Earlier this month, amid a flurry of executive orders, policy shifts, and layoffs of federal workers, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) charted a new course for its policies toward digital asset regulation. It is a dramatic change that puts the regulator in a new alignment with the Trump administration, the U.S. Department of Justice,… Read More >>
‘Lynq’ Settlement Network for Digital Assets Launches
A real-time, yield-bearing settlement network, dubbed Lynq, has launched with the backing of Arca Labs, Tassat Group, and tZERO Group. It is supported by a tokenized treasury fund and custodied via a special-purpose broker-dealer. “This announcement comes after more than a year of market engagement, platform development, and the creation of the Arca Institutional U.S…. Read More >>
DTCC Joins Tokenization Standards Group
Post-trade infrastructure provider the Depository Trust & Clearing Corp. (DTCC) has joined a non-profit organization, the ERC3643 Association, that is focused on the development of a standardized tokenization framework and will be combining its technology with the ERC3643 token standard. The ERC3643 Association was created to bring together “the expertise and resources of its members… Read More >>
Can Tokenization Save Asset Managers $135 Billion?
Tokenization is “the process of transforming asset ownership into digital tokens on a blockchain,” and it could also be one of the fastest ways for the asset management industry to save $135 billion by trimming the costs associated with traditional fund accounting, transfer agencies, compliance monitoring, and regulatory reporting. This is according to the recently… Read More >>
South African Company Readies DLT-Based Transaction Platform
(FinSwitch, a provider based in Cape Town, South Africa, that offers securities transaction flow support is readying a messaging and transaction platform based on distributed ledger technology (DLT). Dubbed FinChain, the new system will replace its legacy offering that FinSwitch says offers “a common automated platform to process transactions, fund prices, and other data between… Read More >>
Ondo Finance Previews Tokenization Platform
Ondo Finance, a maker of blockchain-based financial infrastructure offerings, unveiled a tokenization platform, dubbed Ondo Global Markets, for publicly-traded securities, and Ondo Chain, a new Layer 1 blockchain for “institutional-grade, on-chain financial markets,” officials say. The offerings to come were announced on Feb. 6 at the Ondo Summit in New York City, which also included… Read More >>
DTCC Revamps & Renames Securrency Suite as ComposerX
Officials at the Depository Trust & Clearing Corp. (DTCC) say that they are doing their part to accelerate digital asset adoption “throughout the financial ecosystem” with the release of ComposerX, formerly the Securrency product suite, intended to streamline token creation and settlement. In October 2023, the DTCC acquired the tokenization infrastructure company Securrency Inc., then… Read More >>
Trump’s Team Pushes Hard for Crypto Regulatory Overhaul
The new Trump administration’s crypto- and digital asset train is moving full speed ahead to help Trump deliver on a campaign promise to make the USA the “crypto capital of the planet.” The impact on the securities industry and operations could be profound as the Trump team wants to fast-track innovation, new rules, guardrails, and… Read More >>
Singapore Bank Scores a First via Tokenized Bonds
A bank in Singapore, OCBC, has scored a first with the launch of bespoke tokenized bonds to corporate accredited investors, a major step forward for Singapore’s efforts to promote the usage of tokenized assets. “The tokenized bonds, which reference investment grade bonds, are structured based on the client’s desired tenor and yield. They are then… Read More >>
Is the SEC at a Digital Assets Crossroads?
(SEC Chair Gary Gensler will be stepping down from the top spot for the U.S. regulator on January 20, 2025, which means the new Trump administration will be looking for a replacement. Trump is likely to name a chairperson who has a more favorable stance toward digital assets and would be far less aggressive than… Read More >>