News linked to both this project and an event.
analysts at JPMorgan stated that the probability of the U.S. crypto market structure bill, the Clarity Act, passing the Senate by the end of this year has decreased, posing a headwind for the cryptocurrency market. Analysts pointed out that prediction markets show the likelihood of the bill passing this year has dropped to its lowest point of the year, with Kalshi at 37% and Polymarket at 26%.JPMorgan noted that the Senate prioritized other legislative matters before the summer recess. Additionally, unresolved issues such as ethical clauses, enforcement authority, stablecoin yields, DeFi, and illicit finance have made the bill's advancement prospects more uncertain. The bank had previously viewed the Clarity Act as a potential positive catalyst for the crypto market, as it would establish a clearer regulatory framework for the digital asset industry: digital commodities would be regulated by the CFTC, while digital securities would continue to fall under the SEC's jurisdiction.Analysts believe that if the bill is ultimately passed, it would help develop more institutionalized market infrastructure, ease regulatory restrictions on DeFi and stablecoin issuers, boost domestic liquidity and trading volumes in the U.S., and lower the barriers to entry for brokerages, exchanges, market makers, custodians, and bank-related platforms seeking to participate in the crypto industry.
: Crypto exchange Kraken has opened subscription for Jersey Mike's planned IPO to retail investors. Eligible U.S. users can apply to subscribe to book-entry shares at the IPO price, while users in over 110 countries and regions can apply for tokenized stock JMKEx. JMKEx is backed 1:1 by the underlying stock and custodied with regulated institutions. Allocation results are determined by the IPO underwriters, and a successful allocation is not guaranteed; after the IPO completion, JMKEx will be tradable on Kraken and participating xStocks Alliance platforms 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. Kraken stated that the tokenized stock can be transferred between platforms participating in the xStocks Alliance, on-chained, and accessed via compatible decentralized finance applications. Jersey Mike's is a U.S. sandwich chain brand with over 3,300 stores. Its expected IPO price is between $21 and $25 per share, and it will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker JMKE.
the race for the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) is coming to an end, but the real challenges for companies are just beginning. The high cost of maintaining ongoing compliance systems may reshape the European crypto landscape. The future competitive focus in the industry is likely to shift from "who can obtain a license" to "who can afford the regulatory costs," driving companies towards scaling through mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, or partnerships with banks. As MiCA is gradually implemented and the UK's crypto regulatory framework takes shape, the European crypto industry is entering a new phase of consolidation. Insiders believe that high-standard regulatory requirements could fuel a new wave of M&A, and cooperation between crypto-native companies and traditional financial institutions will deepen further.This trend may be even more pronounced in the UK market. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is developing a new regulatory framework for crypto assets, which is expected to bring crypto businesses under the existing financial services regulatory system, subjecting them to capital, operational, and customer asset protection requirements similar to those for traditional investment firms. Steven Lightstone, a partner at Morgan Lewis in London and co-head of the global fintech team, stated that while the FCA aims to promote market competition and support new entrants, its regulatory standards will be very strict when it comes to consumer protection. Unlike the EU's standalone MiCA framework, the UK's approach will directly leverage the existing financial regulatory system to manage crypto firms.Meanwhile, increased regulatory certainty is accelerating the entry of European banks into the digital asset space. Simon Schneider, CEO of Sygnum Europe, noted that currently fewer than 20% of banks in Europe offer crypto-related services, indicating a significant market gap. The greatest value of MiCA is not just creating a new licensing system but providing legal certainty for financial institutions to enter the digital asset market. Citing Switzerland as an example, he pointed out that after the introduction of distributed ledger technology regulations, most major Swiss banks have begun offering digital asset services, a path that other parts of Europe may follow in the future. Banks are unlikely to replace crypto-native companies altogether; instead, they are more likely to rely on specialized infrastructure providers and collaborate in areas such as custody, brokerage, staking, and asset tokenization.As companies that fail to secure MiCA licenses gradually exit the European market, assets may become further concentrated among regulated entities. However, Schneider believes that self-custody models and institutional custody models will continue to coexist for the long term.Industry insiders suggest that the European crypto industry is entering a "regulatory-driven consolidation cycle." For crypto startups that previously
Ethereum Improvement Proposal EIP-8222 plans to leverage STARK-based cryptographic mechanisms to separate staking deposits from withdrawals and re-anonymize validators, aiming to reduce the traceability of validator activity. Currently, approximately one-third of all ETH is staked. Thibault Dubuis, Head of Staking and Decentralized Finance Products at Sygnum Bank, stated that current deposit addresses, validators, and withdrawal credentials form visible links, making institutional holdings sizes, entry timings, and staking strategies nearly public. The proposal remains in the discussion phase, with no deployment timeline yet announced. Its design may involve fixed deposit denominations, asset withdrawal waiting periods, and other arrangements, potentially requiring institutional users to bear higher execution costs, process delays, and compliance overhead.
Ansem posted on platform X, stating that the current market remains in a stage with high growth potential. Bitcoin (BTC) and Solana (SOL) still have considerable room to rise from their all-time highs, with SOL down approximately 75% from its peak and BTC down about 50%. Compared to previous cycles, this cycle has more mature user experiences and infrastructure, including improved mobile trading experiences, lower barriers for wallet onboarding, and enhanced cross-chain capabilities, making it easier for new users without prior crypto experience to enter the market.Ansem pointed out that a growing number of high-quality developers are aligning incentives through a "token plus equity" model, offering investors exposure to a wider range of industry sectors. Meanwhile, institutional interest in Real World Assets (RWA), attention to the regulatory framework related to the US CLARITY Act, and the entry of major tech-finance companies like Stripe and Robinhood into the crypto space are all boosting market confidence. The wealth effect generated by AI stock performance in recent years, coupled with the wealth-building cases of Meme coins in previous crypto cycles, are reinforcing the market's perception of high-yield trading opportunities. While some earlier Meme coins grew from zero to tens of billions of dollars in market capitalization, the circulating market cap of current popular Meme projects like $ANSEM is still under $100 million, attracting speculative capital.This cycle features dual market drivers: institutional narratives and high-risk speculative opportunities. On one hand, mature financial applications like perpetual contracts and RWA will attract more professional capital; on the other hand, trading in Meme coins and low-market-cap tokens will continue to attract significant retail participation.Ansem stated that with more teams launching user-friendly mobile crypto applications that lower the barrier to entry, this cycle could become the one with the largest scale of retail participation in crypto history.
Coinbase officially announced that the regulated derivatives clearing business of UK financial services group Marex has now formally supported the use of USDC as Initial Margin collateral. This marks the first entry of a stablecoin into the actual operational processes of traditional clearing infrastructure. The first transaction was completed by Prime Trading, LLC, with Coinbase providing the underlying infrastructure support, including custody services, 1:1 instant conversion between fiat currency and USDC, and a customized daily reporting system that meets clearing industry standards.The implementation of this business was made possible by a "No-Action Letter" issued by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in December 2025. This policy opens the door for Futures Commission Merchants (FCMs) to accept stablecoins, Bitcoin, and Ethereum as client margin collateral.Coinbase stated that USDC, as a collateral asset, can provide round-the-clock liquidity, helping institutions break free from the limitations of traditional banking hours, allowing margin funds to be transferred in line with market operating hours. In this partnership, the core capabilities provided by Coinbase include:24/7 instant conversion between fiat currency and USDC: Institutional clients can convert between USD and USDC at any time, improving the efficiency of margin allocation;Customized reporting system: Meets the requirements of traditional clearing systems for asset recording, reconciliation, and regulatory reporting;NYDFS-compliant custody: Provides institutional-grade security for USDC collateral assets.
The Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs stated that it is investigating the "Network School" tech commune founded by former Coinbase Chief Technology Officer Balaji Srinivasan. The project is located in Forest City, Johor, where earlier social media allegations claimed that the commune hosted Israeli individuals who entered the country holding non-Israeli passports.
According to The Block, Japanese financial group SBI Holdings has recently made a series of aggressive moves, completing multiple major crypto investments in succession: exclusively investing $125 million in Gauntlet's Series C, $76 million in EDX Markets' Series C, spending approximately $289 million to acquire Japanese crypto exchange Bitbank, and taking a stake in Singaporean exchange Coinhako. In addition, SBI also participated in Digital Asset's $355 million financing, Morpho's $175 million token round, and Circle's $222 million token presale, and launched Japan's first trust bank-backed yen stablecoin, JPYSC. SBI stated that the company is driving the group's overall on-chain transformation, aiming to provide end-to-end services across exchanges, asset tokenization, market platforms, and other segments, to position itself ahead of the upcoming "token economy" era. Analysts point out that SBI is building Asia's first scaled on-chain asset management business; its strategic core is not purchasing crypto exposure, but controlling the infrastructure of the next-generation financial system. On the regulatory front, the Japanese parliament is advancing legislation to include cryptocurrencies as regulated financial instruments, and plans to significantly reduce the capital gains tax on crypto assets from 55% to 20% by 2028, aligning it with stocks and bonds, providing policy support for institutional entry.
According to Bits.media, Russian private bank Alfa Bank stated that it plans to establish a digital depository institution and provide cryptocurrency-related services to customers and other legal entities. The bank also hopes to develop investment tools based on open blockchains to attract foreign investors. The progress of related business is expected to depend on the formal entry into force of the Russian cryptocurrency circulation regulatory bill.
According to Yoon Seung-sik, Head of Tiger Research, the Korean won stablecoin market currently lacks a real position. This is not due to a lack of potential, but because South Korea has yet to undergo sufficient market practice and discussion. Unlike the United States, which has experienced years of trial and error, regulation, and market evolution in the stablecoin space, related discussions in South Korea have only just begun. The country's financial infrastructure is already highly developed, and the real challenge lies in answering the question, "Why do consumers need to use a won stablecoin?"Yoon Seung-sik believes that the core keywords for the digital asset industry in the first half of this year are stablecoins, tokenization, and RWA. While AI Agents and DeFi hold long-term potential, they still have a considerable distance from large-scale implementation. In contrast, stablecoins and tokenization have accumulated a wealth of global practical cases, driving more institutions to accelerate their entry. It is expected that in the second half of the year, the digital asset market will continue to focus on regulatory progress, the actual implementation results of stablecoins and RWAs, as well as new narratives for the retail market. (Etoday)
the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) officially published its crypto asset regulatory framework this week, widely regarded by the industry as an international approach emphasizing "global liquidity access," but its implementation still faces significant compliance and approval challenges.Under the new rules, the FCA allows overseas trading platforms to serve UK users through locally authorized branches and access global trading infrastructure, thus avoiding the formation of a closed domestic liquidity pool. Meanwhile, stablecoins not issued in the UK can also circulate in the British market, a stance seen as distinctly different from the regional isolation model of the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). The "Qualified Crypto Asset Trading Platform" (QCATP) mechanism within the new rules is viewed as a key structure connecting global exchanges with the UK market, potentially enhancing price efficiency and market depth. However, industry insiders point out that the FCA has yet to clarify which jurisdictions are deemed to have "comparable regulatory protections," a uncertainty that could affect corporate planning decisions.Furthermore, rules related to decentralized finance (DeFi) remain not fully clarified. Some practitioners fear that initial proposals might restrict centralized platforms from accessing the DeFi ecosystem, potentially leaving the UK behind other jurisdictions in this area of innovation.On the compliance front, lawyers point out that under the new Financial Services and Markets Act framework, the authorization process could be extremely stringent. Historical data shows that the FCA's anti-money laundering registration application approval rate is less than 15%. The new system will also cover multiple regulatory requirements including consumer duty, capital adequacy, operational resilience, and senior manager accountability, significantly raising the entry barrier.Industry observers believe the framework overall provides an institutional foundation for institutional capital to enter the crypto market. However, whether the UK can truly become a global crypto hub will depend on the certainty of regulatory enforcement and approval efficiency in the coming months. (CoinDesk)
Robinhood has announced the official launch of the public mainnet for its proprietary Layer 2 network, Robinhood Chain. Built on the Arbitrum technology stack, the chain is positioned as an institution-grade, permissionless, AI-native network specifically designed for Real World Assets (RWA).Robinhood Chain's launch partners include Uniswap, Pleiades, Alchemy, BitGo, and Chainlink. Among them, Uniswap will deploy a dedicated AMM on the chain as the primary public liquidity protocol, while Pleiades will deploy its own AMM as the primary proprietary trading venue. The chain will also offer basic DeFi functionalities such as lending.Eligible users can trade tokenized stocks 24/7 on Robinhood Chain. Simultaneously, Robinhood Earn will introduce USDG-based decentralized lending products within the main app. In certain jurisdictions, the new version of Robinhood Wallet will also support access to Lighter's perpetual contract trading.Robinhood also announced the expansion of its European perpetual contract product range, its official entry into the Canadian market, and the acquisition of a Singapore Capital Markets Services license. Furthermore, Agentic Accounts for crypto trading are planned to begin rolling out in the US soon, allowing AI agents to participate in trading and fund management.Robinhood stated that this update represents its most ambitious global expansion and product vision to date, with the goal of establishing a more direct connection between traditional finance and DeFi, integrating stocks, crypto, RWA, perpetual contracts, and AI trading into a unified financial experience. (The Block)
: Eric Balchunas, Senior ETF Analyst at Bloomberg, stated that the S&P 500 is currently at historical highs, while money market fund (MMF) assets have also hit record levels. This contrast of "both stocks and cash at highs" is stark, but for bulls, it means there is still plenty of "dry powder" that has yet to enter the market. A significant return of funds to the stock market may only occur when interest rates fall below 3%, as in the current 4% yield environment, investors prefer holding stable net asset value money market funds with no drawdown risk over bond ETFs.Balchunas believes that the substantial drawdown in the bond market in 2022 (e.g., AGG fell by about 13%) eroded investor confidence in traditional bonds, leading money market funds to partially replace traditional bond allocations. Additionally, macroeconomic uncertainties in the U.S. (including factors related to Trump's policies) have further exacerbated capital's wait-and-see sentiment.
a new survey from GMAC shows one-third of employers are using AI to replace entry-level positions. The survey polled over 600 recruiters worldwide, with more than half recruiting for Fortune 100 or Fortune 500 companies.Data indicates that tech roles face the highest risk, with 40% of employers in that sector reporting AI is replacing entry-level positions, followed by manufacturing. Additionally, the median starting salary for graduates with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) is projected to drop from $125,000 in 2025 to $120,000 this year. Despite the changing hiring landscape, demand remains strong for graduates who possess human skills like communication, problem-solving, and adaptability, combined with AI proficiency and technical abilities. (fortune)
a16z crypto has stated in an article that the crypto industry is entering the so-called "Show Me era," where the market and media no longer accept projects relying solely on vision and whitepapers but demand real data and verifiable product deployment. In the past decade, crypto projects often depended on a "vision is the product" logic, gaining market attention through whitepapers, token narratives, and proof-of-concept. However, as regulatory scrutiny intensifies, negative industry incidents increase, and institutional players enter the space, this model is becoming obsolete. Simultaneously, the accelerated entry of traditional financial institutions into the crypto field is significantly raising the industry bar, including BlackRock's tokenized money market funds, Fidelity's ETF initiatives, and JPMorgan Chase's advances in on-chain settlement and building its own blockchain network. This makes "real products and actual usage" the new competitive standard.a16z crypto summarizes the current industry standard as a "proof-first" mechanism, requiring projects to demonstrate clear product usage data, on-chain transaction volumes, genuine user growth, and sustained retention, rather than merely intentions to partner or conceptual roadmaps. The firm emphasizes that "partnership announcements" no longer constitute valid signals; they must be accompanied by actual integrations and verifiable data. Meanwhile, user growth, on-chain activity, revenue curves, and third-party verification have become core evaluation metrics. The article further introduces the concept of a "proof stack," where projects need to convert narrative into credible product facts through a multi-dimensional chain of evidence — real users, independent verification, on-chain data, and established partnerships.a16z crypto believes that the industry's communication logic has shifted from "what you are doing" to "what you have already accomplished." It emphasizes that while narrative and vision remain important, their weight has dropped from approximately 80% in the past to 20% now, as the industry officially enters a competitive phase centered on results.
a16z Crypto published an article explaining its investment in Digital Asset. It stated that the three major obstacles previously hindering institutional adoption of crypto technology included blockchain performance, regulatory uncertainty, and privacy concerns. Now, the blockchain performance issue has been largely resolved, with L1 and L2 networks possessing the scale, speed, and complexity to meet institutional needs; the US GENIUS Act has taken effect, addressing the regulatory issue.a16z Crypto believes that traditional public chains make transaction information public by default. While this facilitates verification, institutional financial transactions require capabilities such as selective disclosure, compliance requirements, and multi-party collaboration. For example, when banks conduct treasury bond transactions or repo transactions, the transacting parties need to share information but should not expose positions, counterparties, and transaction sizes to all network participants. Therefore, privacy remains the core challenge for institutions entering the chain. Most blockchain projects attempt to adapt institutions to the crypto system, whereas Digital Asset chooses to adapt crypto technology to institutional needs. Mature privacy technology has also become a key breakthrough for attracting institutional entry.
Japan's SBI Shinsei Bank will launch a pilot program on June 10, allowing customers to convert a portion of their deposit interest into BTC, ETH, or XRP. The initiative uses "interest exchange" as an entry point to introduce crypto assets into traditional deposit products, enabling users to gain cryptocurrency exposure without direct purchase. Future expansion will depend on customer participation and the regulatory environment. (The Block)
House of Doge, an organization associated with Dogecoin (DOGE), has announced a partnership with regulated stablecoin and crypto infrastructure provider Paxos to integrate Dogecoin into its enterprise-grade crypto brokerage and custody network.Paxos serves as the underlying blockchain infrastructure provider for payment platforms such as PayPal, Venmo, and Mercado Libre. These platforms leverage Paxos's capabilities to offer users crypto asset buying, selling, and custody services. This initial partnership is focused on enterprise clients, and it remains unclear whether it will expand to consumer-facing applications in the future. Marco Margiotta, CEO of House of Doge, stated that this collaboration will accelerate Dogecoin's global accessibility and provide a compliant entry path for mainstream fintech platforms.Paxos stated that the move aims to provide secure and compliant access to digital assets through its regulated infrastructure, and to support enterprise clients in expanding their crypto asset product lines. (The Block)
The president of the Uruguay Blockchain Chamber warned that the current cryptocurrency regulatory proposals lack differentiation among business risks and set high entry barriers, potentially undermining local innovation vitality.
According to Cointelegraph, prediction market platform Polymarket is seeking entry into the Japanese market and aims to obtain regulatory approval for prediction markets from the Japanese government by 2030. The report states that Polymarket has appointed Mike Eidlin, Japan Head of crypto firm Jupiter, to lead its local operations in Japan and advance related compliance efforts. Japan maintains strict regulation over online gambling, permitting only a limited number of government-authorized activities—such as horse racing and public lotteries. Although Polymarket has not yet received authorization to operate in Japan, its Japanese regional X (formerly Twitter) account has already amassed over 53,000 followers. Meanwhile, under regulatory pressure and amid competition from platforms like Kalshi, Polymarket’s monthly nominal trading volume declined nearly 15% month-on-month in April.