TLDR

• UK officials invited Bybit leadership to London to discuss expansion and crypto regulation.
• CEO Ben Zhou confirmed meetings with the Financial Conduct Authority and the House of Lords.
• Bybit ranks as the second-largest crypto exchange by CoinGecko.
• Zhou said the UK wants major crypto firms to establish bases and create jobs.
• The outreach coincides with UK Fintech Week and Treasury plans for stablecoins and tokenization.

UK officials have invited crypto exchange Bybit to London to explore expansion and regulatory talks. The outreach targets job creation and renewed digital asset activity. CEO Ben Zhou confirmed meetings with regulators and lawmakers this week.

Bybit Signals Potential UK Engagement

Economic development officials linked to the UK government invited Bybit executives to London this week. They aim to attract large crypto firms and rebuild domestic innovation activity. Zhou said officials want major businesses to establish bases and create jobs.

He confirmed meetings with the Financial Conduct Authority and House of Lords representatives. He said discussions will cover forthcoming pro-crypto regulations and payment reforms. “They are very eager to invite big business,” Zhou said during Paris Blockchain Week.

Bybit ranks as the second-largest crypto exchange by CoinGecko. The exchange trails only Binance in global trading volumes. Zhou founded Bybit in 2018 and later shifted the headquarters to Dubai.

He moved the company from Singapore to Dubai in 2022. Binance also established operations in the UAE in 2025. Large exchanges helped attract smaller crypto firms to the region.

UK Targets Momentum Built by Bybit and Binance in UAE

Zhou said major exchanges created momentum in the UAE market. He explained that smaller firms followed after Bybit and Binance announced regional plans. “Once we announced we’re going to be there, smaller players followed,” Zhou said.

He said the UK has yet to build similar traction. He added that policymakers want to replicate the UAE model. “There hasn’t been any momentum built in the UK,” Zhou said.

The invitation coincides with UK Fintech Week events in London. The Treasury plans to revamp payment systems using stablecoins and tokenization. Officials have not disclosed the specific department behind the invitation.

Zhou said an economic development board extended the offer directly. He said the board promised a direct line to the prime minister. “There is an agenda to push for innovation, especially in crypto,” Zhou said.

The Treasury and Economic Secretary, Lucy Rigby, has not issued any comments. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology also declined to respond. The Financial Conduct Authority had not replied at press time.

The outreach follows recent geopolitical tensions affecting the UAE. Iran launched direct attacks during the U.S.-Israel war that began on Feb. 28. Thousands of residents and tourists have left the country.

The Financial Times reported that one in eight British residents departed the UAE. Zhou said UK officials observed capital and company outflows to the Gulf region. He stated that London sees this period as an opportunity.

“The UK government has seen the outflow of money and companies going to the UAE,” Zhou said. He added that officials want to regain that activity. Zhou said the current timing aligns with that objective.

Attitudes to crypto investment in Japan are shifting from cautious interest to active portfolio planning, according to a survey by Nomura and its digital asset arm, Laser Digital, with almost 80% of the country’s institutional investors saying they plan to add crypto in the next three years.

The shift reflects a growing view of crypto as a diversification tool. Many of the respondents cited low correlation with traditional asset classes as a key reason for adding exposure. Allocations, though, remain restrained, with more than half targeting between 2% and 5% of their portfolios.

It also reflects improving sentiment: 31% percent of respondents described their outlook on crypto as positive, compared with 25% in 2024, while negative sentiment declined to 18%.

The findings come as Japan refines one of the more established regulatory frameworks for digital assets among major economies. The country was an early mover in regulating crypto exchanges following the Mt. Gox collapse in 2014. Recent efforts have focused on integrating digital assets into existing financial laws, including updates tied to the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act.

That clarity has helped foster a domestic crypto ecosystem anchored by major companies such as SBI Holdings, the financial conglomerate that operates one of Japan’s largest crypto businesses, and bitFlyer, a long-standing exchange. Traditional financial institutions have also entered the industry.

Nomura, one of the world’s largest financial services companies, founded Laser Digital in 2022 to expand into trading, asset management and venture investing, while firms like Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group have explored tokenized deposits and stablecoins.

Interest is expanding beyond simple price exposure. More than 60% of respondents expressed interest in income-generating strategies such as staking and lending, as well as derivatives and tokenized assets. That suggests investors are beginning to treat crypto less as a speculative trade and more as a broader financial toolkit.

Stablecoins are another area of focus. Sixty-three percent of respondents identified potential use cases, including treasury management, cross-border payments and foreign exchange transactions. Trust appears to be highest for stablecoins issued by major financial institutions, highlighting the importance of familiar counterparties.

Still, barriers remain. Investors pointed to challenges including the lack of established valuation frameworks, counterparty risks such as fraud or asset loss, and regulatory uncertainty. High volatility also continues to weigh on adoption.

Even so, those concerns are shifting. Rather than debating whether to invest, institutions are now focused on how to do it.

The survey was conducted in December and January and gathered responses from 518 investment professionals, including institutional investors, family offices and public-interest organizations.

The most urgent crypto scam news on Capitol Hill arrived Tuesday as the House Homeland Security Committee held a joint subcommittee hearing on how transnational criminal organizations use crypto fraud, online scams, and digital extortion to steal from Americans.

Crypto scam news reached Congress Tuesday morning as the Subcommittees on Border Security and Enforcement and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection convened in Room 310 of the Cannon House Office Building for a joint hearing titled “Online Scams, Crypto Fraud, and Digital Extortion: An Examination of How Transnational Criminal Networks Target Americans.”

Cynthia Kaiser, senior vice president of the Halcyon Ransomware Research Center, testified as a witness, providing technical context on how criminal networks use digital extortion tools alongside crypto investment fraud schemes to maximize victim losses and minimize traceability.

The hearing draws on a documented surge in transnational criminal activity. The FBI’s IC3 report recorded 859,532 scam complaints in 2024 with $16.6 billion in losses. Investment fraud, predominantly pig butchering schemes operated from Southeast Asia, caused $5.8 billion of that total. Victims aged 60 and older bore the highest losses of any age group.

The Scale of the Criminal Infrastructure Being Examined

The networks at the center of the hearing are not loosely organized. They are industrial operations with real estate, corporate structures, and international banking relationships. The Chainalysis 2026 Crypto Crime Report documented that the Huione Group received $39.6 billion in transactions in 2025 alone after FinCEN designated it a primary money laundering concern under the USA PATRIOT Act. Prince Group, a Cambodia-based transnational criminal organization operating forced labor scam compounds, was sanctioned by OFAC in October 2025 with 146 targets designated across the network.

The pig butchering model is the dominant scheme: scammers build trust with victims over weeks or months through fake relationships before directing them to fraudulent crypto investment platforms. Once funds are deposited, the platforms close. Proceeds move through shell companies, crypto wallets, and professional money laundering networks based in Southeast Asia before being converted or consolidated. TRM Labs found that these networks have become more professionalized each year, with AI tools now reducing the time required to build trust with victims.

What Enforcement Has Achieved and What Remains

US authorities have escalated enforcement significantly. They crypto seized over $61 million in Tether tied to pig butchering in North Carolina alone, and the October 2025 Prince Group seizure involving approximately 127,271 Bitcoin was described as the largest financial forfeiture in American history at the time. Total illicit proceeds seized or forfeited in 2025 linked to scam activity exceeded $15 billion according to Chainalysis.

The persistent structural challenge is jurisdiction. The criminal networks operate from countries with weak law enforcement cooperation agreements. Victims move funds through US-based crypto exchanges before the money reaches overseas wallets, making the domestic on-ramp the most accessible intervention point. Congress is considering legislation including the Dismantle Foreign Scam Syndicates Act, which would establish an interagency task force and authorize targeted sanctions against compound operators and their financial intermediaries.

What the Hearing Signals for Crypto Regulation

The hearing is notable for what it does not do: it does not frame crypto itself as the problem. The focus is on transnational criminal organizations exploiting the technology. That framing matters for the regulatory environment around the CLARITY Act and stablecoin legislation, where the industry has argued that clear rules reduce illicit use by creating regulated on-ramps with strong compliance requirements. A Congress that treats crypto as a tool of crime will write different legislation than one that treats it as infrastructure being exploited by criminals who would otherwise use other payment rails.

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CoinDesk Indices presents its daily market update, highlighting the performance of leaders and laggards in the CoinDesk 20 Index.

The CoinDesk 20 is currently trading at 2101.48, down 0.2% (-4.06) since 4 p.m. ET on Monday.

Ten of 20 assets are trading higher.

Leaders: XLM (+3.3%) and AAVE (+1.9%).

Laggards: ETH (-0.9%) and APT (-0.6%).

The CoinDesk 20 is a broad-based index traded on multiple platforms in several regions globally.

Key Highlights

• Platform transitions from prediction markets to continuous crypto derivatives trading

• Regulated perpetual futures set for April 27 rollout with USD collateral

• Monthly trading volumes surpassed $1 billion mark in March 2025

• Stablecoin collateral integration planned for Q2 following initial launch

• Strategic positioning against established players like Coinbase and Binance

Kalshi is set to enter the cryptocurrency derivatives arena with a regulated perpetual futures offering scheduled for April 27. This strategic expansion represents a significant departure from the platform’s traditional event-driven contract model, introducing continuous trading instruments linked to digital asset valuations. The initiative enables Kalshi to directly challenge incumbent crypto exchanges while capitalizing on its compliant operational framework.

Platform Diversification Through Derivative Instruments

The upcoming launch introduces perpetual futures contracts that provide price exposure to cryptocurrencies without predetermined settlement dates. Unlike conventional event-based markets that conclude upon specific outcomes, these instruments facilitate ongoing position management. Consequently, this product evolution significantly enhances Kalshi’s trading infrastructure and market relevance.

These derivative contracts utilize funding rate mechanisms to synchronize contract valuations with underlying spot market prices continuously. This technical framework enables Kalshi to deliver stable pricing dynamics alongside adaptable trading parameters. Additionally, the perpetual structure accommodates extended investment horizons beyond what binary outcome markets traditionally provide.

Initial trading will utilize U.S. dollar denominated collateral requirements. Subsequently, Kalshi has outlined intentions to integrate stablecoin collateral options during the second quarter. This phased implementation strategy permits methodical expansion while adhering to regulatory compliance standards.

Expanding Digital Asset Trading Momentum

Cryptocurrency-related trading activity on Kalshi has demonstrated substantial acceleration throughout recent periods. March 2025 marked a milestone achievement with monthly transaction volumes crossing the one billion dollar threshold initially. This performance trajectory validates considerable market appetite and reinforces the strategic rationale for derivatives expansion.

Perpetual futures contracts currently constitute the dominant segment of worldwide cryptocurrency trading volume, particularly across offshore exchange venues. Nevertheless, regulated access within United States markets remains constrained, presenting a strategic opening for Kalshi. The platform can effectively capture traders prioritizing compliant pathways to crypto derivative exposure.

Beyond digital currencies, the company envisions extending its perpetual futures framework into commodities and additional asset categories. This comprehensive development timeline reflects broader strategic ambitions consistent with multi-asset platform evolution. Through this approach, Kalshi reinforces its competitive positioning for sustained market participation.

Competitive Landscape And Sector Dynamics

This strategic expansion positions Kalshi in direct rivalry with major platforms including Coinbase Global and Binance. These established exchanges currently provide cryptocurrency trading services, encompassing derivative products across various regulatory jurisdictions. Kalshi’s distinguishing characteristic stems from its comprehensive U.S. regulatory oversight structure.

The prediction markets sector has witnessed explosive expansion, with transactional activity achieving unprecedented benchmarks throughout 2026. This industry momentum reinforces Kalshi’s integrated approach merging prediction market infrastructure with perpetual futures execution. This hybrid architecture enables more effective liquidity aggregation and capital efficiency.

The platform has secured substantial capital backing, achieving multi-billion dollar valuation metrics. Industry intelligence indicates potential plans for a public market debut within an approximate two-year timeframe. These developments underscore Kalshi’s ongoing operational scaling efforts concurrent with strategic entry into additional financial product categories.

Iran war news escalated Tuesday as parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated publicly that Tehran will not accept negotiations under conditions it considers coercive, with the 10-day US-Iran ceasefire set to expire Wednesday and both sides sharpening rhetoric ahead of prospective talks in Islamabad.

Iran war news turned sharply negative Tuesday as Iranian officials delivered a unified message hours before the US negotiating team led by Vice President JD Vance was expected to arrive in Islamabad. Tehran’s position, as expressed through multiple official channels, is that it will not enter talks while the US naval blockade of its ports continues and while American officials publicly threaten expanded military strikes.

“We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats, and in the past two weeks, we have prepared to reveal new cards on the battlefield,” Ghalibaf wrote on X. He accused Trump of using the ceasefire period to seek Iran’s surrender rather than a genuine agreement, calling the US posture “warmongering.”

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei confirmed at a weekly press briefing that “as of now, we have no plans for the next round of negotiation, and no decision has been made in this regard.”

Why Tehran Is Holding Its Position

The core Iranian complaint is structural. The US imposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports on the same day the ceasefire was announced, treating it as a tool of coercion rather than a genuine pause in hostilities. Iran has maintained since Sunday that continuing participation in any talks depends on the US changing its behavior, specifically lifting the blockade and stopping what Tehran describes as ceasefire violations.

Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian separately criticized US officials for sending “unconstructive and contradictory signals,” noting that Trump publicly claimed Iran had agreed to give up its enriched uranium stockpile while Iran denied this within hours of the claim. The gap between what each side says the other agreed to is itself a structural obstacle to building the trust necessary for second-round talks.

The Hormuz Situation and What Happens at Midnight

The ceasefire expires Wednesday. The Strait of Hormuz, which Iran briefly reopened before closing again after the Touska cargo ship seizure, remains effectively closed to normal traffic. Iran sent drones toward US military ships after the Touska was boarded by US forces, signaling that its military posture remains active. The USS Gerald R. Ford carrier operates in the Mediterranean while the USS Abraham Lincoln is in the north Arabian Sea, with a third carrier group expected in the region by month’s end.

Trump told CNBC he is “ready to go” if talks fail and said he would not be rushed. He also said Iran has “no choice” but to negotiate. The contradiction between those statements and Iran’s stated refusal to talk under threat defines the standoff heading into the Wednesday deadline.

What This Means for Oil and Crypto Markets

The ceasefire hopes that lifted Bitcoin to $72,700 and pushed oil down 13% on April 8 are now at direct risk. A resumption of hostilities at midnight Wednesday would push Brent crude above $100 again and remove the macro tailwind that has supported crypto markets over the past two weeks. The oil price channel into inflation expectations, Fed rate policy, and risk asset positioning means that the outcome of Wednesday’s deadline is the single largest near-term variable for Bitcoin and the broader crypto market.

Cryptocurrency offerings are starting to influence how European investors are choosing their bank providers, but regulatory uncertainty continues to hinder mainstream adoption, according to a new survey.

A Börse Stuttgart Digital survey released Tuesday found that 35% of European investors would consider switching banks if another institution offered better cryptocurrency investment options, suggesting crypto is starting to influence how some customers choose financial providers.

Nearly one in five respondents said they expect their main bank to offer crypto access within the next three years, according to the survey, which covered about 6,000 investors in Germany, Italy, Spain and France. The findings suggest crypto is moving closer to the mainstream banking relationship, at least among investors already open to digital assets.

Still, regulations and a lack of education remain the biggest hurdles to adoption, with 76% seeing crypto assets as insufficiently regulated, while over 60% feel poorly informed about digital assets.

MiCA increased trust in digital assets for nearly half of European investors

European Union regulation appears to be helping on that front. The EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) went into full effect for crypto asset service providers on Dec. 30, 2024.

Nearly half of the surveyed investors said that the MiCA framework increased their trust in digital assets, making them “safer and more attractive.”

“Trust and clear regulation are essential for the next phase of crypto adoption in Europe. With MiCAR bringing transparency and legal certainty, investors gain the clarity they expect,” said Matthias Voelkel, the CEO of Börse Stuttgart Group.

The results land as traditional financial institutions across Europe keep inching deeper into crypto. Börse Stuttgart Digital said in January 2025 that it had become the first German provider of crypto asset services to receive an EU-wide MiCA license through its custody subsidiary, positioning itself as a regulated infrastructure provider for banks, brokers and asset managers.

Related: Deutsche Börse invests $200 million in Kraken parent Payward

Spain leads European crypto adoption

Among the surveyed countries, Spain showed the highest crypto adoption rate with nearly 28% of investors already owning digital assets. Germany was second with 25%, Italy followed with 24% and France with 23%.

Of the respondents, 25% said they had already invested in crypto, and 36% said they are likely to invest again within the next five years, showing “sustained interest despite market volatility,” according to the report.

According to a Chainalysis report published in October 2025, Russia had the largest crypto market in Europe with $376 billion of value received between July 2024 and June 2025, trailed by the United Kingdom with $273 billion and Germany with $219 billion.

Magazine: Will the CLARITY Act be good — or bad — for DeFi?