Bybit will launch retail banking services in February, offering users personal IBAN accounts to send, receive, and hold multiple currencies. The service will let customers deposit fiat, pay bills, receive salaries, and trade crypto, in partnership with banks including QNB and Pave Bank.

Fidelity is launching its first stablecoin, the Fidelity Digital Dollar, on the Ethereum blockchain, backed by cash and short-term U.S. Treasuries. The move shows large financial firms are becoming more open to using public blockchains for payments and settlement.

OKX has launched OKX Pay and OKX Card in Europe, allowing users to spend stablecoins at Mastercard merchants and access DeFi and tokenised assets where regulations allow. The services operate under EU rules with mandatory KYC checks, combining everyday payments with regulated crypto use.

Bitcoin and major cryptocurrencies fell sharply as investors shifted money into gold and silver, which hit record highs during market uncertainty. Dogecoin co-founder Billy Markus mocked the move with a meme, highlighting how many traders mistimed the switch.

Standard Chartered says U.S. banks could lose more than $500 billion in deposits to dollar-backed stablecoins by the end of 2028, with regional banks most at risk. The shift is driven by faster, easier stablecoin payments and growing demand for yield, which is pulling money away from traditional bank accounts.

Hang Seng is launching a new gold ETF on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange with both regular shares and tokenized units on blockchain. The fund holds physical gold in Hong Kong and aims to attract both traditional and crypto investors.

Major League Soccer has signed a multi-year partnership with Polymarket, making it the league’s exclusive prediction market partner across MLS, the All-Star Game, MLS Cup and Leagues Cup in the U.S. The deal will bring real-time prediction data into MLS digital platforms to boost fan engagement, with safeguards in place to protect match integrity.

Coinone, South Korea’s third-largest crypto exchange, is exploring the sale of shares held by its chairman Cha Myung-hoon, who controls 53% of the company. Coinbase and local financial institutions are reported to be interested, while the exchange faces losses and a book value of around $52 million.

Crypto startup Entropy is shutting down after four years, returning $25 million in investor funding following several pivots and layoffs. Founder Tux Pacific said the business model wasn’t scalable and they will leave crypto to focus on pharmaceutical research.

Vietnam has fined TikTok 880 million dong and VNG’s Zalo 810 million dong for breaking consumer protection and data privacy rules. Both platforms failed to give users proper control over their personal data or a clear way to raise complaints.