April 23, 2026 | Order Adoption | Authorisation, Registration And Licensing

On 23 April 2026, the Council of the European Union adopted its 20th package of sanctions against Russia. The sanctions package introduces measures concerning financial services and crypto-related activities. It establishes a transaction ban on 20 Russian banks, as well as on four financial institutions in third countries identified in connection with the circumvention of EU sanctions or with the Russian System for Transfer of Financial Messages. The measures also address the use of cryptocurrencies in international transactions. A Kyrgyz entity operating an exchange where the state-backed stablecoin A7A5 is traded is designated. In addition, a sectoral ban is introduced on providers and platforms established in Russia that enable the transfer or exchange of crypto assets. Transactions involving the cryptocurrency RUBx are prohibited, and EU support for the development of the digital rouble is restricted. The package further prohibits netting transactions with Russian counterparts.

April 21, 2026 | Investigation Interim Ruling | Authorisation, Registration And Licensing

On 21 April 2026, the Financial Markets Authority updated its guidance on unauthorised crypto-asset services by adding 31 websites offering Forex and crypto-asset derivatives to consumers in France. The Forex sites include Alpha-Connects, Aurudium, Capexgo, Hwinvest, and Nevixen, while the crypto-asset derivatives sites include Capitalvo, Credoy, Directverge, Finconnect, and Bitmart. The guidance focuses on online investment platforms operating without authorisation and aims to protect retail investors from fraud and regulatory non-compliance by publicly identifying non-compliant actors and directing users to official registers to verify authorised providers.