Retail crypto access will initially cover Bitcoin, Ether, Litecoin and Cardano through participating cooperative banks. DZ Bank, one of Germany’s largest banking groups by assets, secured a license under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), clearing a key regulatory hurdle to operate crypto services within the jurisdiction. DZ Bank announced Wednesday that it had received approval from Germany’s Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) to operate its crypto platform, “meinKrypto,” which is designed to provide crypto trading infrastructure to banks within Germany’s cooperative banking network. The platform will be made available to participating local banks in the coming months. Under the model, DZ Bank will act as the central operator of the platform, while individual cooperative banks will determine whether to offer the crypto services to their retail customers. Each participating bank must file a separate MiCA notification with BaFin before enabling crypto trading. Read ...
The Bank of Italy modeled the extreme scenario of Ether going to zero to show how market risk in Ethereum’s native token could turn into infrastructure and financial stability risks. The Bank of Italy modeled what would happen to Ethereum’s security and settlement capacity if the price of Ether fell to zero, treating the network as critical financial infrastructure rather than just a speculative crypto asset. In a new research paper titled “What if Ether Goes to Zero? How Market Risk Becomes Infrastructure Risk in Crypto,” Bank of Italy economist Claudia Biancotti examined how an extreme price shock in Ether (ETH) could affect Ethereum‑based financial services that rely on the network for transaction processing and settlement. Biancotti focused on the link between validators’ economic incentives and the stability of the underlying blockchain used by stablecoins and other tokenized assets. Read more
Bank of America will enable advisers across Merrill and its private bank to recommend four spot Bitcoin ETFs, expanding beyond client-led access. Bank of America is making crypto a more routine part of its US wealth business, allowing advisers across Merrill, the Bank of America Private Bank and Merrill Edge to proactively recommend spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds. Bank of America’s chief investment office (CIO) has approved four US-listed spot Bitcoin funds for coverage: Bitwise Bitcoin ETF (BITB), Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC), Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust (BTC) and BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT). These four ETFs are among the largest and most liquid spot Bitcoin (BTC) products on the market, which makes them easier for the bank to underwrite from an operational and regulatory risk perspective than smaller, more complex or leveraged vehicles. Read more
Cross‑party MPs and members of the House of Lords have urged UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves to rein in the Bank of England’s proposed regime for systemic stablecoins. A cross-party group of members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords in the United Kingdom, including former Defense Secretary Sir Gavin Williamson, shadow Science and Tech (AI) Minister Viscount Camrose and the former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s chief whip, Lord Hart, have urged Chancellor Rachel Reeves to intervene over the Bank of England’s proposed regime for systemic stablecoins. In a joint open letter to the chancellor on Thursday, they warned that the Bank of England’s proposals for regulating stablecoins could drive innovation and capital offshore. The parliamentarians said the plans risk turning the UK into a “global outlier” by barring most wholesale use of stablecoins outside the Digital Securities Sandbox, prohibiting interest on reserves and imposing what they call “impractical and anti-innovation” holding caps that could pus...
Bank of America’s wealthiest clients will gain access to Bitcoin ETFs, while its network of over 15,000 wealth advisers can recommend crypto exposure for the first time, Yahoo reported. More big-name financial institutions are opening the door to Bitcoin exposure, signaling a growing institutional appetite for regulated digital asset products. Bank of America, the second-largest US bank, reportedly recommended a 1%–4% cryptocurrency allocation to its wealth management clients through the Merrill, Bank of America Private Bank and Merrill Edge platforms, according to a statement shared with Yahoo Finance on Tuesday. “For investors with a strong interest in thematic innovation and comfort with elevated volatility, a modest allocation of 1% to 4% in digital assets could be appropriate,” said Chris Hyzy, chief investment officer at Bank of America Private Bank, in the statement shared with Yahoo. Read more
The UK’s top bank says it will roll out stablecoin rules “just as quickly as the US” amid concerns that it's lagging behind global allies. Bank of England Deputy Governor Sarah Breeden expects the government to keep pace with the US in stablecoin regulation, stating that it is “really important” for the allies to be synchronized on rules governing the $310 billion industry. Speaking at the SALT conference in London on Wednesday, Breeden reportedly said the UK will implement a stablecoin regulatory framework “just as quickly as the US” — rebuffing fears that it is falling behind, particularly after the US passed the landmark GENIUS Act in July. Breeden confirmed that UK regulators are speaking with US authorities as the Bank of England prepares to publish its stablecoin consultation paper on Nov. 10. Read more
The Bank of France’s governor called for crypto oversight to be given to the European Securities and Markets Authority, and for tightening MiCA’s rules on stablecoin issuance. The Bank of France called on the EU to give its markets regulator direct supervision over major crypto firms, warning that fragmented oversight could threaten the bloc’s financial sovereignty. Speaking at the ACPR-AMF Fintech Forum in Paris on Thursday, Bank of France Governor François Villeroy de Galhau said the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) should be given the mandate to directly oversee crypto-asset issuers under the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework. “I also advocate, along with the president of the AMF, for European supervision of crypto-asset issuers, carried out by ESMA,” he said, adding that it may guarantee the consistent application of rules and reduce risks. Read more