[News Brief] Apr 22, morning | Japan Financial Services Agency moves to allow crypto asset ETFs by 2028

Japan Financial Services Agency moves to allow crypto asset ETFs by 2028

According to PANews, citing Nikkei, Japan’s Financial Services Agency plans to revise laws related to the Investment Trust Act by 2028 to allow crypto assets to become primary investment targets for investment trusts and ETFs.

Several asset managers are reportedly reviewing the launch of related products. In a Nomura Holdings survey, about 79% of institutional investors and family offices said they plan to invest in crypto assets within the next three years.

Data analytics firm XWIN projected that if crypto asset ETFs are launched in Japan, as much as ¥3 trillion, or about $20 billion, could flow in, mainly from retail investors.

BNY Mellon aims to launch tokenized U.S. Treasuries by end of 2026

BNY Mellon is pushing to build a 24/7 settlement system for U.S. Treasuries in response to the expansion of the digital asset market.

According to PANews, citing Bloomberg, BNY Mellon said in a client letter that it plans to launch tokenized U.S. Treasuries by the end of 2026 and conduct pilot transactions on its own private blockchain. Its goal for 2027 is to support 24-hour settlement for both traditional Treasuries and tokenized Treasuries.

Earlier this year, BNY Mellon completed an after-hours U.S. Treasury transaction involving stablecoin issuers. Participants included Ripple, issuer of RLUSD, and OpenEden, issuer of USDO. Both stablecoins are backed by short-term U.S. Treasuries.

Arbitrum ecosystem protocol AFX hacked, 24.15 million USDC stolen

According to Odaily, Arbitrum ecosystem protocol AFX was attacked at 5:30 a.m. Beijing time on July 23, resulting in the theft of about 24.15 million USDC.

Blockaid said it is responding to the incident together with the Arbitrum team and is helping freeze the stolen funds in coordination with the affected protocol.

Offchain Labs co-founder Steven Goldfeder said the Arbitrum team is aware of the report and is investigating. He explained that the transaction occurred on a third-party protocol and that Arbitrum’s native bridge was not attacked or exploited.

U.S. Senate digital asset market bill includes clause banning federal officials from issuing or promoting cryptocurrencies

A digital asset market regulation bill under review in the U.S. Senate includes a provision banning federal officials, including the president, from issuing or promoting cryptocurrencies.

According to Odaily, Republican senators updated the text of the CLARITY Act on Wednesday. The bill is regarded as a major piece of legislation aimed at comprehensively regulating the U.S. digital asset market.

The new clause is intended to restrict federal officials, including the president, from profiting through cryptocurrencies and other digital assets. Specific implementation methods and the scope of application have not yet been disclosed.

U.S. Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act retains self-custody rights and protections for non-custodial developers

According to Odaily, crypto journalist Eleanor Terrett said the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act (BRCA) retains the same framework as the original version that passed the Senate Banking Committee in May.

The bill clarifies that non-custodial software developers and blockchain infrastructure providers should not be treated as money transmitters solely for building or maintaining decentralized networks.

The Lummis-Grassley amendment also remains, applying federal criminal liability to acts that knowingly facilitate illegal transactions.

In addition, provisions related to the “Keep Your Coins Act” remain intact, guaranteeing users’ rights to self-custody their digital assets.

Regarding stablecoin yield, the bill would prohibit companies from paying interest on users’ idle stablecoin balances, while allowing rewards tied to actual activity such as trading or staking, provided they are not economically or functionally equivalent to bank deposit interest.

The bill also adds provisions for support for state and local virtual asset investigations and blockchain analytics tools, training programs for law enforcement and prosecutors, and the establishment of a cyber center to respond to threats from state actors such as North Korea and Iran.

It also includes a measure requiring customer digital assets held by exchanges or custodians undergoing bankruptcy to remain customer property rather than becoming part of the company’s bankruptcy estate, in an effort to prevent a repeat of losses similar to FTX.

Samsung Electronics reveals plan to add stablecoin support to Samsung Wallet

Samsung Electronics announced at Galaxy Unpacked 2026 that it plans to introduce stablecoin support to Samsung Wallet.

According to Digital Today, Samsung outlined a vision to integrate payments, rewards, and digital assets within Samsung Wallet. The company said this would make it one of the first major smartphone brands to support stablecoins as a built-in feature.

Samsung Wallet has expanded beyond payments into a digital hub for storing keys, IDs, and boarding passes. At the event, Samsung also unveiled Samsung Galaxy Card, a Samsung Wallet-based financial service launching in the United States in partnership with Barclays and Visa.

Samsung added that its Knox security platform protects users’ sensitive information through end-to-end encryption.

Upbit to list o1.exchange (O) on KRW, BTC, and USDT markets on the 23rd

According to PANews, Upbit will list o1.exchange (O) on its KRW, BTC, and USDT markets on the 23rd.

Trading is scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m. on that day, and deposits and withdrawals will open within two hours after the announcement. Only the Base network will be supported for deposits and withdrawals.

Tesla does not sell its $825 million worth of Bitcoin in Q2 2026

Watcher.Guru reported that Tesla did not sell its Bitcoin holdings worth $825 million during the second quarter of 2026.

The news comes as the market continues to watch whether major companies maintain their Bitcoin holdings as a gauge of investor sentiment.

Coinbase enables USDC.e and USDT0 transfers on Tempo network

Coinbase announced support for sending and receiving USDC.e and USDT0 on the Tempo network.

According to PANews, Coinbase Markets said the feature is available through Coinbase’s official website as well as its iOS and Android apps. The service is provided only in supported regions.

Anonymous wallet transfers 953 BTC to Coinbase

According to Whale Alert, 953 BTC, worth about $63.22 million, was transferred from an anonymous wallet to Coinbase.

Large BTC transfers to exchanges can be interpreted as a potential sign of selling pressure. However, whether the transferred amount was actually sold has not been confirmed.