Global demand for crypto talent is accelerating, fuelled by Bitcoin’s surge past $122,000 on 14 July. As the market hits a valuation of over $3.8 trillion, countries are competing to become hubs for blockchain careers.
The United States ranks first in a recent Taurex study, offering 292 active listings and an average salary of $148,100. Its dominance is underpinned by a mature policy landscape and a strong base of 170 crypto firms. The UAE follows closely, combining competitive pay with the world’s highest Bitcoin ownership rate at 27%.
India, Singapore and the UK round out the top five. India leads in company count and user base, while Singapore shows the strongest job search interest globally. The UK remains Europe’s top destination, offering stable regulation and nearly 100,000 in average salary.
Other nations including Switzerland, Germany, Hong Kong and Poland are also seeing sharp growth. Poland stands out with 157 listings, despite lower average salaries.
With job volume, salary potential and regulatory clarity on the rise, crypto careers are fast becoming a global mainstream option.
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Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey has expressed strong opposition to private banks issuing stablecoins, warning they could introduce systemic risks and erode monetary sovereignty.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Bailey said the UK should focus instead on tokenising bank deposits. He argued against creating a central bank digital currency or supporting private stablecoin issuers.
Bailey, who now chairs the international Financial Stability Board, is expected to advocate for stricter controls on the global expansion of stablecoins. He argued that widespread adoption of such tokens could weaken national currencies and destabilise financial systems.
While the UK and other European nations are taking a cautious approach, the United States has fully embraced stablecoins under the Trump administration. US officials say stablecoins could boost dollar influence by making debt instruments accessible through digital wallets.
European policymakers remain concerned that dollar-based stablecoins could displace the euro in cross-border trade, threatening financial stability across the continent. The debate highlights a growing divide between the US and Europe over the future of digital finance.
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A wave of scams involving crypto ATMs has hit Australia, leaving elderly victims devastated. In the latest reported case, 15 people from Tasmania lost a combined $2.5 million, according to local police.
The average victim was 65 years old, and many are now facing severe financial consequences.
Police say the scams involve fraudsters manipulating people into depositing large sums of cash into crypto ATMs. Tactics range from fake romance and investment schemes to impersonating authorities or tech support.
Victims are often threatened or misled with false promises of returns, leading to irreversible losses once crypto is transferred.
Crypto ATMs offer no recovery mechanism, unlike traditional banks. As a result, once a victim sends funds to a scammer’s wallet, the money is gone. In one extreme case, a Tasmanian lost $750,000, forcing them to sell assets and depend on government aid.
Regulators are responding. Australia has imposed cash limits on crypto ATM transactions, while New Zealand has gone a step further by banning them altogether to curb criminal activity.
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Russia is preparing to ban cryptocurrency mining in data centres as it shifts national focus towards digitalisation and AI development. The draft law aims to prevent miners from accessing discounted power and infrastructure support reserved for AI-related operations.
Amendments to the bill, introduced at the request of President Vladimir Putin, will prohibit mining activity in facilities registered as official data centres. These centres will instead benefit from lower electricity rates and faster grid access to help scale computing power for big data and AI.
The legislation redefines data centres as communications infrastructure and places them under stricter classification and control. If passed, it could blow to companies like BitRiver, which operate large-scale mining hubs in regions like Irkutsk.
Putin defended the move by citing the strain on regional electricity grids and a need to use surplus energy wisely. While crypto mining was legalised in 2024, many Russian territories have imposed bans, raising questions about the industry’s long-term viability in the country.
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A cyberattack targeting the Cursor AI development environment has resulted in the theft of $500,000 in cryptocurrency from a Russian developer. Despite strong security practices and a fresh operating system, the victim downloaded a malicious extension named ‘Solidity Language’ in June 2025.
Masquerading as a syntax highlighting tool, the fake extension exploited search rankings to appear more legitimate than actual alternatives. Once installed, the extension served as a dropper for malware rather than offering any development features.
It contacted a command-and-control server and began deploying scripts designed to check for remote desktop software and install backdoors. The malware used PowerShell scripts to install ScreenConnect, granting persistent access to the victim’s system through a relay server.
Securelist analysts found that the extension exploited Open VSX registry algorithms by publishing with a more recent update date. Further investigation revealed the same attack methods were used in other packages, including npm’s ‘solsafe’ and three VS Code extensions.
The campaign reflects a growing trend of supply chain attacks exploiting AI coding tools to distribute persistent, stealthy malware.
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Bank of Korea Governor Lee Chang-yong warned that letting non-banks issue won-based stablecoins could spark economic confusion similar to the 19th-century US Free Banking Era. His remarks follow President Lee Jae Myung’s push to launch domestic stablecoins under his economic agenda.
Governor Lee noted that handing over payment and settlement services to non-banks might disrupt the profit models of traditional banks and conflict with foreign exchange policies. He stressed that stablecoin policy requires coordination across government, as the central bank lacks sole authority.
Meanwhile, President Lee’s support for stablecoins has sparked a flurry of activity among fintech and banking firms, with many filing trademark applications linked to KRW stablecoin symbols. KakaoPay, one of South Korea’s largest payment platforms, has seen its stock surge by more than 120% since Lee’s election.
The BOK recently announced it will pause its central bank digital currency (CBDC) pilot, citing legal uncertainty surrounding the coexistence of CBDCs, stablecoins, and deposit tokens. Lee stated the trial had considered stablecoin interaction from the beginning, and further action will depend on legislative developments.
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Some of Germany’s largest banks are set to enter the crypto market with fully regulated custody and trading services.
Deutsche Bank, Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe, and Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken are building platforms aimed at institutional and retail clients, signalling a significant shift for conservative institutions.
These developments follow the EU’s Markets in Crypto‑Assets Regulation (MiCA), which took effect in 2025 and provides clear legal frameworks across Europe.
Deutsche Bank is developing an institutional crypto custody service with Bitpanda and Taurus compliant with BaFin and MiCA regulations. Meanwhile, Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe plans to embed retail crypto trading within its Sparkasse app, reaching nearly 50 million users by mid-2026.
Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken are piloting compliant trading and custody services through collaborations with Börse Stuttgart Digital and Atruvia.
Deutsche Bank is also developing Project DAMA 2, an Ethereum layer-2 solution for tokenising assets and future bank-issued stablecoins. As major banks adopt crypto, Germany could lead an EU-wide shift to regulated digital assets, ending crypto’s unregulated early phase.
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Hong Kong is processing enquiries from more than 40 companies ahead of the implementation of its Stablecoin Bill on 1 August. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority will start accepting stablecoin licence applications under the new regulatory framework.
Notable firms preparing to apply include JD.com, Ant Group, Standard Chartered, and Circle. Industry insiders say most applicants are large mainland Chinese companies, while smaller firms often lack the operational and technical capacity required.
Use cases under consideration range from stablecoin issuance to settlement infrastructure and wallet tools enabling fiat conversion.
Hong Kong’s approach focuses on formal oversight and compliance, unlike crypto-native models used in Singapore, Japan, and the EU. Experts note that transaction costs associated with stablecoins—accounting for exchange fees, on-chain processing, and compliance—may still reach around one percent.
The city’s licensing process could set a benchmark for Asian financial centres, balancing innovation and regulatory control.
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A group of US Democratic senators has proposed legislation seeking sanctions against El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele and members of his government. The El Salvador Accountability Act targets alleged human rights abuses and Bitcoin misuse during the state of exception.
The bill calls for measures including freezing US-held assets, visa restrictions, and suspending financial aid to Bukele, his cabinet, and other government-linked individuals. It requires the US president to give annual updates on sanctions and a detailed report on El Salvador’s crypto activities.
The report must detail public Bitcoin spending, exchanges used, wallet addresses, and potential gaps enabling corruption or sanctions evasion.
President Bukele rejected the sanctions proposal, mocking the lawmakers on social media and pointing to his growing cooperation with US President Donald Trump. Their collaboration includes efforts against gangs and shared support for crypto initiatives.
Bukele’s dismissal underscores tensions between US lawmakers and El Salvador’s leadership amid ongoing geopolitical and financial debates.
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Greek authorities have successfully seized digital assets linked to a major international cybercrime case, marking the country’s first-ever recovery of cryptocurrency. The operation followed a months-long investigation into suspicious blockchain activity in collaboration with blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis.
The recovered funds are part of a record-breaking $1.5 billion theft from crypto exchange Bybit earlier this year. In February, hackers exploited a vulnerability in one of the platform’s Ethereum wallets, transferring the entire contents to an unknown address.
The incident, considered one of the largest crypto heists in history, has been widely attributed to North Korea’s Lazarus Group.
A suspect wallet was identified and frozen, cutting off access to the assets and transferring the case to prosecutors for further legal proceedings.
Officials hailed the move as a significant advance in combating digital crime. Analysts say the operation shows how blockchain transparency and forensic tools, combined with international cooperation, can disrupt even the most complex laundering networks.
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