Stablecoin startup Bastion completes $14.6 million in new funding round, led by Coinbase Ventures

The post Hong Kong Backs Commercial Bank Tokenized Deposits in 2025 appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. HKMA to support tokenized deposits and regular issuance of digital bonds. SFC drafting licensing framework for trading, custody, and stablecoin issuers. New rules will cover stablecoin issuers, digital asset trading, and custody services. Hong Kong is stepping up its digital finance ambitions with a policy blueprint that places tokenization at the core of banking innovation.  In the 2025 Policy Address, Chief Executive John Lee outlined measures that will see the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) encourage commercial banks to roll out tokenized deposits and expand the city’s live tokenized-asset transactions. Hong Kong’s Project Ensemble to Drive Tokenized Deposits Lee confirmed that the HKMA will “continue to take forward Project Ensemble, including encouraging commercial banks to introduce tokenised deposits, and promoting live transactions of tokenised assets, such as the settlement of tokenised money market funds with tokenised deposits.” The initiative aims to embed tokenized deposits, bank liabilities represented as blockchain-based tokens, into mainstream financial operations. These deposits could facilitate the settlement of money-market funds and other financial instruments more quickly and efficiently. To ensure a controlled rollout, the HKMA will utilize its regulatory sandbox to enable banks to test tokenized products while enhancing risk management. Tokenized Bonds to Become a Regular Feature Beyond deposits, the government intends to make tokenized bond issuance a permanent element of Hong Kong’s financial markets. After successful pilots, including green bonds, the HKMA will help regularize the issuance process to build deep and liquid markets for digital bonds accessible to both local and international investors. Related: Beijing Blocks State-Owned Firms From Stablecoin Businesses in Hong Kong Hong Kong’s Global Financial Role The policy address also set out a comprehensive regulatory framework for digital assets. Hong Kong is implementing a regime for stablecoin issuers and drafting licensing rules for digital asset trading and custody services. The Securities…

The post Bitcoin ETFs Record Strongest Inflows Since July, Push Holdings to New High appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. In brief Bitcoin ETPs saw a net inflow of 20,685 BTC last week, driven mostly by U.S. ETFs. The recent uptick in investor risk appetite is driven by rate cut expectations and new crypto IPOs. Despite institutional demand outpacing new Bitcoin supply, realized and implied volatility remain historically low. Bitcoin exchange-traded products globally logged net inflows of 20,685 BTC last week, the strongest weekly intake since July 22, according to digital assets firm K33 Research. The renewed momentum lifted U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs’ combined holdings to 1.32 million BTC, surpassing the previous peak set on July 30. U.S. Bitcoin ETF products contributed nearly 97% of last week’s 20,685 BTC ETP inflows, highlighting the surge in demand ahead of the FOMC meeting.  Bitcoin ETF inflows “tend to be one of the key determinants of Bitcoin’s performance,” André Dragosch, head of research for Europe at Bitwise Investments, told Decrypt, adding that the “percentage share of Bitcoin’s performance explained by changes in ETP flows” has reached a new all-time high. Compared with Ethereum ETF flows, “there appears to be a ‘re-rotation’ from Ethereum back to Bitcoin in terms of investor flows,” Dragosch said, citing their data. “Over the past week, flows into Bitcoin ETFs have surpassed new supply growth by a factor of 8.93 times, a key tailwind for Bitcoin’s recent performance.”  Analysts at K33 agree, writing that flows have been a key driver of bitcoin’s strength since ETF approvals earlier last year, and the latest surge signals an acceleration in demand that could underpin further price support. In the last 30 days, investors accumulated roughly 22,853 BTC via various products, outpacing the new supply of 14,056 BTC. This rising risk appetite for Bitcoin has supported the recent recovery, Bitwise noted in its Monday report. Fidelity’s FBTC product accounted for a substantial…

PANews reported on January 13 that, according to PAShield monitoring, cryptocurrency-related thefts are expected to reach a record high in 2025, primarily driven