[News Brief] Apr 22, morning | Charles Schwab Officially Launches Bitcoin Trading Service

Charles Schwab Officially Launches Bitcoin Trading Service

Bitcoin Magazine reported that Charles Schwab, which oversees $12.6 trillion in assets, has officially launched a Bitcoin trading service.

Charles Schwab is one of the major U.S. brokerage firms, and the launch is widely seen as part of a broader effort to expand Bitcoin access for investors in traditional finance.

Source: Bitcoin Magazine

French Hill: “Bitcoin Clarity Act Has Enough Votes for Enactment”

U.S. House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill said on Fox that the Bitcoin Clarity Act is expected to secure enough votes needed for passage.

According to @pete_rizzo_, Hill said Washington is moving quickly to get the bill signed into law and that comprehensive regulatory clarity for the U.S. crypto market is on the way.

The remarks came as Congress continues efforts to define oversight and jurisdiction for the digital asset market. Reducing regulatory uncertainty is considered a key factor in bringing Bitcoin and the broader crypto market further into the institutional mainstream.

Cynthia Lummis: “Clarity Bill Expected to Reach Senate Floor in July”

Source: Bitcoin Magazine

U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis told Fox Business that the Clarity bill is expected to be brought to the Senate floor in July.

The Clarity bill is designed to restructure the U.S. digital asset market framework and clarify the authority of regulators, making it a closely watched proposal for reducing regulatory uncertainty in the crypto industry.

Ripple and SBI Holdings Officially Launch RLUSD in Japan, Obtain FSA Approval

Ripple and SBI Holdings have officially launched the RLUSD stablecoin in Japan and obtained approval from Japan’s Financial Services Agency.

According to PANews, RLUSD will be offered to institutional and retail investors through SBI VC Trade’s VCTRADE platform. RLUSD is classified as an electronic payment instrument under Japan’s Payment Services Act and was designed to meet the security and regulatory standards required for foreign-issued stablecoins.

Jack McDonald, Ripple’s Senior Vice President of Stablecoins, said the launch expands access to a regulated U.S. dollar stablecoin for Japanese financial institutions and companies, adding that RLUSD could be used in payments, tokenization, and collateral management.

Sonic Labs Halts Additional S Token Issuance This Year

Sonic Labs has decided not to proceed with this year’s annual additional issuance of the S token, moving to halt supply inflation that had been intended to support ecosystem growth.

According to PANews, Sonic Labs’ tokenomics had scheduled an annual issuance of 47,625,000 S tokens for ecosystem growth, with the first additional issuance executed on June 18, 2025.

Sonic Labs said the decision was made in response to requests from the community and stakeholders. However, the issue of funding validator rewards remains unresolved, and the company said it is working on a solution to maintain network security.

U.S. Congress Discusses Possible Direct Access to Fed Payment Rails for Crypto and Fintech Firms

The U.S. Congress has discussed the possibility of allowing crypto and fintech firms direct access to the central bank’s payment rails.

According to Odaily, the House Financial Services Committee held a hearing on Wednesday to examine the Federal Reserve’s proposed “streamlined master account” framework.

A Fed master account allows financial institutions to directly use the Federal Reserve’s payment system. Institutions without such access typically rely on banks that hold master accounts to use payment services.

A streamlined master account is a limited-function version that could allow certain crypto banks and fintech firms restricted access.

Republican Representative Dan Meuser said policymakers must be cautious in deciding which institutions should be directly connected to core payment infrastructure. Traditional financial institutions, including community banks, have raised concerns that crypto and fintech firms are not subject to equivalent regulation and may pose safety and soundness risks.

Meanwhile, the crypto industry argues that direct access could reduce reliance on intermediary banks and foster innovation. In May, President Trump signed an executive order directing the Federal Reserve to evaluate central bank payment network access policies for fintech firms, including crypto companies.

Earlier, in March, the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City approved a special-purpose account for Payward, Kraken’s parent company. During the hearing, Anchorage Digital said the U.S. must allow innovative federal and state regulatory frameworks if it wants to maintain its status as a global financial hub.

Wall Street Journal: Iran-Linked Wallets Moved More Than $3.84 Billion Through CoinEx

The Wall Street Journal reported, as cited by Odaily, that since 2019, wallets clearly linked to Iran have moved more than $3.84 billion through crypto exchange CoinEx.

According to the report, wallets custodied by CoinEx received hacked crypto assets obtained by Iran’s central bank and also transacted directly with accounts identified by U.S. authorities as belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Blockchain data shows that in 2024, CoinEx overtook Binance to become the largest foreign trading counterparty of Nobitex, Iran’s largest exchange. Last year, fund flows between Nobitex and CoinEx exceeded $763 million.

It was also reported that from 2022 to 2025, CoinEx custodied wallets processed transactions involving Iranian national Alireza Derakhshan, who has been accused of participating in a sanctioned oil sales network.

Russian Crypto Circulation Regulation Bill Unlikely to Take Effect on July 1

Russia’s bill regulating cryptocurrency circulation is now unlikely to take effect as scheduled on July 1.

According to PANews, citing Bits.media, Alexey Yakovlev, Director of the Financial Policy Department at Russia’s Finance Ministry, said the bill is currently being prepared for its second reading, but the timeline has been delayed.

Yakovlev said the State Duma Committee on Financial Markets is expected to review the bill in the coming weeks, making passage before July 1 impossible.

The State Duma had previously passed the bill in its first reading on April 21. Russia’s central bank had planned to finalize related detailed rules in the third quarter and begin supervising crypto trading under the new framework in the fourth quarter.

Standard Chartered Initiates Coverage on AAVE, Sets $3,500 Price Target for End-2030

Standard Chartered has initiated coverage on the decentralized lending protocol Aave and set a price target of $3,500 for the AAVE token by the end of 2030, according to PANews.

The report said Standard Chartered views Aave’s revenue as closely tied to deposit volume. Following the KelpDAO exploit, Aave deposits fell from $44 billion to $23 billion, while borrowing volume declined from $18 billion to $9.5 billion, but the bank believes the protocol is now near a bottom.

Standard Chartered projects that active assets in DeFi will grow to about $2.7 trillion by 2030, driven by the expansion of on-chain stablecoins and real-world assets (RWA).

The bank also cited Aave Horizon’s permissioned RWA lending market and the fee structure of the GHO stablecoin, under which fees accrue to the protocol, as long-term growth drivers.

Hong Kong-Listed CIMG Purchases 208 Bitcoin

Bitcoin Magazine reported that Hong Kong-listed company CIMG purchased 208 Bitcoin for $13.5 million.

The increase in corporate BTC holdings is drawing market attention as part of a broader trend of companies incorporating Bitcoin into treasury strategies.