World Liberty Financial a ZIG Finance uzavřely partnerství, v jehož rámci bude USD1 hlavním aktivem pro vypořádání a zajištění likvidity při financování dluhových nástrojů krytých reálnými aktivy.
@Worldlibertyfi and @ZIGFinance have announced a partnership that puts the $USD1 stablecoin at the center of real-world asset (RWA) credit markets. Under the arrangement, ZIG Markets will act as the origination, structuring, and distribution platform for debt instruments backed by real-world assets, with $USD1 serving as the primary settlement and balance-sheet liquidity asset.
The deal creates a direct pipeline for institutional players looking to use dollar stablecoins to finance off-chain activities, with capital able to flow back into on-chain vaults once deployed. It is one of the more concrete applications yet seen for $USD1 beyond simple payments or DeFi collateral.
USD1: A Stablecoin Built for Institutional Use The timing of the partnership reflects $USD1's rapid rise as an institutional-grade dollar token. USD1 is issued by World Liberty Financial, custodied by BitGo Trust Company, and backed by cash and short-duration US Treasury bills. Launched on Ethereum and BNB Chain in March 2025, it had grown to a circulating supply near $4.5 billion by Q1 2026, making it the fastest-growing fiat-backed stablecoin of the period.
Built to institutional standards, USD1 is a fully reserved, 1:1 redeemable digital asset, backed entirely by short-term US government treasuries, US dollar deposits, and other cash equivalents. That conservative reserve structure has helped it gain traction with institutions that require clarity on counterparty risk.
A $2 billion investment by Abu Dhabi-based MGX into Binance was settled using USD1 as the official stablecoin, placing the token at the center of the largest stablecoin-settled transaction in crypto history. The ZIG Finance partnership extends that institutional momentum into credit markets specifically.
Bridging On-Chain Capital and Off-Chain Credit The structure is straightforward in concept but significant in scope. ZIG Markets will source and structure debt instruments tied to real-world assets, with $USD1 acting as the funding and settlement currency throughout the lifecycle of each instrument. Once off-chain activities are financed, the capital is designed to return to on-chain vaults, completing a loop between decentralized liquidity and traditional credit markets.
This fits within a broader push by World Liberty Financial to expand $USD1's role beyond simple peer-to-peer transfers. World Liberty Financial has been exploring tokenization of various real-world assets, including commodities such as oil, gas, cotton, and timber, and plans to pair tokenized assets with its USD1 stablecoin, which it describes as a trustworthy and transparent pairing option.
The ZIG Finance deal adds structured credit to that list, opening a new category of institutional use case for a stablecoin that has grown faster than almost any competitor in its first year of operation.
Sources:
The Block: World Liberty Financial plans to tokenize real-world assets and pair with USD1 stablecoin
Canton Network: World Liberty Financial USD1 Stablecoin Deployment Announcement
Stablecoin Insider: WLFI USD1 Q1 2026 Report
Zamanat spustila tokenizovaný fond soukromého úvěru pro MSP v GCC s cílovou velikostí až 100 milionů USD. Fond je regulován jako uzavřený Exempt Fund v kategorii credit funds pod dohledem DFSA a využívá ZIGChain.
Zamanat, a worldwide Digital Shariah Assets market, has announced the launch of an exclusive private credit fund. In this respect, Zamanat has introduced the Zamanat Fund CEIC Limited to cope with the SME financing gap in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.
As Zamanat disclosed in its official announcement, the development underscores the initial live instance of the platform’s compliant fund tokenization through ZIGChain. Hence, the fund attempts to facilitate professional users and merges blockchain-based settlement and issuance with a regulated investment framework.
Zamanat Aims to Fill SME Financing Gap in GCC Via Private Credit Fund With Zamanat Fund CEIC Limited’s launch, Zamanat intends to let institutional users connect their capital to the established GCC firms looking for alternative growth financing sources. Medium- and small-sized enterprises are crucial across GCC economies; however, they continue to face difficulties while securing significant financing via traditional banking methods.
So, in this region, just 11% of all SMEs can access credit, underscoring a notable structural challenge posed to businesses focused on capital to broaden their activities. Specifically, this situation is prominent in the UAE, as SMEs contribute over half of the region’s gross domestic product.
Additionally, it also employs the majority of the workforce in the private sector. Irrespective of their economic significance, such businesses obtain even less than 10% of the total bank lending. This leaves a huge space for alternative private funding markets and financing providers. Keeping this in view, the Zamanat Fund CEIC Limited is set to invest in diverse private credit opportunities in the GCC region.
Leveraging ZIGChain Tokenization to Expand GCC-Based Private Credit Zamanat Fund CEIC Limited is directing capital toward well-established regional entities whose funding needs remain underserved by conventional lending firms. This strategy goes in line with the wider economic diversification endeavors, taking into account the Vision 2030 of Saudi Arabia and the Centennial 2071 of the UAE, emphasizing private-sector advancement and more SME participation.
The new fund combines a DIFC fund model, blockchain-powered digital issuance, institutional administration, and a local private credit plan. According to Zamanat, the investment interests of the platform will be released as ZM1 Investment Tokens through the ZIGChain in a whitelisted and regulated environment.
The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) is regulating the fund in the form of a closed-ended Exempt Fund under the category of credit funds. Zamanat’s CEO, Umair Tariq, said, “With a target size of up to USD 100 million and interests issued as Investment Tokens, it is our first live proof point for bringing GCC private credit into a regulated digital structure for Professional Clients.”
AUTHOR
Crypto journalist with years of experience providing in-depth analysis and news on blockchain and decentralized finance. With a keen eye for detail, Shahzaib delivers insightful articles that explore the latest trends, market movements, and innovations within the crypto and blockchain ecosystem. His work focuses on educating readers while offering expert commentary on the evolving landscape of digital assets, DeFi protocols, and the broader impact of blockchain technology.
Společnost Laser Digital z Nomury investuje do ZIGChainu a společně chtějí rozšířit onchain private credit v Zálivu včetně nabídek v souladu se šaríou. Partnerství má přinést i rámec řízení rizik pro institucionální onchain vault produkty.
Updated Aug 5, 2026, 2:09 p.m. Published Aug 5, 2026, 1:25 p.m.
2 min read
ZIGChain co-founder Abdul Rafay Gadit (ZIGChain)Summary
The strategic partnership aims to streamline the private credit markets across the Gulf States, which will include Sharia-compliant offerings.The partnership delivers a comprehensive risk framework design and governance across a pipeline of institutional onchain vault productsLaser Digital, the digital assets arm of the Japanese financial services firm Nomura Group, has made a strategic investment in ZIGChain, a UAE-based Layer1 blockchain that also works with cryptocurrency-friendly fund servicing giant Apex Group.
The exact size of Laser’s investment was not revealed, but it’s understood to be in the single-digit millions.
The strategic partnership, which aims to streamline private credit markets across the Gulf States, including Sharia-compliant offerings, is equally important, said ZIGChain co-founder Abdul Rafay Gadit.
After an initial meeting with Laser Digital CEO Jez Mohideen, Rafay Gadit said a shared vision emerged about the need for accessibility to financial services and the role crypto and tokenization can play – all of which was facilitated by the two firms’ Dubai connection.
“Laser is creating with us one of the largest on-chain products the Gulf countries have ever seen,” Rafay Gadit said in an interview. “It helps that we are based in Dubai and Laser is also in Dubai, and our offices are literally one kilometer apart.”
Crypto is in a tough spot right now, and the effects of a down market are being felt across the industry. In February of this year, Nomura tightened risk limits at Laser Digital after crypto losses dragged down quarterly profit. This was read by the market as a retreat, but Nomura indicated it would be staying in crypto, just with a more conservative approach.
To this end, Laser Digital’s investment and partnership with ZigChain delivers a comprehensive risk framework and governance across a pipeline of institutional onchain vault products, according to a statement.
Rafay Gadit said the private credit market in the Middle East faces a two-sided problem.
“Firstly, those who need money cannot raise it from the normal banks, and those who have money don't know those opportunities exist,” he said. “And even if they know, it’s only approachable through very large funds that have extremely high fees and barriers to entry. We are democratizing that.”
Dr. Jez Mohideen, Co-founder and CEO, Laser Digital, said his firm has been watching the private credit category, and while the opportunity in onchain finance is real, execution risk has been consistently underestimated.
“ZIG Markets brings regional depth and an origination track record, and as an investor and partner, our role is to apply the same higher standards of institutional risk frameworks we use across our broader offerings,” Mohideen said. “The shared vision remains to make the next generation of asset management products accessible to those moving serious institutional capital.”
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The Evolution of the Crypto CEX Landscape: A Case Study on Binance
The Evolution of the Crypto CEX Landscape: A Case Study on Binance
Binance remains crypto’s leading exchange, expanding from spot and derivatives into RWAs, payments, savings, yield, and broader financial services.
Jun 29, 2026
Binance remains crypto’s leading exchange, expanding from spot and derivatives into RWAs, payments, savings, yield, and broader financial services.
Why it matters:
Binance remains crypto’s leading exchange, expanding from spot and derivatives into RWAs, payments, savings, yield, and broader financial services.
Zignaly, the premiere platform for connecting users with top digital asset managers, has announced that its founders have made the strategic decision to extend the lock-up on their $ZIG tokens until January 2026, a year later than originally planned.
This decision underscores their unwavering commitment to ZIGChain, the Layer-1 blockchain designed to democratize wealth generation, making investment opportunities accessible to everyone.
“By extending the lock-up on our $ZIG tokens, we emphasize our commitment to the community and the mission of ZIGChain,”
said Bartolome R. Bordallo, Co-Founder and CEO of Zignaly.
“This decision is about fostering equal investment opportunities and ensuring long-term sustainability for all stakeholders. Together, we are building a more inclusive financial future that benefits everyone.”
ZIGChain, Zignaly’s Layer 1 blockchain, represents the next evolution in democratizing wealth-generation opportunities. By offering an infrastructure for developers to build decentralized wealth-generation protocols and fund managers to deploy advanced strategies, ZIGChain is disrupting the way institutions and retail investors can invest. The Blockchain’s $100M Ecosystem Fund, supported by DWFLabs and UDHC Finance, aims to drive further innovation within the WEB3 space.
The choice to maintain the lock-up also aligns with the company’s focus on creating equal financial opportunities for all participants within the ZIGChain ecosystem, ensuring that the project’s core values remain intact. It also significantly changes the company’s tokenomics, leading to lower supply in the market as founder tokens remain locked.
This extension excludes the founders’ donation of 100 million $ZIG tokens to the ZIGChain Foundation. Starting January 2025, these tokens will continue to vest over a 30-month period, following a linear release schedule. The vesting plan aims to empower the ZIGChain ecosy
Oliver Dale
Editor-in-Chief of Blockonomi and founder of Kooc Media, A UK-Based Online Media Company. Believer in Open-Source Software, Blockchain Technology & a Free and Fair Internet for all. His writing has been quoted by Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Investopedia, The New Yorker, Forbes, Techcrunch & More. Contact [email protected]
ZIGChain, the layer-1 blockchain developed by social investment platform Zignaly, has announced that its testnet is now live.
The testnet will allow developers to explore, build and test decentralized finance and real-world asset tokenization solutions aimed at democratizing wealth generation and access, the L1 noted.
The price of ZIGChain (ZIG) token rose following the announcement. Data from crypto.news showed that ZIG’s price was up more than 11% at the time of writing, hovering near $0.11. The token previously reached highs of $0.17 in December 2024, a rally fueled by the platform’s massive buyback and burn program.
Recently, ZIGChain revealed its 44th burn event had permanently removed 43,771,804 ZIG tokens from circulation.
According to Zignaly, ZIGChain, built with the Cosmos SDK, enables developers to leverage features such as Token Factory and a decentralized exchange
The former offers support for asset creation while the DEX feature allows for liquidity operations, with these optimized for scalability. The testnet also supports interoperability via compatibility with the Inter-Blockchain Communication protocol.
ZIGChain will implement a phased approach for the testnet, introducing new features and capabilities over time. This approach aims to provide developers with expanded functionality and integrations as they experiment with DeFi and RWA solutions.
The testnet goes live days after blockchain security platform SCV Secuity announced they had completed an audit of ZIGChain’s pre-testnet blockchain. SCV said the successful audit meant the Cosmos-SDK build L1’s public testnet wasn’t far off.
ZIGChain celebrated a major milestone today, flipping the switch on its mainnet beta and officially entering what the team calls “Genesis Day.” After weeks of rigorous testing—and plenty of late nights for developers—the blockchain is now live, ready to power everything from decentralized exchanges to real-world asset tokenization. If you’ve ever tried to navigate traditional finance or shoehorn it into a blockchain context, you know how messy it can get.
Abdul Rafay Gadit, ZIGChain’s co-founder, said, “Accessing reliable and transparent investment infrastructure has historically been difficult, not just for retail users, but even for experienced managers. With ZIGChain, we’re taking a meaningful step toward changing that by focusing deeply on real-world assets as the foundation for long-term, scalable wealth generation. We aim to equip developers with the tools they need to start building programmable protocols designed to align with applicable law that bridge traditional assets with blockchain technology.”
From Vision to Reality Behind the scenes, there’s serious firepower: a $100 million ecosystem fund fueled by DWF Labs, UDHC Finance, and Disrupt.com, plus the pedigree of Zignaly—the social investment platform that already connects over 600,000 users with more than 150 fund managers. Those users, Gadit points out, helped shape ZIGChain’s core features, like native staking, cross-chain bridges, and an institutional-grade validator network.
Co-founder and CEO Bart Bordallo sums it up: “This mainnet beta launch represents a shift from vision to foundation. We’ve built a high-performance, interoperable architecture that can handle the complex requirements of DeFi, RWA tokenization, and automated investment protocols at scale. The infrastructure includes our validator network, cross-chain bridge capabilities, and native staking mechanisms – all designed for institutional-grade security and compliance. We’re excited to see developers leverage these technical foundations to build the next generation of financial applications.”
Over the next few weeks, you’ll see ZIGChain roll out its Hub for staking and validation, connect its bridges for seamless $ZIG migration, and fire up its full validator roster. Even before the dust has settled, a handful of eye-catching projects are gearing up to go live:
Oroswap, a DEX you can literally chat with—thanks to its AI-driven conversational interface.
Valdora Finance, offering liquid staking natively on ZIGChain, so you can earn rewards without locking your tokens away forever.
Permapod, a lending protocol that accepts tokenized real-world assets as collateral—think art, property, or even specialty equipment.
Nawa Finance, designed from the ground up to meet Shariah-compliance standards for users seeking ethical DeFi. These projects aren’t just shiny demos; they’re the first wave of builders betting their reputations on ZIGChain’s promise: a legal-ready, high-performance Layer 1 that plays nicely with existing regulations and institutional demands.
Back in April, at the ZIGChain Summit in Dubai, the team also unveiled Zamanat—the world’s first Shariah-compliant real-world asset tokenization platform—and launched a $25 million DeFAI Innovation Fund. That event highlighted the chain’s dual focus on ethical finance and on-chain programmability, setting the tone for an ecosystem that welcomes everyone, regardless of income, tech skills, or location.
Today’s launch isn’t the finish line, but it’s a big first lap. As more applications go live and the network fills with real assets, ZIGChain hopes to prove that decentralized wealth generation can be both powerful and inclusive. If you’re curious to see what comes next, keep an eye on their GitHub—and maybe clear your calendar for a few late-night coding sessions.
AUTHOR
Mushumir Butt is a seasoned crypto journalist with over three years of experience reporting on the world of blockchain and cryptocurrency. At Blockchain Reporter, he delivers insightful news, in‐depth project reviews, and precise price analysis and predictions. With a strong background in SEO and digital marketing, Mushumir excels at breaking down complex trends into clear, accessible content, ensuring readers stay ahead in the fast‐paced crypto space.
Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.
ZIGChain announces an integration with Ondo Finance to bring Ondo’s tokenized stocks and ETFs to users across ZIGChain’s ecosystem
ZIGChain, the blockchain built to bring investment products onchain for institutions and everyday users, today announced an integration with Ondo Finance, which pioneered the tokenization of institutional-grade real-world assets, to bring Ondo tokenized stocks & ETFs to ZIGChain, extending their shared vision of accessible onchain exposure to publicly traded US securities to a new generation of users through ZIGChain.
Ondo Finance has done something genuinely difficult: taking securities and making them available as programmable, onchain products. That breakthrough matters most when it reaches the widest possible audience. ZIGChain provides infrastructure through which that reach expands by bringing Ondo-tokenized products to users across the GCC and beyond on the ZIGChain ecosystem.
For ZIGChain, this integration is a direct expression of its founding mission. Not to build new financial products for those who already have access, but to take the best existing ones — the instruments that generate real, reliable yield — and make them available onchain, to anyone.
“The next phase of onchain finance is not about replicating access that institutions already have. It is about taking those instruments and making them genuinely accessible to a broader universe of participants, through transparent, scalable onchain infrastructure, without the minimums and intermediaries that have always stood in the way,” said Abdul Rafay Gadit, Co-Founder, ZIGChain. “Ondo has done the hard work of bringing these products onchain. ZIGChain is the infrastructure through which that reaches a new generation of users. For us, this is deeply aligned with our mission: to make high-quality financial opportunities more open, more programmable, and more globally accessible.”
“Bringing tokenized US stocks and ETFs to new ecosystems and user bases is core to what the Ondo Global Markets platform enables. ZIGChain’s infrastructure gives investors across the GCC onchain exposure to the world’s most in-demand securities, with the execution quality and transparency that institutional markets demand. This is exactly the kind of distribution that expands the reach of tokenized finance where it matters most” said Oya Celiktemur, EMEA Director, Ondo Finance.
Access to Ondo-tokenized products through ZIGChain will roll out in phases beginning at the end of May, with initial availability across selected ecosystem applications and partners, expanding over time.
The integration does not constitute a token launch or guarantee of yield or returns. Underlying assets are issued by Ondo Global Markets (BVI) Limited. ZIGChain does not custody underlying real-world assets. All investments carry risk.
Disclosure: This content is provided by a third party. Neither crypto.news nor the author of this article endorses any product mentioned on this page. Users should conduct their own research before taking any action related to the company.
