Despite real world utility lauded by institutions and enthusiasts alike, XRP is on a tightrope.
Brokerage fintech Robinhood is reportedly developing a blockchain network that will enable retail investors in Europe to trade US securities. According to a May 7 Bloomberg report citing sources familiar with the matter, the move seeks to expand the company's local presence by offering trading of tokenized securities, such as stocks. Two crypto firms, Arbitrum and the Solana Foundation, are reportedly vying to become partners in the project. Tokenization is the process of turning real-world assets, like stocks, real estate, or commodities, into digital tokens that can be traded on a blockchain. Tokenizing securities instead of providing direct exposure can offer several advantages: reduced costs by eliminating traditional financial infrastructure, enhanced accessibility, faster settlement times, and quicker transactions. More brokerages and investment firms are exploring asset tokenization. Robinhood has been preparing to enter the European market. In April 2025, it acquired a brokerage license in Lithuania that allow s the firm to offer investment services throughout the European Union. Robinhood has also inked a deal in 2024 to purchase crypto exchange Bitstamp . “You can sit down in front of some software, create a coin and have it be trading in 5 minutes [...] That’s a scary thing,” Robinhood CEO Vladimir Tenev said in a recent interview . “It’s also an incredibly powerful thing if you juxtapose it with how cumbersome the IPO process is.” Robinhood shares rose 2.7% on the Nasdaq on May 7, according to Google Finance. The company’s revenue fell 8.6% in the first quarter of 2025 , though it still beat Wall Street’s estimates. Robinhood’s daily stock price. Source: Google Finance Bloomberg reports that no agreement has been finalized between the brokerage and either Arbitrum or Solana regarding the project, with all three parties declining to comment. More traditional financial firms are exploring blockchain-based solutions. In May 2018, Banco Santander became the first company to use a blockchain for investor voting , while US giant JP Morgan has created its blockchain platform called Onyx. Magazine: Ethereum is destroying the competition in the $16.1T TradFi tokenization race
The post OCC Approves Banks to Handle Crypto Assets: Key Takeaways and Market Impact appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News The U.S. OCC has aligned with other agencies to issue clear crypto regulations under the Donald Trump administration. U.S. banks can now work with DeFi protocols to ensure a secure mainstream adoption of digital assets. The United States Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) announced on Wednesday, May 7, that national banks and federal savings associations can participate in crypto asset custody and trading services. According to the published Interpretive Letter 1184, banks may buy and sell crypto assets held in custody at the customer’s direction. Additionally, the OCC clarified that national banks and federal savings associations are permitted to outsource to third parties bank-permissible crypto-asset activities. “As with any activity, a bank must conduct crypto-asset custody activities, including via a sub-custodian, in a safe and sound manner and in compliance with applicable law,” the OCC noted . Key Takeaways from OCC Announcement and Crypto Market Impact The approval by the OCC for banks to handle crypto assets is a clear indication of the rising demand for cryptocurrencies by institutional investors. The notable surge in real-world assets tokenization has attracted notable attention from lawmakers seeking to ensure crypto market clarity and investor protection. With Wall Street banks permitted to handle crypto assets by the OCC, the cash inflow to crypto investment products will experience a sharp uptick in the near term. Moreover, the U.S. banking industry has experienced significant headwinds, including high unrealized losses on their investment securities. The adoption of blockchain technology by traditional finance was in retrospect inevitable as a means to ensure sustainable future growth prospects.
The central bank committee members unanimously voted to keep rates unchanged and expressed concerns about the elevated levels of inflation. BTC Trends Upward After Fed’s Rate Decision The price of bitcoin (BTC) jumped 2% after the U.S. Federal Reserve decided to keep its policy rate in the 4.25% – 4.5% range on Wednesday afternoon sighting
Stripe, the financial infrastructure giant that processed $1.4 trillion in payments volume in 2024, is stepping into the world of stablecoins with its new Stablecoin Financial Accounts. Stablecoin Financial Accounts will allow users to send, receive, and store stablecoins within Stripe in more than 100 different countries, but notably exclude areas with major economic value, such as North America and Western Europe. The launch comes as the stablecoin and real-world asset (RWA) market capitalizations hit new all-time highs . The stablecoin sector is currently valued at $242 billion , up 86% since the beginning of 2024. The RWA market is up 125% to $19.5 billion in the same period. To continue reading this as well as other DeFi and Web3 news, visit us at thedefiant.io
A May 6 report from the Financial Times alleges that a cluster of traders purchased Melania Trump’s $MELANIA meme coin just two and a half minutes before the First Lady’s January 19 Truth Social post, which unveiled the namesake cryptocurrency. $MELANIA Makes Headlines According to the London-based media outlet’s report , 24 wallets bought $2.6 million worth of $MELANIA roughly 150 seconds ahead of Trump’s Truth Social announcement, with the traders earning nearly $100 million. A small group of traders earned a $99.6mn windfall by buying Melania Trump’s cryptocurrency token in the minutes before it was made public, an analysis by the Financial Times has found. https://t.co/KqsDps49lU pic.twitter.com/05KM9QeTBj — Financial Times (@FT) May 6, 2025 The Financial Times claims that most of the traders’ meme coin profits were eventually exchanged for USDC, though just who was behind the wallets is still unknown. The launch of $MELANIA and U.S. President Donald Trump’s $TRUMP coin just days ahead of his inauguration this past January has raised eyebrows among his political opponents on Capitol Hill and in the cryptocurrency community, particularly concerning presidential ethics. Trump’s Ties To Crypto Under Scrutiny Trump is slated to host an exclusive dinner for the top 220 $TRUMP investors at Trump National Golf Club in Washington, D.C., later this month, prompting several U.S. lawmakers to question the nature of the event. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) called on Jamieson Greer, the acting director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, to launch an “urgent inquiry” into Trump’s crypto venture in an April 25 letter. “The American people deserve the unwavering assurance that access to the presidency is not being offered for sale to the highest bidder in exchange for the President’s own financial gain,” the U.S. lawmakers said. On Tuesday, ranking member of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), announced that the group would launch a “preliminary inquiry” into U.S. President Donald Trump’s ties to the crypto industry. “President Trump’s financial entanglements to the $TRUMP coin, as well as the attempted use of the White House to host competitions to prop up the value of $TRUMP, represent an unprecedented, pay-to-play scheme to provide access to the Presidency to the highest bidder,” Blumenthal said. The post $MELANIA Lightning Buy Nets Traders $100M in 150 Seconds, Financial Times Reveals appeared first on Cryptonews .
Crypto.com is growing its U.S. presence with a new regional office in Washington, D.C. This development comes as 21Shares has introduced a new Exchange-Traded Product (ETP) that gives investors regulated access to Crypto.com-supported blockchain Cronos. Return to the American Market According to a May 7 press release shared with CryptoPotato, the new office will be located in Downtown D.C., close to the White House. “The U.S. market is central to the growth strategy of Crypto.com and the most exciting frontier for our entire industry,” said Matt David, President of North America and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at the exchange. He explained that with the current Administration creating a more stable regulatory environment and key members of Congress taking the lead, expanding the company’s presence and workforce in the capital would help support their shared goals of responsibly growing both the business and the wider crypto industry. The D.C. desk will mainly focus on handling public and government-related matters for the company’s operations in the country. This marks Crypto.com’s latest expansion in North America, following the opening of its regional headquarters in Tyler, Texas, in 2024. Last month, the Singapore-based exchange also partnered with Trump Media to launch a series of crypto-related exchange-traded products expected to go live later this year. This move is part of a larger industry trend in which global crypto firms are returning to and stepping up their activities in the U.S. Recently, OKX shared plans to reopen its American crypto exchange and launch a new Web3 wallet for users in the region. Crypto lender Nexo also announced its return to the country’s market due to a better regulatory environment under President Trump’s Administration. 21Shares Launches Cronos-Focused ETP In related news, 21Shares has launched a new ETP that allows investors regulated access to the Cronos blockchain and its native CRO token. “By launching a Cronos ETP, we are offering investors … regulated exposure to a blockchain ecosystem that is driving real-world adoption,” said Mandy Chiu, head of financial products development at 21Shares. According to a statement, the ETP will be listed on Euronext Paris and Amsterdam under the ticker CRON. The new product has a 2.5% management fee and is designed to help investors access emerging Web3 infrastructure. Cronos is a Layer 1 blockchain built to power decentralized finance (De-Fi), NFTs, and AI-driven Web3 applications. Compatible with both Ethereum and Cosmos, it aims to bridge centralized and decentralized systems. Crypto.com played a key role in developing the network and remains a major contributor. The CRO token is used for transaction fees on the blockchain and offers various benefits on the exchange. The post Crypto.com Expands US Presence with New Washington, DC Office appeared first on CryptoPotato .
The weakening US dollar signals a pivotal transformation in the financial landscape, prompting renewed interest in Bitcoin as a viable alternative asset. Analysts suggest that this trend may not only
The U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, which regulates national banks, has continued its about-face to earlier resistance to cryptocurrency in banking, issuing interpretive letters that say the institutions can — at their customers' behest — buy and sell crypto assets in custody. The newly explained policy stance released by the OCC on Wednesday also clarified that the bankers can outsource crypto activities to third parties, including custody and executive services. As long as it all still checks the boxes of the watchdog's safety-and-soundness requirements, the OCC is giving the banks more crypto freedom. This week's move follows the agency's March reversal of a longstanding policy that demanded bankers check with their government supervisors before moving ahead with new crypto business. "These letters signal a shift in the OCC's approach," Katherine Kirkpatrick Bos, Starkware general counsel and a former chief legal officer at Cboe Digital, noted on social media site X . She said the agency now seems to be melding crypto into traditional banking. And the additional guidance that third-parties are okay "is a boon to regulated crypto native service providers." Read More: OCC Says Banks Can Engage in Crypto Custody and Certain Stablecoin Activities
The Solana Name Service (SNS), a decentralized naming protocol on the Solana blockchain, has launched its SNS token to decentralize governance and align the project’s future with its user community. Solana Naming Protocol Launches Governance Token with 10 Billion Supply The SNS token, with a total supply of 10 billion, is designed to grant .sol