Currency & payments in trade stories

Aug 2, 2026

US and Japan conduct joint currency intervention to support the Yen at 40-year lows

The United States Treasury and Japanese government coordinated currency market intervention to halt the yen's slide to its lowest level against the dollar in 40 years, marking Washington's first yen-buying intervention since 2011. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York executed the operation through Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.

Aug 2, 2026·4 sources

Jun 1, 2026

ECB Board Member Warns Rising Stablecoin Use Could Cement Dollar Dominance, Diminish Euro Role

European Central Bank board member Isabel Schnabel stated that increased stablecoin use could reinforce the dollar's global dominance, undermine some nations' monetary policy autonomy, and diminish the role of the euro.

Jun 1, 2026·2 sources

Apr 19, 2026

France Finance Minister Backs Euro-Pegged Stablecoins to Compete with US Dollar Dominance

French Finance Minister publicly supports euro-pegged stablecoin initiatives under MiCA framework and urges European banks to expand euro stablecoins and tokenized deposits as dollar-pegged supply exceeds $300 billion.

Apr 19, 2026·3 sources

Top claims

▪The Japanese yen hit its weakest level against the United States dollar since December 1986 on July 21, 2026, when it traded at 163.24 yen per dollar.
▪Analysts warn that heavy sales of United States Treasuries by Japan to finance yen-buying could trigger a selloff in American government debt and push yields higher.
▪Following yen-buying operations from July 30, 2026, through August 1, 2026, the Japanese currency strengthened to the lower half of the 157-yen range against the dollar.