pliant

Согласно объявлению Pliant, компания завершила финансирование раунда C на сумму 80 миллионов долларов, которое возглавили Seaya Nova и Speedinvest, а Illuminate Financial, Motive Ventures и Molten приняли участие в финансировании. Средства будут использованы для расширения в США и Канаде, выхода на большее количество международных рынков и ускорения дорожной карты AI-платежей.Компания заявила, что в течение трех лет ее бизнес удваивался, годовой регулярный доход превысил 100 миллионов долларов, и она может открыть свою B2B платежную инфраструктуру для внешних AI-систем, таких как Claude и ChatGPT, через Model Context Protocol (MCP).

Bitget's compliant RWA issuance platform Reality announced a partnership with the U.S. registered brokerage and self-clearing agency Alpaca. According to the cooperation details, Alpaca will provide brokerage infrastructure support for Reality, assisting it in accessing U.S. stocks and ETF tokenized products within a regulated market framework, covering key aspects such as clearing, custody, and trade execution.Founded in 2015, Alpaca is a developer-first brokerage infrastructure company, with Alpaca Clearing being a FINRA registered broker-dealer and SIPC member, focusing on the custody and clearing of underlying assets. Through this partnership, Reality will further enhance its underlying infrastructure capabilities for tokenized U.S. stocks and ETF products, providing a more standardized and transparent access method for eligible global users.Bitget CEO Gracy Chen stated that Reality is a key part of Bitget UEX's panoramic exchange strategy, aiming to connect traditional financial assets with on-chain infrastructure in a more pragmatic way. Alpaca co-founder and CEO Yoshi Yokokawa expressed his pleasure in partnering with Reality to jointly promote the development of tokenized stock infrastructure, further enhancing the accessibility of global financial services.

According to an official announcement from Coinbase, Coinbase Financial Markets has become the first and only futures commission merchant (FCM) regulated by the CFTC in the United States, officially providing U.S. institutional clients with access to the global cryptocurrency derivatives market.Previously, U.S. users lacked compliant channels to access the global cryptocurrency derivatives market (which accounts for about 80% of global cryptocurrency trading volume). Currently, the open interest in Deribit Bitcoin options has exceeded $31 billion.With this launch, institutional clients can access international platforms such as Deribit through a single compliant channel, without the need to establish offshore entities. Retail user access services will also be launched soon.

Falcon Finance officially announced the joint launch of the USD stablecoin fUSD with Anchorage Digital Bank. This product is positioned as an institutional-grade payment stablecoin compliant with the GENIUS Act framework and has been launched on Ceffu's custody and staking infrastructure.It is reported that fUSD is backed by reserves such as U.S. Treasury securities and is issued by Anchorage Digital Bank, but it does not directly pay interest or returns to holders.

According to CoinDesk, Solana's decentralized exchange Orca has launched a "permissioned pool" infrastructure aimed at tokenized trading of physical assets with high compliance requirements. The first participant is the commodity tokenization company Streamex, whose gold-linked security GLDY will become the first compliant token traded in this system.Orca stated that this mechanism is primarily aimed at the U.S. market, allowing only qualified investors who have passed KYC verification to buy, sell, and hold the relevant tokens. Issuers can customize access rules, which will be automatically enforced by the on-chain system. The permissioned pool operates on top of Orca's existing liquidity infrastructure, and the interface will indicate whether assets are restricted and whether users are eligible to trade.

According to Criptovaluta.it, Italy's Banca Sella has announced that it has completed the notification procedure to the Bank of Italy and will become the first bank in Italy to operate cryptocurrency business in compliance with the EU MiCA regulations. The bank plans to launch digital asset custody and transfer services to a specific client group by the end of 2026.Banca Sella is also one of the founding members of the Qivalis alliance, which currently brings together 37 European banks dedicated to launching a stablecoin pegged to the euro.

The regulated securitization trading platform tZERO announced the integration of its tokenization issuance platform into the Aptos network, allowing issuers to directly issue real-world asset (RWA) tokens on this high-performance public chain, further broadening the on-chain path for institutional-grade assets.Aptos is positioned as the underlying network for institutional-grade tokenization infrastructure and is continuously attracting traditional finance and compliant tokenization platforms. Currently, tokenized funds from institutions such as BlackRock and Franklin Templeton are already operating on-chain.With the integration of tZERO, the compliant asset issuance and trading infrastructure on Aptos is further improved, covering the full chain capabilities from issuance, circulation to settlement.

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.

Nathan McCauley, co-founder of Anchorage Digital, announced on the X platform the launch of Agentic Banking, aimed at providing compliant and governable funding access for AI systems, covering identity verification, policy control, and settlement capabilities across both crypto and traditional financial systems, allowing AI to directly participate in economic activities within a regulated framework. This system relies on its U.S. federal chartered crypto bank qualification, which can provide a compliant "execution layer" to ensure transactions have permission control, real-time risk control, and auditability.Nathan McCauley further pointed out that the financial system is entering an "autonomous era," where AI is transitioning from a decision-support tool to an entity capable of independently executing tasks, including executing workflows, participating in negotiations, and conducting operations on behalf of organizations. The current financial system is not yet prepared for "non-human participants," lacking an identity system for AI, policy execution mechanisms, and compliant funding access methods, forcing institutions to balance between automation and risk.Previously, Anchorage had partnered with Google Cloud, which will build an "intelligent layer" to support discovery, collaboration, and decision-making among AI agents, while Anchorage is responsible for funding execution and settlement, promoting the cloud integration of institutional-level digital asset infrastructure, consolidating capabilities such as custody, key management, transaction governance, and staking, helping financial institutions embed stablecoins and digital assets into their products.

According to The Block, Gemini's Olympus division has officially obtained a Derivatives Clearing Organization (DCO) license issued by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), allowing it to act as an internal clearinghouse for settlement, risk management, and collateral management without relying on third-party clearing, which is expected to reduce operational costs.Combined with the previously obtained Designated Contract Market (DCM) license, Gemini is now capable of conducting full-stack compliant operations in the fields of futures, options, perpetual contracts, and prediction markets. Currently, Gemini is further applying for a Futures Commission Merchant (FCM) license to complete its full suite of CFTC qualifications and compete directly with Kraken and Coinbase.

The blockchain infrastructure company Paxos, regulated by multiple countries, announced that its Crypto Brokerage platform officially supports BONK. With Paxos' compliance licenses in the US OCC, Finland FIN-FSA, Singapore MAS, and other regions, its partners (including traditional financial institutions) will be able to provide users with secure and compliant BONK trading and custody services.Paxos pointed out that BONK has nearly 1 million holders and over 400 integrations in the Solana ecosystem, with an active community base. This move marks BONK's transition from a community-based meme coin to mainstream financial channels. Currently, over 500 million users worldwide can purchase BONK through major retail trading platforms and exchanges, relying on the same compliant regulatory platform trusted by institutions like PayPal, Mastercard, and Venmo.

The Web3 asset data platform RootData has outlined the Web3 business partners of Zero Hash, whose partners cover key areas such as asset management institutions, payment channels, public chain infrastructure, and stablecoin systems, and are building a cooperative network centered on **compliance clearing** and **asset access**. Structurally, Zero Hash is committed to becoming a B-end crypto financial infrastructure provider, offering institutions a one-stop capability of "**fiat currency → crypto assets → multi-chain circulation → stablecoin settlement**": Upstream, it connects asset management and financial platforms such as Morgan Stanley, Franklin Templeton, and Republic; on the funding entry side, it interfaces with payment and fiat channels like Stripe, Ramp, and Transak; at the infrastructure level, it covers multi-chain infrastructures such as Ethereum, Solana, Polygon, Avalanche, and Aptos; at the same time, it connects with stablecoin systems like Circle, Tether, Paxos, as well as PYUSD and RLUSD, completing clearing and settlement support. In addition, Zero Hash, as one of the few infrastructure providers holding money transmission licenses (MTL) in multiple U.S. states and possessing complete regulatory framework adaptation capabilities, has a very clear common characteristic among its partners: funding entry (banks/payments), asset carriers (stablecoins/public chains), or distribution platforms (financial products/applications). Related collection 【[Zero Hash Web3 Partner Network Collection (Continuously Updated)](https://cn.rootdata.com/Archives/detail/zerohash%20Crypto%20Business%20Partner?k=NDc1NzIy)】 Crypto projects actively showcasing their partner networks has become a key way to enhance transparency and market trust. It is reported that RootData welcomes Web3 project parties to [claim data](https://www.rootdata.com/Projects/submit?ft=claimApply) and continues to track and open more project business relationship disclosure channels. The platform has continuously released multiple versions of the crypto project ecosystem map, nominating Web3 ecological partners for upstream clients such as Visa, Mastercard, and Coinbase. **If you wish to nominate your project in future ecosystem maps, please fill out the 【[RootData 2026 Industry Ecosystem Mapping](https://forms.gle/tWArmXcpSfZJkh1r8)】 form to supplement your important clients and partners.**

Paul Atkins, the Chairman of the SEC, delivered a speech on the first anniversary of his inauguration at the Washington Economic Club, stating that the SEC is advancing reforms to the regulatory framework for digital assets and incorporating it into the "A - C - T" strategy, which aims to modernize regulation, clarify regulatory boundaries, and reshape the rule system.Regarding crypto assets, the SEC has released a classification system for crypto tokens, dividing digital assets into five categories, four of which do not fall under securities. It indicated that the SEC is about to launch an "innovation exemption" mechanism to provide a limited framework for market participants to conduct tokenized securities trading on-chain in a compliant manner, and has initiated Project Crypto to adapt securities rules and regulatory systems to the trend of capital markets moving on-chain.Additionally, the SEC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the CFTC last month to unify key definitions, clarify regulatory jurisdictions, and coordinate joint regulatory matters, including digital assets. Paul Atkins also stated that the previous regulatory approach to crypto assets in the U.S. had led to innovation activities flowing overseas.

ChainCatcher reported live that Ru Haiyang, CEO of HashKey Exchange Group, delivered a keynote speech at the 2026 Hong Kong Web3 Carnival, focusing on three key themes: RWA, payments, and Asian connectivity. He announced that HashKey Exchange officially launched Hong Kong's first physical gold ETF that day, fully compliant with trading and custody regulations in Hong Kong. He also revealed that HashKey has received approval from the Hong Kong Monetary Authority to jointly issue Asia's first true co-branded credit card with Shanghai Commercial Bank.Regarding industry trends, he pointed out that DTCC has received a no-action letter from the U.S. SEC to intervene in the custody and settlement of tokenized assets, Kraken has become the first cryptocurrency institution to connect to the Federal Reserve's FedWire, and Mastercard has acquired the UK blockchain payment company BVNK at an $1.8 billion valuation, indicating that traditional payment institutions have recognized the irreversible trend.In terms of expansion in Asia, he announced that HashKey officially announced its investment in the Vietnamese market on April 10, planning to jointly invest in VPBank, one of Vietnam's largest commercial banks, to help it become one of the first licensed exchanges. HashKey has also signed memorandums of understanding with leading Asian institutions such as Coins.ph in the Philippines, Indodex in Indonesia, Hata in Malaysia, and Bitazza in Thailand to explore cooperation in liquidity integration, cross-border payments, stablecoins, and asset tokenization distribution.

At the "Crypto 2026: From Cryptocurrency to Smart Economy" themed forum held in Hong Kong, guests including Sign partner Sarah, HashKey Chain Senior Business Development YuYi, Monad Greater China Ecosystem Head Harvey Chen, OmenX Chief Marketing Officer Gisele, and SVP Chain Market Head Celest engaged in a roundtable discussion on "The Revaluation of Crypto and the New Cycle."Regarding why they remain firmly invested in Crypto amid the AI boom, Sarah pointed out that the hotter AI gets, the more use cases there are for Crypto assets, and future transactions between AI Agents will rely on digital assets. YuYi believes that the bear market is precisely when the wheat is separated from the chaff, with compliant RWA (such as Hong Kong's first physical silver token) being implemented, speculative assets being eliminated, and the era of on-chain infrastructure arriving. Harvey Chen stated that high-performance public chains are the foundation for supporting large-scale applications, and Monad is committed to this. Gisele noted that Crypto addresses fairness and value transfer, complementing AI's focus on efficiency. Celest emphasized that AI lacks a native value system and increasingly requires Crypto to provide value authentication and decentralized trust.On the changing understanding of Crypto's value, the guests unanimously agreed that the industry is shifting from "issuing tokens for the sake of issuing tokens" to pursuing sustainable business models, with greater focus on capital efficiency, low costs, and 24-hour settlement as practical values. The value of public chains should be assessed based on real business scenarios and user transaction volumes, rather than narratives and financing.Regarding future growth engines and entrepreneurial advice, the guests generally expressed optimism about compliant RWA, AI payments, and sovereign blockchain directions, advising entrepreneurs to focus on real application scenarios, avoid empty concepts, and maintain a long-term construction mindset.

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.

XRP Ledger announced the integration of zero-knowledge infrastructure provider Boundless to support banks and asset management institutions in executing transactions on the public chain that balance privacy protection and compliance.According to reports, this solution can hide sensitive information such as transaction size, frequency, and counterparties, while still allowing regulatory agencies to conduct audits through selective disclosure and role-based access control, thus achieving a balance between privacy and compliance. This integration will support institutional scenarios such as cross-border B2B payments, fund and capital management, over-the-counter (OTC) trading, tokenized asset issuance, and on-chain trading and lending.Industry insiders believe that the contradiction between the transparency of public chains and the demand for privacy has always been a significant barrier to institutional adoption, and this solution aims to reduce the so-called "transparency tax." Meanwhile, competition in the privacy track continues to heat up. Technologies such as zero-knowledge proofs (ZK) and fully homomorphic encryption (FHE) are accelerating implementation, pushing privacy capabilities from optional features to underlying infrastructure. Data shows that the market size of tokenized assets has reached approximately $29.25 billion, with a monthly increase of about 7.9%.

According to Caixin, the second batch of Hong Kong compliant stablecoin licenses is currently under application. Reliable sources reveal that Futu Securities and OSL Group are both contenders for the second batch of licenses.However, in November last year, the People's Bank of China and 13 other ministries reiterated their stance on cracking down on virtual currency trading in China and classified stablecoins as virtual currencies, which means that trading stablecoins will not be possible in mainland China.