Europe | News

The Iran war puts pressure on Europe to define its position at the edge of a new world order – a particularly delicate spot for Germany

The European Central Bank warns in a new working paper that as stablecoin adoption grows, deposits may leave banks, affecting lending and monetary policy transmission. The European Central Bank said increasing stablecoin use may pull money out of bank deposits and weaken the way monetary policy flows through to lending, according to a new ECB working paper. Growing adoption of stablecoins, which are digital assets often pegged to currencies such as the US dollar or euro, is expected to draw funds away from traditional bank deposits, the ECB said in its latest working paper series, “Stablecoins and Monetary Policy Transmission,” released Tuesday. “Our analysis shows that rising interest in stablecoins is linked to a measurable decline in retail bank deposits and a reduction in lending to firms,” ECB staff said, adding that stablecoins can reduce the amount of credit banks provide to the real economy. Read more

President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that France would increase the number of its nuclear warheads and cooperate with eight European countries to help protect the continent as the clock ticks on his presidency. His speech at France’s Ile Longue nuclear submarine base came after US and Israeli attacks against Iran in a campaign that risks destabilising the Middle East. Macron updated France’s nuclear doctrine as Russia’s war against Ukraine grinds into a fifth year and Nato allies worry about Washington’s wavering commitment to Europe. “We must strengthen our nuclear deterrent in the face of multiple threats, and we must consider our deterrence strategy deep within the European continent, with full respect for our sovereignty,” Macron said. He announced “the gradual implementation of what I would call advanced deterrence”. Macron announced a series of concrete measures in a bid to bolster Europe’s security as France’s allies are concerned that a possible win by the eurosceptic far-right National Rally part...

Five straight weeks of net redemptions from crypto investment products are enough to raise the alarm, as they point to a choice that keeps getting made, with the same logic, on the same cadence, by the same kinds of committees. CoinShares' Feb. 23 weekly report showed digital asset investment products saw $288 million in outflows […] The post Europe buys the dip as US funds keep bleeding – who is buying Bitcoin right now? appeared first on CryptoSlate.

On Wednesday, in the square in front of the Palace of Europe in Strasbourg, Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset, Moldova’s Permanent Representative Daniela Cujbă, whose country currently chairs the Committee of Ministers, and Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe Mykola Tochytskyi held a commemorative ceremony marking the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.

21Shares debuts the Strategy Yield ETP on Euronext Amsterdam on Thursday, giving Europe regulated access to Strategy’s preferred stock, which is heavily backed by Bitcoin. Crypto exchange-traded product (ETP) provider 21Shares has launched an investment product giving European investors access to a preferred stock issued by Michael Saylor’s Strategy, the world’s largest public holder of Bitcoin. The asset manager will list its 21Shares Strategy Yield ETP under the ticker “STRC NA” on Euronext Amsterdam on Thursday, the company said Wednesday. The ETP is available to institutional and retail investors, offering a dividend backed by Strategy’s Bitcoin (BTC) treasury, which currently holds 717,722 BTC, valued at around $47 billion. With dividends set at a variable 11.25% annualized rate, the ETP represents one of the earliest structured, BTC-backed corporate securities available to European investors. Read more

Two regulators converged on the same market from opposite directions in February 2026. The European Securities and Markets Authority warned that derivatives marketed as “perpetual futures” or “perpetual contracts” tied to Bitcoin and Ethereum likely fall within the scope of contracts-for-difference regulations, regardless of what firms call them. Days earlier, US Commodity Futures Trading Commission […] The post Crypto traders are chasing 10x leverage in the US while Europe tightens the screws behind the scenes appeared first on CryptoSlate.

The Technion claimed the top spot in Europe for AI research according to CSRankings, placing 21st globally, and has fueled a surge of successful commercial tech spinoffs.

The Technion claimed the top spot in Europe for AI research according to CSRankings, placing 21st globally, and has fueled a surge of successful commercial tech spinoffs.

Minister of Defense of the Netherlands Ruben Brekelmans stressed that Russia’s imperial ambitions do not stop in Ukraine but extend further, threatening Europe.

ECB president Christine Lagarde is a crypto skeptic, but her likely successors are no more enthusiastic about cryptocurrencies. European Central Bank (ECB) president Christine Lagarde is stepping down sometime before the French presidential election next year. Under her leadership, the ECB has consulted on the Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) legislation that defined the crypto landscape in the European Union. The preeminent European bank also began work on the digital euro — the next iteration of the Eurozone’s currency. But there is still work to be done on crypto policy in Europe. MiCA does not, in its current form, regulate decentralized finance (DeFi), and policymakers at the ECB are still deliberating over the digital euro’s final details. Read more

The Dutch electronic money issuer will act as a BIN sponsor for fintech partners, linking regulated dollar- and euro-denominated tokens to mainstream card rails. Dutch payments company Quantoz Payments has become a principal member of Visa, enabling it to issue virtual debit cards backed by its regulated e-money tokens and sponsor third-party fintechs seeking to offer stablecoin-linked payment products across Europe. Under the agreement, Quantoz will be able to issue Visa-branded virtual cards tied to balances held in its USDQ, EURQ and EURD e-money tokens, allowing users to spend those funds online, in stores and through mobile wallets. The company will also act as a BIN sponsor, enabling fintech partners to embed card issuance directly into their platforms. Read more

According to Western intelligence officials, recruiters and propagandists who previously worked for the Russian private military company Wagner Group have become a key tool for the Kremlin in organizing acts of sabotage across Europe.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha informed IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi during a meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference about Russia's attacks on Ukraine's energy system, which pose risks to nuclear safety across Europe.

The move strengthens institutional support for 21Shares’ multibillion dollar digital asset investment platform and broadens its regulated staking capabilities. BitGo Holdings and 21Shares said Thursday they have expanded their existing partnership to include custody and staking services supporting 21Shares’ crypto exchange-traded products (ETPs) for investors in the United States and Europe. Under the agreement, BitGo will deliver qualified custody, trading and execution services and integrated staking infrastructure for 21Shares’ US exchange-traded funds and global ETPs. The arrangement also provides 21Shares with access to liquidity across electronic and over-the-counter markets, according to the announcement. BitGo said the services will be delivered through its regulated entities in the US and Europe, including its federally chartered trust bank approved by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and its MiCA-licensed operations authorized by Germany’s Federal Financial Supervisory Authority. ...

ISLAMABAD - The delegation of the European Union, team Europe in Pakistan and the Embassy of Ukraine on Wednesday strongly condemned Russia’s continued aggression against Ukraine and reiterated their unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

DNA reveals that the Bell Beaker culture, which expanded through Europe at the end of the Stone Age, originated in a unique mix of hunter-gatherers and steppe migrants from the Low Countries

Ukraine is beginning to export its own defense technologies to Europe. In 2026, ten export centers will be operational, and production of Ukrainian drones will start in Germany in mid-February.

While war continues in Europe, restrictions against Russia and Belarus for violating the Olympic Charter should remain in place.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is convinced that Europe should not passively observe the unpredictable actions of the US administration led by Donald Trump, but should instead focus on strengthening its own sovereignty, independence, and defense capacity.