[News Brief] Apr 22, morning | UK Financial Conduct Authority Finalizes Crypto Regulatory Framework

Bitcoin spot ETFs recorded total net outflows of $231 million on June 29 (U.S. Eastern Time).

According to PANews, citing SoSoValue data, Bitcoin spot ETFs posted net outflows for eight consecutive trading days.

By product, BlackRock’s IBIT saw the largest outflow at $300 million. IBIT’s cumulative net inflows stand at $60.466 billion.

In contrast, ARK Invest and 21Shares’ ARKB recorded net inflows of $49.969 million, while Grayscale’s GBTC saw inflows of $35.1026 million.

As of the time of writing, the total net assets of Bitcoin spot ETFs stood at $73.19 billion, accounting for 6.05% of Bitcoin’s total market capitalization. Cumulative net inflows were tallied at $51.375 billion.

Spot ETF fund flows are considered a key gauge of institutional demand and can affect short-term sentiment toward Bitcoin.

According to Odaily, BTC fell below $59,000 on OKX.

BTC is currently trading at $58,967.1, down 2.82% over the past 24 hours.

The UK Financial Conduct Authority has finalized its crypto regulatory framework. Crypto trading platforms, custodians, stablecoin issuers, and others will be subject to mandatory licensing starting October 25, 2027.

According to PANews, citing The Block, the framework includes prudential requirements, market abuse rules, and stablecoin standards. Covered entities include crypto trading platforms, custodians, stablecoin issuers, lending and staking service providers, and certain DeFi firms.

Firms will be able to apply for authorization from September 30, 2026, through February 28, 2027. Existing anti-money laundering registrations will not automatically convert into the new authorization.

The FCA will require trading platforms to conduct due diligence, meet listing standards, and publish disclosure materials. Insider trading and market manipulation will also fall under market abuse regulations.

In the stablecoin sector, the FCA eased certain reserve asset obligations and lowered the capital coefficient applied to issuers from 2% to 1%. The FCA said the move represents an important milestone for UK crypto regulation and is intended to provide regulatory certainty for firms.

According to CoinDesk, with the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) set to take full effect on July 1, the European Securities and Markets Authority has required crypto-asset service providers without MiCA licenses to suspend or restrict services within the EU.

SwissBorg executive Alex Fazel said the regulatory compliance deadline could force more than 10 million European users to seek new platforms.

The CEO of OKX Europe projected that as many as 80% of the roughly 3,000 existing virtual asset service providers in Europe may struggle to continue operating once the new rules take effect.

Platforms such as Coinbase and OKX, which are either compliant or have applied for licenses, are moving to attract affected users through deposit and transfer incentives.

UAE-based Goldman Lampe Private Bank has purchased €120 million worth of Bitcoin, according to Bitcoin Magazine.

The bank said, “Bitcoin continues to show strong resilience as a store of value and a strategic asset.”

The purchase comes amid an ongoing trend of institutional and financial-sector allocation to Bitcoin as a strategic asset.

BNY has expanded its partnership with Circle to add USDC issuance and redemption capabilities to its digital asset custody platform, The Block reported.

Institutional clients can hold USDC in BNY digital wallets and instruct the bank to convert between U.S. dollars and USDC in both directions.

USDC is the first stablecoin supported on BNY’s platform. Initial support covers USDC on Ethereum and Solana, and BNY plans to gradually expand support to other stablecoin issuers in the future.

BNY has previously served as a key custodian bank for USDC reserves. The move aligns with broader expansion in traditional finance around stablecoin payment and custody infrastructure.

According to Odaily, JPMorgan expanded the supported currencies on its blockchain-based payment platform Kinexys to eight.

The newly added currencies are the Australian dollar, Hong Kong dollar, Japanese yen, Chinese yuan, and Singapore dollar. Kinexys is JPMorgan’s blockchain platform designed to improve efficiency in institutional payments and settlement.

Tokenization infrastructure provider Securitize has received shareholder approval for its SPAC merger with Cantor Equity Partners II, CoinDesk reported.

The transaction is expected to close on Wednesday, after which Securitize plans to list on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday under the ticker SECZ.

The listing comes amid continued interest from traditional finance in real-world asset tokenization and blockchain-based securities infrastructure. Shares of Cantor Equity Partners II surged as much as 20% intraday on Monday.

According to a CoinGecko report, since the beginning of 2025, crypto exchanges have listed 358 spot and perpetual real-world asset (RWA) products tied to stocks, ETFs, commodities, forex, and pre-IPO contracts.

The report said RWA perpetual contract trading volume rose to $347 billion in May 2026, with cumulative annual volume exceeding $1.32 trillion. Binance, MEXC, and Hyperliquid led the growth.

Among product categories, tokenized stock perpetuals recorded the most active trading, with contracts tied to Micron Technology, Circle, and Nvidia ranking among the top by volume.

CoinGecko added that SpaceX emerged as the most popular pre-IPO trading asset, posting $305 million in trading volume in May. The gap between pre-listing contract prices and actual opening prices was within 5%.

According to PANews, all three major U.S. stock indexes closed higher. The Dow rose 0.81%, the Nasdaq gained 2.64%, and the S&P 500 advanced 1.39%.

Most crypto-related stocks also rose. Coinbase gained 2.34% intraday, while Robinhood climbed 3.78% intraday.