Industry News

Binance targets market makers ‘who breach our rules’ – But critics push back

ambcrypto03/26 21:03

How Does The XRP Ledger Fit Into SWIFT’s Move To Process Blockchain Transactions Across 25 Banks?

Crypto pundit Pumpius claims that SWIFT is quietly using the XRP Ledger as a front-end solution for its new blockchain-based cross-border payment system, rather than developing its own. This follows SWIFT’s announcement of a partnership with over 25 banks to enable 24/7 transactions using distributed ledger technology. Pumpius alleges that SWIFT is effectively adopting XRP as a neutral bridge asset it could not build itself, despite publicly working with ConsenSys and financial institutions on an independent ledger. Meanwhile, the Bank for International Settlements highlighted XRP as one of the top five cryptocurrencies banks are exposed to, signaling growing institutional acceptance. At the time of writing, XRP was trading around $1.40.

bitcoinist03/26 21:02

Cardano Founder Says This Midnight Deal Could Bring Billions In TVL

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson announced a major partnership between the privacy-focused blockchain Midnight and UK-based Monument Bank, which plans to tokenize up to £250 million in retail deposits. This initial phase could expand into billions in Total Value Locked (TVL) as Monument aims to later offer tokenized investment products and Lombard-style lending. The deal is positioned as a breakthrough for regulated finance on public blockchains, using Midnight’s privacy features to balance transparency with banking confidentiality while operating within existing regulatory frameworks.

bitcoinist03/26 13:31

T-REX Network and Zama Launch Institutional-Grade Confidentiality Infrastructure for RWA Tokenization

T-REX Network, a multi-chain RWA tokenization platform backed by Apex Group, has partnered with Zama, a leader in Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE), to integrate a native privacy layer into the T-REX Ledger. This collaboration addresses a key barrier to institutional blockchain adoption: the public nature of distributed ledgers. By incorporating Zama’s FHE technology, the T-REX Ledger enables confidential computation and transaction settlement without exposing sensitive investor data, trading strategies, or portfolio positions. The integration allows regulated financial entities to leverage public blockchain benefits—such as interoperability and efficiency—while maintaining the confidentiality and compliance required in traditional finance. The initiative, supported by the ERC-3643 standard (which already secures $32B in tokenized assets), aims to facilitate the large-scale adoption of real-world asset tokenization. Apex Group has committed to adopting the T-REX Ledger as its default infrastructure, targeting $100B in tokenized assets by mid-2027.

TheNewsCrypto03/26 12:39

Musk Poaches the Web3 Prodigy Who Laid the Foundation for the Aave App

Elon Musk has recruited Benji Taylor, a 26-year-old design prodigy and former design lead at Base, to lead design at X (formerly Twitter). Taylor, who began his career at 16 and gained early recognition for his creative work, is known for his groundbreaking contributions to Web3 and consumer app design. He founded Los Feliz Engineering (LFE), where he created Honk—a real-time chat app with no send button or message history—which gained a cult following before shutting down due to product-market fit challenges. Later, he developed Family, a highly praised self-custody crypto wallet often regarded as one of the best-designed in the industry. LFE was acquired by Aave Labs in 2023, and Taylor’s work became foundational to the Aave App’s user experience. His recruitment signals Musk’s continued interest in integrating crypto and payment features into X, leveraging Taylor’s rare expertise in social apps, crypto UX, and minimalist design. Taylor has expressed that his motivation lies in building at scale and reaching billions of users—a goal now within reach at X.

marsbit03/26 10:47

Illustrating Meta's Layoffs: Firing 700 Employees on the Same Day, Offering Executives a $9 Trillion Bet-Based Incentive

On March 25, Meta laid off approximately 700 employees across departments including Reality Labs, Facebook, recruiting, and sales. On the same day, the SEC disclosed an executive stock option plan for six top executives, tied to a $9 trillion market cap target—the first such grant since Meta’s 2012 IPO. This reflects Meta’s strategic shift: fewer but higher-value talent and massive AI investment. Since its 2022 peak of 86,482 employees, Meta has cut nearly 8,000 roles. Meanwhile, annual revenue grew 72% to $201 billion by Q4 2025, and revenue per employee surged 89% to $2.55 million. Meta’s 2026 capital expenditure is projected to reach $115–135 billion, part of a collective $650 billion AI infrastructure push by Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Meta. This spending is prioritized over short-term cash flow, with free cash flow expected to drop nearly 90% in 2026. The executive options are structured with tiered targets: the highest requires Meta’s market cap to reach $9 trillion—six times its current $1.5 trillion—by 2031. If achieved, top executives could gain up to $2.7 billion each. The underlying formula is clear: reallocating resources from broad headcount to elite talent and AI infrastructure, with leadership incentives aligned to extreme growth.

marsbit03/26 08:08

Crypto’s $30 billion lending boom is changing the market – Here’s how

Crypto's lending sector, now valued at $30 billion, is emerging as a key pillar, shifting focus from Layer 1 blockchains like Ethereum and Tron. While L1s still dominate in value, lending protocols such as Aave and Morpho are at the center of a rapidly growing on-chain credit system. The rise of stablecoins as a medium of exchange and the expansion of tokenized assets are improving liquidity and market efficiency. This lending boom is creating a new "yield layer," where users earn returns through interest, leverage, and better capital utilization, turning holdings into productive assets.

ambcrypto03/26 06:45

Why 21Shares believes ‘passive strategies’ for crypto ETFs are outdated

21Shares President Duncan Moir argues that passive 'HODL' strategies for crypto ETFs are becoming outdated. Instead, the firm advocates for active management to capture yield and diversification opportunities in the growing asset class. Key strategies include yield-generating products like a preferred stock ETP offering an 11.5% dividend, staking rewards in ETFs, and thematic offerings such as a Bitcoin-and-gold ETP. While U.S. investor interest remains focused on large coins, European institutions are exploring newer assets and application layers. Despite a decline in total crypto ETF AUM to $130 billion, active strategies aim to drive future demand.

ambcrypto03/26 04:01

a16z Crypto Operating Partner: Wall Street Is Undergoing Its Biggest Infrastructure Upgrade in 30 Years

Wall Street is undergoing its largest infrastructure upgrade in 30 years by migrating to on-chain systems, moving beyond mere blockchain exploration. This shift is driven by the promise of significantly faster capital movement, similar to the electronic trading revolution of the 1990s which reduced costs, expanded participation, and increased market size. Tokenization—digital representations of real-world assets like Treasuries and stocks on blockchain—enables 24/7 markets, instant settlement, fractional ownership, and global accessibility. Major institutions are already adopting this: DTCC plans to tokenize U.S. Treasuries by 2026, NYSE is launching a platform for on-chain stock trading, and Tradeweb has executed real-time blockchain-based Treasury trades. The current financial system’s inefficiencies—high fees, slow settlement, and intermediary dependencies—create opportunities for disruption. Smart contracts and atomic settlement eliminate these frictions, turning existing profit margins into avenues for innovation. Regulatory clarity, such as the CLARITY Act, is further accelerating this transition. Established institutions are not competitors but potential customers for new infrastructure products. Founders have a window to build the next generation of financial services atop this emerging regulated, institutional-grade framework. The outcome will be a larger, more liquid, and accessible global market.

marsbit03/26 03:59

OpenAI Bets on 'Robot Army': 23-Year-Old Prodigy Wins Favor from Sam Altman

While OpenAI adjusts its video strategy, Sam Altman is setting his sights on the more ambitious field of "multi-agent systems." According to The Wall Street Journal, OpenAI has secretly invested in Isara, an AI startup founded by 23-year-old researchers Eddie Zhang and Henry Gasztowtt. Despite being established only in June last year in San Francisco, Isara has already recruited over a dozen top researchers from Google, Meta, and OpenAI itself, forming a highly skilled technical team. Isara’s core vision is to develop a system that enables thousands of AI agents to collaborate efficiently. While individual AI assistants are powerful, they often struggle with large-scale industrial challenges such as biotech R&D or complex financial modeling. Isara aims to solve this by creating a framework where diverse AI agents can communicate, align goals, share data, and tackle interconnected problems—functioning like a coordinated "robot army." This multi-agent approach is seen as a critical step toward Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). OpenAI’s endorsement signals industry recognition of distributed intelligence. In biopharma, the system could simulate thousands of protein-folding pathways, with specialized agents identifying patterns. In finance, it could perform real-time stress tests using global market data. Led by young innovators, this shift suggests the next breakthrough in AI lies not in building larger models, but in enabling smarter collective intelligence.

marsbit03/26 02:32