According to ChainCatcher, in an article by Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, Chairman of Société Générale and former member of the European Central Bank Executive Board, published in the Financial Times, titled "Europe Needs to Overcome Fear and Embrace Stablecoins," it is stated that Europe faces the risk of being marginalized in the digital financial ecosystem. Currently, 99% of global stablecoins are issued by the United States and denominated in dollars, with the euro having almost no presence in emerging fields. Although the EU has launched the most comprehensive regulatory framework for crypto assets globally, MiCA, which requires stablecoin issuers to hold 30% cash and 70% high-rated sovereign bonds as high liquidity reserves, the cultural risk aversion still hinders innovation, as European banks view stablecoins as a threat and lack motivation to invest.The author points out three major misconceptions: underestimating the strategic value of tokenization technology; mistakenly believing they can isolate themselves from the global impact of stablecoins; and failing to recognize the negative threat to monetary sovereignty. The article emphasizes that the European Central Bank has institutional advantages in leading stablecoin regulation, and that now is a critical time to reverse the impression of "over-regulation." If hesitation continues, Europe will lose its voice in the future landscape of global finance.

ChainCatcher news, Binance announced on July 4 that it has appointed Gillian Lynch as the head of its European and UK operations. Lynch has over 20 years of experience in the fintech and digital assets sectors, having previously worked at Gemini, the Bank of Ireland, and Leveris.She will be responsible for Binance's strategic expansion and regulatory cooperation in key European markets. This appointment indicates Binance's commitment to promoting high standards of compliance, enhancing user protection, and supporting the long-term sustainable development of the European crypto market.

ChainCatcher news, according to official sources, Gillian Lynch has joined Binance as the Head of European and UK Operations, leading strategic expansion and regulatory interactions.It is reported that Lynch has over 20 years of leadership experience in the fintech, banking, and digital assets sectors, having held senior positions at Gemini, the Bank of Ireland, and Leveris.

ChainCatcher news, according to EU-Startups, the data sovereignty Web3 cloud platform Impossible Cloud Network (ICN), headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, has completed a financing round of 28.8 million euros (approximately 33.91 million dollars), bringing its post-money valuation to over 398 million euros.This oversubscribed financing combines new capital and previously undisclosed investments, including early investments from 1kx, Protocol Labs, No Limit Holdings, and HV Capital. The latest round of strategic financing was led by NGP Capital. ICN's native token $ICNT has also officially launched.

ChainCatcher news, ECB President Lagarde stated on Friday that the EU's economic system needs to improve efficiency and productivity for the euro to stand on equal footing with the dollar as one of the world's major currencies. "Political leaders and policymakers need to get involved to make our economy more productive and efficient, then the euro can become a major global currency."

ChainCatcher news, according to CGTN America, Europe's largest asset management company AMUNDI stated that U.S. stablecoin policies could undermine the global payment system.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Wall Street Journal, at the American Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) conference held in San Diego, former U.S. President Biden delivered a speech lasting over an hour to thousands of HR professionals. This was his first lengthy public speech since revealing his prostate cancer diagnosis in May.He stated that several key achievements during his administration are "rapidly changing" under the Trump administration, and mentioned that after leaving office, several European leaders sought his advice. Biden said that he remains involved in political discussions "because I really care about what I do," and that both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have called him to exchange ideas.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, the stablecoin company AllUnity, a joint venture between asset management firm DWS and banking giant Deutsche Bank, has received approval from the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) of Germany to issue a euro-pegged stablecoin EURAU that complies with the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework.The stablecoin project has been in planning for over a year, and this regulatory approval marks a significant advancement for the joint venture's digital currency initiative in the European market. EURAU will provide institutional-grade proof of reserves and financial reporting to ensure transparency.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, the European Central Bank's Governing Council has approved two research projects using central bank funds to settle transactions with distributed ledger technology (DLT), aimed at enhancing the efficiency of payment systems. The short-term solution "Pontes" will connect the DLT platform to TARGET services, with a pilot expected to launch in Q3 2026; the long-term solution "Appia" focuses on global operations and DLT solution analysis. The central bank stated that this move reflects its commitment to supporting innovation while ensuring the safety and efficiency of financial infrastructure.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jin10 data reports, ECB board member Müller stated that there is no need to adjust interest rates in July; even in the more distant future, interest rates may not necessarily need to be significantly lowered.

ChainCatcher news, Europe's first Bitcoin reserve company The Blockchain Group raises approximately 11 million euros to increase its BTC holdings.

ChainCatcher news, Robinhood's official X account stated that Robinhood EU has launched the world's first tokenized stocks of private companies, including tokens for OpenAI and SpaceX. Eligible Robinhood European users can now claim these tokens within the app, with a claim deadline of July 7.

ChainCatcher news, Robinhood posted on the X platform stating that Robinhood EU has launched the world's first tokenized stocks of private companies, including tokens for OpenAI and SpaceX.Eligible Robinhood European users can now claim these tokens within the app, with the claim deadline set for July 7.

ChainCatcher news, according to a report by Cointelegraph, a report shared by CEX.IO shows that 45% of cryptocurrency card transaction amounts in Europe are below 10 euros (approximately 11.7 dollars), surpassing traditional banks in this traditionally cash-dominated small payment sector.The report indicates that the number of newly ordered CEX.IO cryptocurrency cards in Europe is expected to grow by 15% by 2025, suggesting that user interest is increasing as more Europeans turn to using digital assets for everyday payments. Online transactions by cryptocurrency card users account for 40%, nearly double the eurozone average of 21% reported by the European Central Bank.The spending patterns of cryptocurrency cardholders show that they are using the cards for everyday expenses, with groceries accounting for 59% of purchases, and dining and bar expenses making up 19%. Notably, the average transaction amount for cryptocurrency cards is 23.7 euros (27.8 dollars), lower than the 33.6 euros (39 dollars) for bank cards. The data also shows that stablecoins supported 73% of transactions, while major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ether, Litecoin, and Solana are also used for groceries, dining, and transportation payments.

ChainCatcher news, according to the official announcement, the French listed company Crypto Blockchain Industries announced that it will implement a non-dilutive shareholder loan of up to 20 million euros (approximately 23.4 million dollars), and the proceeds will be used to purchase Bitcoin and mining equipment.

ChainCatcher news, according to the official announcement, the European listed company The Blockchain Group has announced that as part of its ATM-style capital increase plan with TOBAM, the company has raised a total of approximately 4.1 million euros at an average price of about 5.085 euros per share to advance its Bitcoin reserve company strategy.

ChainCatcher news, according to the official announcement, the European listed company The Blockchain Group confirmed that the ATM-style "capital increase plan" reached with TOBAM, announced on June 17, has been finalized, with a total capital increase of approximately 7.2 million euros. This funding was used to purchase 75 bitcoins at a price of about 6.9 million euros, bringing the total holdings to 1,728 bitcoins.

ChainCatcher news, according to Le Parisien, the criminal police in Val-de-Marne, France, are investigating a kidnapping case related to cryptocurrency. The incident occurred in Maisons-Alfort, where a 23-year-old man was kidnapped and unlawfully detained for several hours this Tuesday.The kidnappers demanded that his girlfriend hand over 5,000 euros in cash and a Ledger digital wallet as a condition for his release. The man was freed that afternoon in the neighboring city of Créteil.

ChainCatcher news, venture capital firm Yolo Investments announced that its second fund, Fund II, has completed a fundraising of 100 million euros, of which 50 million euros comes from external funding, and the remaining funds come from Yolo Group.Yolo Investments Fund II has currently invested in 12 companies in the gaming, blockchain, and fintech sectors, including Dabble, Kraken, and Syfe. Previously, its portfolio also included the crypto payment company Mesh, the NFT gaming platform Balthazar, and an investment of 8 million dollars in Toncoin and the TON ecosystem.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, payment card giant Visa has expanded its stablecoin business to Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and has established a strategic partnership with the African cryptocurrency exchange Yellow Card.Visa is clearly increasing its investment in stablecoins, which are rapidly becoming the new infrastructure for internet payments. Just last month, Visa also invested in the stablecoin-based payment company BVNK.