Paybis has secured both a MiCA crypto licence and a PSD2 payment institution licence from Latvia’s central bank, becoming the first company in the country to hold both simultaneously. Cryptocurrency platform Paybis has received two licences from Latvia’s central bank, including one for crypto-asset services under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) and another for payment institution operations under Payment Services Directive 2 (PSD2). The licences were issued by the Supervision Committee of Latvijas Banka on May 12 to SIA Paybis Europe, the company’s EU entity, according to an announcement from the central bank. Paybis is the third company in Latvia to receive a MiCA CASP licence, the central bank said. The MiCA licence covers custody and administration of crypto assets on behalf of clients, exchange of crypto-assets for funds or other crypto assets, execution of orders, transfer services and crypto asset advisory, Latvijas Banka said. The central bank added that the PSD2 payment...
UK Reform Party leader Nigel Farage is reportedly facing a probe over an undeclared donation from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne that he received before becoming an MP in 2024. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is reportedly facing a parliamentary standards inquiry over whether he failed to declare a 5 million pound ($6.7 million) gift from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne. The UK Parliamentary Standards Commissioner has opened an inquiry into whether Farage breached House of Commons rules by not registering the payment, the BBC reported Wednesday. Farage said he was under "no obligation" to declare the gift from the Reform party backer, which he received before he was elected to the Commons in 2024. Critics argue he should have registered the payment after becoming a member of parliament. Read more
Metaplanet posted strong Q1 operating income driven by Bitcoin options revenue, but swung to a $728 million loss as BTC price declines triggered valuation markdowns. Tokyo-listed Metaplanet reported first-quarter operating income Wednesday of 2.27 billion Japanese yen (roughly $14.38 million) on net sales of about $19.5 million, implying an operating margin of 73.6% as surging Bitcoin option income more than tripled revenue from a year earlier, according to the company’s Q1 fiscal year 2026 earnings release. The strong operating performance contrasted with an ordinary loss of around $728 million, driven mainly by non-cash valuation losses as Bitcoin's price declined during the period, and the company marked its expanding Bitcoin (BTC) holdings lower. The price of Bitcoin fell around 24% during the quarter, from around $87,000 on Jan. 1 to roughly $66,000 on March 31, according to data from Coingecko. Read more
Strategy’s potential 3,127 BTC buy this week, alongside falling stablecoin dominance, suggests more capital may enter the Bitcoin market. Bitcoin (BTC) may reach $100,000 by June as Strategy’s renewed buying power and falling stablecoin dominance suggest liquidity is returning to crypto. Key takeaways: Strategy’s preferred stock, Stretch (STRC), has reclaimed its critical $100 par value, restoring one of the company’s funding mechanisms for Bitcoin purchases, data from STRC.LIVE shows. Read more