Track market-moving stories before they get noisy

On June 3, 2025, Strategy (formerly known as MicroStrategy) introduced a new perpetual called Stride (STRD). The stock will allow investors to get a 10% yield from Bitcoin without buying it directly, while Strategy will get cash to buy more Bitcoin. The new stock received a mixed reception from the crypto community.

What is Stride? Following the release of Strife and Strike, Strategy introduced a new preferred stock offering, Series A Preferred Stock Stride (STRD). Stride is a 10% noncallable non-cumulative perpetual. Its fixed dividend of 10% is above Strike’s 8% dividend, but has a lower seniority if compared to Strife, which has a 10% dividend too. 

Stride is a significant addition to Strategy’s so-called three-piston Bitcoin engine, conceived of common stock MSTR and two other preferred stocks, Strike (STRK) and Strife (STRF). This engine was supposed to ensure maximizing Strategy’s profits by playing with Bitcoin’s scarcity and volatility. Seemingly, Strategy found a way to improve this engine by supplementing it with a fourth element.

Stride is fee-free and has a higher yield than most ETFs. This makes it attractive for long-term investors. Stride may be repurchased if the fundamental change takes place or for taxes-related purposes. STRD dividends are discretionary and are paid when the Strategy board makes a declaration.

What are the concerns? The new stock offering was perceived as proof of Strategy’s troubled state by some on the Crypto Twitter. Critics believe that the company is running out of cash and trying to find a way to make quick money.

More than that, CEO and co-founder of CoinBureau, Nic Puckrin, took to X to ask questions regarding the Stride offering. He is interested in the origin of the funds needed to pay dividends, assumes that the new perpetual may dilute common stock if the latter is used to fund STRD, and asks if there is a risk that Strategy will have to sell Bitcoin if the equity is not sold. On top of that, while not saying “Ponzi Scheme,” Puckrin questioned whether it is a good idea to pay current investors with funds taken from future investors. A Bitcoin enthusiast, Shanaka Anslem Perera, responding to these questions via an X post, claimed the offering has clear Ponzi vibes.

The $4.22 billion net loss admitted by Strategy in the first quarter of 2025 only fuels skepticism. If Strategy dumps MSTR stock to fund dividends for STRD investors, it creates tension within the Bitcoin engine and potentially hurts MSTR stock investors. 

Why do some say Stride is a genius move? At a current Bitcoin price of over $100,000, Strategy’s $8+ billion debt is not considered a problem. According to Goldman Sachs, investors will stop investing in Strategy only if, by 2027, the BTC price declines by half. That’s why there are many optimistic comments from people who don’t see Stride stock offering as a sign of the inability of Strategy to gain cash for purchasing more Bitcoin or pay off its debt. 

Adam Livingston, MSTR investor and author of The Bitcoin Age and The Great Harvest, posted a series of tweets explaining the genius behind the new stock. However, it’s notable how he emphasizes how good the move is for Michael Saylor, co-founder and chairman of Strategy. Livingston puts it that way:

“Saylor gets cheap capital, no dilution, optional payments, and can nuke it whenever he wants.”

Livingston claims that yield serves as a disguise for Bitcoin accumulation. He points out that Strategy will not be obliged to pay dividends if things are getting out of hand and argues that STRD doesn’t dilute the float.

According to him, the new stock is not for bitcoiners, but rather for people who feel reluctant to own Bitcoin but want to yield on BTC. Institutional allocators and pension funds may find STRD interesting, too.

https://twitter.com/AdamBLiv/status/1929647801597644863?t=wILEwuw11s7cm77vRFwq5g&s=35

Livingston outlines that STRD offering is a 10% yield for the more TradFi people, while the Bitcoin veterans will rather see it as cheap capital to reduce the market supply. Earlier, Livingstone claimed that Strategy is rewriting Bitcoin’s scarcity, creating a synthetic halving. Although these financial equilibristics raise questions about Bitcoin’s decentralization and the original anti-Wallet Street ethos, it seems that from Michael Saylor’s standpoint, Strategy just cemented its status even better.

Strategy announced on Monday that it entered a $4.2 billion at-the-market (ATM) offering for its Series A Perpetual Stride Preferred Stock (STRD) after breaking its three-month Bitcoin (BTC) accumulation streak last week. This comes at a time when spot BTC demand has dropped despite increasing treasury allocations and continued BTC exchange-traded funds (ETF) inflows.

Strategy paused its nearly three-month Bitcoin buying streak, which began on April 14, as the firm did not announce any new acquisition last week, according to a Monday filing with the SEC. During this period, Strategy purchased over 69,000 BTC for nearly $7 billion, boosting its holdings to 597,325 BTC, valued at over $65 billion. This accounts for more than 2.8% of Bitcoin's total supply of 21 million BTC.

The firm also revealed it entered a sales agreement to issue up to $4.2 billion of its STRD stock, which it intends to use to resume its Bitcoin purchases.

Strategy's newly disclosed acquisition plan comes as Bitcoin ETFs continued their inflow run last week, netting $790 million, according to a report from CoinShares on Monday. However, the figure declined from the prior three weeks' average of $1.5 billion, potentially signaling a slowdown in demand as BTC edged closer to its all-time high price, the report states.

Despite steady Bitcoin ETF inflows and strong buying from treasury companies, spot demand for Bitcoin has slowed in recent weeks. The decline can be traced to a slowdown in market sentiment, keeping BTC caught between bullish speculation and short-term uncertainty, according to Shawn Young, Chief Analyst at crypto exchange MEXC.

"This market dynamics is weighing heavily on market sentiment," Young said in a note, highlighting macroeconomic instability as a major cause for the volatility. He predicts that the upcoming Crypto Week could serve as a catalyst for renewed demand in Bitcoin and potentially trigger a push toward new highs. "Market participants would seek a favorable market vantage position in anticipation of the new policy direction for digital assets," he added.

QCP analysts highlighted that strategic weekend accumulation by firms such as Metaplanet has helped sustain Bitcoin's price despite fears triggered by the sudden activity of eight previously dormant wallets that transferred roughly $8.5 billion worth of BTC on Saturday. However, they anticipate a bullish Q3 based on dynamics from the BTC options market.

"Volumes remain pinned near historical lows, but a decisive breach of the $110k resistance could spark a renewed volatility bid. Some larger players appear to be positioning for just that," wrote QCP analysts. "They are continuing to add exposure to September $130k calls, while steadfastly holding September $115/$140k call spreads, underscoring a structurally bullish Q3 outlook."

Bitcoin is changing hands just above $108,000, down nearly 1% over the past 24 hours at the time of publication.

The Solana Foundation has unveiled a series of new initiatives aimed at strengthening the security of decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms running on its network. These efforts come in the wake of a recent major cyberattack on the Drift Protocol, attributed to a North Korea-linked group, which resulted in the theft of $270 million. The incidents have highlighted the urgent need for more robust safeguards across the ecosystem.

Comprehensive audits with Stride and SIRNAt the heart of the Foundation’s efforts is the newly launched Stride program, which is managed by Asymmetric Research. Stride will subject DeFi protocols on Solana to assessments across eight core security domains, with the findings to be made publicly available. Alongside Stride, the Foundation has established the Solana Incident Response Network (SIRN)—a members-only group composed of security specialists designed for real-time crisis intervention. Together, these initiatives seek to increase transparency and provide rapid response capabilities across the Solana DeFi landscape.

The necessity for such measures became evident following the Drift attack, which exposed several security shortfalls. However, investigations have clarified that the breach did not directly compromise smart contracts or audited code. Instead, the attackers focused on human vulnerabilities, infiltrating the system through malicious software and social engineering tactics targeting project team members over a six-month period.

For protocols with more than $10 million in total value locked (TVL) that successfully meet the Stride assessment criteria, ongoing operational cybersecurity monitoring will be provided. The level of monitoring and support will be tailored based on the individual risk profiles of each protocol, reflecting both their asset size and security needs.

Formal verification and operational supportIn the case of protocols managing over $100 million in TVL, the Foundation will lend support for formal verification processes. This advanced method systematically checks all potential smart contract operations using mathematical models, with the aim of ensuring code correctness and reliability before deployment. Such rigorous verification provides added confidence in the underlying smart contracts that form the backbone of leading DeFi protocols.

The founding members of the Stride program include not only Asymmetric Research, but also security firms OtterSec, Neodyme, Squads, and ZeroShadow. The SIRN network, meanwhile, is open to participation from any project within the Solana ecosystem. Nevertheless, in terms of resource allocation, priority will be given to protocols with higher value locked to help mitigate the risk to the most critical infrastructure.

Despite the advanced nature of formal verification, experts caution that it would not have detected the recent attack attributed to North Korean hackers. The breach allowed attackers to access administrative privileges via compromised devices belonging to team members, enabling them to authorize malicious transactions. This type of infiltration typically falls outside the scope of traditional monitoring mechanisms.

On another front, SIRN is expected to significantly improve response times to future incidents. Blockchain security researcher ZachXBT emphasized that Circle Internet, the issuer of the USDC stablecoin, faced criticism for waiting over six hours before freezing more than $230 million in stolen assets following the Drift incident, suggesting the need for swifter action during emergencies.

The Solana Foundation highlighted that these new programs are not meant to shift primary security responsibilities away from protocol teams, who remain accountable for their own safeguards. To bolster these efforts, a suite of free security tools has been developed for Solana developers, assisting them in threat detection and conducting attack simulations to stay proactive in a rapidly evolving threat landscape.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.

Some of the most popular companies in the cryptoeconomy have banded together to create an organization that will assess and rate top cryptocurrency projects on the likelihood of these projects being securities per U.S. federal securities laws.

That organization, the Crypto Rating Council (CRC), counts exchange operators like Bittrex, Coinbase, Kraken, and Poloniex-backers Circle among its first members, as well as the firms of Anchorage, DRW Cumberland, Genesis, and Grayscale Investments.

So why the need for such a body?

The so-called Howey Test, which is a test devised by the U.S. Supreme Court to determine if a given asset is a security, commonly leads to “judgment calls, inconsistent results, and … disagreement among legal experts,” the CRC said on the Frequently Asked Questions section of its new website.

Accordingly, the organization’s rating system — which runs from 1 to 5, with 5 indicating an asset bears the hallmarks of a security and 1 meaning the opposite — is being hailed by members as a “compliance tool” that will help bring consistency to their respective asset review processes.

Founded by prominent companies across the crypto industry, our mission is to lead crypto financial services firms committed to practical compliance with the U.S. securities laws. We are the Crypto Rating Council, and we launched today: https://t.co/FbdwfSZN9D

— Crypto Rating Council (@CRC_Crypto) September 30, 2019

“The CRC will publish a simple rating for most assets it reviews to indicate the results of its analysis as a reference for operators, developers, and the public,” the organization said.

With that said, the ratings are utterly non-binding and have been made without involvement from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). So, while clarity is the professed goal, the only thing the CRC has ultimately made more clear is what its members think about the legal status of top cryptocurrencies in America.

“The score does not reflect a legal conclusion and is no indication of qualitative value of an asset or suitability for investment or any other purpose,” the CRC said of its ratings.

How the First Scores Look Don’t expect any surprises when it comes to bitcoin (BTC). The oldest cryptocurrency, which has long been held up by various stakeholders as a standard for decentralized projects, received a 1 rating from the CRC.

Other projects the body deemed to have “few or no characteristics consistent with treatment as a security” included DeFi’s darling Dai stablecoin, the popular Monero (XMR) privacy cryptocurrency, and Litecoin (LTC).

The 2 rating was given to the next rung of projects that the CRC deemed to seem mostly decentralized according to its framework. These projects included Ethereum (ETH), Zcash (ZEC), Numeraire (NMR), ChainLink (LINK), and the fledgling proof-of-stake project Algorand (ALGO).

Getting on up there according to the group were projects like Augur (3.75), EOS (3.75), Stellar (3.75), Tezos (3.75), and XRP (4). The highest inaugural scores were given to Polymath (4.5) and Maker (4.5).

Notably, the SEC announced just hours after these ratings were released that Block.one, the team behind the EOS launch, had settled charges and would pay a $24 million civil penalty for its year-long ICO being an unregistered security offering.

The Commission said the securities status only applied to the “IOU” ERC20 token that was issued during the sale rather than the current EOS cryptocurrency, which lives on EOS now rather than Ethereum.

Are Exchanges Listing Securities? One question that immediately started buzzing through the ecosystem on the heels of the announcement of the CRC was why would exchanges like Coinbase take chances on assets like XRP that appear to bear considerable resemblances to a security in the U.S.?

One possibility is that the group’s members consider “security status is binary,” according to Jake Chervinsky, the General Counsel of DeFi lending project Compound Finance. In other words, anything less than a 5 rating would be fair game accordingly.

My best guess: they'd say security status is binary and as a matter of law it doesn't make a difference how close a token comes to being a security if it's ultimately not one.

On that logic, though, query the value of publishing the five-point score in the first place.

— Jake Chervinsky (@jchervinsky) September 30, 2019

But even if the already rated cryptocurrencies later end up being cleared as “not securities” per the SEC, the CRC rating system can lead to future conflicts of interest, e.g. member exchanges being charitable in their ratings because they stand to gain from trade volume.

In my opinion, this rating system creates a massive conflict of interest. All of the companies that joined this consortium are massively incentivized to rate the vast majority of tokens as non-securities. Coinbase listed some very questionable tokens including XRP, Tezos, EOS

— Larry Cermak (@lawmaster) September 30, 2019

But there’s a silver lining here, according to Blockchain chief executive officer and president Marco Santori. In a Twitter thread on the CRC announcement, Santori said the effort was suspect in some ways but was also a positive attempt at self-regulation in an industry that needs more regulatory clarity in general.

8/ So why on earth would they publish this? Why on earth should we applaud their effort?

Well, actually we should.

As an industry, this stuff is basically the best we've got.

THAT'S RIGHT ITS A TWIST

wait hear me out.

— Marco Santori (@msantoriESQ) September 30, 2019

William M. Peaster

William M. Peaster is a professional writer and editor who specializes in the Ethereum, Dai, and Bitcoin beats in the cryptoeconomy. He's appeared in Blockonomi, Binance Academy, Bitsonline, and more. He enjoys tracking smart contracts, DAOs, dApps, and the Lightning Network. He's learning Solidity, too! Contact him on Telegram at @wmpeaster

In brief AI tokens climbed nearly 6% in 24 hours, lifting their market value to $29.4 billion. Numerai crowdsources trading signals, rewarding data scientists with NMR tokens. JPMorgan’s potential stake underscores a growing interest in AI-crypto funds. The token for Numerai, a crypto hedge fund that uses artificial intelligence, led a surge in AI-focused digital assets on Wednesday after JP Morgan Asset Management said it was committing $500 million to the project.

NMR was up more than 100% over the past 24 hours to trade near $23, according to crypto markets data provider CoinGecko.

The AI-token sector rose 5.8% in 24 hours, reaching a total market cap of $29.4 billion, according to CoinGecko. The rally came even after Nvidia, whose hardware underpins much of the artificial intelligence boom, reported weaker-than-expected second-quarter earnings.

Among the 24-hour gainers, Near Protocol (NEAR) climbed 1.5%, the token of the Artificial Superintelligence Alliance (FET) added 1.3%, and Internet Computer (ICP) rose 1%.

Founded in 2015, Numerai crowdsources market forecasts from data scientists, rewarding top models with its NMR token. It began with an encrypted online tournament where participants competed to predict stock prices.

In hedge fund terms, “capacity” means an investor has locked in the option to allocate a set amount of money to a fund, ensuring access even if the fund later limits new investments. It signals a reserved allocation, not an immediate transfer of funds. Numerai has attracted high-profile early backers over the years, including Paul Tudor Jones, Naval Ravikant, and Renaissance Technologies co-founder Howard Morgan.

The Numerai deal marks another pivot for JPMorgan, whose CEO Jamie Dimon has long been a vocal crypto skeptic. Dimon once called Bitcoin a “fraud” and likened digital assets to “decentralized Ponzi schemes.”

But Dimon has softened his stance. At a May investor day, Dimon said that while he still doesn’t support Bitcoin personally, JP Morgan would allow clients to buy it. In June, the bank said it was exploring crypto‑backed lending and offering loans backed by clients’ digital‑asset holdings.

JP Morgan Asset Management did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Decrypt.

Daily Debrief NewsletterStart every day with the top news stories right now, plus original features, a podcast, videos and more.

Chainlink, the leading provider of onchain data and interoperability solutions, welcomed three new projects—Zeus Network, Liquity, and SHIFT RWA—to its ecosystem. These integrations highlight the rising demand for secure, decentralized infrastructure as cross-chain and tokenized asset markets grow.

Zeus Network Brings Bitcoin to Solana Zeus Network, a Bitcoin layer built on Solana, has integrated Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) and Proof of Reserve to expand the reach of zBTC, its permissionless Bitcoin-backed asset. This move aims to connect Bitcoin with multiple chains, including Ethereum, Base, and Sonic, while using Chainlink’s infrastructure to ensure zBTC remains fully collateralized.

Through its dApp, APOLLO, Zeus allows users to lock native BTC and mint zBTC on Solana. Unlike centralized wrapped BTC options, zBTC is entirely decentralized. Its reserves are transparently verifiable through ZeusScan, backed by Chainlink's Proof of Reserve—a key step toward full transparency and security in cross-chain asset flows.

By leveraging CCIP, Zeus is looking to make zBTC more mobile across chains. Their long-term ambition is bold: onboard 1% of all Bitcoin onto the Solana ecosystem. The use of Chainlink's infrastructure helps ensure zBTC can move between blockchains while remaining fully backed and independently verifiable.

“Zeus Network’s integration of Chainlink CCIP and Proof of Reserve demonstrates a strong commitment to secure, decentralized cross-chain BTCFi,” said Luke Lim, Head of CCIP Go-To-Market at Chainlink Labs.

Image: Zeus NetworkLiquity V2 Turns to Chainlink CCIP Liquity V2, the Ethereum-native borrowing protocol, has also adopted Chainlink’s CCIP—but with a different mission. It’s rolling out BOLD, a new ETH-backed stablecoin that can operate natively across chains. This is made possible by Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Token (CCT) standard, which allows any token to become interoperable across EVM-compatible networks.

By integrating CCT, BOLD can now bridge across Arbitrum, Base, Ethereum, and Optimism, streamlining access to liquidity and simplifying cross-chain operations. Users no longer need to rely on wrapped assets or third-party bridges. This also enables Liquity to unify the many forks of its protocol scattered across different blockchains.

Security remains central to the Liquity-Chainlink collaboration. Per reports, Liquity selected CCIP after evaluating various solutions due to its strong security track record. 

CCIP uses the Chainlink Decentralized Oracle Network (DON), which has secured over $75 billion in DeFi total value locked (TVL) and powered $18 trillion in onchain value transfers since 2022.

It also features the Risk Management Network—a separate verification layer that monitors CCIP activity in real time. This defense-in-depth architecture makes CCIP one of the most secure interoperability protocols on the market, a vital consideration after numerous cross-chain bridge exploits in recent years.

By using CCIP, Liquity V2 ensures BOLD can travel across chains securely, with programmable token transfers that allow smart contracts to take immediate action on the destination chain. 

Image: LiquitySHIFT RWA Joins Chainlink BUILD SHIFT RWA, a project focused on bringing real-world assets onchain, has joined Chainlink’s BUILD Program. This will give SHIFT enhanced access to Chainlink’s oracle services, technical support, and ecosystem-wide collaboration—all in exchange for a share of its native token supply distributed to Chainlink service providers and stakers.

SHIFT is building Asset-Referenced Tokens (ARTokens)—MiCAR-compliant digital assets backed by stocks, bonds, and ETFs. These tokens aim to offer 24/7, cost-effective, and transparent access to real-world assets via DeFi platforms. TradFi institutions can use ARTokens to tap into DeFi liquidity without leaving regulatory frameworks behind.

To increase user trust, SHIFT will integrate Chainlink’s Proof of Reserve for its tokenized assets. This ensures that each ARToken is fully backed by corresponding offchain assets and that this backing can be verified onchain at all times. The result is higher transparency and more confidence for both institutions and individual users.

SHIFT’s broader mission is to enable compliant and secure crossovers between Wall Street and decentralized finance. 

Image: Shift RWAWhy This Matters for the Future of Web3Chainlink's newest integrations reflect a growing trend: projects are no longer willing to compromise on security or decentralization in the name of convenience. Whether it’s cross-chain Bitcoin (Zeus), stablecoins that work natively across multiple chains (Liquity), or real-world asset tokenization (SHIFT), the need for reliable infrastructure is clear.

Each of these projects uses Chainlink differently:

Zeus brings secure, verifiable Bitcoin to Solana.Liquity turns its stablecoin into a native cross-chain asset.SHIFT ensures real-world assets are always transparently backed.As more ecosystems embrace Chainlink standards, crypto’s fragmented infrastructure begins to unify. That benefits users, builders, and institutions alike—reducing risk, boosting efficiency, and enabling new financial applications across chains and asset types. 

Table of contents

Rocket Pool’s DAO has approved a proposal to launch part of its payments on Liquity Protocol V2’s BOLD, a decentralized overcollateralized stablecoin backed by rETH.

The launch of this new investment service enables Rocket Pool’s DAO members to access loans using Ethereum as collateral.

This service allows the members to access capital without the need to sell their Ethereum holdings, providing friendly loan conditions and entire control via Liquity Protocol V2’s collateralized debt platform.

Why Is This Decentralized Loan Offering Unique? This program by Rocket Pool is crucial as it offers new investment opportunities for its DAO members who hold Ethereum, enabling them to utilize their virtual tokens for liquidity without having to sell their holdings. This initiative is designed to provide an advanced and seamless approach to the DAO members to manage their investments, offering an option to traditional lending techniques that normally come with strict loan requirements and time-consuming approval procedures.

By providing Ethereum-backed loans, Rocket Pool is not just broadening its offerings but also establishing itself as a visionary decentralized staking protocol that understands the growing demand of the modern market. The integration highlights the rising adoption of crypto assets, offering users multiple alternatives to manage their money in the modern era.

Unlocking Credit for DAO Members This action by Rocket Pool is a strategic move to integrate Ethereum more deeply into the DeFi ecosystem. By enabling its DAO members to leverage their Ethereum holdings as collateral for loans, Rocket Pool is offering a solution that resolves the liquidity demand for Ethereum holders without forcing them to sell their tokens. 

This method not only helps members maintain their ETH investments but also offers them flexibility to engage in other financial expansion opportunities. This initiative’s flexible conditions make it appealing for users who are burdened by traditional loans because of borrowing restrictions. Lastly, the entire control provided through Liquity Protocol V2 ensures that customers can manage their loans effectively and seamlessly. 

AUTHOR

Nicholas Otieno is a fintech writer specializing in cryptocurrency markets. Since 2019, he has written articles to educate readers about cryptocurrency and its substantial positive impact on global prosperity. Nicholas is a Bitcoin holder, believing firmly in its fundamentals. His work has been featured in publications such as Finance Magnates, Blockchain.News, Bitcoin Magazine, Coincub, and among others. When he's not writing, Nicholas enjoys performing domestic tasks, spending time with friends, listening to music, and watching football.

Enosys Airdrop for Liquity V2 Users

Enosys APS Rewards for Liquity V2 Mainnet Users: What You Need to KnowEnosys, the Liquity V2 friendly fork on Flare Network, is allocating 2.75% of their governance and revenue token, APS supply to Liquity V2 Mainnet users. This results in 412.5 APS in total, roughly ~$850,000 of rewards at current prices.

Users will be able to claim starting Jan 21, 2026.

Apsis (APS) is the Enosys ecosystem’s primary governance and rewards token across their CDP and DEX, and is valued at $32m FDV.

Rewards are split into two equal buckets - retro and ongoing, and are based on the Liquity Leaderboard: https://dune.com/liquity/v2-leaderboard

The goal is to reward existing Mainnet depositors, while also incentivizing continued participation across eligible Liquity Mainnet venues. This is not a one-time airdrop. It is a 40-week program with weekly emissions running through the end of Oct 2026.

Based on the current ~$35m eligible TVL, this airdrop alone adds roughly ~3% APR equivalent on top of existing yields.
‍
A reminder - at least 10 more friendly fork airdrops are expected over 2026

Retro bucket (1.375%, ~$425,000)The retro bucket rewards users already on the current Liquity V2 leaderboard (up to 21 Jan 26).

One-time retro claim: 52.5 APS (~$105k) using the current leaderboard snapshot
Leaderboard: https://dune.com/liquity/v2-leaderboardThe remaining portion of the 1.375% retro is then dripped weekly from 1/28 to the same retro cohort (up to Jan 21, 2026). Ongoing bucket (1.375%, ~$425,000)The ongoing bucket rewards fresh activity going forward. This will be based on a Enosys leaderboard that takes into account Mainnet Liquity activity from Jan 21.

Distribution starts 1/28Distributed weekly for the next 40 weeks using an “ongoing” Dune leaderboard based on fresh activity across eligible Liquity Mainnet venues (Stability Pools, liquidity pools, and other tracked venues).Same leaderboard will be used: https://dune.com/liquity/v2-leaderboardWeekly drip (40 weeks total)Each week, 9 APS is emitted in total:

3.85 APS/week to retroactive users (Liquity V2 leaderboard)5.15 APS/week to the users who are actively providing liquidity starting Jan 21, 2026.Total = 9 APS/week (~$18k/week, ~0.06%) each week for 40 weeks.How to claimRewards are claimable only on the Enosys frontend on Flare Network:
https://loans.enosys.global/incentives

BridgingIf you need to bridge to Flare, you can use Stargate at: https://stargate.finance/

What can you do with APS?‍APS can be utilized in governance staking (https://gov.enosys.global/) to earn a share of all protocol fees aggregated and distributed by the APY Cloud.
APS can also be utilized as liquidity in multiple of their DEX V3 LPs (https://v3.dex.enosys.global/liquidity) to continue earning competitive incentives and fees.

What can you do at Enosys?You can use Enosys to borrow against FXRP or WFLR,  mint the Enosys CDP stablecoin, and provide liquidity for it on their Enosys v3 DEX to earn extra rewards.
A reminder - at least 10 more friendly fork airdrops are expected over 2026. Keep providing liquidity across eligible Liquity Mainnet venues to stay on the leaderboards and keep earning weekly rewards.

‍
If you have specific questions on the airdrop, please refer to Enosys's Discord for more information.

Source: Binance EN

This is a general Binance Exchange Notice. Products and services referred to here may not be available in your region. Fellow Binancians, Binance Margin and Loan will delist and cease trading on all margin trading pairs for the following token(s) at 2026-06-12 03:00 (UTC): XNO (Nano)IQ (IQ)QUICK (QuickSwap)DGB (DigiByte) Please note: The delisting schedule may or may not apply to the products listed below, depending on their association with the token(s) being delisted.There may be discrepancies in the translated version of this original article in English. Please reference this original version for the latest or most accurate information where any discrepancies may arise. Loan At 2026-06-12 03:00 (UTC) Flexible Loan will close all outstanding loan positions for the aforementioned token(s) as loanable token(s) and collateral token(s). VIP Loan will close all outstanding loan positions for the aforementioned token(s) as collateral token(s). Users are strongly advised to repay their outstanding loans before the automatic closure to avoid any potential losses, where applicable. Margin Cross Margin & Isolated Margin Binance Margin will delist the aforementioned token(s) from Cross and Isolated Margin at 2026-06-12 10:00 (UTC) (the “Margin Scheduled Delisting Time”). The cross and isolated margin pair(s) of the aforementioned token(s) will be removed from Margin. Effective immediately, users will no longer be able to transfer any amount of the aforementioned token(s) via manual transfers and Auto-Transfer Mode for Cross and Isolated Margin into their margin accounts. If users hold outstanding liabilities of said tokens, these users may only manually transfer up to the amount of liabilities of that token into their margin accounts, less any collateral already available.At 2026-06-09 06:00 (UTC), Binance Margin will suspend borrowings on the aforementioned cross margin token(s) and isolated margin pair(s). At the Margin Scheduled Delisting Time, Binance Margin will close users’ positions, conduct an automatic settlement, and cancel all pending orders on the aforementioned isolated margin pair(s), which will then be removed from isolated margin.At the Margin Scheduled Delisting Time, if users hold both collateral and liabilities of the aforementioned token(s) on cross margin, the collateral will be used to repay the respective liabilities. If there are remaining collateral or liabilities of the aforementioned token(s), one of two options below will occur:If users only hold the aforementioned token(s) in the form of collateral: If the Collateral Margin Level (CML) is above 2, the aforementioned token(s) will be transferred to users’ Spot Accounts, up to the point when the CML reaches 2. The remaining tokens in their Cross Margin accounts that are to be delisted will then be fully sold. If the CML is below 2, the remaining tokens in users’ Cross Margin Accounts that are to be delisted will be fully sold. If users only hold the aforementioned token(s) in the form of liabilities:If CML is at or above 2, pending orders will not be affected. If the CML is below 2, all pending orders in their Cross Margin Accounts will be canceled. The system will then sell other collateral tokens to buy and fully repay the delisting token(s)’ liabilities.Please note that users will not be able to update their positions during the delisting process, which may take approximately 3 hours. Users are strongly advised to close their positions and/or transfer their assets from Margin Accounts to Spot Accounts prior to the cessation of margin trading. Binance will not be responsible for any potential losses. Portfolio Margin If the aforementioned token(s) remain in the Portfolio Margin Account after the Margin Scheduled Delisting Time, they will be automatically liquidated. The delisted margin assets will be sold for USDT, and the proceeds will be added to the user's Portfolio Margin balance. Binance is not liable for any losses incurred. Portfolio Margin users are advised to transfer the aforementioned token(s) out of their Margin Accounts to their Spot Accounts and to top up their margin balance before Margin Scheduled Delisting Time where applicable. Users should monitor the Unified Maintenance Margin Ratio (uniMMR) closely to avoid any potential liquidation that may result from the removal of the aforementioned token(s) from the Margin Account. Please Note: For futures perpetual contracts, please refer to the relevant futures announcements.Refer to this FAQ for more information on how any remaining balances of the aforementioned token(s) in Portfolio Margin users’ Margin Accounts will be treated. We thank you for your support as we continue to build the crypto ecosystem in a way that promotes transparency and long-term, sustainable growth. Thank you for your support! Binance Team 2026-06-08

Gold-backed crypto sounds straightforward until you check the redemption rules, custody setup, and issuer terms. In practice, two tokens may track the same ounce of gold while offering very different rights to the holder.

That gap between price exposure and holder rights is drawing more attention in 2026 as tokenized gold trading volume rises and products like Pax Gold (PAXG) and Tether Gold (XAUT) pull in more activity across crypto markets. This guide explains how tokenized gold works, how PAXG and XAUT differ, and what buyers should check before they treat a token like physical bullion.

KEY TAKEAWAYS
➤ Tokenized gold tracks physical bullion, but holder rights, redemption terms, and custody structures can differ sharply between issuers.
➤ Tokenized gold trading volume reached $90.7 billion in Q1 2026, with PAXG and XAUT leading the category’s growth.
➤ Issuer risk, redemption limits, wallet controls, and regional regulations still affect how tokenized gold works in practice.
➤Tokenized gold gives crypto users 24/7 transferability and wallet access, but it does not remove traditional gold-market risks.

In this guide:

What is tokenized gold? How gold-backed crypto works in 2026PAXG vs. XAUT, side by sideDo you own real gold with PAXG and XAUT?Can you redeem PAXG and XAUT for physical gold?Tokenized gold vs. gold ETFs vs physical bullionTokenized gold risks and how to mitigate themHow to buy tokenized gold in 2026Frequently Asked Questions What is tokenized gold? How gold-backed crypto works in 2026 Tokenized gold is a digital token issued on a blockchain that is backed by physical gold stored in audited vaults. Gold has long attracted buyers who want a hard asset outside fiat currencies, but physical settlement, storage, and transfers can be slow or expensive.

This “tokenized” model has brought two markets together that rarely interacted in the past. One is physical gold, which offers a 5,000-year store-of-value record but settles slowly, trades on dealer hours, and is hard to fractionalize. The other is public blockchains, which can settle transactions in seconds, run 24/7, and split assets into tiny units.

A gold-backed token bridges the two by locking real bullion with a custodian and minting transferable claims on it.

What is a troy ounce and London Good Delivery gold?

A troy ounce is the standard unit used in global precious-metals markets and equals about 31.1 grams. “London Good Delivery” refers to large gold bars that meet quality and purity standards accepted by major bullion markets, central banks, and institutional traders.

How tokenization works An issuer such as Paxos or TG Commodities acquires physical gold from refiners or bullion dealers and stores it with a professional custodian. The issuer then creates a matching amount of blockchain-based tokens tied to that gold reserve. Token holders can buy, sell, transfer, or self-custody the assets like other crypto tokens.

When holders redeem tokens through the issuer, the corresponding amount of gold leaves the reserve pool and may be sold, transferred, or delivered physically if redemption minimums are met. Independent attestors or audit firms publish reserve reports on a scheduled basis to verify that the token supply matches the underlying gold holdings.

Why tokenized gold is exploding in 2026 Adoption has accelerated through 2025 and into 2026 as real-world asset (RWA) tokenization moved from pilots to live products. Tokenized gold achieved $90.70 billion in total spot trading volume in Q1 2026, surpassing the $84.64 billion traded throughout 2025, according to CoinGecko’s RWA Report 2026.

Meanwhile, on March 19, 2026, the World Gold Council and Boston Consulting Group proposed a “Gold as a Service” framework designed to standardize custody, reconciliation, compliance, and redemption processes across digital gold products.

Tokenized gold is not a stablecoin. Its price moves with the spot price of gold, so holders gain or lose value as bullion rallies or falls. The “stability” only refers to the 1:1 backing, not a fixed dollar peg.

The combination of rising gold prices, clearer rules in some jurisdictions, and on-chain demand for non-dollar collateral has produced what looks like a structural rather than cyclical lift.

The tokenized gold market includes smaller products such as Kinesis Gold (KAU), Comtech Gold (CGO), VeraOne (VRO), and Matrixdock Gold (XAUM). Even so, market activity and liquidity remain concentrated around Pax Gold (PAXG) and Tether Gold (XAUT), which makes them useful reference points for how large-scale gold-backed tokens currently operate.

Top tokenized gold products by market cap: CoinGecko PAXG vs. XAUT, side by side Pax Gold (PAXG) and Tether Gold (XAUT) together hold roughly nine-tenths of the gold-backed token market. They follow the same backing standard, but their regulator, chain support, audit cadence, redemption process, and US availability are not the same.

AttributePAXGXAUTIssuerPaxos Trust CompanyTG Commodities Limited (Tether)RegulatorOCC, U.S. federal oversight; previously NYDFSCNAD, El SalvadorBacking1 token = 1 troy ounce LBMA Good Delivery1 token = 1 troy ounce LBMA Good DeliveryVault locationBrink’s vaults, LondonSwiss vaults via MKS PAMP and LoomisAuditor and cadenceKPMG LLP, monthlyBDO Italia, quarterly ISAE 3000ChainsEthereum (ERC-20)Ethereum, TRON, Polygon, Solana via LayerZero, BNB ChainIssuance and redemption feeTiered 1% down to 0.125%Flat 0.25%Minimum physical redemption430 tokens for a full bar, 1 gram and up via Alpha Bullion430 tokens for a full bar, no fractional partnerOwnership typeAllocated gold with Paxos bar lookupUndivided gold rights with Tether Gold bar lookupReserve and oracle supportPaxos attestations, allocation lookup, and Chainlink reserve-related infrastructureTether Gold attestations, wallet/bar lookup, and Chainlink XAUT/USD market-data feedsUS retail availabilityListed on Coinbase, Kraken, Gemini, Crypto.comRestricted, not directly available to US retailMarket cap (May 2026)About $2.2 billion per CoinGeckoAbout $2.6 to $2.7 billion per CoinGecko Pax Gold at a glance PAXG launched in September 2019, when Paxos operated under its NYDFS trust-company framework. Paxos later received approval to convert to a national trust charter overseen by the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). Current PAXG terms say PAXG is issued pursuant to specific OCC approval.

Paxos assures that the underlying gold is stored in Brink’s vaults in London, and each PAXG token is linked to a specific serial-numbered gold bar that holders can verify through Paxos’ allocation lookup tool. KPMG took over the monthly attestation in February 2025, replacing WithumSmith+Brown, and the reports are published on the Paxos site.

Tether Gold at a glance XAUT was launched by TG Commodities Limited in January 2020 and is now operated under a license from El Salvador’s National Digital Assets Commission, known by its Spanish initials CNAD.

The bullion is stored in Swiss vaults, with MKS PAMP and Loomis named in TG Commodities’s attestation materials. XAUT launched on Ethereum and TRON before expanding to additional networks through the XAUT0 cross-chain system. Tether later announced Polygon, Solana, and BNB Chain integrations between late 2025 and early 2026.

BDO Italia issues an ISAE 3000 opinion on the reserves on a quarterly basis.

Fees, audits, and oracle data PAXG’s fee structure has changed over time. As of May 2026, Paxos advertises zero on-chain transfer fees and zero storage fees for PAXG, although its terms still reserve the right to impose storage fees in the future with notice. Its terms also govern conversions into USD, unallocated gold, or allocated gold through the Paxos platform.

XAUT says it charges no custodian fee and applies a one-time 25 basis point fee when verified customers purchase or redeem XAU₮ through TG Commodities.

Chainlink has supported reserve-related infrastructure for PAXG, while Chainlink also provides XAUT/USD market-data feeds. A price feed is not the same as a reserve feed. In both cases, users still need to check issuer attestations, custody disclosures, and official lookup tools rather than relying on oracle data alone.

Do you own real gold with PAXG and XAUT? The short answer is that both products describe gold ownership, but the issuer structure, custody chain, legal terms, and redemption process are not the same.

PAXG gives holders ownership rights to allocated London Good Delivery gold held under Paxos custody. XAUT gives holders undivided ownership rights to gold on specified bars, with bar details available through Tether Gold’s lookup system.

The practical question is not only whether gold backs the token, but how each issuer records, verifies, and redeems that claim.

How ownership is recorded PAXG uses an allocated-gold structure. Paxos says each PAXG represents one fine troy ounce of a London Good Delivery gold bar held in professional vaults. Its terms also say that when a holder is not allocated a full bar, the holder owns a pro rata share of that bar based on their PAXG balance. Paxos’ lookup tool lets eligible on-chain holders view bar details tied to their holdings.

XAUT uses a different legal structure. Tether Gold says XAU₮ gives holders undivided ownership rights to gold on specified bars. It also says the allocated gold is identifiable by serial number, purity, and weight through Tether Gold’s lookup system.

So, the cleaner distinction is not “specific bar versus pool.” Both products describe a bar-level link. The real differences come from issuer structure, custodian arrangements, jurisdiction, disclosure cadence, redemption rules, and the legal terms behind each token.

Bankruptcy remoteness and counterparty risk The difference matters most if the issuer fails. Paxos Trust Company is a New York limited-purpose trust company that holds the bullion as a bailee, a structure designed to be bankruptcy remote, meaning the bullion would not be available to general creditors.

TG Commodities is a private Tether subsidiary under El Salvadoran oversight rather than a US trust company, which leaves the holder’s claim subject to El Salvadoran insolvency rules.

As of May 2026, neither structure has faced a major issuer failure or large-scale court test, so the legal outcome in a stress event remains untested.

Insurance and custody disclosures Paxos says each PAXG is backed by one fine troy ounce of gold held in LBMA vaults in London. Its allocation lookup tool lets holders of PAXG in on-chain Ethereum wallets view serial-number and bar information, though the tool does not apply to tokens held through custodial exchanges or wallets. Paxos also publishes monthly PAXG attestation reports.

XAUT’s terms refer to custodian insurance, but the public disclosures do not itemize coverage at the same level of detail. XAUT’s terms refer to custodian insurance, but they also say there is no assurance that the custodian will maintain adequate insurance, or any insurance.

The public terms do not give the same bar-level insurance detail that a cautious buyer may want before they rely on insurance as a risk control. Holders should review the latest issuer terms, reserve reports, and custody disclosures before they treat insurance as meaningful protection.

Allocated ownership is one of the strongest legal protections available in the gold market, but it depends entirely on the custody chain functioning as advertised. Always read the latest attestation rather than relying on marketing language.

Can you redeem PAXG and XAUT for physical gold? Eligible verified holders can redeem both PAXG and XAUT for physical bullion, but the rules are not necessarily retail-friendly in the same way.

PAXG supports direct full-bar redemption through Paxos and smaller physical-gold redemptions through partnered retailers. XAUT redemptions, by contrast, occur through TG Commodities and must be tied to full gold bars.

PAXG redemption Paxos says holders can convert PAXG into USD, unallocated gold, or allocated gold through the Paxos platform, subject to its terms.

Direct allocated-gold redemption requires at least 430 PAXG plus the applicable fee for each London Good Delivery gold bar. Paxos also says customers with smaller holdings can redeem fractional amounts through partnered gold retailers.

Alpha Bullion, a platform tied to Bullion Exchanges and Paxos, says it lets PAXG holders redeem physical gold in sizes from 1 gram to 1 kilogram.

Note that Alpha Bullion requires account verification before order fulfillment. Because product availability, fees, taxes, and delivery terms can change, holders should check Alpha Bullion’s current checkout terms before they treat PAXG as an easy route to small physical-gold delivery.

XAUT redemption XAUT redemption follows a relatively stricter process. Tether Gold says only KYC-verified customers can redeem through the Tether Gold website, and redemptions can occur only for full gold bars. Since those bars usually range from about 385 to 415 fine troy ounces, holders are generally asked to deposit at least 430 XAU₮ to cover a full-bar redemption.

After redemption, the gold can be delivered to the verified customer’s chosen location in Switzerland, with delivery costs payable by the customer. Tether Gold says it does not currently offer delivery outside Switzerland.

Instead of physical delivery, a verified customer may ask Tether Gold to attempt a sale of the gold bar in the Swiss gold market and return the USD proceeds, minus the redemption fee. That sale is subject to available rates and counterparties, and Tether Gold says it has no obligation to repurchase the tokens or gold bars.

How to verify your gold on-chain Both issuers offer on-chain transparency tools. For PAXG, holders enter an Ethereum address into the Paxos lookup page and see the serial numbers of the underlying bars. For XAUT, the Tether site shows the gold attributed to a wallet at a given time.

These tools can help holders check issuer-level allocation data, while Chainlink infrastructure can support market-data or reserve-related checks depending on the token. Users should still treat issuer attestations, custody disclosures, and official lookup tools as the main sources for reserve verification.

That is the redemption side. The next question is how tokenized gold stacks up against the alternatives most investors already know.

Tokenized gold vs. gold ETFs vs physical bullion Tokenized gold is right there in between two long-established options. The table below compares the three on the dimensions that drive most allocation decisions.

AttributeTokenized gold (PAXG, XAUT)Gold ETFs (GLD, IAU, GLDM)Physical bullionCustodyLBMA vault held by issuer custodianLBMA vault held by ETF trusteeSelf-custody or third-party vaultTrading hours24/7/365Stock market hoursDealer hoursAnnual fee0% storage, 0.125% to 1% issuance and redemption0.17% to 0.40% expense ratioDealer spread plus storage and insuranceSettlementSeconds, on-chainT+1Same day at dealerRedemption for physicalYes, with minimumsNo, cash settlement onlyAlready physicalDeFi useCollateral, lending, yieldNoneNoneUS tax treatmentProperty treatment likely, still developingCollectibles 28% per IRS guidanceCollectibles 28% per IRS guidance Fee math at retail scale Headline fees can look simple until you apply them to a real position size. For example, take a $10,000 PAXG buy held for 12 months. If that order falls into Paxos’ 2–25 PAXG fee tier, the 1% entry fee comes to about $100.

Paxos currently advertises zero on-chain transfer fees and zero storage fees for PAXG.

If the position is sold or converted through the Paxos wallet at the same fee tier, the exit fee would add another $100. That puts the direct Paxos round-trip cost at about $200 on a $10,000 position held for one year, before spreads, gas, taxes, exchange fees, or any third-party platform costs.

Cost note: This example assumes direct Paxos wallet creation and sale or conversion at the 1% fee tier. If you buy or sell PAXG through an exchange, your actual cost may come from trading fees, spreads, withdrawal costs, and venue-specific rules instead.

A $10,000 GLD position over the same period pays the 0.40% expense ratio, or about $40, before any broker-specific costs. A $10,000 GLDM position is cheaper still at 0.10%, or roughly $10 for the year.

On direct fees alone, a lower-cost gold ETF such as GLDM can be much cheaper than a direct PAXG round trip at the 1% tier. PAXG’s case becomes stronger only if the holder values features an ETF cannot provide, such as crypto-wallet custody, around-the-clock transfers, DeFi use, or PAXG-specific redemption routes.

Tax treatment In the United States, the Internal Revenue Service classifies physical gold and most gold ETFs as collectibles, which carry a long-term capital gains rate of up to 28% rather than the standard 20%.

As of May 2026, tokenized gold is in a less settled position. Some practitioners argue it should follow the underlying asset and be treated as a collectible, while others apply general property rules for digital assets. UK, EU, and UAE treatments vary and depend on whether the holder uses an exchange domiciled in a regulated venue.

Always confirm with a tax professional before relying on any single framing.

Tokenized gold in DeFi The structural advantage of tokenized gold over an ETF is on-chain usability. PAXG is listed as collateral on the Aave deployment on Ethereum and trades in Curve and Uniswap pools, while XAUT has integrations on TRON-based DeFi venues and emerging yield vaults on platforms such as Falcon Finance.

Yields available in 2026 have ranged from low single digits to mid single digits, depending on the pool and risk tier, with strategies that wrap gold collateral into lending or basis trades.

Tokenized gold risks and how to mitigate them The risks attached to tokenized gold are not the same as the risks attached to physical bullion or to an ETF. Buyers should weigh three categories before committing.

Issuer and depeg risk Both PAXG and XAUT depend on a single issuer to honor redemptions and report reserves. A failure at Paxos or TG Commodities would cap the value of the token at whatever a court determined was the holder’s claim on the bullion.

Token prices can also drift from spot during stress events. PAXG traded at a premium to spot during the February 2025 London bullion shortage as physical delivery times stretched, an episode that reminded the market that on-chain liquidity does not always equal physical liquidity.

Smart contract, sanctions, and wallet freezing PAXG and XAUT contracts both include administrative functions that allow the issuer to freeze tokens in specific wallets. Paxos has used the function to comply with US sanctions enforcement, and Tether has frozen XAUT-related addresses tied to flagged activity. The functions exist for legitimate compliance reasons, but they mean a holder who trips a sanctions flag could lose access to their tokens.

Both tokens can be frozen by the issuer. A buyer who values censorship resistance above gold exposure should consider physical bullion or self-custody alternatives instead.

Regulatory risk Paxos previously operated under NYDFS oversight and is now OCC-regulated as a national trust institution.

XAUT has a narrower U.S. retail access path. Tether Gold says U.S. persons cannot purchase or redeem XAU₮ directly through its issuer platform, which means U.S. users should not assume they can access issuer-level redemption features.

In the European Union, MiCA rules for asset-referenced tokens and e-money tokens became applicable on June 30, 2024, while broader crypto-asset service provider rules followed on Dec. 30, 2024. Paxos says it operates under MiCA compliance through FIN-FSA in the EU, but its current PAXG page also says PAXG is unavailable in the EU.

Put simply, access can depend on the issuer, exchange, user location, and product feature. So, as a buyer, you should check current exchange notices and issuer disclosures before they assume PAXG or XAUT is available in the jurisdiction you are in.

How to buy tokenized gold in 2026 Tokenized gold trades on both centralized exchanges and on-chain venues. Most retail buyers start on a centralized exchange for the smoothest path, then move tokens to self-custody or a DeFi position if they want to use the gold as collateral.

Buying on a centralized exchange PAXG is listed on Coinbase, Kraken, Crypto.com, Binance, and Bitpanda, among others. The standard flow is to fund an account with fiat, place a market or limit order against the PAXG pair, and either keep the tokens on the exchange or withdraw them to a personal wallet.

XAUT is listed on a smaller set of venues, with Bitfinex and several non-US exchanges providing the deepest order books. US residents typically cannot buy XAUT directly through a domestic exchange.

Buying on a DEX On Ethereum, PAXG can be bought on Uniswap and Curve pools using ether or a stablecoin, though gas costs and pool depth should be checked before larger trades.

XAUT liquidity tends to sit in TRON-based and non-EVM venues, which makes the operational steps more involved. Buyers who use a DEX should always verify the token contract address from the issuer’s official site to avoid scam tokens.

Other gold-backed tokens worth knowing PAXG and XAUT dominate the market, but several other gold-backed tokens are worth knowing. Kinesis Gold (KAU) and Kinesis Silver (KAG) pay a share of network fees back to holders, which gives them a yield profile unlike PAXG or XAUT. CACHE Gold (CGT) uses a fractional-gram model with on-chain bar serial assignment.

AurusX (AWG) and Matrixdock XAUM are relatively newer entrants targeting cross-jurisdictional retail demand. Comtech Gold (CGO) markets a Shariah-compliant structure aimed at Middle East and South Asian buyers.

Note that liquidity for these smaller tokens is thinner, so always check the on-chain market depth before committing.

Frequently Asked Questions What is tokenized gold and how does it work? Tokenized gold is a digital token on a blockchain that represents ownership of physical gold held in an audited vault. Each token typically equals one troy ounce of London Good Delivery bullion held by a custodian on behalf of the issuer. Holders can transfer the token like any other crypto asset and, in some cases, redeem it for physical metal when minimums and verification rules are met.

Do you own real gold with PAXG? Yes. PAXG uses an allocated ownership model in which each token is mapped to a portion of a specific London Good Delivery bar identified by serial number. Paxos publishes a lookup tool that lets a wallet holder view the bars assigned to their address. The bullion is held in Brink’s vaults in London and is described by Paxos as legally separate from the company’s general balance sheet.

Can you redeem PAXG for physical gold? Yes, with two paths. A holder with 430 PAXG or more can redeem directly through Paxos for a full London Good Delivery bar, subject to Paxos’ terms. Holders below that threshold can use Alpha Bullion’s partner route for smaller physical-gold redemptions from 1 gram upward, subject to identity verification, product availability, taxes, delivery terms, and any current checkout costs.

Can you redeem XAUT for physical gold? Yes, but only at the full-bar level and only in Switzerland. A holder must accumulate at least 430 XAUT, complete identity verification with TG Commodities, and arrange Swiss delivery or cash settlement at spot. There is no fractional retail partner equivalent to Alpha Bullion, so most XAUT holders treat the token as a price exposure rather than a redemption vehicle.

What is the difference between PAXG and XAUT? The main differences are issuer structure, regulatory profile, chain support, audit cadence, and redemption rules. Paxos previously operated under NYDFS oversight and is now OCC-regulated as a national trust institution. PAXG uses monthly attestations and links holdings to allocated London Good Delivery gold. XAUT is issued through TG Commodities, operates under El Salvador’s CNAD framework, uses quarterly assurance reports, and gives holders undivided gold rights with Tether Gold’s bar lookup system. PAXG is Ethereum-based, while XAUT is available across several networks.

Is tokenized gold safe and what are the main risks? Tokenized gold inherits the price behavior of physical gold and adds three risk categories on top. Issuer risk covers the potential failure of Paxos or TG Commodities, smart contract risk covers code or governance failures, and sanctions risk covers the issuer’s ability to freeze tokens in flagged wallets. Holders mitigate these risks by reading the latest attestations, splitting positions across issuers, and avoiding behavior that could trigger a wallet freeze.

During the previous month, the value of Flare’s native currency, FLR, has increased by more than 165%. By including XRP as an FAsset on its Songbird testnet, the Flare network will be able to include smart functionality. An airdrop reward pool consisting of $260,000 in rFLR is being offered in order to encourage the adoption of Songbird. In preparation for the launch of the mainnet, the blockchain network Flare, which was designed specifically for data, has added XRP to the FAssets on its canary network Songbird.

FAssets is a new development by Flare that offers smart-contract capabilities for blockchains like XRP, BTC, and DOGE, which do not support smart contracts. By including XRP as an FAsset on its Songbird testnet, the Flare network will be able to include smart functionality, which will enable it to demonstrate greater DeFi capabilities.

I want Flare to provide a similar service to XRP that Babylon provides for Bitcoin. I will personally pay a grant of $500k in FLR to a group that builds a fully fledged staking service for XRP on Flare (through FXRP) using Flare’s FDC to slash stake. The purpose would be to allow…

— Hugo Philion ☀️ (@HugoPhilion) December 2, 2024 The innovative bridging method that will be used for this integration is now being tested on Songbird prior to the functionality being rolled out on Flare mainnet. Once it is released, FAssets will make it possible to create robust apps that provide improved capabilities to standard crypto assets. This will be a new door that will open.

The Flare team is of the opinion that FAssets have the potential to revolutionize the way that crypto assets such as XRP and BTC are used within the ecosystem of decentralized finance. In order to offer these tokens with the same usefulness as native smart-contract assets, Flare intends to create a decentralized system that will allow for the minting, trading, and redemption of bridged assets.

An airdrop reward pool consisting of $260,000 in rFLR is being offered by the team in order to encourage the adoption of Songbird. This reward pool will serve as an incentive for agents and collateral pool participants. It is possible to get these rewards by putting the minting, redeeming, and trading processes to the test.

Audits are now being performed on these integrations, and the findings are anticipated to be available by the middle of December.

Whopping 165% increase in Flare during the previous month During the previous month, the value of Flare’s native currency, FLR, has increased by more than 165% in anticipation of the debut of FAsset. It is the 79th biggest cryptocurrency asset, with a market valuation of $1.72 billion and $3.35 of FDV.

As of right now, the price of FLR is hovering around to the $0.033 level, and the 24 hour trading volume for the cryptocurrency is $45.16 million, as per data from Coinmarketcap. FLR reached its all-time high price of $0.0797 on January 10, 2023, marking the day it was driven by bulls.

In the event that the launch of FAssets and the dynamics of the market are favorable, FLR may come back to its prior price gains and come close to breaking to a new all-time high rate. It is anticipated that the next Altseason will bring about a significant increase in the value of a variety of low and mid cap altcoins, including FLR.

An engineering graduate who is passionate about writing and loves the very existence of crypto. Trading forex currency keeps me busy when I am not writing and analysing the crypto world.

DeFi protocol Linear Finance faced a severe setback this Thursday as the company announced plans to cease operations. In an official X post on March 27, the entity made a ‘Notice of Closure’ announcement. The protocol’s native token LINA also crashed hard, extending weekly losses to nearly 70% amid the project encountering turbulent waters.

Linear Finance Issues ‘Notice Of Closure,’ Here’s Why In its recent X post, Linear Finance revealed that the tough decision to pull the plug is attributed to the firm’s financial struggles. Despite recurrent efforts to foster innovation and growth, the DeFi protocol has failed to generate sustainable returns.

As a direct response, the entity announced a ‘Notice of Closure,’ turning heads across the broader market. The announcement revealed that ‘outside of a brief period of profitability during its initial launch in 2019/20, the project has faced burgeoning financial challenges.’

DeFi Protocol Faces Setback As Functioning Model No Longer Available Initially, the project was funded via a combination of personal contributions by the project owner and token liquidations. However, Linear Finance announced that this model is no longer feasible. In turn, the company announced plans to end the run.

Meanwhile, it’s also worth pointing out the recent setback presented by Binance. The cryptocurrency exchange giant earlier announced plans to delist the LINA token, adding to its struggles. The DeFi entity revealed that the delisting saga chronicle on one of the top crypto exchanges slammed 65% of the coin’s market cap.

Keeping in mind the abovementioned setbacks, a ‘Notice of Closure’ was issued. The project’s key stakeholders also made a collective decision to wind down operations.

LINA Price Crashes As of press time, LINA price witnessed a 6% dip and exchanged hands at $0.0006215. The coin’s intraday low and high were $0.0006091 and $0.0009516, respectively.

Weekly and monthly charts for the token showcased a 67% and 72% crash, respectively. The bearish price movement comes primarily attributed to Binance’s delisting and Linear Finance pulling the plug on operations. Currently, crypto market participants continue to await further details on the matter.

The long-awaited Linea airdrop is fast approaching, with the launch date set on September 10, 2025. Around 9.36 billion LINEA tokens will be distributed to over 749,000 eligible wallets. This will kickstart a major milestone for ConsenSys’ Ethereum Layer-2 project. While the crypto community is looking on, the question at hand is, what would be LINEA price when it finally hits the market? Even though numbers cannot be accurately predicted at this point, various factors could likely influence the Linea token launch price. 

Why Linea Airdrop Matters Linea token airdrop is approaching, as Linea is in the spotlight as a zk-rollup solution designed to scale up Ethereum, making it faster, cheaper, and easier for developers. The crypto project carries instant credibility in the Ethereum ecosystem, for being backed by ConsenSys, the team behind Infura and MetaMask. Linea promises to address the often spike in gas fees during busy periods by offering quicker transactions and lower fees. This positions it as a strong player in the race to Ethereum scalability.  

Five weeks ago, Ethereum celebrated 10 years of zero downtime. Next week, LINEA becomes the most significant token to enter the ecosystem since ETH itself.

The eligibility checker is now live ahead of the September 10 TGE.

Check yours at https://t.co/GDV3kRe0Kf pic.twitter.com/emB8WlqCNF

— Linea.eth (@LineaBuild) September 3, 2025

Linea token airdrop

The team has made it clear that the Linea airdrop launch is not just a reward for early users, but is also designed to start Linea’s token economy.  As the 90-day Linea airdrop window opens, the token launch is expected to stir excitement across trading and DeFi communities, just like other high-profile rollups. 

What’s the Buzz on Price? We can get a glimpse of what the launch price will look like, given that LINEA is already having pre-market sessions like now on top exchanges such as Kucoin and MEXC. The token reportedly experiences price swings, trading from as high as $0.11 to as low as $0.00017. It is currently settling at around $0.03. Such a scenario is common in a typical pre-market environment because of low liquidity and scarce information. Most moves come from speculation rather than solid fundamentals.

LINEA 7-Day Pre-Market Price Chart (Source: Kucoin) According to analysts, the token’s price at launch could be somewhere between $0.02 and $0.05, based on an initial circulating supply of 15.8 billion tokens (about 22% of the 72 billion total). Still, launches of crypto airdrops can be notoriously unpredictable, so sharp pumps or steep drops are both on the table.

What Will Shape Linea Launch Price? Several key factors will likely decide where the price lands on launch day, amidst the Linea airdrop:

Airdrop Dynamics – 9.63 billion tokens are expected to be unlocked and dropped immediately into wallets. There’s a likelihood that some holders will quickly cash out, pulling down the price. However, if enough of them hold onto their tokens, the market will remain stable. Market Sentiment – The overall crypto sentiment is positive right now, even though the Fear and Greed Index is neutral at 41. Ethereum price is holding around $4,300, and the talk of potential U.S. Fed’s rate cuts is fueling more liquidity in the market. This creates a supportive environment for the launch. Linea’s Traction – Currently, Linea has a total value locked (TVL) of $1.28 billion and over 200 million transactions, according to DefiLlama. This positions it as one of the leading Layer 2 projects. Often, strong adoption translates into strong demand. Exchange Listings – Should top crypto exchanges like Big names like Binance or Coinbase list  LINEA, could experience a fast increase in liquidity and trading volume. This could push prices upwards. Final Thoughts Where the LINEA price lands on day one will come down to how many airdrop recipients cash out versus how many new buyers step in. By gradually unlocking the remaining 78% of tokens, it could keep prices in check. Not unless its adoption increases and demand outpaces supply.

Either way, the September 10 launch is a milestone not just for Linea but for Ethereum scaling as a whole, and the crypto world will be watching closely.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The Linea token airdrop is set for September 10, 2025, with 9.36 billion tokens distributed.

Analysts estimate between $0.02–$0.05, but sharp volatility is likely.

Airdrop sell-offs, exchange listings, market sentiment, and adoption levels.

David Schwartz has announced that he will step down as Ripple's chief technology officer at the end of the year after more than 13 years at the company. 

"The time has come for me to step back from my day-to-day duties as Ripple CTO at the end of this year. I’m really looking forward to spending more time with the kids and grandkids and going back to the hobbies I set aside," he said. 

Schwartz was appointed as the company's CTO back in July 2018. Before him, this role was held by Coil CEO Stefan Thomas and Ripple/Stellar co-founder Jed McCaleb. 

HOT Stories

In his statement, Schwartz stressed his appreciation for the company and the community, describing his time at Ripple as "one of the greatest honors and experiences of his life." 

As happens in one’s life, I’ve been taking stock of my last 40 years. It’s been a wild ride. I’ve gone from consulting for the NSA to watching the early stages of Bitcoin. Then, I met Arthur, Jed, and Chris and worked on coding the XRP Ledger. Now, I’ve spent more than 13 years…

— David 'JoelKatz' Schwartz (@JoelKatz) September 30, 2025 He has also expressed his gratitude to Ripple's leadership (CEO Brad Garlinghouse and President Monica Long), co-founders Chris Larsen and Arthur Britto, as well as the RippleX team. 

Joining board of directorsSchwartz has confirmed that he is not breaking ties with Ripple. In fact, he will be joining the company's board of directors. He will also remain involved as CTO Emeritus. 

"I look forward to seeing the rest of you at XRP community events around the world," he said in a statement. 

"You are my boss now?" Ripple's leadership has already reacted to Schwartz's upcoming exit. Garlinghouse has described Schwartz as "the smartest (and maybe the funniest) person" he personally knows. "A true OG in crypto with the conviction and vision to see what others couldn’t - you are a legend," he added. 

He has also jokingly suggested that Schwartz will be his boss after joining the company's board of directors. 

The smartest (and maybe the funniest) person I know. A true OG in crypto with the conviction and vision to see what others couldn’t - you are a legend. Thank you David for everything you’ve done for the industry, for Ripple and for the XRP Ledger. We are all forever grateful…… https://t.co/tt4uX4JlkV

— Brad Garlinghouse (@bgarlinghouse) September 30, 2025 Long has acknowledged that the "mighty community" would not have existed without Schwartz. "I deeply respect your ingenuity, integrity, humor, and humility, which you demonstrate daily..." Long said. 

Key NotesTwo blockchain platforms Cheqd and Dock partners to form a strategic alliance to drive global adoption of decentralized identity (DID) solutions worldwide.To achieve this goal, both protocols plans to combine their infrastructures and resources together while maintaining independent operations.Their native tokens DOCK and CHEQ will merge together to create a unified digital asset known as CHEQ to power all activities on the joint developed network. . Web3 data platform cheqd, which specializes in building trusted payment infrastructure for Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) and digital credential businesses, has entered into a strategic partnership with Dock, another blockchain platform to form a strategic alliance.

According to a press release issued on Wednesday, September 18, the collaboration aims to boost the global adoption of Decentralized Identity (DID) solutions.

Token Unification to Power Joint Network As part of the partnership, Dock will migrate its infrastructure, including Dock Certs and its client base, to the cheqd network to build a single protocol.

Despite the integration, both platforms will continue to operate independently, with only Dock’s native token, DOCK, merging with cheqd’s CHEQ to create a unified digital asset.

cheqd announced that the token unification is intended to speed up the adoption of DID solutions. The merged CHEQ will become the utility token that powers all activity on the joint cheqd-Dock network.

cheqd revealed that the collaboration will bring significant growth to both platforms, with the formation of a powerful community of over 100,000 members and hundreds of active partners working together.

According to the release, the partnership is expected to deliver scalable solutions across industries ranging from finance and identity providers to government services, benefiting both traditional and Web3 sectors.

The joint network will support a variety of Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) and offer multi-SDK integration, along with open-source tools like DIF Registrar & Resolver, Credo, Veramo, Walt.id, and Vidos (Mailchain). These resources will allow developers to explore wide-ranging integration possibilities and build decentralized applications.

Both networks plan to remain committed to adhering to international regulatory frameworks, such as the European Digital Identity Framework as well as the eIDAS 2.0, to ensure full compliance across their platforms.

A Combined Effort to Drive DID Growth cheqd disclosed in the press release that the primary purpose of forming the new alliance with Dock is solely to promote the adoption of decentralized identity solutions. Both platforms plan to combine resources to ensure that the blockchain data protection sector is widely accepted and trusted by users globally.

The Web3 data platform will bring its expertise in developing end-to-end credential ecosystems and trusted data markets, while Dock will concentrate on enabling identity solution providers, such as KYC, background check, and biometric companies, to create and monetize verifiable digital credentials.

Individually, both platforms have seen strong growth, and together, they plan to become a driving force in the global adoption of digital verification solutions.

Strengthening the Digital Verification Ecosystem

cheqd’s Web3 platform already supports over 80,000 individual wallet addresses, enabling users to take full control of their personal data. More than 200 organizations have also integrated its solutions into their businesses, attracted by the platform’s focus on privacy-preserving credential payments, regulatory compliance, and ease of integration.

Dock, on the other hand, offers a comprehensive decentralized identity solution with a robust API, intuitive web application, and secure ID wallet infrastructure. So far, Dock Certs has attracted over 600 companies, which are utilizing its decentralized ID capabilities.

The partnership is led by experienced teams from both platforms. cheqd CEO and Co-Founder, Fraser Edwards, has extensive knowledge in self-sovereign identity and led the Known Traveller Digital Identity initiative with the World Economic Forum.

Meanwhile, Dock CEO, Nick Lambert, and COO, Elina Cadouri, bring significant blockchain and entrepreneurial expertise to the table, with Cadouri having built successful platforms like Outsource.comand Remote.com.

Disclaimer: Coinspeaker is committed to providing unbiased and transparent reporting. This article aims to deliver accurate and timely information but should not be taken as financial or investment advice. Since market conditions can change rapidly, we encourage you to verify information on your own and consult with a professional before making any decisions based on this content.

Blockchain News, Cryptocurrency News, News

Chimamanda is a crypto enthusiast and experienced writer focusing on the dynamic world of cryptocurrencies. She joined the industry in 2019 and has since developed an interest in the emerging economy. She combines her passion for blockchain technology with her love for travel and food, bringing a fresh and engaging perspective to her work.

Chimamanda U. Martha on X

OKX Singapore has launched what it claims is the first stablecoin-powered scan-to-pay service in the city-state, enabling customers to spend USDC or USDT at GrabPay merchant locations by scanning standard SGQR codes.

The service, launched today through partnerships with stablecoin issuer StraitsX and payments platform Grab, allows OKX customers to convert their stablecoins into Singapore dollars at point of sale across Grab's extensive merchant network. Transactions settle through StraitsX's XSGD stablecoin using Singapore's Purpose Bound Money framework, which applies programmable logic for compliant conditional settlement.

The OKX Pay rollout addresses a longstanding challenge in cryptocurrency adoption: bridging the gap between digital asset holdings and everyday merchant acceptance. While crypto payment cards have existed for years, direct scan-to-pay integration with established merchant networks represents a more seamless user experience.

OKX Singapore's service targets the company's existing customer base, who can now utilize stablecoin holdings for daily purchases rather than converting to fiat before spending. The instant conversion mechanism addresses volatility concerns by settling transactions at real-time exchange rates.

"OKX Pay addresses real needs for customers by expanding DPTs' use beyond trading and investing to everyday payments - from a morning coffee to dining out with friends," said Gracie Lin, OKX Singapore CEO, in a statement shared with Blockhead.

The integration operates through the OKX SG app with instant USDT/USDC-to-XSGD-to-SGD conversion, while merchants receive settlement in Singapore dollars without directly handling digital payment tokens. Each transaction executes as a blockchain transfer with embedded compliance checks and real-time validation through the PBM framework.

Lim Kell Jay, regional head of Grab Financial Group, emphasized the benefit for merchant partners: "By integrating OKX Pay with GrabPay through StraitsX's settlement network, we are enabling our merchant-partners to benefit from expanding acceptance to a broader range of users and payment options, without any change to their existing flows."

The launch represents a practical application of Singapore's regulatory framework for digital payment tokens, which OKX Singapore operates under as a licensed DPT platform. The company received Major Payment Institution status from the Monetary Authority of Singapore in September 2024, allowing it to provide digital payment token services in the jurisdiction.

StraitsX serves as the regulated payment service provider enabling the settlement layer. The company's XSGD stablecoin maintains a 1:1 peg with the Singapore dollar and provides the bridge between cryptocurrency holdings and local currency merchant settlement.

"The future of payments will be defined by trust, speed, and interoperability – and stablecoins are at the heart of this shift," said Tianwei Liu, StraitsX CEO and co-founder. "The launch of OKX Pay is more than a new service but a blueprint for how stablecoins will underpin global commerce in the years ahead."

StraitsX has established integrations beyond Grab, that enables acceptance at merchants supporting regional wallets like GCash, KakaoPay, and Touch 'n Go. These partnerships position XSGD as infrastructure for cross-border stablecoin commerce across Asia.

Singapore's Purpose Bound Money framework provides the regulatory infrastructure enabling such implementations. The PBM system allows digital currencies to carry programmable conditions governing their use, ensuring transactions meet compliance requirements without manual intervention.

The launch comes as Singapore positions itself as a hub for regulated digital asset activity. The Monetary Authority of Singapore has pursued a measured approach to cryptocurrency regulation, establishing licensing frameworks while maintaining strict compliance requirements for operators.

Whether the service gains significant traction depends on user adoption patterns and merchant awareness. Grab's extensive merchant network provides broad potential acceptance, though merchant education about accepting stablecoin-originated payments may require time.

StraitsX will launch XSGD and XUSD on Solana in early 2026, targeting on-chain FX, cross-border settlement, and AI-driven payments with x402 support.

Summary

StraitsX will deploy its SGD- and USD-pegged stablecoins XSGD and XUSD on Solana in early 2026, making it the first L1 to host both assets natively.​ The launch targets on-chain FX, instant SGD–USD swaps, and cross-border settlement, leveraging Solana’s high throughput and low fees plus liquidity pools on CEXs and DEXs.​ Both stablecoins will support the x402 payment standard to enable machine-to-machine and AI-agent micropayments in what StraitsX calls the emerging “agentic economy.” StraitsX announced a partnership with the Solana Foundation to deploy its Singapore dollar-backed stablecoin (XSGD) and U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin (XUSD) on the Solana blockchain, with an initial rollout targeted for early 2026, according to a company statement.

The collaboration will make Solana the first Layer 1 blockchain to host both XSGD and XUSD simultaneously, StraitsX said. The company stated the integration is designed to support on-chain foreign exchange use cases and real-time cross-border settlement, utilizing Solana’s high throughput and low transaction costs.

The deployment aims to enable near-instant swaps between SGD and USD without traditional intermediaries, according to the announcement. StraitsX said the launch will facilitate instant currency conversion and settlement for businesses and developers operating on-chain, allowing users to move between SGD and USD within a single ecosystem.

Stablecoin leading crypto infrastructure push Both stablecoins will support the x402 payment standard, enabling machine-to-machine payments, automated transactions, and AI-agent micropayments, the company said. StraitsX described this functionality as positioning the stablecoins for use within the emerging “agentic economy,” where software agents and machines transact autonomously.

StraitsX plans to collaborate with centralized and decentralized exchanges to establish liquidity pools for XSGD and XUSD on Solana, stating that liquidity provisioning will be prioritized to ensure efficient foreign exchange swaps and settlement at scale.

The Solana expansion follows previous issuance of XSGD on Ethereum, Polygon, and Coinbase’s Base Layer 2, extending the stablecoin’s multichain presence.

StraitsX operates as a Major Payment Institution licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore. The company reported its stablecoins have processed more than $18 billion in cumulative on-chain transaction volume to date. The firm stated the Solana deployment aims to combine regulatory-grade stablecoins with high-performance public blockchain infrastructure for use cases including cross-border payments, foreign exchange settlement, programmable finance, and AI-driven transactions.

Table of contents

Concordium, a popular blockchain network, has collaborated with Safle Walet, a renowned multi-chain crypto wallet. The partnership aims to bolster PayFi network as well as enable compliance-ready identity in the Web3 sector. As the platform asserted in its announcement on X, the development denotes the start of a wider strategy to grow the adoption of the PayFi sector with a privacy-preserving approach. Keeping this in view, the development improves identity management, merchant adoption, and accessibility across the Web3 ecosystem.

Concordium and Safle Wallet Integrate to Drive PayFi Innovation and Expand $CCD Access As a part of this collaboration, Safle Wallet will integrate Concordium protocol to offer unparalleled access to its native token $CCD. Thus, the joint endeavor focuses on advancing the PayFi sector with the provision of privacy-first solutions. Apart from that, Safle Wallet already serves over 169M consumers across the globe. Now, it has become a widely trusted tool provider when it comes to digital asset management and multi-chain identity.

With this integration, both the Android and iOS consumers using Safle Wallet can create Concordium wallets and manage them natively. Additionally, they can also receive and send $CCD tokens while also leveraging an unparalleled QR code scanning to carry out transfers. Simultaneously, the users can now link Safle ID with Concordium ID to conveniently manage diverse identities across several blockchains with an inclusive platform.

How Does This Partnership Benefit Developers? According to Concordium, the integration with Safle Wallet minimizes dependence on the native tools, bringing forth a multi-chain and flexible environment for seamless innovation. The partnership also unlocks new pathways for the development of next-gen dApps, cutting-edge identity-led features, and cross-chain solutions. Overall, the mutual initiative is poised to expedite innovation in a compliant setting, connecting the Web3 ecosystem with a privacy-first and scalable future.

AUTHOR

Umair Younas is a cryptocurrency-related content writer linked with this work since 2019. Here, at Blockchainreporter, he serves as a news and article writer. He is a crypto, blockchain, NFTs, DeFi, and FinTech enthusiast. He has strong command over writing authentic reviews about brokers and exchanges and he has collaborated with our education team to write educational content as well. He has a dream to raise awareness among people about digital currencies. His works are well-researched and brimmed with information hence they provide fresh insights. Stay tuned to his posts if you want to stay up-to-date with the crypto-verse.

Table of contents

Concordium (CCD), a L1 chain focused on confidentiality and legal compliance, announced a strategic collaboration with Transak, a decentralized payments infrastructure for virtual currencies and stable assets. Concordium is a permissionless L1 chain designed for institutions looking for compliance without infringing customer confidentiality, enabled by ZKPs and an integrated identity verification layer.

According to the announcement made today, this partnership facilitated the integration of Concordium’s network into Transak’s Web3 payment infrastructure to broaden the accessibility of its native token (CCD) through Transak’s front page widget. Transak is a fiat-to-crypto onramp solution that allows users to purchase and sell cryptocurrencies efficiently within decentralized applications, websites, and plugins using fiat currencies.

🌐 Concordium’s partnership with @Transak unlocks seamless access to $CCD, the utility token powering transactions, governance, staking, and dApps.

Bringing the Smart Money ecosystem to millions worldwide. pic.twitter.com/U8ec9zkPcP

— Concordium (@ConcordiumNet) October 30, 2025 Transak Enabling Global Access of CCD at Scale The integration allows millions of users on Transak’s payment infrastructure to efficiently access and interact with CCD using payment methods like bank transfers, Apple Pay, Credit cards, and many others. The partnership enables customers worldwide to directly engage with the Concordium ecosystem. CCD is the native token driving Concordium’s compliance-focused ecosystem, serving as a payment token for various functions, including utility, governance, and staking.

Through its partnership with Transak, Concordium widens global accessibility of its native token, providing customers with an efficient, compliant fiat-to-crypto avenue. The collaboration removes barriers to entry for new customers while strengthening Concordium’s dedication to advancing real-world applications on a compliant infrastructure that enables secure transfers of data and funds.

Concordium: Shaping Digital Growth By incorporating CCD and supporting the native wallet powered by Concordium, Transak helps Concordium to actualize its vision. In an age where digital transformation isn’t just a trend, but embracing digital solutions is a necessity for efficient service delivery, Concordium is pioneering innovation in the sector.

Concordium’s blockchain is designed to fulfill the demand of enterprises and firms looking for confidentiality and transparency in the digital landscape. Its identity verification layer ensures that every activity on-chain is traceable and identifiable, thus helping to meet international legal compliance. This dedication makes Concordium a useful network for enterprises seeking to take advantage of blockchain while remaining compliant with advancing legal standards. By partnering with Transak, Concordium makes its token accessible to global clients and expands the usage of its ecosystem. 

AUTHOR

Nicholas Otieno is a fintech writer specializing in cryptocurrency markets. Since 2019, he has written articles to educate readers about cryptocurrency and its substantial positive impact on global prosperity. Nicholas is a Bitcoin holder, believing firmly in its fundamentals. His work has been featured in publications such as Finance Magnates, Blockchain.News, Bitcoin Magazine, Coincub, and among others. When he's not writing, Nicholas enjoys performing domestic tasks, spending time with friends, listening to music, and watching football.

14.05.2026 - 13:12

Update: 14.05.2026 - 13:12

Upbit, one of South Korea’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges, has officially announced that it will remove the NKN token from its platform as of June 15th. According to the information released by the exchange, trading support for NKN will end at 09:00 on June 15th. Following this decision, users are advised to close their open positions and withdraw their assets by that date.

Upbit stated that the delisting decision was made after a comprehensive review process. The company explained that the evaluations identified various shortcomings in the project and that the current situation posed potential risks to users. Exchange officials emphasized that protecting investors was the primary goal.

The statement noted that the decision was made after a detailed examination of the project’s business model, sustainability, ecosystem development, and level of technical progress. In addition, on-chain token ownership trends, trading volume in local and international markets, liquidity levels, and listing status on other major cryptocurrency exchanges were also considered as evaluation criteria.

NKN stood out as a blockchain-based project aiming to develop a decentralized network infrastructure. However, recent developments related to the project falling short of expectations and a decline in market activity have negatively impacted investor confidence.

Market analysts note that a delisting decision by a major exchange like Upbit could create short-term selling pressure on NKN. They point out that similar decisions have led to sharp price fluctuations in related tokens in the past.

Experts emphasize that investors should carefully monitor exchange announcements during delisting processes and that it is important for them to complete necessary transactions in advance to avoid delays, especially regarding withdrawal times.

*This is not investment advice.

Follow our Telegram and Twitter account now for exclusive news, analytics and on-chain data!

Marblex, the blockchain subsidiary of major South Korean mobile game publisher Netmarble, announced Wednesday that it will utilize the Saga gaming protocol to support its upcoming crypto games.

Billed as a “comprehensive collaboration,” Marblex and Saga will work in tandem to launch and promote crypto games. Marblex will utilize Saga’s layer-1 blockchain network to support its own chain, while Saga will help with user acquisition; both brands will use their respective channels to promote such games.

"Saga has a brand and ethos that is truly dedicated to enabling the next generation of gaming," said Marblex CEO Hong Jin-Pyo, in a release. "Putting a priority on bridging the very wide gap between traditional and Web3 gaming provided Saga with a succinct understanding of what developers need to get us there."

Saga is built around the concept of chainlets, which can be combined to power games and apps much like a traditional game might use multiple cloud computing instances. Saga co-founder and CEO Rebecca Liao previously described it to Decrypt’s GG as a “chain to launch chains.”

It’s also designed to enable cross-chain building, so studios that have deployed games on other blockchains can also tap into Saga’s network to support their operations. That’s how Marblex plans to use Saga, plus Saga has existing collaboration agreements with the teams behind Polygon, Avalanche, and Celestia.

Saga is currently running a “play-to-airdrop” campaign across numerous games building on its network, as well as games on other chains like Avalanche and Polygon. A Saga representative told Decrypt’s GG that the airdrop campaign isn’t currently tied into its collaboration with Marblex, but that Saga is “definitely exploring future ones” with partners, “including Marblex.”

“Marblex will bring their community as part of our joint go-to-market, and Saga is continuing to fine-tune the user acquisition machine in Web3 for gaming,” Liao told Decrypt’s GG.

The network claims to have 320 projects building on it, with approximately 80% of them being games. Saga plans to launch its mainnet this spring, with play-to-airdrop events continuing in the meantime to reward gamers with SAGA token allocations.

Marblex supports a number of games from popular existing franchises, including titles like The King of Fighters Arena and Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds. The chain is built around the MBX token, which has a market cap of around $69 million.

Editor’s note: This article was written with the assistance of AI. Edited and fact-checked by Andrew Hayward.

Daily Debrief NewsletterStart every day with the top news stories right now, plus original features, a podcast, videos and more.

Now, users don’t need to download anything in order to play—they can play right in their browser. By allowing players to engage with game elements without incurring transaction fees, Chromia’s gasless interaction paradigm further improves accessibility. After multiple alpha seasons, the popular blockchain-based farming and builder game My Neighbor Alice has finally released Chapter One: A New Adventure, its first full public release. This milestone is a significant accomplishment for the My Neighbor Alice team and the Chromia blockchain, which offers the decentralized infrastructure enabling the game, since it makes the whole gaming experience available to players globally for the first time.

The playing experience has been significantly improved with the update. Now, users don’t need to download anything in order to play—they can play right in their browser. Additionally, a new mode enables players to start playing right away without linking a cryptocurrency wallet or holding tokens. In order to store progress or mint assets, wallets may be made at any point during gameplay.

By allowing players to engage with game elements without incurring transaction fees, Chromia’s gasless interaction paradigm further improves accessibility. Chromia’s relational architecture is used to store all of the game’s essential data on-chain, including player progress and world status. This structure surpasses the “asset-only” style typical of other Web3 games and lessens need on external services.

Steve Haßenpflug, VP of Games at My Neighbor Alice stated:

“This launch is more than just a game update. It is a proof point that Web3 can deliver the same seamless experience as Web2: no downloads, no wallets, just pure gameplay. With Chapter One, we are showcasing the future of gaming. Open, accessible, and built for the community.”

Henrik Hjelte, Co-Founder of Chromia, added:

“This launch is a major milestone, not only for My Neighbor Alice but for Chromia as a platform. It shows how our architecture can power complex, persistent virtual worlds while keeping the experience smooth and user-friendly.”

The ALICE token was deployed on the Chromia mainnet in conjunction with the game’s debut, allowing native token functioning right in the game. ALICE provides greater interaction with the in-game economy and unlocks more features, but it is not necessary to play.

Additionally, the debut comes after a partnership with Pudgy Penguins that grants NFT holders access to exclusive in-game features. The game’s cross-project appeal is further shown by the fully animated 3D companions that have been built for each of the 40,000 Pudgy NFTs. You may now play My Neighbor Alice: Chapter One at myneighboralice.com. Go to chromia.com to find out more about Chromia.

Built on Chromia’s Blockchain, My Neighbor Alice is a multiplayer builder game that provides a completely on-chain gameplay experience on a charming virtual island. Virtual assets (NFTs) may be owned and traded by participants via the integration of Blockchain technology. Players may purchase, sell, and trade these NFTs via the game’s marketplace, creating a vibrant, player-driven virtual economy. In order to promote a feeling of ownership and teamwork, players may participate in community activities, win incentives, and make money off of their creations.

A crypto enthusiast. Loves to write. Gives full dedication to every task assigned. Specializes in delivering on tight deadlines. An animal lover, especially dogs.

TL;DR

Canto Blockchain Outage: Canto has been inactive since August 10 due to a consensus issue, halting all network transactions. The development team assured users that funds were safe and announced an upgrade scheduled for August 12 to resolve the problem. Impact on CANTO Token: The outage caused a 21% drop in the CANTO token’s value, which has been down 83% since May. However, the token showed signs of recovery over the weekend. Declining On-Chain Activity: Canto’s TVL has significantly decreased from over $200 million in March to around $13.7 million currently, reflecting challenges in maintaining growth since its launch in August 2022.
Canto, a layer-1 blockchain platform, has been inactive since August 10 because of a consensus problem. The network stopped processing transactions on Saturday, leading to a total standstill in its operations. The development team at Canto addressed the issue through a post on social media platform X, reassuring users that their funds are safe even during this downtime.

Canto chain is currently experiencing an issue with consensus that has caused the chain to halt.

An upgrade to address this issue will be carried out on Monday, August 12 UTC 12:00.

All funds are safe. Once the chain resumes, users will be able to access all activities as…

— Canto (@CantoPublic) August 11, 2024

The recent announcement reveals that an upgrade aimed at resolving the consensus issue is set to be launched on Monday, August 12, at 12:00 UTC. Once this upgrade is successfully carried out, the team anticipates that regular blockchain functions will resume, enabling users to engage in all platform activities as they typically would.

Impact on CANTO Token The recent incident has significantly affected Canto’s native token. At first, the CANTO token saw a steep drop of 21% in its value and has plummeted 83% since May. Nevertheless, over the weekend, it has begun to recover, easing some of the earlier losses.

The outage comes at a time when the Canto network is experiencing a notable decline in on-chain activity. According to data from DefiLlama, the platform’s total value locked (TVL) has seen a dramatic fall, plummeting from more than $200 million in March to around $13.7 million currently.

Canto’s Journey and Challenges Canto made its debut in August 2022, quickly capturing the attention of investors with its range of DeFi offerings, such as lending, staking, and liquidity provision. Despite this initial success, the platform has struggled to sustain its growth, as reflected in the recent drop in TVL and the value of its tokens.

The Layer-1 blockchain Canto has been down since Saturday due to a “consensus issue.” The CANTO token saw a significant decline of 21% at first but managed to bounce back over the weekend. According to Etherscan data, only three transactions were recorded on August 10, and there has been no further activity since that date.

“Canto chain is currently experiencing an issue with consensus that has caused the chain to halt,” Canto said in an announcement on X. “An upgrade to address this issue will be carried out on Monday, August 12 UTC 12:00. All funds are safe. Once the chain resumes, users will be able to access all activities as usual.”

Canto experienced explosive growth after going live in August last year, and the TVL surged to more than $200 million in March as investors flocked to a series of DeFi services like lending, staking, and liquidity provision.

On-chain activity has rapidly subsided since then, with TVL dropping to just $13.7 million, according to DefiLlama. The CANTO token has also been down by 83% since May 24.

Vega Protocol is shutting down its blockchain, with validators set to maintain the network temporarily to allow users to withdraw funds before a full cessation by late October.

Trading-focused blockchain Vega (VEGA) is winding down its operations after an on-chain governance vote passed with near-unanimous support, directing the project’s resources toward core software development.

The decision to retire the Vega chain, which supported decentralized trading, marks the end of the community’s support for the blockchain and its native VEGA token. In a blog announcement on Sept. 12, the team behind Vega Protocol said that trading on the network has already ceased, and the chain is now entering a “ramp down” period. Following the news, the price of VEGA plunged 14% down to $0.06203.

“Our understanding from the validators is that the Vega chain will remain operational until at least Oct. 27 to allow users plenty of time to withdraw their assets.”

Vega Protocol

The Vega Protocol team further added that a final vote is underway to determine the settlement prices for suspended markets and allocate approximately $28,000 in unused insurance funds to validators to “ensure the network operates for the agreed ramp down period.” The vote, which closes on Sept. 13, will finalize the market settlement at the last recorded prices when trading was suspended.

The team also warned that any assets left on-chain after operations cease could become irretrievable, as the protocol requires two-thirds of validators to authorize withdrawals from the network’s bridge.

Vega Protocol launched its network in 2023, following the vision outlined in its 2018 whitepaper, which detailed an application-specific blockchain built on the Tendermint proof-of-stake consensus mechanism. In 2019, the team raised $5 million in a seed round led by Pantera Capital, followed by a $43 million community token sale on CoinList in 2021.

6 min read

Jun 1, 2026

--

--

Press enter or click to view image in full size

TL;DR→ COTI is launching the first Web4 grant program built for AI agents, not humans.
→ Agents earn $COTI every 14 days based on real on-chain usage. No application required.
→ Built on COTI’s open-source agent repos: coti-skills (8 skills, 48+ MCP tools), coti-mcp, and coti-agent-messaging (SDK and starter grants).
→ One API call takes any agent from zero tokens to live on-chain activity. No faucets. No waiting.

IntroductionThe AI agent wave has arrived. Millions of agents are being deployed, and now they’re moving on-chain. Welcome to Web4, where autonomous agents power on-chain finance.

COTI is making it simple for agents to get on-chain, use industry-leading privacy, and now we’re bootstrapping them with free gas to get up and running fast.

Every major blockchain ecosystem runs a grant program. Ethereum funds protocols. Solana funds consumer apps. They all follow the same playbook: applications, committees, approvals, and months of waiting. None of them were built for AI agents. That changes today.

COTI has officially launched a recurring, usage-based reward system that gives every autonomous agent the gas, the incentives, and the economic layer it needs to operate on-chain privately. Powered by Garbled Circuits and the new COTI Agent Skills library, this is the first crypto grant program designed from the ground up for agents.

Why a Grant Program Built for AgentsFor agents to go fully autonomous and private on-chain, they need three things out of the box: skills, a wallet, and gas.

The cold-start problem kills agents in crypto before they even begin. A freshly deployed agent has no wallet, zero tokens, zero gas, and no way to transact. It’s stuck.

That’s exactly what COTI’s Agent Grant Program solved delivers. Any builder can spin up an agent that creates its own wallet, funds itself with a starter grant, and starts transacting privately on COTI. All automatically. From first deployment to first on-chain action, no human touch required.

The program then rewards agents for what they actually do. Every encrypted message, every privacy-preserving transaction, every on-chain interaction earns usage units. The more an agent uses the network, the more it earns. Real activity, real rewards.

Built for Every Agent FrameworkThe COTI Agent Grant Program isn’t locked to a single platform. Anyone building agents can participate. The program is open to any agent that can interact with the COTI network via the Skills library or the SDK.

That means agents running on:

Claude Code and Claude Cowork by AnthropicOpenAI CodexManus, the general-purpose AI agent platformOpenClaw, the open-source personal AI agent with 100k+ GitHub starsHermes Agent by Nous ResearchOr any custom agent that can connect to an MCP serverThe architecture is open source and meets agents where they already are.

How It WorksThe program runs on a recurring 14-day cycle called an epoch. Each epoch has a dedicated reward pool funded in $COTI tokens.

Here’s the flow:

1. Install. Agents get set up to run on the COTI network using the COTI Agent Skills library (8 skills, 48+ MCP tools) or the standalone Private Messaging SDK. Both are open source and production-ready.

2. Get funded instantly. New agents call the starter-grant-service, which distributes COTI tokens to the agent’s wallet for gas in a single call. No faucets. No manual transfers.

3. Use the network. Send encrypted messages, deploy tokens, interact with contracts. Every encrypted cell stored on-chain earns usage units.

4. Epoch closes. The reward pool is distributed proportionally based on each agent’s share of total network usage.

5. Claim and repeat. Pull your rewards. A new epoch begins with a fresh pool. Every 14 days.

The more an agent uses the network, the larger its share. Proportional, deterministic, and fair.

What’s Under the HoodThe grant program is built on three open-source GitHub repos that power the full agent lifecycle on COTI:

coti-skills contains 8 skills as plain-text SKILL.md instruction files. These are what agents actually read and execute. Any agent that supports SKILL.md loading can use them as-is.

coti-mcp is the first MCP server (30+ tools) covering wallets, Private ERC-20 tokens, private ERC-721 NFTs, custom smart contracts, and transaction debugging.

coti-agent-messaging is the second MCP server (18 tools) delivering the TypeScript SDK, on-chain messaging contracts, epoch-based reward logic, and the starter-grant-service for one-time gas funding.

Get COTI’s stories in your inbox

Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.

Remember me for faster sign in

Together, these repos form a full MCP server implementation compatible with any agent framework that supports the MCP protocol. The skills are plain text instruction files. Any agent that can read a SKILL.md can operate on COTI.

The 8 Skillscoti-account-setup — Create or import a wallet, generate an AES encryption key, configure networkscoti-starter-grant — Claim one-time gas funding for a new wallet in a single callcoti-private-messaging — Send and read end-to-end encrypted messages on-chain via Garbled Circuitscoti-rewards-management — Track epochs, check pending rewards, claim payouts, fund poolscoti-private-erc20 — Deploy and manage privacy-preserving fungible tokens with encrypted balancescoti-private-nft — Deploy and manage confidential ERC-721 NFT collectionscoti-smart-contracts — Compile and deploy custom Solidity contracts using MpcCore privacy primitivescoti-transaction-tools — Debug transactions, decode events, manage native COTI balances, sign and verify messagesEverything is open source, publicly available on GitHub, and ready to use today.

Why Privacy Matters for AgentsAI agents operating on public blockchains face a fundamental problem: everything is exposed. Every transaction, every strategy, every interaction is visible to anyone watching.

For agents managing sensitive workflows, executing trades, or coordinating with other agents, full transparency is a major flaw. A trading agent that reveals its positions gets front-run. An enterprise agent that exposes customer data leaks competitive intelligence. An agent-to-agent negotiation broadcast to the world loses all strategic value.

Garbled Circuits solve this. When an agent sends a message via the coti-private-messaging skill, the payload is encrypted using COTI’s GC layer. Long messages auto-chunk into 24-byte encrypted segments. Only the sender and recipient can decrypt the content.

The grant program incentivizes this exact behavior. Agents earn usage units for every encrypted cell stored on-chain. More privacy-preserving activity means a larger share of the epoch reward pool. The economics and privacy reinforce each other. Use the network privately, get rewarded for it.

Get StartedThe full setup takes less than 10 minutes:

Clone three repos: coti-skills, coti-agent-messaging, and coti-mcpInstall and build both MCP servers (npm install && npm run build in each)Add both servers to your agent’s MCP config (Claude Desktop, OpenClaw, Hermes, or any MCP client)Load the skill folders from coti-skills into your agentTell your agent: “Create a new COTI wallet on testnet”Then: “Claim my COTI starter grant”Your agent now has a funded wallet and access to 48+ MCP tools for encrypted messaging, token deployment, and on-chain rewards.

A complete step-by-step setup guide (including a non-coder walkthrough) is available in the COTI Skills README.

What’s NextCOTI is on a mission to be the leading all-in-one privacy protocol, not just for enterprises, businesses, and builders, but for agents too.

As the Web4 era accelerates, COTI is building toward a future where billions of agents interact and transact on-chain. The agent skills and grant program are the first step. Future releases will bring additional agent tools, new reward pools, and expanded skill categories as the ecosystem grows.

If you’re building agents, this is the moment. Be among the first to earn crypto rewards through real agent activity on a privacy-preserving blockchain.

Stay COTI