ZenithBlox, a Toronto-based compliance-first blockchain middleware company, today introduced Compliance-Orchestrated Blockchain Infrastructure (COBI), a new architecture designed to address one of the most persistent barriers to enterprise blockchain adoption: the cost and complexity of integrating blockchain with existing financial systems while maintaining regulatory compliance.The launch comes as financial institutions, payment providers, and digital asset operators expand work on blockchain-based settlement, tokenization, and cross-border transaction systems under increasing regulatory scrutiny. In many regulated deployments, the large majority of budget and delivery time sits not in the ledger technology itself, but in integration with existing systems, compliance logic, and regulatory sign-off — a cost structure that helps explain why many enterprise blockchain projects stall at the pilot stage.COBI positions compliance orchestration as the primary control layer governing blockchain execution, enforcing regulatory and institutional rules before transactions occur rather than monitoring them after settlement.Integration and Compliance Complexity as Key Barriers to Enterprise Blockchain DeploymentWhen banks or payment service providers connect blockchain infrastructure to existing systems — SWIFT, core banking, ERP platforms, and regulatory reporting — the integration effort is substantial. Custom-built connections, manually implemented compliance checks, and jurisdiction-specific regulatory logic compound into three recurring failure modes: integration cost that exceeds pilot budgets, delivery timelines that outlast internal sponsorship, and compliance logic that is difficult to audit and expensive to update across jurisdictions.ZenithBlox’s view is that these are architectural failures, not implementation failures. COBI addresses them by treating compliance orchestration and integration as a core architectural concern.Overview of the COBI Architecture and Its Layered DesignCOBI organizes blockchain execution around four layers. The Process Layer allows business and compliance teams to define workflows visually using BPMN 2.0, which are then compiled into executable components. The Policy Layer evaluates every transaction against jurisdiction-aware compliance rules before execution, producing a complete audit trail. The Orchestration Layer connects legacy systems with blockchain networks via pre-built adapters for SWIFT, SAP, Temenos, and major blockchain protocols. The Execution Layer treats blockchain networks as settlement runtimes that process only pre-authorized transactions.In practice, blockchain becomes a governed component within a larger enterprise system. Integration effort shifts from custom engineering toward reusable orchestration and configuration.Implications of COBI for Financial Institutions and Digital Asset OperatorsFor payment service providers, COBI’s orchestration layer connects blockchain settlement rails without requiring a rebuild of existing payment infrastructure. For cross-border corridor operators, dual-jurisdiction compliance becomes architectural rather than manual — when regulatory rules change, the rulebook is updated instead of rewriting integration code. For stablecoin and digital asset operators, transaction-level policy enforcement means minting, burning, and transfers are evaluated against compliance rules before execution. For tokenization platforms, investor eligibility, jurisdictional restrictions, and transfer controls are enforced at the transaction boundary rather than inside opaque smart-contract logic.Atlas for Sovereign DeploymentsFor central bank digital currencies, regulated payment systems, and national digital infrastructure, ZenithBlox has developed Atlas — a regulator-facing control plane built on COBI. Atlas allows sovereign authorities to define and enforce governance rulebooks while leaving execution infrastructure to operators.Institutional ValidationZenithBlox’s ecosystem includes Circle Alliance Program certification (regulated stablecoin infrastructure), TradeTrust-Ready Partner status with IMDA Singapore (UNCITRAL MLETR-compliant trade documentation), Malaysia Blockchain Infrastructure (MBISB) collaboration, and Microsoft for Startups membership.“The biggest cost driver in regulated blockchain projects is not the ledger. It’s the custom integration and compliance work wrapped around it. COBI turns that from bespoke engineering into a governed middleware layer.” — Dr. Fodé Touré, Founder & CEO, ZenithBloxFor financial institutions, the challenge is no longer the blockchain itself, but the architecture used to govern how it connects to existing financial systems. COBI reflects a compliance-first execution model in which policy is enforced before transactions occur, rather than reviewed after the factAbout ZenithBlox:ZenithBlox https://www.zenithblox.com/ is a compliance-first blockchain middleware platform headquartered in Toronto, Canada, with an engineering subsidiary in Morocco. The company provides regulated financial institutions, payment service providers, and government agencies with the infrastructure to adopt blockchain technology without compromising compliance accountability. This article was written by FM Contributors at www.financemagnates.com.

Global financial technology firm Airwallex has appointed former New Zealand Prime Minister and Finance Minister Sir Bill English as Chair of its New Zealand board.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!)Expanding Role in New ZealandSince entering the New Zealand market in 2023, Airwallex has rapidly grown. The fintech now reportedly supports more than 1,000 local firms and handles about NZ$2.4 billion in annual payment flows, representing 240% year-on-year growth. According to the announcement, almost 20% of the country’s digital and tech companies use the platform for cross-border transactions.Airwallex’s Head of ANZ, James Teodorini welcomed English’s appointment as a reflection of the company’s continued investment in New Zealand. He added that its focus on building trusted financial infrastructure helps local businesses grow at home and compete globally.You may also like: Robinhood Backs Itself With $1.5 Billion Share Buyback as Stock Declines“Sir Bill brings an exceptional understanding of New Zealand’s economy and public institutions, alongside deep experience in leadership, risk and long-term decision-making,” Teodorini mentioned.“Sir Bill’s experience will help us keep scaling effectively as demand continues to grow, stay close to what New Zealand businesses need, and continue investing in products and partnerships that make it easier to operate across borders.”English joins as an independent director, bringing experience in economic policy and international trade. He said Airwallex plays an important role in helping New Zealand exporters and technology firms operate globally.Growth, Licenses and Tougher OversightSince the start of last year, Airwallex has combined strong growth, new licenses and fresh funding with closer regulatory scrutiny. Last year, it reported annualized transaction volume climbed to about $200 billion, up 92% year-on-year, while annualized revenue reached roughly $900 million, an 89% increase.During the same period, the company secured a MiFID investment firm license from the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets.But it has not been without challenges. In January, AUSTRAC ordered Airwallex to appoint an external auditor to review its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing compliance after concerns that its monitoring controls had not kept pace with its growth and risk profile. This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.

Cleaning Up on Predictions?The predictions market has not exactly covered itself in glory in recent times. Reports that punters were placing significant bets on the timing of a nuclear strike as a result of the conflict between the US and Iran left a particularly sour taste.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!)As Finance Magnates has reported, platforms have taken a variety of measures to establish their credibility and reassure users that they are not allowing customers to make large sums by trading on insider information, whether that is military intelligence or locker room conversations.It is ironic, though, that one of the leading players in this space has turned to Palantir to help it develop a next-generation sports integrity platform.According to Polymarket founder and CEO Shayne Coplan, the partnership will allow his business to apply world-class analytics and monitoring to sports markets while building tools that can help leagues and teams maintain confidence in the games.Tradermayne: Polymarket Just Partnered With Palantir And It Is A Massive Deal."This is a massive partnership here between Polymarket between Palantir. Obviously, the move towards more regulations. They're gonna be working with Palantir's ability to detect data integrity using… pic.twitter.com/9BVp6VUzEY— The Order Book (@OrderBookShow) March 17, 2026This is nothing new, of course. Gambling firms already monitor betting patterns on sports events, and a number of high-profile individuals in various sports have been sanctioned for either using inside information to bet on the outcome of contests or manipulating events to produce a specific outcome.In addition, the announcement could have come at a better time. While the firm, sometimes referred to as the scariest AI company on the planet, continues to embed itself at the very top of the US defence sector, concerns have been expressed over its influence on both sides of the Atlantic.In the US, Palantir’s work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been a major talking point in midterm election campaigns, as candidates seek to undermine their rivals by pointing to their links to the software firm.In the UK, where the Financial Conduct Authority has given Palantir a contract to analyse internal intelligence data as part of its drive to combat financial crime, members of parliament have suggested that such sensitive information should not be made available to a company that already has hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of contracts with the health service and the UK defence sector.Boris Johnson Has an Opinion on Crypto. Really?‘It is better to be silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt’: this quote from Abraham Lincoln feels particularly appropriate when discussing the latest pearl of wisdom from Boris Johnson.In a desperate attempt to remain relevant after a stint as prime minister that was widely considered to be among the very worst in British history, BoJo continues to sound off about various issues, ranging from weight loss to Brexit, in his role as the country’s most overpaid newspaper columnist.Cryptocurrency is the subject of Johnson’s latest rant. In a column earlier this month, he referred to Bitcoin as a ‘giant Ponzi scheme’ built on collective belief rather than tangible value and went on to suggest that investors would be better advised to put their money into Pikachu Pokémon cards.I've long suspected Bitcoin is a giant Ponzi scheme and now I'm hearing tales of woe that make me fear I'm right.https://t.co/rTny2NBaYB— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) March 13, 2026The backlash was swift, with many observers pointing out that referencing schemes where investors had lost money is a reminder that scammers will use whatever means at their disposal to dupe unsuspecting targets, rather than evidence that the protocol is flawed.As one expert explained, a large proportion of the losses attributed to cryptocurrency are due to phishing, fraudulent investment schemes, or unauthorised intermediaries, rather than the blockchain network itself. Consequently, regulators are progressively distinguishing between the enforcement of crypto fraud and the technical categorisation of digital assets.It is hard to say how many people would take financial advice from a man who apparently needed an £800,000 credit facility to cover expenses, including childcare and divorce costs, when he was occupying the highest office in the UK government.His previous comments describing being paid a quarter of a million pounds a year for producing what could charitably be described as unremarkable copy for a different national newspaper as ‘chicken feed’ as long ago as 2009 – when he was also the mayor of London on a yearly income of around £140,000 – should be a red flag to anyone who remains to be convinced that he is an unreliable source of investment guidance.Squaring the Institutional Crypto CircleWe live in a society where growth is seen as essential for our economic (and personal) development. A country’s financial health is measured by GDP, and social media is awash with shortcuts to physical and emotional wealth.In this context, a survey of institutional investors revealing that interest in operational crypto adoption was unchanged from the first half of 2025 to the last six months of last year does not appear to bode well for those promoting digital assets.The findings of the GlobalData survey suggest that much of the stablecoin growth seen in 2025 may have been driven by usage rather than the result of deeper core system integration by regulated financial institutions.The report highlights how advancements in regulation led to considerable noise regarding the adoption of cryptocurrency by financial institutions in several advanced economies last year, driven by the expectation that institutional participation will achieve the usage scale that new decentralised financial services have struggled to attain.However, there is also recognition that the process of institutionalisation inherently contradicts the foundational principles of cryptocurrency, where early adopters chose decentralised money to bypass intermediaries and maintain anonymity.What was once heralded as the first genuinely borderless currency and method of transferring money has now found itself seeking national regulatory approvals and undergoing institutions’ AML/KYC checks to operate, all the while losing some of the momentum and use cases that initially made the technology popular.Consequently, increased institutional involvement will not necessarily lead to greater usage for the industry on a global scale, especially if the original value proposition becomes compromised.Nonetheless, institutional participation will be crucial for the adoption of digital assets in the US, which was the only market to demonstrate a significant rise in organisational plans for cryptocurrency adoption. This article was written by Paul Golden at www.financemagnates.com.

Interactive Brokers said clients can now transfer existing cryptocurrency holdings into accounts linked to its platform, allowing them to trade digital assets without selling them first.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!).The broker has expanded its crypto offering in recent years, from launching trading via Paxos to rolling out the service in the UK, as it integrates digital assets into its multi-asset platform.Interactive Brokers Enables Direct Crypto Transfers from External WalletsThe company said the new feature enables clients to move supported cryptocurrencies from external wallets or platforms directly into crypto accounts connected to its system. This allows investors to manage digital assets alongside other instruments, including equities, derivatives, and fixed-income products.Commenting on the update, Chief Executive of Interactive Brokers, Milan Galik, said crypto investors should have access to pricing and investment options without maintaining separate accounts. He added that “crypto investors should be able to access competitive crypto pricing and diversified investment opportunities” without “managing multiple accounts or liquidating their positions.”Clients Can Trade Bitcoin, Ethereum, SolanaThe update applies to eligible clients of Interactive Brokers LLC and Interactive Brokers (U.K.) Limited. Supported assets include Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana, among others. Transfers can be made into accounts held with custody providers Paxos or Zero Hash.Interactive Brokers said the integration is intended to combine digital asset holdings with traditional investments in a single interface. Clients can trade cryptocurrencies on the platform at commissions ranging from 0.12% to 0.18% of transaction value, with a minimum fee of $1.75 per order, with no added spreads or markups.According to the broker, some cryptocurrency platforms charge fees of up to 2% of trade value, often with additional embedded costs. This article was written by Tareq Sikder at www.financemagnates.com.

Murex and Quant have announced a strategic partnership to integrate digital asset capabilities into core trading, risk and post-trade capital markets workflows. The collaboration brings Quant’s programmable money infrastructure into Murex’s MX.3 platform.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!).The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission recently clarified rules around tokenised stocks. The regulator highlighted the distinction between issuer‑sponsored tokenised securities and third‑party synthetic products. The guidance aims to ensure that tokenised offerings comply with existing securities laws, signaling growing regulatory support for institutional deployments of tokenised assets.Institutional Tokenisation Connects with Existing WorkflowsThe integration allows banks and capital markets firms to issue, settle and manage tokenised deposits and digital bonds within existing systems. Firms do not need to build separate infrastructure.“Banks and capital markets firms know tokenisation is happening. The question they are working through is how to operationalise it without compromising the risk management, compliance and operational resilience they have spent decades building,” said Gilbert Verdian, founder and CEO of Quant. “By integrating our programmable money infrastructure with MX.3, we are giving them a clear path forward.”Major Banks Adopt Tokenised Financial InstrumentsTokenisation of real-world assets has recently passed USD 100 billion. DTCC has received SEC approval to tokenise such assets from mid-2026. BlackRock, Franklin Templeton and JPMorgan have live tokenised funds. The New York Stock Exchange is developing a blockchain-based venue for 24/7 trading of tokenised securities. In the UK, a consortium including HSBC, Barclays and Lloyds is piloting tokenised sterling deposits on Quant infrastructure.“Tokenisation is rapidly moving into mainstream finance as major institutions launch real-world deployments,” said Solène Khy, Murex head of FX, equities, commodities and digital assets. “This partnership enables clients to integrate these new capabilities into existing capital markets systems without overhauling their infrastructure.”Integrated Solution Enables Multi‑Blockchain Digital OperationsThe integrated solution supports multiple blockchains through Quant’s Overledger. Digital asset operations run within MX.3 workflows, enabling smart contracts, automated corporate actions, conditional payments and complex settlement sequences. The system provides full audit trails, privacy controls and compliance with local regulations. Institutions can choose custody arrangements through standardised interfaces supporting multiple providers. This article was written by Tareq Sikder at www.financemagnates.com.

The Financial Conduct Authority has launched a consultation on proposals to make it easier for firms to provide simplified forms of individualised financial advice to consumers. While the initiative is primarily aimed at the advice and wealth management sector, brokers moving into investment advice, portfolio tools, or hybrid models could also be affected.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!).In April last year, the FCA proposed changes to investment cost disclosures affecting around 12.6million UK adults. The aim was to simplify information and reduce compliance burdens while retaining key cost details.FCA Aims to Expand Advice AccessThe FCA said simplified advice could help people with straightforward financial needs. It does not require a full review of all aspects of a person’s finances, making advice more accessible and lower in cost.[#highlighted-links#] Sarah Pritchard, Deputy Chief Executive of the FCA, said “for too long the support people need to make important financial decisions has been out of reach for many,” adding that the regulator wants “a market that provides good quality, lower cost simplified advice” alongside broader support. She said the FCA aims to “see more people getting supported,” while assessing if the proposals will “build firms’ confidence to offer a wider range of advice.”Simplified Advice Framework Faces Limited AdoptionThe FCA noted that firms are already allowed to offer simplified advice, but adoption has been limited. To address this, it is proposing a set of targeted changes while maintaining consumer protections. These include simplifying and consolidating the suitability framework into a single set of rules and expectations and clarifying existing flexibilities, with an expectation that advisers consider “sufficient” information when giving advice.Trail Commission Discussion Opens, Rules UnchangedThe proposals also aim to make suitability communications more concise and focused on consumer needs. In addition, the FCA is proposing changes to ongoing advice, moving from fixed annual reviews to flexible, needs-based assessments. Alongside the consultation, it has opened a discussion on trail commission to modernise rules and reduce potential consumer harm. Adviser qualifications and charging rules will remain unchanged. The regulator noted earlier steps to expand targeted support from April and said many consumers will still need personalised advice, describing the consultation as the final stage of its policy work to improve the advice market. This article was written by Tareq Sikder at www.financemagnates.com.

Nine sessions of selling. The worst week for gold in 40 years. A terrifying intraday drop to $4,100 that briefly looked like the bull market was over. And then - nothing. The sellers ran out of ammunition right at the most important levels on the chart, the buyers stepped in forcefully, and Wednesday, March 25, is telling a completely different story: gold is up 1.9% and trading at $4,555 per ounce, having recovered more than $450 from Monday's lows in less than 48 hours.This is not a random bounce. This is a technically significant reversal at exactly the right levels. And it changes the near-term outlook for gold considerably.In this article, I will break down my updated technical analysis including the Fibonacci extension targets that could take gold above $7,000, examine why the reversal happened where it did, and compile the most comprehensive set of 2026 gold price predictions from every major institution currently covering the market. Based on my over 15 years of experience as an analyst and retail investor, here is what I am watching.Follow me on X for real-time gold market analysis: @ChmielDkWhy Gold Is Surging Today? The Pin Bar That MattersMonday's intraday move to $4,100 was alarming. But what happened next was more important than the drop itself. Before Monday's session closed, gold recovered decisively, leaving a pin bar with a very long lower wick and a narrow body on the daily chart. That candle rejected two critical supports simultaneously: the 200-day MA at approximately $4,200 and the October 2025 historical highs at $4,306. Both held.Tuesday's session produced a second pin bar - shorter lower wick, same rejection message - confirming that Monday's reversal was not a one-session anomaly. Wednesday is the follow-through: a 1.9% rally to $4,555 that is now pushing gold back into the resistance zone that Konrad Ryczko, analyst at BossaFX, identifies as structurally important.Ryczko frames the current situation precisely: "For an outside observer it might seem that the prospect of reduced geopolitical tensions should result in outflows from safe-haven assets. Yet gold remains in recovery mode after the crash from around $5,000 to $4,100. The metal is gaining on a technical basis and slightly weaker USD. Additionally, the market is living by the thesis that 'people buy gold when they fear for the future, and sell when they fear for the present.'" He identifies the current resistance zone at $4,578-$4,686 as the key area gold needs to clear to extend the recovery - exactly the zone being tested on Wednesday.The Trump-Iran diplomatic signal was the catalyst. As reports emerged that the US had postponed further military action on Iranian power plants and described "effective talks," oil reversed, the dollar softened slightly, and the safe-haven bid rotated back into precious metals. That macro backdrop gave the technically oversold gold chart the permission it needed to bounce.XAU/USD Technical Analysis: A Buy Signal With a Long Journey AheadAs my chart shows, the double pin bar rejection of the 200 EMA and the $4,306 October highs is one of the clearest technical buy signals I have seen on the gold chart this year. In the previous gold analysis from Monday, I identified these exact levels as the final structural defence of the bull trend. The market tested them and rejected them decisively. That is the textbook definition of a support confirmation.Setting fundamentals and geopolitics aside - which is admittedly very difficult in the current environment - the technical picture now points toward a potential recovery toward the all-time high zone at $5,600 set on January 29. The path is not clear of obstacles. The first resistance is the 50-day EMA at approximately $4,800, where a cluster of sellers who averaged into the decline will likely defend. Above that, the $5,000 psychological level represents both a round number and a zone of prior support that has now flipped to resistance. But above $5,000, the road back to $5,600 stands technically open.The more speculative but mathematically grounded analysis comes from the Fibonacci extension. Measuring the entire 2025 uptrend from its base and then the 2026 corrective decline, the 100% Fibonacci extension falls at just over $7,000 per ounce - representing approximately 54% upside from Wednesday's $4,555. The 161.8% extension lands just below $9,000 - approximately 97% upside from current levels. I present these as analytical curiosities from the chart rather than primary price targets, but they reflect the mathematical potential of the trend structure if the bull market resumes in full.Why the 200 EMA Held: The Structural Case Has Not ChangedThe structural supports that drove gold from $2,600 to $5,600 remain intact, and they are precisely why buyers stepped in at $4,100-$4,200 rather than letting the selling continue. As goldsilver.com noted in their March analysis: "The structural reasons gold ran from $2,600 to over $5,000 in twelve months haven't changed. Central banks are still buying. The dollar outlook is still soft. US fiscal deficits aren't shrinking".JPMorgan's analyst Gregory Shearer made the institutional case for holding through the correction with unusual directness: despite the recent volatility, the bank "advises investors to stay the course with gold" and has maintained its $6,300 year-end 2026 target - representing a 38% rally from Wednesday's $4,555. Bargain buying and short-covering at the 200 EMA is exactly the rational institutional response to a 23% correction in an asset with intact structural fundamentals.The Iran de-escalation also changed one of the key negative inputs for gold. Rising oil had been feeding inflation expectations that kept the Fed hawkish and yields elevated - the primary mechanism through which the Middle East conflict was actually hurting gold by the monetary channel.A pause in the conflict reduces oil, reduces inflation pressure, reduces rate expectations, weakens the dollar, and simultaneously adds back gold's safe-haven premium. All four inputs move in gold's favour simultaneously - which explains the speed and conviction of Wednesday's recovery.The 2026 Gold Price Predictions: Every Major InstitutionThe comprehensive gold price prediction analysis from February 17 established the full institutional forecast landscape, and the March crash has not fundamentally changed any of the major banks' year-end targets - if anything, the 23% correction has made those targets easier to maintain without appearing detached from reality.JPMorgan's $6,300 forecast - published February 3 and reaffirmed through the crash - is built on approximately 800 tonnes of projected central bank gold purchases in 2026 and private-sector diversification away from dollar-denominated assets. Wells Fargo's $6,100-$6,300 range from February 8 sits in the same zone. Both forecasts imply a 35-38% rally from Wednesday's price - achievable if the pin bar reversal has genuinely marked the bottom of the correction.Goldman Sachs raised its year-end target to $5,400 in January and has maintained it since, citing central bank buying momentum and private diversification. ANZ Bank's $5,800 target from February 16 represents the mid-range institutional bull case, while BNP Paribas raised its 2026 average forecast to $5,620 with a peak above $6,250 flagged as possible. At the extreme bull end, Saxo Bank's $10,000 scenario - published February 11 - sits in the same territory as my 161.8% Fibonacci extension just below $9,000.The notable contrarians are HSBC at $4,450 and Standard Chartered at $4,488 - both published before the crash, which means the market has already traded through their year-end targets at the recent lows. The Reuters poll median of $4,746 across 30 analysts is the most genuinely consensus-based figure and sits approximately 4% above Wednesday's price.FAQWhy is gold going up on March 25, 2026?Gold is rising 1.9% to $4,555 following a textbook double pin bar reversal at the 200-day EMA ($4,200) and October 2025 historical highs ($4,306) during Monday's intraday session. Trump's signal of postponed military action on Iranian power plants and "effective talks" with Iran removed the key oil-inflation mechanism that had been suppressing gold through the monetary channel - simultaneously reducing oil prices, softening the dollar, and restoring gold's safe-haven bid. How high can gold go in 2026?As shown on my chart, the immediate recovery path runs through $4,578-$4,686 resistance (Ryczko), then the 50-day EMA at $4,800, then the psychological $5,000 level, before the road to the $5,600 all-time high becomes clear. JPMorgan's $6,300 year-end target implies 38% upside from Wednesday. My Fibonacci 100% extension targets $7,000+ and the 161.8% extension sits near $9,000.What is the gold price prediction for 2026?The comprehensive institutional forecast roundup shows the Wall Street consensus clustering between $5,400 and $6,300 for year-end 2026, with JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, Deutsche Bank, Societe Generale, and UBS all in that range. The Reuters poll median of 30 analysts sits at $4,746 - approximately 4% above Wednesday's price and the most conservative credible consensus. Saxo Bank's extreme scenario at $10,000 matches the territory my 161.8% Fibonacci extension identifies. Is the gold correction over?The pin bar reversal at the 200 EMA is the strongest technical buy signal gold has produced since the January blow-off top. However, one or two sessions do not confirm a trend reversal. Gold needs to close above $4,578-$4,686 (Ryczko's resistance zone) on a sustained basis and ultimately reclaim $4,800 (50 EMA) to confirm that the correction has genuinely ended rather than simply paused. The 200 EMA at $4,200 remains the definitive bull/bear line. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

MAS Markets, an FCA-regulated multi-asset liquidity provider based in London, reported full-year revenue of £6.13 million for 2025, nearly doubling its turnover from £3.19 million a year earlier, according to the company's annual financial results published today (Wednesday).Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!)Gross profit came in at £3.23 million, a 118% increase from £1.48 million in the prior year, with gross margins widening to 52.68% from 46.34%, the company said. EBITDA reached £535,082 for the year, a figure that reflects the gap between gross earnings and a notably higher operating cost base, the company attributed to deliberate investment in staff and infrastructure.MAS Markets Costs Rise on a Hiring PushThe distance between gross profit of £3.23 million and EBITDA of £535,082 implies roughly £2.7 million in operating expenses for the period, though MAS Markets did not publish a detailed cost breakdown alongside Wednesday's announcement. The company confirmed that administrative costs increased during 2025 as it expanded its operational, technology, and client-facing teams, framing the spend as part of a long-term scaling effort rather than inefficiency.MAS Markets has been actively building out its senior bench. In January 2026, the firm appointed three senior professionals to its institutional team, including Nicholas Chantzaras as Head of Institutional Sales and Michael Quirk as Institutional Account Manager, moves the company said were designed to strengthen client coverage and commercial development across key regions.Trading Volumes Jump 81%Total trading volumes across the platform rose 81% year-on-year, MAS Markets said, without disclosing absolute volume figures. The company provides liquidity across foreign exchange, indices, commodities, metals, and digital assets, serving brokers, hedge funds, family offices, and professional traders across more than 35 countries, according to the firm."2025 was a year of strong execution and meaningful growth for MAS Markets," Chief Executive Simon Blackledge, commented . "We made deliberate investments in people and infrastructure to support long-term scale, and we now have the right foundation in place to continue building momentum into 2026 and beyond."Expanding the Advisory BenchBeyond the January hirings, MAS Group, the parent entity that also operates MAS Digital and MAS Fund, broadened its leadership during 2025. In July, the group appointed former England rugby international and investment banker Simon Halliday as Key Partnerships Adviser, tasked with expanding institutional relationships across traditional and digital finance.Earlier, in March 2025, MAS Group also brought in Olivia Zhang from CMC Markets as Head of Sales, adding commercial leadership ahead of what proved to be the company's strongest growth year on record.Competition Intensifies in the Liquidity SectorMAS Markets operates in an increasingly crowded field. Established providers such as IS Prime, Finalto, and X Open Hub have each been expanding their multi-asset offerings and deepening their institutional coverage, according to industry coverage of the sector. MAS Markets enters 2026 as a comparatively smaller but faster-growing participant in that landscape.On the performance outlook, the company said revenue generated in 2026 has already exceeded the full-year 2025 total by month seven, which the firm identified as January 2026 in its results statement, a claim it attributed to sustained client engagement and continued platform investment. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

Retail users on prediction markets are losing money at a higher rate than on traditional sportsbooks, according to a research note from Citizens JMP Securities.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!) The analysis, based on transaction data from Juice Reel and covering the period from July 2025 to mid-March 2026, shows that the median return for prediction market users was −8%, compared with −5% for sportsbook users over the same period. A Different Market Structure The gap reflects how these markets operate. Unlike sportsbooks, where the operator manages risk and can limit consistently profitable users, prediction markets match trades between participants. This allows professional traders and market makers to take the other side of retail flow. The data reflects this dynamic. Only the highest-volume traders — those with more than $500,000 in activity — recorded positive returns, with a median ROI of +2.6%. Smaller participants consistently posted losses, with the smallest accounts showing the largest declines, down to −26.8%. A separate analysis of Polymarket activity points to a similar distribution of outcomes. Research by DeFi Oasis, based on roughly 1.7 million addresses, found that around 70% of users recorded losses, while only about 30% were profitable. Profits were also highly concentrated. Fewer than 0.04% of addresses accounted for more than 70% of total realised gains, indicating that a small group of participants captures most of the upside.Retail Flow as Liquidity Participants cited in the report said retail activity provides a consistent source of liquidity for more experienced traders. In this setup, outcomes are not only driven by event probabilities but also by differences in execution, speed and pricing across participants. The report suggests prediction markets may not directly replace traditional sportsbooks, but they could compete for future users. The user base is skewing younger. Around 24% of Kalshi users are under 25, compared with roughly 7% for DraftKings and FanDuel. App data shows a similar trend, with Kalshi recording 6.3 million downloads in the six months to February 2026 while sportsbook downloads declined year over year. This points to a shift in how new users enter the market, even if existing sportsbook activity remains stable. What It Means for Brokers For brokers, the key takeaway is structural. Prediction markets operate more like trading venues than traditional betting platforms. Performance depends on execution, liquidity and participant mix, not just forecasting outcomes. For firms considering entry, this raises practical questions around client profiles, risk management and product design. The findings are based on a dataset skewed toward more active users and may not fully represent the broader retail population. This article was written by Tanya Chepkova at www.financemagnates.com.

Compagnie Financière Tradition SA posted full-year 2025 revenue of CHF 1.2 billion, as the Lausanne-based interdealer broker turned central bank divergence and elevated market volatility into its most profitable year since listing on the SIX Swiss Exchange in 1973.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!)Consolidated revenue including joint ventures reached CHF 1,203.6 million, up 11.4% at constant exchange rates from CHF 1,132.8 million in 2024, according to the company's annual report. Profit before tax climbed 25.3% to CHF 183.1 million, and net profit attributable to shareholders reached CHF 134.2 million, a 22.2% gain at constant rates. The Middle East Rewrites the Geographic MapThe UAE stood out as the year's most striking geographic story. Revenue from Dubai and the newly opened Abu Dhabi office rose to CHF 129.1 million from CHF 83.5 million in 2024, a jump of roughly 55%, outpacing every other territory the group disclosed. By comparison, the United States generated CHF 343.4 million, broadly flat year-on-year, while the UK contributed CHF 240.8 million, up modestly from CHF 231.2 million.[#highlighted-links#] The Middle East surge came against a backdrop of sweeping regulatory reform across the UAE, where authorities overhauled client asset rules, expanded digital finance frameworks, and signaled clear ambitions to become a leading global financial center.Tradition's third-quarter results had already forecasted strong momentum, with revenue running about 9% ahead through September. The final numbers confirm the pace held into year-end.Key 2025 Performance MetricsFewer Brokers, More Revenue Per HeadTradition's broker headcount fell to 2,470 at year-end from 2,605 in 2024, yet productivity per broker rose to CHF 929,000, the highest in at least four years and up steadily from CHF 774,000 in 2022. The group processed more revenue with roughly 135 fewer brokers, pointing to efficiency gains across its 300 specialist desks rather than simply a market windfall. Staff costs still rose to CHF 771.2 million from CHF 748.6 million, reflecting higher variable compensation, though the increase was proportionally smaller than revenue growth. Chairman Patrick Combes noted the results reflected "disciplined capital allocation maintained by the Group over time and rigorous cost management."Margin Expansion Puts Tradition Ahead of Sector PeersEBITDA margin expanded to 17.4% from 15.6% in 2024, and operating profit rose 35% to CHF 161.5 million, one of the fastest growth rates in the interdealer broker sector for the year. Return on equity reached 27.6%, up from 26.0%. That compares favorably with what peers reported. TP ICAP, the world's largest interdealer broker, posted full-year adjusted EBIT at a 14.8% margin on revenue of GBP 2.35 billion, up 6% at constant currency. BGC Group reported revenue of $2.94 billion, up 30%, though a substantial portion reflected acquisition rather than organic trading growth.By asset class, currencies and interest rates remained the largest segment at 41% of consolidated revenue, as diverging Fed, ECB, and Bank of England policies generated what the company described as "significant arbitrage opportunities." Tradition's Q1 2025 had already shown 12% revenue growth driven by similar dynamics, setting the template for the full year.Share Price, Dividend, and 2026 OutlookTradition's shares on the SIX Swiss Exchange rose 55.6% to CHF 287.0, giving the company a market capitalization of CHF 2.19 billion at year-end, against a Swiss Market Index gain of just 14.4%. Average daily trading volume doubled to roughly 3,800 shares. The board will propose a cash dividend of CHF 7.50 per share at the May 21 annual general meeting, up from CHF 6.75 for 2024.The group said its activity since the start of 2026 is running ahead of the same period last year at constant exchange rates, with priorities focused on organic broker recruitment, electronic execution investment, and further expansion of TraditionData, its OTC market data division. TP ICAP has made a parallel push into electronic trading and data, recruiting heavily for its Fusion platform, underscoring that data monetisation has become a sector-wide priority. With shareholders' equity at CHF 489.7 million and net cash of CHF 329 million, Tradition enters 2026 with limited structural vulnerabilities, though its results remain tightly linked to market volatility and client flow. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

Devexperts has added Gold-i's Visual Edge risk management software to its DXtrade multi-asset trading platform, giving brokers a new tool for monitoring client exposure, identifying scalper traders, and deciding how to route client orders.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!)Visual Edge, now accessible through DXtrade, is the second Gold-i product to be embedded in the platform. DXtrade already carries Gold-i's MatrixNET, a liquidity management platform connected to more than 80 liquidity providers and 35 crypto exchanges. The new integration is available immediately to brokers licensing DXtrade.Scalper Detection Drives Broker InterestVisual Edge provides brokers with dashboards covering client-level profit and loss data, exposure summaries, and customizable automated alerts. The software also generates scheduled daily reports. According to Gold-i, the tool helps multi-asset brokers decide how to route client orders, identifying which traders to A-book, meaning orders sent to an external liquidity provider, and which to B-book, meaning orders handled internally."By integrating Gold-i's Visual Edge into DXtrade, brokers using this institutional grade multi-asset trading platform gain deeper, real-time insight into their trading operations, enabling them to identify exposures earlier and make more informed decisions," said Tom Higgins, CEO and founder of Gold-i.One feature Gold-i highlights as particularly popular is automated scalper detection. The tool continuously monitors trading patterns and issues alerts when it identifies clients whose behavior it characterizes as potentially damaging to broker profitability, according to the company. Gold-i says this allows brokers to act on problematic client activity before losses accumulate.Jon Light, Senior Director of Product Management at Devexperts, said the integration would help clients "reduce losses and maximize their profits, through trader risk management," and described the overview provided by Visual Edge as "holistic, comprehensive, and, above all, detailed."The growing interest in broker-side risk tools is part of a broader trend in the industry. DXtrade added real-time risk analytics through an iSAM Securities partnership in July 2025, and integrated Tapaas to provide real-time risk alerts for FX/CFD brokers and prop firms in October 2024.DXtrade Builds Out Third-Party CapabilitiesDXtrade supports stocks, options, futures, ETFs, mutual funds, bonds, FX, CFDs, and margin and spot digital assets, and is offered as a white-label solution that brokers can partially or fully customize. Devexperts has been adding third-party tools to the platform at a steady pace. In March 2026, DXtrade partnered with theScreener to embed investment research directly inside the platform, giving brokers access to equity analysis and sector intelligence for their clients. The platform is listed among the top trading platforms for brokers in 2026, with its flexibility and integration options cited as key differentiators."One of DXtrade's strong differentiating factors is the platform's ability to integrate with third parties," Light said in a separate announcement earlier this month. For the Visual Edge integration, Devexperts said current and prospective DXtrade licensees will gain access to the tool.Gold-i Expands Across PlatformsFor Gold-i, the DXtrade deal broadens the reach of Visual Edge beyond its traditional MetaTrader user base. The UK-headquartered firm originally launched Visual Edge in 2014 to serve MT4 brokers, and has since expanded the tool's compatibility. Gold-i has also been active on the MatrixNET side, adding Crypto.com Exchange to MatrixNET in March 2026 and connecting Edgewater Markets for FX and precious metals liquidity in February 2025.Higgins framed the DXtrade integration as a distribution opportunity, noting that the platform "is rapidly gaining traction amongst brokers worldwide." Gold-i is headquartered in the UK and serves brokers, fund managers, prop trading firms, liquidity providers, exchanges, and crypto institutions globally.Devexperts, founded in 2002 and headquartered in Ireland, employs more than 800 engineers across offices in the US, Germany, Portugal, Bulgaria, Singapore, Turkey, and Georgia. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

Retail investors have dialed back their expectations for AI stocks and the so-called Magnificent 7 technology companies, while their exposure to commodities has reached its highest level in nearly three years, according to a quarterly survey published today (Wednesday) by eToro.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!)The poll of 11,000 retail investors across 13 countries, conducted between February 12 and 27, found that 43% expect AI-related stocks to rise in 2026, down from 52% the prior quarter. The share expecting the Magnificent 7 to beat the broader market fell to 40%, from 47% in the previous survey. Both figures represent the lowest readings since eToro first posed the question in Q4 2024, the company said. The survey closed before the recent escalation involving Iran, meaning the numbers capture investor positioning ahead of that conflict.AI Optimism Cools After Earnings ScrutinyeToro's global market strategist Lale Akoner attributed the shift to a more considered stance on mega-cap tech rather than a wholesale departure from AI. "The shift in expectations suggests retail investors are becoming more measured about mega-cap tech rather than turning away from the AI theme altogether," she said. "Recent earnings volatility and increasing scrutiny around capital expenditure appear to be encouraging a more selective approach."Akoner also pointed to what she described as a structural change in how investors think about portfolio concentration. "After a prolonged period where a small group of companies accounted for a significant share of market gains, investors are becoming more conscious of concentration risk," she said. The data suggests some retail participants may now be looking to broaden exposure beyond AI leaders, including toward cyclical stocks and other asset classes, the firm added.The cooling sentiment tracks with a broader pattern of record retail trading activity observed in early 2026, when Citadel Securities reported individual investor demand hitting all-time highs, with capital flows broadening well beyond technology into materials, real estate, and industrials.Commodities Ownership Climbs to Highest Since 2023Retail exposure to commodities reached 32% of investors surveyed, up from 30% the previous quarter and the highest recorded since eToro introduced the question in Q3 2023, the company said. Among those with commodity holdings, gold is the most widely owned asset, with 69% reporting exposure. Silver follows at 35%, oil at 29%, natural gas at 20%, and copper at 18%.Investors offered a range of reasons for their gold positions. The top motivations cited were its role as a store of value (32%), a hedge against inflation (28%), and expectations of further price appreciation (27%). Safe-haven demand during volatility was cited by 26%, diversification benefits by 22%, and protection against US dollar weakness by 15%.The survey data arrives alongside a sustained rally in precious metals. Goldman Sachs raised its end-2026 gold price forecast to $5,400 per ounce in January, citing private-sector diversification as the key driver, while the World Gold Council has separately flagged downside risk scenarios of up to 20%, illustrating the degree of uncertainty around the metal's path in 2026. That volatility has drawn increased retail trading flows into gold and silver-linked instruments at online brokers globally."Even before the latest geopolitical developments, retail investors were increasing their exposure to tangible assets," Akoner said. "Gold in particular appears to be viewed less as a short-term trade and more as a strategic hedge and diversifier, especially as the momentum-driven rally begins to moderate."Conflict Ties Recession as Investors' Top FearFor the first time in the survey series, international conflict ranked level with the global economy and recession risk as the leading concern among retail investors. Some 22% cited geopolitical conflict as the biggest threat to their portfolios, up from 17% the prior quarter, matching the share who pointed to a global economic downturn. A year ago, the rankings looked quite different: the global economy was first at 23%, inflation second at 21%, and international conflict third at 18%.Akoner noted the elevation of geopolitical risk had been building before the latest Middle East developments. "In recent years, markets have had to navigate a series of global flashpoints, making investors far more attuned to the potential impact of geopolitical events," she said. "The fact that international conflict now ranks alongside recession fears as the biggest perceived threat highlights how closely retail investors are watching global developments and recognising their potential implications for markets and portfolios."That heightened attentiveness fits with broader research suggesting retail investors have grown more sophisticated in their macro awareness, with some industry analysis showing they increasingly behave as rational economic actors rather than reactive participants. A new generation of Gen Z traders entering the market in early 2026 appears to be reinforcing that trend, bringing with it a stronger appetite for diversification and risk management.eToro's Own Metrics Show Steady ExpansionThe survey comes as eToro continues to grow its client base. The company reported record net contribution of $868 million for full-year 2025, up 10% year-on-year, with funded accounts reaching 3.81 million. Despite the record results, the stock faced selling pressure in the weeks following the earnings release, reflecting a market environment in which investor expectations have become harder to satisfy even with strong underlying numbers.The Retail Investor Beat survey is conducted quarterly. The Q1 2026 edition polled 11,000 participants across 13 countries between February 12 and 27, 2026. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

BMLL Technologies and Tradefeedr have announced a data partnership that the two companies say will extend Tradefeedr's transaction cost analysis capabilities from foreign exchange into equities and futures markets.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!)The deal pairs BMLL's historical order book datasets, covering Level 3, 2 and 1 data across global equities, ETFs, futures and US equity options, with Tradefeedr's API-based analytics network, which the company says connects more than 100 institutional clients including banks, asset managers and trading platforms. Outputs, the firms said, will be delivered through Tradefeedr's existing client network and legal framework via a single unified API.Filling the Multi-Asset Data GapTradefeedr built its business primarily around FX pre- and post-trade analytics. Moving into equities and futures has long required access to granular historical market microstructure data, which BMLL says it can now supply through its harmonized datasets."Tradefeedr has built a strong distribution model for execution analytics but the sourcing of high quality market data has always been a challenge until now," Paul Humphrey, Chief Executive Officer of BMLL, pointed to data sourcing as the key barrier this arrangement is meant to address.[#highlighted-links#] "This partnership brings BMLL's harmonized historical order book datasets into that workflow to support more consistent benchmarking across futures and equities."BMLL has been expanding its data partnerships at a steady pace. In February 2026, the company joined forces with Features Analytics to build surveillance benchmarking products using BMLL's order book records. Earlier, in September 2025, BMLL launched its Trades Plus dataset, described by the company as its first product built directly from client feedback, combining trade records with proprietary classifications.AI Ambitions Drive the Case for Cleaner DataBoth companies frame the deal around the broader push toward front-office AI adoption, arguing that execution data fragmented across asset classes, brokers and platforms is limiting firms' ability to feed consistent analytics and AI tools. They say a standardized, enriched data layer delivered through a common API would form what they describe as a foundation for the next wave of execution analytics innovation."Clients want multi-asset execution analytics that are consistent, scalable and easy to operationalize," Balraj Bassi, Chief Executive Officer at Tradefeedr, added."Access to harmonized historical order book datasets from BMLL gives us the foundation to expand our TCA coverage into equities and futures. We're inviting market participants to join this pilot to shape what comes next, building the analytics delivery stack for the AI era."The partnership is being enabled through Tradefeedr's participation in the BMLL Activate: Data Credits Program, an initiative that BMLL says allows qualified partners to build and validate new products using its data, with a path toward longer-term deployment.Open Pilot Invites Market Participants to Shape the ProductRather than launching a finished product, the two firms are opening a year-long pilot and inviting market participants to help define it. Participants, according to the announcement, will work alongside BMLL and Tradefeedr to set metrics, stress-test data quality, develop AI-ready context layers and feed back on benchmarks and reporting outputs, all delivered within Tradefeedr's existing network and contractual framework.Tradefeedr built its institutional base by bringing major sell-side firms onto its FX analytics platform. Goldman Sachs, UBS and XTX Markets joined the platform in 2019 as its first market maker clients. The firm has also recently expanded through data alliances with sell-side and buy-side institutions across its advisory board.BMLL was acquired by Nordic Capital in October 2025, in a deal made alongside minority shareholder Optiver, following a $21 million funding round that Optiver led the previous year. In July 2025, BMLL also partnered with ETF data provider Ultumus on a deal the firms said helped reduce ETF spreads by 16% in initial tests, pointing to a pattern of commercial validation pilots the company has been using to bring new asset class capabilities to market. A previous partnership with Exegy, announced in March 2025, targeted the US equity options market through a similar integrated data model.The equities and futures pilot does not have a stated timeline for full commercial launch. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

Months after exiting global contracts for differences (CFDs) operations, the owners of AETOS have sold the only remaining Australian operations to Dynamic Fintech Solutions, another Aussie fintech solutions company. Before the sale, it was mostly controlled by Chinese online entrepreneur Yongqiang Lu.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!)A New Owner for AETOSThe new owner has taken full control of AETOS AU’s operations and assets, as the change of control is now complete.Although the financial terms of the deal remain undisclosed, the transaction covers AETOS AU’s corporate entity, its Australian Financial Services licence, and all other financial services and operational activities conducted by the entity.The transaction occurred at the shareholder level, so there will be no impact on client accounts or other trading activities.The new owners will also keep the AETOS branding for the time being, but plan to change it in the future.[#highlighted-links#] Exit of CFD MogulsFounded in 2007, AETOS began closing down parts of its CFD business in 2019, when it withdrew from the Chinese market, its largest market at the time. It surrendered its Vanuatu licence in May 2025 and ceased all operations outside Australia four months later.It also applied to give up its Mauritius and Seychelles operations, which are still in process but are now near completion, according to the company. The latest sale of the Australian business marks the full exit of the previous owners from the CFD business under the AETOS brand.The new AETOS AU owner, Dynamic Fintech, wants to support the broker’s ongoing technology and operational development. It also “plans to expand its overall operational team in due course in line with business development needs, further enhancing system support capacity, operational efficiency and client service standards.”“The transfer of AETOS’ Australian business forms part of the Group’s broader strategic adjustment following a prudent and comprehensive internal assessment,” the company noted in a statement. “With the completion of the transfer of control of AETOS AU and its licensed business, AETOS has now fully completed its exit from global online CFD trading services.”“Amid evolving regulatory landscapes and industry transformation, the Group has continually adjusted its strategic positioning while adhering to its core principles of fairness, efficiency, and intelligent trading solutions, building strong brand value and industry reputation along the way.”The owners of several other CFD brokers in Australia have also recently reduced their stakes in their businesses. Estonia-headquartered Admirals sold its Australian operations to PU Prime, another CFD broker, while Saxo Bank sold over 80 per cent stake in its Aussie business to a South African tech provider. A few months after the new Saxo Australia owners took control, the business also changed its branding and leadership. This article was written by Arnab Shome at www.financemagnates.com.

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has amended its Brexit-related no-action positions to cover two additional UK trading facilities. The change aims to maintain trading continuity between U.S. participants and UK venues following Britain’s exit from the European Union.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!)Two UK Firms AddedThe CFTC’s Division of Market Oversight (DMO) said on Tuesday that OptAxe Limited and Capitolis UK Limited have been added to Appendix A of CFTC Staff Letter 24-11. The two companies now qualify for the same regulatory relief previously granted to other UK trading facilities.The update comes as U.S. and U.K. regulators continue to adjust cross-border oversight frameworks put in place after Brexit. Since the UK’s departure from the EU, the CFTC has issued a series of no-action letters to prevent disruption in derivatives trading between the two markets.You may also like: Tether Turns to “Big Four” Accounting Firm to Verify USDT Backing as Supply Nears $186BThese letters effectively allow certain U.K.-regulated platforms to service U.S. participants under temporary relief, ensuring access while broader equivalence and recognition arrangements evolve.The no-action approach, introduced after Brexit, allows UK venues to operate under comparable oversight while avoiding market disruption. The CFTC has periodically updated its relief list to reflect changes in the UK’s trading landscape and ensure consistent treatment of comparable platforms.The inclusion means both platforms can continue offering certain derivatives market access to U.S. counterparties without registering as designated contract markets or swap execution facilities under U.S. law.Maintaining Post-Brexit AccessIn recent years, the CFTC has expanded and refined its no-action positions to include additional U.K. venues that meet comparable regulatory standards. The inclusion of OptAxe Limited and Capitolis UK reflects the continuing effort to maintain smooth market access and cooperation between U.S. and U.K. derivatives markets. It underscores an ongoing trend of regulatory alignment, as authorities work to balance market stability with compliance under post-Brexit trading rules.For the industry, this type of move usually means banks and brokers can keep routing certain swaps or other derivatives through the same UK platforms without changing workflows or onboarding new venues at short notice. For example, a U.S. swap dealer that already executes trades on a UK multilateral trading facility can continue to do so under the CFTC’s no-action relief instead of shifting activity to a U.S.-registered swap execution facility, which would require fresh documentation, connectivity changes and client approvals. This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.

Brokers and FCMs can now clear prediction market contracts through existing post-trade systems, as Kalshi partners with FIS to introduce a new clearing setup. The tool, FIS CD Prediction Clearing, is aimed at institutional clients that want to access these products without building new clearing infrastructure. The launch comes as prediction markets scale rapidly. According to data from Next.Io, the sector generated nearly $64 billion in trading volume last year, up from under $16 billion the year before. Monthly volumes have also surged, rising from less than $100 million in early 2024 to more than $13 billion by December 2025.Kalshi reported $10.4 billion in trading volume last month, highlighting the scale these markets are reaching. “Having the right post-trade foundation in place is critical to unlocking the next wave of participation,” said Andy Ross, Head of Institutional at Kalshi.The partnership is part of Kalshi’s broader effort to expand beyond retail users and make its platform more accessible to institutional participants. How the Setup Works The development follows recent moves to introduce OTC trading for prediction markets, allowing institutions to execute larger trades outside retail platforms.Earlier moves in the market have focused on execution and custody. Partnerships involving firms such as BitGo and Susquehanna have introduced OTC trading models that allow institutional clients to execute trades directly from custody accounts.The FIS product addresses the next step — clearing and post-trade processing. The service integrates prediction market contracts into standard post-trade workflows. Instead of adapting retail platforms, firms can process trades through familiar clearing and middle-office systems. The setup supports real-time processing and continuous availability, aligning with how these contracts trade. “Prediction markets are demanding real-time clearing, high-volume transaction processing and round-the-clock availability,” said Andrés Choussy, Head of Capital Markets at FIS. For FIS clients, the main change is operational. Brokers can clear prediction contracts within systems they already use, rather than building separate infrastructure. This reduces the need to move assets or rely on retail interfaces. Data and Infrastructure Expanding The launch follows Kalshi’s recent agreement with Tradeweb to distribute prediction market data to institutional clients. More of the required infrastructure — including data distribution, execution and clearing — is now becoming available around these products. The new clearing setup addresses one part of the problem: post-trade processing. Other constraints remain. Liquidity is uneven across contracts, particularly outside the most active markets, and the regulatory status of prediction market products continues to evolve across jurisdictions. For brokers, this means access is improving, but participation still depends on how liquidity and regulation develop in practice. This article was written by Tanya Chepkova at www.financemagnates.com.

Tether has appointed a Big Four accounting firm to conduct its first full financial statement audit of the reserves backing its billions worth of USDT stablecoin. The company previously relied on periodic attestations, which offered limited snapshots of its assets at specific points in time.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!)Tether recently announced that it generated more than 10 billion dollars in net profit in 2025 and ended the year with 6.3 billion dollars in excess reserves. The filing, which covers the period to 31 December 2025, shows total assets of about 192.9 billion dollars against 186.5 billion dollars of liabilities, all tied mainly to its USD₮ stablecoin.Tether Signs Big Four Firm to Complete First Full Audit, Setting a New Quality Standard for the Digital Asset EconomyRead more: https://t.co/rtsB7l4nJL— Tether (@tether) March 24, 2026Audit to Check USDT ReservesThe new audit will cover Tether’s assets, liabilities, internal controls and reporting systems. Management said the firm was selected through a competitive process but did not disclose which of the four global networks, Deloitte, EY, KPMG or PwC, secured the mandate.Tether described the engagement as operating at “Big Four audit standard”. It said it chose the Big Four firm through a competitive selection, arguing that its own operations already align with the standards such auditors expect.Read more: Dollar-Pegged Stablecoins Surge to $313B in Risk-Off Pivot amid US–Iran ConflictIt added that the engagement will proceed to completion and that the review will assess how the company measures and reports the reserves backing USDT.If Tether delivers a clean audit, it could decisively silence long-running “Tether is a scam” accusations and force every other stablecoin issuer to meet a new transparency bar. However, according to Simon Taylor, "If they don't, the GENIUS Act's foreign issuer loophole becomes the biggest regulatory debate of 2027." Tether says its reserves consist mainly of U.S. Treasury bills, along with smaller allocations to gold, bitcoin and various loans. This mix has faced scrutiny from critics who question the liquidity and risk of some holdings, particularly during periods of market stress. The full audit aims to address long-running questions over whether USDT is fully backed one-to-one by liquid reserves and to raise the level of disclosure in the stablecoin market.USDT Supply Nears $186BAccording to Tether, total USD₮ in circulation passed $186 billion after nearly $50 billion of new tokens were issued in 2025, with around 30 billion dollars created in the second half alone as demand for dollar liquidity increased in emerging markets, payments and trading.? JUST IN: Tether posted over $10B profit in 2025, with record $135B in U.S. Treasuries and USD₮ supply surpassing $183B. pic.twitter.com/4fB9a87Lwb— Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) October 31, 2025Total reserve assets rose to nearly 193 billion dollars, leaving reserves above liabilities and supporting the token’s outstanding supply.Tether’s holdings show a strong concentration in U.S. government debt. Direct U.S. Treasury securities exceeded 122 billion dollars at year-end, while total direct and indirect exposure, including overnight reverse repos, went beyond 141 billion dollars. This level of exposure places the company among the larger holders of U.S. government debt globally, while its separate proprietary investment portfolio in areas such as AI, energy, media and fintech, worth more than 20 billion dollars, sits outside the reserves that back USD₮.Tether also launched a U.S.-regulated stablecoin, USA₮, last year and appointed former White House crypto adviser Bo Hines as CEO of the new entity. It marked the stablecoin issuers push into the regulated U.S. market, signaling its intent to align more closely with domestic compliance standards under the new GENIUS Act. This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.

Institutional clients can now trade prediction market contracts through an OTC structure that allows execution directly from custody accounts, without using retail platforms. The setup, launched by BitGo and Susquehanna Crypto, combines bilateral execution, digital asset collateral and standard derivatives documentation.How the Structure Works The setup follows a familiar model for institutional derivatives trading. Instead of using public exchanges, clients execute trades bilaterally through an OTC desk. Positions can be collateralized using existing digital asset holdings, including BTC, ETH or stablecoins, without converting to fiat. Trades are documented under standard derivatives agreements, aligning the structure with existing institutional trading workflows. 97% chance this changes how institutions access prediction markets.BitGo's OTC desk now offers event-linked derivatives: bilateral execution, crypto or stablecoin collateral, and liquidity backed by Susquehanna Crypto.Back your thesis.Call your shot.Learn more:… pic.twitter.com/k61ckXqheI— BitGo (@BitGo) March 24, 2026The setup also has limitations. OTC trading relies on bilateral pricing rather than open market liquidity, which can affect transparency and pricing dynamics. It also does not resolve the broader regulatory uncertainty around prediction market contracts, which remains unsettled in several jurisdictions. Addressing Access Constraints Until now, institutional participation in prediction markets has been limited by how these products are accessed. Most activity has taken place on retail-focused platforms, requiring users to manage accounts, custody and funding separately from their existing trading setups. For larger firms, this has created operational friction. The new service allows clients to trade from custody accounts they already use, reducing the need to move assets or rely on retail interfaces. “Prediction markets have developed into an increasingly relevant venue for price discovery, but institutional access has remained limited,” said Matt Ballensweig, Global Head of Trading at BitGo. What It Means for Brokers and Infrastructure Providers For brokers and fintech firms, the development is practical rather than structural. It shows that prediction market contracts can be offered through existing models such as OTC execution, custody-based collateral and standard documentation, rather than requiring new platforms. This may lower the operational barrier for firms considering how to offer or support these products. Institutional trading volumes in prediction markets remain limited, but the availability of familiar execution and custody structures gives firms another way to evaluate participation. This article was written by Tanya Chepkova at www.financemagnates.com.

A European Central Bank executive delivered a keynote speech in Brussels, warning that digital finance could become dominated by a few major providers. Piero Cipollone, a member of the ECB’s Executive Board, said “a single dominant platform and stablecoin with broad network effects” would have “serious consequences for Europe’s monetary sovereignty.”Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!).The comments come amid discussions in Europe over stablecoins and digital assets. The ECB has stressed that foreign stablecoin issuers “must face EU standards,” signaling its intention to ensure that emerging digital finance infrastructure operates under regulated, central bank-backed frameworks.Tokenized Finance Requires Central Bank SettlementThe remarks align with the ECB’s work on tokenized financial markets. Cipollone noted that without a settlement framework based on central bank money, private digital assets could play a larger role in financial transactions.In response, the ECB is preparing to launch Pontes, an initiative designed to connect distributed ledger technology platforms used for tokenized assets with central bank money for settlement. The project is expected to move into its next phase later this year.A separate initiative, Appia, is being developed as a longer-term effort to outline a European approach to tokenized finance.The ECB just admitted that dollar stablecoins are a threat to European monetary sovereignty.Piero Cipollone, a member of the ECB's Executive Board, gave a keynote today in Brussels laying out Europe's tokenized financial market strategy. The message was clear: if Europe doesn't… pic.twitter.com/ddRYhHjVuB— TFTC (@TFTC21) March 23, 2026€4 Billion Tokenized Bonds Issued EuropeCipollone highlighted recent market activity to underline the shift. Around €4 billion worth of tokenized fixed-income instruments have been issued in Europe since 2021, including sovereign debt from European Union member states.He also reiterated the ECB’s position on settlement assets, noting that central bank money remains the only form of money that does not carry credit risk. These remarks reflect the ECB’s broader effort to ensure that the euro area’s financial infrastructure relies on central bank-backed settlement rather than private alternatives. This article was written by Tareq Sikder at www.financemagnates.com.

Payments and fintech expert Andrew Mreana, most recently in charge of Growth at London-headquartered neobank Xoala, has joined VIP360 Payments as Head of Commercial Growth.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!)New Role at VIP360 PaymentsIn his new position, Mreana focuses on commercial growth across banking, payments and global merchant operations. His mandate is to enable businesses manage payments by working with suitable partners and structures. He described the aim of the role as unlocking “real value” for merchants in how they handle banking and payments.“I'll be focusing on unlocking real value across banking, payments and global merchant operations,” Mreana said on Tuesday. “The goal remains simple: Help businesses navigate payments more efficiently, with the right partners and the right structure.”Before joining VIP360 Payments, he served as Head of Growth at Xoala up to early this year in Limassol. Xoala provided banking and payments solutions, including global accounts, acquiring and multi-currency cards for businesses of various sizes.VIP360 is a fintech platform that connects businesses with licensed providers of cross-border payments, FX, remittance and e-money solutions. It aims to enable them manage complex global payment flows in a compliant, scalable way. According to it website, it is owned and operated by Cyprus-based VIPTECH. Earlier, Mreana worked as Head of Growth at Spotware Systems from 2023 to 2024 in Cyprus. Spotware is a technology provider in the fintech sector and is known for developing the cTrader trading platform.Growth and Sales BackgroundPrior to these roles, Mreana held the position of Head of Sales at an FX and CFD broker in Cyprus from 2021 to 2023. In that job, he helped set up the company’s commercial infrastructure, built new partnerships and hired and trained a team of 17 people. He also contributed to the firm achieving its key performance targets during his tenure.Last year, FDCTech, signed a non-binding letter of intent to acquire Xoala. The planned acquisition is valued at $6.75 million and is part of FDCTech’s effort to expand its regulated financial services presence in Europe and the UK.Under the letter of intent, FDCTech plans to buy 100 percent of Xoala’s shares from Steven FS Limited in the UK, with the purchase price paid in five equal annual instalments of 1.35 million dollars between 2026 and 2030. This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.