Binance and Coinbase Continue to Serve Pivotal Role in Global Crypto Adoption : Analysis
In 2025, Coinbase and Binance cemented their status as the world’s leading crypto exchanges, each pursuing distinct strategies that accelerated digital‑asset adoption. Coinbase focused on U.S. regulatory compliance, launching perpetual futures, acquiring Deribit and expanding spot markets to over 350 assets. Binance leveraged its global scale, processing $34 trillion in volume, adding 300 million users, and securing Abu Dhabi’s FSRA license while cutting illicit‑fund exposure by 96%. Together, their product innovations and anti‑fraud measures deepened institutional confidence and broadened crypto’s reach into emerging markets.
Digital Assets Platform Kraken Selected as Custody Partner for Ethena’s USDe
Kraken Custody has been chosen as the official custodian for Ethena’s USDe synthetic dollar, providing institutional‑grade protection for the stablecoin’s backing assets. The partnership includes monthly attestations and weekly proof‑of‑reserves reports, reinforcing transparency and risk management. Simultaneously, Kraken announced a...
Hong Kong’s Financial Sector Is Undergoing Digital Transformation, Enabled by Web3 Technologies : Analysis
Hong Kong’s financial sector is in the midst of a digital overhaul, using regulatory flexibility and tech advances to cement its role as a global finance hub. Stock Connect now accounts for roughly 25% of daily trading volume, while the...
Crypto Trading : Lighter Now Part of Perpetual Futures DEX Market with Retail-Focused Model
BitMEX reports that the perpetual futures DEX market is booming in 2026, with Lighter ($LIT) emerging as a retail‑focused contender backed by Robinhood. The Ethereum Layer 2 platform launched its mainnet in October 2025, offering zero‑fee trading for retail users while charging...
Pakistan’s Crypto and Fintech Sector Expands, Poised for Steady Growth in 2026
Pakistan is accelerating its digital finance agenda in 2026, leveraging the Digital Pakistan Vision to attract foreign capital and expand blockchain, Web3, and virtual‑asset initiatives. Government outreach to Middle‑East fintech leaders highlighted the Raast instant payment system and new digital...
Fintech Platforms to Help US Consumers Accept Settlement Payments From Tech Firms, Payouts From Govt Agencies in 2026
Fintech platforms are set to streamline a wave of 2026 payouts, from government benefits like Social Security’s 2.8% COLA increase to large corporate settlements such as Amazon’s $2.5 billion FTC agreement and Google’s $700 million Play Store case. The IRS will finish...
Fintech Firm Togetherwork Shifts Headquarters to Austin, Set to Generate 250 Jobs
Fintech firm Togetherwork announced it will relocate its corporate headquarters from Atlanta to Austin’s South Congress Avenue, occupying a 20,000‑square‑foot office. The move is expected to generate roughly 250 new jobs over the next 18‑24 months, expanding its U.S. footprint...
UK FCA to Receive Funds From Fraudulent Peer to Peer Lender
The UK Financial Conduct Authority seized £265,523.96 from Andrew Currie, the operator of the collapsed peer‑to‑peer lender Collateral Ltd. Currie, convicted of fraud in 2023, misused roughly £17.9 million of investor money, leaving about £11 million unrecoverable. The confiscation order serves as...
Report Claims Two UK Crypto Exchanges Used to Support Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)
A TRM Labs report alleges that two UK‑based crypto exchanges, Zedcex and Zedxion, processed roughly $1 billion in transactions, most of which were USDT transfers on the TRON blockchain linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The analysis shows IRGC‑related...
Andreessen Horowitz Raises $15 Billion to Invest in American Dynamism, More
Andreessen Horowitz announced a $15 billion capital raise to back a suite of venture strategies, including a dedicated $1.176 billion American Dynamism fund. The allocation spans growth ($6.75 billion), apps and infrastructure ($1.7 billion each), bio‑health ($700 million), and other initiatives ($3 billion). Ben Horowitz emphasized...
Active Betting on Iran Regime Change on Polymarket
Polymarket users are actively betting on the removal of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, with odds ranging from 18% for a change by January 31, 2026 to 45% for a shift by June 30, 2026. A separate market predicts a joint US‑Israel military action...
UK’s Starling Bank Unveils Tools to Boost Financial Wellbeing in 2026
Starling Bank launched the Last Digit widget, a gamified feature that nudges users to check their balances daily and automatically transfer the balance’s last digit into a savings space. The bank’s research shows daily checkers hold £18,243 on average, 6%...
UK Financial Services Sector Poised for Increased Defense Investment, Report Claims
A KPMG survey of over 150 senior UK financial‑services executives finds 65% anticipate increased investment in national defense by 2026, with 27% expecting a substantial rise. Security spending now tops the priority list, as 38% cite it as the most...
US Private Payroll Growth Report : 41,000 Jobs Added in Dec 2025
US private‑sector employers added 41,000 jobs in December 2025, according to the ADP National Employment Report, falling short of the 48,000 forecast. Growth was concentrated in service‑oriented industries, with education and health services adding 39,000 positions and leisure and hospitality...
California Law Allows State to Claim Crypto From Inactive Accounts
California Governor Newsom signed SB 822, an amendment to the state’s Unclaimed Property Law, that explicitly includes cryptocurrency among assets the state can claim after three years of inactivity. The law requires the state to attempt to locate rightful owners, but...
Petition Filed with Securities and Exchange Commission to Raise Reg CF Funding Cap to $20 Million
A petition filed by Crowdfund Capital Advisors requests the SEC raise the Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF) funding cap from $5 million to $20 million. The filing argues the existing limit fragments capital raises and hampers mature, post‑revenue companies seeking Series A financing. CCA cites...
Alphabet (Google) Surpasses Apple in Market Cap as AI Momentum Reshapes Fintech and Web3 Ecosystems
Alphabet’s market value hit $3.88 trillion, edging past Apple’s $3.84 trillion for the first time since 2020. The surge is tied to strong investor confidence in its Gemini AI suite and broader AI strategy. Apple, meanwhile, wrestles with a talent exodus from...
UK Fintech Sector Remains Resilient, Secures $3.6B in Funding in Past Year : Research
The United Kingdom’s fintech ecosystem raised $3.6 billion in 2025, outpacing the next five European nations and edging past India to claim the second‑largest global share behind the United States. Funding accelerated in the second half of the year, climbing 11 %...
Binance Founder CZ Backed YZi Labs Accuses CEA Industries of Shareholder-Hostile Tactics
Binance founder Changpeng Zhao‑backed YZi Labs has accused CEA Industries of deploying a poison‑pill shareholder‑rights plan to block investor influence. YZi, a major stakeholder, lodged regulatory filings to expand the board, reverse recent bylaw changes, and rally an investor coalition....
JP Morgan to Take Over Apple Card From Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs is exiting its partnership with Apple Card, taking a roughly $1 billion haircut on outstanding balances. JPMorgan Chase has agreed to assume the Apple Card portfolio, becoming the primary issuer. The card’s delinquency rate sits at 4%, slightly above...
Netcapital Acquires Iverson Design, an AI Supported Design Tool as Part of Transition to Tokenization, Digital Assets
Netcapital announced the acquisition of Iverson Design’s AI‑powered design and visualization assets, paying with 80,000 shares of its common stock. Founder Michael Iverson joins the firm as Chief Design Director and Head of AI Experience. The move is intended to...
Banks Are Banks, Non Banks Are Non Banks, Clarifies the American Fintech Council
The American Fintech Council (AFC) sent a joint letter to the FDIC, CFPB, FTC, OCC and the Federal Reserve asserting that banks and non‑banks must be regulated distinctly. The council emphasized that “banks are banks, and non‑banks are non‑banks” to...
Global Fintech Airwallex Commits €200 Million to Netherlands Expansion Plans
Australian fintech Airwallex announced a €200 million, five‑year investment in the Netherlands, earmarked for expanding its Amsterdam hub and scaling its European operations. The plan includes a 60% increase in local staff, reaching roughly 70 employees by the end of 2026,...
Regtech : Prove Unified Authentication Solution Supports Framework for Digital Identity Verification
Prove unveiled Unified Authentication, a single platform that replaces traditional MFA and OTP‑based methods. The solution blends mobile network signals, SIM possession checks, and Prove’s proprietary cryptographic keys to continuously verify users throughout the journey. Real‑time risk analysis and anomaly...
Global Securities Lending Tops $15.3 Billion, Rising 26% in 2025
Global securities lending surged to $15.3 billion in 2025, a 26% year‑over‑year increase, with loan balances topping $4 trillion and generating $11.7 billion in revenue. The broker‑to‑broker market expanded to $3.61 billion, up 41%, while North America, EMEA and APAC all posted double‑digit revenue...
Blockchain Security Firm CertiK Examines Crypto and Privacy Tech Advancements Heading Into 2026
CertiK released a dual‑track report outlining 2025’s regulatory overhaul and the technical rise of zero‑knowledge virtual machines (zkVMs) as it looks toward 2026. In the United States, the GENIUS Act now forces 1:1 stablecoin reserves and monthly audits, while the...
“What Blockchain Really Does Is Eliminate the Need for Visa.”
Fintech veteran Mike Cagney argues that blockchain’s public‑ledger stablecoin transactions can replace Visa’s core services, from fraud protection to merchant acceptance. He frames blockchain as a "great disintermediary" that could wholesale replace traditional payment rails and even extend to entities...
Regtech SlowMist Releases MistTrack Analysis on Stolen Crypto Funds
SlowMist’s Q4 2025 MistTrack analysis examined 300 user‑submitted theft reports, highlighting a surge in process‑oriented social‑engineering attacks. Phishing remained the most frequent method, with novel tactics like look‑alike address poisoning causing a $50 million USDT loss. The firm assisted nine victims...
Cross River Bank Shares 2025 Recap of Progress
Cross River Bank released its 2025 progress recap, highlighting a transformative year driven by AI and digital assets. The fintech‑first bank processed over $1 billion in payment transactions and facilitated $1.5 billion in loans, including its first $288 million CMBS deal. Its Principal...
Bitcoin Mining Data Center to Heat Greenhouse in Canada
Canaan Inc. is piloting a 3 MW Bitcoin mining data center in Manitoba that will capture and redirect waste heat to a nearby greenhouse operated by Bitforest. The proof‑of‑concept aims for a 90% heat‑capture rate and runs under a two‑year agreement....
Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance Targets Women and Financial Inclusion with New Women Regulators Network
The Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) at Cambridge Judge Business School has launched a Women Regulators Network (WRN) to tackle persistent gaps in women’s financial inclusion. The network will be overseen by a global council of senior women regulators...