The International Monetary Fund published a comprehensive stablecoin assessment on December 5, 2025, warning that inconsistent national regulations are creating structural obstacles for oversight and cross-border payments. The fund called for harmonized definitions, uniform reserve requirements, and coordinated supervision as the market exceeds $300 billion. Divergent national frameworks allow issuers to operate from jurisdictions with lighter oversight while serving users in stricter markets, undermining authorities' capacity to monitor reserves and compliance.

Financial executives from Citadel Securities, Coinbase, Galaxy, and BlackRock revealed sharp disagreements over tokenization regulation during a Thursday SEC Investor Advisory Committee meeting. The session followed a Wednesday letter from Citadel Securities recommending stricter SEC oversight of DeFi protocols handling tokenized securities. Crypto advocates pushed back, arguing such rules are impractical for decentralized systems.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has authorized spot cryptocurrency trading on federally regulated futures exchanges in the United States. Acting Chair Caroline Pham announced Thursday that registered exchanges can now list spot crypto products, according to guidance from the President's Working Group on Digital Asset Markets. The move follows coordination among U.S. regulators and marks a historic expansion of the agency's oversight to include direct asset purchases and sales.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has authorized spot cryptocurrency trading on federally regulated U.S. futures exchanges. Bitnomial, a U.S.-based derivatives platform, will launch next week, offering retail and institutional investors access to spot, futures, and options trading under CFTC supervision. The move aligns with efforts to establish regulated alternatives to offshore platforms.

Indian cryptocurrency investors now hold 4–6 tokens on average, up from 2–3 in 2022, according to CoinDCX's 2025 annual report. India's crypto market recorded $618.5 million in total spot trading volume for 2025, with monthly volume averaging $51.6 million. Bitcoin remains the most held asset, while Ethereum leads in trading activity.

Reform UK secured £9 million ($12 million) from British crypto investor Christopher Harborne, the largest single political donation by a living individual in UK history, Electoral Commission figures show. The contribution comes as the UK government examines potential restrictions on cryptocurrency donations to political parties over transparency and foreign interference concerns.

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission authorized spot cryptocurrency trading on federally regulated exchanges for the first time. Acting Chairman Caroline D. Pham announced December 4 that CFTC-registered futures exchanges may now list spot digital assets under federal supervision. The decision ends decades of state-level-only oversight and opens institutional access to compliant spot crypto markets.

Taiwan's Financial Supervisory Commission announced plans to introduce a locally pegged stablecoin by the second half of 2026, contingent on legislative approval of the Virtual Assets Service Act. Initial issuance rights will be restricted to regulated financial institutions under a framework inspired by EU MiCA regulations. The initiative positions Taiwan to modernize payment infrastructure and strengthen its role in the digital asset economy.