ChainCatcher reports that Kraken’s payment app Krak has launched its multi-asset debit card in the United States. The card had already rolled out in the UK and the European Economic Area, and it was built in partnership with Stripe. It works at any merchant that accepts Visa. Users can earn up to 2% cashback in either dollars or bitcoin, and they can hold and spend more than 600 currencies and assets. Krak says the product is designed to make payments between crypto assets and fiat more convenient.

PANews’ Aug. 18 roundup put a wide range of crypto, regulatory, and AI-linked developments on the tape, led by a proposed U.S. Treasury rulemaking tied to the GENIUS Act. The Treasury said it is seeking public comment on the implementation framework for Section 3 of the law. Under the timeline described in the notice, payment stablecoin issuance in the U.S. would generally require a federal or state license starting Jan. 18, 2027, while digital asset service providers would generally be barred from offering U.S. users payment stablecoins issued by unlicensed issuers starting July 18, 2028. Public comments can be filed within 60 days after the proposal is published in the Federal Register. Elsewhere, Bitmine added 9,926 ETH last week, lifting its total holdings to more than 5.81 million ETH. Strategy said it repurchased $132.2 million of STRC and raised its U.S. dollar reserves by $149.1 million to $4.8 billion, while keeping its Bitcoin holdings unchanged at 840,447 BTC. Unitree Robotics said its shares will begin trading on Shanghai’s STAR Market on Aug. 19, with initially unrestricted float accounting for 7.44% of total post-offering shares. The daily digest also covered the U.S. Department of Justice’s antitrust probe into Andreessen Horowitz, Ethereum Foundation warnings tied to the coming Glamsterdam upgrade, and a slate of funding, exchange, and tokenization updates.

Crypto.com has introduced tokenized stock derivatives tied to about 1,500 U.S. equities and exchange-traded funds, opening the offering to eligible users in the European Economic Area and other approved markets. The exchange said users can gain exposure to names such as Apple, Nvidia and Tesla, as well as products including SPDR Gold Shares and iShares Silver Trust, with positions starting from just $1 and trading available around the clock. The products are issued by Foris Capital CY Limited and are structured as derivatives that track the price performance of the underlying stock or ETF rather than transferring legal ownership of the asset itself. That means buyers receive synthetic exposure, not shareholder status, voting rights or beneficial ownership. Crypto.com said users may still receive price adjustments equivalent to cash dividends, while the underlying assets supporting the products are held in custody by U.S. broker Alpaca. The rollout follows Crypto.com’s May 2025 acquisition of Foris Capital, which the company said enabled it to secure a Markets in Financial Instruments Directive, or MiFID, license to issue regulated financial products in Europe. The launch comes as tokenized securities gain traction across the industry, with RWA.xyz putting tokenized stock market capitalization at about $2.49 billion and Citi projecting the broader tokenized securities market could reach $5.5 trillion by 2030.

Crypto.com said on Aug. 12 that it has launched tokenized derivatives tied to roughly 1,500 U.S. stocks and exchange-traded funds for eligible users in the European Economic Area and other approved markets. The lineup includes single-name exposure to companies such as Apple, Nvidia and Tesla, along with ETFs linked to gold and silver. According to the announcement, the products can be traded from as little as $1 and are available on a 24/7 basis. Crypto.com described the instruments as derivatives that track the price performance of the referenced assets. Users gain price exposure rather than legal ownership of the underlying securities, which means they do not receive shareholder rights such as voting. They may, however, receive dividend-equivalent adjustments based on the product arrangement. The launch points to a continued push by crypto trading platforms into traditional asset categories such as equities, while the market for tokenized securities keeps expanding.

Crypto lending platform Nexo said it is maintaining operations in the European Economic Area through two Germany-based licensed partners, Tangany and DLT Finance. Under the arrangement, Tangany provides digital asset custody, while DLT Finance supplies brokerage and trade execution infrastructure. Nexo said both firms hold authorizations under the Markets in Crypto-Assets framework, or MiCA, as well as MiFID II. The company also drew a line around which services fall within that setup. According to Nexo, its Earn yield product and crypto-backed loans are outside the scope of the partners’ licenses and remain separate products. The update comes after MiCA’s transition period ended on July 1, when unauthorized crypto service providers were required either to stop operating or move clients elsewhere. Nexo said the partner model allows its regulated services to continue in the EEA and helps it avoid a broad suspension of operations.

The European Union has added HTX, identified in legal documents as “HTX (HUOBI GLOBAL SA),” to its Russia sanctions framework, with the restrictions set to take effect on Aug. 23. Once the measure comes into force, individuals and companies in the EU will be barred from transacting with the exchange. According to the EU, HTX and other third-country financial institutions and crypto service providers helped provide funding channels for Russia, weakening sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine. The move does not amount to a full asset freeze. Reuters reported that eligible citizens and residents of the EU, the European Economic Area and Switzerland may still apply for authorization to withdraw funds or close accounts, but they must complete the process within three months after the ban takes effect. HTX said it takes compliance seriously and works with regulators globally, adding that it has screening controls in place to block sanctioned entities. The action is part of the EU’s 21st sanctions package against Russia. The package, adopted on July 23, added 218 individuals and entities, the bloc’s largest sanctions expansion in four years. HTX was listed alongside EXMO, Rapira and seven other crypto service providers. Separately, TRM Labs recently said HTX had frequently rotated hot wallets and fund addresses across TRON, Ethereum, BNB Chain and Solana after UK sanctions, an allegation the exchange rejected.

Ripple has secured full CASP authorization from Luxembourg’s CSSF, completing MiCA requirements and enabling regulated crypto services across all 30 EEA countries.

With the EU's MiCA regulation fully in effect in 2026, this guide compares five leading exchanges—Kraken, CEX.IO, Coinbase, Bitpanda, and OKX—on regulatory status, SEPA support, fees, and coin selection for European users.