Securitize's SPAC merger is expected to close shortly after a CEPT shareholder vote, if approved, later this month.
A new coalition is forming, focused on crypto vaults, an increasingly popular mechanism for depositing digital assets and earning yield.
Grayscale entered the ring with its own Hyperliquid linked ETF, setting a new low for fees as competition intensifies among firms.
Grayscale is set to launch its own Hyperliquid exchange-traded fund as soon as this week, setting a sponsor fee of 0.29%.
Less than four years after the collapse of FTX triggered calls for a sweeping crackdown, the crypto industry has emerged as one of the fastest-growing forces in American politics, spending millions across both parties, reshaping key elections, and transforming itself from a regulatory target into a powerful new political machine. In 2022, Washington's dominant question […]
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Digital asset legislation is years in the making, but the sector's biggest political champion, President Trump, has become a liability.
Fuller allegedly diverted $6.2 million for personal use and $5.5M for Ponzi-like payments; only 3% of funds went to crypto trading.
Paxos new license positions it alongside legacy giants such as DTCC and makes it a compelling, more efficient alternative for traditional finance giants than legacy competitors.
Paxos said it is the first and only blockchain-native firm to be registered as a clearing agency under the SEC.
The Digital Chamber published a website to serve as a central spot for people to write to lawmakers in its latest push to pass a crypto bill.
The political environment around the Clarity Act is getting worse, TD Cowen says, making it harder for the crypto bill to pass this year.
Given how far the crypto market has come in terms of regulation, the next big fight won't be about Bitcoin, stablecoins, or even memecoins. It's going to be about whether a crypto exchange can list tokenized stocks that track Tesla, Apple, or Nvidia without those companies ever agreeing to it, and whether the retail investors […]
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The SEC has delayed its plan for an anticipated exemption that would clarify the agency's stance on tokenized assets, Bloomberg Law reported.
SEC Chair Paul Atkins said he instructed the agency's staff to seek public input on prediction market ETFs.
Wyoming’s special purpose depository institutions — companies built around crypto — could soon have a path to something they’ve long been denied: a Federal Reserve master account. A new executive order signed by US President Donald Trump puts that possibility on the table, along with a broader push to open up the US banking system to crypto and financial technology companies. Related Reading: XRP Will Go ‘Higher, Much Higher,’ Analyst Says, Betting On Explosive Breakout The Fed’s Role Under Scrutiny The order calls on the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors to weigh whether uninsured depository institutions and non-bank financial companies that deal in digital assets should get direct access to Reserve Bank payment accounts and services. It also asks the Fed to look at legal barriers to that access and, if current law allows it, to set up clear application procedures. Decisions on completed applications would need to come within 90 days. That directive is one piece of a much larger policy move. Trump signed the order Monday, instructing federal regulators across multiple agencies to update their rules and clear the way for crypto and fintech firms to work alongside traditional financial institutions. The order sets a government-wide goal of cutting unnecessary barriers to entry and encouraging cooperation between technology-driven financial companies and federally regulated banks. LATEST: Trump just signed a new executive order that could change crypto banking in America and could open the US banking system to crypto and fintech companies. The Fed has 120 days to study whether digital asset companies can use the same banking infrastructure as major banks.… pic.twitter.com/IvlE5qoGsw — Bitinning (@bitinning) May 20, 2026 Agencies Given 90 Days To Act The Securities and Exchange Commission, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp are among the agencies called on to act. Each has been directed to review its current supervisory practices within 90 days, with specific attention to any policies blocking fintech firms from forming partnerships with federally regulated institutions. Regulators are also being asked to look at how to make it easier for fintech companies to apply for bank charters, deposit insurance, and other federal approvals. The order states the review should uphold consumer protection, market integrity, and financial stability — not set those aside in favor of speed. The order defines fintech broadly. It covers companies offering services tied to digital assets, blockchain infrastructure, payment processing, custody, lending, brokerage, and securities market operations. Related Reading: Zcash Soars 88% In 30 Days: Is ZEC The Stealth Winner Of This Crypto Cycle? A Broader Shift In Policy Direction The move stands in contrast to calls from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who has pushed for tighter limits on banking access for crypto companies. Trump’s order runs in the opposite direction. One side note drew attention the same day the order was signed. Trump’s media company, Truth Social, pulled its SEC filings for a Bitcoin exchange-traded fund, a combined Bitcoin-Ethereum ETF, and a crypto blue chip ETF — a move that sat awkwardly alongside the administration’s broader push to bring crypto further into the mainstream financial system. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
A stockpile of over 18,000 would make Elon Musk's SpaceX the seventh-largest Bitcoin holder, ahead of Coinbase.
ONDO jumped roughly 16% after reports that the US Securities and Exchange Commission is preparing a framework that could allow tokenized versions of stocks to trade on crypto rails, potentially giving one of the real-world asset sector’s most visible names a fresh regulatory tailwind. ONDO traded near $0.390, up 15.5% over 24 hours, with about $228 million in daily volume and a market capitalization near $1.9 billion. The move followed a Bloomberg report, that the SEC could release an “innovation exemption” for tokenized stocks as soon as this week. The framework would reportedly create a path for digital versions of securities to trade outside traditional exchange venues and on decentralized crypto platforms, including tokens that may not have the consent or backing of the public companies whose shares they track. Why Is ONDO Profiting The Most From The News? For crypto markets, the report landed directly on one of the year’s strongest narratives: tokenized public equities. The Kobeissi Letter described the potential exemption via X as a “surprise move,” saying it could “reshape the landscape of the American stock market” and represent “one of the US’ biggest shifts into crypto infrastructure yet.” Related Reading: Warren Zeroes In On Crypto Deal Structure As $75M Loan Draws Attention The market reaction centered on projects already positioned around on-chain securities. ONDO led gains among major RWA-linked tokens, while traders also pointed to Hyperliquid as a potential beneficiary because of its role in on-chain derivatives. One account, The DeFi Investor, framed the report as “great news” for both HYPE and ONDO, arguing that it “legitimizes Ondo as the largest tokenized stocks issuer,” while Hyperliquid will be “one of the biggest beneficiaries as the largest DEX for RWA perps.” Ondo’s own data points have given traders a concrete reason to connect the SEC report to the token. Ondo Global Markets recently crossed $1 billion in total value locked less than eight months after its September 2025 launch. The platform holds more than 70% of the tokenized equity issuer market and has processed more than $18 billion in cumulative trading volume. It currently offers more than 260 tokenized US stocks and ETFs across Solana, Ethereum and BNB Chain. Related Reading: Crypto Funds Extend Six-Week Streak With $858M Inflows On CLARITY Act Progress Katie Wheeler, Managing Director of Global Partnerships at Ondo Finance, said in a recent interview that the platform’s growth could accelerate further. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we surpassed $5 billion by the end of the year. I know that seems a little advantageous, but we have a lot of interest and we’re really building up quite a pipeline.” Wheeler’s broader argument is that tokenized equities remain early relative to the size of public markets. “We are literally just scratching the surface. This is a very large industry. So even if we did 1%, I think that would be tremendous,” she said. Tokenized stocks are just getting started. Following Ondo tokenized stocks crossing $1B in TVL, Ondo’s @KatieAWheeler gave @TheStreet her year-end forecast: “I wouldn’t be surprised if we surpassed $5 billion by year-end. We have a lot of interest, and we’re building up quite a… pic.twitter.com/sFIoiXqi8G — Ondo Finance (@OndoFinance) May 18, 2026 Still, the reported SEC approach raises a core regulatory question: whether stock-linked tokens can scale without undermining shareholder protections. Bloomberg reported that the tokens may not provide traditional rights such as voting power or dividends, while the source material indicates platforms could lose eligibility if listed products fail to provide rights such as voting or dividends. At press time, ONDO traded at $0.3871. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com
The SEC has approved several entities to move forward with tokenized stock initiatives, including the NYSE and Nasdaq.
A $75 million loan backed by nearly half a billion dollars worth of a company’s own tokens is now at the center of a Senate push to get regulators involved in the Trump family’s crypto operations. The Loan That Raised Questions World Liberty Financial, the crypto project tied to US President Donald Trump and his family, reportedly used around $440 million worth of its WLFI governance tokens as collateral to borrow money through Dolomite, a decentralized lending platform. Related Reading: XRP Records Biggest Spike In Network Usage In 2 Months The transaction produced roughly $65 million in the company’s own USD1 stablecoin and another $10 million in USDC. What made the deal stand out was the timing. Regular investors who held WLFI tokens were still locked in — blocked from selling — while the transaction went through. Shortly after, the token’s price dropped nearly 10% to a record low. Senator Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to SEC Chair Paul Atkins on May 14 asking the agency to look into whether World Liberty Financial misled investors or broke securities laws tied to the WLFI token. Warren set a response deadline of May 26. WARREN ASKS SEC TO INVESTIGATE WORLD LIBERTY FINANCIAL Senator Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) sent a letter to SEC Chair Paul Atkins (@SECPaulSAtkins) on Thursday, urging the agency to investigate whether World Liberty Financial (@worldlibertyfi), the Trump family’s crypto… pic.twitter.com/q9usPJxD6n — BSCN (@BSCNews) May 14, 2026 The Crypto Issue: A Lopsided Structure The senator’s concerns go beyond the loan. According to reports, Trump-affiliated entities stand to collect 75% of all WLFI token sale proceeds after expenses. The investors who bought those tokens, by contrast, faced strict restrictions on when they could sell. Warren’s letter cited reports that the company raised close to $715 million through token sales, while the Trump family’s total crypto-linked wealth connected to the project reportedly crossed $1 billion. The Trump family currently holds roughly 22.5 billion WLFI tokens through an entity called DT Marks DEFI LLC. Warren has been pushing for tighter investor protections as Congress reviews broader digital asset rules under the proposed CLARITY Act, one of the largest crypto-focused bills in US history. Warren’s Political Moves Fall Short During a recent CLARITY Act markup session, Warren introduced amendments specifically targeting the Trump family’s involvement in crypto markets. Related Reading: Is Zcash The Next Bitcoin? Investors Rush Into The Privacy Coin Narrative Those amendments were voted down along party lines. The broader debate over crypto regulation continues, with the Warren letter adding pressure on the SEC at a moment when the agency is navigating both political crosswinds and calls from the industry for clearer rules. Whether Atkins, who is widely viewed as friendly to the crypto sector, will take formal action remains to be seen. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
In a whirlwind of events to advance landmark crypto legislation in a Senate committee, the cryptocurrency industry is celebrating.
Landmark legislation to regulate the digital asset industry at large squeezed past a committee following months of strained deliberations.
A fix to the ongoing discussions around stablecoin rewards and language on protecting software developers is in the updated legislative text.
The Senate Banking Committee is set to vote on the crypto bill, or Clarity Act, on Thursday despite objections from banks and Democrats.
Days before a key Senate committee to vote on crypto legislation, ABA CEO Rob Nichols sent a letter to bank executives.
A much-anticipated hearing to vote on sweeping crypto legislation is happening, marking a second attempt in the Senate Banking Committee.
Lee Reiners argues World Liberty's so-called governance token is not a so-called digital commodity or pure governance tool.
Vibes are on the upswing a week after lawmakers reached a compromise on what had become a major sticking point in passing crypto legislation.
The SEC chair linked the rise of AI-powered financial systems with growing demand for blockchain-based market infrastructure and automated settlement.
The SEC needs to clear up how its regulatory framework applies to software applications, said its Chair Paul Atkins on Friday.
A new crypto exchange-traded fund has entered the chat — the 21shares Canton Network ETF made its debut on Nasdaq Thursday.