Top Fintech News Around the World — July 13, 2026
Circle won final OCC approval for a national trust bank charter — the clearest federal endorsement of a stablecoin issuer to date — even as stablecoin supply contracted by $10B in its worst month since Terra. Revolut announced plans to launch a US bank in 2027 with a $500M spend. In Asia, SBI Holdings pivoted its blockchain initiative from Corda to Solana for tokenization and stablecoins, while South Korea's Hana Financial made a $670M bet on Upbit parent Dunamu. The UK's tokenization taskforce gained BlackRock, Goldman, JPMorgan, and Morgan Stanley. Europe's 37-bank Qivalis consortium pushed for euro stablecoin adoption. Thought Machine closed an £81M Series E. KAST raised $80M for stablecoin banking. Thailand's central bank audited USDT in a gray money crackdown.
TLDR
- Circle wins final OCC approval for First National Digital Currency Bank, N.A. (Circle National Trust) — federal trust bank charter for digital asset custody; CRCL stock +14%
- Revolut plans US bank launch in 2027 with $500M spend; will offer FDIC-insured deposits, loans, credit cards, stablecoins, and crypto
- SBI Holdings pivots blockchain initiative from Corda to Solana; forms SBI Solana Global with Solana Foundation and SMFG for tokenization and stablecoins
- Stablecoin supply shrinks by $10B since May ($7.7B in June alone) — worst month since Terra collapse; USDT at ~$184B, USDC at ~$73B
- BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley join UK government's tokenization taskforce to develop regulatory framework
- Qivalis euro stablecoin consortium backed by 37 banks across 15 European countries; aims to prevent on-chain finance from defaulting to dollar rails
- Thought Machine closes £81.1M Series E; revenue crosses $100M for cloud-native core banking platform Vault
- [ASIA] Hana Financial makes $670M bet on Upbit parent Dunamu; plans won-backed stablecoins and Giwa Chain remittance infrastructure
- KAST raises $80M Series A at $670M valuation for stablecoin-based global banking; 1M+ users in under 2 years
- [ASIA] Bank of Thailand audits USDT transactions in gray money crackdown; developing Travel Rule and blockchain monitoring tools
Top-10 notes
| # | Title | Region |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Circle Wins Final OCC Approval for National Trust Bank | USA |
| 2 | Revolut to Launch US Bank in 2027 | Europe/USA |
| 3 | SBI Holdings Pivots to Solana for Tokenization and Stablecoins | [ASIA] Japan |
| 4 | Stablecoin Supply Shrinks by $10B in Worst Month Since Terra | Global |
| 5 | BlackRock, Goldman, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley Join UK Tokenization Taskforce | Global/UK |
| 6 | Europe's 37-Bank Stablecoin Consortium Qivalis | Europe |
| 7 | Thought Machine Closes £81.1M Series E | UK |
| 8 | Hana Financial Makes $670M Bet on Upbit Parent Dunamu | [ASIA] South Korea |
| 9 | KAST Raises $80M at $600M Valuation for Stablecoin Banking | Australia/Global |
| 10 | Bank of Thailand Audits USDT Amid Gray Money Crackdown | [ASIA] Thailand |
Follow-up reference notes
| # | Title | Seed Question |
|---|---|---|
| REF-1 | Circle National Trust Bank — OCC Charter Structure and USDC Reserve Implications | What are the specific terms of Circle's OCC national trust bank charter, what services can it offer, and how does reserve management fit into the phased business plan? |
| REF-2 | Revolut US Bank Strategy — License Timeline, Product Roadmap, and Competitive Positioning | What is Revolut's specific timeline and strategy for US banking, what products will it offer, and how does it plan to compete with established US incumbents and challengers? |
| REF-3 | SBI Solana Global — Joint Venture Structure, Shareholders, and Japan Onchain Finance Strategy | What is the specific structure of the SBI Solana Global joint venture, who are the shareholders, and what is the detailed product roadmap? |
| REF-4 | Stablecoin Supply Decline Analysis — June 2026 Liquidity Contraction | How does the June 2026 stablecoin supply decline compare to the 2022 Terra collapse, and what does it signal for market liquidity? |
| REF-5 | UK Tokenization Taskforce — Members, Mandate, and Economic Impact Projections | Who are the specific members of the UK tokenization taskforce, and what are the projected economic impacts? |
| REF-6 | Qivalis Euro Stablecoin — 37-Bank Consortium Structure and Dollar-Euro Settlement Competition | How is Qivalis structured, what is its MiCA compliance strategy, and what are the projected scenarios for euro stablecoin adoption? |
| REF-7 | Hana Financial-Dunamu Partnership — Giwa Chain, Stablecoin Plans, and Korea Crypto Banking Integration | What is the specific structure of the Hana-Dunamu partnership, how does Giwa Chain work, and what are the stablecoin issuance plans? |
| REF-8 | Thailand USDT Regulatory Framework — BOT Audit, Travel Rule, and Gray Economy Crackdown | What specific regulatory measures is Thailand implementing for USDT, and how does the Travel Rule consultation fit in? |
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