Coinbase has made stock trading available to all U.S. users, allowing customers to buy and sell equities and ETFs alongside cryptocurrencies on a single platform.  The expansion enables 24-hour trading five days a week, with zero commission and support for fractional share purchases starting from $1. Users can fund trades with U.S. dollars or USDC, with Coinbase One members eligible for rewards on their USDC balances.  Coinbase said the launch brings traditional markets and digital assets together under its “Everything Exchange” strategy, which seeks to unify asset classes into an always-on market environment. As part of the rollout, Coinbase has partnered with Yahoo Finance to enable users to transition from researching an asset on Yahoo Finance to executing a trade on Coinbase with a single click. Yahoo Finance will also integrate real-time Coinbase data to support asset discovery and monitoring. Coinbase plans to expand 24/5 trading to thousands more equities in the coming months. It also intends to introduce stock perpetuals outside the U.S., subject to regulatory approval, and develop tokenised stocks, which it says will enable customers globally to trade around the clock and use equity holdings as on-chain collateral. The platform has also integrated with Apex Fintech Solutions for clearing, custody and execution services, aiming to deliver a unified interface for both stock and crypto trading.The post Coinbase Opens Stock Trading to All U.S. Users and Partners with Yahoo Finance first appeared on LeapRate.

Trump doubles down on tariffs despite Supreme Court setback Trump used the address to reiterate his commitment to tariffs, describing the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision last Friday to strike down his reciprocal tariffs as “unfortunate.” The President maintained that existing trade deals would remain in place under alternative legal authorities. Trump recently invoked Section 122 to implement a 10% global tariff, which took effect on Tuesday, while signalling that the levy could rise to 15%. He also suggested that the majority of trading partners would continue to honour current agreements given the threat of worse terms under the new authority, according to Hill’s analysis. Stocks rally across the board All three major US indices closed higher on Tuesday. The S&P 500 gained 52 points (0.8%) to 6,890, the Nasdaq 100 rose 268 points (1.1%) to 24,977, and the Dow Jones added 370 points (0.8%) to 49,174. Consumer discretionary led sector gains, with nine of eleven S&P sectors finishing in positive territory. The rebound followed Anthropic’s livestream event, which outlined a more collaborative rather than disruptive approach to AI development. However, Aaron Hill noted that the full economic impact of these developments remains speculative. FX and commodities: Dollar struggles, Gold eyes US$5,200 In FX markets, the USD Index was modestly bid but continues to struggle below the 50-day simple moving average around 97.93. The Japanese yen fell 0.8% against the dollar after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi expressed hesitation about further policy tightening. Spot Gold pared earlier gains from a session high just below US$5,249 but was trading approximately 1.0% higher on Wednesday morning, approaching the US$5,200 level. Oil prices remained rangebound as Iran signalled readiness to take the steps required to reach a nuclear deal with the US ahead of Thursday’s talks in Geneva. US consumer confidence ticks higher; Australian CPI surprises February’s US consumer confidence reading from the Conference Board rose modestly to 91.2 from 89.0 in January, though sentiment remains fragile. The report noted an improvement in job availability but flagged that consumers continue to view jobs as hard to find, with inflation expectations remaining elevated. Overnight, Australia’s January CPI data came in above expectations. Headline year-on-year CPI held at 3.8%, above the 3.7% consensus, while the RBA’s preferred trimmed mean measure rose to 3.4%, the highest since late 2024 and the seventh consecutive reading above the 2-3% target band. Markets have repriced hawkish expectations, with a 60% probability now assigned to an RBA rate hike in May, up from 54% prior to the release, Hill said. Fed officials signal patience on rates Several Federal Reserve officials reinforced a patient stance on Tuesday. Boston Fed President Susan Collins and Richmond Fed President Thomas Barkin both indicated that rates are likely to remain on hold, citing the need for more evidence that inflation is returning to 2.0% before supporting cuts. Collins flagged later in 2026 as a possible window for easing. Wednesday’s Fed speaker calendar includes Kansas City Fed President Jeffrey Schmid on monetary policy and the economic outlook, alongside further appearances from Barkin and St. Louis Fed President Alberto Musalem. All eyes on Nvidia The market’s attention now turns squarely to Nvidia’s (NVDA) fiscal Q4 2026 earnings, expected after Wednesday’s closing bell. Given the stock’s significant weightings in both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq, Hill noted that the report could drive heightened volatility across major US benchmarks. One-day implied volatility for Nvidia stands at around 6.0% in either direction. On the technical side, the FP Markets research team highlighted that Nvidia has been consolidating between approximately US$170 and US$195 since late November. With the stock testing range resistance while showing limited bearish momentum, Hill suggested a breakout to the upside could be developing, potentially targeting all-time highs near US$212.19.The post Trump’s State of the Union Defiance on Tariffs Lifts Markets Ahead of Key Nvidia Earnings first appeared on LeapRate.

Payoneer has applied to the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to establish PAYO Digital Bank, a national trust bank that would support stablecoin-enabled infrastructure for businesses operating across borders.  The initiative forms part of Payoneer’s strategy to integrate regulated stablecoin capabilities into its global payments ecosystem, which serves nearly two million customers. The move follows growing adoption of stablecoins among real-world businesses, driven by demand for faster settlement and improved access to global markets.  If approved, the new entity would operate under the recently enacted GENIUS Act, which created a federal framework governing stablecoins. PAYO Digital Bank would enable customers to send and receive approved stablecoins, convert between stablecoins and local currencies, and access custodial wallet infrastructure.  Payoneer also plans to issue PAYO-USD, a stablecoin compliant with the GENIUS Act, which would serve as the holding currency within customer wallets. The bank would additionally manage reserves backing PAYO-USD. Chief executive John Caplan said stablecoins will play a “meaningful role in the future of global trade”, adding that a national trust bank structure offers customers a regulated pathway to adopt new payment technologies. Rob Morgan, proposed chief executive of PAYO Digital Bank, said the offering will provide global SMEs with an integrated stablecoin solution that accelerates payments and improves transparency.The post Payoneer Seeks U.S. National Trust Bank Charter first appeared on LeapRate.

Citi has made a strategic investment in Sakana AI, marking its first such investment in a Japanese firm. The deal was executed through Citi’s Markets Strategic Investments unit, which backs fintech and enterprise technology firms aligned with the bank’s global markets strategy. Tokyo-based Sakana AI develops foundational models and enterprise-grade artificial intelligence systems inspired by natural processes.  The company has built a track record of deploying highly specialised AI models within financial institutions and other industries seeking greater operational efficiency. Citi explained that the investment aims to accelerate innovation in financial services by combining its international reach with Sakana AI’s research expertise and commercial traction.  Robert Nakamura, Citi’s country officer and banking head for Japan, stated that the company is “driving innovation across the Japan market”, adding that Citi plans to support its expansion. David Ha, chief executive of Sakana AI, believes the investment is a testament to the firm’s technical capabilities, adding that both organisations will work to “transform global financial services”. Siris Singh, Citi’s global head of Markets Strategic Investments, said Sakana AI has demonstrated product-market fit in Japan and is well-positioned for international growth.The post Citi Makes First Japan Investment with Stake in Sakana AI first appeared on LeapRate.

TradeStation Securities has announced a new integration with Capitalize Money that will allow its users to transfer 401(k) assets into Individual Retirement Accounts directly through the TradeStation platform.  The company stated in a press release that the move aims to modernise retirement account transfers, which are said to remain cumbersome and often take six to eight weeks to complete. TradeStation will embed Capitalize’s Rollover API, enabling customers to locate old 401(k)s, verify account details and submit rollover requests without leaving the platform.  Capitalize’s workflow is designed to accelerate transfers and reduce the administrative burden on customers who traditionally face delays compared with faster methods such as Automated Clearing House or the Automated Customer Account Transfer Service. John Bartleman, president and chief executive of TradeStation Group, commented that clients expect “award-winning technology” whether trading or managing long-term savings. He added that the integration brings the same standard of efficiency to retirement accounts. Capitalize co-founder and chief executive Gaurav Sharma noted that the partnership extends the firm’s technology to “one of the most sophisticated trading communities in the market”. The integration forms part of TradeStation’s efforts to enhance the user experience for active traders managing multiple asset types.  Capitalize’s technology has already supported billions of dollars in retirement account transfers, and TradeStation joins a growing network of institutions adopting the Rollover API to streamline rollovers and consolidate users’ savings.The post TradeStation Partners with Capitalize to Streamline Retirement Rollovers for Active Traders first appeared on LeapRate.

Broadridge Financial Solutions has appointed Frank Troise as president of global capital markets, expanding the senior leadership team as the firm accelerates its front-to-back transformation across traditional and digital trading ecosystems. Troise, who joined Broadridge in 2024 as head of trading and connectivity solutions, will report to Tom Carey, president of global technology and operations, and will lead strategy across issuance, trading, financing, data and post-trade services.  Carey said Broadridge operates “at the intersection of scale, trust and innovation” and described Troise as the right leader to drive the next stage of capital-markets development. Troise previously served as chief executive of Pico Quantitative Trading and earlier led Investment Technology Group as CEO and board member. He also oversaw global execution services at J.P. Morgan, running a cross-asset trading organisation across major markets. Troise believes capital markets are converging around integrated platforms that connect trading, financing, data and post-trade functions.  He added that Broadridge’s combination of tokenised-asset infrastructure, AI-enabled capabilities and global scale positions the firm to help clients innovate “with confidence”. Broadridge supports more than 2,200 buy- and sell-side firms and over 200 trading venues, processing over $15 trillion in daily trading volume.  Its distributed-ledger repo platform has become the largest institutional venue for tokenised real assets, handling more than $7 trillion in monthly activity.  The company said it will continue investing in multi-asset-class infrastructure to support the coexistence of digital and traditional markets.The post Broadridge Names Frank Troise President of Global Capital Markets first appeared on LeapRate.

The European Securities and Markets Authority has issued a reminder to firms that derivative products marketed as perpetual futures or perpetual contracts may fall under existing product intervention rules for contracts for differences (CFDs), requiring strict compliance with investor protection measures. The regulator said offerings providing leveraged exposure to underlying assets, including crypto-assets such as Bitcoin, are likely to meet the definition of a CFD under national measures already adopted across member states.  As such, these instruments would be subject to leverage caps, mandatory risk warnings, margin close-outs, negative balance protection and prohibitions on both monetary and non-monetary incentives. ESMA also reminded firms that complex derivatives must be offered only to narrowly defined target markets with consistent distribution strategies.  Providers of non-advised services must carry out appropriateness assessments in line with rules governing complex products. The regulator further emphasised that firms must take adequate steps to identify, prevent or manage conflicts of interest when selling these instruments, particularly given their complexity and the growing retail marketing of high-leverage crypto-linked derivatives. The statement comes amid the rising availability of perpetual futures across European retail platforms, prompting concerns that some firms may be sidestepping existing CFD restrictions by changing product labels rather than underlying risk characteristics.The post ESMA Warns Firms to Comply with CFD Product Rules as Perpetual Futures Rise first appeared on LeapRate.

Clear Street has announced its expansion into the Asia-Pacific region through the acquisition of Boom Securities, marking the U.S. firm’s first acquisition-led entry into the market.  Boom, founded in 1997 as Hong Kong’s first licensed online brokerage, brings $2.2 billion in assets under management and thousands of active clients, all of whom will migrate to Clear Street’s cloud-based platform. Chief executive Ed Tilly said the deal represented a “milestone” for the company, adding that Boom had built a “trusted, proven franchise” over almost three decades.  He believes integrating Boom into Clear Street’s technology stack will deliver “speed, scale and transparency” to clients and support the firm’s wider global ambitions. The move provides Clear Street with immediate access to 18 APAC markets and secures the regulatory infrastructure necessary to serve both institutional and individual investors.  Boom’s clients will gain access to expanded cross-margining, multi-asset portfolio tools and real-time data analytics while retaining multi-lingual customer support. Alongside the acquisition, Clear Street appointed John Deters, formerly a senior executive at Cboe Global Markets, as chief strategy and growth officer. His remit includes corporate development, M&A and long-term strategic planning. The company also confirmed it has withdrawn its Form S-1 filing, delaying its IPO plans. Founder Uriel Cohen said the decision reflected market conditions and that Clear Street would relaunch the process in future.  The acquisition remains subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to close by mid-2026.The post Clear Street Enters APAC with Acquisition of Boom Securities and New Strategy Chief first appeared on LeapRate.

CME Group will begin offering round-the-clock trading for its regulated cryptocurrency futures and options from 29 May, in response to rising global demand for digital-asset risk management. The company said trading will run continuously on its CME Globex system, except for a short weekly maintenance window, subject to regulatory approval.  All weekend and holiday sessions from Friday evening to Sunday evening will use the next business day’s trade date, with clearing and settlement also processed on that schedule. Tim McCourt, global head of equities, FX and alternative products, remarked that demand for cryptocurrency hedging tools had reached record levels.  He noted “record $3 trillion in notional volume” across its crypto derivatives in 2025, adding that providing 24/7 access would allow clients to “trade with confidence at any time.” Crypto futures and options have continued setting fresh records in 2026. Year-to-date average daily volume has reached 407,200 contracts, up 46% on the year, while open interest has risen 7% to 335,400 contracts. Futures activity alone has seen a 47% increase, with 403,900 contracts in average daily volume. The Chicago-based operator said the extended schedule reflects the unique trading profile of digital assets, which trade globally without pause. The post CME Group to Offer 24/7 Trading for Cryptocurrency Futures and Options first appeared on LeapRate.

Standard Chartered has launched a new sub-fund under its variable capital company structure in partnership with Seviora Capital, part of the Seviora Group, as the bank expands its suite of alternative investment offerings. The Signature Select Seviora Titans Absolute Return fund, known as STAR, will provide high-net-worth clients access to a portfolio of leading hedge fund managers that are typically inaccessible to individuals.  The launch is the bank’s seventh VCC sub-fund and its second new strategy in 2026. The firms said the product comes amid heightened market uncertainty, with weakened bond diversification and higher equity-bond correlations prompting investors to seek more resilient absolute-return strategies.  Multi-strategy and relative-value hedge funds have historically weathered market cycles more effectively, they stated. Clients will gain diversification benefits by avoiding concentration in single managers or sub-strategies, while also accessing marquee hedge funds at lower minimum investment thresholds. The fund will initially be available to clients in Singapore, Hong Kong and Jersey. Sumeet Bhambri, the bank’s global head of advisory and managed investments, expects the partnership to help clients seeking diversification “amidst current volatile markets.” Leow Li-Vern, managing director for investments at Seviora Capital, said the strategy’s low correlation to public markets could support “overall improvement of risk-adjusted returns.” Temasek-owned Seviora and the bank noted that broader client access is planned over the coming months.The post Standard Chartered Launches New Fund of Hedge Funds with Seviora first appeared on LeapRate.

Avantax Investment Services has been fined $200,000 and censured after the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority found the firm failed to maintain adequate supervisory systems governing accounts established under the Uniform Gifts to Minors Act and the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act. FINRA said that from January 2019 to August 2023, Avantax failed to establish and enforce written supervisory procedures designed to meet Rule 2090, which requires firms to exercise reasonable diligence to determine essential facts about every customer and the authority of anyone acting on their behalf.  The regulator found the firm did not track or monitor changes in custodian authority for UTMA accounts, despite being responsible for overseeing transactions conducted on behalf of account beneficiaries. FINRA concluded the firm violated Rules 3110(a), 3110(b) and 2010 by failing to implement appropriate systems, policies and oversight mechanisms. The regulator said these shortcomings exposed customers to potential unauthorised activity. Avantax agreed to the fine and censure without admitting or denying the findings.The post Avantax Fined $200,000 By FINRA first appeared on LeapRate.

LSEG announced last week that it has launched a new Model-as-a-Service (MaaS) capability, enabling financial institutions to host, distribute and analyse analytical models in a secure, governed marketplace environment.  As part of the launch, Societe Generale has joined as a provider, making seven datasets and analytics available across fixed income, FX, ESG and equities. The service allows clients to access Societe Generale’s flagship datasets alongside LSEG’s own analytics through a single interface.  LSEG explained that the new capability gives institutions a scalable route to commercialise proprietary models while reducing integration, compliance and infrastructure burdens. The company believes that MaaS leverages its strategic partnership with Microsoft, allowing models to be deployed across multiple AI ecosystems. This includes integration through LSEG’s Model Context Protocol connectors and availability within Microsoft Copilot Studio. Aysegul Erdem, head of modelling solutions at LSEG, feels that onboarding Societe Generale provides “a trusted route to market” and advances innovation by combining partner models with the firm’s infrastructure and data. P hilippe Dufay, head of data and research sales at Societe Generale, said the partnership would “create even greater value” for shared clients by bringing proprietary analytics to a wider audience. Bill Borden, corporate vice president for financial services at Microsoft, stated that MaaS is “an important step” in helping institutions harness AI-driven analytics, offering a “streamlined path” to enhanced insight across the industry.The post LSEG Launches Model-as-a-Service and Adds Societe Generale to Marketplace first appeared on LeapRate.

Robinhood has appointed Dr Naomi Boyd as its chief economic adviser, bringing academic, regulatory and industry experience to the firm’s research and policy work.  Dr Boyd joins the company’s Legal, Compliance and Corporate Affairs division and will lead applied research on market structure and evolving capital-market dynamics while maintaining her role as dean of the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business. Robinhood said Dr Boyd’s background spans derivatives market structure, capital markets and investment behaviour, with expertise developed across academia and her earlier regulatory tenure.  She previously spent eight years at the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, conducting research on market manipulation, structural shifts and the role of speculation in different asset classes. Dan Gallagher, chief legal, compliance and corporate affairs officer, feels Dr Boyd’s appointment reflects the firm’s commitment to “first-principles thinking,” adding that her leadership will “elevate Robinhood’s impact through rigorous research, data analysis, and thought leadership”. Dr Boyd stated that she was “excited to engage in applied research that will help translate market complexities into clear, actionable insights for Robinhood, policymakers, and market participants,” and added that the work would support innovation and strengthen transparency. The Daniels College of Business, one of the United States’ oldest business schools, believes the appointment underscores its strategy of embedding academic leaders in industry. Nick Machol, CEO of Unburdn AI and chair of the school’s advisory board, said Dr Boyd’s engagement “sets Daniels apart” and would enhance student opportunities. Dr Boyd holds a PhD in finance from George Washington University, an MBA from Texas Tech University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin.The post Robinhood Appoints Dr Naomi Boyd as Chief Economic Advisor first appeared on LeapRate.

Capitolis has agreed to acquire 20 Gates Management’s U.S. secured financing platform, in a move the firm says will strengthen its Capital Marketplace and broaden its institutional client base.  The deal, announced last week, is expected to close in the coming weeks and brings an established financing franchise with more than 15 years of operating history into Capitolis’s network. The acquisition will allow Capitolis to add U.S. secured financing to its existing marketplace, which already offers secured financing solutions in Europe. The company said the transaction brings a broad roster of prominent investors and banks into its ecosystem while adding experienced staff from 20 Gates Management. Gil Mandelzis, CEO and founder of Capitolis, noted that the firm has “known 20 Gates Management for many years” and is “excited to bring their U.S. secured financing capabilities and veteran team members on board.”  He believes adding these capabilities is “critical to our clients” and will accelerate growth through “innovative solutions”. Hans Bald, CEO of 20 Gates Management, said the firm has “great respect” for Capitolis and is pleased to see the financing platform integrated into the marketplace. He added that 20 Gates will continue focusing on its asset-management business, particularly investments in private and revolving ABS. Capitolis stated that the acquisition comes as it strengthens leadership across the company, with recent appointments including Okan Pekin as president, Roy Saadon as head of market development, and Amol Naik as COO. The post Capitolis to Acquire 20 Gates’ U.S. Financing Platform first appeared on LeapRate.

Finseta has appointed Andrew Richards as its permanent chief financial officer and executive director, following his tenure as interim CFO since early February.  The company said the decision reflects both his early contribution and his extensive experience across financial services and insurance. Richards brings 25 years of industry experience, including 12 years at Chesnara, where he served as group financial controller for 11 years and later as CFO of Countrywide Assured, its main UK subsidiary.  His responsibilities included financial reporting, audit oversight and supporting mergers and acquisitions across multiple jurisdictions. Before joining Chesnara, he was a senior manager in Deloitte’s financial services practice. He is a chartered accountant. Finseta, which provides multi-currency accounts and foreign-exchange payment solutions through its proprietary platform, said Richards’ background will support the company as it continues to scale. Gareth Edwards, chairman of Finseta, stated that he is “delighted to welcome Andrew to the Board,” noting his strong start as interim CFO and his experience “leading finance functions in regulated industries and overseeing the financial reporting for a multi-jurisdictional UK-listed business.” Richards is “delighted to be joining Finseta at such an exciting time,” adding that the business had “established the foundations for accelerated growth” and that he looked forward to working with the team to deliver the company’s ambitions.The post Finseta Appoints Andrew Richards as Permanent CFO first appeared on LeapRate.

SIX and Piraeus Bank have announced a new cross-border post-trade framework designed to improve how international institutional investors access the Greek equity market.  The initiative integrates SIX’s global market-infrastructure capabilities with Piraeus Bank’s local servicing platform, aiming to streamline operational processes and enhance transparency. Under the new model, SIX becomes a direct participant at ATHEXCSD, enabling Greek equity instruments to be safeguarded directly at the central securities depository.  Piraeus Bank will serve as the interface between SIX and ATHEXCSD, ensuring connectivity, adherence to Greek market standards and continuity of process integrity. The companies expect the direct post-trade setup to consolidate connectivity, operational efficiency and servicing standards, supporting rising international demand for access to Greece’s equity market, which has attracted renewed interest from global investors. Christos Megalou, CEO of Piraeus Financial Holdings, said the partnership “strengthens international investor connectivity to the Greek market” through a “seamless, transparent, and operationally robust direct-access model – introduced for the first time in Greece.”  He added that the structure enhances the market’s “stability, reliability, and overall quality of service delivery.” Francisco Béjar, Head of Custody at SIX, believes the collaboration “marks an important step in expanding the footprint of SIX in Greece,” offering institutional investors “a more efficient, secure, and consistently delivered access route into Greek equities.” The post SIX and Piraeus Bank Unveil Direct Post-Trade Access Model for Greek Equity Market first appeared on LeapRate.

Tradeweb Markets and Kalshi have formed a strategic partnership aimed at expanding institutional access to prediction-market data and integrating event-driven signals into global trading workflows. The collaboration includes a minority investment by Tradeweb, which facilitates more than $2.6 trillion in average daily notional trading across rates, credit, equities and money markets.  The companies intend to develop the first institutional-focused marketplace for event contracts. As institutions increasingly seek forward-looking indicators to navigate macroeconomic risk, both firms believe prediction markets are emerging as a valuable tool.  Under the partnership, Kalshi’s real-time probabilities and market data will be integrated into Tradeweb’s platform, including its rates and credit marketplaces, APIs and data-download tools. Billy Hult, CEO of Tradeweb, said prediction markets “have the potential to become an indicator for institutions to dynamically assess macro risk and allocate capital more effectively”. The firms also plan to co-develop analytics combining Kalshi’s event-probability data with Tradeweb’s pricing and liquidity datasets. A longer-term objective is exploring an institutional portal for event-contract trading, offering access to standardised contracts tied to macroeconomic releases, U.S. Federal Reserve policy, elections and other policy outcomes. Tarek Mansour, co-founder and CEO of Kalshi, stated that institutional adoption “requires scale, regulation, trust, and substantial liquidity”, adding that the partnership will help accelerate uptake among major investors.The post Tradeweb Takes Minority Stake in Kalshi, Forms Strategic Partnership first appeared on LeapRate.

OptionMetrics has announced upgrades to its IvyDB US and IvyDB ETF historical options databases, offering what it described as greater flexibility and improved data precision for quantitative researchers, hedge funds and institutional investors. The new IvyDB US 7.0 and IvyDB ETF 5.0 datasets introduce enhanced calculation methodologies, including the ability to incorporate borrow rates, the interest costs associated with holding stocks for short sale, as well as legacy approaches that do not embed implied borrow rates.  The firm has also added implied index yields in a term-structure format for more robust modelling. A notable update includes the automatic integration of dividend forecasts from Woodseer Dividend Forecast data, providing users with more accurate valuations and the ability to assess dividend-driven strategies.  The company said the enhanced datasets offer improved securities data and implied-volatility metrics as a result. Eran Steinberg, COO of the company, remarked: “OptionMetrics’ IvyDB US 7.0 is our most comprehensive and flexible dataset yet.” The IvyDB US database contains end-of-day historical options data on more than 10,000 underlying equities and indices dating back to 1996, including U.S. exchange-traded equity and index options, options on crypto ETFs and ADRs. Data can be accessed via FTP, Snowflake or the firm’s upgraded Genie loader.The post OptionMetrics Upgrades IvyDB Databases first appeared on LeapRate.

Visa has agreed to acquire Argentine payments processors Prisma Medios de Pago and Newpay from Advent International, in a transaction aimed at expanding digital payments infrastructure across the country. Prisma provides issuer processing for credit, debit, and prepaid cards, while Newpay operates multi-network infrastructure, including real-time payments services, the Banelco ATM network, and the bill-payment platform PagoMisCuentas.  Visa said the combined capabilities will enhance the deployment of technologies such as tokenisation, biometric authentication and intelligent risk tools. Ryan McInerney, CEO of the company, commented that the acquisition “is an important step for Visa in Argentina”, adding that integrating local expertise with Visa’s global network would make payments “simpler, faster, and more secure”. Gabriela Renaudo, group country manager for Argentina and the Southern Cone, stated that the firm sees “significant opportunities to expand digital payments adoption and modernise financial services, capabilities and infrastructure across the country”. Visa believes the deal will offer agnostic processing compatible with any card brand handled by Prisma and with all payment methods supported by Newpay.  The company added that the investment reinforces its commitment to Argentina’s economic growth and competitiveness in global commerce. The transaction is expected to close in the firm’s fiscal second quarter of 2026. Payway S.A.U., also owned by Advent International, is not part of the sale and will continue to operate independently as a merchant acquirer.The post Visa to Acquire Prisma and Newpay first appeared on LeapRate.

Kraken announced Thursday that xStocks has surpassed $25 billion in total transaction volume across centralised and decentralised venues. The firm said the milestone, achieved in under eight months, includes more than $3.5 billion in on-chain activity and over 80,000 unique on-chain holders.  The company added that tokenised equities have moved beyond “experimental infrastructure”, with activity now spanning exchanges, DeFi protocols, self-custody wallets and consumer applications. According to Kraken, eight of the 11 most-held tokenised equities by unique holders are issued through its framework, and it accounts for 68 percent of the top 25.  The firm believes this underscores accelerating demand for fully collateralised, transparently structured products that connect traditional U.S. capital markets with blockchain infrastructure. Executives said growing integrations across exchanges and platforms are strengthening liquidity and market depth, with assets running across Solana, Ethereum and TON. Additional blockchain integrations are planned. Val Gui, general manager at the firm, stated: “xStocks have fused crypto and traditional markets, turning tokenised equities from an idea into global infrastructure.” The company explained that its assets are backed one-to-one by underlying stocks or ETFs held by a licensed custodian in a bankruptcy-remote structure. Aggregate assets under management now exceed $225 million. The firm added that a rapidly expanding ecosystem of partners and developers is supporting the formation of what it called a new market structure built around open, interoperable capital-markets infrastructure.The post xStocks Hits $25 billion in Tokenised Equities Volume first appeared on LeapRate.