News linked to both this project and an event.
According to Bloomberg, 39 signatories—including Nasdaq, the Boerse Stuttgart Group, and fintech associations from multiple countries—have called on the European Commission and the European Parliament to expedite the review of the Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) Pilot Regime as a standalone piece of legislation and to separate it from the EU’s Market Integration and Supervision program. The signatories warned that if the overall negotiation process drags on, Europe risks falling behind the United States in DLT adoption. They urged the removal of asset-class restrictions, an increase in the aggregate transaction volume cap to €150 billion, and the elimination of license time limits. The letter also noted that the U.S. has already established a stablecoin regulatory framework through the GENIUS Act and is rapidly establishing leadership in tokenized assets. The European Commission is currently pushing for a swift resolution of the entire regulatory package, viewing it as a key component of its Capital Markets Union initiative. Financial Services Commissioner Maria Luisa Albuquerque has previously called repeatedly for all legislative proposals to be adopted simultaneously.
According to The Block, Thom Tillis, a Republican Senator from North Carolina and a key negotiator on the Senate Banking Committee, stated that the committee does not expect to schedule hearings to revise and vote on the crypto market structure bill within April. The primary legislative disagreement currently centers on how to handle rewards associated with stablecoins: the current draft proposes banning rewards for idle stablecoin accounts while permitting returns generated from trading activity. Banking representatives fear such returns could draw deposits away from traditional banks, whereas crypto firms argue that restricting rewards would stifle innovation. Tillis suggested postponing the committee’s review to May. Previously, Senator Bernie Moreno warned that if the bill fails to pass before May, “digital asset legislation will stall indefinitely.”
Odaily News U.S. Senator Thom Tillis is urging the Senate Banking Committee to postpone the deliberation of the crypto market structure bill until May, in order to secure more time for finalizing a regulatory compromise on stablecoins between banks and the crypto industry.This move aims to provide additional negotiation space for key disagreements surrounding stablecoins and to promote the formation of a more feasible regulatory framework. (Cointelegraph)
The Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) of Hong Kong has announced a new regulatory framework permitting secondary-market trading of SFC-authorized investment products that have been tokenized, to promote the development of digital asset trading activities in Hong Kong. The new guidance primarily facilitates secondary-market trading of tokenized open-ended funds on licensed virtual asset trading platforms and will consider over-the-counter (OTC) trading arrangements on a case-by-case basis. As of March 2026, Hong Kong has launched 13 tokenized products to the public, with the total assets under management (AUM) of their tokenized share classes reaching approximately HK$10.7 billion. The first batch of products is expected to consist mainly of tokenized money market funds. The new measures cover fair pricing, orderly trading, liquidity provision, and disclosure of information.
According to CoinDesk, Payward, Kraken’s parent company, announced the acquisition of digital asset derivatives platform Bitnomial for up to $550 million in cash and stock. The deal values Payward at approximately $20 billion. Bitnomial is the first crypto-native platform in the U.S. to hold all three key regulatory licenses: a Designated Contract Market (DCM), a Derivatives Clearing Organization (DCO), and a Futures Commission Merchant (FCM). Following the acquisition, Payward will instantly obtain all regulatory authorizations required to operate a full derivatives business in the U.S., significantly accelerating its path to compliance compared to building such capabilities organically. Post-integration, the combined platforms will launch spot margin, perpetual futures, and options products for U.S. customers. Through Payward Services’ B2B infrastructure, these regulated U.S. derivatives offerings will be made available to banks, fintech firms, and brokers via a single API. This acquisition marks Payward’s second major deal following its $1.5 billion acquisition of NinjaTrader in 2025. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2026.
Odaily News: Mike Selig, Chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), stated that despite the CFTC's staff numbers shrinking by about a quarter since 2025, the agency is operating more efficiently in monitoring and investigations through the introduction of AI and automation technologies. Mike Selig confirmed that the CFTC is conducting multiple investigations into prediction markets to address insider trading, fraud, and market manipulation, and emphasized the agency's zero-tolerance stance towards illegal market activities. Additionally, the Digital Asset Market Transparency Act, currently being advanced by the Senate, proposes to place the CFTC at the core of regulatory oversight for non-security cryptocurrency trading, covering transactions involving assets such as Bitcoin and ETH.
Odaily News As the U.S. midterm elections approach, the White House is accelerating efforts to promote a crypto market structure bill to ease the long-standing disputes between the banking industry and the crypto sector.Reports indicate that multiple parties, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, White House crypto advisor Patrick Witt, and related policy figures, have recently publicly called for advancing this bill. The U.S. Council of Economic Advisers has also released a report addressing the banking industry's concerns about the crypto sector.Analysts suggest that, based on the timing, the current period may be a critical window for promoting relevant legislation, but uncertainty remains regarding whether the bill can be smoothly passed. (The Hill)
Odaily News Eric Anziani, COO of crypto.com, stated at Paris Blockchain Week that prediction markets could become a trillion-dollar market. Because users have a direct stake in the outcomes, their accuracy can be 30% higher than surveys. (Cointelegraph)
Odaily News Cantor Fitzgerald pointed out in its latest report that with the rapid rise of prediction markets, Robinhood and Coinbase are poised to become major beneficiaries in this sector, leveraging their massive retail user base and mature trading infrastructure. Although leading platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket remain private companies, Robinhood and Coinbase have already begun entering this market by integrating event-driven trading within their applications.Cantor noted that prediction markets allow users to trade contracts based on real-world events such as elections and economic data, with prices reflecting the crowd's probability judgments. This model is similar to stock and crypto trading platforms, primarily generating revenue through trading activity fees. Among them, Robinhood's prediction market product, launched after the US election, has grown rapidly and has become one of its fastest-growing revenue streams; Coinbase is gradually opening related features to users by integrating Kalshi's infrastructure.The report believes that prediction markets not only have retail trading potential but may also play a role in institutional hedging and macro forecasting in the future. However, regulation remains the biggest uncertainty, as its legal status is still debated between being classified as a derivative or gambling. (CoinDesk)
According to The Information, prediction market Polymarket has announced audits of several early-stage startups integrated into its ecosystem. These startups had previously been accused of identifying and distributing suspected “insider trading accounts” to steer users into copy-trading those accounts. Among the implicated projects are Kreo—which touts itself as a service for “detecting insider accounts ahead of time”—and Polycool—which offers an “insider trading guide.” By pushing suspicious account trading data to users, these platforms have amplified market concerns about insider trading and market manipulation. Polymarket’s move signals its strengthened compliance oversight of its ecosystem, following sustained external scrutiny over potential insider trading risks in prediction markets.
The Jito Foundation announced a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with KODA, South Korea’s largest digital asset custodian. Under the agreement, both parties will jointly promote institutional access to the liquid staking token JitoSOL in the Korean market in compliance with applicable regulations. Collaboration activities include conducting market education for institutional investors, exploring compliant custody and staking solutions, and coordinating promotional efforts in alignment with developments in South Korea’s virtual asset regulatory framework. KODA offers cold wallet storage, MPC-based key management, institutional staking services, and $20 million in digital asset insurance underwritten by Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance. It also holds a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license and ISMS certification. Previously, the Jito Foundation had explored launching a JitoSOL ETF in partnership with Hanwha Asset Management, pending regulatory approval.
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.
According to an article published by Caixin titled “Financial Innovation or Insider Trading? The Rise and Controversy of Polymarket,” when insider information can be openly monetized, the boundary of prediction markets has already become blurred—raising questions about whether such markets are merely “gambling” disguised as finance, or even涉嫌 insider trading. Yet regardless of the legal debate over whether such activities constitute gambling, the fact that Polymarket uses the USDC stablecoin for settlement and delivery itself poses a significant legal risk for participants within China. Previously, U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Amy Klobuchar introduced the “End Prediction Market Corruption Act,” which prohibits the President, Vice President, and members of Congress from trading on prediction markets and requires that the prediction market trading activities of their spouses and dependents be included in annual financial disclosures.
According to CoinDesk, S&P Global Market Intelligence released a report stating that although the stablecoin market has surpassed $31.6 billion, banks’ strategic planning around stablecoins remains largely in the early exploratory phase. S&P Global’s Q1 2026 survey found that among 100 surveyed banks, only 7% are developing related frameworks, and none have launched live pilots. Key concerns for banks include risks of deposit outflows, intensifying competition from non-bank institutions, and uncertain impacts on revenue. Regarding strategic divergence, the report forecasts that large banks will explore issuing tokenized deposits, while mid- and small-sized institutions are more likely to participate via fiat on-ramp and off-ramp services. Regardless of the chosen strategy, banks must undertake extensive upgrades to their existing systems to support real-time digital asset operations.
According to Cointelegraph, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent published an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal urging Congress to swiftly pass the Crypto Asset Market and Regulatory Clarity Act (CLARITY Act) to clarify regulatory rules for cryptocurrencies, tokenized assets, and decentralized exchanges. He warned that the global cryptocurrency market has reached $3 trillion, challenging America’s leadership in financial innovation, and stressed that with limited time remaining on the Senate’s legislative calendar, delaying action is not an option. The bill passed the House of Representatives in July 2025 but has remained stalled in the Senate over disagreements regarding how to regulate stablecoin yield. A report by the White House Council of Economic Advisers found that banning stablecoin yield would have a negligible impact on bank lending—increasing it by only about $2.1 billion—while costing users approximately $800 million annually in lost welfare. Additionally, under the GENIUS Act, the Treasury Department has proposed new rules requiring stablecoin issuers to establish anti-money laundering (AML) compliance programs and granting them authority to freeze or intercept specific transactions.
According to CoinDesk, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the Department of Justice jointly filed an application with a federal court on Tuesday evening seeking to block Arizona from enforcing its state gambling laws against prediction market operator Kalshi. The two agencies argue that Kalshi’s contracts—tied to real-world events such as sporting events and elections—are, in substance, financial derivatives (swaps) subject to the Commodity Exchange Act and the federal regulatory framework, rather than state-level gambling regulations. Arizona had previously brought criminal charges against Kalshi, with a trial scheduled for April 13. Courts across the country have issued conflicting rulings: the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (New Jersey) has leaned toward supporting the federal regulatory position, while other district courts have remained open to the state’s arguments.