institutions

According to Techub News, multiple sources have revealed that the first batch of compliant stablecoin licenses in Hong Kong is expected to be issued by the end of March, with HSBC and Standard Chartered likely to be among the first approved institutions.Insiders indicate that after the first round of licenses is issued, the approval process for the second round of licenses will also be expedited, with an announcement expected soon.

Cobo co-founder and CEO Shen Yu shared investment insights on platform X: "The biggest structural advantage of individual investors over institutions is not information or capital, but rather 'no one needs to be accountable.'Funds are often constrained by institutional requirements from LPs, drawdown limits, and quarterly assessments, which can force them to cut losses at the worst possible times; whereas individual investors can take advantage of volatility and extend their time horizons to acquire chips that are passively sold off due to institutional constraints at market bottoms, thus generating profits."

Digital asset custodian Hex Trust has announced the provision of an XRP DeFi gateway for institutional clients while maintaining asset custody control.Institutions can mint and redeem FXRP (the wrapped token of XRP on the Flare network) through the Hex platform and stake native FLR. Previously, Flare launched the FXRP lending market, allowing users to earn yields or borrow without selling XRP. FXRP offers a one-to-one mapping of XRP, enabling participation in smart contract applications without transferring the original XRP.

Singapore cryptocurrency company Penguin Securities announced the completion of approximately 2.8 billion yen (about 18 million USD) in financing, with investors including mint, Tokyo University of Science Investment Management Company, and several other Japanese investment institutions.The company was co-founded in 2023 by Japanese entrepreneurs Yuya Kuratomi, Kentaro Kawabe, and Shogo Setoguchi, and has obtained a Capital Markets Services License from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) in 2025.

According to Cointelegraph, Annabelle Huang, co-founder and CEO of Altius Labs, stated that the Alpha of Wall Street trading firms is shifting from physical custody and nanosecond speed advantages to the use of on-chain infrastructure.Jump has leveraged its high-frequency trading experience to develop the high-performance validator client Firedancer for Solana, and its supported project DoubleZero is seeking to commercialize its global private fiber and submarine cable network to reduce latency. Cumberland is providing real-time crypto market data for Pyth Network. Jane Street traded over $110 billion in cryptocurrency in 2024 and recently hired the former head of infrastructure at Copper.As stablecoins and tokenization of real-world assets inject liquidity, the on-chain market size will continue to expand, and future Alpha will come from the production, sorting, and monetization of block space.

According to the Mobile Payment Network, Bank of Korea Governor Lee Chang-yong stated at the Asian Financial Forum in Hong Kong that due to market pressures, authorities have allowed South Korean residents to invest in virtual assets issued overseas. Meanwhile, financial regulators are studying the establishment of a new registration system to permit domestic institutions to issue virtual assets.He pointed out that the won-denominated stablecoin is expected to be primarily used for cross-border transactions, while tokenized deposits will be more for domestic payments, but he emphasized that there are still many controversies surrounding stablecoins. He is concerned that once the won stablecoin is launched, it may be used to circumvent capital flow management measures, especially when combined with widely used and easily accessible dollar stablecoins, which poses even greater risks.Lee Chang-yong mentioned that the transaction costs of dollar stablecoins are much lower than directly using dollars, and during exchange rate fluctuations, it can easily trigger large inflows of funds; moreover, most dollar stablecoins are issued by non-bank institutions, significantly increasing regulatory difficulties. In addition, South Korea's rapid payment system has matured, and the advantages of retail central bank digital currency (CBDC) are not obvious. The central bank is promoting several pilot projects to lay out tokenized deposits and wholesale CBDCs to maintain a dual financial system.

Li Changyong stated at the Asian Financial Forum in Hong Kong that, in light of market pressures, South Korean authorities have allowed domestic residents to invest in virtual assets issued overseas. The financial regulatory department is considering establishing a new registration system to allow domestic institutions to issue virtual assets.Li Changyong pointed out that if a won-denominated stablecoin is launched, its main use may focus on cross-border transactions, while tokenized deposits are more suitable for domestic payment scenarios. However, he emphasized that there is still considerable controversy surrounding stablecoins. The core concern is whether the won stablecoin could be used to circumvent capital flow management, especially when used in conjunction with dollar stablecoins.He further stated that dollar stablecoins have a wide range of applications and low entry barriers, with related transaction costs significantly lower than directly using dollars. When exchange rate fluctuations trigger changes in market expectations, funds may quickly flow into dollar stablecoins, causing large-scale capital transfers; at the same time, the participation of numerous non-bank institutions in stablecoin issuance also significantly increases regulatory difficulties.In addition, Li Changyong noted that South Korea itself has a highly developed fast payment system, so the advantages of retail central bank digital currency (CBDC) are limited. Currently, the central bank is advancing tokenized deposits and wholesale CBDC through multiple pilot projects to maintain the existing dual financial system.

The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission announced that licensed corporations, virtual asset service providers licensed by the SFC, and related entities (collectively referred to as "licensed institutions") must transition to the new suspicious transaction reporting platform developed by the Joint Financial Intelligence Unit, namely the "Second Generation Suspicious Transaction Reporting and Management System" (STREAMS 2) by February 2, 2026.This platform will replace the existing system to enhance automation and analytical capabilities, thereby improving the efficiency of analyzing suspicious transaction reports and disseminating financial intelligence. From February 2, 2026, STREAMS 2 will be the only channel for submitting suspicious transaction reports, and licensed institutions can submit reports in XML format, specified PDF format, or via an online form.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik wrote that the relationship between "institutions" and "cypherpunks" is complex and needs to be understood correctly. Institutions (including governments and enterprises) are neither absolute friends nor absolute enemies; Vitalik emphasized the importance of maintaining an open attitude towards mutually beneficial cooperation while also actively safeguarding one's own interests. In this context, the core task of the Ethereum community is to build a financial, social, and identity layer to protect people's autonomy and freedom.The optimal strategy for institutions in the game is to strengthen control within a manageable scope while resisting external intrusions, which also makes them more concerned about data sovereignty and security issues than ordinary users. Vitalik predicts that institutions (including enterprises and governments) will increasingly reduce their reliance on external trust and have more guarantees over their operations.In the stablecoin sector, this means: issuers in the EU hope that the governance focus of their blockchain will not be overly centralized in the United States, and vice versa (the situation is similar in other countries/regions). Governments will promote more KYC processes, but at the same time, privacy tools will also be improved, as cypherpunks are working to enhance the performance of these tools. Institutions want to control their own wallets and even manage their own staking when staking ETH.

Vitalik Buterin stated, "The relationship between 'institutions' (governments and corporations) and 'cypherpunks' is very complex, neither natural allies nor natural enemies."The optimal strategy for institutions in the game is to strengthen control within a manageable scope while resisting external intrusions, which also makes them often more concerned about data sovereignty and security issues than ordinary users. In the future, institutions will place greater emphasis on self-managed wallets and staking, which is beneficial for the decentralization of Ethereum; at the same time, KYC and privacy technologies will develop in parallel, and the game surrounding zero-knowledge proofs will exist for a long time. The core task of the Ethereum community is to build tools that protect individual self-sovereignty and freedom while maintaining its stance in cooperation with institutions.

The founder of Binance, CZ, appeared at the World Economic Forum in Davos yesterday and stated that the change in the United States' attitude towards the crypto space is of symbolic significance and will affect all aspects of the Western world. Driven by the U.S., many countries have also begun to change their attitudes towards crypto assets, such as the UAE, Thailand, and several Central Asian countries. The UAE has provided Binance with licenses for almost all of its global operations, including futures.In addition to changes in regulatory policies, the flow of funds is also changing. Many traditional funds are unable to allocate crypto assets, and even JP Morgan's CEO Jamie Dimon has publicly opposed it in the past, but now he recommends that his clients allocate a certain percentage of crypto assets. Over the past year, new funds in the crypto space have primarily come from traditional financial institutions or family offices.

CryptoQuant founder Ki Young Ju stated, "The demand for Bitcoin from institutions remains strong. In the U.S., custodial wallets typically hold between 100 to 1,000 BTC.After excluding exchange and miner addresses, this metric can serve as a rough reference for measuring institutional demand, with ETF holdings also included. Over the past year, institutions have added a total of 577,000 BTC (approximately $53 billion), and funds continue to flow in."

The Senate Banking Committee has canceled the scheduled hearing on Thursday for the CLARITY Act (the Crypto Market Structure Act) revisions. According to crypto journalist Eleanor Terrett, dissatisfaction among industry players erupted this Wednesday, with Coinbase leading the way in announcing its withdrawal of support for the bill. They complained that lawmakers made excessive concessions to banks and traditional financial institutions after proposing amendments to a lengthy 278-page bill, particularly regarding stablecoin yields and tokenization.Critics argue that the CLARITY Act itself is already biased in favor of traditional institutions. Meanwhile, some Democrats insist on establishing ethical standards for senior government officials, including the president, to prohibit them from profiting from cryptocurrency projects. Democrats have previously been at an impasse with the White House on this issue.Currently, Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott stated in a statement announcing the postponement of the meeting that "everyone is still working sincerely at the negotiating table," but did not reveal when the committee would reschedule the review. The Senate will be in recess next week for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and will reconvene the following week. During that time, the Senate Agriculture Committee is expected to hold a review, which had also been postponed from this Thursday.

Gate's December transparency report shows that several core indicators continued to rise at the end of the year. Gate's global market share in the spot market remains in the top three, with a derivatives market share of about 11%, leading the industry in annual growth. Gate Launchpool, HODLer Airdrop, CandyDrop, and Launchpad launched nearly 30 projects in a single month, with a cumulative prize pool exceeding 3.5 million USD. In the same month, the number of on-chain addresses on Gate Layer surpassed 100 million. This series of data collectively outlines the steadily increasing ecological activity of Gate.At the same time, Gate continues to deepen its global compliance layout and brand influence. Gate Technology FZE, a subsidiary of Gate Group, has officially launched operations. As the official sponsor of the F1 Red Bull Racing team, Gate held a VIP viewing event during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, witnessing the team's victory at this event.These achievements have earned Gate multiple international awards. The platform was recognized as the "Outstanding Benchmark in the Crypto Industry" at the 2025 Entrepreneur Middle East Leadership Awards, topped BeInCrypto's list of the best spot exchanges in 2025, was awarded "Best High Liquidity Spot Exchange," and received the "Best Centralized Exchange" and "Best Brand of the Year" at the inaugural BeInCrypto 100 Awards. Gate is consolidating its core competitiveness in the global crypto asset trading market through a multi-dimensional approach in products, compliance, and branding.

Cryptocurrency journalist Eleanor Terrett posted on X platform that several leading companies and industry associations in the cryptocurrency sector have expressed support for the Senate Republicans' (BankingGOP) market structure bill this evening, following Coinbase's public opposition. Currently, a16z, Circle, Kraken, Digital Chamber, Ripple, and Coin Center have all expressed their support.

The chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Rostin Behnam, announced the establishment of a new Innovation Advisory Committee on Monday, aimed at providing guidance for the regulation of emerging technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence.Behnam stated that the Innovation Advisory Committee will replace the previous Technology Advisory Committee and is dedicated to engaging top opinion leaders from the cryptocurrency industry in the CFTC's regulatory process to develop pragmatic and forward-looking market regulation policies. The new committee will provide advice to the CFTC on aspects such as "the commercial operation, economic benefits, and practical considerations of emerging financial products, platforms, and business models," thereby "establishing clear development rules for a golden era of the U.S. financial markets." Behnam will serve as the initiator of the new committee and plans to nominate 12 CEO Innovation Council members as founding members.The selected members include several leading figures in the cryptocurrency space: Gemini co-founder Tyler Winklevoss, Polymarket founder Shayne Coplan, prediction market platform Kalshi founder Tarek Mansour, Crypto.com CEO Kris Marszalek, and Kraken co-founder Arjun Sethi. Executives from traditional financial institutions are also included: Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) CEO Jeff Sprecher, Cboe Global Markets CEO David Howson, and Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman.

AI-driven prediction market and social protocol Polarise has officially launched its AI social feature module. This module combines users' social content with prediction market mechanisms, using AI for content pricing, market making, and risk control. By deploying prediction markets through social behaviors, judgments and opinions can be created as tradable, monetizable, and freely convertible on-chain assets between NFTs and FTs.Currently, Polarise's latest points system has been updated. Users can earn varying amounts of Polarise social points through social behaviors such as checking in, posting content, and participating in discussions, based on their weight.It is reported that Polarise has previously announced several rounds of financing, raising over ten million dollars, with financing institutions including Digital Currency Group (DCG), Coinbase Ventures, Crypto.com, Coinlist Seed, Gate Labs, Polygon, Animoca Brands, HashKey Capital, Alliance DAO, and Dapper Labs.