There is a moment every sales professional knows.You're on a call. The prospect is engaged but hesitant. They like what they're hearing, but they're not quite there. You need something, not a discount, not a longer trial, you need proof. Proof that the company behind you is real, respected, and chosen by peers who know the difference.That moment is won or lost before the call even starts. And a Finance Magnates Award is exactly the thing that can win it for you.More Than a Trophy on a ShelfLet's be direct about what most industry awards actually deliver: a framed certificate, a press release your PR team sends into the void, and a LinkedIn post that gets twelve likes.The Finance Magnates Awards are built differently, and the difference is felt where it matters most: in the sales conversation.When your brand is recognised by Finance Magnates, the most trusted and widely read financial media platforms in the world, you are not just receiving a trophy. This is a powerful tool being put into the hands of your sales team. A credibility marker that travels with every pitch deck, every email signature, every client meeting.This is recognition your sales team can actually use.What Makes Finance Magnates Recognition DifferentFinance Magnates isn't a newcomer with a glossy website and a pay-to-play nominations form. It is a cornerstone of the global financial media industry covering online trading, fintech, payments, and crypto for a professional audience that includes the people your sales team is trying to reach and pitch.The awards process itself is designed to be transparent and credible. Nominations are open and community-driven. 50%t of the final vote comes from industry professionals, peers, clients, and competitors who know the industry inside out. The remaining 50% is determined by an expert judging panel of senior industry figures who bring decades of experience to every evaluation.When you win, or even when you are nominated, the message to the market is clear: your company was seen, assessed, and chosen by the people who understand this industry better than anyone.That is not something a prospect can dismiss.The Conversation Shifts When You WinThink about what your sales team is fighting against every day.Scepticism. Noise. A market crowded with competitors all claiming the same things, "best execution," "innovative technology," "client-first approach." Every broker, every fintech provider, every liquidity solution says the same words. The words stopped meaning anything years ago.A Finance Magnates Award cuts through that noise in a way that internal marketing simply cannot.When a prospect asks, "Why should we choose you over the others?" your sales team can now answer with something that lives outside your own ecosystem. Something earned through an independent, peer-validated process. Something that says, in effect: the industry already answered that question for you.That shift, from selling to proving, is worth more than any script.Recognition That TravelsThe Finance Magnates Awards don't end when you get a trophy during our awards ceremony and gala dinner night.Winners receive dedicated features, exclusive articles, and brand coverage that extends well beyond the ceremony itself. The recognition lands on the Finance Magnates website, across our social channels, and into the inboxes and feeds of thousands of financial professionals globally.Your sales team inherits all of that reach. Every piece of post-award coverage becomes a tool, shareable, linkable, embeddable. A "Best Broker" badge carries weight in an email to a prospective institutional client. A "Most Innovative Fintech" title opens conversations that cold outreach never could.This is long-tail recognition. The Emotional Reality Behind the NumbersBeyond the commercial logic, there is something else worth acknowledging.For the people who built your product, who rewrote the onboarding flow for the fifth time trying to get it right, an award from Finance Magnates means something profound. It means that the work was seen. That the sacrifice was noticed. That the effort wasn't invisible.Sales teams feel it too. There is a pride that comes with representing a recognised brand. A confidence in the pitch. A belief in what they are selling that a prospect can hear even when it's never spoken aloud.Recognition reminds people that what they do is meaningful, that the industry they serve has looked up and said, yes, this one matters.That is not a soft metric. That is culture. And culture drives performance.A Transparent Process Worth TrustingOne reason the Finance Magnates Awards carry genuine weight is that they are not bought. They are earned.The process runs across three stages: an open nominations period, a community voting phase where industry professionals and traders cast their votes, and a final evaluation by an expert panel of judges drawn from respected institutions within the financial world. The split between community and expert input, fifty percent each, ensures that no single stakeholder controls the outcome.This transparency is precisely why the award means something when your sales team presents it. Anyone who knows the Finance Magnates process understands that nomination, let alone a win, represents real standing in the industry.For Brokers and Fintechs AlikeThe awards span the full spectrum of the financial services industry.For B2C brokers, categories range from national recognition to regional and global honours, covering everything from trading experience and customer service to transparency and innovation. For B2B fintech providers, recognition spans liquidity technology, institutional infrastructure, and tools that power the industry behind the scenes.Whatever your market, whatever your segment, there is a category that speaks directly to what your team has built and what your sales force is selling.The Question Worth Asking Your Sales DirectorBefore your next product cycle. Before the next campaign brief. Before the next conversation about why the pipeline isn't converting at the rate it should.Ask your sales director this question: What third-party proof do we have that we are who we say we are?If the answer is thin, or if it relies entirely on internal data and self-produced content, you already know what needs to change.The Finance Magnates Awards exist precisely for this moment. They are the credibility infrastructure your sales team has been missing, the independent voice that speaks on your behalf in every room you're not in.Conclusion: Recognition That Does the WorkThe best sales teams in financial services will tell you that trust is built before the meeting, not during it.It is built through reputation. Through consistency. Through the quiet accumulation of signals that tell a prospect: this company is serious, this company is credible, this company has been recognised by people I respect.A Finance Magnates Award is one of the most powerful tool to any brokerage or fintech operating in this space today. It is recognition backed by a media brand with global reach, an industry audience that cares, and a process rigorous enough to mean something when it lands.Your competitors are in that room. The only question is whether you are too. This article was written by Dora Christofi at www.financemagnates.com.

BMLL Technologies has brought SpiderRock's US equity options analytics into its cloud research environment, giving Data Lab users access to the technology firm's Options Print Set data alongside BMLL's own historical order book records across equities, ETFs, futures and options.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!)Options Print Set Lands in BMLL Data LabUnder the arrangement, clients working in the Data Lab will be able to pull SpiderRock's print-level implied volatility and Greeks data alongside BMLL's Level 3, 2 and 1 market data for equities, futures and options. The two companies said the combined environment is meant to support quantitative research, strategy development and market structure work, though neither firm named initial users or disclosed how many clients have already signed up to the joint offering.Elliot Banks, chief product officer at BMLL, said the integration is designed to help users tackle "increasingly complex cross-asset questions," adding that the goal is to help them "accelerate research and generate deeper insight into market dynamics."The tie-up is the latest product collaboration BMLL has stacked on top of its core historical dataset since being acquired by Nordic Capital last October, following this week's disclosure of nine new hires across partnerships, sales, revenue operations, finance and engineering. Pricing for the new dataset channel was not disclosed.Chicago-based SpiderRock is a trading technology vendor whose Data and Analytics arm sells institutional-grade options data to hedge funds, bank trading desks and proprietary trading firms. The company also runs a broker-dealer, SpiderRock EXS, and a cloud-based trading platform for options strategies, according to its website.Joint White Paper Models Dealer Gamma and Hedging FlowsThe data launch is backed by a joint white paper that the two firms say illustrates how SpiderRock's options analytics can be paired with BMLL's intraday equity records to estimate dealer gamma positioning and track how that positioning plays out in the underlying stock. The paper argues that net short-gamma exposure can amplify intraday momentum through delta-hedging activity, a dynamic the companies say can be studied systematically using the integrated dataset.Craig Iseli, chief operating officer at SpiderRock, said in a statement that "SpiderRock's options analytics are designed to help market participants better understand volatility and risk," and that distributing them through BMLL's research platform extends that use case further.OPRA Push Puts BMLL Into a Busier US Options Data MarketThe SpiderRock deal marks another step in BMLL's gradual build-out in US equity options, a segment where the company has been layering partner content on top of its own OPRA dataset. BMLL first launched six years of nanosecond OPRA data in November 2024, and in early 2025 expanded an existing partnership with Exegy to stitch historical OPRA records to Exegy's real-time feed, targeting clients moving from research to production.Rivals in the US options analytics space include Cboe's LiveVol unit, which sells historical options data and analytics through Cboe DataShop, and OptionMetrics, whose IvyDB datasets have long been a reference point for academic and quantitative research. ICE Data Services and Nasdaq also distribute historical options content, while Bloomberg and Refinitiv sit above the niche with broader cross-asset research environments. Partnerships Stack Up a Year After Nordic Capital DealThe SpiderRock integration slots into a pattern BMLL has followed across the past eight months, bolting partner data onto its cloud platform rather than building every dataset in-house. In February, the firm teamed up with Features Analytics on market abuse benchmarking products. In March, it opened a year-long pilot with Tradefeedr to extend transaction cost analysis from FX into equities and futures. Earlier this month, the London-based firm plugged its order book records into Databricks, adding another cloud distribution channel. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

The NAGA Group posted its first profitable first quarter today (Thursday), with net profit of €0.5 million, as the Hamburg-based multi-asset fintech behind the Naga One superapp said a leaner cost base and efficiency gains had started to work their way through the business.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!)Group revenue at NAGA came in at €14.4 million, down from €16.4 million a year earlier, though the company said sales were flat year over year once foreign exchange effects were stripped out. EBITDA more than doubled to €2.3 million from €1.0 million, and the margin climbed to 15.8% from 6.1% in Q1 2025. Net profit of €0.5 million compared with a loss of €1.7 million a year earlier, a swing management framed as proof that operational changes made during 2025 were starting to show up in the numbers.NAGA Cost Discipline Flips the Loss to ProfitManagement attributed the margin step-up to what it described as a more efficient operating model with a structurally lower cost base, supported by technology-led initiatives including AI-driven tools across marketing, customer support and internal processes. CEO Octavian Patrascu said the company has been "pushing to an AI-first approach" since early in the year, a line he first delivered to investors in February. NAGA has previously told the market that AI resolves roughly two thirds of its chat-based customer support with no human involvement, and that its marketing department runs with about 20% fewer staff than before, claims the company has not independently substantiated to Finance Magnates.[#highlighted-links#] The profit-line improvement comes after a year in which NAGA cited "structural headwinds" to explain a full-year 2025 EBITDA drop to €3.3 million from €9.0 million in 2024. That contrasted with the Q1 2025 comparable, when NAGA's EBITDA had already fallen more than 50% on higher marketing spend. The EBITDA and net profit figures released Thursday reverse that direction of travel, though from a lower revenue base.Users Climb, Funded Accounts SlipOn the operational side, NAGA said 87,500 new users registered during the quarter, up from 73,902 in Q1 2025. New funded accounts, however, fell to 4,903 from 6,088, a drop of about 19% that the company said was partly offset by rising net deposits, falling client withdrawals and higher platform activity. NAGA framed the trajectory as a sign of improving client quality.Reported trading volume reached $80.7 billion, against €47.3 billion in Q1 2025, though the direct comparison is complicated by the change in reporting currency for volumes. March, NAGA said, was the strongest month of the quarter for trading activity and gave the business positive momentum heading into the second quarter.Competitive Backdrop Leaves NAGA a Small PlayerNAGA's numbers read differently once placed next to the larger listed CFD firms reporting around the same time. Plus500, the London-listed broker, booked $242.1 million of Q1 2026 revenue, up 18% year over year, with EBITDA of $95.7 million at a 40% margin. Plus500 also lifted its full-year outlook and said customer deposits hit a record $1.8 billion in the quarter. IG Group, NAGA's other natural comparator and a direct rival in the UK retail CFD market, raised its cash interest offer to 8.5% last year, double the Bank of England base rate at the time, pressing on the same retained-customer battleground where NAGA pays up to 2.77% APY on idle euros.NAGA is at a different point in the cycle. The company still operates at a fraction of Plus500's scale, it has yet to return to its 2023 revenue level of around €70 million, and its shares remain well below the highs reached in 2021 even after a 10-for-1 reverse split completed in December 2025. The stock touched an all-time low of €1.31 on April 9 before rebounding, a trajectory that gave NAGA's AI-first messaging extra weight in recent investor communications.2026 Guidance UnchangedManagement stuck with the full-year 2026 targets laid out alongside the 2025 annual release, guiding to revenue of €68 million to €75 million and EBITDA of €10 million to €15 million. That would mark a sharp margin recovery if delivered, and would take NAGA close to the revenue level it last reached in 2023. The company also flagged a newly signed distribution partnership and ongoing white-label discussions that are not yet baked into the numbers, echoing the superapp distribution push that accompanied the Naga One launch late last year."Q1 2026 marks an important step forward for NAGA," Patrascu added in the earnings release. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

Crypto payouts tracked on public blockchains across the ten largest proprietary trading firms rose from $55.3 million in Q1 2025 to $115.1 million in Q1 2026, according to a new FM Intelligence analysis. Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!)The 109% year-over-year jump masks a sharper story, the figure barely moved against the $115.2 million recorded in Q4 2025, a 0.1% sequential change that points to an inflection after two years of rapid expansion.? Read the full FM Intelligence analysis here:Tracked Prop Firm Crypto Payouts Doubled to $115M in Q1 2026Two Prop Firms Now Account for 71% of Tracked VolumeWithin the cohort, the distribution of growth was uneven. FundedNext CFDs climbed 293% year-over-year to $42.7 million, while MyFunded Futures rose 161% to $38.5 million. Together the two firms represented 70.5% of Q1 2026 tracked payouts across the top 10. Six other operators moved the other way, with TopTier Trader down 78%, FXIFY down 59%, and Blue Guardian and E8 Markets both posting double-digit declines. The broader 2025 payout league table compiled by Prop Firm Match put the full-year figure at roughly $325 million, excluding FTMO and The5ers.Transaction counts continued to climb even as aggregate dollar flows flattened. The cohort processed 61,682 payout events in Q1 2026, up 8.1% from Q4 2025 and 129% year-over-year. Average payout size fell to $1,865 from $2,020, suggesting more traders are hitting first-payout thresholds but at smaller ticket sizes.Five Firms Added Brokerage Licenses in 10 MonthsThe plateau at the top has coincided with a structural pivot across the surviving cohort. Between May 2025 and March 2026, five prop firms or their founders added regulated brokerage entities to their corporate structures. FTMO closed its $250 million acquisition of OANDA on December 1, 2025, financed through a UniCredit-led credit line. FundedNext launched FNmarkets in May 2025 under a Comoros licence, with Mauritius and Dubai applications pending.The5ers founders took a minority stake in CySEC-licensed TSG Brokers, which went live in January 2026. The Trading Pit registered TTP Markets with the Seychelles FSA, and Seacrest, formerly MyFundedFX, shut down its prop operations in early February 2026 to operate exclusively as an FSCA-regulated CFD broker. FM Intelligence estimates approximately 80 to 100 prop firms ceased operations between January 2024 and Q1 2026.The Math That Still Defines the IndustryFPFX Technology data covering 300,000 accounts across 10 firms shows a 14% challenge pass rate and a 7% payout rate, with average payouts equal to roughly 4% of funded account size. The July 2025 insolvency of Funded Unicorn, which described losses in the high seven figures from mirroring all funded positions one-for-one in the market, illustrated the risk that brokerage infrastructure is now being built to address. No jurisdiction has enacted bespoke prop firm regulation as of April 2026. The Czech National Bank, CySEC, and ASIC have signaled scrutiny without concrete rules. The CFTC's case against MyForexFunds was dismissed with prejudice in May 2025 after a special master found the regulator had taken "deliberate steps down a path of obfuscation and avoidance."Yesterday (Tuesday), prop firm E8 Markets released a PR statement warning retail traders about the CFD market, noting that most participants lose money there. At the same time, it describes itself as a “SaaS educational simulation platform for financial markets” to avoid regulatory scrutiny.? Read the full FM Intelligence breakdown, including firm-by-firm payout tables, the brokerage build-out tracker, and sequential comparisons:Tracked Prop Firm Crypto Payouts Doubled to $115M in Q1 2026 This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

Former Scope Markets Regional Head, Kubra Caglar, has joined Tattvam Markets as Head of Commercial in the United Arab Emirates. She moved to the new role in April 2026 after spending nearly nine years at Scope Markets in a senior regional position.Caglar Joins Tattvam Markets as Head of CommercialCaglar has taken on the Head of Commercial role at Tattvam Markets on a full-time, on-site basis in the UAE. In a short update announcing the move, she said she was happy to share the news and described the step as the start of a new chapter with familiar colleagues and trusted leadership.She noted that she approaches the position with motivation and positive energy as she begins work in her new post.“Happy to share a small update, I’ve joined Tattvam Markets Markets as Head of Commercial. Thankful for the journey so far and glad to start this next chapter with familiar faces and trusted leadership. Looking ahead with motivation and positive energy,” Caglar commented on Wednesday announcement.Other recent executive moves: Trading Technologies Names First Chief Strategy Officer, Hires Josh Monroe as CROThe Head of Commercial role places her in charge of commercial activities, with a focus on business development and client-facing growth. The appointment strengthens Tattvam Markets’ senior ranks with an executive who has long experience in the online trading sector.Nearly Nine Years at Scope MarketsBefore joining Tattvam Markets, Caglar served as Regional Head at Scope Markets. She held the position from May 2017 to April 2026 and was based in Cyprus. Her responsibilities covered regional oversight, and she worked with teams and clients across the broker’s footprint.In a separate message about her departure, Caglar said she was saying goodbye to a place that felt like home after nearly nine years. Her move marked the end of a long tenure at one broker and the start of a new phase at Tattvam Markets in a senior commercial capacity.Scope Markets also lost another senior executive to Tattvam Markets when former Director Serkan Ismailoglu joined the firm as Managing Partner last year. He brings extensive experience in financial services, having previously worked at YKB and held leadership roles across several brokerage firms. Since mid-2021, he has also been working full-time at Lem Tarim in Istanbul, Türkiye.Elsewhere, Jacob Plattner, the former CEO of Scope Markets, co-founded a new brokerage venture, Azul Markets, which is licensed by the Financial Services Commission in Mauritius. Plattner led Scope Markets until his departure in 2023, and his involvement in Azul Markets signals his return to the brokerage industry. This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.

New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed suit against Coinbase and Gemini, accusing both companies of running illegal gambling operations through their prediction market platforms. The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan, seeks to bar the exchanges from offering prediction markets in New York until they hold state gaming licenses — and frames the products not as financial instruments but as unregulated wagering. "Gambling by another name is still gambling, and it is not exempt from regulation under our state laws and Constitution," James said. "Gemini and Coinbase's so-called prediction markets are just illegal gambling operations..@Gemini and @coinbase's so-called prediction markets are just illegal gambling operations that expose young people to addictive platforms.Gambling by another name is still gambling. I'm suing to stop these platforms from breaking the law.https://t.co/DosDKe2un1— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) April 21, 2026A Direct Challenge to the CFTC The suit is an explicit challenge to federal authority. The CFTC has asserted exclusive jurisdiction over prediction markets, treating event contracts as commodity derivatives. New York is ignoring that framing entirely and applying state gaming law directly. This is the latest escalation in an ongoing jurisdictional conflict. Kalshi, which holds a CFTC Designated Contract Market license, is already fighting New York, Massachusetts, and Michigan in court over the same issue. Coinbase has preemptively sued Connecticut and Illinois to block state-level oversight of its prediction business. The CFTC itself has sued Arizona to stop the state from policing these markets. The New York action adds two of the most visible publicly listed companies in crypto to that list of defendants — and raises the political and financial stakes considerably. What New York is Actually After The lawsuit is partly about money. Licensed sportsbooks in New York pay roughly 51% of gross revenues in tax.Prediction market platforms operating under CFTC classification do not pay into that tax pool. The state argues this is intentional, saying the “financial instrument” framing is used to avoid the legal and financial consequences of New York gambling law. The lawsuits seek forfeiture of profits, restitution to users, and penalties of up to three times the companies’ alleged gains.Consumer protection is the other stated concern. The platforms currently allow users from age 18; New York gambling law sets the minimum at 21. The fundamental question — whether an event contract is a derivative or a bet — is now heading to a New York courtroom. For any brokerage, exchange, or fintech firm considering entering the U.S. prediction market space, the outcome matters: it will either confirm federal preemption or hand states a usable legal template to block these products regardless of CFTC oversight. This article was written by Tanya Chepkova at www.financemagnates.com.

The online brokerage industry has seen its fair share of players and success stories, a truly cutthroat field that ultimately emphasizes success above all else. However, success is not just defined by comfort, consensus, or even certainty, but rather a relentless willingness to compete. Enter Tim Furey, the Founder and CEO of Tradeview Markets, whose resilience has taken on literal, life-or-death meaning.Furey was recently featured in a full-length interview as part of the series "The American Dream", hosted by actor Eric Roberts that was aired on Bloomberg TV. The interview pulls back the curtain on the man who has defied the odds and persevered to take his company to new heights and establish itself as an industry leader. This perspective is more than a corporate profile or traditional raw segment but rather a look at a leader who survived a near-fatal medical emergency and returned with a renewed mission to scale his firm into a billion-dollar powerhouse.Hungry Dogs Run Faster: The Origin StoryFurey is no stranger to adversity or challenges, whose journey started from a humble upbringing on Long Island to the brutal training grounds of college football at Southern Connecticut State University. It was here that a mentor instilled in him the mantra that would define his career: "Hungry dogs run faster."This philosophy became the impetus and driving force behind Tradeview Markets, defining its core business today and helping it stand out from the crowd. After a pivotal moment in his early career where his contributions weren't fairly compensated, Mr. Furey’s penchant for endurance emerged. He didn't just walk away, but he decided to build something better.Alongside three friends from his rugby club, he launched Tradeview in a tiny Wall Street office, investing every dime he had into a vision of a multi-asset brokerage that never sleeps. "I got so angry that night... I’m like, I’ll do it on my own. And I figured it out one night how I was going to do it," explained Furey.Crossing Over and Fighting BackPerhaps the most harrowing segment of his journey details a 2023 health crisis that nearly ended the Tradeview story entirely. A simple sore throat had quickly escalated into a life-threatening crisis following a failed intubation during an emergency procedure.Furey’s oxygen levels plummeted to catastrophic levels for seven minutes, leaving him in a coma for three days. Doctors warned his family that if he woke up at all, he would likely be severely handicapped.He described a fight within his subconscious, a dream-state battle to wake up that he attributes to the mental toughness forged during years of grueling football camps and the hardships of building a business from scratch. "I was hungry to live," Furey noted defiantly. "I had more to do."Momentum: The Road to a Billion-Dollar ValuationThis brush with death was not the end of his story but the driving force behind Tradeview’s latest growth and performance. Today, the company has long since discarded its reputation as a scrappy startup and is now an established global entity offering industry leading services in forex, stocks, commodities, currencies, and 24-Hour Trading Infrastructure.Furey’s tenacity has been on full display in recent years, underscoring the firm’s recent aggressive expansion into Dubai, which he describes as the new New York of the financial sphere. With new regulations, products, and offices slated, the firm is currently on a trajectory to hit a billion-dollar valuation, a landmark achievement for any company. Beyond the balance sheets, the Furey also underscores his commitment to social impact, specifically his deep support for Cayman’s women’s rugby. It’s a testament to a leadership style that is as much about community and giving to the right areas as it is about market dominance.Despite suggestions from peers that he should enjoy the fruits of his labor and retire, Furey’s message could not be clearer. "I can retire yesterday, but no way," he boldly stated. "Now I have momentum. I’m going to take this company to the next level." This article was written by FM Contributors at www.financemagnates.com.

TMX Group has agreed to acquire the Australia and Canada exchange businesses of Cboe Global Markets in a US$300 million deal. The transaction covers Cboe Australia and Cboe Canada and is subject to regulatory approvals in both countries. The two businesses are expected to close in separate transactions once approvals are completed.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!).The deal reverses Cboe’s earlier expansion into Canadian equities market infrastructure. The company built its presence through acquisitions including NEO and MATCHNow, positioning itself as a competitor in Canada’s trading landscape.Cboe Trading Venues Move to TMXThe assets include equities trading venues, listing platforms, and market data services. Cboe Australia operates trading and listing services for equities and exchange-traded products and recently received a licence for corporate listings. Cboe Canada operates MATCHNow and the NEO trading and listing venues, along with ETF and CDR listings.TMX Group said the acquisition will expand its capital markets infrastructure and support its long-term growth strategy. It also said the transaction is expected to reduce complexity for Canadian market participants.Cboe Global Markets said the businesses had delivered stable performance. Chief Executive Officer Craig Donohue said they are well positioned for their next chapter and that the company will work with TMX, regulators, and clients to support a smooth transition.TMX Adds Revenue-Generating Exchange AssetsThe combined Cboe Canada and Cboe Australia businesses generated about $87 million in revenue in 2025 and around $25 million in adjusted EBITDA. TMX said the deal is expected to be accretive to adjusted earnings per share within 12 months of closing, excluding synergies.The transaction also reflects Cboe’s broader shift toward derivatives and data-focused operations, with reduced emphasis on regional equities exchange assets.TMX said the acquisition of Cboe Australia will extend its access to Australia’s capital markets ecosystem, while the Canada deal is expected to improve market access and execution quality. This article was written by Tareq Sikder at www.financemagnates.com.

Online brokerage firm Change, which already holds a Dutch investment firm license, can now operate as a crypto-asset service provider under MiCA. The approval enables the firm to expand its operations across the European Economic Area (EEA).Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!).In a Wednesday announcement, Change completed its notification under the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation in the Netherlands. It allows the firm to expand into crypto services under a single European framework.AFM Notification Expands ScopeThe approval from the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) adds to its existing status as a regulated investment firm and enables passporting across the European Economic Area.We’re now MiCA authorised in the Netherlands ?A big step forward for Change and how we operate across Europe ??This authorisation means we can operate as a regulated crypto-asset service provider under MiCA, the new European framework for crypto.#MiCA #crypto #fintech… pic.twitter.com/Cfd3NBwf8R— Change (@changefinance) April 22, 2026Change operates a mobile-focused trading platform that offers access to crypto assets, ETFs and CFDs on stocks, forex and commodities to clients in more than 30 European countries. The firm is regulated in the Netherlands and Estonia and is majority-owned by Switzerland-based private equity firm Andromeda Capital Partners Suisse, whose portfolio includes MetroTrade, AgenaTrader and TradersYard.“There are still relatively few firms in Europe that combine both an investment firm license and a MiCA authorization under the same regulator. We believe this dual regulatory foundation is a strong differentiator,” said Ingmar Mattus, the Co-Founder at MetroTrade.With this step, Change can offer crypto-related services alongside its existing products. The firm stated that the move aligns with its focus on regulatory compliance, transparency, and customer protection. The company did not disclose specific product changes but said updates will follow in the coming weeks.Existing Platform and BackingMiCA is expected to reshape how crypto firms operate in Europe by introducing consistent licensing and conduct standards. Firms that complete registration early can scale services more easily across borders.Keep reading: “The Knee on Crypto's Neck is Lifting”: Hidden Road's Higgins on MiCA, Industry's FutureMoonPay, BitStaete, ZBD, and Hidden Road became the first firms to receive MiCA licenses in the Netherlands, issued by the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets and allowing them to operate across all 27 EU member states.Under MiCA, crypto firms must obtain a Crypto Asset Service Provider license from any EU member state to passport their services across the bloc, and while all countries faced a December 30 implementation deadline, adoption has progressed at different speeds, with the Netherlands among the early movers.MiCA, introduced in 2020 and passed in 2023, is gradually reshaping the EU crypto market by imposing uniform rules, including stricter treatment of stablecoins that has already triggered measures such as some exchanges delisting Tether. This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.

Robinhood has taken a US$75 million stake in ChatGPT maker OpenAI through its investment vehicle, Robinhood Ventures Fund I (RVI), the retail brokerage said on Wednesday. The fund, which was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in March, offers retail investors exposure to a basket of private technology firms that used to be the preserve of venture capital investors. “OpenAI is one of the frontier artificial intelligence companies, and we are incredibly proud to add them to the Fund,” said Sarah Pinto, President of RVI.Existing holdings include Stripe, Databricks, Revolut and ElevenLabs. The OpenAI position is among the vehicle’s largest to date, which Pinto framed as underscoring its ambition to give retail investors access to firms typically confined to private markets.Nonetheless, in the context of OpenAI’s recent funding rounds – most recently in March, reportedly valuing the company at US $122bn – the investment is modest.Introducing Robinhood Ventures Fund I’s latest investment: OpenAI.Private markets are no longer just for the elite. We’re expanding access to the frontier companies who are helping shape the future of AI, fintech, and beyond.Learn more: https://t.co/FxHWYbYCB6— Robinhood (@RobinhoodApp) April 22, 2026A Bigger Slice for Retail InvestorsThe move hints at a thaw in relations. In July 2025, OpenAI publicly rebuked Robinhood over its “stock tokens” in Europe, arguing they did not constitute real equity, lacked approval and implied a partnership that did not exist. Robinhood’s CEO, Vlad Tenev, defended the tokenised instruments as legitimate derivatives; the platform also offered tokenised exposure to SpaceX.Nonetheless, the move reflects a growing appetite among retail investors for exposure to private tech companies, especially as artificial intelligence continues to dominate market narratives. Taking it a step further, Elon Musk announced that the SpaceX listing will include up to 30% IPO allocation to retail investors, an unusually large slice for a cohort that was historically crowded out from early public access. The move also coincides with a structural shift: technology firms are staying private for longer. By delaying initial public offerings, they can raise successive private rounds, retain tighter control and avoid volatile market debuts. This article was written by Adonis Adoni at www.financemagnates.com.

Hantec Markets has posted its strongest first quarter on record in 2026, as trading volumes surged sharply year on year and continued the momentum seen in 2025. The result comes against a backdrop of sustained growth across its trading activity and product base.The firm reported $1.206 trillion in trading volume for Q1 2026, compared with $437.7 billion in Q1 2025, representing an increase of around 176% year on year. The figure also surpassed the previous quarterly peak of $1.013 trillion in Q4 2025, marking a rise of roughly 19%.Firm Expands Products, RegionsAlongside the trading performance, product development and partnerships also featured during the quarter. The firm expanded its sports marketing through a partnership with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, becoming its official trading partner in the Asia-Pacific region. The collaboration includes brand visibility across live events, broadcasts, and social media. The first activation took place at UFC 325 in Sydney.The UFC deal follows an existing partnership with Club Atlético de Madrid, where Hantec Markets serves as the official online trading partner across Latin America.On the product side, the company continued development of its WebTrader platform and copy trading application, Hantec Social, alongside its MT4 and MT5 offerings. Hantec Markets said these platforms were linked to higher engagement during the quarter.The company also opened a new office in Latin America as part of its regional expansion strategy.January Leads, February Slows, March RecoversThe performance extends a strong 2025, when Hantec Markets recorded approximately $2.72 trillion in full-year trading volume, up about 92% year on year. That annual backdrop provides context for the sharp first-quarter acceleration seen in 2026.Monthly activity in the first quarter showed uneven momentum. January led the period with $569.2 billion in volume. February fell to $252.8 billion, before rebounding to $384.4 billion in March. The pattern reflects a strong start to the year, followed by a mid-quarter slowdown and partial recovery toward the end of the quarter.Traditional FX Products Saw Reduced ShareIn terms of product mix, the company said around 83% of total trading volume in Q1 came from non-foreign exchange instruments. This included commodities such as gold and oil, highlighting a continued shift in activity away from traditional FX products.Hantec Markets said the quarter builds on the broader expansion trend seen in 2025, with sustained participation across products and regions. It described Q1 2026 as a continuation of that trajectory, supported by activity across multiple client segments.Commenting on the quarter, Chief Commercial Officer Norayr Djerrahian said: “Q1 2026 has set a solid foundation for the year ahead. Alongside continued product enhancements, a stronger desktop experience, we are seeing encouraging momentum across our core trading platforms and markets.” This article was written by Tareq Sikder at www.financemagnates.com.

Retail traders in Asia and Africa face a distinct set of challenges when selecting a broker. Payment methods differ by region, market hours vary, and support needs to be available when local traders are active. And then, there’s pricing: for traders working with smaller account sizes or testing strategies in volatile conditions, every pip counts. TradingPRO understands this. The broker has built a trading environment centred on efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Known to offer some of the most competitive spreads in the industry, TradingPRO recently won the title of ‘Best Spreads Broker – MEA’ at the UF AWARDS MEA 2026, building its offering around these realities. The global online trading platform provides access to Forex, CFDs, indices, commodities, and cryptocurrencies, with a focus on markets where digital engagement is growing, and demand for accessible trading solutions continues to rise.Regional Focus Shapes Product StrategyTradingPRO targets high-growth markets across India, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, South Africa, Nigeria, and Egypt. These regions share common characteristics: increasing adoption of online trading, strong mobile usage, and demand for brokers that understand local preferences.​The platform adapts its service to regional needs through several features:Locally preferred payment methodsCustomer support aligned with regional time zonesPromotions tailored to market-specific trading behaviorsCommunication in languages spoken across Southeast Asia and the Middle EastThis approach differs from competitors that apply standardized offerings across all markets without accounting for regional differences.Competitive Conditions and ExecutionTradingPRO offers leverage up to 1:2000, multiple account types, and trading on MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, and cTrader platforms. The broker uses straight-through processing (STP) and ECN order execution, which appeals to traders seeking tight spreads and fast trade execution.Independent reviews note smooth order fills with minimal slippage, even during high-volatility events such as Non-Farm Payroll announcements. Traders also report fast withdrawal processing and responsive customer service available around the clock.Beyond pricing and execution, the platform emphasizes features that support ongoing engagement:Trading contests and performance-based campaignsLoyalty programsEducational content and market analysisCopy trading functionalitySwap-free trading options for longer-term positionsFor traders seeking structured learning and market insights, TradingPRO recently launched a YouTube channel with educational resources and trading analysis.Trust and Transparency in Emerging MarketsBuilding credibility in emerging markets requires more than competitive spreads. Traders need assurance that their funds are secure, that the withdrawal process is without delays, and that the broker operates transparently.TradingPRO holds regulatory licensing in South Africa and maintains negative balance protection to limit trader risk. The platform provides transparent pricing information and detailed account terms, addressing a common concern among retail traders evaluating new brokers."Our priority has always been to put traders first," a company representative stated. "Through continuous platform improvements, localised offerings, and a strong emphasis on trust and performance, TradingPRO aims to create a trading environment where clients feel confident, informed, and supported."Education as a Retention ToolOne factor that separates engaged traders from those who leave the market early is access to education. TradingPRO provides market analysis, trading insights, and instructional content designed to help traders develop their skills and make informed decisions.​The platform offers a Trade Hub with trading tools and analytics, giving traders resources to analyze markets and refine their strategies. This educational focus aligns with broader industry trends showing that platforms investing in trader education see higher retention rates and stronger long-term engagement.Accessibility Across Experience LevelsTradingPRO's target audience includes beginners, intermediate traders, and active traders aged 21 to 45 who are digitally savvy and mobile-first. The platform's account structure accommodates different experience levels, from those opening their first demo trading account to high-frequency traders requiring advanced execution and low latency.​The minimum deposit requirements remain accessible for traders in emerging markets, while the range of tradable instruments across major asset classes provides room for portfolio diversification as traders gain experience.​Traders interested in exploring the platform's features and opening an online trading account can visit the relevant page for account details and registration information.Growing Presence in Target MarketsTradingPRO operates in a competitive landscape alongside established brokers such as Exness, Octa, AvaTrade, Tickmill, XM, and FBS. What distinguishes the platform is its emphasis on market-specific adaptation rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.The broker's participation in industry events reflects its commitment to engaging with traders in its core markets. These events provide opportunities for traders to learn about platform features, meet the team, and understand the trading conditions offered.As retail trading continues to expand across Asia and Africa, brokers that prioritize competitive pricing, localized support, and continuous education are positioned to attract and retain traders looking for reliable platforms. TradingPRO's recognition as Best Spreads Broker reinforces its focus on delivering value where it matters most to retail traders: in the cost of each trade.Traders seeking more information about TradingPRO's platform, trading products, and educational resources can visit the website.About TradingPROTradingPRO is a global online trading platform providing retail traders with access to Forex, CFDs, and other financial instruments, with a strong focus on accessibility, performance, and trader education. This article was written by FM Contributors at www.financemagnates.com.

Leverage has long been one of the most debated aspects of retail trading. While it allows traders to increase market exposure with limited capital, traditional leverage models are often constrained by fixed ratios and margin requirements.In response to this, some brokers, like TIOmarkets, are beginning to experiment with alternative approaches designed to increase flexibility and capital efficiency. The company’s latest unlimited leverage offering introduces an alternative to traditional leverage models by removing traditional trading limitations and introducing a more flexible approach to market participation.Unlimited leverage is a trading model where traditional margin requirements are removed, allowing traders to use their full account balance as trading equity.Unlike fixed leverage models (e.g. 1:30 or 1:500), where position size is limited by predefined ratios, unlimited leverage removes these constraints, giving traders more flexibility in how they allocate capital.A New Standard in Trading: Unlimited LeverageAt the core of TIOmarkets’ offering is its unlimited leverage feature, available on its Standard account. Unlike traditional brokers that impose fixed leverage ratios and margin requirements, TIOmarkets allows traders to operate without margin constraints, enabling them to use their full account balance as trading equity.This model effectively removes the conventional cap on position sizing, allowing traders to open significantly larger trades relative to their capital. By eliminating the need to lock funds as margin, traders can maximize their buying power and trading flexibility.In practical terms, unlimited leverage allows traders to take positions far beyond the limits of traditional leverage models, where exposure is typically restricted by predefined ratios.Margin-Free Trading for Greater Capital EfficiencyIn traditional trading environments, brokers apply fixed leverage ratios and margin requirements, which limit the size of positions relative to account balance.For example, under a 1:100 leverage model, a trader with $1,000 can control a $100,000 position, but must maintain margin requirements to keep that position open.Unlimited leverage removes these constraints, but also shifts greater responsibility onto the trader to manage exposure and risk effectively. This is because leverage amplifies potential profits and losses equally.Who is Unlimited Leverage Suitable for?Unlimited leverage is generally more aligned with:Experienced traders who actively manage riskShort-term or intraday tradersTraders using strict position sizing and risk management strategiesFor less experienced traders, traditional leverage models may provide more structured risk controls.With that said, the platform incorporates safeguards such as equity-based limits and negative balance protection, ensuring that position sizes remain aligned with the trader’s available capital.Risk Awareness and Responsible TradingWhile unlimited leverage increases flexibility, it also significantly increases risk. Without margin constraints, traders can open positions that are disproportionately large relative to their capital.This means that small market movements can result in large losses if risk is not properly managed.Traders should be particularly cautious in volatile market conditions and ensure they are using stop-loss orders and predefined risk limits.Why Leverage Matters for TradersFor many retail traders, leverage is a key factor when choosing a broker. It directly affects capital requirements, position sizing, and the ability to respond to short-term market opportunities.As a result, leverage can play a significant role in how traders compare and select brokers. Looking AheadAs financial markets continue to evolve, brokers will continue exploring new approaches to trading conditions and capital efficiency. TIOmarkets aims to remain at the forefront of innovation by offering solutions that challenge traditional brokerage models. With its unlimited leverage feature and margin-free trading environment, the company is setting a new benchmark for flexibility and accessibility in online trading.About TIOmarketsTIOmarkets is a global online trading provider, offering access to a range of financial markets, including forex, indices, stocks and commodities. The platform supports trading via MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5.The company offers a range of account types, including options designed for low-cost trading, as well as features such as negative balance protection and raw spread accounts. With a minimum deposit starting from US$20, TIOmarkets aims to lower barriers to entry while maintaining a reputable trading environment. This article was written by FM Contributors at www.financemagnates.com.

Gold has taken over retail futures trading on crypto exchanges in 2026, and fresh quarterly data from MEXC shows the flow has only become more concentrated. The Seychelles-based exchange said its tokenized gold product XAUT alone accounted for 71% of combined volume among its top 10 TradFi Futures in the first quarter, with silver adding another 22%. Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!)Together, the two instruments absorbed 93% of top 10 activity between January and March, according to the company's Q1 TradFi report published today (Wednesday).Gold Captures Over a Quarter of Global Crypto Futures VolumeMEXC said its gold futures reached a 27.4% share of the crypto futures market for the category in Q1, ranking second industry-wide by its own measurement. In February alone the figure climbed to 30.3%, narrowing the gap with the top-ranked platform to four percentage points. Silver sat at 14.6% for the quarter, with a month-over-month gain of more than six percentage points in March, the fastest acceleration among comparable venues the company identified. Paxos-issued PAXG placed fifth in the top 10."Gold and oil volatility created a window of opportunity and lucrative entry points for those who are prepared," MEXC chief operating officer, Vugar Usi Zade, commented."We positioned ourselves ahead of the curve with the right instruments, deep liquidity ready to execute large orders, and a frictionless fee model.”Total TradFi volume surged 138% in February from the previous month and gained another 45% in March, MEXC said. Monthly active traders grew a cumulative 58% over the quarter. The exchange's own rankings and methodology have not been independently audited.Bullion's Rally Keeps Pulling Retail Flow InSafe-haven demand set the backdrop for the quarter. Gold broke above $5,000 per ounce for the first time in January and reached $5,595 on January 29, before a sharp two-day correction wiped out close to $1,200. A Reuters poll of 30 analysts in February pegged the median 2026 gold forecast at $4,746.50 per troy ounce, the highest consensus in the poll's history going back to 2012. Major banks including Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan and Wells Fargo hold year-end targets between $5,400 and $6,300.Silver followed a similar pattern, hitting a lifetime high of $121.64 on January 29 before retreating toward $90. CME Group shifted gold, silver, platinum and palladium futures margins from fixed amounts to percentage-based requirements in early January to cope with the volatility, while liquidity providers adjusted spreads across the board. Crude oil also caught a bid as tensions in the Middle East escalated through late February and March. MEXC said its largest single day of Q1 volume came on March 3.Crypto Platforms Race to Capture Commodity FlowThe MEXC numbers fit a broader pattern that has defined the first quarter across the digital-asset industry. Binance launched round-the-clock perpetual contracts on gold and silver in early January, with gold listed on January 5 and silver on January 7, both settling in USDT. BingX rolled out its own TradFi Futures product days later and reported that gold contracts alone were generating more than $500 million a day, roughly half of its $1 billion daily TradFi volume when bullion pushed through $4,722 in mid-January. Bitget ran a similar multi-asset suite out of private beta during the same window.The trend extends to institutional venues. LMAX Group added gold to its perpetual futures platform in mid-February, citing institutional demand for weekend and round-the-clock exposure, and GCEX rolled out gold futures aimed at CFD desks around the same time. Not every major exchange is playing along. OKX said in late January it was monitoring the rush but did not plan to follow rivals into real-world asset trading, preferring to focus on crypto infrastructure.The product structure on these crypto venues resembles contracts-for-difference more closely than regulated exchange-traded futures, and the regulatory perimeter varies sharply by jurisdiction. In a recent interview with FinanceMagnates.com, Zade said the traditional separation between CFD and crypto trading had started to feel like "an unnecessary distance," a view the Q1 numbers now appear to underscore.Q1 2026 Market Share: MEXC TradFi FuturesSource: MEXC Q1 2026 TradFi Report. Figures reflect MEXC's own measurement and have not been independently verified.Liquidity Claims Rest on MEXC's Own Depth TestMEXC also reported ranking first among seven major crypto platforms for gold order book depth at the top five price levels, in a live snapshot taken on March 23. The platforms tested were BingX, Binance, Hyperliquid, Bitget, Bybit and OKX alongside MEXC itself, with three venues covered for crude oil. MEXC said its gold depth at the top of book was 7.2 times the median of competing platforms.In a standardized 100,000 USDT market-order test conducted on the same date, MEXC said its gold slippage came in 43% below the industry median, silver 66% below, WTI 25% below and Brent more than 54% below. The methodology and raw order book data have not been audited by a third party, though MEXC said the figures are verifiable on each venue in real time.The exchange said the number of available TradFi instruments grew 62% quarter-over-quarter, and that its wider user base now exceeds 40 million across more than 170 markets. The company's operating perimeter remains a live issue in several jurisdictions, including Hong Kong, where the Securities and Futures Commission previously issued a public warning about the platform. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

UK regulators have introduced a new set of reforms to the Senior Managers and Certification Regime, aiming to reduce compliance costs and simplify requirements for financial firms. The changes, announced today (Wednesday) by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, form the first phase of a broader government effort to update the regime while maintaining senior-level accountability.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!).For retail CFD brokers operating in the UK, the reforms are expected to ease compliance burdens and improve operational flexibility, particularly for mid-sized firms. Higher thresholds for enhanced supervision may move some brokers out of the strictest category, while reduced certification requirements could simplify hiring across client-facing and risk functions.UK Eases SM&CR RulesThe regulators said the updates will give firms more time to submit senior manager applications in cases of unexpected or temporary changes. They will also remove the need to certify individuals for overlapping functions, reducing certification roles by around 15%.Sarah Pritchard, Deputy Chief executive at the FCA, said the reforms will “keep consumers and markets protected” while making the regime “more proportionate.”Additional measures include restructuring annual “fit and proper” assessments, clarifying senior management roles, and extending deadlines for reporting responsibility changes and updating the certified staff directory.The reforms also raise thresholds for enhanced supervision by about 30%, limiting stricter requirements to larger firms, and extend the validity period for criminal record checks.Regulators Report High Approval TimelinesLucy Rigby, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, said the government is “cutting unnecessary complexity” and “halving the administrative burden” to build “a simpler, faster and more competitive system.”Alongside the regulatory changes, the UK government published further proposals following its 2025 consultation. These include removing the Certification Regime for less senior roles from legislation and giving regulators more flexibility to reduce the number of senior management functions requiring approval.The changes build on efforts to speed up approvals. According to the FCA, 99.7% of applications were processed within the three-month deadline, with 94.7% completed within a proposed two-month timeframe. The PRA reported that 100% met the three-month deadline, with 98% processed within two months. This article was written by Tareq Sikder at www.financemagnates.com.

Bitcoin (BTC) traded at $77,541 per coin on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, up 2.2% over 24 hours and 4.3% on the week, after Trump extended the Iran ceasefire indefinitely and Strategy disclosed a $2.54 billion BTC buy lifting holdings past 815,000 coins. The move takes the leading digital asset to its highest level since early February, breaking out of a two-month consolidation range drawn from the 2024 lows. Ethereum added 0.7% to $2,390, XRP gained 1.5% to $1.45, and Dogecoin jumped 2.5% off the 9-cent support.Why is crypto going up today? Two catalysts this week flipped a six-week short positioning bias into forced cover buying. The ceasefire extension removed the weekend's Hormuz overhang, and Strategy's largest buy since November 2024 absorbed nearly three times April's global miner supply in one week.Follow me on X for real-time market analysis: @ChmielDkWhy is crypto going up today? Trump's ceasefire and Saylor's $2.54 billion betTrump announced an indefinite extension of the April 22 ceasefire deadline after Iran rejected peace talks in Islamabad on Sunday, a reversal that removed the Strait of Hormuz tail risk capping crypto bids since early April. Global crypto funds posted $1.4 billion in weekly inflows, led by Bitcoin and Ethereum products.Strategy, led by Michael Saylor, disclosed on Monday that it bought 34,164 BTC for $2.54 billion between April 13-19 at an average price of $74,395 per coin. The purchase lifted total holdings to 815,061 BTC worth roughly $61.5 billion at current spot prices, making Strategy the largest publicly traded Bitcoin holder and surpassing BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust for the first time."Bitcoin continuing to consolidate above the key $76k breakout zone," said Joel Kruger, crypto strategist at LMAX, describing the recent price action as constructive. Kruger added that sustained acceptance at these levels opens the door for a broader move toward $90,000 in BTC and above $3,000 in ETH.The rally sits on four converging drivers:Trump ceasefire extension removed the Hormuz geopolitical premium that had suppressed bids since April 7Strategy's $2.54 billion BTC purchase, the largest weekly accumulation since November 2024, absorbed roughly three times April's miner supply$1.4 billion in weekly crypto fund inflows reversed the net-outflow trend that dominated Q1 2026Extended funding rate compression set up a mechanical short squeeze on any move above $76,000As I wrote in my April 9 analysis, the Iran ceasefire and a $427 million short squeeze already set up the $80,000 breakout test now underway.Why is Bitcoin going up today? BTC breaks above February consolidationBitcoin gained 2.2% during Wednesday's session to trade at $77,541, testing the highest level since early February after nearly three months of range-bound action. From a technical perspective, my chart shows BTC decisively broke out of the consolidation drawn since February from the 2024 lows, a signal that opens the path to higher resistance zones."The $72k area as a key support zone, with upside constrained... around $79k," said Paul Howard, Senior Director at Wincent. Howard's near-term range aligns with the $80,000 barrier formed by November 2025 lows.Two key levels sit overhead. The round $80,000 mark coincides with the November 2025 swing lows, and above that, my main resistance is the 200 MA at $82,500, which separates the bearish structure from a confirmed trend reversal. A decisive close above the 200 MA would transfer control from bears to bulls for the first time since Q1.As my April 13 BTC analysis detailed, the Strait of Hormuz shock already primed the $72,000 support zone, and the current breakout now extends that setup. For the bearish scenario, the FinanceMagnates.com report on Bitcoin's 2026 targets flagged $60,000 as the downside risk if the $76,000 zone fails to hold.Why is Ethereum surging? ETH still trapped below $2,650Ethereum added 0.7% on Wednesday, with the intraday high tagging $2,400 before pulling back to $2,390 at the time of writing. From a technical standpoint, little has structurally changed on the ETH chart. Prices remain stuck in the yearlong consolidation between the $1,800 February floor and the $2,400 resistance drawn from local February highs.Only a breakout of the 200 MA at $2,650, combined with the $2,750 resistance from November and December 2025 lows, would change the trajectory. ETH lags BTC meaningfully, trading 52% below its August 2025 all-time high of $4,953."The only truly decentralized base-layer protocol," said Paul Howard of Wincent, describing Ethereum's structural positioning versus other Layer 1 chains and its own L2 ecosystem. Howard argued that this differentiation is likely to support relative outperformance in coming months, though the chart has yet to confirm the fundamental thesis.My directional bias on ETH remains neutral-to-bearish while the 200 MA caps upside, with a confirmed break above $2,650 required to flip the structure.XRP Price And Third Straight Session of GainsXRP traded at $1.45 on Wednesday, gaining 1.5% in the third consecutive rising session. The token posts modest gains with the broader rally, but my chart shows the structure has not meaningfully shifted.XRP remains locked in the consolidation at the lowest levels since 2024. The upper boundary sits at $1.51-$1.57, defined by local highs from February and March. Local supports stack at $1.26-$1.30 from February and March lows, with the full consolidation extending down to $1.12, the early February low. The 50 MA provides additional short-term support around $1.40.The setup mirrors what I see on ETH and BTC. Only a reclaim of the 200 MA at $1.80, which aligns with December 2025 lows, would open more room to the upside, as my April 14 XRP analysis detailed when the token last pushed into the $1.57 zone.Why is Dogecoin going up today? DOGE bounces off 9-cent supportDogecoin gained 2.5% on Wednesday, testing the level just below $0.10 and reclaiming the 50 MA that serves as dynamic support. Like the other three charts I am tracking, DOGE remains trapped in a sideways channel at its lowest levels since 2024.The lower support band sits at just under $0.09, a level tested repeatedly from early February through April. The upper resistance at $0.11 coincides with the early-2026 lows last tested on February 15. The 200 MA below $0.13 continues to separate any uptrend scenario from the ongoing downtrend structure, as I discussed in my January multi-crypto analysis.Key levels across the 4 chartsCrypto price predictions for BTC, ETH, XRP and DOGEExternal forecasts cluster around the BTC $80,000 breakout test. Paul Howard of Wincent frames the near-term range at $72,000-$79,000, while LMAX's Joel Kruger targets $90,000 in BTC and above $3,000 in ETH on sustained acceptance. Strategy's $2.54 billion buy reinforces the institutional bid thesis, with 815,061 BTC now exceeding BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust.The FinanceMagnates.com DOGE prediction coverage flagged a 100%-to-445% upside scenario tied to historical RSI bullish crosses, which would lift DOGE to $0.45-$1.36 if the pattern holds. For XRP, my March analysis covered the $1.80 unlock level in more detail.Why is crypto going up today FAQWhy is Bitcoin going up today? Bitcoin is up 2.2% to $77,541 on April 22, 2026 after Trump extended the Iran ceasefire indefinitely and Strategy disclosed a $2.54 billion BTC purchase. The twin catalysts removed the Hormuz geopolitical premium and absorbed roughly three times April's global miner supply in a single week, forcing short positioning to unwind above the $76,000 breakout zone.Why is Ethereum going up today? Ethereum added 0.7% to $2,390 on April 22, 2026, tracking broader risk-on sentiment from the Iran ceasefire extension and institutional crypto inflows. However, ETH remains trapped in its yearlong $1,800-$2,400 consolidation range. The structural bull case requires a decisive break of the 200 MA at $2,650 before ETH can participate meaningfully in the BTC-led rally.Why is XRP going up today? XRP gained 1.5% to $1.45 on April 22, 2026, marking its third consecutive rising session. The move reflects broader crypto market strength rather than XRP-specific catalysts. The token continues to trade within its 2024-lows consolidation at $1.26-$1.57, with the 50 MA at $1.40 providing short-term support and the 200 MA at $1.80 as the key unlock level.Why is Dogecoin going up today? Dogecoin jumped 2.5% on April 22, 2026 after testing the $0.09-$0.10 support zone and reclaiming its 50 MA. The bounce fits a repeated pattern of successful tests at the lower channel boundary since February. DOGE remains confined to its $0.09-$0.11 trading range until it can clear the 200 MA at $0.13 that separates trend structures.How high can crypto go in 2026? Institutional targets cluster at BTC $90,000 (Kruger/LMAX) and ETH $3,000+ on sustained acceptance above current breakout zones. Strategy's accumulation pace suggests continued supply absorption, while Bitrue Research Labs projects XRP $2.50 for 2026. Downside risks remain if the $80,000 BTC resistance rejects for the fifth time and the Iran ceasefire collapses before becoming a permanent agreement. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

Retail brokers and proprietary trading firms operate under intense scrutiny from global regulators and demanding retail clients. Client acquisition costs continue to rise across the financial technology sector. Traders demand lower spreads and faster execution speeds, forcing companies to constantly release updated platforms offering superior infrastructure. Silence offers no protection against aggressive market rivals because visibility requires verified performance.The Trading Awards officially open the nomination phase today. These accolades exist strictly for B2C organizations. The program measures market dominance among retail brokerages and prop trading firms. Operational excellence demands public validation. A nomination signals competitive energy and establishes a brand as a serious contender for the top position.Measuring market dominanceRetail trading volumes define success within the consumer sector. Companies processing billions in monthly volume require a method to separate their brand from underperforming entities. The Trading Awards provide an objective ranking system based on measurable momentum. Every category focuses on tangible results achieved over the past twelve months.Performance ranking in the current environment demands more than basic transaction metrics. Top-tier organizations focus on latency reduction, pricing transparency, and the execution speed of every single trade. The evaluation process highlights these specific key performance indicators. Traders notice when a platform experiences slippage during major news events. The awards recognize the brokers providing a seamless experience regardless of market volatility.Financial technology providers often struggle to communicate their operational superiority. Marketing budgets alone fail to convince experienced traders to deposit funds. Active market participants look for third-party validation before committing capital to a new proprietary trading firm or retail brokerage. A nomination provides an immediate signal of institutional strength. Organizations listed on the official roster force competitors to take notice.B2C brokers face distinct operational hurdles requiring constant innovation. Client retention relies on consistent pricing feeds and reliable withdrawal processes. Firms mastering these elements deserve recognition from their peers. The awards process highlights the specific technical achievements driving the retail industry forward.Evaluating proprietary trading firmsThe focus remains strictly on the B2C sector, highlighting a major shift in consumer trading habits. Proprietary trading firms represent a massive growth area within the financial markets. These organizations supply capital to skilled traders under strict risk management parameters. Success in the prop firm space requires flawless technology and robust liquidity pools.The proprietary trading space moves faster than traditional retail brokerage. New firms launch weekly, making differentiation a primary concern for established operators. The Trading Awards strip away the marketing noise to reveal the true market leaders. Voters analyze the simplicity of the funding challenges alongside the responsiveness of the customer service teams. Firms offering transparent scaling plans and realistic profit targets naturally rise to the top of the nomination lists.The Trading Awards dedicate specific categories to evaluate these unique business models. Evaluators and voters look at the fairness of the trading rules and the efficiency of the payout systems. Prop firms must demonstrate they provide traders with genuine opportunities to scale their accounts.Winning in this specific vertical requires an impeccable reputation. Active prop traders often discuss platform reliability in public forums and social media channels. A prominent position within The Trading Awards gives these communities a focal point to rally behind their preferred provider.Establishing competitive energyThe nomination phase acts as a strategic campaign for market share. Putting a brand forward initiates a public display of confidence. Acknowledging achievements publicly builds trust with prospective clients.Retail brokerages compete across multiple performance tiers. Regional dominance requires localized payment solutions and dedicated support teams. Global scale demands massive server architecture and complex regulatory compliance across multiple jurisdictions. The award categories reflect every structural variation within the consumer trading market.A pure B2C focus creates a more relevant competition. General industry awards often mix technology providers with retail brands, diluting the impact for consumer-facing companies. The Trading Awards eliminate this confusion. Every participant competes strictly against peers, fighting for the same retail client base. This concentrated focus amplifies the prestige of a victory. A win here proves an absolute mastery of consumer financial services.Firms compete directly against their closest rivals. This head-to-head format generates immense competitive energy throughout the sector. Winning requires genuine support from the broader trading community. A strong performance during the voting phase proves a company delivers on its marketing promises.The nomination processParticipation requires specific steps designed to ensure fairness. The mechanics mirror the established procedures used by other major industry accolades. Simplicity encourages widespread participation from top tier brands.Representatives must visit the official website to begin the registration process. The system requires a valid business email address to create a user profile. Registration ensures accountability and maintains the integrity of the upcoming voting phase.Upon verifying the email address, users gain access to the secure nomination portal. The portal displays a comprehensive list of available categories tailored strictly for brokers and prop firms. Participants review the criteria for each specific award before making a selection.A single representative submits nominations for multiple categories to maximize exposure. The system accepts one nomination per brand within each specific category from a single registered account. Competing across diverse verticals requires strategic category selection.Sometimes a participant wishes to nominate an entirely different company for an award. Supporting a second brand requires creating a new account using a different business email address. This structure prevents spam and guarantees fair representation across the board.Securing maximum exposureThe voting round begins immediately after nominations close. The public determines the ultimate victors. Traders, partners, and industry peers visit the platform to cast votes based on actual user experiences.An organic endorsement from the trading community carries immense authority. Paid advertisements fail to replicate the trust generated by peer-driven validation. A nomination transforms passive brand awareness into active engagement. Clients receiving emails urging them to vote feel a deeper connection to their chosen brokerage. The campaign unites the customer base around a shared goal of achieving victory.Leveraging industry recognitionWinning produces tangible business assets for the victorious organizations. Winners receive digital badges and official promotional materials designed to improve conversion metrics.Marketing teams deploy these assets across landing pages and social media channels. A badge validating a company as the top regional broker lowers the psychological barrier for new registrations. Traders inherently trust brands recognized by the broader financial community.For a prop firm, an award validating the evaluation process attracts higher-quality traders. Skilled market participants actively seek out award-winning providers to ensure fair treatment and timely payouts. The accolade serves as a permanent marker of reliability.The momentum generated by a victory lasts for an entire year. Sales teams use the results to close high-value clients and secure better partnership terms. A win confirms the organization operates at the highest level of performance.Taking decisive actionMarket leadership requires bold decisions and constant forward motion. Opportunities to permanently alter brand perception occur rarely within the financial sector. The Trading Awards deliver a platform built entirely to showcase dominance among B2C firms.The website actively accepts submissions today. Competitors are currently positioning their brands to capture the attention of the global trading audience. Delaying participation risks losing visibility to aggressive market rivals.Every B2C brokerage and prop firm operating at a high level belongs on the nomination list. The process takes minimal time but yields massive long-term benefits.Register a business email address on the official portal. Select the categories aligning with recent operational achievements. Submit the brand for consideration and prepare for the public voting phase. The time to claim market dominance begins now. This article was written by FM Contributors at www.financemagnates.com.

Professionals in the FX/CFD space often look at highly visible brands and associate that visibility with marketing success. The assumption is straightforward: if a company is everywhere, it must be doing something right. In the media industry, reach and audience size are key. The more users visit a platform, the more advertising inventory can be monetised. The same principle applies to newsletters and influencers. In finance, where the value per user is particularly high, building an audience becomes even more attractive.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!) Brokers, however, have traditionally relied heavily on Introducing Brokers (IBs) and affiliate networks, meaning a large portion of their growth has been driven through partners. At the same time, visibility does not automatically translate into trading volume. KYC and onboarding processes still create friction. However, with the rise of models such as proprietary trading, the industry may be moving closer to an e-commerce-style environment, where audience size could play a more significant role.Challenges of Affiliate Marketing and Geo-TargetingThe reliance on IBs and affiliate networks introduces a significant "client portability" risk that can undermine a brokerage’s long-term valuation. Because these intermediaries often maintain the primary client relationship and provide localized support or proprietary tools, the broker can effectively become a back-end utility. Many brokers also concentrate their operations in a single region, for example, in parts of Asia. This concentration creates a "single point of failure" that can expose firms to sudden disruption. While emerging markets often generate high volumes due to lighter oversight, these regulatory gaps are closing quickly. As local authorities introduce stricter licensing requirements and restrict payment channels, offshore brokers face the risk of being blacklisted, potentially losing core revenue streams before they can diversify. However, leading brokers ultimately need to adopt a clear strategy, and many are doing so successfully, with visible results. In collaboration with marketing consultant Christian Görgen, we have analysed the marketing activity of the industry’s largest players. Read our article on Intelligence Portal, to gain a full overview of current industry marketing trends. This article was written by Sylwester Majewski at www.financemagnates.com.

Alpaca has completed its acquisition of UK investment infrastructure firm WealthKernel and launched European equities trading this week, putting the US broker-dealer in direct competition with Berlin-based Upvest in the region's brokerage infrastructure market.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!)WealthKernel, which holds UK and Spanish regulatory permissions and has built its business around tax-advantaged accounts like Individual Savings Accounts and Self-Invested Personal Pensions, will now trade as Alpaca Europe. Alpaca Europe Takes Shape With Shanmugarajah at the HelmKaran Shanmugarajah, WealthKernel's chief executive, has been named CEO of Alpaca Europe and will run the regional business. The rest of the WealthKernel team has joined Alpaca, bringing what Shanmugarajah described as "local regulatory expertise with global, API-driven infrastructure" into the combined company.Founded in 2015, WealthKernel operates from London, Nottingham and Madrid, and sells an embedded investing stack to neobanks, wealth managers and trading apps that want to add investing products without building their own compliance and custody layers.[#highlighted-links#] Alpaca comes into Europe on the back of a busy 18 months. The New York-headquartered firm closed a $150 million Series D at a $1.15 billion valuation in January, added Nasdaq exchange membership last October and picked up options and Treasury clearing memberships earlier this year to cut out third-party intermediaries. The company says it now powers more than 10 million brokerage accounts across hundreds of fintechs and institutions in more than 40 countries.Xetra Goes Live, Euronext and LSE to FollowSeparately from the acquisition, Alpaca flipped the switch on European equities trading. The first venue is Germany's Xetra exchange, with Euronext markets and the London Stock Exchange expected to follow. The company said partners can access multiple markets through a single API integration, while Alpaca handles execution, custody and settlement through unnamed global financial institutions.The launch gives Alpaca's existing US clients a way to route cross-border flow without connecting to separate European brokers, and gives European fintechs and banks a path to US equities, options and fixed income through the same pipe. Alpaca has pushed this cross-border angle before, most visibly when it launched a tokenisation platform for US stocks in October. The company claims a 94% share of tokenised US equities and ETFs referenced in that effort, though it has not disclosed the methodology behind the figure or the total market size being measured.Yoshi Yokokawa, Alpaca's chief executive and co-founder, framed the European build-out as a complexity play. He said the combined setup is aimed at "reducing the complexity of cross-border investing" for institutions launching regulated products across multiple jurisdictions.Competitive Push Into Upvest's BackyardEuropean brokerage infrastructure is not an empty market. The leader sits around 900 kilometers east of Alpaca Europe's London base. Berlin-based Upvest, founded in 2017, raised $125 million last month at a €640 million valuation in a round led by Sapphire Ventures and Tencent, with CEO Martin Kassing telling Bloomberg at the time that the firm was targeting more than €100 million in annualized revenue and profitability within 24 months. Upvest says it processed over 100 million orders in 2025, up from 20 million the year before.Upvest's client list reads like a roll call of European retail finance, including Revolut, N26, bunq, Webull, Raisin, DKB and Santander's Openbank. In the past six months it has added IG Group, which went live with French equities trading on Upvest's rails in November, and CMC Markets, which will use Upvest to launch multi-currency cash equities trading in Germany this autumn. Upvest also faces competition from US-based DriveWealth and Danish multi-asset broker Saxo Bank, both of which sell white-label trading stacks to banks and fintechs.Alpaca's pitch differs from Upvest's on one important dimension. Where Upvest's core franchise is European retail investing plumbed into local tax wrappers, Alpaca is selling a two-sided bridge, with US self-clearing infrastructure on one side and newly acquired European licenses on the other. Alpaca's chief technology officer, Juha Ristolainen, joined from Upvest last year after five years as its co-founder and CTO.BNP Paribas Backing Signals Strategic InterestThe acquisition also closes with institutional backing from one of Europe's largest banks. BNP Paribas, through its venture arm Opera Tech Ventures, participated in Alpaca's January Series D, and Managing Director Vincent Baillin said the bank was "excited to support Alpaca's growing presence in Europe." Alpaca has been expanding in other regions at the same time. It announced plans in January to acquire Zincmoney IFSC, a broker-dealer licensed in India's GIFT City special financial zone, subject to regulatory approval. The India move, combined with the WealthKernel closing and the European equities launch, gives the company live or pending regulated operations in the US, UK, EU and India inside a six-month window. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

London, UK, 22 April 2026 - OpenPayd, a leading provider of financial infrastructure, has been selected by global cryptocurrency exchange CEX.IO to underpin its fiat payment operations and institutional settlement activity across its global platform.CEX.IO supports 15 million retail and professional users worldwide, where managing liquidity across jurisdictions creates operational complexity. For institutional participants in particular, settlement reliability is as important as execution quality. Through OpenPayd’s infrastructure, CEX.IO has introduced multi-currency accounts in EUR, GBP, and USD, alongside integrated FX capabilities, enabling more efficient treasury management and streamlined movement of funds across its global operations.Within this framework, EUR payment flows are supported via SEPA and SEPA Instant, giving CEX.IO access to near real-time settlement for euro-denominated transactions. By consolidating these flows within a single environment, CEX.IO gains a unified treasury view, supporting faster reconciliation, seamless settlement, and greater control as volumes and counterparty relationships scale.The integration is designed to simplify how funds move across CEX.IO’s global operations. Rather than relying on fragmented banking relationships, CEX.IO can now route deposits, withdrawals, and internal treasury flows through a unified infrastructure, delivering faster, more consistent settlement for institutional and corporate clients.Iana Dimitrova, CEO at OpenPayd, said: “CEX.IO operates at a global scale, with institutional clients who expect consistency across every touchpoint. The infrastructure underpinning that consistency is what allows exchanges to compete seriously for institutional flow. By choosing OpenPayd and consolidating fiat settlement into a single environment, CEX.IO is building the operational foundation required to support its next phase of growth.”Arina Dudko, Head of Corporate Payment Solutions at CEX.IO, said: “Institutional participants increasingly expect crypto platforms to match the speed, reliability, and transparency of traditional financial systems. This integration reflects our focus on closing that gap. By embedding OpenPayd’s real-time EUR settlement and unified treasury capabilities, we’re aligning our infrastructure with the standards institutions are used to—while preserving the flexibility of digital asset markets.” This collaboration reflects a broader shift in how digital asset exchanges are approaching fiat infrastructure. As institutional participation in crypto markets deepens, the ability to deliver regulated, real-time EUR settlement across a complex entity structure - without the friction of fragmented banking arrangements - is an increasingly important operational capability. Through OpenPayd's regulated infrastructure, CEX.IO can extend that capability as its institutional business continues to scale.About CEX.IOCEX.IO, a crypto industry pioneer since 2013, began as the GHash.IO mining pool, which mined over 583K bitcoins. After nearly reaching 51% of Bitcoin's mining power, the platform voluntarily scaled back mining capacity, shifting its focus to trading. Since then, CEX.IO has grown into a comprehensive platform with over 15M registered users, offering services for buying, storing, trading, selling, sending, and earning digital assets. As the first exchange to enable crypto purchases via credit card, CEX.IO has consistently led in innovation while maintaining a spotless 13-year record of security and regulatory compliance, having 40 global licenses and registrations.About OpenPaydOpenPayd is building the universal financial infrastructure for the digital economy. Founded in 2018 by Dr. Ozan Ozerk, its rails-agnostic platform enables businesses to move and manage money globally – across fiat and digital assets – through a single, powerful API. OpenPayd provides embedded accounts, FX, domestic and international payments, Open Banking, and stablecoin on/off ramps – delivering interoperability between traditional finance and digital assets. With one of the most comprehensive banking networks in the market, OpenPayd enables real-time money movement, everywhere. Trusted by global brands including eToro, Kraken, OKX, and B2C2, OpenPayd processes more than $180 billion in annual volumes for over 1000 businesses. It is the infrastructure layer powering the next generation of financial services. This article was written by FM Contributors at www.financemagnates.com.