Partnerships & Ecosystem

South Korea's largest crypto exchange Upbit has partnered with Optimism to build GIWA Chain, a new Ethereum Layer 2 using the OP tech stack, according to an announcement on Monday. GIWA Chain is the first chain to launch on the Self-Managed tier of OP Enterprise, meaning Upbit will run the chain

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority has issued its first stablecoin issuance licences to HSBC and AnchorX Financial (a joint venture between Standard Chartered Hong Kong, Hong Kong Telecom, and Anz). The two are positioned for retail payments and enterprise cross-border settlement, and will roll out stablecoins for different uses by mid-year and year-end. The regulator said it will decide whether to issue additional licences after observing actual operations and risks, and the number of licences will be strictly controlled. Stablecoins are expected to reduce the cost of cross-border remittances, speed up payments, and in the long run enable second-level account crediting through AI automation of payments.

Tetra Trust has launched CADD, a new stablecoin backed by Shopify and National Bank of Canada among other supporters, designed to enable 24/7 cross-border settlement and real-time institutional transactions. The digital currency targets institutional users seeking to replace legacy batch settlement

According to Benchmark analyst Mark Palmer on Monday, Exodus Movement has crossed a critical threshold as it pivots from a self-custody wallet provider to a crypto payments platform. Palmer maintained a Buy rating with a $21 price target, implying roughly 165% upside from the current price of

According to The Block, Base network adopted Succinct's SP1 zero-knowledge virtual machine (zkVM) and Trusted Execution Environments (TEE) today (May 5) to enhance its cryptographic security. The integration will enable Base to achieve 1-day finality by replacing its multi-day optimistic rollup

Standard Chartered Bank’s SC Ventures completed a strategic investment in crypto market maker GSR, becoming its first external shareholder in a decade. The move aims to deepen collaboration with asset tokenization and institutional-grade digital asset infrastructure, and to enhance market liquidity. Both sides strengthened the asset tokenization link through Libeara; GSR also expanded token lifecycle management and ETF product offerings. Meanwhile, SC Ventures plans to launch a $250 million digital asset fund this year to solidify institutional-grade services.

South Korea's largest crypto exchange Upbit has partnered with Optimism to build a new Ethereum Layer 2 blockchain using the OP Stack technology, according to an announcement on Monday. GIWA Chain will be the first blockchain to launch on the Self-Managed tier of OP Enterprise, meaning Upbit will

Tetra Trust has launched CADD, a new stablecoin designed for institutional use in 24/7 cross-border settlement and real-time corporate treasury operations. The stablecoin is backed by Shopify and the National Bank of Canada, among other backers. CADD aims to replace legacy batch settlement systems w

According to Business Wire, Western Union launched USDPT, a U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin on Solana, on Monday. The token will be fully backed by U.S. dollars and issued by Anchorage Digital Bank N.A., with Fireblocks providing wallet and settlement infrastructure. Western Union will initially

According to SBI Holdings announcement on May 1, 2026, six listed subsidiaries including SBI Shinsei Bank and SBI Insurance Group began distributing XRP rewards to eligible shareholders. Investors holding at least 100 shares as of the March 31 record date qualify for rewards ranging from 500 yen to

Tetra Trust has launched CADD, a new stablecoin backed by institutional investors including Shopify and National Bank of Canada. The stablecoin is designed for 24/7 cross-border settlement, real-time corporate treasury management, and direct fintech transfers, according to the announcement.

Clear Street has partnered with Kalshi to provide institutional investors with regulated access to prediction markets. As the first institutional futures commission merchant to join Kalshi's exchange, Clear Street will offer clearing, settlement, derivatives execution, and block trading services

According to V Systems Malaysia, on May 4 Malaysia launched its first tokenized sukuk pilot program with a RM100 million issuance under Khazanah Nasional's Sukuk Danum Programme. The initiative, overseen by Securities Commission Malaysia, utilized the Aeris Chain private blockchain to digitize the s

According to BlockBeats, Circle received approval from France's Financial Markets Authority (AMF) on April 20 to provide crypto asset services under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) framework. Circle France is now authorized under MiCA Article 60(4) to offer custody and transfer servic