BitGo and Figure have completed what they describe as the first issuance, settlement, and trading of tokenized equity securities on Figure's SEC-registered Alternative Trading System in the U.S. The transaction used blockchain-based settlement with institutional custody to represent equity ownership on-chain, aiming to reduce clearing friction and settlement risk within a regulated market structure. The firms say the model compresses the traditional equity lifecycle by enabling near-instant reconciliation instead of multi-day clearing cycles.

The Fidelity Center for Applied Technology (FCAT) launched an institutional‑grade Decentralized Verifier Network on LayerZero, adding a new option for cross‑chain message validation. FCAT said the DVN is live on Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, Optimism, Polygon, Avalanche and Solana, with Ondo Finance named as the first production integrator.

Circle states that 2025 marks a pivotal year for stablecoin regulation, as major financial centers start integrating regulated digital dollars into the traditional system. The firm says legal frameworks such as the GENIUS Act are enabling institutions to move USDC from small-scale pilots into real-world use across payments, treasury, and capital markets.

Polymarket introduced five-minute Bitcoin prediction markets that settle immediately when each window closes, letting participants wager on BTC finishing higher or lower. At launch, the product focuses on price direction and runs on a near-continuous schedule, with outcomes derived from trusted pricing feeds. The format may draw high-frequency strategies and automated traders.

Solana rose as Bitcoin stabilized above $68,000, with derivatives open interest climbing across major venues. The advance followed a reclaim of intraday structure and improving on-chain activity, as active addresses trend back toward late‑2024 highs. Traders are watching acceptance above the $85–$90 area as a potential sign that selling pressure is easing.

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has established an Innovation Advisory Committee and appointed executives from Coinbase, Kraken, Gemini, Ripple, Chainlink, Uniswap Labs, Crypto.com, CME Group, Nasdaq, and Intercontinental Exchange. The committee is tasked with advising on digital assets, derivatives markets, decentralized finance, tokenization, and blockchain-based settlement, signaling deeper regulatory integration of crypto into U.S. market oversight.

LayerZero Labs has introduced Zero, a new layer-1 blockchain architecture designed to support up to 2 million transactions per second per zone and optimized for institutional-grade workloads, with mainnet launch planned for fall 2026. The network will initially consist of multiple specialized zones, including an EVM-compatible execution environment, a privacy-oriented payments area, and infrastructure tailored to trading and financial use cases, supported by backers such as Citadel Securities, ARK Invest, DTCC, and Google Cloud.

Binance and Franklin Templeton have introduced an institutional collateral program that lets eligible clients use tokenized shares of a U.S. government money market fund, issued via the Benji platform, as margin on Binance. The rollout is the first product from their collaboration announced last year and expands exchange collateral options with regulated, on‑chain fund instruments.

Ripple has unveiled a partnership with UK-based asset manager Aviva Investors to tokenize traditional investment funds on the XRP Ledger. The initiative aims to use XRPL’s built-in tokenization and compliance features to support near-instant settlement and programmable fund structures. Ripple positions this move as part of a broader institutional strategy that could enhance XRPL network activity and long-term utility for XRP.