Custody

The Ethereum Foundation has stepped up its involvement in decentralized finance, committing new resources to its DeFipunk initiative even as ETH trades under pressure. The move comes at a time when Ethereum’s price structure remains weak, with sellers in control across several timeframes. While market sentiment leans bearish, the foundation appears focused on shaping the long-term direction of DeFi within its ecosystem.

Tokenized money market funds and digital bank deposits are moving beyond experimentation and into early financial infrastructure, executives said Wednesday at Consensus Hong Kong 2026. Speakers from Franklin Templeton, SWIFT and Ledger described an industry shifting from pilot programs to real-world deployment. Adoption remains small relative to global capital markets, but institutions are increasingly building systems designed for round-the-clock settlement and on-chain access.

Payments firm Block Inc. has begun notifying hundreds of employees that their roles could be cut during annual performance reviews. As per reports, the move is part of a broader restructuring as the company adjusts its business focus. Workforce changes may affect up to one in ten staff members. Management is pushing to align teams with revised product priorities and cost targets.

Self-custody and financial privacy have returned to the forefront of the U.S. crypto conversation after SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce reaffirmed them as core individual rights. Her remarks come amid regulatory uncertainty, rising ETF adoption, and renewed debate over Bitcoin’s founding principles.

Michigan has accelerated its push to establish a state-owned crypto reserve, with a key bill advancing to its second reading after months of legislative standstill. If passed, the measure will allow the peninsular state to hold 10% of its investment in digital assets.

Citigroup bank, once hesitant, now wants to keep your crypto like you keep gold bars: stablecoins in the vault, ETFs in the pocket, all under Washington's watchful eye.

The battle for crypto custody is intensifying. Ripple Labs, a key player in cross-border payments with XRP, takes a new step by filing the trademark "Ripple Custody." This application reflects a clear ambition: to expand its influence beyond transactions and target the strategic sector of institutional custody, a booming market fueled by growing demand from investors and the rise of crypto ETFs.

Avalanche is launching a Visa card to pay with cryptos: finally a solution to spend your bitcoins at the supermarket!

Saylor, former preacher of the personal guard, now on a crusade for the banks. The crypto-anarchists sense the institutional conspiracy.

Despite the legal challenges it is involved in, the crypto firm Ripple wants to expand its operational scope. Latest news has it that the company wants to venture into the crypto custody segment. The company still needs to obtain regulatory approval.

Given its trajectory, the legal battle between Binance and the SEC is expected to persist, akin to the Ripple case. The Securities and Exchange Commission appears to have multiple strategies at its disposal, while Binance remains resolute. Recently, its CEO, Changpeng Zhao (CZ), defended his cryptocurrency exchange on X (formerly Twitter). Here are the key points:

Nasdaq backtracks! Its abandonment of plans for a cryptoasset custody service shakes up the industry. Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman cites regulatory concerns in this surprise announcement. The decision could impact the future of institutional crypto adoption in the US.