have increased or decreased their usage of stablecoins over the course of the year. However, they were nearly three times as likely to have pulled back on using crypto as to have increased their adoption. Half of all firms' enthusiasm remained unchanged, and 57% maintained their interest. Stablecoins appear more polarizing, whereas cryptocurrencies are generally decreasing in popularity. Twelve percent of CFOs said they had already accessed stablecoins through bank-integrated solutions. Meanwhile, just 8% did so through a payments or treasury FinTech, and 5% did so via self-custody wallets, not custodial wallets through banks or exchanges. Apparently, when companies do use digital assets, they want to do so within familiar rails that reduce treasury and compliance frictions. Concerns around rules and regulations are proving to be the biggest hurdle. Two in three middle-market firms say regulatory or compliance uncertainty is a key issue when it comes to using stablecoins for business payments or treasury. More than three in four say the same of cryptocurrencies. Beyond that, the obstacles are operational and commercial. Roughly four in 10 firms report concerns about integration with existing financial systems. So even when they are willing, firms cannot necessarily readily deploy these digital assets within their technology stacks and workflows. Without wider adoption among customers and suppliers, it remains difficult for businesses to fully embrace digital assets. This sector is also the most hesitant to integrate digital assets into its existing systems. Goods firms, understandably, are the most anxious about limited acceptance by suppliers and low customer demand. They also show the most distrust of digital assets, so they might not adopt them even if their customers and vendors were to increase their usage or demand. The implication is that when companies are on firmer ground, they feel more ready to embrace less-proven technologies. Firms that have adopted stablecoins tend to use them most for sending and receiving day-to-day payments. Half of firms use them to settle with payment or financial service providers. The same low share uses them for payments with crypto-native partners. Almost as strikingly, 88% of stablecoin payments received by firms were converted to USD right away. Clearly, firms do not want to retain their exposure for long. CFOs don't expect digital assets to become a mainstay anytime soon. Fewer than one in four expect stablecoins to become even somewhat important within the next three years, and just 10% said the same of cryptocurrencies. Firms in services and those with higher revenues and lower levels of uncertainty anticipate the highest levels of importance. Even among these subsections, though, fewer than one in three expect either currency to become at least somewhat important. That said, a significant share—nearly one in four—of low uncertainty firms expect stablecoins to become very or extremely important. One takeaway is that digital assets can become relevant only when operating conditions are controlled enough to support experimentation and integration. Where CFOs do see a path toward making digital assets more important involves greater institutional support and regulatory certainty. Nearly half (45%) say integrations with major banks would make stablecoins a more meaningful part of banking flows. Four in 10 say the same of regulatory clarity and compliance certainty. The issue is thus about trust, not efficiency or cost. Stablecoin's scalability depends first on controllable rails and clear rules. On the other hand, CFOs are more doubtful about crypto's ability to gain ground, even with more institutional support and regulatory clarity. Nearly two in three (63%) say nothing would positively influence their company's approach to crypto. By contrast, just 45% said the same of stablecoins. Overall, finance executives are signaling a clear preference for regulated stability. PYMNTS Intelligence is the leading provider of information on the consumer trends driving innovation in consumer finance, digital payments and financial inclusion. “Waiting for Certainty: Why Most CFOs Are Holding Back on Crypto and Stablecoins,” the latest installment of the 2026 Certainty Project, is based on a survey of 60 CFOs conducted from Jan. 13, 2026, to Jan. 21, 2026. The survey polled executives at U.S.-based companies with annual revenues between $100 million and $1 billion. This multilingual team has conducted original data collection and analysis in more than three dozen global markets for some of the world's leading publicly traded and privately held firms. We are interested in your feedback on this report. If you have questions or comments, or if you would like to subscribe to this report, please email us at feedback@pymnts.com.

Industry groups have criticized the UK's proposed stablecoin holding limits, arguing they would signal that the UK is hostile to crypto and stifle innovation. Bank of England Deputy Governor Sarah Breeden told UK lawmakers that the central bank is open to alternative ways to manage stablecoin risks other than imposing holding limits. Speaking before the House of Lords Financial Services Regulation Committee on Wednesday, Breeden said the proposed holding limits are designed to prevent a mass migration of deposits from banks into stablecoins, arguing it could curtail lending and reduce credit availability for businesses and households. “We proposed holding limits as a way of managing that risk. We are open to feedback on other ways of achieving it. Industry groups have criticized the proposed limits, floated at between 10,000 and 20,000 British pounds ($13,368 to $26,733), arguing it would signal that the UK is hostile to crypto and drive businesses offshore, while stifling innovation and undermining economic growth. Last November, the Bank of England released a consultation paper outlining its proposed regulatory framework for sterling-denominated systemic stablecoins, inviting public feedback through Feb. 10. However, Breeden ruled out self-custody wallets holding stablecoins, telling lawmakers that users holding stablecoins in self-custody wallets outside regulated entities such as exchanges won't be covered by the UK's regulatory regime. The Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates the UK financial services industry, has established a regulatory sandbox that will allow several firms to test stablecoin products and services in Q1 2026. Related: Stablecoin inflows rebound to $1.7B as Washington battles over yield rules Even though the Bank of England is still consulting and finalizing rules for sterling stablecoins, companies can start applying to launch their coins before the end of 2026. “I hear some say that the UK is behind. We'll be welcoming applications from stablecoin issuers by the end of this year,” Breeden said. Cointelegraph is committed to providing independent, high-quality journalism across the crypto, blockchain, AI, and fintech industries. These arrangements help maintain an accessible platform and do not result in additional costs to readers. All partners are reviewed prior to entering any paid partnership. All partners are reviewed prior to entering any paid partnership. All partners are reviewed prior to entering any paid partnership.

XRP is currently consolidating after several volatile trading sessions triggered by geopolitical tensions surrounding the Iran conflict, which briefly shook risk markets and pushed cryptocurrencies into sharp intraday swings. While price action across the crypto sector remains sensitive to macro developments, recent data suggests that parts of the altcoin market may be beginning to stabilize. A report from CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost indicates that, despite the uncertainty that has weighed on digital assets in recent weeks, altcoins are starting to display early signals of resilience. In this environment, capital tends to concentrate in a limited number of assets, making careful asset selection increasingly important for investors navigating the current market cycle. Rising Withdrawals and ETF Demand Signal Selective Interest Darkfost also points to several signals suggesting that XRP is attracting renewed attention despite the broader market uncertainty. According to the data, the number of XRP withdrawals has increased sharply on several occasions in recent days, including a surge of more than 14,000 transactions recorded on March 6. This type of activity often indicates that some investors are moving assets away from exchanges and into private wallets. In market terms, such behavior can signal accumulation, as participants withdraw tokens they intend to hold rather than keep available for immediate trading. The trend is unfolding alongside growing institutional interest in XRP-related investment products. XRP exchange-traded funds have reportedly accumulated more than $1.4 billion in total inflows, highlighting sustained demand despite the challenging macroeconomic environment affecting digital assets. Reports suggest that Goldman Sachs currently holds more than 83 million XRP, illustrating how certain large financial players are beginning to monitor or gain exposure to the asset. If these dynamics persist, XRP could continue attracting a share of the limited liquidity circulating within the altcoin market, where capital increasingly concentrates in a small group of assets. XRP continues to trade near the $1.35–$1.40 region following an extended corrective phase that has defined its market structure since late 2025. XRP trades below its major moving averages, including the 50-period and 100-period trends, which now slope downward and act as dynamic resistance zones. Price action over the past several weeks suggests a consolidation phase forming between roughly $1.25 and $1.45. This range has emerged after the February capitulation wick that briefly drove XRP to its cycle low. Since then, volatility has compressed as buyers and sellers search for equilibrium. CUSIP Database provided by FactSet Research Systems Inc. All rights reserved. SEC fillings and other documents provided by Quartr.© 2026 TradingView, Inc.

We have today published an open letter to social media and video‑sharing platforms operating in the UK, calling on them to strengthen age assurance measures so young children can't access services that are not designed for them. The open letter sets out our expectations that platforms with a minimum age must move beyond relying on children to self-declare their ages, which they can easily bypass. Instead, platforms should make use of the viable technology that is now readily available to enforce their own minimum ages and prevent these children from accessing their services. This call to action forms part of the next phase of our Children's code strategy, which has already made significant progress in improving children's privacy standards across social media and video-sharing platforms, but we want companies to go further on age assurance. We recently fined Reddit £14.47 million and MediaLab (owner of Imgur) £247,590 for failing to implement age‑assurance measures and for processing children's personal information unlawfully in a way that potentially exposed children to inappropriate, harmful content. In December 2025, we requested information from Meta about the processing of children's data on Instagram's recommender systems. We continue to work closely with Ofcom, which enforces the Online Safety Act. Both regulators will publish an updated joint statement in March 2026, which outlines the main areas of interaction between online safety and data protection as they relate to age assurance. We also supports Ofcom's call today for platforms to enforce minimum ages and make sure their algorithms are configured to prevent children from encountering harmful content. All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0, except where otherwise stated.