The return of U.S. President Donald Trump to the White House is a wake-up call for European Union countries to fix their economies and become more competitive, the EU's senior financial officials said on Monday as Trump was sworn in for a second term.

Europe is braced for significant economic challenges under Trump's presidency, including its car industry, energy supply, and the euro's devaluation, alongside the potential for resurging inflation.

The crypto industry wanted regulation, and now they have it – with the EU’s MiCA. You would think this will be embraced at first glance. But No. The MiCA regulations have caused the crypto industry sleepless nights.

The euro zone economy, skirting recession for more than a year, ended 2024 on a weak note, several key indicators showed on Wednesday, suggesting that a long hoped for recovery remains a distant prospect.

As inflation brings Europeans along for a bumpy ride, unemployment has remained stable. Throughout the euro area, unemployment remained 6.3%, unchanged between October and November 2024. Unemployment also remained a consistent 5.9% across the EU, according to data published Tuesday.

The euro, near its weakest level in two years, faces mounting risks from Trump’s tariff plans, diverging Fed-ECB policies, and geopolitical uncertainty. Analysts warn parity with the dollar could return by early 2025.

Under the new regulations only compliant stablecoins can be used as trading pairs in regulated markets, the report said.

The euro area annual consumer inflation rate for December was confirmed at 2.4%, its highest level since July, according to a second reading released Friday. Headline inflation accelerated from 2.2% in November, Eurostat data showed.

"Today, we deliver €3 billion to Ukraine, the 1st payment of the EU part of the G7 loan. Giving Ukraine the financial power to continue fighting for its freedom – and prevail," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on social media platform X.

Convergence criteria ensure that a member state is ready to introduce the euro without causing economic risks for the entire euro area. Find out which criteria need to be met for an EU member state to participate in the single currency.

Backpack Exchange, a regulated crypto exchange and wallet, has completed the acquisition of FTX EU. The exchange announced it had acquired the MiFID II-licensed European arm of defunct cryptocurrency exchange FTX on Tuesday,

The EU's youth unemployment rate, which shows the rate of unemployed people below the age of 25, rose from 15.2% in October to 15.3% in November, year-on-year, while the figure remained unchanged at 15% in the eurozone in November.