Crypto World

SEC moves to exempt EU debt futures under US rules

Published

8 hours ago

29 August 2026

60% of European crypto users still using unlicensed exchanges ahead of MiCA

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed a rule amendment that would exempt European Union debt from futures trading and open a 60-day public comment period.

Summary

The SEC wants to add EU debt obligations to the exemption under Rule 3a12-8.
The exemption would apply only to the marketing and trading of qualifying futures contracts.
EU debt futures would fall under the CFTC’s exclusive jurisdiction if the amendment takes effect.
Federal securities laws would continue to govern offerings of the underlying EU debt.

SEC proposal would cover EU debt futures

The SEC, in an Aug. 28 proposal, said it wants to add debt issued by the European Union to the foreign government securities covered by Rule 3a12-8 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Under the amendment, qualifying futures contracts tied to EU debt could be offered, sold or confirmed in the United States or to U.S. persons under the same regulatory framework used for futures on debt issued by designated foreign governments. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission would have exclusive jurisdiction over the contracts.

The change would not give EU bonds a general exemption from U.S. securities laws. According to the SEC, the designation would apply solely to futures marketing and trading, while offerings of the underlying debt obligations would remain subject to federal securities requirements.

Rule 3a12-8 already covers government debt issued by countries including the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and several other foreign governments. Eleven EU member states are included in the rule, but debt issued by the EU as an institution is not.

SEC Chairman Paul Atkins said the difference had left comparable debt instruments under separate regulatory treatment.

“For too long, gaps like this one—where the debt of several EU member states was covered but debt of the European Union itself was not—have created exactly the kind of inconsistency that breeds confusion rather than confidence in the markets,” Atkins said.

EU debt exemption would have a narrow scope

For purposes of the rule, the SEC has proposed defining an EU debt obligation as debt issued by the European Commission on behalf of the European Union, provided the borrowing represents a direct and unconditional obligation of the EU.

The proposed language follows the structure used in official European Commission documents. While the European Commission carries out the issuance, the European Union serves as the issuer and obligor, according to the SEC’s proposed release.

Qualifying contracts would also need to meet the rule’s existing conditions. Rule 3a12-8 applies to debt securities that are not registered under the Securities Act and are not represented by a registered American depositary receipt. Futures covered by the exemption must trade on a board of trade and meet the rule’s foreign delivery, clearing, and offset requirements.

Created in 1984, Rule 3a12-8 initially covered debt issued by the governments of the United Kingdom and Canada. The SEC later added more foreign governments as regulators permitted U.S. investors to access futures tied to overseas sovereign debt without treating each contract as a security future.

European Union debt remains outside the rule because the EU is not a nation-state. However, the SEC said the bloc has distinct economic and institutional features and has increasingly been treated by market participants as a sovereign issuer.

The amendment would add the EU to the definition of designated foreign government securities without changing the requirements that already apply to the governments listed in the rule. Investors and market operators would therefore need to follow the same conditions when marketing or trading EU debt futures in the United States.

CFTC would regulate qualifying EU debt contracts

Placing EU debt within Rule 3a12-8 would exclude qualifying futures from the legal definition of a security future. According to the SEC, the contracts would then come under the CFTC’s exclusive authority, consistent with the treatment of futures tied to debt from the 11 EU member states already covered.

Atkins described the proposal as “harmonization in practice” and said it builds on SEC work with the CFTC to protect investors while addressing gaps between the agencies’ rules.

For U.S. market participants, the proposal would provide a defined route for accessing qualifying EU debt futures on foreign boards of trade that offer direct access. The SEC said such contracts could provide hedging and risk-management opportunities, subject to the Commodity Exchange Act and the existing safeguards in Rule 3a12-8.

The distinction between an underlying asset and a derivative tied to it has also appeared in U.S. crypto markets. As crypto.news previously reported, an SEC review of Bitcoin index options has raised a jurisdictional dispute over whether contracts based directly on Bitcoin should fall exclusively under CFTC rules.

In that case, CME Group argued that Bitcoin is a non-security commodity and that options tracking its value qualify as commodity option swaps. Nasdaq PHLX maintained that joint oversight could provide a compliant route, although the SEC had not resolved the jurisdictional challenge when it opened the matter for full Commission review.

EU debt futures present a separate legal question because the SEC is proposing to use its authority under the Exchange Act to designate the underlying obligations as exempted securities for a limited purpose. Unlike the pending Bitcoin options dispute, the proposal expressly assigns qualifying futures contracts to the CFTC while retaining SEC oversight of the underlying securities offerings.

SEC rulemaking also covers crypto custody and offerings

Alongside its work on foreign government debt, the SEC has continued developing rules for digital assets under separate proceedings. The agency sent proposed amendments addressing crypto custody requirements to the White House Office of Management and Budget on Aug. 25.

According to the federal regulatory agenda, the custody project would address how registered investment advisers and investment companies hold client and fund assets, including cryptocurrencies. The complete requirements will not become public until the White House review ends and SEC commissioners vote on whether to release the proposal.

In July, the Commission also placed crypto offerings, broker-dealer requirements and market structure on its 2026 agenda. One project concerns exemptions and safe harbors for certain crypto offerings, while another examines financial responsibility rules for broker-dealers handling digital assets.

The agency published its 402-page Regulation Crypto Assets proposal on Aug. 18. The document proposes a startup exemption covering up to $5 million over four years and a fundraising exemption of as much as $75 million during a rolling 12-month period.

A separate safe harbor could allow qualifying tokens to lose their investment-contract status once an issuer permanently stops the essential managerial work it had promised to perform. The Regulation Crypto Assets comment period will remain open for 60 days following its publication in the Federal Register.

For the EU debt amendment, the SEC will publish the proposed release in the Federal Register before accepting comments for 60 days. The agency has asked market participants to address matters including access to EU debt futures, available investor information, possible costs, and whether Rule 3a12-8 should cover debt from more governments or institutions.

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Crypto World

Reform UK Drops Crypto Sponsors: What Does Farage Want Instead?

Published

1 minute ago

29 August 2026

NewsAdmin

Reform UK Drops Crypto Sponsors: What Does Farage Want Instead?

Reform UK has stripped crypto firms from its conference sponsor list. The move lands days after British police revealed a $1.4 million Bitcoin forfeiture.

Nigel Farage’s party is selling diplomats and manufacturers instead.

Reform UK Cuts Crypto Sponsors Before Birmingham

Reform UK’s annual conference opens in Birmingham next week. Last year the digital payments firm Zebec headlined as a key backer. This year no crypto company appears on the sponsor list.

Perks have gone too, with free tickets and access to senior figures also cut, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the arrangements.

Reform UK is highlighting its diplomatic clout and de-emphasizing support from crypto companies as Nigel Farage’s populist party seeks to show that it’s ready to lead Britain https://t.co/9Fdy9xauxH
— Bloomberg (@business) August 29, 2026

It comes as a parliamentary probe is examining whether Farage should have declared £5 million from Christopher Harborne, a Thailand-based crypto investor. Farage’s crypto lobbying has drawn separate scrutiny this year.

Diplomats and Manufacturers Take the Stage Instead

Farage’s populist party holds just eight of 650 Commons seats, yet polls place it in contention for 2029.

Honorary treasurer Nick Candy is promoting foreign guests. Envoys from India, Italy, Poland, the UAE and the US are expected, alongside French National Rally leader Jordan Bardella.

“The scale and breadth of the diplomatic presence at the conference next week is a clear indication of how seriously Reform is being taken internationally,” Nick Candy, Reform UK honorary treasurer, speaking to Bloomberg.

However, not everyone is convinced. Renewable energy executives remain reluctant to appear, according to a City of London public relations executive. They fear legitimizing the party.

On its first business day, it sold more than 600 tickets, drawing JCB, TikTok and Heathrow.

So is Reform done with crypto? Not on paper. It has announced no policy changes regarding digital assets, and the retreat focuses on sponsors and perks rather than positions.

Birmingham will show a party managing its image while an investigation runs, not one abandoning crypto.

Police Traced 20.21 Bitcoin Back to 2016

Elsewhere but still in the UK, Avon and Somerset Police recovered 20.21 BTC, other crypto and money in a bank account, worth £1,032,487.86.

Investigators tied the funds to darknet marketplaces that ran from 2016 to 2019. These were hidden shopping sites, reachable only through anonymizing software, that sold drugs and facilitated human trafficking.

LATEST: 🇬🇧 UK police seized over $1.4M in Bitcoin, other crypto and cash from a deceased convicted money launderer, tracing the funds to darknet markets from 2016–2019. pic.twitter.com/2dvHhFlZ7b
— CoinMarketCap (@CoinMarketCap) August 28, 2026

A blockchain keeps every transaction on a permanent public record, so coins moved in 2016 still leave a trail.

The owner had died before the forfeiture was completed. Under the Proceeds of Crime Act, however, the case runs against the property, not the person.

It is the force’s largest crypto recovery since Britain introduced wallet freezing orders in April 2024. Bigger hauls exist, including a £114 million Bitcoin seizure.

Recovered funds go back into community and policing programs.

The post Reform UK Drops Crypto Sponsors: What Does Farage Want Instead? appeared first on BeInCrypto.

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Crypto World

US Secures 65 Billion Barrels of Venezuelan Oil: Could This Be Bullish for Bitcoin?

Published

7 minutes ago

29 August 2026

NewsAdmin

The United States has secured majority control of more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuela’s oil reserves, which could reshape global energy markets, but does it actually matter for bitcoin and crypto?

President Trump announced on Friday that the US had secured majority control through an agreement involving Washington, Venezuela, and private businesses. He called it the “biggest oil deal in world history” and said it would substantially increase America’s effective oil reserves and ultimately bring down fuel prices.

65 Billion Barrels, But There’s a Catch

The analysts at the Kobeissi Letter noted that the US currently has around 46 billion barrels of proven domestic crude reserves. Adding control over another 65 billion would bring the combined figure to over 110 billion, roughly 7% of global proven reserves. In other words, the US-controlled total would be around the same as the UAE’s and ahead of Kuwait’s.

According to some leaked details, the deal covers 17 Venezuelan oilfields, including projects in the resource-rich Orinoco Belt and Lake Maracaibo. A new structure would give the US a majority operational position, while American companies are expected to provide much of the capital and expertise needed to increase production.

Venezuela has also projected close to $100 billion in private investment tied to the broader agreement. However, here comes the catch. Those barrels are all reserves, not immediate supply.

Venezuela currently produces around 1.2 million barrels per day, a fraction of what its enormous resource base theoretically allows due to years of underinvestment, deteriorating infrastructure, power problems, and other issues. Reuters reported that even the country’s ports are already struggling with current export volumes, with some tankers waiting weeks to load.

XRP ETFs Hit a New 2026 Record at $1.6 Billion

Published

1 hour ago

29 August 2026

NewsAdmin

XRP ETFs Post Their Biggest Weekly Inflow of 2026. Source: SoSoValue

Spot XRP ETFs pulled in $110.49 million in net inflows for the week ending August 28, their strongest weekly haul of 2026 by a wide margin.

That surge pushed cumulative net inflows to $1.66 billion, with total net assets climbing to $1.44 billion across all funds.

XRP ETFs Smash Their Weekly Inflow Record This Year

Most of 2026 told a quieter story. Negative weeks hit in late January, mid-March, and briefly in July, followed by a near-dead stretch of inflows through early August, right before this week’s breakout.

The $110.49 million pulled in this week is the year’s best, though it still trails the all-time high of $243.95 million set during the week in late November 2025.

Measured against 2026 alone, this week more than doubled the previous top mark, a $60.5 million week back in mid-May, according to SoSoValue data. Trading activity spiked alongside it, with $363.03 million changing hands, the busiest week since these funds launched.

While XRP ETFs posted a $26.20 million net inflow that day, Bitcoin funds saw $201.81 million in net outflows, and Ethereum funds saw $102.18 million in net outflows, highlighting XRP’s steadier institutional demand even as Bitcoin faced heavy selling pressure.

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Spot ETF Flows — August 28, 2026. Source: X/@CryptoPatel

XRP Price Pulled Back From $1.70 Resistance

The inflow surge did not track XRP’s own price this week. The token traded near $1.38 as of August 29, according to CoinGecko data, down 2.3% over 24 hours and 7.8% over the past week, after briefly testing resistance near $1.70 earlier in the period before pulling back sharply.

That divergence stands out. Institutional inflows accelerated even as the token itself corrected lower, suggesting funds may be accumulating into weakness rather than simply chasing price strength.

XRP Price Performance. Source: CoinGecko

Total net assets across the ETF group nearly tripled in a single week, jumping from roughly $933 million to $1.44 billion, reflecting the surge in fresh capital despite the price pullback.

Whether this pace of inflows continues remains an open question. The ETFs already showed this year that strong weeks can be followed by long stretches of muted demand, and XRP itself remains in a clear corrective phase after its sharp run toward $1.66, now trading roughly 8% below that level.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch leaders and journalists provide expert insights.

The post XRP ETFs Hit a New 2026 Record at $1.6 Billion appeared first on BeInCrypto.

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Crypto World

Higher Gold Prices Help These Mining Stocks Dominate

Published

1 hour ago

29 August 2026

NewsAdmin

Higher Gold Prices Help These Mining Stocks Dominate

Copper and gold prices are rising, helping mining stocks return to and dominate the IBD 50. Many of these industry players are in or near buy zones. Gold prices recently got a boost after the U.S. Treasury announced increased bond buybacks. This move reduces bond yields and weakens the dollar, making the metal more attractive and cheaper for foreign buyers.…

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Crypto World

Where Will ETH Find Support After the $2.5K Rejection? (Ethereum Price Analysis)

Published

1 hour ago

29 August 2026

NewsAdmin

Ethereum’s explosive rally has stalled around a major resistance area, with price action now turning increasingly choppy near $2.5K. The broader recovery remains intact, but weakening short-term structure and a more hawkish macro backdrop raise the probability of consolidation or a corrective pullback before another sustained advance.

Ethereum Price Analysis: The Daily Chart

Ethereum is consolidating after its powerful breakout from the $1.85K-$1.92K base. The price has now reached the major $2.4K-$2.52K supply zone, where buyers have so far struggled to generate another impulsive continuation. The repeated rejection around this region suggests that supply is becoming increasingly relevant following the near-vertical advance.

As a result, choppy consolidation appears likely in the short term, while a corrective move should not be ruled out. The first notable support sits around the $2.21K-$2.31K zone. Below it, the $2.06K-$2.14K area represents the next important support region and could become relevant if selling pressure accelerates.

The macro environment is also adding pressure. Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh’s latest Jackson Hole remarks emphasized that inflation remains too elevated and suggested that rates may need to remain restrictive or potentially move higher if inflation fails to make sufficient progress toward the Fed’s 2% objective.

Markets interpreted the comments as hawkish, with expectations for another rate increase rising after the speech. This backdrop appears to be weighing on risk sentiment and could make an immediate Ethereum breakout more difficult.

ETH/USDT 4-Hour Chart

The short-term picture is showing clearer signs of exhaustion. Ethereum has repeatedly tested the upper portion of the $2.4K-$2.52K resistance zone, producing three successive peaks around the same broad area.

This price action creates the potential for a three-drive pattern. Such a structure typically signals that the preceding directional move is losing momentum and can precede either a sideways range or a temporary reversal. More importantly, Ethereum has now slipped below the ascending trendline connecting the recent higher lows, adding weight to the possibility that the immediate bullish impulse is weakening.

The first downside area to monitor remains the $2.21K-$2.31K pullback zone. A correction into this region would still be compatible with the broader bullish structure and could allow the market to establish a healthier base. If that support fails, the second pullback zone around $2.07K-$2.11K becomes the next significant target.

Alternatively, holding the current $2.4K area and reclaiming the rising trendline would reduce the immediate bearish pressure. A convincing breakout through the $2.52K region would also invalidate the developing reversal setup and favor continuation of the broader bullish trend.

Sentiment Analysis

Ethereum’s Spot Average Order Size chart provides additional context for the current indecision. The metric distinguishes periods dominated by larger whale-sized spot orders from more ordinary market activity.

Most recent observations appear to be classified as normal orders, with no notable concentration of large whale transactions at the latest readings. This suggests that neither exceptionally strong whale demand nor aggressive whale supply is currently dominating the spot market.

The absence of substantial large-player participation fits the technical consolidation scenario. With limited evidence of strong directional conviction and relatively subdued participation, Ethereum may remain vulnerable to volatile swings within a range rather than immediately establishing another sustained trend. A meaningful return of large whale orders could therefore provide a more useful signal that stronger demand or supply is entering the market.