blockchain

Bitget announced a strategic partnership with the Web3 women's organization WIW3CH. Both parties will rely on Bitget's Blockchain4Her program to provide more systematic educational resources, industry connections, and career development support for female practitioners.This collaboration will start with a special podcast featuring Bitget CEO Gracy Chen, sharing her career growth experiences and providing more practical advice for women who have just entered the blockchain industry. The two parties will also jointly publish a series of educational articles covering Web3 technology analysis and career development paths.As a long-term project promoting women's growth, Blockchain4Her has been advancing since its launch in 2024, focusing mainly on four directions: enhancement, empowerment, education, and inclusivity. The program has funded 11 women-led startup projects through recent initiatives like the "Lady Forward" event and the "Pitch n' Slay" entrepreneurship competition, reaching hundreds of thousands of audiences through global events.

According to TechFundingNews, the blockchain trading platform Ekiden announced the completion of a $2 million seed round financing, with the company's valuation reaching $20 million.This round of financing was led by Unicorn Factory Ventures and P2 Ventures, and also attracted angel investors who have previously invested in projects such as GSR, Pyth, Aptos, LayerZero, and Cube Exchange.It is reported that Ekiden is committed to bringing institutional-level trading on-chain, providing efficient and secure trading solutions through blockchain technology.

According to CoinDesk, Figure Technology Solutions CEO Mike Cagney stated that the company is trying to leverage blockchain to reconstruct the traditional credit market infrastructure and deeply integrate real-world assets (RWA), securitization, and DeFi.Data shows that Figure's loan issuance in March this year exceeded $1 billion for the first time in a single month, with a total lending volume of $2.9 billion in the first quarter, which annualizes to about $12 billion. Cagney stated that the company's goal is to reduce intermediaries in the securitization, lending, and stock lending markets through on-chain processes, lowering costs and enhancing liquidity.Currently, Figure has launched the yield-bearing stablecoin YLDS and has launched on-chain credit vault products on networks like Solana, allowing users to invest in tokenized credit assets or use them as collateral for borrowing. The company also plans to expand into the Ethereum ecosystem and explore stock tokenization and on-chain securities lending.Cagney believes that the true value of blockchain lies not in "putting everything on-chain," but in reconstructing the financial abstraction layer. "Financial assets such as loans, securities, and equity are naturally suited for on-chain processes, and the entire financial infrastructure may be rewritten as a result."

The venture capital firm a16z supports the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and opposes a series of crackdowns by various states on prediction markets. On Friday, a16z submitted an 18-page comment letter to the CFTC, stating that the actions taken by state regulators against prediction market platforms—including cease-and-desist orders and proposed bans—are creating "serious barriers to fair access" for users.In just the past month, the CFTC has filed a series of lawsuits against Illinois, Arizona, Connecticut, New York, and Wisconsin, claiming that these states are attempting to regulate markets overseen by the federal government, which exceeds their jurisdiction. a16z argues that requiring trading platforms to block U.S. users based on their state of residence conflicts with the CFTC's rules on fair market access. The company wrote, "Being forced to deny fair access to users from states seeking to license or ban certain event contracts could severely compress available liquidity."CFTC Chairman Mike Selig asserts that the event contracts of prediction markets fall under swap contracts, placing them within the CFTC's "exclusive jurisdiction." State regulators and state attorneys general counter that platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket offer unlicensed gambling products. a16z also discussed the utility provided by what it calls prediction markets, stating that their pricing mechanism is a "unique form of price discovery" that helps "reveal the probabilities of uncertain events." The company further argues that blockchain-based prediction markets are more transparent than traditional platforms, claiming that "the auditability of on-chain transactions" makes it easier for participants and regulators to oversee.In April, the prediction markets Polymarket and Kalshi surpassed a cumulative trading volume of $15 billion.

Data shows that the market value of tokenized gold assets globally has surged significantly, with overall growth far exceeding that of the traditional physical gold market.Tim Hong, a prominent investor from the leading institution Helio Protocol, stated that with multiple core advantages such as security compliance, sound legal framework, asset transparency, on-chain traceability, and sufficient physical backing, the XAUT ecosystem continues to lead the entire sector, becoming the preferred digital gold investment choice for both institutional and individual investors.The dual combination of traditional gold's value foundation and blockchain's decentralized circulation attributes allows XAUT to break the limitations of traditional gold trading, achieving 24-hour free trading and efficient on-chain settlement. Recently, the silver ecosystem SILVER will also open to the global community.By seizing the opportunity to capture market dividends and coupled with a heavy metal insurance plan, XAUT's long-term value is steadily increasing, with vast growth potential in the future.

Special Purpose Acquisition Company Forefront Tech announced the completion of its initial public offering (IPO) pricing, with a total size of $100 million, and will be listed on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol "FTHAU." It is reported that the funds raised will be used to explore merger and acquisition opportunities in the fields of blockchain, fintech, artificial intelligence, and other emerging technologies.

Bitget, through the Blockchain4Her program, continues to promote the popularization of Web3 women's education and community building in emerging markets such as the Philippines. This program focuses on providing a systematic blockchain knowledge framework for women and youth, helping them participate in the long-term development of Web3 with a solid understanding and gain more substantial opportunities within the industry.To achieve this goal, Blockchain4Her has supported several grassroots initiatives led by local female advocates. These include: transforming blockchain technology into practical development opportunities for underdeveloped communities; developing exclusive learning materials titled "Young Learners' Encyclopedia" for youth; and building a learning community focused on risk control and trading discipline. These initiatives not only help local beginners avoid misinformation and establish a rational understanding of Web3 but also align closely with Bitget's partnership with UNICEF in promoting digital skills and blockchain education globally.Bitget CEO and Blockchain4Her founder Gracy Chen stated, "Our original intention is to provide a more equal and open environment for women to explore Web3. Seeing more and more outstanding women engaging in community building shows us how true industry inclusivity takes root and flourishes from the grassroots."

One of South Korea's largest credit card companies, Shinhan Card, announced that it has signed a cooperation agreement with the Solana Foundation to jointly build a stablecoin payment system on the Solana blockchain.As part of the collaboration, Shinhan Card is conducting a high-level proof of concept this year, focusing on simulating real-world payment scenarios between customers and merchants on the Solana testnet. Shinhan Card's Executive Vice President Kim Young-il stated, "Based on Solana, we plan to carefully examine the practical applicability of blockchain technology and actively explore next-generation financial models." One of the core elements of the proof of concept is to verify the security and stability of non-custodial wallets, so that Shinhan Card can deploy this technology on a large scale in the future. Both parties will also explore a "hybrid financial model" that combines the reliability of traditional finance with the efficiency of DeFi. Shinhan Card plans to utilize oracle technology to build its own DeFi service environment, deploying smart contracts while ensuring operational stability. Shinhan Card will assess the outcomes of these projects in conjunction with the evolving regulatory environment in South Korea and the Asia-Pacific region. Notably, South Korean lawmakers are currently drafting the "Basic Law on Digital Assets," which is expected to be finalized within this year. Under the anticipated legislation, several South Korean financial institutions, including KBank, have recently begun collaborating with global blockchain and cryptocurrency companies.

Special Purpose Acquisition Company Forefront Tech Holdings Acquisition Corp announced the completion of its initial public offering (IPO) pricing, with a total scale of $100 million, and will be listed on NASDAQ under the ticker "FTHAU." It is reported that the funds raised will be used to explore merger and acquisition opportunities in the fields of blockchain, artificial intelligence, fintech, and other emerging technologies.

According to CoinDesk, Galaxy Digital led a $20 million financing round for fintech company Fence, with participation from Parafi Capital and Crane Ventures. Fence plans to utilize blockchain, smart contracts, and tokenization technology to transform the backend processes of the $6 trillion asset-backed finance market.This round of financing will primarily be used for Fence's expansion in the U.S. market and product development. Reports indicate that a large number of structured credit transactions still rely on manual processes such as Excel, PDF, and email to complete loan tracking, collateral verification, and cash flow processing, which are inefficient and have limited transparency. Fence aims to achieve real-time data updates and automated settlements through a unified system.It is reported that Fence obtains loan data via API and uses smart contracts to automatically execute payments and cash flow distribution once conditions are met. Additionally, the company can tokenize loan shares within financing vehicles, allowing investors to transfer positions, collateralize financing, or automatically receive payments.Currently, the Fence platform manages approximately $1.5 billion in assets, with partner institutions including BBVA, BlackRock, and Fortress Investment Group. The company states that compared to the traditional processing cycle of several months, its system can complete new transaction launches within weeks.

According to Bloomberg, JPMorgan Chase has appointed former Goldman Sachs executive Oliver Harris as the head of its blockchain division Kinexys.Harris officially joined the bank earlier this month and will primarily be responsible for advancing the commercialization of applications under Kinexys and deepening partnerships with institutional clients.

Nasdaq-listed company Republic Power Group Limited announced the completion of a definitive transaction, having acquired a 10% stake in NVC Partners Limited, and entered into a technical service and platform cooperation agreement with NVTH Limited and its affiliate NVTHK Limited, officially entering the RWA tokenization and blockchain infrastructure market.According to the agreement, RPGL will gain access to real-world asset tokenization systems, secondary trading infrastructure, and related technology development, support, and maintenance services. The company stated that this move will promote its expansion of institutional-level digital finance and capital market solutions, leveraging its customer base in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia to advance the implementation of related applications.

According to Blockchain for Europe, the European Blockchain Association, in collaboration with Dr. Ulrich Bindseil, former Director General of Market Infrastructure and Payments at the European Central Bank, and Erwin Voloder, Director of Research and Strategy at the Association, jointly released a report titled "Reforming MiCA to Support Euro Stablecoins."The report recognizes the significance of MiCA as a milestone regulatory framework, but also points out that some of its design choices may place Europe in the unfavorable range of the regulatory "Laffer curve"—excessively stringent requirements could weaken the EU's market competitiveness and drive related businesses outside the EU.The report proposes a series of targeted and pragmatic reform suggestions aimed at fostering a more competitive, resilient, and globally influential euro stablecoin ecosystem under MiCA, and calls on policymakers, industry participants, and various stakeholders to actively engage in discussions to jointly promote the continuous improvement of the MiCA framework.

Bitget officially launched the "Blockchain4Youth Learning Center" with its first course, aimed at providing a systematic blockchain learning path for young people and further connecting knowledge learning with career development. After completing the course and passing the assessment, students will receive a certificate of completion issued by Bitget's Chief Marketing Officer Ignacio Aguirre Franco, serving as an official certification of their Web3 capabilities. Certificate holders can gain more industry exposure and priority employment opportunities among the partner employers of the Blockchain4Youth Talent Alliance.To bridge the gap from learning to employment, Bitget has partnered with the Web3 recruitment platform Bondex to provide students with a transparent job-seeking channel and a talent pool connection mechanism. Bondex co-founder Ignacio Palomera stated that the project aims to address the real issues faced by learners, such as "lack of industry connections after completing the course, insufficient effective certification, and unclear job-seeking paths," building a more direct bridge between young talent and recruiting companies.So far, the Bitget Blockchain4Youth series of projects has attracted over 15,000 young participants. Bitget CMO Ignacio Aguirre Franco pointed out that the goal of the learning center is to transform young people's interest in Web3 into a tangible entry path. As the program continues to advance, Blockchain4Youth is gradually evolving from a single event project into a long-term infrastructure focused on Web3 education, career guidance, and talent development.

According to Insight Korea, South Korea's digital bank K Bank has established a strategic partnership with blockchain company Ripple to advance the verification of next-generation cross-border remittance technology based on blockchain.Both parties will focus on assessing the optimization potential in remittance speed, cost structure, and transaction transparency through Ripple's global payment network and infrastructure. The current collaboration includes proof of concept based on digital wallets, joint development of cross-border remittance models, and expansion in the digital asset field. The ongoing second phase of testing has simulated the connection between the bank's internal systems and customer accounts, testing on-chain fund transfers aimed at the UAE and Thailand. K Bank is also evaluating the adoption of Ripple's SaaS digital wallet Palisade to enhance compliance and deployment efficiency.

Blockchain Capital partner Spencer Bogart posted on X platform that the total transaction volume of Kalshi and Polymarket is nearly equal, both around $12 billion (the former at $12.29 billion and the latter at $12.22 billion). Excluding sports-related transactions, Polymarket's non-sports category transaction volume is $7.5 billion, while Kalshi is only $1.6 billion.Despite the positioning differences between the two in the prediction market, it is strange that they are still classified in the same category.

According to The Block, AWS Marketplace has integrated data services such as Chainlink's Data Feeds, Data Streams, and Proof of Reserve, supporting developers in connecting AWS's computing, storage, database, and API capabilities with blockchain smart contracts.AWS stated that the Chainlink oracle infrastructure provides a secure two-way connection between AWS resources and on-chain smart contracts, making it easier for institutions to develop applications that interact with tokenized assets and smart contracts in a familiar AWS environment.