Cryptocurrency
Ant Group has secured a 50.55% controlling stake in Hong Kong-listed Yau Choy Securities for $360 million. The acquisition positions the fintech giant inside a regulated brokerage as Hong Kong advances stablecoin and virtual asset frameworks. The deal was executed through Shanghai Yunjin Information Technology, an entity linked to
AI
Glia has been recognized for deploying AI that automates up to 80% of banking interactions. The award highlights a shift from experimental AI toward operational systems embedded in regulated financial environments. The company won in the Banking and Financial Services category at the 2026 Artificial Intelligence Excellence Awards, organized by
Politics
TD Cowen now assigns just a one-in-three probability that U.S. crypto market structure legislation passes this year. The downgrade signals growing uncertainty for regulatory clarity that institutions have been awaiting. The proposed legislation, known as the Clarity Act, remains stalled in the Senate despite ongoing negotiations. A recent compromise
Finance
Convera processes payments across more than 140 currencies in nearly 200 jurisdictions, positioning it as a major gateway for cross-border flows. Its partnership with Ripple signals growing institutional adoption of stablecoin-based settlement infrastructure. Ripple Labs and Convera announced a collaboration to integrate blockchain and stablecoin rails into global payment operations.
Finance
Tether holds roughly 140 tons of gold as it reshapes its balance sheet during a full audit process. The departure of two senior bullion traders adds uncertainty to its expansion beyond stablecoins. Vincent Domien and Mathew O’Neill, both hired from HSBC to develop precious metals strategies, have exited the
Security
Chainalysis has trained AI agents on more than 10 million investigations and billions of screened transactions. The rollout marks a shift toward automated, audit-ready intelligence in crypto compliance and enforcement workflows. The firm introduced “blockchain intelligence agents,” designed to assist law enforcement, financial institutions, and crypto businesses in tracking illicit
DeFi
Tesseract Investment Oy is launching dedicated vaults designed to meet MiCA (EU) compliance requirements for institutional investors. The structure addresses regulatory concerns around pooled DeFi products while preserving onchain yield strategies. The Helsinki-based firm, which holds a full crypto-asset service provider license under MiCA (EU), will offer single-client vaults managed
AI
Users click traditional search results just 8% of the time when AI summaries appear, according to Pew Research Centre. The decline in click-through behavior is forcing brands to rethink how visibility translates into user acquisition. Data from SimilarWeb shows generative AI platforms reached 5.72 billion monthly visits in January
Regulation
Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) has imposed strict controls on crypto margin trading and derivatives. The framework expands oversight and raises compliance thresholds for licensed virtual asset service providers (VASPs). The Exchange Services Rulebook mandates that VASPs obtain explicit approval to offer margin trading or exchange-traded derivatives. Firms
Opinion
Stablecoin velocity has doubled to roughly six monthly turns, exceeding prior assumptions from Standard Chartered. The shift complicates projections that rely on steady usage rates to drive supply expansion. Geoffrey Kendrick, global head of digital assets research at Standard Chartered, said recent data shows tokens moving faster across networks after
Security
Quantum computers may break bitcoin’s core cryptography with 20 times fewer resources than previously estimated. The revised threshold compresses the industry’s timeline to transition toward quantum-resistant security models. Google Research said new circuit designs could solve the elliptic curve discrete logarithm problem (ECDLP-256), which underpins bitcoin, using fewer
Finance
Prediction markets have exceeded $20 billion in monthly trading volume, drawing major crypto exchanges into the segment. Binance’s latest test signals further convergence between trading platforms and event-based speculation tools. The exchange is piloting an in-app prediction market feature within Binance Wallet through a partnership with Predict.fun, a