Finance and Business News page 29

The Wall Street Journal reports Christine Lagarde intervened to keep Binance locked out of the European Union market. Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, personally blocked Binance’s attempt to secure a license inside the European Union, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Legislative gridlock on digital asset market structure has not paused regulatory activity across agencies, states and courts. The CLARITY Act has stalled in Congress, according to a report from UNLOCK Blockchain published on September 18, 2026. The bill was designed to establish clearer jurisdictional lines between federal regulators over digital assets.

Falling futures open interest tempers optimism even as regulatory clarity efforts and ETF demand shape the outlook for XRP. XRP has held steady around the $1.30 level this week, according to CoinJournal, even as broader market signals turned mixed.

Weak purchases from public companies add to a broader pattern of soft bitcoin demand signals. Corporate treasuries purchased only 5,900 bitcoin during the third quarter, according to CoinDesk. At current prices, that haul was worth approximately $451 million, as reported separately by The Cryptonomist.

A report alleging ECB President Christine Lagarde pressured Greek regulators over Binance's license application has raised fresh questions about the exchange's EU market entry. Binance’s bid to secure a license under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation, known as MiCA, is facing new questions.

American officials allege a crypto platform helped Iran collect payments tied to shipping traffic through the strategic waterway. U.S. officials have accused Iran of using a bitcoin exchange to process payments connected to a toll-like scheme along the Strait of Hormuz. The allegation was reported by CoinDesk and CryptoBriefing on September 18.

Galaxy's data shows venture investment in crypto and blockchain startups jumped roughly 31% from the prior quarter. Venture capital deployed into crypto and blockchain startups totaled $5.68 billion in the second quarter, according to figures published by research firm Galaxy.

Bank analysts argue bitcoin may outpace gold in investor flows once crypto ETF hedging positions ease JPMorgan analysts have raised the possibility that bitcoin could attract more exchange-traded fund demand than gold once hedging tied to crypto ETFs unwinds. The assessment was reported by Crypto Economy, CryptoPotato and Crypto News Australia on September 18.

Treasury's Iran sanctions filing is the sole primary document on record this cycle; three widely carried launches are company announcements with no regulator behind them. Treasury's Iran sanctions filing is the sole primary document on record this cycle; three widely carried launches are company announcements with no regulator behind them.

Singapore-based dtcpay adds SBI Group as an investor, growing its Series A round to US$25 million. dtcpay has expanded its Series A funding round to US$25 million, with backing from SBI Group. The announcement was reported by Fintech News Singapore and The Block on September 18, 2026.

The privacy-focused network aims to cut block times to 25 seconds as part of its next protocol overhaul. Zcash's development community has set its sights on November for the rollout of NU7, the project's next major mainnet upgrade. One report specifies Nov.

A report says the Taiwanese hardware maker and the crypto firm Poesis are exploring self-driving trading technology. Asus, the Taiwanese electronics and computing hardware manufacturer, is reportedly collaborating with Poesis to build self-driving trading agents. The report, published by CryptoBriefing, does not specify the exact nature of the partnership or its commercial timeline.

The collaboration is designed to help smaller regional lenders offer digital asset and stablecoin services to their customers. Coinbase has entered into a partnership with Stablecore aimed at bringing crypto capabilities into US community banks, CryptoBriefing reported.

The identity-focused crypto project expands into payments through a partnership with payments giant Stripe. World has introduced World Money, a self-custodial application described as a financial 'super app,' in more than 150 countries. The launch was reported by crypto.news and Cointelegraph on September 18.

The rate hike reignites debate over yen-funded trades and their spillover into crypto markets. The Bank of Japan raised its key interest rate by 25 basis points, CoinDesk reported. Bitcoin's price climbed against the yen in the aftermath of the decision.

Washington accuses the platform of moving Bitcoin tied to Iran's Revolutionary Guard through a scheme dubbed 'Hormuz Safe' The US Department of the Treasury has imposed sanctions on BitBank, an Iran-based cryptocurrency exchange. The agency alleges the platform processed roughly $1 billion in Bitcoin transactions connected to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to reporting…

A Senate vote and a House schedule change have combined to stall the crypto market structure bill until November. The CLARITY Act, one of the most closely watched pieces of crypto legislation in Congress, is facing another delay. A recent Senate vote has left the bill's status unresolved, according to Coinspeaker.

Britain's financial regulator worked with HMRC and police to shut down unlicensed peer-to-peer crypto operations. The Financial Conduct Authority has moved against three peer-to-peer crypto trading operations based in London. The regulator worked alongside HM Revenue and Customs and police units during the action, according to multiple reports on September 17.