Despite a broader market downturn, tokenized real-world assets have continued to grow, with on‑chain asset distribution increasing by nearly 300 % compared to the previous year.
The USD/SGD pair fell to a multi‑month low near 1.3250 in February, then rallied to around 1.3420 by the end of March. This 1.7% swing signalled an unexpected resilience of the Singapore dollar. The move coincided with fading expectations of Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) policy easing. The rally broke the 50‑day moving average at 1.3350 and later cleared the psychological 1.3400 level. Volume surged during the reversal, indicating strong institutional participation. Key technical bands now sit between 1.3300‑1.3500, with 1.3450 acting as a near‑term ceiling. MAS manages the Singapore dollar via the S$NEER policy band rather than interest rates. Market odds of an April easing fell from about 65% in mid‑February to roughly 35% by late March after core inflation eased to 2.8% and Q4 2024 GDP was revised up to 2.4%. Reduced easing bets removed downward pressure on the SGD. OCBC projects USD/SGD to trade within 1.3300‑1.3500 through Q2 2025, citing a cautiously neutral stance. Risks lean toward further SGD strength if global risk aversion rises or MAS holds a firmer stance. Investors should watch the April MAS review and Singapore’s Q1 2025 GDP release.
Coinbase has made stock and ETF trading accessible to every user in the United States. Clients can execute commission‑free trades 24 hours a day, five days a week. The platform now provides tokenized stocks that are listed in Bermuda. The recent changes are influencing the Solana (SOL) ecosystem. SOL is trading at $78.95, with a strong support level at $76.73 (S1). The CEO emphasized that “Every …”.
The Ethereum Foundation now prioritizes user‑focused, truly decentralized DeFi protocols. Vitalik Buterin emphasizes autonomy and independence from centralized control. The article “Ethereum Foundation Shifts Focus to User‑Centric, Truly Decentralized Finance” first appeared on COINTURK NEWS.
Ether is in a downtrend, with on‑chain fees and network deposits dropping to multiyear lows. The ETH price remains vulnerable until derivatives metrics achieve stability.
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong warned that the UK’s proposed stablecoin limits could erode the country’s status as a digital‑finance hub. He argues that caps on holdings for individuals and businesses, together with strict issuer requirements, may drive innovators to friendlier jurisdictions. Armstrong stresses that maintaining the UK’s historical financial leadership demands embracing, not restricting, new technology. The Bank of England’s draft rules, based on its 2021 “New Forms of Digital Money” consultation, aim to protect stability while fostering adoption. Key provisions include holding caps, elevated capital standards, operational constraints, and mandated governance structures for stablecoin issuers. Critics say the measures are disproportionate compared with the EU’s MiCA regime, which offers a more balanced, innovation‑friendly approach. Analysts link restrictive policies to a 34% drop in UK crypto venture capital in 2024, while rivals such as Germany and Singapore see growth. Tight rules could limit user access, curb fintech employment, and push firms toward markets with lighter regulation. The outcome of these proposals will signal whether the UK can compete in the rapidly evolving global digital economy.
The EU regulator responsible for MiCA compliance has cautioned that presenting cryptocurrency derivatives as “perpetual futures” or “perpetual contracts” is a violation.
The December‑quarter CPI recorded 4.2% annual inflation, far above the RBA’s 2‑3% target. The trimmed‑mean measure stayed elevated at 3.8% and the quarterly rise of 1.2% exceeded forecasts. Core drivers are services, with housing up 7.8%, education 6.2%, insurance 8.1% and food prices still rising 4.5% year‑over‑year. Governor Bullock cautions against premature easing as price pressures remain entrenched. Markets now expect no rate cuts until late 2025, and some analysts entertain additional tightening if inflation proves persistent. The “last mile” of disinflation is slowed by a tight labour market and stagnant productivity. Housing shortages, an ageing population and climate‑related supply shocks keep services inflation high. Many households hold fixed‑rate mortgages, delaying the full effect of rate hikes until they reset in 2025. Coordinated fiscal restraint and productivity improvements are viewed as essential to return inflation to target.
Europe’s markets regulator has confirmed that crypto derivatives offering leveraged exposure will be governed by the existing contracts‑for‑difference (CFD) framework.
Seeker experiences a rally even as the overall cryptocurrency market stays weak.
The United States has imposed sanctions on Russian individuals accused of stealing and reselling cybersecurity tools. The action uses newly enacted laws that address cryptocurrency‑facilitated trade secret violations. This represents the first invocation of those statutes. The Treasury targeted a Russian cyber network involved in the illicit acquisition of security technologies. The announcement was reported by COINTURK NEWS.
Although BTC trades below $65,000, a River report shows adoption accelerating in 2025 despite the weak price. Institutional buying surged, with about 829,000 BTC purchased by corporations, ETFs, funds and government-linked entities. Investment advisors have been net buyers for eight straight quarters, investing roughly $1.5 billion each quarter in spot Bitcoin ETFs. Registered investment advisors, overseeing $146 trillion in client assets, now hold Bitcoin exposure in 29 of the top 30 US firms, though allocations average only 0.008% of assets. Their participation intensified after spot Bitcoin ETFs launched in 2024, offering a steady demand source. This low-percentage exposure suggests significant upside potential. Around 60% of major US banks are developing Bitcoin products, and public company holdings rose 2.5-fold in 2025, making corporations the largest net buyers. Merchant acceptance in the US tripled, while global adoption grew 74%, driven mainly by small private firms. River expects balance-sheet adoption to spread across the S&P 500. Five new countries, including Luxembourg and Saudi Arabia, added Bitcoin to sovereign portfolios through purchases, mining, seizures or donations. The report notes a widening gap between price performance and underlying adoption. While BTC is down 31% YTD, River forecasts continued and accelerating adoption in the coming years.
U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs have logged five consecutive weeks of net outflows, draining about $3.8 billion. Large withdrawals forced issuers to sell underlying BTC, adding direct spot selling pressure in an already thin market. BlackRock’s IBIT and Fidelity’s FBTC saw notable redemptions, showing the trend is not limited to smaller funds. At the same time, miners are increasing liquidity, with at least one major miner clearing its Bitcoin balance sheet, creating a supply boost as demand fades. BTC now trades around $64,000, below the descending trendline that caps price. A break below $63,000 would expose $60,000 as the next demand zone, while a hold above $64,000 and a retest of the trendline could reopen $71,000 and eventually $80,000. The short‑term picture is bearish, but the broader macro base above $60,000 keeps the longer‑term bullish structure intact. Bitcoin Hyper ($HYPER) is a Solana‑powered Layer‑2 aimed at making Bitcoin transactions faster and cheaper. The presale has already raised over $31 million, with tokens priced at $0.0136751 and staking rewards up to 37 %. HYPER can benefit from both a rising BTC price and steady on‑chain activity. It can be purchased by connecting a wallet on the official Bitcoin Hyper website.
Stripe is in early talks to acquire PayPal, a move that could form the largest global payment processor. The merger would unite Stripe’s API‑first infrastructure with PayPal’s massive consumer base. It also brings together their growing cryptocurrency and stablecoin operations under one banner. Stripe dominates B2B payment services, while PayPal serves over 400 million users worldwide. Combining the two would create complementary strengths across business and consumer segments. Scale is increasingly vital as banks, tech giants and crypto firms intensify competition. Larger size would also help absorb rising regulatory and compliance costs. PayPal’s PYUSD stablecoin, valued near $4 billion on Ethereum, could pair with Stripe’s Bridge token‑issuance platform and its Tempo blockchain project. The integrated suite would enable a tokenized dollar ecosystem for both retail users and enterprises. Such end‑to‑end token flow promises faster, cheaper transactions and broader adoption of digital assets. The deal would face antitrust scrutiny in the United States, Europe and other jurisdictions. Merging Stripe’s modern APIs with PayPal’s legacy systems, plus reconciling distinct corporate cultures, adds operational complexity. Valuation differences and shareholder approvals could further complicate terms. Nonetheless, both firms’ established regulator relationships may ease the approval process.
Bitcoin Depot will start confirming each customer’s identity every time they use an ATM, voluntarily enhancing its compliance procedures.
The 2017 “Next Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan” sets a 2030 leadership goal. State investment builds research infrastructure and secures vast domestic data for training. Chinese firms now file the most AI patents and publish the most papers worldwide. The plan embeds AI across manufacturing, surveillance and defence. Western export controls on chips and Chinese overseas AI investments create a “technological decoupling”. BNP Paribas tracks declining joint research, divergent standards and rising investment flows as key rivalry indicators. Both sides pour roughly $300 billion into competing semiconductor and AI programmes. Analysts see a competitive scenario likely to dominate through 2030. Supply chains are regionalising, forcing firms to run separate product lines for China and the West. Costs rise and economies of scale fall, pushing higher prices on consumers. Automotive, telecom and cloud sectors face incompatible standards, while regional champions emerge. Venture capital increasingly backs AI‑hardware start‑ups. Governments launch sovereign wealth funds and visa schemes to attract AI talent; universities expand curricula. Multinationals set up distinct research centers and comply with divergent regulations. Standards bodies become battlegrounds as China proposes alternatives to Western norms. The rivalry reshapes investment, security and policy priorities worldwide.
Kraken is integrating traditional finance markets with the continuous trading environment of crypto. The exchange has introduced regulated tokenized equity perpetual futures that are linked to major indexes, gold, and prominent blue‑chip stocks. On February 24, Kraken announced the debut of what it describes as the world’s first regulated tokenized equity perpetual futures contracts, delivered through its xStocks platform. These contracts enable 24‑hour perpetual trading for the selected assets.
The daily trading volume for XRP has risen by 77 %, reflecting a notable increase in market activity. Dogecoin is approaching a golden‑cross formation in its price relationship with BTC, hinting at a possible bullish breakout. Ethereum co‑founder Vitalik Buterin has recently sold about $7.3 million worth of Ether.
Bloomberg reported that Stripe, which is expanding its stablecoin and blockchain initiatives, is considering a deal involving the struggling fintech.
Developers are now assigning cryptocurrency wallets to increasingly autonomous AI agents, enabling the software to store assets, pay for services, trade tokens, and even contract other agents. While the technical infrastructure is coming together, the corresponding legal and regulatory frameworks have yet to keep pace.
ING predicts the USD/KRW pair will continue to fall in 2025 as the South Korean won strengthens. The downward pressure stems from the country’s robust export performance, which creates sustained demand for the won. Data from early 2025 already show the won up roughly 3.5 % against the dollar. Investors and policymakers are watching the trend for its impact on regional stability. Export sales bring foreign currency, mainly dollars, which Korean firms convert into won, lifting its value. ING’s analysis finds export growth precedes USD/KRW movements by one to two months. A persistent trade surplus fuels this demand, while narrowing U.S.–Korea interest‑rate differentials remove a traditional support for the dollar. Korea’s trade surplus is powered by semiconductors (≈ $48 bn, +12.5 % YoY), automobiles (+8.9 %) and refined petroleum (+5.3 %). Global digital transformation and the shift to electric vehicles keep demand strong, and supply‑chain diversification favors Korean suppliers. ING expects these sectors to sustain won appreciation throughout 2025. A stronger won reduces import costs but can raise export prices, though high‑value products retain pricing power. Foreign investors may face lower won‑denominated returns, influencing equity and bond flows. The Bank of Korea must balance currency strength with growth and inflation targets, while U.S. monetary policy and Chinese demand remain key monitoring points.
In January 2025 Crypto.com gave $5 million to MAGA Inc., the pro‑Trump Super PAC, raising its total U.S. donations to $35 million in the past year. The funds support independent advertising and voter outreach during a contentious election cycle. Super PAC rules allow unlimited corporate contributions, which Crypto.com has used to seek a favorable regulatory climate. Soon after the January gift, the CFTC filed a brief backing Crypto.com in a Nevada sports‑prediction market lawsuit, while the OCC granted conditional approval for a national trust bank. Both actions follow lengthy review processes that began before the donation. Campaign‑finance analysts warn against assuming a direct cause‑effect link, noting the separate legal and procedural timelines. Crypto.com’s spending mirrors a growing trend of digital‑asset firms employing political channels to shape rules, joining efforts by Coinbase and Binance. Regulators such as the SEC and CFTC continue to debate jurisdiction, and industry experts say clear policy could boost valuation and adoption. The crypto community is split between viewing the moves as necessary advocacy and fearing further politicization.
Kraken’s latest contracts, developed on the xStocks framework, deliver leverage of up to 20 times on tokenized benchmarks connected to U.S. equities and gold.
The Pentagon told Anthropic it must grant unrestricted military access to its AI by Friday or be labeled a “supply chain risk” and face a Defense Production Act (DPA) order. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered the warning directly to CEO Dario Amodei. Anthropic refuses, citing firm‑wide bans on mass surveillance and fully autonomous weapons. Applying the DPA to AI would be unprecedented; the 1950 law has only been used for physical goods, most recently ventilators during COVID‑19. Invoking it would force Anthropic to create a military‑specific model, extending executive power into software. Critics warn this sets a risky precedent for politicizing corporate compliance. The DoD currently depends on Anthropic as the sole frontier AI with classified access, creating a single‑vendor vulnerability. Losing that capability would disrupt planning, while Anthropic’s ethical guardrails aim to prevent AI misuse in warfare and surveillance. Both sides argue existing legal reviews should manage security concerns without overriding corporate policy. The clash is being watched worldwide, influencing how other nations treat tech firms. A forceful U.S. move could push AI companies toward jurisdictions with clearer, more predictable rules, reshaping global investment. The resolution will define the balance between corporate ethics, national security, and executive authority for years to come.
