Category: crypto

Valinor, a startup founded by ex-Blackstone employees, has raised $25 million to move private credit workflows onto public blockchains using smart contracts. The funding will be used to expand the loan book, customer base, and team. The company has already originated loans to fintech and crypto firms, aiming to improve efficiency and transparency in lending.

Naver Financial in South Korea has postponed its share swap with Dunamu, the parent company of Upbit, by nearly three months. The shareholder vote is now scheduled for Aug. 18, and the completion of the deal is expected on Sept. 30, pending regulatory approvals and potential delays related to the Digital Asset Basic Act.

CoinShares reported $414 million in outflows from crypto funds last week, led by the US selling off assets. XRP saw inflows, while shifting Federal Reserve expectations impacted market sentiment. The overall market mood is fragile, with total assets under management dropping to $129 billion, the lowest since February.

Tether has launched its gold-backed XAUt token on BNB Chain, pairing tokenized bullion with USDT on a network holding $3.2 billion in real-world assets. XAUt is backed 1:1 by physical gold stored in Swiss vaults, with over 22,100 kg in reserve, expanding BNB Chain’s role in the RWA market.

The European Central Bank now accepts tokenized securities issued on distributed ledger technology as collateral, effective March 30, 2026. Axiology, a platform built on XRP Ledger code, is one of the first eligible platforms. The distinction has caused debates among supporters and critics of XRP on Crypto X.

Bitwise predicts that Finance 2.0 is on the horizon with the rise of tokenization, stablecoins, and crypto ETFs. Blockchain technology is seen as significantly superior to existing financial infrastructure. Trillions of assets could be tokenized within a new financial stack, making finance more efficient and accessible globally.

Decentralized lending protocol Aave has launched on Ethereum layer 2 X Layer, developed by OKX. Users can lend, borrow, and earn yield directly on the network without bridging assets. Aave’s arrival on X Layer could boost liquidity and expand DeFi capabilities. OKX Wallet users can access the service easily through the DApps section.

The Ethereum Foundation has staked over $46 million worth of ether in its largest single-day allocation to the Beacon Chain. This follows a treasury strategy to deploy holdings for yield. The foundation also sold 5,000 ETH for $10.2 million in an over-the-counter deal to BitMine Immersion Technologies.

OMI introduces a unified methodology combining data from Similarweb, Moz, and proprietary metrics to improve media planning insights. The index aggregates 37 metrics across reach, SEO, and engagement, helping advertisers and analysts compare outlets with standardized data. OMI aims to provide a consistent analysis layer for media decisions.

Bitcoin ETFs experienced $296.18 million in outflows, ending a four-week streak of inflows totaling over $2.2 billion. BlackRock’s IBIT led the redemptions with $225.5 million withdrawn on the last trading day. Spot Ether ETFs also saw $206.58 million in weekly outflows. The macroeconomic backdrop, including geopolitical instability and inflation concerns, contributed to the withdrawals.