Today in crypto, Ripple says it is expecting to secure an Australian Financial Services License after acquiring an Australian payments company in April. SEC Chair Paul Atkins called for a coordinated approach between his agency and the CFTC and a French couple was forced to transfer about $1 million in Bitcoin during a fake police home invasion.
Ripple targets April for Australian financial license via acquisition
Crypto company Ripple is expecting to secure an Australian Financial Services License (AFSL) in April following its planned acquisition of BC Payments Australia, a corporate entity tied to the European Banking Circle Group.
The acquisition of BC Payments Australia is set to close on April 1, according to a report from The Australian, citing comments from Ripple APAC managing director Fiona Murray.
Exciting milestone for @Ripple in Australia! 🇦🇺
— Ripple (@Ripple) March 10, 2026
Ripple is obtaining an Australian Financial Services License (AFSL). As we continue to bridge TradFi with the next gen of digital infrastructure, regulatory compliance remains the foundation of everything we build:… pic.twitter.com/JNF1iQSyG7
Murray said there was “enough institutional interest in digital assets to warrant the investment for us.”
Ripple has been working to expand its collection of international licenses over the last year.
In addition to recently securing conditional approval for a national trust banking charter in the US, Ripple has also won payment licenses in Singapore, the UAE and the UK over the last 12 months.
SEC chair calls for “coordinated oversight” between US regulators
Paul Atkins, chair of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), said that an agreement with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) would lead to a new level of “coordination and collaboration,” including on enforcement.
In a Tuesday speech for the FIA Global Cleared Markets Conference in Florida, Atkins said that the SEC and CFTC were considering an updated memorandum of understanding on coordination between the two federal regulators. The SEC chair did not explicitly mention oversight of digital assets, but said “the regrettable era of duplicative enforcement actions and conflicting remedial obligations for the same conduct is over.”
“Conduct in a single operating environment means that the SEC and CFTC, within the bounds of their independent statutory authority and regulatory interests, should coordinate legal theories and remedial strategies,” said Atkins. “Fragmented, redundant enforcement does not increase deterrence — it only increases confusion.”
French couple robbed of $1 million in Bitcoin by fake police
A French couple in their late 50s was forced to transfer over 900,000 euros ($1 million) in Bitcoin during a fake police raid at their home west of Paris in the latest violent attack targeting cryptocurrency holders in France, according to TF1 Info and Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Three suspects posing as police officers entered the couple’s home Monday morning in Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt, in the Yvelines department, and forced the husband to transfer the Bitcoin (BTC) while threatening the pair with a knife, according to TF1 Info and AFP. The attackers then tied up the man, injured both victims and fled in a white van, the reports said.
The woman later freed her husband and alerted neighbors at about 9:00 am local time, according to the reports. The Versailles prosecutor’s office said the case is being investigated by the Brigade for the Repression of Banditry on allegations including sequestration, armed robbery by an organized gang and criminal conspiracy. No arrests had been announced as of Tuesday.
