The UK economy grew by 0.3% in November, exceeding economists' expectations, with forecasts suggesting the economy will continue to improve in 2026, particularly if the Bank of England maintains its interest rate-cutting path. Fed's Goolsbee warned that inflation could surge if the central bank's independence is compromised, stating that any attack on the central bank's independence would be detrimental. US and Taiwan sign semiconductor trade deal to drive a massive reshoring of America's semiconductor sector: The US and Taiwan have signed a trade agreement aimed at strengthening the US semiconductor industry through significant investments and cooperation, potentially boosting the sector's growth and competitiveness.
Lemon launches bitcoin-backed Visa credit card in Argentina, allowing users to access peso credit lines using BTC as collateral.
The London Stock Exchange launches a digital settlement house, the Digital Settlement House (DiSH), using tokenized bank deposits for instant settlement across blockchain and traditional networks.
Galaxy Digital closed its first tokenized collateralized loan obligation (CLO) on Avalanche, financing $75 million in crypto-backed loans with a $50 million allocation from Grove (Sky ecosystem) and capacity to grow to $200 million, enabling institutional investors to trade the bonds on INX's platform.
SWIFT successfully tested Societe Generale-Forge's MiCA-compliant EUR CoinVertible euro stablecoin for tokenized bond payments, demonstrating faster settlements and secure interoperability between traditional financial systems and blockchain infrastructure through ISO 20022 standards integration.
CME plans to expand its regulated crypto derivatives contracts to include additional altcoins beyond Bitcoin, Ether, XRP, and Solana, increasing investor options and market liquidity. CME announced on Thursday that it plans to list futures contracts tied to Cardano, Chainlink, and Stellar on Feb. 9, pending regulatory approval.
West Virginia State Senator Chris Rose introduced the Inflation Protection Act, which would allow the state's treasury to invest in digital assets with market capitalizations exceeding $750 billion (currently only Bitcoin qualifies), precious metals, and MiCA-compliant stablecoins, joining Texas, Arizona, and New Hampshire in enabling state-level crypto reserves.
