Federal Reserve's Schmidt: Instant payment systems expected to "surpass" stablecoins

What signals did the US SEC send behind the new 2% discount regulation for stablecoins?

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued guidance on payment stablecoins on February 19, allowing broker-dealers to treat stablecoins with a 2% discount when calculating net capital, thereby giving them a legitimate status in capital calculations. This adjustment helps to integrate stablecoins into the mainstream financial system and promotes digital asset trading and services. Peirce's statement and the GENIUS Act could potentially change the market landscape, although federal and state frictions still exist. Nonetheless, this move paves the way for regulatory integration of stablecoins.

Preparing for the Crypto Regulation! E.SUN Financial Holding: The banking industry will embrace three-track finance, not missing out on stablecoins and tokenization

E.SUN Financial Holding foresees that the financial industry will enter the era of "three-track finance," including physical, digital, and virtual assets. In response to the promotion of the Virtual Asset Management Act, E.SUN plans to strengthen blockchain applications, focusing on cross-border payments, virtual asset services, and real asset tokenization. As the demand for stablecoins increases, financial institutions have already begun to deploy, expecting to offer related services after the enactment of the special law. However, regulation of stablecoins still requires consensus among all parties.

Trump's State of the Union address made no mention of cryptocurrencies and did not signal a rate cut, with high interest rate expectations suppressing Bitcoin and risk assets.

On February 25, U.S. President Trump delivered a nearly two-hour State of the Union address, setting a record for the longest in history. Although the speech covered core topics such as taxation, artificial intelligence, tariffs, and inflation, it completely omitted any mention of cryptocurrency policies or digital asset regulation. This stance was interpreted by the market as a lack of clear policy catalysts for the crypto industry in the short term. Despite his children Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump being deeply involved in crypto projects like World Liberty Financial, digital assets have yet to enter the official policy narrative framework. On a macro level, Trump defended tariff policies in his speech and expressed dissatisfaction with relevant Supreme Court rulings, while also signaling that tariffs would be maintained through other legal channels. However, the repeated adjustments of tariff rates from 10% to 15% have increased trade policy uncertainty. The European Union has paused trade agreement progress, and India has delayed negotiations, leading to a rise in global macro risk premiums, which directly impacts the valuation logic of risk assets.

Payoneer applies for a banking license with OCC, plans to issue cross-border stablecoins

Global financial services company Payoneer has submitted an application to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to establish PAYO Digital Bank, obtaining a national trust bank license. If approved, Payoneer will be able to issue a stablecoin compliant with the GENIUS Act, PAYO-USD, and provide its customers with regulated stablecoin custody, payments, and cross-border currency exchange services.

Bitunix Analyst: High Market Position in Central Bank Personnel, Japan's Interest Rate Path Adds New Uncertainty

The Japanese government has nominated a new member to join the Bank of Japan's Monetary Policy Committee, and market expectations suggest that future interest rate hikes will be more cautious, increasing policy uncertainty. The USD/JPY has strengthened in the short term, and the yen's weakness may continue. In the crypto market, BTC rebounded after a long liquidation, and price fluctuations are still related to leverage rebalancing.