European regulators and central bankers are pressing for faster, more practical guardrails as agentic artificial intelligence (AI) moves from research into real-world finance. Several senior officials argued that conventional rulemaking timelines may be too slow to manage risks that can emerge within weeks or months—especially during periods of market stress.

Speaking at the European Central Bank’s annual meeting in Sintra, Portugal, Bank of England deputy governor Sarah Breeden warned that agentic systems could amplify volatility when markets are already under strain. She also raised the possibility that policymakers may need circuit-breaker-style interventions if faulty AI behavior threatens to cascade into broader market disruptions, according to her remarks at the ECB event.

Key takeaways

• Bank of England deputy governor Sarah Breeden said agentic AI could heighten volatility during market stress and floated the idea of “circuit breaker” protections for faulty models.
• Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank, called AI a “major risk,” citing cybersecurity and defense gaps that have not kept pace with model acceleration.
• UK Financial Conduct Authority CEO Nikhil Rathi argued traditional rulemaking cycles are too slow for AI, urging a more collaborative approach with markets.
• The BIS warned on June 28 that AI “exuberance” could trigger boom-bust dynamics, potentially feeding into disruptive macro-financial loops.

Circuit-breaker thinking for agentic AI

Breeden framed the core policy challenge around speed and systemic consequences. At the ECB Forum on Central Banking 2026, she questioned whether guardrails should be designed to function like “circuit breakers or kill switches” that could limit or stop market-wide trading if AI systems malfunction and contribute to a broader meltdown, according to her speech.

The underlying concern is not only that AI may be wrong, but that agentic AI—systems that can take actions toward goals with limited human oversight—could behave in ways that interact with market microstructure. During calm conditions, such effects may be muted. In stress, however, the same automation can potentially intensify feedback loops, making volatility harder to contain.

Why European policymakers worry about both security and system stability

ECB President Christine Lagarde tied the regulatory discussion to a familiar set of themes—cybersecurity, hacking, and data theft—but stressed that the pace and depth of modern AI changes the threat environment. In an interview with French outlet Les Echos, she said the risk has become more serious because it is “happening very, very quickly,” while the resources needed for defenses have not yet been found.

Lagarde’s warning underscores a dual risk lens. First, AI can expand the scale and sophistication of cyber threats. Second, defenders often require time and funding to catch up—creating a window where vulnerabilities may be exploited faster than institutions can mitigate them.

In parallel, Nikhil Rathi, CEO of the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority, told CNBC’s Squawk Box that regulatory processes built for slower technological cycles do not translate cleanly to AI. He said some AI technologies move in weeks or months, and the “traditional cycle of rulemaking simply doesn’t work in that way,” adding that regulators need “new tools and a different way of working with the market in a more collaborative way,” according to his comments on July 3, 2026.

Accountability timelines may not match AI’s deployment pace

What connects these remarks is a shared critique of timing. Conventional regulation often depends on consultation, impact assessment, and phased implementation—steps that can be incompatible with rapid iteration and deployment common in the AI frontier. That mismatch creates a practical problem for both regulators and market participants: rules may arrive after the risky behavior has already spread.

Breeden’s circuit-breaker framing suggests one answer—designing operational limits that can be triggered dynamically, rather than relying solely on ex ante compliance requirements. Rathi’s call for collaboration points to another: working with markets to develop expectations and monitoring approaches while the technology evolves.

The European policy challenge is heightened by how investment capital is allocated. The article notes that US companies have been leading in AI investment and frontier model development, and that Europe’s financial system provides fewer capital channels into AI than US equity markets. It also warns that if regulation becomes overly cautious, AI firms may look for jurisdictions with lighter compliance burdens, potentially widening the gap further.

IMF, BIS: leverage, maturity mismatch, and boom-bust risk

Beyond operational guardrails, central banking authorities are also focusing on financial stability risks linked to AI-driven cycles. The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) warned on June 28 that AI “exuberance” could carry major financial consequences. According to the BIS, if policymakers tighten monetary policy to contain inflation, it could lead to a sharp pullback in AI-related asset prices after a prolonged period of exuberant risk-taking.

The BIS cautioned that such a correction could trigger “disruptive macro-financial feedback loops,” suggesting a scenario where falling asset values tighten financial conditions, which then feeds back into broader economic stress.

Breeden also pointed to rising debt financing as a factor that could increase the stability consequences of a decline in AI-related asset prices, according to her remarks. In an interview with Bloomberg dated June 30, IMF Monetary and Capital Markets Department director Tobias Adrian similarly highlighted a “potential maturity mismatch” between the duration of physical assets and the duration of debt—an issue that can become especially problematic when cash flows weaken or refinancing conditions deteriorate.

What investors and builders should watch next

The immediate takeaway is that European regulators appear to be moving from broad warnings toward specific mechanisms—whether circuit-breaker-style interventions, faster collaborative oversight, or stability-focused monitoring of leverage and market dynamics. Market participants should watch for how authorities operationalize these ideas: whether guardrails become technical standards, supervisory expectations, or risk monitoring frameworks designed to respond in real time as AI systems and market behavior change.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage reportedly accepted gifts that he did not publicly disclose from a crypto entrepreneur convicted of fraud in the US, according to The Sunday Times. 

The news outlet reported on Saturday that Farage was gifted staff, security, transport and accommodation by George Cottrell, an aristocrat involved in an offshore crypto casino who has been a close adviser to Farage for more than 10 years.

Farage said in a statement on Sunday that he “followed the rules” over the gifts from Cottrell, which he received before he was elected a member of parliament in July 2024, and called The Times’ report a “hit job.”

It is the second time Farage has faced reports of undeclared gifts from wealthy figures tied to crypto, an industry he has advocated for while in parliament that is facing increasing regulatory scrutiny, with the Treasury having temporarily banned political donations made in cryptocurrencies in March.

A parliamentary standards watchdog opened an inquiry in May over whether Farage failed to declare a 5 million British pounds ($6.7 million) gift from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne, who partly owns stablecoin giant Tether.

Nigel Farage appears at the Bitcoin 2025 conference holding his party’s draft crypto legislation. Source: Gage Skidmore

Farage has argued he does not need to declare Harborne’s gift, as it was given to him to pay for personal security before he was an MP.

Cottrell’s reported gifts include security, use of house

The Sunday Times reported that Cottrell, who is involved in a gambling site called Tether.bet that uses the Tether (USDt) stablecoin, provided Farage with drivers and security made up primarily of former soldiers.

Cottrell also reportedly recruited and paid for three staff members to help with the Reform leader’s social media and, since the election, has let Farage use a rented five-story house near Buckingham Palace. A Reform source told The Times that Farage almost always stayed at his own home and did not routinely use the property.

Farage registered only one benefit from Cottrell upon entering Parliament, a benefit of less than 9,300 British pounds ($12,400) for travel, security and accommodation to attend an event in Belgium.

In 2016, Cottrell was arrested and charged in the US with 21 offenses for his role in a money laundering plot. He pleaded guilty to a single wire fraud charge after a plea deal and spent eight months in prison.

Farage reported over alleged crypto lobbying

The Times’ report follows a report in The Guardian on Friday that the standards commissioner was urged to investigate whether Farage lobbied the Bank of England to drop its digital currency plans.

Related: Crypto billionaires bankroll Nigel Farage’s pro-crypto party

Labour MP and chair of a parliamentary anti-corruption group, Phil Brickell, reported Farage to the commissioner, saying he “claimed credit for persuading the Bank to soften its position” on a central bank digital currency.

Brickell said that Harborne “stood to benefit from opposition to a state-backed digital currency that could compete with private stablecoins.”

“This is not simply a debate about cryptocurrency. It is about whether an MP who has received millions from one individual should be lobbying for policies that could increase the value and profitability of that [Reform] donor’s investments,” said Brickell.

Farage and Reform have championed crypto, with the party publishing draft legislation last year with the goal of making the UK “the world’s premier hub for cryptocurrency.”

Reform was also the first UK political party to accept donations in Bitcoin (BTC). Farage has also proposed cutting capital gains taxes on crypto from 24% to 10% and called for the Bank of England to create a Bitcoin reserve.

Magazine: Guide to the top and emerging global crypto hubs: Mid-2026 

Spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $527 million in net outflows from June 29 to July 2, extending their weekly withdrawal streak to eight weeks. The latest data shows that demand for Bitcoin funds remains weak, even after some products returned to daily inflows.

Crypto.news reported that U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs lost $527 million over the four trading days ending July 2. The same report said the streak is now the longest weekly outflow run since the funds launched.

The weekly loss came despite a positive daily session on July 2. Bitcoin ETFs recorded $221.7 million in net inflows that day, ending a 10-day daily withdrawal run. Fidelity’s FBTC led the rebound with about $166 million in inflows, while ARK 21Shares’ ARKB added about $91.8 million.

In the never-ending battle between bitcoin BTC$63,022.30, the digital gold, and the traditional yellow metal, veteran trader Peter Brandt has picked a side, and it’s not the one bitcoin bulls would have hoped for.

Brandt, CEO of Factor LLC and widely followed chart analyst, said on X that he is mulling liquidating some of his BTC and using the proceeds to buy gold, as he sees the yellow metal outperforming BTC.

“I am contemplating selling some of my Bitcoin and going to Gold with the money. Looks to me that Gold is going to gain substantially on Bitcoin,” Brandt told his followers on X.

Both BTC and gold have recently taken a beating, though bitcoin has fared noticeably worse than the traditional safe haven metal. The leading cryptocurrency by market value slid 20% in June to below $60,000, marking its worst monthly performance in four years. Gold, by comparison, dropped 11.7% to nearly $4,000 per ounce.

The divergence looks even starker on a year-to-date basis, with BTC down 28% in 2026 versus a 3.9% decline for gold.

Bucking the trend

Brandt’s view flies directly in the face of the popular market narrative among crypto bulls’ that anticipates a massive rotation of money back into BTC and digital assets.

Thousands of crypto wallets are at risk of being drained due to the use of weaker-than-intended recovery phrases, an exploit that Blockchain security research firm Coinspect has dubbed “Ill Bloom.”

The wallets at risk span Bitcoin, Ethereum, Polygon, Rootstock, Tron and Solana, Coinspect said in a disclosure on Sunday, with the issue related to weak randomness — an insecure pseudorandom number generator — used during recovery phrase generation on certain software wallets. 

“If funds recently moved without your permission, this vulnerability may be why,” Coinspect said. 

The vulnerability has impacted wallets generated as early as 2018 and more often occurs in lesser-known mobile software wallets. At least $5 million has been drained from exposed wallets since May 27, though there could have been exploits on additional networks and addresses, meaning the number of wallets at risk may be much higher. 

A snapshot of one analyzed address set as of June 30. Source: Coinspect

Coinspect said it was not publishing details of the active exploit at this stage, but has released a wallet-checking tool for users to see whether their address is potentially exposed. 

“We’re closely monitoring the Ill Bloom wallet weak randomness risk alert from Coinspect,” SlowMist posted to X on Monday. 

Data shows that an attack on May 27 affected 431 wallets out of 2,114 vulnerable wallets, draining a total of $3.1 million in cryptocurrency. Another $2 million was moved on Sunday from exposed wallets.

The historical sum of stolen amounts per chain in the May 27 attack. Source: Coinspect

“Current evidence tells us that users that generated their seed with a hardware wallet are not affected,” said Coinspect. 

“Further research indicates that most current software wallets are also not vulnerable,” it added. “The strongest candidates are users who generated their seed in less widely used mobile software wallets.”

Related: Taiko reopens bridge after $1.7M exploit, says users made whole

Weak wallet seeds cause headaches

This type of vulnerability has emerged several times in the past. In 2023, Ledger’s security team discovered that wallet seeds generated by the Trust Wallet browser extension were vulnerable to brute-force attacks. 

The flaw resided in the wallet’s entropy generation for new addresses, which limited the total possible mnemonic combinations to roughly four billion and could allow a motivated attacker to run an attack in less than a day with just a few GPUs. Trust Wallet patched the bug before any funds were stolen. 

In the same year, a vulnerability in the Libbitcoin Explorer crypto wallet led to $900,000 in crypto being stolen through private key brute forcing. 

Magazine: Bitcoin slides to $58K, XRP hits $1 but onchain data promising: Market Moves

Adjusted stablecoin transaction volume hit a record $1.79 trillion in June, up 63% from May’s $1.1 trillion, according to payments giant Visa.

June’s record stablecoin transaction volume surpassed the previous record of $1.78 trillion in February, and is up 125% from the prior-year period, according to Visa’s Allium-powered stablecoin analytics dashboard. 

“June 2026 was another record month for stablecoin transaction volume, just ahead of February 2026,” said Zach Pandl, head of research at Grayscale, on Sunday. 

The sharp increase in stablecoin transaction volume suggests growing real-world use in payments, decentralized finance and cross-border transfers as crypto infrastructure matures. It comes despite a broader crypto bear market, suggesting that stablecoins have become a driving force in the industry. 

USDC has the lion’s share of volume

Despite Tether’s USDt being the largest stablecoin by market cap, the majority of the transaction volume, around 67%, was Circle’s USDC, with $1.21 trillion for the month. USDT accounted for around 32%, or $576 billion, according to Visa. 

PayPal’s PYUSD is the third-largest in terms of transaction volume, with $2.42 billion in June. 

There was just under $1.8 trillion in adjusted stablecoin transaction volume in June. Source: Visa

The most widely used network for stablecoin transactions in June was Coinbase’s Ethereum layer-2 network Base with $565 billion, or 31.5% of the total, closely followed by Ethereum with $562 billion. Tron was the third-highest with $320 billion, or about 18% of the total. 

Related: Revolut to delist USDT in August, citing regulatory and risk concerns

Visa collaborated with Artemis, Allium Labs and Castle Island Ventures to develop an adjusted transaction methodology that filters out “distracting metrics” such as high-frequency trading bots, exchange treasury rebalancing and repeated smart contract transactions to help better approximate organic stablecoin activity, the company said. 

Base and Ethereum dominated stablecoin volumes in June. Source: Visa

Meanwhile, another player has entered the crowded stablecoin market as Open Standard announced Open USD (OUSD) on Tuesday, with support from more than 140 payments, banking, technology and crypto companies, including Visa and Mastercard. 

Trend to continue as stablecoins mature

Nick Ruck, director of LVRG Research, told Cointelegraph that the record volume demonstrates the resilience of these assets amid the broader crypto bear market. 

“This surge underscores the growing role of stablecoins as essential infrastructure for value transfer, liquidity provision, and decentralized finance activity that persists independently of speculative price movements,” he said. 

Ruck predicted that the trend would continue with stablecoins “maturing into a foundational layer of the Web3 economy,” and are positioned for even greater reach as the market evolves.

Magazine: AI is banking the unbanked in Africa… faster than crypto

Binance users in France can no longer trade on the platform after the exchange missed the European Union’s MiCA approval deadline. From July 1, Binance stopped offering several services in France and other European countries where it lacks authorization under the bloc’s new crypto rules.

The change follows Binance’s wider MiCA service pause in Europe. French users can still withdraw assets, but spot and margin trading are no longer available. Binance previously served about 2 million users in France.

The company told affected users that “Your assets remain safe and secure,” according to earlier notices. It also encouraged users to move assets to a regulated platform or a personal wallet if they needed active access.

The service limits came after the MiCA transition period ended. Crypto firms now need approval from one EU member state to serve clients across the bloc.

French users move funds after trading halt

Some Binance users in France moved their crypto before the July 1 cutoff. Others waited for more clarity from the exchange. The platform still allows withdrawals, but users who want to trade must move funds elsewhere.

One user quoted by BFM Business said, “I repatriated my cryptos last weekend,” after choosing not to wait until the last minute. Another user said Binance left customers to handle the transfer process alone, adding, “You’re on your own.”

The case shows how a license delay can quickly change customer access. Many retail traders used Binance for active trading, leverage products, and quick crypto conversions. Those services are now limited in affected markets.

On-chain data cited in the report showed Binance recorded about $1.6 billion in net outflows over the past month. That figure remains small compared with about $114 billion in crypto assets still managed by the exchange.

Licensed exchanges target affected traders

The Binance pause has opened room for approved rivals. Crypto.news reported thatCoinbase and OKX targeted Binance users before the MiCA deadline. Both firms promoted access to regulated services as users reviewed where to trade next.

Coinbase targeted users across several European markets, including France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Poland, Sweden, and the U.K. OKX also promoted offers for eligible users in the European Economic Area.

The timing matters because MiCA has changed how exchanges compete in Europe. Licensed firms can promote service continuity. Platforms without approval must restrict covered services or seek a new licensing route.

Crypto.news also reported that Germany and France led the MiCA rollout. As of June 29, the EU had issued 244 valid MiCA crypto-asset service provider licenses.

MiCA reshapes exchange access in Europe

MiCA is now the main rulebook for crypto service providers in the European Union. It covers exchanges, custodians, token issuers, and stablecoin providers. It also replaces many older national crypto rules with one EU-wide system.

The Binance case is one of the clearest tests of the new framework. The exchange says it wants to return with a license, but users in affected markets now have limited access until that happens.

The rule change has also affected stablecoins. Crypto.news reported that USDT was removed from regulated EU exchange order books after Tether did not seek MiCA authorization.

For users, the change is direct. Trading access now depends on whether an exchange holds MiCA approval. Binance remains open for withdrawals in affected markets, but normal trading depends on future authorization.

XRP finally pushed through the $1.14 level that had capped recent attempts higher, but the move did not run cleanly into the next resistance band. Buyers drove the token as high as $1.158 on heavy volume before sellers forced a pullback toward $1.146, turning the session into a test of whether former resistance can now act as support.

News Background

• XRP spot ETFs recorded a ninth consecutive week of net inflows, adding $17.19 million despite broader market uncertainty.

• The CLARITY Act missed its expected timeline after the Senate adjourned for recess without a floor vote, leaving regulatory catalysts delayed.

• Santiment data showed XRP’s 30-day MVRV near -45% and 365-day MVRV near -47%, meaning most holders remained underwater across both shorter and longer timeframes.

• Several analysts pointed to improving technical structures, including a 4-hour downtrend break, bullish divergence and a possible Elliott Wave advance.

Price Action Summary

• XRP rose from $1.1344 to $1.1454 during the 24-hour session, gaining 2.87%.

• The breakout came at 22:00 UTC on July 5, when volume reached 81.89 million XRP, about 207% above the 24-hour average.

• The move carried XRP from $1.1356 to $1.1594 in two hours, clearing resistance near $1.1400.