The European Central Bank has outlined fresh details of how a retail digital euro would function, proposing to cap merchant fees at around 0.50% - roughly in line with average debit card charges.

Deutsche Bank has announced a major expansion of its blockchain infrastructure by deepening its integration with Ripple.

Phantom introduced a new MCP Server designed to allow artificial intelligence agents to directly interact with blockchain networks, marking a step toward deeper integration between AI systems and decentralized finance infrastructure.

The European Central Bank is moving its digital euro project into a more concrete phase, outlining a detailed roadmap that stretches from partner selection in 2026 to a potential public launch by the end of the decade.

Dutch fintech firm Quantoz Payments has secured principal membership with Visa, enabling it to issue Visa-branded virtual debit cards backed by regulated stablecoins across Europe.

On February 17, 2026, Elemental Royalty Corp approved its first-ever dividend policy, marking a notable shift for the precious metals sector.

Stablecoins are moving deeper into the U.S. banking system. Bridge, the digital dollar platform owned by Stripe, has received conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to form a national trust bank - a step that could reshape how regulated stablecoins operate at scale.

Paxos is urging banks to stop viewing stablecoins as niche crypto tools and instead recognize them as foundational components of the global financial system.

Maya is reportedly preparing for a potential US initial public offering that could raise between $500 million and $1 billion, according to multiple media reports.

SBI Holdings has signed a letter of intent to acquire a majority stake in Coinhako, one of Singapore’s most established cryptocurrency exchanges.