Latest news with #financialinfrastructure
Forbes
9 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
Michael Saylor's Bitcoin Playbook Is Going Mainstream: Here's Why
As capital floods into the premier non-sovereign store of value, new metas and market structures are forming in real time. Led by high-profile moves from companies like Strategy—and now echoed by a new wave of corporate acquisition vehicles—bitcoin is no longer just a bet on the future. It's fast becoming a foundational layer in today's capital markets. But this isn't just about balance sheet accumulation. A paradigm shift is underway: bitcoin is evolving from a passive store of value to productive financial infrastructure. ETFs have opened the floodgates to a broader class of allocators. Liquidity is surging. And perhaps most critically, long-term holders are no longer content to sit still. They're putting their bitcoin to work—without selling it. That's where lending markets come in. The bitcoin lending market has matured to such an extent that it has influenced the conventional thinking around digital assets as a whole. Given its solid track record of impressive value appreciation, investors have proven that bitcoin is a reserve asset you don't want to sell – you're better off borrowing against it. In the face of currency devaluation and shifting market dynamics, bitcoin is the obvious choice as a store of appreciating value. Take mortgages: you can borrow against your bitcoin, buy a house, make your loan payments, and your underlying bitcoin continues to increase in value. This is happening more frequently as we see a growing class of bitcoin-wealthy individuals, entrepreneurs who've built their wealth outside traditional finance's paycheck-to-paycheck worldview. Around 30% of Ledn's large loans are going toward real estate – whether that be buying property itself, or doing renovations. This is bitcoin being used as productive capital. (disclaimer: author is the co-founder and CSO at Ledn). A significant portion of leveraged bitcoin goes to entrepreneurs who are essentially running their businesses on a bitcoin standard. They get paid in bitcoin, they think in bitcoin, but they need dollars for expenses. Or they're using bitcoin-backed loans to finance new ventures without selling their stack. Companies have also caught on that their capital is more wisely invested in bitcoin than almost anywhere else. Increasingly, this activity comes from publicly traded companies that don't have MicroStrategy's ability to tap public debt markets coming to us for liquidity. It should be emphasized that these aren't crypto companies – they're traditional businesses, banks and large corporate treasuries, who realize that leveraging their bitcoin holdings is the best way to obtain working capital as opposed to just accumulating. To paint the picture, these institutions could pledge $200 million in bitcoin to draw $100 million in liquidity through their lending provider. After sitting on the sidelines for years, they increasingly want bitcoin exposure. But more importantly, they understand how good bitcoin is as collateral. It's liquid 24/7, transparently priced, and programmatically manageable. The repeal of SAB 121, a now-repealed SEC rule that restricted how banks and companies could hold crypto assets like bitcoin on behalf of clients, by forcing them to list them as liabilities on their balance sheets. This, and future policy shifts are going to accelerate the rate of bigger players entering the market, and without accounting headaches, rates are going to compress. Currently they're in the low-to-mid double digits, but I expect that to come down significantly in the coming months and years. In 2021, MicroStrategy redefined corporate bitcoin strategy. In 2025, everyone wants to be Strategy, but few understand why it worked. Companies are launching bitcoin acquisition vehicles left and right, raising capital specifically to buy bitcoin and hoping the market rewards them with multiple expansion. But here's the thing, a lot of these companies don't necessarily believe in Bitcoin. They see MicroStrategy's playbook and think if they buy bitcoin, they will see those multiples on their net assets too. Others appear to be chasing bitcoin headlines in hopes of salvaging waning relevance — a risky strategy if unaccompanied by fundamentals... This will inevitably change over time. Eventually, the market won't give out that same bump in stock price just for announcing a bitcoin purchase. Companies will be expected to hold bitcoin with their extra cash. Those wanting headlines will have to go further out on the risk curve to get attention, and that rarely ends well. The difference between sustainable growth and speculation comes down to fundamentals. Strategy lived up to their name and actually had one, maintained strong operations, and crucially, they understood what they owned. The companies that will thrive are those that combine bitcoin holdings with solid business fundamentals, responsible leverage, and the trust that comes from transparency. Without these foundations, you're just another company chasing headlines. People always ask about bitcoin's four-year cycle – will institutional adoption change it? Bitcoin has cycles that coincide with mining reward halvings, but they also coincide with global liquidity cycles, U.S. presidential cycles, and other macro factors. Correlation isn't causation. Bitcoin dances to the beat of global liquidity, especially as it becomes more institutionalized. It will always be susceptible to monetary flows and macro liquidity cycles. That's a feature of any asset that's integrated into global financial markets. When you look at CeFi (centralized finance) lending markets, we're recovering from the 2021-2022 collapses. But the composition is different. Back then, it was mostly stablecoins as people chased yield in a zero-rate environment. Now, with Treasuries offering real yields, a lot of that volume has migrated to DeFi or disappeared entirely. What's left in CeFi is mostly bitcoin-backed lending. And here's the key: the survivors were those who focused on collateralized lending. Companies like Celsius, BlockFi, and Voyager that did uncollateralized lending and rehypothecated collateral? They're gone. We're finally getting to the point where institutions understand the long-term nature of investing in bitcoin. This means they're increasingly willing to offer longer terms, like multiple year rate visibility instead of just one year. That makes products better and more predictable for borrowers. The entire market is maturing. When you combine CeFi and DeFi volumes, we're approaching 2021 highs, but with a much healthier composition. Formerly it consisted much more of uncollateralized lending for speculation. Now, it's collateralized lending to productive users. Most people who truly understand bitcoin would prefer to hold spot, because there's so much you can do with it. But many investment vehicles don't allow direct bitcoin holdings, so they settle for these acquisition vehicles as a wrapper. It's not ideal, although it does bring more capital into the ecosystem. The future I see is one where bitcoin-backed lending becomes as normal as home equity loans, but available globally at competitive rates. Where entrepreneurs in Colombia can access the exact same financial products at the same rates as those in New York. Bitcoin works for you while you sleep, it appreciates as currency gets debased, and provides liquidity for real-world needs. Bitcoin is proving itself as being increasingly indispensable to global financial infrastructure.
Finextra
3 days ago
- Business
- Finextra
Lean Technologies receives regulatory approval under UAE's Open Finance Framework
Lean Technologies (Lean), the MENA region's leading financial infrastructure provider, has received In-Principle Approval (IPA) from the Central Bank of the UAE under the country's newly introduced Open Finance Framework. 0 The approval positions Lean as one of the leading providers of Open Finance services in the UAE, marking a key step toward full licensing and expanding access to secure, connected financial experiences for millions of customers. This development comes at a critical time, as individuals and businesses increasingly seek faster, transparent, and more personalised financial solutions. Open Finance is transforming how users make payments, access credit, and manage money, laying the groundwork for an inclusive and efficient financial ecosystem. With Lean's regulated infrastructure, users will soon benefit from instant account-to-account payments, faster loan approvals, and smarter financial tools, all designed around transparency, convenience, and control. "Open Finance is more than a technology upgrade. It's a foundation for a smarter, more innovative economy," said Hisham Al-Falih, CEO and Co-Founder of Lean Technologies. "By connecting customers, regulators, and businesses on a single, interoperable infrastructure, we're directly supporting the UAE's vision for a world-class digital financial system." Over the past four years, Lean has played a foundational role in enabling the country's transition to secure, interoperable financial connectivity. Lean works closely with regulators, banks, and fintechs to shape the systems that now support regulated access to payments and financial data. With over $2 billion in transaction volume and more than 1 million connected accounts, Lean's infrastructure powers real-world use cases across payments, lending, and personal finance, offering customers faster access to credit, easier checkouts, and intuitive budgeting experiences. 'With this approval, we're not just expanding our capabilities - we're expanding access,' said Al-Falih. 'We're enabling more people and businesses to participate fully in the digital economy.' The UAE's Open Finance Framework is a core pillar of national strategies such as UAE Centennial 2071 and the National Digital Economy Strategy. By enabling secure access to financial data, it empowers businesses to deliver smarter products, faster services, and seamless payments, driving greater financial inclusion and unlocking new opportunities for customers and businesses alike. 'Embedding Lean's financial infrastructure into our workflow has fundamentally strengthened our underwriting capabilities and boosted approval rates,' said Hosam Arab, CEO at Tabby. 'Over the past three years, it's helped us unlock lending segments that were previously inaccessible - enabling us to serve a broader base of users beyond the limits of traditional credit data.' Lean is a key contributor to the AlTareq initiative, supporting the nationwide rollout of Open Finance in partnership with regulators, banks, and fintechs. Its infrastructure, built to enterprise-grade security standards including ISO 27001 and SOC 2, has been tested at scale, consistently delivering high API uptime and low latency, trusted by leading financial institutions. 'Lean has been a key partner in modernising how we collect payments from our customers,' added Amira Sajwani, Managing Director at DAMAC Properties. 'Their team brought the right expertise to replace legacy processes with a faster, more seamless experience. Since adopting Lean, we've seen a clear shift toward digital payments and a meaningful improvement in our collection speed.' In 2022, Lean became the first third-party provider to receive a Financial Services Permission (FSP) from the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM). That same year, it was also approved for the regulatory sandbox of the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), positioning Lean as a trusted infrastructure partner across the Gulf. Backed by over $100 million in funding from leading global and regional investors like General Catalyst and Bain Capital Ventures, the company is now focused on expanding its regulated services and scaling its platform across the UAE and broader MENA region. According to the Arab Monetary Fund , the MENA Open Finance market is expected to grow from $1.65 billion in 2022 to $11.74 billion by 2027, driven by strong demand for secure, tailored digital services. Lean is at the forefront of this shift, unlocking new opportunities to help users across the UAE access more tailored and convenient financial tools.
South China Morning Post
16-07-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
HKEX starts consultation on shortening settlement cycle in cash equities market
Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) published a discussion paper outlining plans to shorten the settlement cycle in the cash equities market to further modernise its financial infrastructure. The city's bourse operator said the move would create a path for how and when to implement the idea as global financial markets had started adopting faster timelines, according to a document released on Wednesday. It aimed to build consensus and develop a detailed implementation timeline with views from other stakeholders, it added. Up to 88 per cent of global cash equities by trade value were expected to settle a day after trade, commonly known as T+1, HKEX said. The US has moved to T+1, while Australia and the European Economic Area are exploring similar transitions. Hong Kong has operated under a T+2 settlement cycle since 1992. 'In a rapidly evolving global market landscape, there is urgency to seek a way forward,' CEO Bonnie Chan Yiting said. As a market operator, HKEX was fully committed to 'ensuring that our financial ecosystem remains robust and fit for purpose', she added. HKEX was inviting feedback from all market participants until September 1, adding that any changes to the settlement cycle would be a multi-year process. The discussion would focus on secondary market transactions and exclude initial public offerings, it added. The paper detailed the pros and cons of shortening the cycle. Potential benefits included enhanced market efficiency, reduced systemic risk and closer alignment with global markets. Navigating time-zone differences, foreign-exchange impacts and shorter post-trade timelines were among major challenges, it noted.
Daily Mail
14-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Woman's ex-secret service dad reveals tips from his career
A woman whose dad was a Secret Service agent for over two decades has shared the safety tips he taught her - and the things she'd never do to avoid putting herself in danger. Ashley, who asked to keep her last name hidden for privacy reasons, 36, from Washington, D.C., explained exclusively to the that her father spent 25 years protecting political figures and investigating threats to the country's 'financial infrastructure'. 'The United States Secret Service entails two primary missions: protective services and criminal investigations,' she explained. 'On the protective side, Secret Service agents are responsible for the safety of the President, Vice President, their immediate families, former Presidents, visiting foreign dignitaries, and others as designated. 'On the investigative side, the Secret Service investigates financial and threats to the nation's financial infrastructure. 'My dad worked in both areas during his time as an agent, eventually becoming the special agent in charge of the presidential protective division, and later, the deputy assistant director of protective operations.' Along the way, Ashley explained that he learned a lot about how to keep himself and others safe, something he made sure to pass down to his daughter. The 'most important' piece of advice he gave her was to always 'use our situational awareness.' 'When entering a room, take a few seconds to locate the entrances and exits, know what is around you, and who's around you,' she dished. '[He also taught us] to always use our gut - if a situation feels off, it likely is.' Ashley explained that there are certain common things that she'd 'never do' because her dad taught her how dangerous they could actually be. She said she'd 'never share her location publicly, especially in real time,' or 'run alone in the dark.' '[I also would never] think 'it won't happen to me because I'm too smart, young, strong, etc,"' she added. '[My dad] always encouraged us to have a plan. [I'd also never] linger near my car, in my car, or in a parking lot. 'We were raised to walk with intention, get in our vehicles, lock the door and leave.' But most importantly, she said she'd never let 'fear stop her from doing what she loves.' 'Statistically, the odds of being a victim of a random crime is low, so be aware but keep living life,' she added. While being the daughter of a Secret Service agent certainly had its perks, she admitted that she looks back at her childhood with 'mixed emotions.' 'The Secret Service can't plan around graduations and birthdays and Halloweens,' she explained. 'So my dad missed out on a lot while I was growing up. But I got to experience some incredible things that very few people get to, and he's now made up for lost time tenfold in retirement.' Mother-of-two Ashley previously told SWNS that she never puts her children's names on backpacks or sits with her back towards the door in a public setting. 'My dad always took that position and now I do,' she said of the latter. 'It's so you can see. 'You want to be alert. You want your back towards the wall to be able to visualize the entrances.' She also warned against selling stuff on Facebook Marketplace or letting a date pick you up at your house. 'My dad always said don't let a stranger come to your house,' she explained. 'When I first started dating, my dad would say before you know their intentions to say "I'll meet you there." 'If it wasn't for my dad I probably wouldn't have thought twice about letting them pick me up. 'It does take away the naivety of growing up. You're always preparing for the worst case scenario.'
Daily Mail
13-07-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE My dad was a secret service agent, here are the common things he taught me to NEVER do to keep myself safe
A woman who's dad was a Secret Service agent for over two decades has shared the vital safety tips he taught her - and the things she'd never do to avoid putting herself in danger. The woman, named Ashley, who asked to keep her last name hidden for privacy reasons, 36, from Washington, D.C., explained exclusively to the Daily Mail that her father spent 25 years protecting political figures and investigating threats to the country's 'financial infrastructure.' 'The United States Secret Service entails two primary missions: protective services and criminal investigations,' she explained. 'On the protective side, Secret Service agents are responsible for the safety of the President, Vice President, their immediate families, former Presidents, visiting foreign dignitaries, and others as designated. 'On the investigative side, the Secret Service investigates financial and threats to the nation's financial infrastructure. 'My dad worked in both areas during his time as an agent, eventually becoming the special agent in charge of the presidential protective division, and later, the deputy assistant director of protective operations.' Along the way, Ashley explained that he learned a lot about how to keep himself and others safe, something he made sure to pass down to his daughter. The 'most important' piece of advice he gave her was to always 'use our situational awareness.' 'When entering a room, take a few seconds to locate the entrances and exits, know what is around you, and who's around you,' she dished. '[He also taught us] to always use our gut - if a situation feels off, it likely is.' Ashley explained that there are certain common things that she'd 'never do' because her dad taught her how dangerous they could actually be. She said she'd 'never share her location publicly, especially in real time,' or 'run alone in the dark.' '[I also would never] think 'it won't happen to me because I'm too smart, young, strong, etc,"' she added. '[My dad] always encouraged us to have a plan. [I'd also never] linger near my car, in my car, or in a parking lot. 'We were raised to walk with intention, get in our vehicles, lock and door and leave.' But most importantly, she said she'd never let 'fear stop her from doing what she loves.' 'Statistically, the odds of being a victim of a random crime is low, so be aware but keep living life,' she added. While being the daughter of a Secret Service agent certainly had its perks, she admitted that she looks back at her childhood with 'mixed emotions.' 'The Secret Service can't plan around graduations and birthdays and Halloweens,' she explained. 'So my dad missed out on a lot while I was growing up. But I got to experience some incredible things that very few people get to, and he's now made up for lost time tenfold in retirement.' Mother-of-two Ashley previously told SWNS that she never puts her children's names on backpacks or sits with her back towards the door in a public setting. 'My dad always took that position and now I do,' she said of the latter. 'It's so you can see. 'You want to be alert. You want your back towards the wall to be able to visualize the entrances.' She also warned against selling stuff on Facebook Marketplace or letting a date pick you up at your house. 'My dad always said don't let a stranger come to your house,' she explained. 'When I first started dating, my dad would say before you know their intentions to say "I'll meet you there." 'If it wasn't for my dad I probably wouldn't have thought twice about letting them pick me up. 'It does take away the naivety of growing up. You're always preparing for the worst case scenario.'
