[News Brief] Apr 22, morning | MiCA Takes Effect on July 1, 80% of Unlicensed EU Trading Platforms at Risk of Shutdown

MiCA Takes Effect on July 1... 80% of Unlicensed EU Trading Platforms at Risk of Shutdown

According to PANews, citing CoinDesk, the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation officially takes effect on July 1, requiring crypto-asset service providers to either obtain licenses or exit the market.

Reports say that among roughly 3,000 unlicensed cryptocurrency trading platforms in Europe, about 80% may fail to meet the requirements by the deadline and could face shutdown or suspend services for local users.

Potentially affected users could exceed 10 million, and they may need to move to compliant platforms.

SEC Seeks Public Comment on ‘New ETF’ Products Linked to Digital Assets

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is seeking public comment on ‘new ETF’ products, including crypto-related funds and blockchain-based investment products.

According to Odaily, the SEC said in related documents that it is reviewing market interest in new financial derivative products, including digital asset-linked funds, blockchain technology-based investment opportunities, and event contracts.

This request for comment is being interpreted as part of the SEC’s effort to establish regulatory standards balancing innovation and risk management amid rising demand for crypto ETFs and on-chain asset exposure products.

Visa, Mastercard, BlackRock, and Coinbase to Participate in Planned OUSD Stablecoin Launch

Major financial firms including Visa, Mastercard, BlackRock, Coinbase, and American Express are expected to launch a joint crypto stablecoin called OUSD, according to Watcher.Guru.

Source: @WatcherGuru. The news comes as global payments and asset management companies continue expanding their participation in the stablecoin market.

Jefferies: Uncertainty Around U.S. CLARITY Act Could Increase Crypto Volatility in Coming Weeks

U.S. investment bank Jefferies warned that uncertainty surrounding the U.S. CLARITY Act could heighten cryptocurrency market volatility over the coming weeks.

Odaily, citing CoinDesk, reported that Jefferies said in a report that while the CLARITY Act passed the Senate Banking Committee with bipartisan support by a 15–9 vote, significant hurdles remain in the legislative process.

The CLARITY Act is regarded as a key U.S. market structure bill for crypto, intended to clarify the supervisory boundary between the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) over digital assets.

Jefferies said that if passed, the bill could support greater institutional participation and benefit businesses tied to tokenized assets, custody, staking, lending, and crypto ETFs. It could also have a favorable impact on Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH).

On the other hand, if the legislation is delayed, regulatory uncertainty could persist longer and weigh on institutional investment in on-chain infrastructure and crypto-related IPOs.

According to Polymarket, the probability of the bill passing by the end of 2026 stands at 48%, down from 70% in mid-May. Jefferies said controversy over ethics provisions, anti-money laundering review, and Senate scheduling pressures were among the reasons.

Markets also believe policy uncertainty will continue to affect the share prices of crypto-related listed companies such as Circle, Coinbase, and Bullish.

Dutch Prosecutors Seek Bankruptcy Ruling for Crypto Platform Knaken

Dutch public prosecutors have asked the Rotterdam court to declare crypto platform Knaken Cryptohandel and its affiliate Stichting Knaken Payments bankrupt, according to Odaily.

Prosecutors cited the public interest as the reason for the request. Knaken has suspended services since early June, and about 30,000 customers have been unable to access their funds.

Knaken had provided services for trading and storing crypto-assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum in euros. Under EU rules, such operations require authorization from the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets, but Knaken reportedly did not obtain the necessary approval.

A separate criminal investigation led by the Dutch Fiscal Information and Investigation Service is also underway. Investigators have searched related locations and seized laptops, mobile phones, and company assets, though no arrests have been made so far.

MetaMask Launches Monad-Based ‘Money Accounts’

MetaMask has launched ‘Money Accounts,’ a self-custodial account feature built on the Monad blockchain, according to PANews citing Decrypt.

Money Accounts integrates stablecoin yield, payments, and trading functions into a single balance. It uses the mUSD stablecoin on Monad, and users can deploy deposited funds through Veda infrastructure into DeFi lending protocols such as Morpho to earn a variable annual yield of up to about 4%.

Integration with Aave is also planned. Users can spend balances directly via the MetaMask Card and top up with either crypto or fiat currency.

The feature is available to mobile users worldwide except in the UK and certain restricted regions. According to the report, the 1:1 reserve structure of mUSD backed by dollars and short-term U.S. Treasuries is operated separately from the yield-generating structure of Money Accounts.

Coinbase’s John D’Agostino: ‘More Than 40 Countries Have Committed in Some Form to Buying Bitcoin’

Coinbase executive John D’Agostino said in a CNBC interview that more than 40 countries have committed in some form to purchasing Bitcoin for inclusion on national balance sheets.

Source: Bitcoin Magazine. D’Agostino said, “From a position where we can see flows internally, all we continue to see is steady growth.” His remarks come amid ongoing discussion of increased Bitcoin holdings by nations and institutions.

Bitcoin Long-Term Holder Addresses Reach All-Time High Holdings

According to Bitcoin Magazine, Bitcoin held by long-term holder addresses has reached an all-time high.

An increase in long-term holder balances is often interpreted as a reduction in near-term sellable supply, and the market is watching whether this could ease supply pressure.

Riot Platforms Transfers 500 BTC to NYDIG Custody

According to Odaily, Onchain Lens reported that Riot Platforms transferred 500 BTC to NYDIG custody.

The transferred amount is valued at about $29.48 million, and Onchain Lens suggested the movement may indicate a potential sale.

NYDIG is a provider of institutional Bitcoin custody services.

203.615 Million USDT Moved From Bitfinex to Tether Treasury

About 203.615 million USDT was transferred from Bitfinex to Tether Treasury.

According to Whale Alert, at 16:18 UTC on June 30, 203,615,823 USDT (about $203.45 million) was transferred on the Tron network from Bitfinex to Tether Treasury.

This transaction was a large on-chain movement exceeding $10 million. However, it has not been confirmed whether the transfer will result in USDT issuance or burning.