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The asset tokenization platform Securitize is advancing its business merger with the Nasdaq-listed SPAC Cantor Equity Partners II (CEPT) and plans to use this to list on Nasdaq. Securitize founder and CEO Carlos Domingo stated that the company has achieved profitability in the asset tokenization field by establishing partnerships with multiple financial institutions and will leverage the SPAC transaction to accelerate expansion, issuing and trading more assets in digital token form beyond stablecoins.

As cryptocurrency trading platforms gradually extend from trading single digital assets to traditional asset trading scenarios such as stocks, gold, foreign exchange, and indices, platform competition is shifting from "asset coverage" to "trading entry points, operational paths, and execution efficiency." Whether users can discover opportunities faster, enter the market, and complete transactions is becoming an important measure of the product experience on exchanges.Recently, Bitget announced the launch of the 10-second gold buying challenge, inviting users to record the entire process from opening the Bitget App homepage to completing a XAUUSD gold CFD transaction, with a chance to win rewards if completed in less than 10 seconds. The activity showcases the changes in mobile TradFi trading paths through actual user operations, reflecting that cryptocurrency exchanges are attempting to further streamline and simplify the trading experience of traditional financial assets.According to Bitget, the platform has previously brought TradFi to the first-level entry of the App homepage, covering traditional asset trading scenarios such as gold, stocks, foreign exchange, and indices. Compared to the past, where traditional asset trading typically required completion on independent platforms or through multiple entry points, Bitget aims to allow users to engage with various asset types more directly within the same platform through a unified entry point and optimized mobile processes.

According to Gate Ventures' latest weekly report, global markets were significantly pressured last week due to inflation data and rising energy prices. The S&P 500 index initially broke through 7,500 points for the first time, but subsequently fell back as both CPI and PPI data exceeded expectations, leading the market to begin pricing in potential interest rate hike risks. Against this backdrop, the cryptocurrency market also weakened, with BTC dropping 8.1% last week and ETH falling 10.2%. The spot BTC ETF recorded a net outflow of $1 billion, and market sentiment returned to the "panic" range.At the industry level, institutional investments in stablecoins and on-chain financial infrastructure are accelerating. JPMorgan is advancing a tokenized money market fund aimed at stablecoin issuers; DTCC will use Chainlink to build an all-weather collateral management network; Hana Bank has acquired a stake in Upbit operator Dunamu for $670 million, further reflecting that traditional financial institutions are accelerating their entry into the cryptocurrency infrastructure sector.In terms of investment and financing, a total of 14 financing deals were completed last week, with a total scale of $1.113 billion, of which financing in the infrastructure sector exceeded $1 billion, dominating the market. Blockchain analytics firm Elliptic completed a $120 million financing round, with Deutsche Bank and Nasdaq participating; Bitcoin custody platform Onramp also completed a $12.5 million Series A financing, continuing to expand its institutional-grade custody infrastructure. Overall, in the context of rising macro uncertainty, market funds continue to concentrate on compliance, custody, and institutional-grade services.

Aptos Labs announced that the world's first stablecoin pegged to the Korean won, KRW1, will be launched on the Aptos network. This stablecoin was chosen by BDACS Korea to be issued on Aptos, aiming to promote on-chain payments and digital business applications in Korea and the broader market.Aptos stated that the choice of its infrastructure for issuance is based on its full-stack blockchain capabilities oriented towards "market and machine," designed to support cross-border and local on-chain business scenarios.

Bitget announced that it has completed the relevant compliance registration procedures in Mexico, including registration with the Mexican Tax Administration Service (SAT) and the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF). This progress reflects Bitget's emphasis on local regulatory requirements and lays a further compliance foundation for the platform's long-term and stable development in Mexico and the Latin American region.As the digital asset market in the Latin American region continues to develop, the attention of users, partners, and financial institutions to the platform's compliance capabilities and professional service levels is continuously increasing. Bitget will continue to regard Mexico as one of the important markets for regional layout, continuously enhancing service capabilities while exploring the possibility of cooperation with local banks and financial institutions, under the premise of complying with applicable local rules.Bitget CEO Gracy Chen stated that the regulatory environment of the cryptocurrency industry is continuously evolving, and the platform's long-term development needs to be built on a thorough understanding of local rules, market demands, and the operation of the financial system. Bitget's promotion of relevant registrations in Mexico is part of its global compliance strategy and reflects the platform's long-term commitment to providing users with more robust and reliable services.

PANews' in-depth analysis article points out that, in the context of accelerating global cryptocurrency regulation, compliance capability is becoming a key watershed in the competition among CEXs. Trading platforms represented by Gate are strengthening their competitiveness in the mainstream financial system by continuously expanding their global licensing network.Specifically, Gate is promoting its compliance layout through its various operational entities: Gate US achieves compliant operations in 46 jurisdictions by holding 35 state-level MTL licenses in the United States; leveraging the Cyprus CySEC license, MiCA license, and Payment Institution (PI) license, it is deeply developing business in multiple regions in Europe; Gate Japan is entering the highly regulated Japanese market with the FSA license; it is tapping into the rapidly growing Middle Eastern market with the Dubai VARA license; at the same time, it has completed its layout in the Australian market through AUSTRAC registration.The article notes that compared to some platforms that focus on advancing in a single region, Gate prefers to promote its global compliance layout by establishing entities in multiple locations and directly applying for licenses. Although this path takes longer and incurs higher costs, it helps enhance long-term compliance credibility and diversify risks associated with a single jurisdiction. As global regulation enters the enforcement phase in 2026, the industry's model of "expanding first, complying later" is gradually retreating, and compliance is transforming from a cost item into a core asset, becoming a key threshold for platforms to participate in mainstream market competition.

Payward (the parent company of Kraken) has applied to the OCC for a national trust company license, planning to establish Payward National Trust Company (PNTC). This entity will provide regulated, bank-like digital asset custody and trust services to institutional and individual clients.Previously, Coinbase and Ripple have received conditional approvals for similar licenses, indicating that crypto institutions are accelerating their alignment with the compliant financial system.

This week, the cryptocurrency market has reached a critical turning point, with market sentiment significantly improving. BTC successfully broke through $82,000, reaching a nearly three-month high, and firmly established a key support level at $81,000.On May 5, the U.S. spot BTC ETF recorded a net inflow of $467 million, with BlackRock contributing $251 million; on May 6, the ETH ETF also saw inflows exceeding $170 million for three consecutive days. The continued strength in capital indicates that institutional allocation has shifted from "experimental attempts" to strategic "core asset allocation."Against this backdrop, Gate has continuously optimized its institutional-level service system. With the SuperLink architecture and excellent cross-platform capital scheduling capabilities, Gate provides high-performance matching and deep liquidity support for institutional investors. To address the core demands of professional investors for compliance, security, and asset diversification, the platform offers a one-stop custody solution covering crypto assets, CFD contracts, perpetual contracts, and spot tokens.At the same time, Gate has built a comprehensive derivatives matrix covering stocks, metals, indices, foreign exchange, and commodities, helping global institutions achieve efficient strategy execution and risk management in a structural bull market.

MoonPay announced the acquisition of the Solana-based execution layer platform DFlow, officially entering the trading infrastructure sector.DFlow provides trading optimization services for companies like Coinbase and Phantom, having processed over $50 billion in transaction volume and approximately 10 million transactions per month. Reports indicate that the acquisition amount is around $100 million (paid in stock). MoonPay stated that integrating DFlow will enhance high-frequency trading capabilities and support a new generation of "agent-driven" financial applications.

According to CoinDesk, Amy Oldenburg, the head of digital asset strategy at Morgan Stanley, stated at the Bitcoin conference in Las Vegas that U.S. banks may hold Bitcoin on their balance sheets in the future, but the timeline remains uncertain due to guidance from the Federal Reserve, Basel agreements, and global regulatory requirements.Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley's recently launched first bank-issued Bitcoin ETP product, MSBT, attracted over $100 million in inflows within the first six days of its launch, all from self-directed investment channels and has not yet been opened to financial advisors.Oldenburg pointed out that the slow adoption on the advisory side is mainly due to an education gap. The bank has initiated internal training programs to address this and is applying for an OCC digital trust license to support direct custody of crypto assets and spot crypto trading services.

Global leading digital asset trading platform Gate released its Q1 2026 report, showing continued steady growth in overall business. According to authoritative institutions such as CoinDesk and CryptoRank, Gate's spot trading volume remains among the top three globally, and its derivatives market share continues to expand, further solidifying its position as a leading trading platform worldwide.In terms of security and compliance, according to the latest reserve report released by the platform, the overall reserve ratio reached 122%, with the BTC reserve ratio as high as 147%, covering nearly 500 types of user assets. Gate's Malta-based company, Gate Technology Ltd, has obtained a Payment Institution (PI) license granted by the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) under the EU's Second Payment Services Directive (PSD2), further consolidating its strategic layout across Europe.As of now, multiple entities under Gate have obtained or completed relevant regulatory registrations, license applications, authorizations, or approvals in jurisdictions such as Malta, Cyprus, the Bahamas, Japan, Australia, and Dubai. While trading business continues to grow, Gate is enhancing its global competitiveness through transparent reserves and compliance qualifications, moving towards a comprehensive digital financial infrastructure.

After launching on KuCoin and LBank, Staynex is further advancing its exchange layout, and its native token $STAY will be listed on MEXC today at 19:00 (UTC+8). This is not just a listing; it opens up a broader market coverage.$STAY is an AI travel token, fundamentally based on real travel application scenarios. Staynex integrates AI + Web3-driven travel planning, hotel discovery, membership benefits, and token rewards into a single ecosystem. The underlying structure is driven by Web3, while the user experience prioritizes AI.In terms of the token model, the total supply of $STAY is fixed at 100 billion tokens, with an initial circulation of only 3% at TGE. The project adopts a distribution mechanism with no VC, no private placement, and zero team unlocks, giving the token stronger market attributes from the moment it is launched. At the application level, Staynex builds an AI + Web3 ecosystem centered around real travel consumption. Holding $STAY unlocks tiered membership benefits, including travel discounts, staking rewards, and lifestyle benefits such as airport lounges. Additionally, the platform will use 20% of its revenue for token buybacks, linking platform growth with token value.The listing on MEXC continues Staynex's active acceleration of global expansion, including the acquisition of the European Web3 travel platform Sleap and the introduction of over 40 ecological partners. As the product continues to iterate and more exchange listing plans are advanced, $STAY is gradually building an application path that connects digital assets with real consumption scenarios.

According to CoinDesk, Cardano's core development company Input Output submitted nine funding proposals for the 2026 community treasury, totaling $46.8 million, a significant reduction of about 52% from last year's $97.5 million, marking the first step towards gradually reducing reliance on community funds.The nine proposals focus on two main directions: first, the consensus upgrade plan Leios, which is expected to increase Cardano's transaction processing capacity by 10 to 65 times, aiming to exceed 1,000 transactions per second, with testing planned for June and full launch by the end of the year; second, the Bitcoin DeFi system Pogun, which allows Bitcoin holders to lend and earn through Cardano without having to trust centralized institutions, with lending features expected to be publicly released in the second quarter.This voting involves about 1,000 elected representatives (DReps), with the voting deadline set for May 24. The results will test whether the Cardano community views Input Output as a regular funding applicant.Meanwhile, the new stablecoin USDCx in the Cardano ecosystem has reached a circulation of 14.6 million coins within weeks of its launch, and the total locked assets on the network have increased from $137.5 million to $142.7 million.

Polymarket, which has long dominated the prediction market trading volume, is facing multiple challenges. According to Dune Analytics, its global trading volume has been surpassed by major competitor Kalshi. In terms of valuation, Kalshi announced a new round of financing last month, reaching a valuation of $22 billion, while Polymarket's valuation is $15 billion after receiving a $600 million investment from the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE).Polymarket's biggest bottleneck is the inability to officially launch in the U.S. market, as its U.S. application is still in the testing phase, with March trading volume being only one-twentieth of Kalshi's. Technical challenges brought by the blockchain architecture, repeated delays in product launches, recent fee adjustments causing user dissatisfaction, and issues such as the exchange being down for over an hour continue to plague the platform.Additionally, Polymarket has faced scrutiny for allowing users to bet on controversial topics such as war and nuclear explosions, leading Democratic lawmakers in Congress to send a letter to the CFTC requesting intervention. ICE CEO Sprecher remains optimistic but admits it could either be a total failure or a home run.

Jefferies, a Wall Street investment bank, pointed out that the approximately $293 million attack incident on Kelp DAO exposed critical infrastructure risks, which may prompt traditional financial institutions to reassess the pace of blockchain and tokenization advancement.Jefferies believes that the attackers triggered market sell-offs and liquidity strains by minting uncollateralized tokens and engaging in cross-platform lending. This incident is thought to be related to the Lazarus Group and also highlights the single point of failure issues in the verification mechanisms of cross-chain bridges. As institutions accelerate the tokenization of assets (such as funds, bonds, and deposits), the associated risks may cause some banks and asset management institutions to delay deployment and prioritize examining system security. Especially in scenarios that rely on cross-chain infrastructure, security vulnerabilities could lead to market fragmentation, undermining the practical utility of tokenized assets.Despite short-term confidence being shaken, Jefferies still emphasizes that the long-term trend remains unchanged. Under the backdrop of regulatory advancements and continuous improvements in infrastructure, applications such as stablecoins still have growth potential. However, the industry as a whole is still in the early stages of development and requires time to enhance system robustness.

Crypto Council for Innovation announced the acquisition of Digital Energy Council, marking its first expansion into the energy policy sector.Crypto Council for Innovation (CCI) is a global industry advocacy organization, with members including several cryptocurrency and fintech companies, primarily promoting digital asset regulation, technological innovation, and policy communication, dedicated to building bridges between government and industry. Previously, the organization played an important role in U.S. policy lobbying. Digital Energy Council focuses on energy issues related to the digital economy, particularly the impact of cryptocurrency mining, data centers, and high-performance computing (HPC) on power systems, with core concerns about energy supply, grid stability, and national security. Following this integration, the energy sector will focus on promoting policy directions, including energy development, grid resilience, U.S. competitiveness, and critical infrastructure security.

Cryptocurrency exchange Kraken's parent company Payward announced that it will acquire 100% of the digital asset derivatives platform Bitnomial for up to $550 million (cash + stock). The transaction is expected to be completed in the first half of 2026, pending regulatory approval.Bitnomial is the first crypto-native platform to obtain all three U.S. derivatives licenses (designated contract market, derivatives clearing organization, and futures commission merchant). This acquisition will help Payward quickly gain a complete compliant derivatives infrastructure, significantly accelerating its expansion in the U.S. market. After the transaction is completed, Bitnomial's clearing and trading capabilities will be integrated with platforms such as Kraken and NinjaTrader, offering products like spot margin, perpetual contracts, and options to U.S. customers, and will be regulated by the CFTC.This acquisition will also expand Payward Services, allowing banks, fintech companies, and brokerages to access the U.S. compliant derivatives market through a single API. Industry insiders believe that with the market warming up and valuations recovering, merger and acquisition activities in the crypto industry are on the rise, as leading institutions are accelerating their transformation into comprehensive trading platforms for institutional clients by acquiring key capabilities such as compliance, custody, and derivatives.