News linked to both this project and an event.
financial infrastructure company TVL Capital announced the completion of a $5 million funding round, led by Framework Ventures, with participation from Flow Traders and other institutions. Co-founder Lars previously served as Head of Market Research at The Block. The company's products are benchmarked against traditional exchange-traded products, aiming to build compliant, composable derivatives and diversified yield structures, primarily targeting institutional investors to meet various structured investment and yield management needs.
Odaily News “1011 Insider Whale” agent Garrett Jin pointed out in his latest market commentary that, against the backdrop of the Middle East conflict, the Strait of Hormuz has been effectively “blockaded” for three months. However, the market has already become “desensitized” to this geopolitical risk, and the AI narrative is reshaping traditional risk pricing logic. As a result, AI is significantly weakening the market's sensitivity to oil prices and geopolitical shocks. Since the emergence of ceasefire signals, U.S. stocks have “decoupled” from energy shocks, with gains in chip and tech stocks offsetting the impact from the energy sector, leading the market to gradually overlook the Strait of Hormuz risk. Nevertheless, he cautioned that the AI sector faces short-term risks of overvaluation and crowded trades, and a pullback could occur at any time.In the energy market, the earlier assessment that the Strait of Hormuz risk had not been fully priced in has proven correct. Oil prices had risen due to supply shock expectations, but peaked and then declined following the release of strategic reserves and the U.S. intervention as a “supplier of last resort.” A successful exit was achieved on April 29-30. He believes the current risk-reward ratio for oil prices is no longer attractive.On the macro and equity market front, U.S. households' holdings of stocks as a percentage of financial assets have reached approximately 47%, surpassing the level seen during the internet bubble era. This means a market downturn would, in turn, constrain policy. The VIX volatility index triggered different policy shift thresholds around 30 and 50, reflecting a “risk-off driven policy” characteristic.In the gold market, the recent pullback in gold is not due to the fading of a war premium but rather changes in long-term structural demand. Since 2022, central banks globally have been purchasing gold at an average annual rate of over a thousand tons, primarily for de-dollarization and hedging against sanctions risks. He defines gold as “an ultimate exit tool outside the dollar system” rather than a mere safe-haven asset.In the crypto market, the liquidity inflection point occurred last October, with funds flowing more toward AI assets, leading to a periodic drain from the crypto market. However, he believes the market is currently in a cyclical bear phase. Rebound rallies exist, but they do not equate to the start of a new bull run. The market must wait for liquidity to restart in a new cycle. The AI era is emerging as the dominant capital narrative. Even if a bubble exists, the structural opportunities it brings represent “a rare window of opportunity for ordinary investors.” Nevertheless, market cycle discipline should not be overlooked.
as AI trading agents enter financial markets, structural problems in retail trading are facing potential transformation. The current business models of exchanges and brokerages rely on customers trading frequently. Regardless of whether the customer profits or loses, the platform profits through commissions, spreads, and order flow. Research shows that 74% to 89% of retail traders ultimately lose money, and the Payment for Order Flow (PFOF) mechanism hidden behind zero-commission trades ensures that the platform's profits are unrelated to customer returns.Independent, programmable AI trading agents can change this structural contradiction: by linking the agent's returns to the customer's portfolio returns, they encourage disciplined trading rather than trading frequency. Agents can choose to reduce positions, avoid impulsive moves, and protect customer assets in highly volatile markets, achieving true alignment of interests.As the US eliminates minimum asset requirements for day trading and the EU prepares to implement a PFOF ban, traditional exchange models are facing regulatory pressure. Meanwhile, AI agents are restructuring trading infrastructure through innovative channels such as on-chain payments, gas-free transactions, and decentralized exchanges, providing retail investors with transparent, fair, and verifiable trading intermediaries. (CoinDesk)
According to CoinDesk, German stablecoin startup AllUnity plans to launch SEKAU—a Swedish krona-pegged stablecoin—in June, following final regulatory and operational approvals, and will issue it under the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulatory framework. Meanwhile, AllUnity has also launched Agentic Payments, enabling businesses to receive transactions initiated autonomously by AI software agents and settle funds directly into local bank accounts. The system adopts Coinbase’s x402 payment standard and targets online digital services, content, and data sales. AllUnity is backed by DWS, Flow Traders, and Galaxy Digital, and is regulated by Germany’s Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin).
AllUnity, a joint venture backed by DWS, Flow Traders, and Galaxy Digital, announced the expansion of its Euro-denominated stablecoin EURAU, which complies with the EU's MiCA regulatory framework, to the Solana blockchain network. This move aims to enhance the efficiency of on-chain Euro transfers and support compliant financial applications.EURAU was first launched on Ethereum in July last year, backed by 100% reserves and issued under the EU's e-money regulatory framework. By integrating with Solana, AllUnity seeks to leverage its high-performance network to achieve faster settlement speeds and lower transaction costs, enabling businesses and developers to complete on-chain Euro transfers within seconds.This mechanism can be widely applied in areas such as cross-border payments, transaction settlement, lending, and corporate treasury management. For instance, payment companies can execute real-time payments to overseas contractors without waiting days for traditional bank transfers to settle. (CoinDesk)
On April 17, South Africa’s National Treasury released the Draft Capital Flow Management Regulations (2026) for public consultation. The draft proposes incorporating crypto assets into the foreign exchange control framework to address associated risks and strengthen oversight of emerging financial instruments. It also aims to align the foreign exchange control framework with recommendations from the OECD and the FATF on combating money laundering, terrorist financing, and illicit financial flows, further clarifying exemptions, licensing requirements, and conditions of application, while imposing administrative penalties for violations.
According to QCP Group, U.S.-Iran negotiations collapsed over the weekend, sending oil prices back above $100 per barrel and triggering a broad market shift toward risk aversion. BTC encountered resistance at $74,000, while ETH pulled back from $2,330 to $2,180. Trump subsequently threatened to blockade the Strait of Hormuz to cut off Iranian oil exports; Iran countered with threats targeting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, further widening risk exposure. China, as a major importer of Iranian crude oil, sits at the center of this crisis. Should the blockade be implemented, U.S.-China confrontation risks would rise significantly—a scenario not yet fully priced into markets. Nevertheless, the crypto market has demonstrated notable resilience: implied volatility and risk-reversal indicators have both retreated to pre-conflict levels, signaling waning panic. BlackRock’s IBIT recorded net inflows of $612.1 million over the past week, reflecting continued institutional buying momentum. Market focus has now shifted from geopolitical headlines to execution details: Trump announced the blockade will commence at 10 a.m. ET—yet repeated delays have rendered policy credibility itself a tradable variable.