Rita Martins

Zodia Custody partners with Securitize to bolster institutional access to tokenized assets “BUIDL’s sharp rise and adoption easily shows the opportunities that tokenized assets can offer,” Zodia Custody CEO Julian Sawyer said. “More importantly, it also demonstrates the transformative potential that tokenization presents institutions and digital asset-native businesses alike.” Read Brian McGleenon's report in The Block to learn how this partnership is bridging the gap between TradFi and blockchain technology: https://lnkd.in/eBqauwrF

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Visa, Brevan Howard, and Castle Island Ventures across 𝟮,𝟱𝟬𝟬 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘀 from emerging markets. The study revealed that stablecoins are increasingly being used for everyday purposes such as currency conversion, remittances, and paying salaries. With $𝟮.𝟲 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗳 𝗼𝗳 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰, stablecoin usage continues to grow, even during market downturns. Notably, 𝟱𝟳% 𝗼𝗳 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘀 reported an increase in usage, with regional differences showing how stablecoins meet local financial needs across Brazil, Nigeria, Turkey, Indonesia, and India. Source: https://lnkd.in/ezqjKUrX For more weekly insight and thought-provoking analysis, ensure you get your copy at 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝘆𝘁𝗲𝘀: https://lnkd.in/ev-WMFzG. Make sure you sign up to get your weekly analysis. #Stablecoins #Crypto #EmergingMarkets #Blockchain #DigitalAssets #FinTech 

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Lots of news about stablecoins in the past weeks, sheding light on the rationale behind the $1bn acquisition. The Castle Island Ventures and Brevan Howard report on Stablecoins role in emerging markets comes to the same conclusion as a16z crypto 2024 State of Crypto report: stablecoins and crypto market cycles are not correlated 📈 The report highlights the growing range of non-crypto and non-speculative use cases: if stablecoins were merely utilized as a collateral or a form of settlement between traders and crypto exchanges, as is commonly alleged, you would expect the settlement volumes, transaction counts, and monthly active addresses to largely correlate with the crypto market cycles. However, the divergence that appeared throughout the cooling off period in 2022-23 suggests that stablecoins have meaningful usage outside of mere speculative uses, examples for USD-backed stables with similar applications for other currencies: 💵 Access to dollar banking, saving money in dollars and earning a yield 💱 Currency conversion – better rates and 24/7 availability 🛍 Paying for goods and services 🌍 Cross-border transactions 💸 Receiving a salary Notably, the report uses an adjustment methodology to estimate aggregate stablecoin settlement - the so-called denoising and deduplication through assessing transactions 'intent' to remove the duplicative impact of complex arbitrage and lending transactions. Even after the adjustments, estimate that stablecoins in the aggregate conservatively settled $3.7 trillion in 2023, and $2.62 trillion in the first half of 2024, at an annualized pace of $5.28 trillion. Stablecoin settlement volumes have grown steadily throughout the market cycle, despite the selloff in cryptoassets and declines in exchange volume evident in 2022 and 2023. This is another indication that stablecoins have reached a new set of users that are not solely interested in using them for exchange settlement. In the spirit of the above, other market signals are strong: Stripe acquiring Bridge is huge not only because of the deal size and Bridge's startup to unicorn fast track 🦄, but because it is capable of rewiring the whole merchant payments and financial system. Full report here: https://lnkd.in/eKW94u2D #stablecoins #crossborderstractions

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Some very good points from Simon Taylor on #regulation in the US: " So rather than re-litigate Synapse/Evolve or the blow-ups we’ve seen in Crypto, and how there are real contraversions of laws and regulations, zoom out with me for a second. Before you feel forced to pick a side consider what other things might be true. -The US regulatory system is complex, often adding a new agency to handle every new crisis or issue. -US agencies are headed by political appointments that will focus on administration-aligned issues. -Underpaid civil servants staff deal with the hardest problems in society and make lower salaries than they’d make in the private sector -We should show respect to the staff, not intimidate them with the idea of job cuts. -We should also take the generational opportunity to consolidate the bloated US regulatory system (CSBS, don’t @ me; we can simplify at the Federal level at minimum). If it’s time to build, it’s also time to put down the pitchforks." Thanks for the clear thinking, Simon. Sadly, I think the pitchforks are out as the new US administration comes in, and they will be, over time, to the detriment of us all. Brandi Reynolds, CAMS-Audit, CCAS Laura Huntley Laura Spiekerman Matthew Janiga Meaghan Penido Burnier (Wood) Jennifer Arnold Alexandra Steinberg Barrage Alex Johnson Ron Shevlin Eric Segal

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STARTUP INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES REQUIRED: I've got several investors seeking the following. If this is you or someone you know, please DM me or complete the form on my website (do not list below, as I may not see it)... 🤖 AI or Cybersecurity-related • Must fit the following criteria 👇 🚀 UK-based • Seed stage • B2B/B2B2C • Saas / Enterprise 💹 Raising £500k or more • S/EIS preferred, not mandatory 💰 Some early recurring revenues required 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫/𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞-𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 (𝐃𝐌 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬)... • 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐥: 6𝐭𝐡 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 • 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫: 12𝐭𝐡 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 • 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫: 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐲 ---------------------------- 😊 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 • 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 25+ 𝐲𝐫𝐬 📌 𝐃𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬+𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 #startups #angelinvestors #fundraising #founders #InvestmentReadiness

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Dive into the world of algorithmic trading with our comprehensive Certificate Program - Extension Pack EP292 now available! Why should you care? ✅ Master cutting-edge trading strategies ✅ Leverage data-driven decision making ✅ Stay ahead in the fast-paced financial markets This extension pack builds on our core program, offering: • Advanced algorithmic concepts • Hands-on coding workshops • Real-world case studies Don't let this opportunity slip by. Invest in your future today! Curious to learn more? Drop a comment below or DM me for details. #AlgorithmicTrading #FinTech #ContinuousLearning #TradingStrategies

Blockchain was never about crypto Or, metaverse for that matter. . Blockchain, or more appropriately, Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), has always been about improving efficiencies within and across organizations. Many years ago (far too many to count), I had the fortunate opportunity to attend graduate school in the U.K. Sure, the courses were challenging, but it was the simple task of moving money from one country to another to pay for it that caused all the stress. One would think it would be easy, especially since I was using the same bank, one branch in the U.S. and the other in the U.K. But I quickly realized while trying to get a student loan: The two branches were complete strangers. After school, my monthly loan payments became a painful process. Between unfavorable exchange rates, costly wire transfers, and the manual effort required each month to make a payment, it was ridiculously challenging. So, I opted to move my student loan back to the U.S., but of course, the bank couldn't treat my loan as a student loan once it came to the U.S. so I had to get a personal loan to pay off my student loan. Are you kidding me? So, I ended up paying higher interest rates just to make my life easier – simply because the bank couldn't get its act together internally to streamline the process between branches. This is just one example of the many inefficiencies that exist within large enterprise when it comes to tracking assets / data across the organization. This is where DLT/Blockchain comes in. At its core, blockchain excels at connecting disparate data and partners who need visibility into the movement of assets. And when I say asset, I mean anything that has value to someone: a driver's license, passport, mortgage, legal contracts, products, financial transactions, etc. Citi seems to have figured this out, launching its Token Services for Cash. This system processes multimillion-dollar cross-border transactions between branches using a private and permissioned blockchain solely owned and managed by Citi. While many organizations are experimenting around the hype of blockchain with crypto, digital assets, or pushing to get clients to join blockchain networks and having limited success, Citi's doing innovation right. The key to innovation? Start small and remove friction in order to test and learn. With Citi's implementation, "clients are not required to hold or manage any tokens to access the services." Citi has removed the friction to implement while they adopt, learn, and scale... making it easier for clients to benefit from blockchain technology without overhauling their entire systems. And that's how you innovate on an emerging technology. . . #innovation #future #blockchain #DLT

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Incredible interview 🎤 - Former Monzo CPO explains why building the Venmo for cross border needs Stablecoins. Having led product for Monzo, Meta and Deliveroo the key insight is that usability is everything. Stablecoins on Solana are - Fast - Reliable - Cheap Sling Money and Mike Hudack are solving the usability problem in Crypto by doing the hard things like 1. Heavy up front compliance work 2. Building native Crypto and Tradfi integrations 3. Making this truly global "The first major thing we spent money on was our financial crime team" You can find the full thing now but searching for Tokenized wherever you get your podcasts.

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#DeFI, #CeFI, #TradFi and #CryptoMarkets #Regulations This is quite a very interesting initiative about #metrics of five #decentralization aspects and the solutions proposed for such metrics so #lawmakers, #rulemakers, #complianceofficers, #auditors, #cryptomarket #participants and other #stakeholders can have #evidencebased #approach for #DeFIecosystems #categorization and #trustworthydecentralization.

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Stablecoins & Tokenization: New Forefronts in Innovation for Central Bankers. Visa has issued over 10bn tokens, a figure that surpasses the number of physical Visa cards in circulation and highlights the widespread adoption and trust in the technology. A financial ecosystem is in sight where blockchain and tokenization technology play pivotal roles — not just in transferring value but also in creating entirely new forms of financial interaction and service delivery. #tokenization #fintech #payments #digitalassets FSV Labs https://lnkd.in/d4cjsX_y

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My comments to CoinDesk today on Ethereum: According to Ilan Solot, co-head of digital assets at Marex Solutions, the pessimism might actually lead to ether outperformance. "The ubiquitous pessimism is a strong set-up for outperformance. Same for the sell the news strategy, many will try to replay from the BTC ETF," Solot said in an email. "However, I fear many inflow predictions could be over-benchmarked by comparing them to the BTC ETF numbers (like “ETH will attract 20% of BTC ETF inflows”). The prevalence of delta-neutral trades [carry trades] may muddle the comparison and overestimate potential price impacts."

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Decentralised finance #DeFi lending protocols have experienced significant growth recently, yet the motivations driving investors remain largely unexplored. The authors of this Bank for International Settlements – BIS Working Paper use granular, transaction-level data from AAVE, a leading player in the DeFi lending market, to study these motivations. Their theoretical and empirical findings reveal that the search for yield predominantly drives liquidity provision in DeFi lending pools, whereas borrowing activity is mainly influenced by speculative and, to some extent, governance motives. Both retail- and large investors seek potential high returns through market movements and price speculation, however the latter engage in DeFi borrowing relatively more than the former also to influence protocol decisions and accrue more significant governance rights.

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2024 has been a defining year for stablecoins, with market cap peaking at $170bn📈. New entrants like PayPal’s PYUSD and First Digital’s FDUSD are gaining traction, while Stripe’s acquisition of Bridge marks a major step forward in embedding digital currencies with core financial services. One question looms large: is there a ceiling to this growth? Stablecoin issuers typically operate under a narrow banking model, holding reserves in safe assets like T-bills. Tether.io alone now holds $100bn in U.S. Treasuries, making it a top-20 holder. If stablecoins continue to grow at even half their recent rate, within four years, the top five issuers could hold $440bn in U.S. debt. In today’s terms, this would position them the 4th largest holder globally, just behind Japan, China and UK. 🌎 Such growth, however, holds risks⚠️. A sudden sell-off due to regulation or loss of confidence could spike yields and disrupt liquidity in short-term funding. Similarly, as capital shifts from traditional bank deposits to stablecoins, banks might have fewer resources to lend, impacting the money multiplier effect. A Federal Reserve Board study suggests this could lead to a contraction in the money supply if deposits increasingly move into reserve-backed stablecoins. It’s unsurprising that governments are paying close attention🧐. The U.S. Department of the Treasury recently discussed tokenising T-bills on a government-managed blockchain, while proposals like the Clarity for Payment Stablecoins Act and Lummis-Gillibrand Payment Stablecoin Act seek to establish regulatory clarity in the U.S. How can we mitigate stablecoins' growing influence on U.S. debt? One option is to limit large redemptions to prevent sudden sell-offs, although the decentralised nature of DeFi makes it challenging to control the redemption flows🔄. A more feasible approach might be capping the percentage of U.S. T-bills that stablecoin issuers can hold - a change that holds major implications. If U.S. T-bill holdings are restricted, billions of capital could be reallocated to assets like cash, non-U.S. government bonds, commercial paper, or reverse repos. We might also see the rise of bank-issued stablecoins (such as Societe Generale - FORGE ’s EURCV), backed by commercial deposits. Non-bank issuers might be required to hold a significant portion of reserves in tokenised bank deposits, therefore, giving banks enough ammunition to continue to lend, maintaining credit creation akin to a two-tiered CBDC model. This evolving landscape could create substantial opportunities for the startup ecosystem🚀. Key themes to watch include (see the comments section for a full analysis): • Stablecoin diversification: Reserve Liquity Fortunafi • Tokenised liquid assets: BlackRock Fidelity International • Yield enhancements: Hashnote Ethena Labs Ondo Finance • Infrastructure solutions: Kaleido Adhara • Liquidity management: August (prev. Fractal) M^0 Labs • Treasury management: Palm Coinshift

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Report: Apple Approves WeChat Update, Allows Time for Fee Negotiations "...Apple’s approval of the WeChat update for the iOS ecosystem is expected to end speculation in China that the dispute between the two companies over Apple’s app store fees could have resulted in WeChat being excluded from the latest iPhones, according to the report. The disagreement between Apple and Tencent centers around Apple’s demand for a share of the transactions made through WeChat’s mini-games platform, the report said. Apple wants Tencent to block links to external payment services within these mini-games and prevent developers from using the platform’s built-in messaging to direct gamers to other payment portals, thus avoiding paying Apple its usual 30% cut..." #InAppPurchases #ExternalPaymentServices #fees #minigames Weixin/WeChat Bloomberg James Mitchell _________________________________ If you want to immediately see new content that I curate 👉🏻 Ring my bell (🔔) and follow #informationbanker or Informationbanker and if you want to get the posts that got noticed in my weekly What’d I miss newsletter, subscribe here: "https://lnkd.in/d5_KvWwu"

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🇬🇧Today, the Financial Conduct Authority published a few interesting documents: 📚A research note on crypto assets consumer * 12% of UK adults own crypto ↗️ * 93% of UK adults have heard about crypto * Only 1 in 10 people say they did not do any research before buying crypto * Link here https://lnkd.in/d_sEdZfC 🔉A blog on their regulatory approach to crypto, with key points on: * Admissions and disclosures - fundamental for investors protection * Market abuse regime - Yes it is coming, get in touch for how we can help you to achieve compliance 🔥 Solidus Labs * Trading platforms and intermediaries - setting up strong systems and controls that enables fair, orderly, transparent and efficient trading Link here https://lnkd.in/d5J7Sq4s ⏳The roadmap for crypto regulations with Market abuse Discussion paper - Systems and controls Information, sharing Inside information, disclosure is planned for Q4 🚀 with a consultation in Q3 2025. At Solidus Labs we are here to help and support you on the road to compliance, so get in touch and start planning 🔥 . Link here https://lnkd.in/d3XbknvN ❗ Cryptoasset financial promotions and fiat-to-crypto on/off ramp services warning regulated/registered firms to carefully consider the risks of partnering with unregistered cryptoasset firms that may be illegally promoting to UK consumers. Interesting to note that they "are concerned about financial promotions communicated in addition to the ‘widget’ operated by the MLR registered firm, such as on the broader website, app or social media accounts of the unregistered partner firm". And this is exactly what we discuss at the roundtable organised by Simmons & Simmons during the RegTech Forum Steve Vallas Carly Nuzbach Lowery George Morris Podcast spoiler alert 😉 ✅ As always the FCA provides for good practices such as engaging with a section 21 approver (Gateway 21), having robust risk controls in place such as persuading the partner/client firm to implement controls such as geo-blocks, to prevent financial promotions on websites, applications, and other channels from having effect in the UK. ❌ The FCA also discourages authorized firms to have direct relationships with unregistered crypto assets firms. Strongly recommend a full read here: https://lnkd.in/dGg7a-d2 🚀 And as always do not forget to join the Crypto Compliance and Legal TG group https://lnkd.in/ed9gh_xw where we share all the latest regulatory news, best practices, experiences and tips Ian Taylor can't wait to work closer on those topics with you and CryptoUK #Cryptocompliance #futureoffinance #Marketintegrity #betterworld

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🥳Happy weekend 🎄the crypto regulatory world is never boring, a few highlights from the week: 🇬🇧The main one is coming from the UK with the Financial Conduct Authority announcing its roadmap for a crypto framework in one go (not 2 phases) including a discussion paper on the application of market abuse rules to crypto by year end Solidus Labs, and further guidance on FinProm warning regulated/registered firms to carefully consider the risks of partnering with unregistered cryptoasset firms that may be illegally promoting to UK consumers. Have a look here for the full summary https://lnkd.in/dmPnHvzs 🇮🇪The CBI publishing a guidance note for CASPs applying for a MiCA license https://lnkd.in/dkudpsTe 🇲🇦Morocco Central Bank to be on the verge of lifting the bans on crypto and said to be preparing on regulatory framework 🇺🇸 US Court of Appeals ruled on Tuesday that the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ”overstepped its authority” by sanctioning crypto mixer Tornado Cash 🇪🇺New EU Commissioners approved with 3 who may play a role for crypto policy, more details here https://lnkd.in/dGzZj-cN 🇭🇰Hong Kong government has proposed a tax exemption on crypto gains for hedge funds, private equity funds, and other institutional investment vehicles. 🇹🇼Taiwan FSC announced that the upcoming money laundering prevention registration mandate for crypto exchanges was shifted to Nov. 30 from the previous Jan. 1, 2025 deadline. Meet us at the Taipei Blockchain Week 12-14.12, we can help you comply Diana Xu, CAMS 🇷🇺Russia officially declares cryptocurrency as property, adopting new tax rules: mining exemptions, progressive income taxes, and steep corporate levies starting in 2025. 🔺The pump.fun and meme coins freakshow unraveling, https://lnkd.in/dJkbQ8iP and CZ advocating for “real” blockchain over meme coins, well said👏🙏 🔥2 very amazing podcast releases which will help you understand how MiFiD and MiCA can foster growth in the EU, and give you very practical types for your day to day crypto compliance job and MiCA implementation. A huge thank you to my amazing guests Mario Hoessl-Neumann and Eoin Kearns 🙏 🚀 And as always do not forget to join the Crypto Compliance and Legal TG group https://lnkd.in/ed9gh_xw where we share all the latest regulatory news, best practices, experiences and tips

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