Issue 4 · 19–25 Oct 2026Issue 5 · 26 Oct–1 Nov 2026Issue 6 · 2–7 Nov 2026Issue 7 · 8–14 Nov 2026
This week in crypto, around the world
One story from each region, picked by what mattered most there, not by what America read. 7 regions this week, plus 26 more stories inside them. Pick a region to see everything from it.
Draft for review: stories outside Asia are checked but not yet approved.
North America7 storiesThe US Justice Department says it has court approval to seize or restrain more than $1.2 billion stolen in the Binance hack, which it attributes to North KoreaUnited StatesThe US Justice Department said on Thursday 12 November that it has court approval to seize or restrain more than $1.2 billion of the crypto stolen from Binance, The Block, Decrypt and Unchained reported. The department attributes the theft of more than $6 billion, on or about 29 October, to North Korean military hackers the FBI calls TraderTraitor, The Block and Unchained reported. The $1.2 billion is part of more than $2.7 billion frozen so far by US authorities and private companies, the department said, according to The Block.Latin America4 storiesBrazil's central bank says about 30% of the crypto firms applying for authorisation lack the required minimum capitalBrazilSpeaking at the ABRACAM Speech 2026 – Câmbio Cripto event on Tuesday 10 November, the central bank's director of supervision, Ailton Aquino, said about 30% of the crypto firms that applied for authorisation did not have the share capital its rules require, Livecoins reported. He also said many applicants had not sent the audited financial statements the regulation asks for, Livecoins and PANews reported. PANews, citing Bitcoin.com, said nearly a third of the 120 virtual asset service providers that applied by the 30 October deadline fell short of the capital rule and may be rejected after review, and quoted Aquino as saying at least 30% of exchanges did not meet it.Europe6 storiesDeutsche Bank opens crypto custody to paying corporate and institutional clients in Europe, starting with bitcoin, ether and three stablecoinsGermanyDeutsche Bank said on Wednesday 11 November that its Digital Asset Custody service is live for institutional and corporate clients in Europe, The Block, Decrypt and Cointelegraph reported; Decrypt, and BTC-ECHO, Cryptoast and Crypto Insiders citing Reuters, said it is open to paying clients. The bank holds clients' bitcoin, ether and the stablecoins USDC, EURC and EURAU, manages their wallets and private keys and makes transfers to other parties for them, The Block and Crypto Insiders reported. The same day it signed a memorandum of understanding with Deutsche Asset Management, its majority-owned asset manager formerly known as DWS, to explore tokenised money market funds, crypto exchange-traded commodities and stablecoins, The Block and Decrypt reported.Middle East & North Africa3 storiesIsrael's Discount Bank says retail customers can buy, hold and sell bitcoin and ether in its banking app from 26 NovemberIsraelIsrael's Discount Bank will let individual customers buy, hold and sell bitcoin and ether directly in its banking app from 26 November, without opening a separate digital wallet or an overseas exchange account, PANews reported, citing the bank's website; ChainCatcher reported the same. The service is open only to Israeli residents aged 18 or over who have a securities account, both outlets reported.AfricaQuiet weekSouth Asia1 storyIndian exchange Unocoin pauses services after a 9 November breach and says it will cover an estimated $200,000 lossIndiaUnocoin reported unauthorised access to its servers on 9 November and paused user logins, PANews reported, citing Onchain Lens. Unocoin denied that all funds had been stolen and said no user funds were lost, PANews reported on 12 November; on X it later said 3 of its more than 20 operational hot wallets were compromised, with an estimated loss of about $200,000 that it will cover in full from its own funds without reducing user balances, PANews reported.East Asia9 storiesSouth Korea's financial regulator says it will let exchanges halt deposits and withdrawals when a hack is suspectedSouth KoreaSouth Korea's Financial Services Commission (FSC) held a security meeting for the crypto industry on 12 November, chaired by Vice Chairman Shin Jin-chang, and said it will issue a no-action letter so exchanges can block deposits and withdrawals pre-emptively when they suspect a hack, under certain conditions, Digital Asset, CoinPost and Unchained reported; Cointelegraph also reported the no-action letter. The current Virtual Asset User Protection Act allows a block only once a hack has clearly occurred, the outlets reported. An emergency guideline from the meeting asks exchanges to monitor around the clock; one that cannot should process deposits and withdrawals only in the hours its monitoring works and tell users in advance, Digital Asset and Unchained reported.Southeast Asia3 storiesThailand's SEC proposes a 5 million baht daily cap on each customer's stablecoin deposits and withdrawals at each platformThailandThailand's Securities and Exchange Commission opened a public consultation on 12 November on draft rules that would cap each customer's stablecoin deposits, and separately their withdrawals, at 5 million baht a day at each licensed digital asset operator, Kaohoon, CoinPost and The Block reported. Stablecoins could only move to and from accounts or wallets verified as the customer's own; transfers from or to other people's wallets would be barred, Kaohoon and The Block reported. Comments are open until 26 November, Kaohoon reported.OceaniaNo sources yet
More this week, by region
North America6 more stories
- Rules & policyPresident Trump sends the Senate four nominees for the SEC and CFTC, two Democrats and two Republicans, including a successor to Hester PeirceCointelegraph · Unchained · CoinDesk
- Rules & policyThe Justice Department and the CFTC sue Arkansas in federal court to stop the state's case against Kalshi, arguing federal law gives the CFTC exclusive jurisdictionThe Block · Unchained
- MarketsMSCI says it will remove Strategy from its US indexes and Metaplanet from its Japan small-cap index at the 30 November closeThe Block · Cointelegraph · Unchained · CoinDesk
- Rules & policyBinance says it will reject transfers to MEXC and hold deposits from it for review, ahead of the US Treasury's order against MEXC taking effect on 10 December; MEXC says it is in contact with FinCEN and is operating normallyCoinPost · NewEconomy · BitPinas · The Cryptonomist · ABMedia · Observatorio Blockchain
- LicensingCoinbase says the OCC gave final approval for its national trust company for crypto custodyCointelegraph · Decrypt · Unchained · CoinDesk
- MarketsAva Labs says the NYSE's planned tokenized stock venue will settle trades on Avalanche, pending regulatory approvalThe Block · Decrypt · Unchained · CoinDesk
Open North America: the featured story, the rules and the quiet places →
Latin America3 more stories
- Rules & policyRio de Janeiro prosecutors' Operação Caronte targets an alleged tax fraud tied to the Manguinhos refinery (Refit); a Rio court orders R$5.6 billion in accounts, assets and crypto blocked; the crypto seized is not yet countedLivecoins
- Rules & policyA Brazilian Senate committee pulls from its agenda a bill that would require crypto to be bought and sold only through authorised exchanges; no new date setLivecoins
- Rules & policyBrazil's securities regulator CVM receives 11 proposals for its DLT pilot programme for tokenised securities, more than three times what it expected (on or before 9 Nov)Livecoins
Open Latin America: the featured story, the rules and the quiet places →
Europe5 more stories
- Rules & policyBank of Russia says exchanges may open crypto trading from 22 November once it agrees their trading rules; its list of crypto for ordinary investors takes effect on 17 NovemberCoinPost · BlockTempo · Crypto Insiders · PANews · BTC-ECHO · Cointribune · NewEconomy
- Hacks & scamsTrezor says three Safe 5 wallets sold through former reseller CryptoBilis held a hidden chip that could capture recovery words; firmware 2.13.1 blocks it and no funds were reported lostCryptoast · Crypto Insiders · Koin Bülteni
- MarketsKraken's parent Payward tokenises more than 200 UK- and EU-listed shares as xStocks, tokens that track the price without shareholder rights and are not offered to UK or US residentsCryptoast · Observatorio Blockchain
- Stablecoins & paymentsBanks in Project Faro, including Santander and Deutsche Bank, commit about $270 million to run a planned dollar stablecoin issuer for five years, aiming to launch in the first half of 2027, Bloomberg reportedObservatorio Blockchain · CoinTurk · Koin Bülteni
- Rules & policyDutch lower house passes the Box 3 change taxing shares and some listed crypto funds on realised gains, with a planned start in 2029, while directly held crypto stays taxed on yearly value changes for now; the Senate still has to agreeCrypto Insiders
Open Europe: the featured story, the rules and the quiet places →
Middle East & North Africa2 more stories
- Stablecoins & paymentsEmirates NBD's digital bank Liv adds USDU, a dollar-backed stablecoin registered with the UAE central bankFintech News UAE
- Stablecoins & paymentsDubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority signs a memorandum with Mastercard to explore support for founders, including regulatory sandboxesFintech News UAE
Open Middle East & North Africa: the featured story, the rules and the quiet places →
Africanothing else this week
Nothing else from this region made it this week.
Open Africa: the featured story, the rules and the quiet places →
South Asianothing else this week
Nothing else from this region made it this week.
Open South Asia: the featured story, the rules and the quiet places →
East Asia8 more stories
- Rules & policySouth Korea's ruling and opposition parties provisionally agree to delay the crypto tax to 2029Digital Asset · TechFlow · PANews
- Rules & policyJapan's securities watchdog asks a Tokyo court to bar three unregistered firms that regulators say pitched bitcoin ETF investingCoinPost · CRYPTO TIMES · Techub News
- LicensingSouth Korea's Fair Trade Commission staff send Naver Financial's planned takeover of Upbit operator Dunamu to the full commission, citing competition concerns that include a won stablecoin market not yet formedDigital Asset · Block Media
- Rules & policyTaiwan's Financial Supervisory Commission expects the Virtual Asset Services Act to take effect in the first quarter of 2027; existing exchanges will have 21 months from then to get a licenceBlockTempo
- Rules & policySouth Korea's government told lawmakers it will soon send its Digital Asset Basic Act bill to the National Assembly, without giving a dateDigital Asset
- Hacks & scamsHong Kong police arrest 22 people in an alleged cross-border ring they say laundered more than HK$150 million through crypto OTC shops between August and OctoberPANews · ChainCatcher
- Stablecoins & paymentsSBI Holdings and Cambodia's central bank agree on two trials: Cambodian government bonds tokenised on Canton Network, and Japan–Cambodia transfers settled in the yen stablecoin JPYSCCoinPost · NADA NEWS
- Hacks & scamsKaohsiung prosecutors indict 26 people, including the mother and son who ran OTC crypto dealer Jinniu Baihui, alleging they laundered NT$686 million for scam ringsBlockTempo
Open East Asia: the featured story, the rules and the quiet places →
Southeast Asia2 more stories
- LicensingVietnam's TCEX raises its paid-in capital to 10,000 billion dong, the minimum for an exchange licence under the crypto pilotCoin68
- Stablecoins & paymentsPhilippine bank RCBC's Pulz US virtual account now accepts USDC and USDT transfers through Meridian, credited as US dollarsFintech News Philippines · BitPinas
Open Southeast Asia: the featured story, the rules and the quiet places →
Oceaniano sources yet
We have no local sources here yet.
Open Oceania: the featured story, the rules and the quiet places →