On Monday, President Donald Trump said he would review a possible pardon for Samourai Wallet founder Keonne Rodriguez, who is scheduled to report to federal prison in four days after receiving a five-year sentence. Rodriguez and co-founder William Lonergan Hill, who was sentenced to four years, were convicted over a bitcoin wallet and mixing service that prosecutors said laundered millions in criminal proceeds. Rodriguez later responded on X, thanking Trump and supporters while comparing his case to what he described as a politically motivated crackdown by the Biden Justice Department.

Tokyo-based SBI Holdings is partnering with Startale Group to issue a yen-denominated stablecoin in Q2 2026. According to the companies, Shinsei Trust & Banking will oversee issuance and redemption, while SBI VC Trade will manage circulation. The firms say the stablecoin market exceeds $300 billion and remains concentrated in U.S. dollar assets.

Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority unveiled plans on Tuesday to bring cryptoasset firms under a dedicated regime. The consultation runs until February 12, with the framework expected to be finalized next year and applied from 2027. The FCA softened earlier positions, allowing platforms to list their own tokens and trade directly with clients, while proposing controls on market abuse and staking programs.

UK tax authority HMRC issued guidance stating that depositing cryptocurrency onto DeFi lending platforms will not trigger immediate capital gains tax. Taxable events will only occur upon actual disposal through selling or exchanging assets, according to Aave founder Stani Kulechov. The clarification provides certainty for users and institutions engaging with decentralized finance protocols.

Security researchers at Ledger have identified a permanent vulnerability in MediaTek's Dimensity 7300 chip affecting multiple Android devices, including the Solana Seeker. The flaw exists in the chip's boot ROM and cannot be fixed through software updates. Attackers could exploit the vulnerability through electromagnetic fault injection to gain complete device control, according to the research team.