Latest news with #MiCA
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Crypto Inflows Surge to $60B Year-to-Date, Outpacing Private Equity: JPMorgan
Capital is flooding into digital assets at a record pace this year, according to Wall Street bank JPMorgan (JPM), marking a sharp contrast with declining flows into private equity and private credit markets. JPMorgan estimates that net capital inflows into digital assets have hit $60 billion year-to-date, a nearly 50% jump since the firm's last update at the end of May, the bank said in a report on Wednesday. That figure includes crypto fund flows, Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) futures activity, and crypto venture funding, and puts 2024 on track to eclipse last year's record. 'The surge of capital inflows into digital assets over the past couple of months has likely been supported by favorable U.S. regulations,' analysts led by Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou wrote. Notably, the passage of the GENIUS Act in Congress provided long-awaited regulatory clarity around stablecoins, establishing global standards for dollar-backed tokens and triggering competitive responses abroad, the authors wrote. China is pressing ahead with its digital yuan rollout, and a yuan-backed stablecoin is now in the works in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, the CLARITY Act, currently moving through Congress, aims to define whether digital assets are securities or commodities, potentially making the U.S. more attractive for crypto-native companies compared to the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework, the report said. This friendlier regulatory climate is fueling a resurgence in both private and public crypto markets. Crypto venture capital (VC) funding has picked up, while public market interest is growing following Circle's (CRCL) initial public offering (IPO) and a flurry of new filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the bank noted. Altcoins are also experiencing renewed investor attention, the report said, and ether (ETH), in particular, has benefited from its central role in decentralized finance (DeFi) and smart contracts, and is increasingly being added to corporate treasuries alongside bitcoin. Asset managers have begun exploring new altcoin-based crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs), some with staking features, signaling rising institutional appetite beyond bitcoin (BTC), the report while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Crypto Asset Manager CoinShares Secures EU-Wide MiCA License
CoinShares (CS) said it received a license under the European Union's Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) regulation, the first crypto asset manager based in continental Europe to qualify. The approval allows the Saint Helier, Jersey-based firm to offer crypto portfolio management services across the 27-nation bloc under a single, harmonized regulatory framework. Operations are already passported to countries including Germany, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, and it may expand further, the company said. The license, granted by France's Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF), joins CoinShares' existing permissions under the EU's MiFID and AIFM directives. That, the company says, makes it the only major European asset manager to hold all three credentials. It's a step the firm says could help open the 33 trillion euro ($38.7 trillion) European asset management industry to more fully regulated cryptocurrency investment products. 'Receiving MiCA authorisation from the AMF is a pivotal milestone, not just for CoinShares, but for the entire European digital asset industry,' CEO Jean-Marie Mognetti said in the statement. 'With MiCA, we now have a clear, harmonized structure across the EU, and CoinShares is proud to be the first in continental Europe to meet that standard as a fully regulated asset manager." Various other cryptocurrency firms, it's worth adding, have secured MiCA licenses, including exchanges Coinbase, Bybit, OKX, and Founded in 2013 and publicly traded on Nasdaq Stockholm, CoinShares says it manages over $9 billion in assets. The company's shares rose 1.7% to 120 krona ($12.66). They're up more than 46% year-to-date. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Crypto Insight
a day ago
- Business
- Crypto Insight
CoinShares secures French MiCA license, cementing EU presence
CoinShares, a major European cryptocurrency investment firm, has secured a license under the local regulatory framework, Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). CoinShares received the MiCA license through its French subsidiary, CoinShares Asset Management, the company announced on Wednesday. With the license, CoinShares became the 'first continental European regulated asset management company' to be qualified under MiCA, the announcement noted. CoinShares, a major provider of crypto exchange-traded products (ETPs) in Europe, has also been expanding its US presence since acquiring Valkyrie Funds last year. Triple license mix Following the new license acquisition, CoinShares now holds three regulatory licenses in Europe, including MiCA, the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) license and the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFM) license. CoinShares said it's the only continental European asset manager with this triple license, allowing it to offer services across all EU asset classes. CoinShares' MiCA license, issued by the French Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) on Thursday, allows the company to offer portfolio management and advice on crypto assets in the EU. The MiFID license allows it to do the same for traditional financial instruments. The AIFM license authorizes CoinShares to provide services in alternative fund management and delegated management under the EU's Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities Directive (UCITS). A milestone for entire EU industry According to CoinShares co-founder and CEO Jean-Marie Mognetti, the MiCA license acquisition marks a major milestone not only for CoinShares, but for the entire crypto industry in Europe. 'For too long, asset managers operating in crypto have been confined to partial or improvised regulatory frameworks,' Mognetti noted, adding that MiCA has brought a 'clear, harmonised structure across the EU.' CoinShares stressed that its MiCA license enables it to provide services across several EU jurisdictions, with operations currently passported in France, Germany, Cyprus, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta and the Netherlands. The announcement noted the possibility of extending the authorization across all EU member states. CoinShares makes moves in the US Apart from cementing its position as a key industry leader in the EU, CoinShares has also been actively working to compete with peers in the US market after officially entering the market in 2023. Since introducing the CoinShares Bitcoin and Ether ETF (BTF) — a futures ETF tracking the price of Bitcoin and Ether — in the US in October 2021, CoinShares has launched three more crypto funds in the market. The list of CoinShares ETFs currently offered in the US. Source: CoinShares The other funds include the CoinShares Bitcoin Mining ETF (WGMI) launched in February 2022, the spot Bitcoin ETF, CoinShares Bitcoin ETF (BRRR), and the Bitcoin Futures Leveraged ETF (BTFX), launched in January 2024 and February 2024, respectively. Following last year's acquisition of Valkyrie Funds, CoinShares has also been actively applying for other ETF products in the US, including a potential spot XRP (XRP) ETF. Source:
Cision Canada
4 days ago
- Business
- Cision Canada
Wellcell Holdings (02477.HK) Makes Strategic Move into Crypto Payments - Fopay Poised to Become Hong Kong's Web3 Trailblazer
HONG KONG, July 21, 2025 /CNW/ -- Wellcell Holdings Co., Limited (HK:02477) announced on July 21, 2025 the market launch of its global stablecoin payment platform "Fopay", officially entering the crypto payments sector. The development and introduction of Fopay aims to capitalize on the global growth opportunities in crypto payments, providing both individual and corporate users with secure, efficient, and low-cost digital payment solutions. Regulatory Tailwinds Driving Adoption 2024 witnessed the implementation of key stablecoin regulatory frameworks worldwide – the EU's MiCA establishing issuance standards, the U.S. Stablecoin Act strengthening compliance requirements, and Hong Kong's Stablecoin Ordinance passed in May marking a watershed moment for Asia's market. Against this backdrop, Wellcell's timely launch of Fopay demonstrates strategic acumen and execution capability. As one of the few Hong Kong-listed companies positioned to benefit from the trillion-dollar global stablecoin opportunity, Wellcell's strategic upgrade could emerge as a benchmark case under Hong Kong's new virtual asset policies. JPMorgan research projects the compliant stablecoin payment market to exceed $5 trillion by 2027, growing at a 68% CAGR HKMA forecasts compliant stablecoin payments will account for over 25% of local cross-border settlements by 2025 Regulation-Friendly Architecture Fopay's "compliant prepaid card" model partners with licensed institutions for stablecoin custody while integrating with the VISA network. This innovative approach mitigates asset custody risks while achieving interoperability with traditional finance – giving it significant compliance cost advantages over international competitors in Hong Kong. Solving Cross-Border Payment Pain Points Fopay's value proposition directly addresses three critical challenges in traditional cross-border payments: Fee Disruption: Zero-fee peer-to-peer transfers and remittances, dramatically reducing costs compared to SWIFT Speed Advantage: Crypto cross-border settlements in minutes versus 1-3 business days for traditional banks Global Accessibility: Instant stablecoin-to-fiat conversion through VISA's 60-million merchant network Merchant Solutions: Crypto payment APIs enabling stablecoin settlements for e-commerce and trading companies to enhance capital efficiency Technical Edge Notably, Fopay supports leading high-performance blockchains including Solana, Arbitrum, Ethereum, and BSC, delivering transaction throughput (TPS) orders of magnitude higher than traditional banking systems. This technical superiority creates a moat in high-frequency, low-value payment scenarios like cross-border e-commerce and game top-ups. Shareholder Synergy: Hangfeng International's Strategic Value As Wellcell's largest single shareholder, Hangfeng International is demonstrating remarkable Web3 ecosystem synergies through its "payments + asset management" dual-engine strategy: Fopay's user growth and capital accumulation will drive sustainable AUM expansion for Hangfeng's planned U.S.-listed asset management subsidiary Public filings indicate Hangfeng's asset management platform is preparing to launch regulated digital asset custody and management services, offering institutional-grade solutions to ecosystem partners Strategic Investor Backing Hangfeng International's shareholder base brings together strategic investors from fintech, cross-border trade, and industrial internet sectors. These quality industry partners will collectively develop practical payment application scenarios, creating lasting ecosystem value and business momentum. Market Underappreciation Institutional research suggests this ecosystem synergy remains undervalued by the market. Beyond being a payment instrument, Fopay is transforming into a "super-interface" bridging traditional finance and Web3 – potentially the Web3 infrastructure benchmark that Hong Kong's capital markets have been awaiting. The strategic positioning of Fopay under Wellcell's ecosystem, backed by Hangfeng International's resources, presents a compelling case for being Hong Kong's first truly institutional-grade Web3 payment infrastructure play.
Crypto Insight
6 days ago
- Business
- Crypto Insight
From Bank to Broker to Crypto: Infrastructure Playbooks for Regulated Companies Entering Digital Assets
The EU's MiCA framework is creating a predictable environment for crypto services. Stablecoins are being used for payments, settlements, and cross-border operations. Tokenized assets are being tested by banks and asset managers. As a result, banks, brokers, and fintech platforms are planning to launch crypto services. This can include custody, trading, or stablecoin rails. But these companies work under strict rules. They need infrastructure that meets high standards for uptime, access control, compliance, and reporting. A simple API or SDK is not enough. What they need is a full infrastructure strategy. This article outlines how regulated companies can add crypto services without increasing their risk. Why regulated companies are moving into crypto There are several reasons why traditional financial companies are building crypto services now: MiCA gives legal clarity in the EU Stablecoins like USDC are becoming tools for fast payments Clients are asking for access to crypto products Tokenized assets are gaining interest from institutions The goals are different from startups. Regulated firms need long-term infrastructure that can handle audits, reporting, and operations at scale. Common entry points for crypto integration Regulated companies usually begin their crypto journey by focusing on one or two specific services, depending on their market and compliance readiness. One common starting point is custody. Firms that offer custody focus on secure wallet infrastructure, enabling users to deposit and withdraw assets safely. This creates a foundation for other services, such as staking or tokenized investments. Some companies prioritize trading access. These platforms allow users to buy and sell cryptocurrencies but avoid handling custody by keeping the assets off-chain or locked within internal systems. This limits their exposure to custody-related risks while still meeting customer demand. Another growing use case is stablecoin integration. Payment firms and cross-border platforms are using assets like USDC or EURC to provide faster and more cost-effective alternatives to traditional rails like SWIFT or SEPA. Others are entering crypto through tokenized asset offerings, where banks and brokers begin experimenting with digital versions of bonds or private equity instruments. Each approach requires a tailored infrastructure stack and a different level of compliance maturity. But all of them depend on having reliable custody, transaction logic, and audit controls from the beginning. Core infrastructure requirements When a regulated company adds crypto to its platform, the infrastructure must meet the same operational and legal standards as any other financial system. Custody systems should be built on secure methods like MPC or HSM, and must include fine-grained control over who can initiate and approve transactions. Access needs to be managed by role, with multi-level approvals and detailed permissions. Logging and audit trails must be available in real time. Every transaction, user action, or system change needs to be tracked and stored securely, with full export capabilities for regulators or internal teams. Uptime is also critical. Crypto services should match the reliability of traditional trading or banking infrastructure, which means deploying redundancy, health checks, and fallback systems to minimize service interruptions. Beyond the backend, companies also need tools for real-time monitoring. Dashboards that track delays, performance, or anomalies help operations teams respond quickly. And when working with infrastructure vendors, transparency is essential. Regulated companies need visibility into how the platform works, what its performance history looks like, and how it supports ongoing compliance. Compliance is a technical requirement Many crypto compliance rules are enforced through software. Regulated companies must understand the infrastructure requirements behind these rules. Travel Rule When users send crypto to external wallets, the system needs to detect when to apply the Travel Rule. This means adding metadata, identifying the receiving service, and preventing non-compliant transfers. MiCA enforcement MiCA asks for clear control over custody, user asset management, and risk policies. These controls must be built into the infrastructure. Manual policies are not enough. Regional requirements Some regions require local data storage or restrict where wallets can be accessed from. This must be supported in system design and deployment. At Scalable Solutions, we build compliance into the platform. Features like transaction screening, withdrawal checks, and audit logs are not optional add-ons. They are part of the standard architecture. What to build in-house and what to use from vendors Companies that want to offer crypto services need to decide which parts of the infrastructure they will build themselves and which parts they will source from vendors. In most cases, it makes sense to keep control over the user interface, onboarding experience, internal dashboards, and risk or compliance rules that are specific to their business. At the same time, core infrastructure such as key custody, blockchain node access, transaction screening, and monitoring tools can be more efficient and secure when provided by specialized vendors. The key is to work with providers who offer transparency, regulatory readiness, and clear service-level commitments. Systems that don't provide access to logs, lack proper client separation, or operate as black boxes can create serious operational and compliance risks. When choosing a vendor, companies should avoid platforms that: Don't share logs or audit data Use shared infrastructure without strong isolation Have no proof of regulatory readiness Can't meet SLA and uptime requirements Lessons from the field What didn't work A European broker launched a crypto service using a basic white-label backend. The system gave internal staff access to wallets without proper role separation. When regulators asked for logs, the company couldn't provide them. The service was shut down after a few months. What worked A payment platform added USDC payouts using vendor-based custody and compliance modules. They kept control over AML policy logic and used modular infrastructure. The service launched quickly and passed a regulatory audit within six months. Conclusion For regulated companies, crypto is no longer out of reach. But it must be added with the same care as any other financial service. The infrastructure must support controlled key management, transaction screening, role-based access, logging and audit tools and regional deployment strategies – all in one, simply manageable source. Source:
