Spanish bank CaixaBank was approved on March 30 to become the sixth crypto-asset service provider under the EU MiCA regulation, allowing it to offer services for crypto-asset custody, trading, and transfers. The EU’s MiCA authorization is valid across member states, providing regulatory convenience. Unauthorized institutions will lose their eligibility to provide services in 2026.

Gate News message: On April 1, crypto-friendly bank Cross River Bank completed a $50 million funding round, with investment participation from funds under T. Rowe Price and others. The raised funds will be used to accelerate product launches, deepen partner relationships, and expand international business.

Hong Kong’s Financial Secretary and the Treasury Bureau Deputy Director, Chan Ho-lim, revealed that the OECD revised the Common Reporting Standard, incorporating new types of digital financial products such as central bank digital currency, and issued a framework for reporting crypto assets, aiming to enhance transaction transparency. The Hong Kong Legislative Council supports this bill, with the goal of enacting the legislation by 2026.

Gate News message, April 1, according to Gate Markets, as of the time of publication, STO (StakeStone) is trading at $0.207. In the past 24 hours, it is up 45.17%, with a high of $0.22 and a low of $0.108. The trading volume over the past 24 hours was $2.5092 million. The current market cap is about $46.635 million. StakeStone is a decentralized cross-chain liquidity infrastructure protocol designed to change how liquidity is obtained, distributed, and utilized across blockchain ecosystems, providing efficient, sustainable, and organic liquidity to meet the growing needs of increasingly modular and multi-chain DeFi. At the same time, StakeStone is also a crypto-native new bank built specifically for the era of autonomous finance, featuring on-chain assets, institutional strategies, and AI agents

Investment bank Benchmark initiates coverage of tokenization platform Securitize, assigning a “Buy” rating and a $16 target price. It calls the company an “early shovel seller” opportunity in the tokenization wave, citing its comprehensive positioning across the tokenized asset lifecycle and a 70% market share, even though industry momentum remains strong. However, the broader adoption of tokenization still requires a clearer regulatory environment.

Warren Buffett warns that the financial system has vulnerabilities, emphasizing that close links between banks and non-bank institutions could lead to risk contagion. He says that financial stability should be the Federal Reserve’s top priority and also notes that market panic may cause investors to pull out quickly.

Gate News reports that on March 31, stablecoin issuer Tether laid off several top gold traders who had been recruited just a few months earlier from HSBC.

Panther Macro’s Claus Vistesen report says the European Central Bank is expected to raise rates in the coming months, with inflation rising to 2.5% in March and potentially stabilizing in a range of 2.5% to 3.0%. It is expected to raise rates by 25 basis points in June and July, but weak economic conditions could make rate cuts a policy option. The central bank will seek to strike a balance between inflation and recession risks.

March 31, US Cross River Bank completed a $50 million funding round, with a valuation exceeding $3 billion. The funds will be used to expand its artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency businesses. The participants were its existing investors, and no new shareholders were introduced.

KB Kookmin Card has partnered with Avalanche to launch a “hybrid stablecoin credit card,” blending traditional payments with blockchain technology. The system allows users to flexibly use stablecoins and credit limits, enhancing the payment experience and lowering the barrier to using digital assets. This move aligns with the push of South Korea’s local currency stablecoin strategy and the Digital Asset Act, reflecting a reassessment by traditional finance of blockchain infrastructure.