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Insurtech Koala Wins New Airline Partnership With Volotea

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Insurtech Koala Wins New Airline Partnership With Volotea

Koala, the travel Insurtech recently acquired by CarTrawler, has announced a new partnership with European airline Volotea to deliver a suite of modern, customer-centric insurance and passenger protection solutions to the carrier’s passengers.

CarTrawler, the leading B2B technology platform for car rental and mobility solutions to the global travel industry, acquired Koala in 2025 as part of its strategy to expand beyond car rental and build a multi-product platform. The Volotea partnership represents one of the first examples of CarTrawler partners activating Koala’s insurance capabilities at scale.

Through the partnership, Volotea’s more than 11 million annual passengers now have access to a range of flexible, easy-to-use protection products designed to remove friction at some of the most stressful moments of travel. These include comprehensive Travel Insurance, Baggage Insurance covering delayed and lost baggage, and innovative flexibility products such as Flight Disruption Insurance.

Koala’s products are built around automation and simplicity, eliminating traditional insurance pain points such as paperwork, proof requirements and lengthy claims processes. Flight delays and cancellations are monitored in real time, with eligible passengers proactively compensated, while baggage issues and early trip interruptions are resolved quickly and transparently.

The new insurance offering is available to Volotea passengers within the booking flow, as well as post-booking, allowing protection to be added at multiple stages of the journey. All products are available across Volotea’s network and supported in multiple languages, reflecting the airline’s diverse European footprint.

This collaboration builds on the existing relationship between Volotea and CarTrawler, which has powered Volotea’s car rental proposition since 2023. With Koala now part of the CarTrawler group, the partnership demonstrates how CarTrawler’s expanded platform enables airline partners to access multiple ancillary products through a single, trusted ecosystem.

Léo Tordjman, CEO of Koala, commented, “We’re excited to partner with Volotea to close the gap between travel insurance expectations and reality. By building fully automated products from scratch, we remove the traditional friction of insurance while creating new revenue opportunities for our partners and seamless protection for customers at every stage of their journey.”

Álex Baró, Deputy Chief Commercial Officer, stated: “We’re delighted to partner with Koala to offer our passengers a new generation of protection solutions that are simple, flexible and fully integrated into the booking journey. At Volotea, we’re committed to enhancing the customer experience at every stage of travel, and this partnership allows us to provide greater peace of mind while continuing to expand our ancillary offering in a seamless and customer-centric way.”

Taiwan Eyes Strict Crypto Penalties To Crackdown On Fraud

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Taiwan Eyes Strict Crypto Penalties To Crackdown On Fraud

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Taiwanese authorities have approved a new draft of their crucial crypto legislation, introducing severe penalties for unlicensed or fraudulent activities related to stablecoins and other digital assets.

Taiwan Approves $6M Fines To Combat Crypto Fraud

On Friday, local news outlets reported that the Executive Yuan passed the draft of the Virtual Asset Service Act (VASA) on April 2, marking a major step to regulate crypto assets in Taiwan.

The VASA, introduced by the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) last year, supports the efforts by Taiwanese authorities to establish a comprehensive crypto framework for Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) and stablecoin issuers.

In 2024, the FSC overhauled its Anti-Money Laundering (AML) framework to include crypto businesses, adding stricter AML guidelines for VASPs and requiring all digital asset firms to complete the AML registration by September 2025.

Premier Cho Jung-tai explained that the new framework, which will be implemented in four gradual phases, includes industry self-regulation and an AML compliance registration system. The measures aim to enhance the security of virtual asset transactions, pilot custody services, and support the growth of domestic financial innovation, he added.

According to the reports, the draft requires VASPs to operate exclusively in this field and meet specific standards for their company name, organizational structure, and capital. Financial institutions can also operate VASP services in addition to their other businesses, if approved.

In addition, special regulations would be customized to suit the nature of each service provider. For instance, trading platforms would be required to establish clear guidelines for listing and delisting virtual assets.

The draft also includes heavy penalties for unlicensed and fraudulent activities, with offences involving crypto falsification, concealment, or price manipulation risking 3-10 years in prison and fines of up to NTD 200 million, worth $6.25 million.

Meanwhile, firms that issue stablecoins without a license could face up to seven years in prison and fines of up to NTD 100 million, or about $3.13 million, according to the draft.

New Stablecoin Regulations To Prohibit Interest Payments

Officials outlined the main differences between the recently passed VASA draft and the FSC’s original text regarding stablecoin guidelines, which include issuance and redemption regulations, restrictions on interest or returns, and internal control and cybersecurity management.

Under the new draft, the issuance and redemption of stablecoins must be conducted at face value, and issuers may not refuse redemption requests from holders. Issuers are also prohibited from paying interest or returns to holders on the stablecoins they issue, aligning with international trends.

Lastly, issuers must establish and maintain robust internal control and audit systems, along with information security management mechanisms, to ensure the proper issuance and redemption of stablecoins.

FSC Deputy Chairman Chen Yen-liang asserted that stablecoin issuance is not currently limited to banks, but noted that the financial institutions are “generally better positioned to meet the relevant requirements” due to their capital strength and risk management capabilities.

For other operators, different capital thresholds and operating guarantee requirements would be set based on the nature of their business, with further details to be announced after the legislation officially passes.

In December, FSC Chairman Peng Jin-long revealed that the island’s first regulated stablecoin could debut this year. As reported by Bitcoinist, stablecoin-centered regulations would be developed within six months after the VASA’s approval, setting the launch of locally issued tokens pegged to the NTD or the USD to the second half of 2026.

Deputy Chairman Chen added that the regulator would adopt a “gradual opening” model, and relevant regulations would be developed by authorities alongside the Central Bank.

crypto, total

The total crypto market capitalization is at $2.29 trillion on the one-week chart. Source: TOTAL on TradingView

Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com

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Bitcoin Whales, Sharks Realized $337M in Daily Losses in Q1 2026

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Bitcoin Whales, Sharks Realized $337M in Daily Losses in Q1 2026

Bitcoin (BTC) traders holding 100–10,000 BTC realized losses at an average of $337 million per day in Q1 2026, the worst quarter since 2022, according to data from Glassnode.

Key takeaways:

  • Bitcoin dropped more than 20% after whales last realized losses at a comparable pace in 2022.

  • Long-term holders are also selling at a loss, indicating capitulation and potentially more downside in price.

BTC whales, sharks realized $30.91 billion loss in 2026

Realized Loss tracks the total dollar value of losses locked in when BTC is sold on-chain below its purchase price. In 2026, two significant wallet cohorts show signs of capitulation.

They are addresses holding 100–1,000 BTC, or “sharks” that often represent mid-sized funds or wealthy investors, and those holding 1,000–10,000 BTC, which are considered whale-sized entities.

In Q1, Bitcoin’s sharks (yellow) realized losses at an average of $188.5 million per day, while whales (orange) comprised another $147.5 million daily.

BTC realized loss by wallet size. Source: Glassnode

Combined, these large entities have locked in roughly $30.91 billion in realized losses so far in 2026.

Bitcoin’s realized losses in Q1 2026 for these high-net-worth entities rank among the most severe on record, trailing only Q2 2022’s roughly $396 million daily average.

BTC realized loss by wallet size (2022). Source: Glassnode

In Q2 2022, BTC’s price dropped by over 50% and another 20% by the year’s end. It kept falling as the Terra collapse, Celsius freeze, and Three Arrows failure triggered panic across crypto, draining liquidity and confidence.

BTC/USD three-month performance chart. Source: TradingView

In 2026, pressure on Bitcoin has come from different sources, including Iran war-driven inflation fears, quantum-security risk, and broader stress in the AI-led risk trade.

Related: Bitcoin supply in profit heads to ‘true bear market’ levels

Therefore, whales and sharks are cutting their losses now because they expect the Bitcoin price to drop further as macro risks mount. This sentiment raises the odds of a 2022-like bear market, with a bottom in Q4 2026.

Bitcoin’s long-term holders add to downside risks

Another sign that Bitcoin’s sell-off may not be over comes from Glassnode’s Long-Term Holder Realized Loss chart, which tracks losses locked in by investors who held coins for more than six months before selling.

That figure remains elevated at around $200 million per day on a 30-day average basis since November 2025.

BTC realized loss by LTH/STH (30-day MA). Source: Glassnode

“A meaningful cooldown toward levels below $25M per day would represent a more compelling signal of exhaustion in selling pressure,” Glassnode analysts said in their weekly report published on Wednesday, adding:

“A prerequisite for the base formation that historically precedes a sustainable bull market transition.”

Together, these headwinds have already fueled calls for a deeper BTC correction, with some analysts pointing to the $40,000–$50,000 range as a possible bottom.