Key Insights
- Russia plans legal retail crypto access with clear limits for non-qualified investors and broader use in cross-border payments.
- Pakistan moves to integrate a regulated USD1 stablecoin into its digital payments system with central bank oversight.
- Europe and the US advance crypto regulation as banks gain approvals and lawmakers push market structure legislation.
Global crypto regulation news continued to develop as governments, banks, and regulators announced new steps affecting adoption, compliance, and market structure. Recent updates from Russia, Pakistan, Europe, and the United States show coordinated efforts to formalize crypto activity within regulated financial systems.
Russia Moves Toward Retail Crypto Access
The Russian parliament is working on a draft law that will give common citizens the legal right to purchase Bitcoin and other digital currencies.
As reported in a tweet by Crypto India, unqualified investors can invest a maximum of 300,000 rubles in digital currencies, while professional investors have no limit.
The plan is intended to enhance legal access while ensuring investment thresholds remain clearly defined.
Politicians are presenting this policy within the context of a comprehensive strategy for mainstreaming the use of cryptos.
Cross-border payments are also cited as a major application in the proposed policy structure.
This is in addition to the news about crypto regulation in other major economies that are readjusting their stance on digital assets.
Russia’s policy provides insight into how retail access can be methodically implemented.
Pakistan Integrates Stablecoins Into Payments
Another development in the world of crypto regulation news was reported in Pakistan in relation to an agreement signed by the country with a company linked to World Liberty Financial.
This agreement is based on the integration of the USD1 stablecoin with regulated digital payments.
The project will be done in collaboration with the State Bank of Pakistan. The stablecoin will coexist with existing digital currency platforms within the country.
The authorities are focusing on controlled cross-border transactions and not cryptocurrency use cases in general.
This is a sign of a managed approach, which is focused on efficient payments. Pakistan is positioning stablecoins within already-existing regulatory frameworks.
This agreement is a sign of a preference for usage-oriented adoption through compliant financial channels.
Europe and Corporate Bitcoin Holdings Expand
Recent crypto regulation news in Europe has included Germany’s DZ Bank being granted MiCAR approval to operate its ‘meinKrypto’ platform.
As a result, the bank will now be able to offer its eligible clients a selection of digital assets such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Cardano.
The approval of DZ Bank under the MiCAR regulatory framework is a significant step forward in terms of providing regulated services related to cryptocurrency.
This represents a growing trend of traditional financial institutions using compliant platforms to enter into the digital asset space.
Additionally, these developments are evidence of how MiCAR is impacting access to regulated digital assets by institutional investors across Europe.
Data from Glassnode revealed that a large number of corporations are also starting to increase their Treasury Holdings of Bitcoin.
Over the last six months, the number of Bitcoins held by public and private companies increased from approximately 854K BTC to approximately 1.11 million BTC.
This data reflects a trend of continued accumulation of Bitcoin across the globe.
US Legislative and Market Developments
Throughout the reporting period, there was also significant activity in the United States related to cryptocurrency regulations.
The chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee announced that he plans to have a markup for a crypto market structure bill on January 27th.
Discussions will continue among the legislators about developing clearer regulatory frameworks.
US Senator Cynthia Lummis has publicly encouraged Congress to expedite the passage of the bill, stating that the cryptocurrency industry needs to have clear regulations in place promptly.
Her comments indicate that there is considerable pressure from policymakers to create more certain regulations for the cryptocurrency market.
In other news, Strive completed its acquisition of Semler Scientific. The acquisition increased Strive’s total Bitcoin holdings to 12,797 BTC, making Strive the 11th-largest corporate holder of Bitcoin.
https://x.com/Cointelegraph/status/2011264656749281676?s=20
Global Compliance and Adoption Trends
In addition to the major markets, the Nigerian government has created new rules for cryptocurrencies.
Crypto traders now must provide a linkage to their tax ID number and National ID number to help track their activity for government oversight.
However, Sentiment has reported that the number of Ethereum wallets being created DAILY has set a new record by having over 393,000 wallets created in just one day.
The number of total wallets created that have been allocated and not empty also increased by reaching a new ALL-TIME HIGH. This is likely due to continued activity on the Ethereum network.
With these updates, we can see that the current status of cryptocurrency regulations continues to develop internationally.
Countries are enforcing the importance of compliance, defined access routes, as well as structured use cases to ensure that digital assets function successfully within existing, regulated, and authorized financial systems across the globe.
