Latest news with #Tezos
Axios
3 hours ago
- Business
- Axios
SEC chair preparing a new ICOs and airdrops era
Initial coin offerings are poised to make a big return, as new SEC chair Paul Atkins declared Thursday that the agency is all in on President Trump's push to make America the "crypto capital of the world." Why it matters: The country's top financial markets regulator is moving fast to enact the policy recommendations made Wednesday by the White House's working group on crypto assets. Driving the news: "Capital formation is at the heart of the SEC's mission, yet for too long the SEC ignored market demands for choice and disincentivized crypto-based capital raising," Atkins said in a speech Thursday before the America First Policy Institute. "I have asked staff to propose purpose-fit disclosures, exemptions, and safe harbors, including for so-called 'initial coin offerings,' 'airdrops,' and network rewards." The phrase "initial coin offerings," also known as ICOs, is likely to set off alarms for some longtime market watchers. Flashback: The ICO era of 2017 was a somewhat out-of-control time when many, many fly-by-night projects raised money off anyone and everyone with very little plan to get them done, or the know-how to do it. A few projects came out of that era that remain, such as the decentralized storage platform Filecoin; the blockchain Tezos, and the popular browser Brave. But there were hundreds of projects that went nowhere, leaving too-eager investors coming up short. It's still a controversial period in crypto history, one many blockchain leaders look back on with regret. Between the lines: Atkins makes it clear in his speech that, while the SEC's an independent regulator, he stands firmly behind Wednesday's White House report, "Strengthening America's Leadership in Digital Financial Technology." His direction to agency staff on rules to guide ICOs are one small part of what he called "Project Crypto," which he described as the agency's "north star" in aiding Trump's crypto push. Reality check: ICOs never really disappeared though. Some companies, like the project now known as Hiro Systems, went through an arduous and expensive legal process to fully register their raise. And, just recently, meme coin juggernaut raised $600 million for its PUMP token via a multi-platform ICO that sold out in minutes. The crypto industry has also been reading the shifting signals on policy. Coinbase, for instance, recently acquired Liquifi, which looked like a move that anticipated more openness to this sort of fundraising. What they're saying: "Most of the resistance to ICOs has been more the psychological stigma associated with it," Mason Borda, CEO of Tokensoft, which helps crypto projects raise money prudently, tells Axios. "It will certainly open up these offerings to a broader entrepreneurial base." "A blockchain system has every aspect of its economic flows available for inspection in real time on chain, making them potentially more efficient than public markets are today," Tom Howard, head of financial products at CoinList, which also facilitates blockchain-based fundraising, tells Axios. "We expect that updating securities rules to reflect the technology available today will greatly improve capital formation and productivity within the U.S." What we're watching: What kind of rules and limitations SEC staff might propose. We could imagine seeing, for example, a lighter registration process for fundraising for digital assets that will not ultimately be securities (no profit-sharing and no governance rights, for example). We could also imagine a different tier of accredited investor, specifically to certain kinds of digital asset markets.
Business Insider
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Lombard Finance Launches LBTC on Etherlink, Expanding Bitcoin DeFi Opportunities on Tezos L2
London, England, July 28th, 2025, Chainwire Lombard Finance, a leading developer of Bitcoin-based DeFi solutions, has launched its flagship LBTC product on the Tezos L2 network, Etherlink. The deployment is a significant milestone for both Lombard Finance and the Tezos ecosystem, representing the integration of a new asset on Etherlink (in the form of liquid bitcoin), allowing bitcoin liquidity to flow into the ecosystem and across DeFi applications. "Bringing LBTC to Etherlink represents an important step in our multi-chain strategy," said Jacob Phillips, Co-founder of Lombard Finance. "By closely collaborating with the Tezos Foundation and integrating with Etherlink, we will foster a thriving DeFi ecosystem and see LBTC onboarded to top protocols, so users can do more with their Bitcoin." Today's integration with Etherlink enables network users to stake their bitcoin in return for LBTC - a liquid-staking bitcoin token that can be used across Etherlink's range of DeFi applications. LBTC allows holders to maintain their bitcoin exposure while providing the freedom to engage with innovative DeFi protocols at the same time. LBTC is redeemable 1:1 for bitcoin and Lombard is fully audited by renowned industry experts, including Immunefi and Halborn. Additionally, because the BTC backing LBTC is staked to Babylon, LBTC earns a yield, meaning holders earn staking rewards alongside points from Lombard. "In our search for a superior Bitcoin solution for the Etherlink ecosystem, LBTC stood out as the ideal choice," said Anthony Hayot, Head of DeFi Adoption at Nomadic Labs. "We're proud to establish LBTC as the primary Bitcoin asset within our ecosystem, offering our users access to one of the most sophisticated Bitcoin solutions available in the DeFi landscape today." With almost $2B worth of LBTC minted and in circulation across EVM-compatible networks, the integration of LBTC on Etherlink stands to add substantial liquidity to the Tezos-powered ecosystem. LBTC will be accessible across multiple DeFi protocols within Etherlink, including Superlend, Hanji, IguanaDEX, and oku, enabling users to utilize LBTC for a range of DeFi activities. The token will also be integrated into the Apple Farm program, enabling users to earn rewards for using it in their interactions with Etherlink's growing DeFi ecosystem. Commenting, Jean-Frédéric Mognetti, Executive Director of the Tezos Foundation, said, "The Tezos ecosystem has always prioritized innovation, and bringing Bitcoin's liquid staked Bitcoin to Etherlink reflects that foundational vision. This integration will provide BTC holders with new and exciting opportunities in DeFi." The integration with Etherlink is part of Lombard's continued strategy of cross-chain expansion, following its integration with the Sui blockchain in March. LBTC already operates across other notable blockchains, including Ethereum, Sui, Base, and BNB Chain, with 70% of LBTC supply actively deployed in DeFi protocols, including Aave and Morpho, and approximately 75 DeFi integrations across multiple blockchain ecosystems. About Lombard Lombard Protocol was founded with a single vision: to bring Bitcoin securely into DeFi and unlock its full potential. At the heart of the Lombard Protocol's innovation is its flagship product LBTC, the leading Bitcoin liquid staked token. Backed 1:1 by native Bitcoin, LBTC transforms Bitcoin into a secure, stable, and liquid asset for DeFi. It offers unmatched transparency, stability, and usability, making it the trusted collateral for lending, borrowing, and integration into decentralized ecosystems About Etherlink Etherlink is an EVM-compatible Layer 2 blockchain powered by Tezos Smart Rollups technology. It empowers developers to smoothly deploy any EVM codebase and migrate users and assets from Ethereum and other interoperable chains, enabling seamless interaction and asset transfers across different networks Contact
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tokenization Firm Midas Brings Two New DeFi Products to Etherlink
Midas, a financial tokenization platform, said it is introducing two tokenized investment products on Etherlink, an Ethereum-compatible layer-2 overlay system for faster and cheaper transactions, built using the Tezos blockchain. The new products, mMEV and mRe7YIELD, are designed to offer opportunities in decentralized finance (DeFi) and are monitored by MEV Capital and Re7 Capital, respectively, each acting as appointed risk manager, according to a Wednesday press release. The move builds on Midas' earlier products, mBASIS and mTBILL, which have together attracted $11 million in total value locked (TVL) on Etherlink since their introduction. These tokenized certificates track financial strategies through ERC-20 tokens, allowing users to hold exposure through self-custodied, permissionless smart contracts while retaining compliance oversight. The new products follow a similar model. mMEV offers exposure to arbitrage and market-neutral opportunities across blockchain ecosystems, while mRe7YIELD tracks diversified DeFi yield strategies. In both cases, investors avoid dealing with multiple intermediaries or regional regulations by executing strategies via a single on-chain transaction. Etherlink, with its fast confirmation times and negligible transaction fees, has seen recent network upgrades, including near-instant withdrawal times. What once required contracting through multiple layers of intermediaries, each governed by their own local regulations, may soon be executed through a single smart contract call, said David Relkin, head of DeFi at Nomadic Labs, a Tezos developer group working on Etherlink. "Products like mMEV and mRE7YIELD finally make advanced yield-farming strategies accessible to institutional investors. We view them as one important step toward bringing wholesale finance fully on-chain,' Relkin said in the statement. For Midas, Etherlink provides the ideal environment for scalable financial applications, where strategies can be composed directly into lending, automated market making and structured vaults with minimal overhead and maximal accessibility, said Dennis Dinkelmeyer, CEO at Midas 'Etherlink offers the scalability and composability needed to bring structured, compliant strategies fully on-chain. With mMEV and mRe7YIELD, we're expanding secure, self-custodied exposure to institutional-grade products.' Dinkelmeyer said in a 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
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Manchester United end talks with Amazon over access-all-areas documentary
Manchester United have ended secret talks over a record-breaking Amazon Prime access-all-areas documentary next season after manager Ruben Amorim failed to give the green light. According to The Athletic, the Red Devils were locked in negotiations with Amazon towards the end of last campaign over an 'All or Nothing' series. Advertisement Amazon were willing to offer more than £10 million, but United pulled out of negotiations after concluding it could distract from the progress of the first team. Amorim was reportedly not comfortable with the potential intrusion on the first team and that mainly contributed towards their withdrawal from talks. Meanwhile, aspects of the commercial agreement and time pressure of the upcoming season were believed to be contributing factors as well. United's financial troubles are well documented, with the club's debut standing at more than £700m. Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe even claimed in March the Premier League titans were in danger of going bust by Christmas had they not taken a series of cost-cutting measures. Advertisement They recently suffered another financial blow after their partnership with Blockchain company Tezos ended, with the club unveiling their new training kit without a sponsor. The news of Tezos' partnership ending came shortly after it emerged that Hotel chain Marriott would not extend its sponsorship deal. Agreeing a deal with Amazon would have lightened their financial concerns, but the idea was not feasible and didn't receive support from the football department.
Scottish Sun
01-07-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Man Utd miss out on millions in major financial blow as eagle-eyed fans spot something very off about new training kit
United have parted ways with two sponsors over the last month SHIRT SHOW Man Utd miss out on millions in major financial blow as eagle-eyed fans spot something very off about new training kit Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MANCHESTER UNITED are set to miss out on MILLIONS after the launch of their new training kit. The Red Devils announced their 2025/2026 training attire without a sponsor, with many fans calling it "embarrassing". Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Manchester United have suffered a huge financial blow amid the launch of their new training kit 5 The club's new training gear is without a sponsor after they were unable to find one in time 5 United held a £24m-a-year partnership with Tezos, but the agreement has now ended Sponsorship-wise, one brand will often sponsor the playing kits, whole another does the training kit. But United's partnership with Blockchain company Tezos, which was worth around £24million a year, came to an end on June 30. And, on Tuesday, the struggling Premier League club launched their new plum shade kit for Ruben Amorim's training sessions without any sponsor. This means they are currently missing out on a huge chunk of revenue. READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS SUP TO SOMETHING Sky Sports 'bring back iconic football show' five years after it was axed And fans were quick to call it out, with one writing: "Not surprising. There's not many want to be associated with us." While a second raged: "Shambolic". Club sources suggested a new training kit sponsor would be agreed shortly after Tezos' sponsorship ended. But it's also understood there is nothing immediate in the works to agree a new sponsor, according to Manchester Evening News. 5 Leny Yoro joined Alejandro Garnacho and Mason Mount in showing off the new colours Join SUN CLUB for the Man Utd Files every Thursday plus in-depth coverage and exclusives from Old Trafford The Tezos-branded training kit was worn by United's first-team squad for the last three years, and the logo also featured on kit worn by the women's team. Agreeing a new training kit sponsor as soon as possible will be important to help balance the apparently cash-strapped books. Buzz Off! Brentford Demand £65M from Man Utd for Bryan Mbeumo | Transfers Exposed United shared a series of photos of players in the new strip and other variations such as coats and jackets, including the likes of Luke Shaw, Mason Mount and Leny Yoro. Wantaway star Alejandro Garnacho also featured in the promotion snaps, despite being placed on the transfer list and linked with a move away. Last month, Matheus Cunha was pictured in a Tezos-sponsored hoodie in unveiling pictures after signing from Wolves. But now any new signings are set to be pictured in sponsorless attire. The news of Tezos' sponsorship agreement ending comes after it emerged Marriott International would not be extending its 2019 sponsorship deal after its contract expired. Meanwhile, Snapdragon continues to sponsor the club's matchday kits, in a deal worth £300million over five years. Amorim's side start their Premier League season on August 17 at home to Arsenal.
