Banks and the Uncertain Roadmap for Cryptocurrency Regulations

The SUI ecosystem revives as TVL surpasses $1B, with institutional interest and strong price action boosting growth.Read more...

The post CME Group to launch Solana and XRP futures options in October appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. CME Group is preparing to launch options on SOL and XRP futures next month, giving traders new ways to manage exposure to the two assets.  The contracts are set to go live on October 13, pending regulatory approval, and will come in both standard and micro sizes with expiries offered daily, monthly and quarterly. The new listings mark a major step for CME, which first brought bitcoin futures to market in 2017 and added ether contracts in 2021. Solana and XRP futures have quickly gained traction since their debut earlier this year. CME says more than 540,000 Solana contracts (worth about $22.3 billion), and 370,000 XRP contracts (worth $16.2 billion), have already been traded. Both products hit record trading activity and open interest in August. Market makers including Cumberland and FalconX plan to support the new contracts, arguing that institutional investors want hedging tools beyond bitcoin and ether. CME’s move also highlights the growing demand for regulated ways to access a broader set of digital assets. The launch, which still needs the green light from regulators, follows the end of XRP’s years-long legal fight with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. A federal court ruling in 2023 found that institutional sales of XRP violated securities laws, but programmatic exchange sales did not. The case officially closed in August 2025 after Ripple agreed to pay a $125 million fine, removing one of the biggest uncertainties hanging over the token. This is a developing story. This article was generated with the assistance of AI and reviewed by editor Jeffrey Albus before publication. Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters: Source: https://blockworks.co/news/cme-group-solana-xrp-futures

The post Is Singapore Becoming Asia’s Digital Finance Regulatory Leader? appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has moved ahead of many regional peers by setting clear rules on reserve backing, redemption rights, and licensing requirements for crypto service providers The country’s entire approach and plan was not to ban crypto, but instead to introduce rules to protect users and the financial system from its risks In June, Singapore cracked down on exchanges that serve overseas clients without a license Singapore is pushing further out front in Asia’s digital finance race. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has built one of the region’s clearest frameworks for crypto service providers and stablecoins, spelling out reserve backing, redemption rights, and licensing requirements that many peers have yet to define.  While most countries around the world are still figuring out how to handle stablecoins and digital asset services, Singapore is trying to encourage new ideas while also keeping risks under control. The country’s entire approach and plan was not to ban crypto, but instead to introduce rules to protect users and the financial system from its risks. Singapore is also working on making it easier for crypto companies to work with banks, operate under clear guidelines, and separate trustworthy stablecoins and services from risky or purely speculative ones. Related: Singapore’s June 30 Crypto Deadline Forces Firms to Secure License or Exit Clear Rules, Stronger Trust Back in 2019, Singapore’s Payment Services Act of 2019 already set the rules for cryptocurrency businesses. It requires any firm based in Singapore to be fully licensed, even if all its clients are located outside the country. Then, in August 2023, MAS finalized regulations for single-currency stablecoins pegged to the Singapore dollar or any G10 currency.  The main rules say that companies issuing these coins must hold all the cash to back them up in safe assets, promise to buy…