On January 16, President Alexander Lukashenko signed Decree No. 19 establishing a legal framework for crypto banks. The measure defines these entities as joint-stock companies combining digital token operations with banking and payments and requires High-Tech Park residency and inclusion in a National Bank registry, according to BELTA.

Citron Research has publicly endorsed tokenization platform Securitize while accusing Coinbase of resisting a key US crypto market structure bill out of competitive concerns. Following Citron's comments, shares of Cantor Equity Partners II, the SPAC set to merge with Securitize in the first half of 2026, briefly surged around 10% as Coinbase stock fell nearly 4% on the same day.

Polymarket is under scrutiny over large bets tied to Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which critics say may blur the line between forecasting and market manipulation. One wallet reportedly turned a $30,000 position on Maduro's removal into more than $400,000, while other trades speculated on a US strike on Iran and Khamenei's potential loss of power. These activities have sparked debate about "information laundering" and prompted a proposed US bill to restrict officials from trading on prediction markets using non-public information.

In late December 2025, DZ Bank secured MiCAR approval from BaFin to operate the meinKrypto retail platform. The service connects 670 cooperative banks through the VR Banking App, enabling trading in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and Cardano.

Hong Kong Deputy Financial Secretary Huang Weilun said at a recent event the city will step up stablecoin oversight and expand gold storage capacity. Basel finalized bank crypto rules impose a 1250% risk weight on permissionless chain stablecoins from January 1, 2026. The plan includes reaching 2,000 tons of gold by 2026.

Interactive Brokers is introducing USDC deposits to let clients fund brokerage accounts at any time, positioning stablecoins as a faster settlement layer rather than a crypto pivot. The service allows traders, especially international users, to move capital outside banking hours, with Zerohash handling on-chain wallets, settlement, and conversion into U.S. dollars.

U.S. homebuilder Megatel Homes plans to introduce its MegPrime crypto rewards platform after receiving a no-action letter from the Securities and Exchange Commission. The program will use MP Tokens to reward renters and homeowners, including potential rent cashback toward future home purchases and mortgage rates below market averages.

Megatel Homes, a private homebuilder based in Dallas, has introduced a crypto payments and rewards token called MegPrime after receiving a no-action letter from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The token is positioned for everyday payments rather than as an investment, with users able to earn up to 20% back in rewards and, for renters, potentially apply up to $25,000 of past rent toward a future home purchase.