Russia will prohibit cash-for-crypto transactions and require trades to go through cashless, bank-mediated channels, a senior central bank official said. The measure is meant to increase oversight of crypto-related flows and clamp down on informal peer-to-peer markets.
Rwanda's central bank has warned that peer-to-peer cryptocurrency trading in Rwandan francs (FRW) is not authorized, issued three days after Bybit added FRW support on its P2P platform. The notice flags potential financial and consumer protection risks for local users and exchanges.
Bank of Ningbo is soliciting suppliers to develop a system for processing the digital yuan, signaling Beijing may expand e-CNY licensing as it pushes wider adoption. The move reflects growing institutional readiness among Chinese banks to integrate the central bank digital currency into retail and merchant rails.
The Bank of Korea and nine commercial banks have started live trials of deposit tokens, testing subsidy disbursements and peer-to-peer transfers. The pilot aims to evaluate operational performance and integration with existing payment rails.
House GOP lawmakers are seeking a permanent ban on CBDC development and have warned they will withhold a housing bill unless anti‑CBDC language is adopted. They argue a central bank digital currency would be an overreach of government power.
Colombia’s central bank has finalized a draft law treating digital assets as representations of real‑world assets, proposing central bank oversight of stablecoins and Financial Superintendence supervision of VASPs. The move aims to provide legal clarity for issuers and service providers.
Kazakhstan’s central bank said it will allocate up to $350 million from its gold and foreign currency reserves to invest in cryptocurrency assets, Governor Timur Suleimanov said on Friday. The move signals a notable shift in reserve management though officials have not specified which tokens or instruments will be targeted.
Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said the BOJ will run experiments using blockchain to settle deposits that financial institutions hold with the central bank. The trials are intended to explore improvements in settlement efficiency and operational resilience.
Rwanda's central bank has launched a 12‑month pilot for a central bank digital currency after completing a successful proof of concept in late 2025. The pilot will assess technical, operational and regulatory readiness ahead of any wider rollout.
The Bank of Russia will revisit its cautious approach to fiat-pegged stablecoins and may explore issuing a ruble-backed token in 2026 after reports of a Kyrgyzstan-launched ruble stablecoin being used to skirt sanctions.