Category: crypto

Intercontinental Exchange and OKX are partnering to introduce perpetual oil futures on the crypto exchange’s derivatives platform, using ICE Brent and WTI benchmarks. ICE will provide regulated futures prices for Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate, while OKX will handle the perpetual structure, crypto margin, and user distribution. The initiative aims to blur the lines…

The Finance Committee of Germany rejected a proposal from the Green Party to end the country’s tax exemption for cryptocurrencies held longer than one year. Lawmakers from various parties opposed the measure, citing different reasons, while Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil plans to revise crypto taxation by 2027. The existing tax framework remains intact.

Chainlink has reached a milestone of securing over $110 billion in onchain value across cross chain tokens and DeFi markets. This highlights the central role of the oracle network in the infrastructure of digital assets and tokenized finance. Recent migrations to Chainlink’s CCIP have driven more than $4 billion in assets onto the platform.

Ondo Finance’s native token $ONDO has surged above $0.46 to trade near $0.466 with a 24-hour gain exceeding 15 percent. This rally follows China’s crackdown on illegal cross-border brokerage activity, leading traders to seek exposure to real-world assets like tokenized treasuries and United States stocks. Ondo offers tokenized low-risk yield assets, attracting interest from investors.

Boerse Stuttgart Group’s Seturion has expanded its blockchain-based securities settlement across Europe by adding Societe Generale, SG-FORGE, and flatexDEGIRO. SG-FORGE will provide stablecoins for settlement, while European banks are racing to build MiCA-ready stablecoin and tokenization rails. Societe Generale plans to issue tokenized securities through Seturion, with flatexDEGIRO connecting retail investor flow.

The FBI’s NexFundAI operation has gained attention after Evan Luthra and Carl Moon revealed that the FBI created a fake ERC-20 token to catch crypto market makers. Undercover agents posed as the project team, attracting firms to fake trading activity. The operation led to charges against 18 individuals and entities involved in wash trading.

Kraken’s parent company Payward has received preliminary approval from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority to launch regulated crypto services in the United Arab Emirates. The planned launch will include AED funding, margin trading, OTC services, and institutional access through Kraken Prime. This approval aligns with Dubai’s efforts to establish itself as a crypto hub.

The likelihood of a Fed rate hike has increased to 52%, with 30-year U.S. Treasury yields exceeding 5%, impacting financial conditions. This poses risks for assets like stocks and cryptocurrencies, particularly altcoins and DeFi tokens. Rising yields may lead to de-risking and liquidity challenges in the crypto market.

a16z crypto argues that Wall Street is adopting blockchain for efficiency, risk control, and programmable market infrastructure. Guy Wuollet compares blockchain to cloud computing in finance. Tokenized assets create shared networks and improve settlement, coordination, and counterparty risk reduction. Financial industry is undergoing a digital migration to upgrade finance architecture with blockchain as core infrastructure.

Bitcoin hardware wallet maker Foundation has raised $6.4 million in new funding led by Fulgur Ventures to expand into identity, authentication, and AI agent authorization. The company has launched Passport Prime and plans to open a KeyOS app store by Q2. The funding brings total funding to $16.5 million.