Polish Government Defies President, Backs Same Crypto Law
Poland's government passed its controversial crypto-asset market bill unmodified on Tuesday, prolonging a heated dispute with President Karol Nawrocki after parliament failed to overturn his veto last week.
According to local media, Prime Minister Donald Tusk justified the act as an issue of national security, noting more than 100 Russian, Belarusian, and other former Soviet businesses in Poland's crypto registry.
The proposed law has no changes from the version Nawrocki rejected, according to government spokesman Adam Szłapka.
The legislation will return to parliament later this year despite the president's reservations about severe limitations that surpass EU rules and jeopardize property rights.
In the new measure, Szłapka claimed that not even a comma had been altered.
First Strategic SemiLiquid Investment by Oasis Protocol Promotes RWA Infrastructure
A new investment arm of the Oasis Protocol Foundation, which runs the Layer 1 blockchain, promotes scalable real-world asset (RWA) infrastructure.
A Cryptonews-exclusive announcement stated that the foundation made its first strategic investment in credit infrastructure business SemiLiquid.
The investment program will support innovative, privacy-sensitive, compute-intensive product teams. Business models with great market execution, scalability, and capital efficiency will be prioritized.
The investment initiative will be led by Oasis Protocol Foundation Director of Operations Mark Kalin.
Bank of Japan Expects Highest Rate Hike Since 1995
At its December 18-19 meeting, the Bank of Japan will raise its policy rate to 0.75%, the first increase since January 2025 and raising borrowing prices to their highest level in three decades.
Nikkei reports that Governor Kazuo Ueda and his administrative team plan to submit the rate-hike motion, with a majority of the nine-member Policy Board expected to approve the 25-basis-point rise from 0.5%.
Japan's 10-year government bond yields have reached 1.94%, the highest since mid-2007, and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's cabinet has become more pro-monetary tightening.
Bitcoin and Ethereum are under pressure before the judgment.
Pakistan Registers Binance for AML as It Moves Toward VASP Licensing
Binance has received anti-money laundering (AML) registration from Pakistan's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA), advancing its virtual asset service provider (VASP) license application.
The decision puts Binance on a Financial Action Task Force-compliant compliance-driven road to full authorization.
Pakistan's regulator said the decision is part of its plan to create a regulated, transparent digital-asset ecosystem with strong governance, AML, and CFT regulations.
