The SEC has approved Nasdaq PHLX to list Bitcoin index options, giving traders direct BTC price exposure without using a spot ETF. The contracts are cash-settled, European-style, capped at 24,000 contracts, and carry a notional value of about $76,000 each.
Plume, a leading RWA network, partners with BDACS to launch KRW1, a KRW-pegged stablecoin. Korean institutions can now invest and settle directly in won within Plume's ecosystem, cutting FX costs and tapping into a regulated market.
CME Group plans to launch Bitcoin volatility futures on June 1, pending regulatory approval. The contracts will settle against the CME CF Bitcoin Volatility Index, allowing traders to hedge or speculate on market volatility independently of Bitcoin’s price direction.
Former CFTC Chairman Chris Giancarlo announced his retirement from legal practice at Willkie Farr & Gallagher to go full-time as a strategic advisor for crypto and fintech startups. Known for approving the first Bitcoin futures, he said regulators already have tools to build a framework without waiting for Congress.
PayDo partners with BVNK to support stablecoin deposits, payouts, and merchant checkout, with all transactions automatically converted to fiat. The firm avoids direct crypto custody, maintaining a regulated e-money framework.
XRP ETF clients purchased $12.98 million worth of XRP in 24 hours, lifting total net assets to $1.54 billion. Cumulative net inflows reached $1.25 billion, with Grayscale and other issuers reporting strong demand.
President Trump threatened to launch a forceful strike against Iran today, triggering a sharp selloff in U.S. equities as geopolitical risk surged. The Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq all hit fresh intraday lows.
The Asia Onchain Finance Summit is scheduled for July 17 in West Kowloon, Hong Kong, with Baillie Gifford, ETH HK Hub, SNZ and BlockUnion listed as joint initiators, and Sharplink, GSR, Lido and EthSystems serving as co-hosts. The event is set to bring together institutional investors, Ethereum infrastructure builders, RWA ecosystem companies, payment and fintech firms, DeFi protocols, digital asset investment institutions, exchanges and liquidity providers to discuss the next stage of onchain finance. EthSystems, an institutional Ethereum privacy technology company that formally announced its launch a day earlier, is expected to make its first public appearance at the summit. Co-founder and CEO Mo Jalil, formerly the Ethereum Foundation’s institutional privacy lead and APAC enterprise partnerships lead, will deliver his first public talk since the company’s debut and join a fireside chat with SNZ Holding partner and CBO and BlockUnion co-founder Henry Chen. Baillie Gifford, which manages more than $250 billion in assets, will also send its global head of digital assets Theo Golden and its Greater China head to speak at the event.
