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Quick Summary: BlackRock’s Robbie Mitchnick says institutional investors are narrowing focus to bitcoin and ether, calling most other tokens short-lived and largely nonsense. BlackRock’s head of digital assets, Robbie Mitchnick, says institutional investors are increasingly concentrating their attention on bitcoin and ether, viewing the vast majority of other tokens as short-lived and largely without substance. His remarks reflect a growing selectivity among large financial players navigating the crowded cryptocurrency landscape. Rather than spreading exposure across many digital assets, institutions appear to be gravitating toward what they regard as the most established and credible options.Mitchnick argued that artificial intelligence represents a…

Quick Summary: The CFTC has created an Innovation Task Force to build regulatory frameworks covering crypto, blockchain, AI, and prediction markets. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has announced the creation of a new Innovation Task Force aimed at modernizing its regulatory approach to emerging technologies. The initiative, revealed in a Tuesday notice, will work alongside the regulator’s Innovation Advisory Committee. Its scope covers crypto, blockchain, artificial intelligence, and prediction markets.CFTC Chair Michael Selig outlined the task force’s purpose while speaking at the Digital Asset Summit in New York City on Tuesday. He described it as a venue where…

Quick Summary: Circle and Sasai Fintech are integrating USDC into African payments infrastructure to cut remittance costs and settlement times across the continent. Circle has announced a partnership with Sasai Fintech to expand the use of its USDC stablecoin across African payment corridors. The collaboration, announced on Tuesday, aims to integrate USDC into Sasai’s existing payments infrastructure, which covers cross-border transfers, enterprise payments and consumer wallets. The companies say the goal is to reduce transaction costs and settlement times for users across the region.Sasai operates digital payments services across multiple African markets and will connect its platform with Circle’s onchain…

Quick Summary: BNY Mellon CEO Robin Vince says major financial institutions will bridge traditional finance and digital assets over a 5- to 15-year transformation. BNY Mellon chief executive Robin Vince has stated that large financial institutions are positioned to drive the next phase of cryptocurrency adoption, acting as a connecting layer between conventional financial systems and digital assets. Vince’s remarks point to a growing belief among senior banking figures that established players, rather than newer entrants, will shape how digital finance develops. His comments reflect a broader shift in how major institutions are approaching the sector.Among the early practical applications…

Quick Summary: Epic Games is laying off more than 1,000 employees after declining Fortnite engagement left the company spending far more than it earns. Epic Games announced on Tuesday that it is cutting more than 1,000 positions, with CEO Tim Sweeney citing a significant drop in revenue tied to declining player engagement with its flagship title. In a memo addressed to staff and posted publicly, Sweeney stated that the company has been spending considerably more than it earns, making major reductions necessary to keep the business viable. He also took the unusual step of clarifying that the cuts are not…

Quick Summary: A US court sentences Russian national Aleksei Volkov to 81 months in prison for selling corporate network access to ransomware groups, causing over $9 million in losses. Aleksei Volkov, a 26-year-old Russian national from St. Petersburg, has been sentenced to 81 months in federal prison by a court in the Southern District of Indiana. Volkov was found to have assisted major cybercrime organizations, including the Yanluowang ransomware group, in attacks that resulted in more than $9 million in confirmed losses and over $24 million in intended losses across the United States. The sentencing marks the conclusion of a…

Quick Summary: The CFTC has created an Innovation Task Force to develop regulatory frameworks for crypto, AI, and prediction markets within U.S. derivatives markets. The United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has established a new Innovation Task Force aimed at building clear regulatory frameworks for emerging technologies operating within U.S. derivatives markets. The task force will focus on three primary areas: crypto and blockchain, artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, and prediction markets. The announcement signals the agency’s intent to position itself as a central regulator for next-generation financial technologies.CFTC Chairman Michael Selig stated that establishing a clear regulatory framework…

Quick Summary: Lombard and Bitwise are teaming up to let institutions earn yield and borrow against Bitcoin without moving assets out of custody. Lombard, a company building Bitcoin-based lending infrastructure, has announced a partnership with Bitwise Asset Management to allow institutions to earn yield and borrow against Bitcoin without removing assets from custody. The collaboration was unveiled Tuesday at the Digital Asset Summit in New York. The initiative targets an estimated $500 billion in Bitcoin currently held in institutional custody, much of which remains outside onchain financial markets.Under the arrangement, Bitwise will develop yield strategies that combine decentralized finance lending…

Quick Summary: Bank of Montreal joins CME Group and Google Cloud to offer institutional clients 24/7 tokenized cash settlement, launching in the second half of 2026. Bank of Montreal (BMO) is partnering with derivatives marketplace CME Group and Google Cloud to introduce a tokenized cash and deposit platform, making it the first bank to offer CME Group’s tokenized cash solution on the Google Cloud Universal Ledger (GCUL). The three companies announced the collaboration in a joint press release on Tuesday. The platform is designed to give institutional clients continuous access to cash settlement outside the limits of traditional banking hours.Under…

Quick Summary: BitGo and Susquehanna Crypto are partnering to give institutional clients OTC access to prediction markets using crypto held in custody. BitGo, a digital asset custody and trading platform, is partnering with Susquehanna Crypto to offer institutional investors over-the-counter access to prediction markets. The collaboration, announced Tuesday, allows clients to trade event-based contracts using cryptocurrency or stablecoins held directly in custody. Trades are routed through BitGo’s platform, with liquidity supplied by Susquehanna. The arrangement targets hedge funds, family offices, and other large investors.Under the structure, participants can execute bilateral trades without moving assets off the platform or converting holdings…