Boardroom Briefing: Catch Up the Crypto Week in 5 Minutes

Top 5 Moves by Crypto Giants

Binance Moves Headquarters to Abu Dhabi
Binance consolidated its global headquarters in Abu Dhabi after securing three global financial licenses within Abu Dhabi Global Market, a special economic zone inside the Emirati city.

Bybit Returns to the UK
Bybit re-entered the UK market under updated FCA financial-promotion rules.

Coinbase Rolls Out Major System Upgrade
Coinbase completed a platform-wide system upgrade enabling prediction markets, stock trading, derivatives, DEX access, payments, lending, and AI-assisted advisory tools. It also
made the appointment of former UK Chancellor George Osborne to its advisory leadership.

Tether Launches PearPass
Tether launched PearPass, expanding beyond stablecoin issuance. The move signals Tether’s ambition to control more of the crypto payments stack.

MetaMask Bets on Bitcoin
MetaMask expanded Bitcoin-related product integrations, diversifying beyond Ethereum-only ecosystems.

Top 5 Updates in Crypto’s Institutional Push

ICE to Invest in MoonPay
Intercontinental Exchange is reportedly exploring an investment in MoonPay. This came as the firm announced that Acting CFTC Chair Caroline Pham is expected to join MoonPay after public service.

Ripple, Circle & BitGo Secure Banking Charters
Ripple, Circle, and BitGo obtained U.S. banking charters, allowing them to operate under federal banking frameworks and offer regulated custody, payments, and settlement services.

YouTube Enables PayPal Stablecoin Payouts
YouTube enabled creators to receive payouts via PayPal’s U.S. dollar–backed stablecoin, expanding payment options beyond traditional fiat rails.

Metaplanet Plans U.S. Trading via ADRs
Japanese Bitcoin treasury firm Metaplanet plans U.S. OTC trading via ADRs.
The move expands institutional access to Bitcoin-focused equities.

Ethereum Names Next Upgrade “Hegota”
Ethereum developers confirmed “Hegota” as the post-Glamsterdam upgrade on the 2026 roadmap amid blockchain’s effort to woe institutions.

Top 5 M&As and Fundings

Arc Launches Builder’s Fund
Arc announced a new Builder’s Fund targeting early-stage Web3 developers developing on its blockchain.

Tether Invests in Speed
Tether invested in Bitcoin-focused stablecoin startup Speed1.
The deal strengthens Bitcoin-native settlement and payment rails.

Circle Acquires Interop Labs Team
Circle acquired the Interop Labs team to expand interoperability capabilities.

Anchorage Acquires Securitize
Anchorage expanded its institutional offering by acquiring Securitize.

Stripe Acquires Valora Wallet Team to Expand Stablecoin Services
Stripe has acqui-hired the team behind the mobile crypto wallet Valora to accelerate its stablecoin and blockchain payment infrastructure build-out.

Partnerships & Strategic Alliances

JPMorgan Tokenized Product Migrates to Base
JPMorgan migrated a tokenized product from Kinexys to Coinbase’s Base L2.
Institutions are prioritizing lower-cost, faster Layer-2 settlement.

Project Eleven and Solana Partner Solana chose Project Eleven to begin its post-quantum prep.

Circle & Intuit Partner to Integrate USDC Across Financial Platforms
Circle entered a multi-year strategic partnership with Intuit to embed USDC stablecoin infrastructure into products like TurboTax, QuickBooks, Credit Karma and Mailchimp.

Top 5 U.S. Legal & Political Updates

US Crypto Czar David Sacks Confirms CLARITY Act Markup for January
White House AI and crypto czar David Sacks said the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act is now confirmed for markup in January, moving it closer to committee review.

Senate Banking Committee Signals Bipartisan Progress on Crypto Market Structure
The Senate Banking Committee, led by Chairman Tim Scott, said it has made “strong progress” with Democratic counterparts on bipartisan digital asset market-structure legislation.

Coinbase Sues Three States over Event Contract Regulation
Coinbase filed lawsuits against Illinois, Louisiana, and Tennessee, challenging state rules that classify certain crypto event contracts as illegal gambling.

Trump to Interview BlackRock’s Rick Rieder for Fed Chair
U.S. President Donald Trump is set to interview BlackRock CIO Rick Rieder as part of his process to select the next Federal Reserve chair. This came after he interviewed Christopher Waller as a potential Fed Chair pick.

SEC Issues Crypto Custody Guidance for Tokenized Securities
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission released updated guidance clarifying custody obligations for digital assets, including tokenized securities, under existing securities laws.

Around the World

Poland Revives Crypto Regulation Bill
Poland’s lower house of parliament passed a revived Crypto-Assets Market Act and sent it to the Senate, overriding a prior presidential veto in an effort to align with EU MiCA standards.

UK FCA Seeks Industry Consultation on Crypto Rules
The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority opened consultations on its upcoming cryptoasset regulatory framework.
The move signals active industry engagement ahead of a full regulatory rollout targeted for October 2027.

Libya intensifies crackdown on Crypto Mining
Libya has emerged as a covert Bitcoin mining hotspot due to ultra-cheap subsidized electricity.

South Korea - a16z Crypto Launches Local Office
Andreessen Horowitz’s crypto arm opened a dedicated office in South Korea.
The expansion highlights rising institutional and VC interest in Asia’s Web3 developer ecosystems.

Brazil Advances Tokenization & Stablecoin Settlement
Brazil’s B3 exchange announced plans for tokenized securities and stablecoin-based settlement.

Canada Introduces “Good Money” Stablecoin Standards
Canada unveiled new standards governing stablecoin issuance and reserves.

Around the Corner

Bitfinex Launches Zero-Fee Trading
Bitfinex removed spot trading fees across its platform, eliminating maker/taker charges to boost adoption and liquidity.

Strategy Secures NASDAQ-100 Spot
Strategy secured a NASDAQ-100 position amid MSCI review of digital assets.

Top Founders’ Moves & Legal Fallout

Do Kwon Sentenced - Terraform Labs founder Do Kwon received sentencing in connection with fraud charges tied to the collapse of the Terra ecosystem.

Former Pump.fun Developer Sentenced - Former Pump.fun developer Jarrett Dunn was sentenced for offenses linked to market manipulation activities.

Samurai Wallet Co-Founder could be pardoned by trump
Legal proceedings continue involving Samurai Wallet’s co-founder.
Privacy-focused tools remain under regulatory pressure.

Cardano Founder Calls Out Trump Crypto Ventures
Charles Hoskinson publicly criticized Trump-linked crypto initiatives.
Founder voices are increasingly shaping political crypto narratives.

Prediction Markets Gain Traction

Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev highlighted prediction markets as a potential major revenue line, as there's a notable surge of entrants including new platforms like Opinion and Probable.