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BoE lays out roadmap to near 24x7 sterling settlement

The Bank of England opened a consultation to extend RTGS/CHAPS operating hours, starting with earlier weekday openings in 2027 and adding Sunday (and some holidays) by 2029, with a longer‑term aim of near 24x7 settlement. The move is designed to support cross‑border flows and tokenized finance by keeping central bank money usable when markets are increasingly “always on,” while balancing liquidity, staffing, and resilience costs for participants.

Source: FinanceFeeds


Japan will recognize qualifying foreign stablecoins as legal electronic payment instruments from June 1, 2026

Japan’s FSA finalized rules allowing certain overseas trust‑type stablecoins to operate domestically as “foreign electronic payment instruments,” subject to strict custody, licensing, AML, and reserve segregation via licensed local intermediaries. The framework aims to unlock regulated payments and settlement use cases while safeguarding consumers—positioning Japan as an early mover on cross‑border, compliant stablecoin adoption.

Source: FinanceFeeds


FIS brings cloud‑native risk suite to AWS to end disruptive upgrade cycles

FIS launched its Enterprise Risk Suite on AWS, shifting to a CI/CD model that keeps institutions on the latest version without downtime-heavy upgrade projects. The microservices architecture scales elastically for peak calculations and stress tests, addressing growing real‑time risk, regulatory, and data demands across capital markets, banking, and insurance.

Source: FinanceFeeds


CFTC and DOJ sue Minnesota over first state ban on prediction markets

Federal regulators filed suit to block Minnesota’s new law outlawing prediction markets, arguing the state is intruding on the CFTC’s exclusive jurisdiction over federally regulated event‑contract markets. The case is a key test of whether approved exchanges can offer event contracts nationwide without state‑by‑state gambling bans, with implications for data, media, payments partners, and platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi.

Source: FinanceFeeds


UK inflation cools to 2.8% in April, edging closer to BoE target

UK CPI slowed to 2.8% y/y in April, marking further progress toward the Bank of England’s 2% target and bolstering hopes that policy rates could start easing later this year if disinflation continues. Services inflation and wage dynamics remain in focus for the timing and pace of any cuts.

Source: SeekingAlpha


IG Group lifts guidance as revenue jumps 19% and active customers rise

IG reported Q1 organic revenue up 19% to £331.2m, with OTC derivatives up 26% and investing assets under administration topping £20bn by April. The broker raised its FY2026 organic revenue growth outlook to 10–15% and sees at least 10% CAGR beyond 2026, citing broader product use, stronger acquisition, and expanding crypto and investing offerings.

Source: FinanceFeeds


SEC closes Zcash Foundation probe with no enforcement action

The SEC ended its multi‑year investigation into the Zcash Foundation without recommending charges, easing a cloud over privacy‑preserving crypto projects. The outcome underscores how selective disclosure tools (e.g., viewing keys) and non‑promotional, research‑focused operations can help privacy networks align with U.S. securities law expectations.

Source: FinanceFeeds


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Business — May 20, 2026 | Briefing24