Week 30, July 13–19, 2026 The week ended positively for crypto — support for it among state regulators is growing. The US and UK Treasury departments presented a joint roadmap for digital asset development; the US regulator granted a banking license to the crypto exchange Circle; Japan cut the tax rate on crypto by 35 percentage points. Europe is testing a digital euro at 36 companies. The US is banning the issuance of CBDCs until 2030. Behind the institutional façade, political economy has intensified: Citadel invested $400 million in Trump-linked Crypto.com, and the Justice Department is closing a case involving a $722 million pyramid scheme. The US and the UK are advancing tokenization The initiative has shifted from exchanges to treasuries and central banks. On July 15, the US and UK Treasury departments presented a joint digital assets roadmap, tasking the Bank of England, the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the CFTC, and the SEC with developing reserve custody standards. The UK estimated the annual contribution of tokenization to GDP at £33 billion ($44.1 billion). On July 13, Circle received a banking license from the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). SBI and the Solana Foundation are building Japan’s blockchain market with the JPYSC stablecoin, while Progmat moved tokens worth 452 billion yen ($2.7 billion) onto the Avalanche network. Europe is testing CBDCs while the US bans them until 2030 Europe is beginning practical CBDC testing by selecting 36 companies, including Deutsche Bank, Revolut, and Stripe. The pilot will start in 2027, with full rollout in 2029. The US is banning CBDCs in a housing bill. Trump refused to sign the bill until a law confirming citizenship for election participation is passed. Without a veto within 10 days, the bill will become law automatically. The law bans both retail and wholesale CBDC issuance until 2030. Japan and the UK are cutting crypto taxes Parliaments are easing the punitive burden accumulated over years of uncertainty. On July 16, Japan recognized crypto as a financial product on par with stocks and bonds. As a result, the government will cut the tax rate from 55% to 20% and allow losses to be carried forward for 3 years. The reform will take effect in January 2028. The UK tax authority (HMRC) will defer capital gains tax on crypto lending and liquidity pools until tokens are sold, starting April 6, 2027 — the changes will affect about 700,000 people. Crypto around Trump has become a conflict-of-interest machine Money, lawsuits, and stakes are converging on the president. On July 17, Citadel Securities invested $400 million in Crypto.com at a $20 billion valuation. This exchange donated $38.6 million to a Trump-linked committee supporting Trump in the midterm elections. Trump Media owns 2% of its CRO token. The US Justice Department is preparing to close the $722 million BitClub pyramid scheme case: defendant Matthew Goettsche hired lawyers connected to the administration, and three co-defendants have already pleaded guilty. Trump’s teleprompter operator, Gabriel Perez, was accused of placing bets on Kalshi during the president’s speech — he made hundreds of thousands of dollars.