Startups Weekly: Enjoying the reprieve

Startups Weekly: Enjoying the reprieve

Welcome to Startups Weekly — your weekly recap of everything you can’t miss from the world of startups. Want it in your inbox every Friday? Sign up here. Startups aren’t isolated from the world. But this week, funding news felt positively uncorrelated from the overall news cycle, offering somewhat of a reprieve — or perhaps…

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Swedish MP proposes Bitcoin reserve to finance minister

Swedish MP proposes Bitcoin reserve to finance minister

The MP proposed a “budget-neutral” Bitcoin reserve to the finance minister, inspired by US President Donald Trump’s March 7 executive order. A member of Sweden’s parliament has proposed adding Bitcoin to the country’s national foreign exchange reserves, suggesting increased openness to cryptocurrency adoption in Europe following recent moves by the United States. Swedish MP Rickard…

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Bitpanda secures third MiCA license in home jurisdiction of Austria

Bitpanda secures third MiCA license in home jurisdiction of Austria

Bitpanda secures its third MiCA license in Austria, expanding its regulatory footprint across the EU as questions emerge over multi-license necessity. Austrian fintech unicorn Bitpanda has secured its third license under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) framework, further expanding its regulatory footprint across the bloc. Bitpanda on April 10 announced receiving a…

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EU markets regulator says crypto may cause ‘broader stability issues’ as market grows

EU markets regulator says crypto may cause ‘broader stability issues’ as market grows

As the crypto industry grows and ties in with traditional markets, sharp price falls could increasingly disrupt the broader market, says ESMA executive director Natasha Cazenave. The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has warned that crypto will increasingly threaten traditional financial markets’ stability as the industry grows and becomes more entwined with traditional finance…

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Backpack opens claims process for former FTX EU users

Backpack opens claims process for former FTX EU users

Backpack acquired FTX EU in January 2025 to offer crypto derivatives throughout Europe. Crypto exchange Backpack has initiated the first phase of the claims process for former FTX users in Europe. According to an April 1 announcement, users will need to create an account on the exchange, submit Know Your Customer information, and connect it…

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Bitcoin adoption in EU limited by ‘fragmented’ regulations — Analysts

Bitcoin adoption in EU limited by ‘fragmented’ regulations — Analysts

Corporate Bitcoin adoption remains limited by Europe’s “fragmented” regulatory regime and a smaller liquidity pool than the United States. Institutional adoption of Bitcoin in the European Union remains sluggish, even as the United States moves forward with landmark cryptocurrency regulations that seek to establish BTC as a national reserve asset. More than three weeks after…

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