Autor Sam Bourgi

Bybit lands on Singapore MAS Investor Alert List

Crypto exchange Bybit has been added to the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s (MAS) Investor Alert List, a registry designed to warn consumers about entities that may be wrongly perceived as licensed or regulated by the financial watchdog. Bybit Fintech Limited and Bybit appeared on the MAS alert list on Wednesday, although the regulator did not provide a specific reason for their inclusion.Bybit Fintech Limited, the corporate entity behind the exchange, appears on the MAS Investor Alert List website. Source: MASAccording to MAS, the Investor Alert List identifies entities and investment offers that may create the false impression of being licensed, authorized, regulated or registered by the authority, or whose investment offerings may be mistakenly viewed as having received MAS approval.Based on publicly available information, Bybit is not licensed or regulated by MAS. Cointelegraph reached out to a Bybit spokesperson for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.Although Bybit was founded by Singaporean entrepreneur Ben Zhou, the exchange does not operate in the city-state. Singapore is listed among the company’s “Service Restricted Countries” on its website, meaning users in the jurisdiction are not permitted to access its services.Related: SBI Holdings targets majority stake in Singapore crypto exchange CoinhakoSingapore maintains strict oversight of crypto sectorSingapore has cemented its position as a leading crypto hub, ranking among the world’s top jurisdictions for decentralized finance and institutional digital asset services in Chainalysis’ 2025 Global Crypto Adoption Index. Retail crypto adoption, however, ranked significantly lower.The MAS has continued to take an assertive approach to industry oversight. In May, the regulator revoked the Major Payment Institution license of crypto liquidity provider Bsquared Technology after uncovering what it described as serious regulatory breaches, including weaknesses in risk management and conflict-of-interest policies. MAS also said the company had provided false or misleading information on multiple occasions, from its initial license application through a subsequent inspection.Separately, Singapore police charged former Hodlnaut CEO Zhu Juntao in May with six counts of fraud for allegedly misleading customers about the crypto lender’s exposure to the 2022 Terra ecosystem collapse.Hodlnaut, a Singapore-based crypto lending platform that once served tens of thousands of users, suspended withdrawals in August 2022 following the Terra implosion and was later ordered to liquidate.The regulator placed Binance.com on its Investor Alert List in 2021, The Straits Times reported at the time. However, a search on Wednesday of the list did not show any mention of Binance among 910 records in the query.Related: Singapore Gulf Bank adds stablecoin mint and redeem for 24/7 settlement

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Tokenized asset market tops $43B as institutions accelerate blockchain adoption

The market for tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) continues to expand despite broader weakness in crypto markets, with the value of onchain financial assets climbing sharply over the past six months as traditional financial products migrate onto blockchain rails.According to Token Terminal, tokenized assets now exceed $43 billion in market value, up roughly 37% over the past 180 days.The figures exceed those reported by other industry trackers, most notably RWA.xyz, which values the combined RWA market at less than $33 billion. The discrepancy likely reflects methodological differences, with Token Terminal including a broader range of tokenized financial assets.Tokenized funds dominate the sector, accounting for nearly 80% of total market capitalization. Commodities rank a distant second at 16.6%, followed by tokenized stocks at 3.8%.Source: Token TerminalEthereum remains the leading blockchain for tokenized assets, hosting 57.8% of total value. BNB Chain accounts for 8.5%, followed by zkSync Era (7.5%), XRP Ledger (5.8%) and Stellar (5.4%), reflecting the sector’s gradual expansion beyond Ethereum.Sky is the largest issuer with $6.1 billion in tokenized assets, followed by Securitize and Ondo Finance at $3.6 billion each, according to Token Terminal.Related: Crypto Biz: SpaceX fuels tokenization’s next boomTokenization moves beyond TreasurysTokenization has gained mainstream attention as major financial institutions embrace blockchain-based infrastructure. Earlier this week, Standard Chartered initiated coverage of Uniswap, arguing that the decentralized exchange’s UNI token could appreciate 40-fold by 2030 as tokenized assets increasingly migrate onchain.The bank projects the decentralized finance sector will grow to $2.7 trillion over the same period, driven largely by the expansion of tokenized financial products.Source: Frank ChaparroCitigroup has also turned bullish on tokenization, projecting that the market will reach $5.5 trillion by 2030 in its base case and up to $8.2 trillion in a bull scenario. The bank argues the industry is moving beyond the pilot stage as regulatory clarity improves. Citi identified the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq integrating tokenization into core issuance processes as key catalysts for growth.Stablecoins, which are often excluded from tokenization metrics, are expected to be a major driver of sector growth. Source: CitiWhile tokenized funds and private credit continue to dominate the market, tokenized equities are gaining traction through platforms such as Ondo Markets and xStocks. The trend reflects a broader shift within the industry, with Binance Research recently concluding that RWA growth is becoming more diversified.“2026 marks RWA tokenization’s maturation from a Treasury-dominated narrative into a diversified yield ecosystem,” Binance Research said in a report earlier this month.Related: JPMorgan, Citi-backed Clearing House plans tokenized deposit network in 2027: WSJ

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Coinbase lets users transfer stock portfolios as exchange expands beyond crypto

Coinbase is allowing users to transfer existing stock portfolios onto its platform, marking another step in the company’s push beyond cryptocurrency trading and toward becoming a full-service financial platform.On Tuesday, Coinbase unveiled expanded stock and exchange-traded fund (ETF) trading through Coinbase Advanced, its platform for active traders, allowing US users to transfer existing portfolios from other brokerages directly onto the exchange. The update builds on the stock and ETF trading service Coinbase launched earlier this year, which initially provided access to roughly 6,000 securities.The company is also offering zero-commission trading, TradingView charting tools, fractional shares and up to 3.5% rewards on eligible USDC (USDC) balances.A Coinbase spokesperson told Cointelegraph that users will be able to physically transfer their holdings to the platform through the Automated Customer Account Transfer Service (ACATS), which enables securities and cash to move between brokerages without being sold.Screenshot from a Coinbase account. Source: CoinbaseThe expansion positions Coinbase to compete more directly with traditional brokerages and fintech platforms such as Robinhood by allowing users to manage stocks, ETFs and cryptocurrencies from a single account rather than across multiple services.Coinbase’s Tuesday announcement also revealed a broader expansion of its trading offerings, including crypto and stock options, thematic equity index perpetual futures, pre-IPO perpetuals and expanded prediction markets. While some features are available immediately, others will roll out over the coming months.Related: Coinbase launches 24/7 stock perps for non-US tradersCoinbase expands as crypto trading revenues fluctuateCoinbase’s continued expansion beyond crypto comes as competition in the online brokerage industry intensifies and the company looks to diversify revenue streams that have historically been tied to digital asset markets.The company’s financial performance has often tracked crypto price cycles. For example, Coinbase reported stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter 2024 earnings, with a post-election rally fueling a 130% jump in revenue. More recently, however, it posted a surprise loss in the first quarter of 2026 as weaker cryptocurrency prices weighed on trading activity. The company reported a loss of $1.49 per share on $1.41 billion in revenue, missing analysts’ expectations for earnings of 27 cents per share on $1.52 billion in revenue.A summary of Coinbase’s Q1 2026 earnings. Source: CoinbaseAlthough spot crypto trading remains Coinbase’s primary source of revenue, expanding into stocks, ETFs and other financial products could help reduce its dependence on the volatility of digital asset markets.Related: Exodus launches tokenized stock marketplace with Ondo, adds 200-plus onchain equities

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Ripple targets Africa’s remittance market with Flutterwave investment

Blockchain payments company Ripple has acquired an equity stake in African fintech giant Flutterwave, deepening its push into one of the world’s fastest-growing cross-border payments markets.Flutterwave CEO Olugbenga Agboola said the undisclosed investment values the company at $3.3 billion, according to Bloomberg. The deal gives Ripple exposure to Africa’s expanding payments ecosystem while providing Flutterwave with additional resources to scale its financial infrastructure.The investment makes Ripple a shareholder rather than an owner or commercial partner. Flutterwave operates in 35 African countries and has recently expanded its digital asset offerings by integrating stablecoin payment services.As part of the deal, Flutterwave will integrate Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin, Ripple Payments and the XRP Ledger to make cross-border transactions faster and more cost-effective.Source: FlutterwaveThe deal is the latest step in Ripple’s broader strategy to expand its blockchain-based payments network across Africa, where demand for faster and lower-cost international transfers continues to grow. Last October, Ripple partnered with South Africa’s Absa Bank to provide digital asset custody solutions to institutional clients.Related: Bybit Pay enters South Africa through MoneyBadger integrationStablecoins gain traction in Africa’s remittance marketAfrica has emerged as a key growth market for digital asset payments, driven largely by the continent’s sizable remittance flows and demand for lower-cost cross-border transfers.A September 2025 Chainalysis report found that crypto adoption in Sub-Saharan Africa climbed 52% over 12 months, with more than $205 billion in onchain transactions recorded. At the time, the region ranked as the world’s third-fastest-growing crypto market.Onchain volumes in Sub-Saharan Africa have surged since 2022. Source: ChainalysisStablecoins have played a central role in that growth, offering a dollar-denominated alternative that can make international payments faster and less expensive. The opportunity has attracted other major issuers, including USDC issuer Circle, which recently partnered with African fintech Sasai to expand USDC-based payment services across the region with a focus on remittances.The World Bank estimates that sending a typical $200 remittance to Sub-Saharan Africa costs recipients between $13 and $17 in fees, compared with as little as $0.50 for transfers using USDt (USDT) on Tron or as little as $2 for transfers using USDC on Ethereum.Related: Africrypt founders back in South Africa years after platform collapse: ReportCointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.

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