OCC Charters and Guidance Accelerate Regulated Crypto Banking

Binance plans to secure five additional operational licenses across the Asia-Pacific by the end of 2026, intensifying its regional expansion and regulatory engagement. The move follows the exchange's broader strategy to normalize local operations and grow product access.

Donald Trump urged banking groups on March 3 to “strike a favorable deal” with the crypto industry and warned any effort to weaken the GENIUS Act is “unacceptable.” His intervention raises political pressure as lawmakers negotiate the stalled bill.

SoFi and Mastercard will support settlement in SoFiUSD across Mastercard’s global payments network, marking a move to integrate regulated U.S. dollar stablecoins into mainstream card infrastructure. The integration aims to speed settlement and expand on‑ramp/off‑ramp options for merchants and payment providers.

The European Central Bank cautioned that rising stablecoin use may shift deposits away from banks, weakening banks’ lending capacity and the transmission of monetary policy across the euro area.

JPMorgan is expanding into stablecoins while arguing these tokens should be regulated under the same framework that applies to banks. The stance underlines traditional finance’s bid to shape crypto oversight as competition intensifies.