Synthetic dollar protocol Ethena Labs and tokenization platform Securitize have submitted a joint proposal to feature Ethena’s USDtb stablecoin in Spark’s $1 billion Tokenization Grand Prix. The competition seeks to onboard real-world assets (RWAs) to decentralized finance by offering liquidity to selected participants. As part of the proposal, Ethena has included the introduction of a…

Decentralized exchange Curve has joined with blockchain network Elixir to expand access to decentralized finance (DeFi) for BlackRock’s tokenized money market fund, Curve said on Nov. 29. Token holders will soon be able to mint Elixer’s yield-bearing stablecoin, deUSD, against BlackRock USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL), Curve said. They can then swap deUSD for other…

The Ethereum ecosystem is seeing increasing value growth, showing more investor interest in Ethereum-native assets. Ethereum layer-2 (L2) networks have reached a new all-time high of more than $51.5 billion in cumulative total value locked (TVL). This marks an over 205% increase in cumulative TVL, from just $16.6 billion in November 2023, L2beat data shows. L2…

Hong Kong has proposed exempting cryptocurrency gains from taxes for hedge funds, private equity and family investment vehicles to strengthen its position as a leading crypto financial hub. The proposal, currently open for a six-week consultation, also includes exemptions for investments in private credit, overseas property and carbon credits, according to a report by the Financial Times….

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson said decentralized finance in the Bitcoin ecosystem will eclipse all other crypto DeFi within two to three years. He touted the potential for Bitcoin DeFi while making a bold price prediction and highlighting a new model for bridging Bitcoin without using centralized exchanges. “I started in the Bitcoin space and I…

For decades, product developers have needed to go through tech giants like Facebook, Google, Instagram and TikTok to market their products. If they didn’t pay up, they wouldn’t be able to reach their audience. This traditional, centralized advertising industry is expected to generate over $1 trillion in revenue in 2025, according to a report from Axios. At…

Former United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Commissioner Paul Atkins has emerged as the leading candidate to chair the agency under President-elect Donald Trump’s new administration. Atkins is known for his pro-innovation stance and crypto expertise and is said to be capable of “returning the agency to the so-called ‘gold standard,’” according to an…

Since its global debut on Oct. 31, 2008, Bitcoin has grown from a whimsically ambitious idea to an asset with a multitrillion-dollar market capitalization that is reforming how financial institutions view money. Despite its nearly unbelievable journey from a mere idea to catalyzing a revolution within finance, many people say there is much more that…

Blockchain infrastructure firm Flashbots has launched BuilderNet, a decentralized block-building network on Ethereum to “kill censorship” and solve one of the network’s biggest “chokepoints.” BuilderNet, launched on Nov. 26,  said it aims to allow “many parties to collaborate in building blocks.” This comes at a crucial time as around 88% of all Ethereum blocks have been built by Beaverbuild…

Iran will launch a central bank digital currency (CBDC) in the near future, Central Bank of Iran (CBI) governor Mohammad Reza Farzin said at a national banking conference on Nov. 25. He called attention to the country’s well-developed digital financial infrastructure and pledged to continue to innovate in the face of sanctions. CBDC to keep…