European | Crypto

Speaking on Cointelegraph’s Chain Reaction, Christian Trummer said MiCA has increased trust in regulated platforms and called for stricter enforcement against noncompliant firms. European crypto users are placing more trust in regulated platforms following the implementation of the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets framework (MiCA), according to Christian Trummer, co-CEO of Austria-based crypto exchange Bitpanda. Speaking on Cointelegraph’s Chain Reaction, Trummer said most users have “more faith” in regulated market participants and trust those platforms following the rollout of MiCA.   He contrasted that with what he described as a “Crypto Twitter” bubble focused on self-custody, saying most users prefer regulated providers rather than managing their own private keys.   Read more

AllUnity is launching USDAU, its fourth fiat-backed stablecoin, expanding a MiCA-regulated lineup that already covers the euro, Swiss franc and Swedish krona. AllUnity is launching a new stablecoin pegged to the US dollar, expanding its digital asset lineup as dollar-pegged tokens continue to dominate the global stablecoin market. The new token, USDAU, will maintain a 1:1 peg to the US dollar through segregated reserves and debut on Ethereum, Solana, Base, Tempo, Arc and Polygon, AllUnity said in a Wednesday announcement shared with Cointelegraph. AllUnity, regulated under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA), already issues euro-backed EURAU, Swiss franc-backed CHFAU and Swedish krona-backed SEKAU stablecoins. CoinGecko measures EURAU’s market capitalization at roughly $400,000 and CHFAU’s at about $45 million. Read more

Bitpanda will provide crypto infrastructure to Raiffeisen network banks, potentially extending digital asset access to about 18 million customers. Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI), an Austrian banking group with operations across Central and Eastern Europe, is expanding its cryptocurrency push through a group-wide partnership with Bitpanda. Bitpanda Enterprise will provide the digital asset infrastructure that RBI’s network banks can use to introduce crypto services, potentially reaching about 18 million customers, according to a joint announcement on Wednesday. Individual banks will determine their offerings and rollout based on local market and regulatory requirements, the companies said. RBI CEO Michael Höllerer said the bank is seeing growing demand for crypto assets across its markets and is addressing it with Bitpanda. Read more

21shares listed physically backed ZEC and ETHFI products on Euronext Paris and Amsterdam, as issuers broaden their offerings beyond major cryptocurrencies. European asset manager 21shares has launched the region’s first exchange-traded product tied to Zcash, extending the privacy coin’s reach into regulated markets following its strong performance over the past year. On Tuesday, 21shares listed its physically backed Zcash ETP on Euronext Paris and Amsterdam, allowing investors to gain exposure to ZEC through brokerage accounts without holding the cryptocurrency directly. The asset manager also introduced an ETP tracking ETHFI, the governance and utility token of Ether.fi, a decentralized finance protocol that offers staking and other crypto-based financial services. The ETHFI product is physically backed and trades on Euronext Paris and Amsterdam. Read more

The Bridge-issued EURR token will support multiple blockchains and external wallets, with wider EEA availability expected this year. [Update Aug. 26, 2026, 8:57 UTC: Added comments from a Revolut spokesperson.] Revolut has begun rolling out its first stablecoin, a euro-pegged token called EURR, to selected customers in Denmark, Poland and Portugal.  In an announcement shared with Cointelegraph on Wednesday, the company said that the phased rollout will expand to other European Economic Area (EEA) markets later this year, subject to product, operational and regulatory readiness.  Read more

Many in Poland may look back at 2026 as the year European crypto finally grew up, and one of Poland’s brightest economic ambitions faded into darkness, writes Mateusz Kara, founder and CEO of Morphic Financial Group.

The completed tie-up combines Boerse Stuttgart Digital’s custody business with Tradias’ trading operations under a joint management team. Boerse Stuttgart Digital and institutional crypto trading firm Tradias have completed their merger after clearing the required ownership control procedure, creating a combined digital asset infrastructure unit with about 300 employees. The transaction was first announced in February, when the companies agreed to combine their regulated crypto businesses and expand their services for banks, brokers and other financial institutions across Europe. The merged business will operate under the Boerse Stuttgart Digital name, while Tradias will remain the brand for trading services, according to a Wednesday announcement. Read more

RL1 began operations as a member-owned blockchain cooperative backed by 10 European financial institutions, including ABN AMRO, DekaBank and Natixis CIB. Ten European financial institutions have launched Regulated Layer One (RL1), a jointly owned blockchain cooperative designed for regulated financial markets and tokenized assets.  On Tuesday, the group announced that RL1 had been established as a European Cooperative Society in Luxembourg and had begun operations with founding members including ABN AMRO, Cecabank, Chartered Investment, Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale, DekaBank, DZ BANK, LBBW, Natixis CIB, SC Ventures and Seturion.  RL1 said each member will have equal decision-making rights over the network’s governance and development. Read more

RL1 began operations as a member-owned blockchain cooperative backed by 10 European financial institutions, including ABN AMRO, DekaBank and Natixis CIB. Ten European financial institutions have launched Regulated Layer One (RL1), a jointly owned blockchain cooperative designed for regulated financial markets and tokenized assets.  On Tuesday, the group announced that RL1 had been established as a European Cooperative Society in Luxembourg and had begun operations with founding members including ABN AMRO, Cecabank, Chartered Investment, Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale, DekaBank, DZ BANK, LBBW, Natixis CIB, SC Ventures and Seturion.  RL1 said each member will have equal decision-making rights over the network’s governance and development. Read more

The European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) has triggered a fight among licensed crypto exchanges to capture users and deposits from platforms that may no longer be allowed to serve the bloc. The new regulation, which is set to take full effect on July 1, hardens the line between firms with bloc-wide authorization and those still […] The post European crypto users are being paid to move before MiCA closes the door appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Banks across Europe and South Korea will study whether regulated euro and won stablecoins can enable real-time cross-border foreign exchange settlement. Chainlink has joined a working group with European and South Korean banking organizations to explore the use of stablecoins for foreign exchange (FX) settlement, underscoring how blockchain technology is increasingly being tested to modernize legacy financial infrastructure. On Tuesday, Chainlink announced Project Pangea alongside South Korean digital asset infrastructure company FairSquareLab, the Unified Korea Alliance (UniKA) — a consortium that includes more than a dozen Korean commercial banks — and Qivalis, a euro stablecoin consortium backed by 37 European banks. Project Pangea aims to bring together financial institutions across Europe and South Korea to evaluate direct, atomic swaps of euro- and South Korean won-denominated stablecoins using Chainlink’s data infrastructure alongside FairSquareLab’s onchain foreign exchange settlement technology. Read...

A survey by Börse Stuttgart Digital shows that 35% of European investors would switch to banks with better crypto offerings, but regulatory uncertainty remains an issue. Cryptocurrency offerings are starting to influence how European investors are choosing their bank providers, but regulatory uncertainty continues to hinder mainstream adoption, according to a new survey. A Börse Stuttgart Digital survey released Tuesday found that 35% of European investors would consider switching banks if another institution offered better cryptocurrency investment options, suggesting crypto is starting to influence how some customers choose financial providers. Nearly one in five respondents said they expect their main bank to offer crypto access within the next three years, according to the survey, which covered about 6,000 investors in Germany, Italy, Spain and France. The findings suggest crypto is moving closer to the mainstream banking relationship, at least among investors already open to digital assets. Read more

A new study found that while European investors find crypto complex, they are increasingly willing to switch banks to find a trusted partner that offers secure and regulated digital asset services.

A 12-bank European consortium led by Qivalis is partnering with Fireblocks to develop a regulated euro stablecoin under MiCA, targeting launch in the second half of 2026. A consortium of 12 European banks led by Qivalis has selected digital asset custody provider Fireblocks to provide infrastructure for a Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA)-compliant euro stablecoin, according to a Tuesday release shared with Cointelegraph.  Qivalis’s stablecoin is intended to support institutional use cases such as settlement, treasury and tokenized assets. Fireblocks said it will provide tokenization technology, wallet infrastructure, custody, and other important tools and features to support compliance, such as identity verification and sanctions screening. Qivalis, launched in 2025, is a Netherlands-based venture backed by major banks including BBVA, BNP Paribas, ING and UniCredit, which plans to issue a fully regulated, 1:1-backed euro token structured as an electronic money institution under Dutch supervision. Th...

Only 4% of Danish citizens own crypto, far below other European countries, as banks, taxes and risk fears limit adoption, according to a new staff paper from the country's central bank. Only 4% of Danish citizens own cryptocurrencies, a figure that has remained unchanged since 2023 despite the global growth of the sector across Europe and other jurisdictions, according to a new staff paper from the country’s central bank published Wednesday. The Danmarks Nationalbank staff paper, based on a survey conducted by Epinion, revealed that among those who do hold crypto, most maintain relatively small positions. The majority reported holdings below 10,000 Danish kroner (around $1,570), with total national holdings estimated between $317 million and $847 million. The survey is based on responses from 3,013 citizens aged 15 and above. The data was gathered between October and November 2025 through Denmark’s Digital Post system, with options to respond online or by phone. The sample was weighted to reflect national dem...

Coinbase launched regulated crypto and equity index futures for Advanced users in 26 European countries as ESMA sharpens scrutiny of perpetual-style products. Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has launched new futures offerings in Europe, expanding its push to give users access to both crypto and traditional market exposure through regulated products. Coinbase said Monday the contracts are being rolled out to Coinbase Advanced users in 26 European countries, including Germany, France and the Netherlands, through its Markets in Financial Instruments Directive, or MiFID, entity. The new lineup includes crypto futures tied to assets such as Bitcoin (BTC) and Solana (SOL), along with an equity-index product called the Mag7 + Crypto Equity Index Futures. Coinbase said that contract combines exposure to the so-called Magnificent Seven stocks of Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Nvidia, Meta and Tesla, with crypto-linked equities and BlackRock iShares exchange-traded funds tied to BTC and Ether (ETH). Read more

Qivalis, a European banking consortium, is reportedly in talks with crypto exchanges ahead of a planned euro stablecoin launch in the second half of 2026. Qivalis, a consortium of major European banks, is in advanced talks with crypto exchanges and liquidity firms to distribute its planned euro-pegged stablecoin, Spanish business newspaper Cinco Días reported Monday. The group, including banks such as ING, UniCredit, and the recent addition of BBVA, is moving toward the launch of a stablecoin in the second half of 2026, Cinco Días reported. The consortium is now reportedly in advanced discussions with crypto exchanges, market makers and liquidity providers. The shareholder banks themselves will also be able to distribute the stablecoin. Read more

Boerse Stuttgart will merge its crypto arm with Tradias, creating a regulated European crypto unit providing services in trading, custody, staking and tokenized assets. Boerse Stuttgart Group, operator of one of Europe’s largest stock exchanges, said it will merge its cryptocurrency business with Frankfurt-based digital asset trading firm Tradias in a strategic move to expand its presence in institutional crypto markets. The transaction will consolidate about 300 employees under a joint management team from both companies, according to a Friday announcement. The combined unit aims to cover multiple digital asset services, including brokerage, trading, custody, staking and tokenized assets. It will serve banks, brokers and other financial institutions across Europe, providing fully regulated crypto infrastructure, the announcement said. Read more

The moves highlight growing uncertainty over whether crypto prediction markets are to be treated as finance or gambling. Update Jan. 20, 12:29 p.m. UTC: This article has been updated to include a paragraph on the details surrounding Portugal’s ban on Polymarket. Hungary and Portugal have taken steps to restrict access to the crypto-based prediction market Polymarket, adding to mounting regulatory pressure on the platform across Europe. Hungary’s regulatory authority, Szabályozott Tevékenységek Felügyeleti Hatósága, has temporarily blocked access to Polymarket’s domain and subdomains, citing the “forbidden organization of gambling activities.” According to an official notice released Friday, the restriction will remain in place until the authority completes its review. Read more

The euro finally has a substantial stablecoin market, and for once, it's not just a niche corner of DeFi. When MiCA’s stablecoin rules kicked in June 2024, they turned euro-pegged stablecoins into a regulated product category with paperwork, reserve rules, and an actual licensing lane. Under MiCA, stablecoins that reference a single fiat currency sit […] The post European crypto trading volume is soaring, but a hidden “venue gap” is silently killing your execution price appeared first on CryptoSlate.