Tag: Adoption & Partnerships

Kraken Parent Company Partners to Expand Tokenized Stocks Globally

Payward, the parent company of cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, has partnered with global fintech firm GTN to expand its xStocks offering beyond the United States market for the first time.

Currently, xStocks are exclusively U.S. equities, but they are only accessible to investors outside the United States. This new initiative aims to broaden the offering to include equities from various global markets.

Kraken’s xStocks are blockchain-based tokens, with each token backed one-to-one by a real company share held in regulated custody. This expansion into international equities represents a significant step forward for tokenized stocks, a rapidly growing sector within the crypto market.

“Financial institutions are looking to enter new asset classes and markets without the burden of rebuilding their existing technology,” stated Ankit Shah, GTN’s Global Head of FinTech. “Our infrastructure enables partners like Payward to launch swiftly across more than 90 markets and a comprehensive range of instruments, and it includes the crucial sub-accounting technology that Kraken requires to offer tokenized products.”

The collaboration will commence with equities listed in Hong Kong, with subsequent expansion planned for the U.K., European, and South Korean markets. Pending regulatory approvals in each jurisdiction, the partnership also opens avenues for tokenizing asset classes beyond equities.

According to a company release, xStocks were first introduced in June 2025, initially featuring a limited catalog of U.S. stocks and ETFs. The offering has since grown to encompass over 500 tokenized assets, facilitating more than $35 billion in transaction volume. It is important to note that xStocks are not available to U.S. residents.

Under the terms of the agreement, GTN will provide the global regulated infrastructure for trade execution and custody. Payward, in turn, will leverage its xStocks framework to tokenize international equities and integrate them onto blockchain networks.

Mark Greenberg, global head of Payward Services, highlighted the problem this partnership aims to solve: tokenized assets offer users the ability to trade a wide array of assets without the complexities of localization.

“For decades, we’ve accepted that capital markets should be fragmented by country, currency, and market hours. This is a problem stemming from legacy financial infrastructure,” Greenberg commented.

The partnership is already operational at the infrastructure level. Distribution to GTN’s institutional clients will follow once the necessary licenses are secured in each respective market.

Several major players are pursuing similar strategies. Robinhood launched its tokenized equities product on its proprietary blockchain on July 1, and Coinbase is preparing a similar 1:1-backed offering through its Base network.

In March, Payward and Nasdaq announced a tokenized equities gateway, with a target launch in early 2027. Earlier, xStocks expanded its reach to Telegram’s TON Wallet, exploring the potential for mass-market distribution to unlock scalability.

What distinguishes the GTN deal is its ambitious global scope. While Robinhood and Coinbase are focusing on U.S. stocks, Payward is targeting a much broader market, beginning with Hong Kong and eventually encompassing GTN’s network of over 90 markets.

Coinbase Aims to Be Canada’s All-in-One Financial App

Coinbase is shifting its strategy in Canada, urging consumers to view the company not merely as a cryptocurrency exchange but as the sole financial application they might need.

Eric Richmond, CEO of Coinbase Canada, stated this week that the company is promoting its “Everything Exchange” concept north of the border. This initiative envisions a single platform where Canadians can manage their cryptocurrency, stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and prediction markets from a single account.

“I believe chapter one of Coinbase in Canada was primarily about being a crypto exchange,” Richmond explained. “But now, phase two is the Everything Exchange. Our goal is to create a singular destination for Canadians to manage their entire financial experience within one app, powered by technology that ensures frictionless, seamless, and 24/7 operations.”

A definitive launch date for Canada has not yet been established. Coinbase indicated it is working closely with Canadian regulators, a relationship it has fostered since becoming the first international crypto exchange registered in the country in April 2024.

In the United States, this expansion is already in progress. Coinbase introduced stock and ETF trading to eligible American users in February 2026 and launched prediction markets in January through Kalshi, a federally regulated operator now valued at $22 billion. As previously reported, the company’s roadmap for the Everything Exchange now encompasses nearly 10,000 stocks and ETFs on a unified platform.

Tokenized stocks, which are shares of real companies recorded on a blockchain rather than through traditional brokerage systems, allowing for instant trade settlement and continuous market operation, are slated for release to non-U.S. customers this month, according to an earlier official blog post. Richmond characterized this development as a matter of enhancing access.

Regarding competition from platforms like Robinhood and established Canadian brokerages, Richmond expressed minimal concern. “I think people are beginning to recognize the limitations of traditional finance, such as banks closing at 4 p.m., markets closing at 4 p.m., wire transfers taking days to settle, or the restricted access high-net-worth individuals have to certain products,” he told BNN Bloomberg.

He summarized his outlook with the phrase: “Rising tide lifts all boats.”

The Bank of Canada is expected to finalize regulations for stablecoins in 2027. This is anticipated to be the final significant regulatory hurdle Coinbase needs to clear before it can list a Canadian dollar stablecoin and fully implement the Everything Exchange across the country.

OpenPayd has been named one of CNBC’s World’s Top Fintech Companies 2026, specifically within the Enterprise Fintech category. This recognition is the result of a comprehensive assessment by CNBC and Statista, which analyzed over 3,500 companies and 25,000 data points to identify 500 leading fintech firms globally across eight segments.

The Enterprise Fintech category, as described by CNBC, is a crucial component of modern financial services operations. It includes companies providing technology-driven solutions for financial institutions and businesses, such as embedded finance, Banking-as-a-Service, Open Banking, and finance process automation. OpenPayd’s inclusion underscores the increasing significance of the infrastructure that underpins contemporary financial services.

OpenPayd’s platform enables businesses to manage and move money globally via a single API. Its services encompass embedded accounts, domestic and international payments, foreign exchange, Open Banking, and stablecoin infrastructure. According to available disclosures, OpenPayd processes over $280 billion in annualized payment volume and supports more than 1,200 businesses with their global money movement needs.

Founded in 2018 by Dr. Ozan Ozerk, OpenPayd is recognized as a key financial infrastructure provider. The company is trusted by global brands including eToro, Kraken, OKX, and B2C2. This recognition by CNBC, alongside other prominent fintech entities, highlights OpenPayd’s role as an infrastructure provider for current financial services.

The fintech industry is reportedly entering a more mature phase, where scale, profitability, and regulatory compliance are key determinants of success. Enterprise technology, artificial intelligence, and digital assets continue to reshape financial service delivery. OpenPayd’s focus on enabling interoperability between traditional finance and digital assets positions it within this evolving sector.

As financial services become more interconnected across payment rails, currencies, and digital assets, OpenPayd aims to simplify complexity through its interoperable platform, allowing businesses to scale globally. The CNBC and Statista assessment, which covered 500 companies across eight fintech segments in over 50 countries and territories, emphasizes the global reach and impact of the recognized firms.

Broader Context

Source materials place the factual news in this context: PRESS RELEASE – London, United Kingdom, July 22nd, 2026.

Franklin Templeton Executive Identifies Agentic AI as Crypto’s ‘Killer Use Case’ as Ether Nears $2,000

John Gillen, former BlackRock VP and host of Milk Road Daily, revealed on Tuesday that the Head of Digital Assets and Innovation at a $2 trillion asset manager “just said to buy ETH.” This statement followed a detailed post on X by Franklin Templeton’s Sandy Kaul, which explored the potential applications of cryptocurrency in agentic AI payments.

Investors typically purchase shares in AI-focused companies to capitalize on current growth opportunities. The U.S. stock market has experienced a significant surge, with the S&P 500 climbing 20% over the past year and reaching an all-time high in early June, largely propelled by technology and AI stocks.

However, Gillen suggested that this conventional investment strategy might not be as effective for agentic AI.

Agentic AI systems possess the capability to independently initiate, monitor, and complete transactions. Projections indicate that agentic commerce could reach between $3 trillion and $5 trillion by 2030.

Existing payment infrastructures, characterized by high fees and slow transaction speeds, are ill-suited for micropayments. Furthermore, AI agents are unable to open bank accounts or access traditional financial services due to stringent Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements.

Consequently, it is anticipated that AI agents will likely utilize decentralized blockchains for transactions. Ethereum and its layer-2 networks currently represent the industry standard, boasting the largest developer community and substantial institutional backing.

“I believe what will become increasingly clear in coming years is that in order to capture the value of decentralized networks and businesses, investors will need to buy the cryptocurrencies and altcoins being issued by those entities,” Gillen stated. He added, “Such investments are likely to become key holdings in portfolios, especially for those looking to capture the emerging agentic AI opportunity.”

In April, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released a report forecasting that agentic AI will revolutionize payments, with standards already under development. The report noted, “A growing set of industry actors, including payment networks, technology platforms such as Ethereum, and AI model providers, are in a race to experiment with these capabilities.”

Crypto commentator Leo Lanza remarked on Tuesday that while “everyone sees Ethereum as a tokenization bet,” “almost nobody sees it as an AI bet. But AI agents will need financial rails to hold assets, settle payments, and transact with each other.”

Ethereum’s price reached a seven-week high of $1,945 on Tuesday and has largely maintained these gains in early trading on Wednesday. At the time of writing, the asset was trading at $1,930, marking a 27% increase since its cycle low on June 26 and approaching the significant psychological threshold of $2,000.

Telegram to Launch Native Non-Custodial Crypto Wallet for Over a Billion Users

Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, has made a significant promise: by the end of summer, the popular messaging app will introduce a native non-custodial cryptocurrency wallet across all its versions. This move aims to provide instant, zero-fee crypto transactions to its user base, which exceeds one billion monthly active users.

A New Era for Crypto Transactions

The forthcoming wallet is designed to support Telegram’s native cryptocurrency, Gram, formerly known as Toncoin. A non-custodial wallet empowers users by giving them direct control over their private keys, meaning they hold the ultimate authority over their funds. This contrasts with custodial wallets, where a third party manages the keys. Durov likened this to carrying cash, emphasizing that no entity can freeze or block transactions without the user’s explicit consent.

This initiative represents a substantial upgrade from Telegram’s existing @wallet bot. While the @wallet bot, with over 150 million registered users, currently operates partly in a custodial mode where a company holds the keys, Durov’s new wallet will be fully non-custodial from its inception.

Native Integration vs.

Bot Functionality

A key distinction lies in the integration of the new wallet. Unlike the current @wallet bot, which is developed and managed by The Open Platform, a separate entity, the new wallet will be natively built into every version of the Telegram application. This means it will be an integral feature, readily accessible to all users, rather than an add-on that requires separate activation.

Durov himself heralded the development on social media, stating, “This summer will see the largest rollout of a non-custodial crypto wallet in human history. Instant zero-fee crypto transactions for over a billion users are about to become reality. We’re bringing a native non-custodial Gram wallet to every Telegram app!”

Unanswered Questions and Market Reaction

While the announcement is a major step, several details remain undisclosed. It is unclear whether the new wallet will replace or coexist with the existing @wallet bot, which cryptocurrencies beyond Gram will be supported, and how key management will be handled for users new to cryptocurrency.

Durov’s assertion of it being “the largest rollout of a non-custodial crypto wallet in human history” appears mathematically sound, considering that MetaMask, a leading self-custody wallet, has tens of millions of users. No cryptocurrency project has ever launched with the potential to reach a billion users on day one.

Following the announcement, Gram, the native token of The Open Network (TON), saw a surge of approximately 7%, climbing back above $1.52 and reaching a market capitalization of $4.18 billion. This recovery partially offset a significant 25% decline the token experienced throughout July, though it remained well below its previous highs.

The Backstory of Gram and TON

The journey to this point began in 2018 when Telegram initially developed a network and raised $1.7 billion for a token intended to be called Gram. However, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) intervened, alleging the tokens were unregistered securities. Telegram settled the case in 2020, returning $1.2 billion to investors, paying an $18.5 million penalty, and withdrawing from the project.

Despite Telegram’s departure, community developers continued to maintain the blockchain, rebranding it as Toncoin. Durov re-engaged with the project in 2026. In June of the same year, a community vote overwhelmingly approved the rebranding of Toncoin back to Gram, restoring Durov’s original vision. The recent wallet announcement is seen as a pivotal move in Durov’s stated goal to “Make TON Great Again.”

Earlier this year, Durov also highlighted significant upgrades to the TON blockchain, stating, “The TON blockchain just got upgraded and is now 10× faster. Block rate increased 6×. Transactions are now instant, subsecond. This was step 1 of 7 to Make TON Great Again (MTONGA). Next step: cut the already low transaction fees by 6×.”

Implications for Users and Businesses

The integration of a built-in wallet could revolutionize how average Telegram users interact with cryptocurrency, enabling them to send digital assets as easily as sending text messages, without the need for exchange accounts, bank transfers, or intermediaries. For small businesses and retailers, this presents a new payment channel with a vast reach and zero transaction fees, a proposition unmatched by traditional card networks.

Investment Outlook

For investors, the situation is more complex. While the announcement may prompt some to “buy the news,” a longer-term perspective is advised. Gram’s 200-day exponential moving average, a key indicator of long-term trends, currently sits above the prevailing price, suggesting a bearish market sentiment.

The all-time high of $8.25, set in June 2024 during a period of high engagement with Telegram’s tap-to-earn gaming features, remains a distant target. A more immediate milestone, the $2.89 peak from May 2026, when Telegram first announced its acquisition of the network, would require an 88% rally from current prices.

As of now, no specific launch date beyond “this summer” has been provided for the new wallet.

Augustus Secures $180 Million in Series B Funding, Valued at $1 Billion

Augustus, a startup developing a federally chartered clearing bank focused on stablecoins and programmable money, announced Tuesday it has raised $180 million in a Series B funding round, valuing the company at $1 billion.

The funding round was spearheaded by Tiger Global, with contributions from Hummingbird, QED, and notable figures including the founders of Nubank, Ramp, Circle, and Deel. The investment also saw backing from a range of fintech and crypto industry leaders, such as Circle co-founder Sean Neville, former Coinbase Chief Technology Officer Balaji Srinivasan, and Rain’s Farooq Malik. Augustus has now raised a total of $210 million to date.

The company is targeting the correspondent banking sector, the essential infrastructure that facilitates cross-border money transfers between financial institutions. Instead of issuing its own stablecoin, Augustus is building the underlying technology that will enable banks and fintech companies to conduct transactions across both traditional financial networks and blockchain platforms.

Augustus’ API-first platform supports operating and FBO (For Benefit Of) accounts, with settlements processed via SWIFT, ACH, SEPA, and stablecoins. The system operates on a proprietary core banking system named Marble, which the firm claims enhances settlement speed and offers 24/7 availability through the deployment of artificial intelligence in its back-office operations.

The significance of this funding for financial markets lies in its focus on stablecoins. These digital tokens are designed to maintain a stable value, typically pegged one-to-one with the U.S. dollar, allowing market participants to enter and exit trades without direct access to dollars.

Dollar-pegged stablecoins have emerged as a multibillion-dollar settlement layer, expanding the reach of the U.S. dollar and presenting a challenge to the slow, weekday-dependent correspondent banking system that currently underpins international payments. By integrating stablecoin rails directly into a chartered bank, Augustus is positioning this emerging crypto infrastructure as an upgrade for mainstream financial institutions, rather than merely an alternative.

This financing follows Augustus’ conditional approval in May for a U.S. national bank charter from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. The company stated it is the eighth institution to receive conditional approval since 2010. The startup already lists cryptocurrency exchange Kraken as a client.

“We founded Augustus with a straightforward premise: the Dollar is the world’s most powerful product, but its distribution is fundamentally flawed,” said Ferdinand Dabitz, CEO and co-founder. “This funding allows us to advance our mission of providing high-quality dollar access to international fintechs and banks. It’s time to globalize dollar access.”

Augustus has framed its initiative partly as a geopolitical strategy, citing China’s digital yuan and Russia’s proposed BRICS Pay as potential challenges to Western currency dominance. The company plans to utilize the capital to expand its operations in Latin America, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, regions where access to dollars is currently limited.

API Trading Now Live for Binance Stocks

Binance has announced the launch of API trading for its Stocks product, allowing users to execute trades for U.S.-listed stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) programmatically. This new feature is accessible via a secure and developer-friendly REST API.

Programmatic Portfolio Management

The introduction of API trading enables users to build and deploy automated trading strategies, facilitating more efficient execution and portfolio management.

Seamless Integration and Unified Access

Existing users of the Binance API can integrate Binance Stocks trading into their existing workflows with minimal effort. This integration provides access to U.S. stocks and ETFs alongside cryptocurrencies, all through a single API.

Conversion to Tokenized Assets

Users can now mint their equity holdings into bStocks, which are tokenized representations of selected U.S. stocks and ETFs, directly through the API. This functionality offers on-chain flexibility and composability for these assets.

Binance Stocks enables users to trade U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs directly from their Binance accounts. The platform offers access to thousands of stocks and ETFs, with fractional shares available from as little as $5. Trading hours are available 24 hours a day, five days a week, aiming to unify the experience of trading both cryptocurrencies and traditional financial assets.

Binance reserves the right to amend or cancel this announcement at any time and for any reason without prior notice.