CBDC

Despite Trump’s pledge, a CBDC is being explored behind closed doors, says former CTFC chair
Publicly, the U.S. has fiercely opposed a Central Bank Digital Currency, but former CFTC Chairman Timothy Massad said it is inevitable and there will be one sooner or later.

France’s central banker Beau clashes with Lagarde over private digital euro plans
France’s central bank deputy governor told CoinDesk public and private European entities need to get involved in digital asset development, diverging sharply from Christine Lagarde’s stance.

ECB's Lagarde’s digital euro warning: Why Europe shouldn’t just copy the U.S. stablecoin model
Lagarde warned that large stablecoins like Tether and USDC, which now dominate a $310 billion market, pose financial stability risks and could transmit stress to underlying asset markets during periods of turmoil.

2026 hard fork proposal sparks outrage over use of Satoshi's BTC
Bitcoin developer Paul Sztorc is planning a hard fork called eCash that would give BTC holders equivalent tokens, but the funding plan involves reassigning part of Satoshi Nakamoto's 1.1 million bitcoin to early investors. The community is calling it theft. CoinDesk's Jennifer Sanasie hosts "CoinDesk Daily."

EU’s largest measures against Russia yet include escalation of crypto sanctions evasion
The European Union noted that Russia has become increasingly reliant on cryptocurrency to circumvent sanctions.

India pushes e-rupee through welfare pilots as BRICS digital currency plan takes shape
Farmers and food programs anchor 10 pilots aimed at boosting usage, while New Delhi eyes BRICS CBDC link ahead of 2026 summit

Bank of Korea’s new governor signals CBDC and bank token push, skips stablecoins in key address
The BOK will increase scrutiny of crypto markets and non-bank finance, and will also modernize currency markets for 24-hour foreign exchange trading, he said.

Bank of Korea nominee backs central bank-led digital currency, sees limited role for stablecoins
The nominee, Shin Huyn-song, supported a central bank digital currency model, emphasizing the need for strict anti-money laundering and compliance controls.

ECB seeks experts to help integrate digital euro into ATMs, card payment terminals
The European Central Bank is preparing the ground should legislators enable the issuance of a digital currency and the bank's governing council approve issuing it.

Bank of Japan expands blockchain settlement sandbox and says CBDC efforts are ongoing
The BOJ is testing blockchain settlement for reserves and exploring tokenized central bank money as it prepares to decide in 2026 whether to issue a retail digital yen.

