Author: William Torsney

The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has set out an expansive pro-growth agenda that includes finalising crypto rules, advancing sterling stablecoins, and reducing regulatory burdens for firms. In a letter dated 9 December 2025 to Prime Minister Keir Starmer and senior ministers, FCA Chief Executive Nikhil Rathi said most of the regulator’s January growth commitments have already been delivered, with further reforms planned for 2026. Rathi framed growth as central to the government’s strategy to 2030, arguing that regulation must increasingly focus on outcomes rather than prescriptive rules. He said the FCA is adapting its supervisory approach to better support…

Visa has launched a new global stablecoins advisory practice aimed at helping banks, fintech firms, and merchants evaluate and deploy stablecoin-based payment solutions. The move underscores growing institutional interest in stablecoins as regulated digital money gains traction alongside central bank digital currency projects. The initiative sits within Visa Consulting and Analytics, the company’s advisory arm, and is designed to guide clients through strategy, technology integration, and market entry for stablecoin use cases. Visa said demand has risen sharply as financial institutions assess how private digital currencies could complement existing payment rails. According to Visa, the advisory practice will support clients…

Enova International has agreed to acquire Grasshopper Bancorp and its subsidiary Grasshopper Bank in a cash and stock deal valued at about 369 million dollars, the company announced on December 11. The transaction would transform Enova from a non-bank lender into a regulated bank holding company. Grasshopper Bank is a digital-first commercial and consumer bank founded in 2019. As of September 30, 2025, it held more than 1.4 billion dollars in assets and roughly 3 billion dollars in deposits, including funding from fintech and small business clients. The acquisition is designed to combine Enova’s data-driven lending platform with Grasshopper’s national…

A U.S. federal judge has sentenced Terraform Labs founder Do Kwon to 15 years in prison for fraud linked to the collapse of the TerraUSD stablecoin and Luna token, one of the most destructive failures in cryptocurrency history. The sentence was handed down on Thursday in Manhattan federal court and exceeded both the five years requested by Kwon’s defence team and the 12 years sought by prosecutors. The judge described Kwon’s actions as “fraud on an epic, generational scale,” according to reporting by the International Business Times. Kwon, a South Korean national, pleaded guilty in August to one count of…

Barclays has taken a strategic stake in United Fintech, reinforcing industry collaboration as the company expands its fintech portfolio and AI driven infrastructure offering.

A sharp downturn in bitcoin and ether erased more than $514 million in leveraged trades, with Binance, Hyperliquid and Bybit accounting for most liquidations.

The Federal Reserve lowered rates for a third straight meeting, aiming to support a weakening labor market despite internal disagreements over prioritizing inflation control.

Incore Invest has agreed to acquire Swedish software firm CoreOrchestration, maker of PaymentIQ, in a nine figure deal expected to close in early 2026, creating a standalone payments-technology company.

A new ECB blog post argues that a digital euro is necessary to safeguard Europe monetary sovereignty, with officials outlining a 2027 pilot and potential issuance by 2029.

Abu Dhabi’s ADGM has recognised Tether’s USDT as an Accepted Fiat-Referenced Token on several major blockchains, expanding regulated access for institutions operating in the UAE.