News linked to both this project and an event.
According to Cointelegraph, Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) and BlackRock-backed tokenization platform Securitize have officially signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU), establishing a cooperation framework to support the implementation of regulated tokenization projects, attract institutional participation, and strengthen Dubai’s digital asset ecosystem. Carlos Domingo, co-founder and CEO of Securitize, stated that Dubai has become one of the most forward-thinking jurisdictions globally for digital asset innovation, and their collaboration aims to advance tokenization from a "concept into mainstream financial infrastructure." VARA noted that the MoU currently focuses on establishing a cooperative framework, with no specific projects announced at this time.
Odaily News Student loan real-world asset (RWA) protocol Pencil Finance has completed its first fully on-chain student loan cycle, deploying $1 million in capital to provide financing for approximately 6,600 students across Southeast Asia. After borrowers repay their funds, capital providers receive both principal and returns.The financing portfolio was funded in July 2025 by Animoca Brands, Open Campus, and New Campus, and is structured into senior tranches with fixed returns, as well as junior tranches that carry floating yields and bear first-loss risk. The loans cover 118 schools and universities across Southeast Asia, with approximately 1,050 students receiving direct funding. Among borrowers, women account for 50%, and 93% come from low-income families. (Cointelegraph)
Odaily News: The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has stated that crypto firms relying on temporary regulatory relief must apply for an Australian Financial Services License by September 30, or apply to vary their existing license. Those that fail to do so in time may face fines of up to 10% of their annual turnover.ASIC noted that firms requiring a market license or clearing and settlement facility license must also notify the regulator and attend a pre-application meeting. From October 1, firms that do not meet the conditions of ASIC's "no-action" position but still require authorization may be in breach of financial services laws and face civil and criminal penalties.ASIC disclosed that it has recorded more than 45 digital asset-related license applications since updating its guidance in October 2025. On June 25, ASIC extended the temporary regulatory relief period from June 30 to September 30, and broadened its scope of application. (Cointelegraph)
According to Cointelegraph, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) stated that crypto firms relying on temporary regulatory exemptions must apply for an Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL) or seek to vary an existing licence by September 30. From October 1 onwards, businesses that do not meet the conditions of ASIC’s non-action stance and still require authorization may breach financial services law and face civil or criminal penalties, with fines of up to 10% of annual turnover. ASIC noted that since updating the relevant guidance in October 2025, it has received over 45 applications for digital asset-related licences.
Odaily Odaily News: Tokenized real-world asset management firm Ondo Finance stated that existing U.S. securities laws can support perpetual futures tied to individual stocks without the need for new rules, applying the current securities and futures framework.On August 24, Ondo Finance submitted three comment letters to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), recommending the introduction of related products within the United States while incorporating modern margin mechanisms and on-chain market data.Its Panamanian subsidiary has already been offering stablecoin-settled perpetual futures on U.S.-listed stocks outside the United States. As of August 14, the platform, which launched approximately six weeks ago, has accumulated a trading volume of $8 billion. Ondo Finance manages and distributes approximately $2.6 billion in tokenized real-world assets, ranking fourth in the sector. (Cointelegraph)
Odaily News: Blockchain project Core DAO has announced a coordinated emergency hard fork, caused by validators receiving CORE rewards exceeding the blockchain's originally scheduled issuance. Core DAO stated that the incident is under control, malicious validators can no longer continue to obtain excess rewards, and the upgrade will not roll back the network or revoke confirmed transactions.Core DAO previously stated that a small number of validators had accumulated rewards significantly higher than the protocol's set issuance, and that the incident only involved reward distribution, with user assets remaining secure. Coinbase, Bithumb, Coinone, Bitget, and LBank had restricted CORE deposits, withdrawals, or transfers.Core DAO has not yet disclosed the amount of excess CORE issued, the duration of the related activity, whether the extra tokens entered circulation, or the cause of the vulnerability, and stated that it will publish a technical post-mortem report. (Cointelegraph)
According to Cointelegraph, the U.S. Department of Commerce has officially adopted Chainlink to publish core macroeconomic data on-chain, covering key indicators such as real GDP, the PCE price index, and real final sales to private domestic purchasers, marking the first deep integration between traditional government data and blockchain infrastructure.
According to Cointelegraph, blockchain enterprise solution provider Ripple has announced a strategic partnership with digital asset infrastructure company SettleMint to integrate Ripple Custody with SettleMint's Digital Asset Lifecycle Platform (DALP), providing custody, issuance, and management services for tokenized assets to financial institutions. Meanwhile, digital asset service provider Coincheck Group has also announced a collaboration with wallet infrastructure provider DFNS to build digital asset wallet technology and custody services in Japan, leveraging the DFNS platform which supports over 100 blockchain networks. Both partnerships aim to fill the infrastructure gaps that have hindered licensed financial institutions from entering the market.
Odaily News: Stablecoin payment company Kast has launched the KAST Business platform, integrating corporate accounts, payment cards, cross-border transfers, and stablecoin yield-bearing balances. The platform provides services through stablecoin infrastructure.Kast stated that businesses can receive funds through fiat virtual accounts provided by regulated partners, deposit supported stablecoins and crypto assets, issue virtual cards, and make local payments in more than 20 currencies. The platform's services cover over 170 countries and regions, though specific availability varies by jurisdiction. Idle balances earn up to 8% annualized yield, with up to 3% cashback on spending also available.Kast is a fintech company rather than a bank, and regulated services are provided by licensed partner institutions. In March, Kast completed an $80 million fundraise at a $600 million valuation, which will be used for product development, license acquisition, and expanding into North America, Latin America, and the Middle East. The company claims to have over 1 million users and plans to attract 1,000 to 5,000 active businesses by the end of 2026. (Cointelegraph)
According to Cointelegraph, Bitfinex Securities has announced the launch of five tokenized notes tracking the equity performance of Strategy, Metaplanet, Swedish H100 Group, French Capital B, as well as Strategy's variable-rate perpetual preferred shares, STRC. The notes are issued through the Luxembourg-based ORO II fund, backed by underlying securities held in custody by regulated financial institutions, but do not grant investors direct ownership of the corresponding company shares. The products support trading priced in USD, USDT, and BTC, with a minimum investment of approximately $1, and are exclusively available to qualified non-U.S. investors. Bitfinex Securities stated that this marks the first time such products have been traded on the secondary market within a regulated tokenized securities exchange, with the total value of listed assets on the platform now exceeding $500 million.
Odaily News - Bitfinex Securities, the tokenized investment platform under crypto exchange Bitfinex, has listed 5 tokenized notes, providing eligible investors with economic exposure to bitcoin treasury companies such as Strategy, Metaplanet, H100 Group, and Capital B. The platform has also listed Strategy's floating-rate perpetual preferred stock, STRC.The aforementioned notes are issued through the Luxembourg-based ORO (II) fund and managed by SICOS Securities. The underlying securities are held in custody by regulated financial institutions but do not grant investors direct ownership of shares in the corresponding companies. The products allow fractional investments starting from approximately $1 and support trading in USD, USDT, and Bitcoin, and are only available to eligible non-US investors.Bitfinex Securities stated that this marks the first time such products are available for secondary trading on a regulated tokenized securities exchange. Following the completion of a $50 million tokenized fundraising round for metals company Alkemya in August this year, the platform's total listed assets have surpassed $500 million. (Cointelegraph)
According to Cointelegraph, Thailand's Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has released a proposal to allow intermediaries to provide retail investors with access to overseas cryptocurrency derivatives. Compliant products must feature a structure similar to domestic Thai crypto derivatives (including underlying assets, expiration dates, leverage, and settlement methods) and must be traded on exchanges that utilize central counterparty clearing mechanisms and operate under international regulatory supervision. Non-compliant products will be restricted to institutional investors only. Previously, Thailand's SEC officially added cryptocurrencies and digital tokens to the pool of eligible underlying assets for derivatives on March 5, and is currently discussing contract specifications with the Thailand Futures Exchange (TFEX). The public consultation period ends on September 30, while the exact implementation date remains to be announced.
Odaily News - Financial services firm Virtu Financial, M1X Global, and electronic trading platform Tradeweb have completed an on-chain repo transaction using the Republic of the Marshall Islands' USDM1 sovereign digital bond as collateral. The entire transaction was executed on the Canton Network and settled in under 10 minutes.USDM1 is a U.S. dollar-denominated, on-chain issued sovereign bond, backed 1:1 by short-term U.S. Treasuries. It pays a coupon while serving as collateral and constitutes a fully collateralized sovereign obligation under New York State law. The parties involved stated that this is the first repo transaction combining natively issued sovereign collateral with fully on-chain atomic settlement.USDM1 is available for electronic trading via Tradeweb, with institutional custody services provided by Anchorage Digital, BitGo, and tZERO. The Canton Network is designed for institutional finance, featuring privacy and permissioning mechanisms for regulated transactions and tokenized assets. (Cointelegraph)
Odaily News - U.S. President Donald Trump and his family have caused investors at least $4.7 billion in losses through digital asset projects since 2022. Consumer rights advocacy nonprofit Public Citizen stated that the related projects include the World Liberty Financial governance token, NFT trading cards, Official Trump (TRUMP), and Trump Media's digital asset reserve.Among these, TRUMP investors lost approximately $3.2 billion, while USD1 stablecoin investors did not suffer significant losses. Public Citizen noted that the losses from TRUMP primarily reflect a transfer of wealth to a small number of early buyers, rather than funds disappearing outright. Donald Trump also earned $7.2 million from NFT licensing fees and royalties, as well as over $600 million from World Liberty token sales and equity sales.Public Citizen also called for adding ethical standards to the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act (CLARITY Act), requiring the U.S. President and his family to withdraw from related industry projects. Trump met with crypto company executives last week and called for passing a "fair version" of the bill. The Senate is scheduled to vote on a procedural motion on September 15, and advancing the bill requires support from at least 60 senators. (Cointelegraph)
Odaily News - U.S. mortgage lender Better Mortgage and cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase have announced the launch of a bitcoin-backed mortgage product that allows U.S. homebuyers to use BTC as collateral for their down payment loan, eliminating the need to sell their bitcoin holdings. The product is now officially open for applications.The product consists of a Fannie Mae-backed mortgage paired with a separate down payment loan. Borrowers are required to pledge BTC valued at least 250% of the down payment loan amount, with the collateral transferred to Better's custody account on Coinbase Prime. Both loans carry the same interest rate and amortization period, and are repaid through a single monthly payment.A decline in the bitcoin price will not independently trigger a margin call or alter the mortgage terms, but if a borrower falls 60 days or more behind on payments, Better may liquidate the pledged BTC. Applicants must be U.S. residents with a verified Coinbase account, and Coinbase One members can also earn a 1% rebate of up to $10,000, which can be applied toward closing costs and fees. (Cointelegraph)
Odaily News Cryptocurrency exchange OKX's latest survey this month shows that 90% of US college students and 87% of parents support universities offering cryptocurrency and blockchain courses, with 27% of students and 32% of parents believing such courses should be mandatory.A 2025 review of 533 US universities with accredited business schools found that approximately 28% offer blockchain courses. Among surveyed students, 33% cited social media or influencers as their most important source of cryptocurrency information—nearly five times the number who chose schools, teachers, or professors; parents' primary source of information was cryptocurrency platforms and applications, accounting for 21%.OKX surveyed 500 students and 500 parents via the online survey platform Pollfish, with respondents not recruited from OKX's customer base. OKX did not disclose the survey's weighting methodology, margin of error, or the proportion of respondents holding cryptocurrencies. (Cointelegraph)
Odaily News Digital asset infrastructure provider Taurus has connected its tokenization and custody platform to Swift's blockchain-based ledger, allowing clients to use bank-issued tokenized deposits for payments through their existing digital asset infrastructure.Taurus stated that the first client integrations are expected to go live within days, with the first distributed ledger technology transaction facilitated by its platform expected to be completed within weeks.International payment network Swift announced in July that its ledger was ready for initial use, with 17 banks from six continents piloting real-time transactions using tokenized deposits. Standard Chartered and HSBC have completed the first real-time cross-border transaction on the ledger. (Cointelegraph)
Odaily News: Digital asset infrastructure service provider Taurus SA announced that its tokenization and custody platform has completed integration with Swift's blockchain-based distributed ledger, the international bank communication network.Taurus stated that following this integration, clients can connect their existing digital asset infrastructure to Swift's blockchain ledger and conduct payment transactions using bank-issued tokenized deposits. The first batch of client integrations is expected to go live within days, with the first transactions based on this distributed ledger technology (DLT) expected to be completed within weeks.In July 2026, Swift announced that its blockchain ledger was ready for initial use, with 17 banks from six continents planning to pilot cross-border payments based on tokenized deposits through the system. Subsequently, Standard Chartered and HSBC completed the first real-time cross-border transactions supported by the ledger, establishing connectivity between their respective tokenized deposit systems.Swift stated that the blockchain ledger will serve as a coordination layer for cross-border payments, supporting round-the-clock transfers of tokenized deposits held on participating banks' balance sheets, while continuing to complete clearing through existing financial infrastructures such as real-time gross settlement (RTGS) systems during the final settlement phase. (Cointelegraph)
Odaily News - DGrid AI's native token DGAI nearly doubled on its first day of trading, trading at approximately $0.73 on Tuesday, up nearly 93% over the past 24 hours, with a market cap of around $110 million and trading volume exceeding $165 million.DGrid AI is expanding its decentralized AI network, connecting users, developers, and distributed nodes to process AI inference requests. DGAI is used for payments, staking, and node rewards. The network employs a "Proof of Quality" mechanism to evaluate results, requiring node operators to stake DGAI, with penalties imposed for underperformance or violations.DGrid AI sold over 140 DClaw Boxes within hours at $1,580 USDT per unit, generating sales exceeding $221,000 USDT. The device is used to run DClaw personal AI agents, connecting users with AI models through a decentralized network of independently operated nodes. (Cointelegraph)
According to Cointelegraph, PFS maintainer Shipyard stated that due to Protocol Labs not renewing its funding support, it will cease engineering, maintenance, and infrastructure operations on September 30. Affected projects include Kubo, Helia, Boxo, Rainbow, IPFS Desktop, and IPFS Companion, among others, while related public infrastructure such as ipfs.io, dweb.link, delegated-ipfs.dev, and IPFS bootstrap nodes will also stop being operated by Shipyard.