Crypto World
Nasdaq Tokenization May Split Stock Trading Across Markets: TD Securities
Nasdaq’s push to bring tokenization into capital markets could lead to a dual-market structure in which traditional US exchanges operate alongside blockchain-based trading venues, according to TD Securities — a shift that could split trading activity and lead to price differences across platforms.
In a recent note, Reid Noch, vice president of US equity market structure at TD Securities, pointed to plans by Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange to introduce tokenization into alternative trading systems (ATS), a type of venue that matches buyers and sellers outside traditional exchanges.
While both exchanges are exploring tokenization, Noch said Nasdaq is pursuing three parallel initiatives: upgrading how trades are settled after execution, enabling companies to issue tokenized shares and supporting trading on offshore platforms such as Kraken.
Together, these efforts could result in two distinct systems — one within the regulated US market, and another operating through offshore, blockchain-based platforms.
However, TD Securities warns the expansion into offshore platforms could introduce a separate venue for trading the same underlying assets. These tokenized shares would be backed by real stocks but operate outside the US regulatory framework, with potential differences compared to traditional holdings.
For investors, that could mean the same stock trading in different places at different prices, making markets harder to follow and potentially shifting activity away from traditional exchanges.
Cointelegraph reached out to TD Securities for additional insights but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Related: Crypto Biz: Kraken plugs into the Fed
Tokenized trading moves into the mainstream
The market for tokenized assets has grown quickly in recent years, with equities emerging as the next major focus.
As Cointelegraph recently reported, Kraken’s xStocks platform, which offers tokenized versions of publicly traded shares that can be bought on blockchain-based venues, has surpassed $25 billion in cumulative trading volume, reflecting roughly 150% growth since November.
For traders, this points to a shift toward round-the-clock markets, where stocks can be traded outside regular hours. However, it could also bring new risks, including lower trading activity and price differences across platforms.
Coinbase has also expanded into tokenized stocks as part of its push to build an “everything exchange,” signaling growing competition between crypto platforms and traditional exchanges for equity trading.
NYSE, for its part, has also been exploring other tokenization initiatives through a partnership with Securitize, aimed at developing a platform for tokenized securities that could support extended or round-the-clock trading.
Related: VersaBank expands tokenized deposits with cross-border FX use case
The race to make blockchains quantum-resistant is shaping into a test of governance, and decentralized networks may be at a disadvantage.
Quantum upgrades don’t stop at protocol-level changes. For major networks, they require wallet-level migration across millions of users, making coordination the bottleneck.
“The hard part is not changing the node itself, it’s having the wallets do the same,” said Yoon Auh, founder of BOLT Technologies, adding that each asset holder would need to migrate and do so in a coordinated way.
“If you go talk to Bitcoin or Ethereum, it’s a bit more perplexing because of the really decentralized and kind of ad hoc participation. It seems like whenever I hear about it, it’s more like herding cats.”
A sufficiently powerful quantum computer could theoretically break the public-key cryptography that underpins digital signatures and secure communications, threatening both blockchain wallets and core financial infrastructure.
Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) is the proposed countermeasure, and the transition is already underway. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has urged organizations to begin preparing for “harvest now, decrypt later” threats, while US policy sets 2035 as the target for completing migration across federal systems.
Institutional governance is accelerating quantum upgrades
One place coordination may be easier is in institutional blockchain networks, where governance is tighter and the chain of authority is clearer.
Auh’s BOLT Technologies is running a pilot with the Canton Network to test a system that allows institutions to use and switch between multiple cryptographic signature schemes. Canton describes itself as an open blockchain for regulated institutions, designed to let participants exchange data and value without giving up privacy or control.
In regulated financial markets, infrastructure changes must meet internal controls, risk management standards, privacy requirements and interoperability demands across firms.
Canton is built around those constraints, positioning itself as infrastructure for regulated institutions and a way to connect siloed financial systems without sacrificing control.
In August 2024, NIST finalized its first set of post-quantum cryptography standards and explicitly urged system administrators to begin transitioning to them as soon as possible.
For regulated institutions, that kind of guidance makes delays harder to justify. Once migration becomes a recognized security and compliance issue, the networks most likely to move first are the ones that can turn technical advice into a managed operational process. Auh said that is one reason permissioned networks may be better positioned to move first.
“Because of their governance structure, you only need a few people there who are very knowledgeable to understand what’s going on,” he said. “And then because their governance is a lot quicker and a lot more organized, you can make those changes quicker.”
That does not mean permissioned networks have solved the post-quantum problem. It means they may be better equipped to test, approve and stage upgrades under real-world constraints.
Related: Banks will run RWAs on two blockchain rails, says RedStone co-founder
Coordination slows quantum upgrades on public networks
Public blockchains face a different coordination problem because major protocol changes cannot be approved by a small governing group.
On Bitcoin, protocol changes are suggested through the Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP) process, and the project’s own documentation says that “acceptance and adoption rests with the Bitcoin users.”
That makes a system-wide cryptographic migration harder to stage on public chains than on permissioned ones.
Given these coordination constraints, a post-quantum upgrade may require more disruptive upgrade paths, including a hard fork.
“I think it’s a very difficult thing to do with a soft fork,” he said. “They’re going to have to take the bitter medicine at some point and do a hard fork.
I know that it’s very traumatic for something like Bitcoin.”
On Ethereum, core changes move through the EIP process, where authors are expected to build consensus within the community and document dissenting opinions.
Ethereum’s governance documentation describes a process involving multiple stakeholder groups, including node operators, validators and EIP authors, while the AllCoreDevs process exists to coordinate technical work across contributors from different organizations.
Related: Are quantum-proof Bitcoin wallets insurance or a fear tax?
The real challenge in quantum migration is coordination
The post-quantum transition is often framed as a technical race to find the right cryptography, but the harder question may be whether a network can carry out the migration at all.
Auh said the industry should spend less time trying to predict the exact arrival of a cryptographically relevant quantum computer — often called “Q-Day” — and more time thinking about whether blockchain networks are structurally capable of responding.
“The recognition of the risk should spur you into action,” he said, arguing that preparation matters more than timeline guessing.
For permissioned blockchains, that process can be channeled through tighter governance, formal approval paths and institutional pressure to act. For public chains, the same migration has to pass through a wider and slower process shaped by developers, client teams, wallet providers and users.
General investors are more likely to focus on post-quantum readiness for networks like Bitcoin and Ethereum, whose growth has tracked the broader industry, though views on the risk remain split. Jefferies strategist Christopher Wood removed Bitcoin from a model portfolio, citing quantum concerns, while Blockstream CEO Adam Back has said the threat may still be decades away.
Magazine: Bitcoin may face hard fork over any attempt to freeze Satoshi’s coins
Kite is trading around $0.21–$0.22 with ~$400m market cap as profit‑taking and a broader AI‑token cooldown knock the AI payment chain about 30% off its early‑March high.
Summary
- Kite trades near $0.21–$0.22 with market cap around $400 million and 24h volume between roughly $114 million and $152 million.
- The AI-focused token sits around 30% below its early March all-time high near the $0.30–$0.32 range after a series of sharp rallies.
- Heavy volume, rapid gains since late 2025 and a broader cooldown in AI crypto have combined to push recent profit-taking.
Kite (KITE), a token tied to an AI-centric blockchain and payments ecosystem, is changing hands around $0.21–$0.22 today, easing back after a stretch of explosive gains. CoinMarketCap lists KITE at approximately $0.2148 with a 24-hour trading volume of $114.68 million and a live market capitalization of about $394.2 million, based on a circulating supply of 1.83 billion tokens. MEXC’s latest market note shows Kite trading at $0.22, up 20.3% in a prior 24-hour rally that saw volume hit $152.78 million, with the token briefly topping the platform’s gainer list. Those shifts underscore how quickly capital has rotated into and out of KITE as traders chase momentum.
Recent price action marks a comedown from early March highs. Phemex reported on March 5 that Kite surged 26% to a new all-time high, pushing above $0.30 amid what it described as strong market participation. By comparison, current prices near $0.21–$0.22 leave KITE roughly 30% off that peak, even as it remains up sharply versus late-2025 levels. Earlier coverage from AInvest highlighted Kite’s “market debut” in late 2025, noting rapid appreciation from initial listings and positioning the token as a high-beta AI play.
Kite is marketed as an AI-focused infrastructure and payments token, aligning it with the broader cluster of AI-related cryptocurrencies that saw outsized gains in late 2025 and early 2026. Binance’s coverage of the token’s early trading framed KITE as part of a wave of “AI payment chain” assets that rebounded alongside sector-wide AI sentiment. Mitrade’s February 2026 brief, titled “Kite Price Forecast: KITE surges 14%, outpacing other AI crypto tokens,” noted that Kite was outperforming its AI peers during that period, reflecting strong speculative demand. Together, those data points place KITE within the AI and infrastructure category rather than in DeFi or memecoin niches.
While detailed on-chain whale analytics for Kite are limited in public dashboards, the size and persistence of recent volume spikes hint at substantial large-trader participation. MEXC’s report emphasizes that KITE’s single-day volume of $152.78 million represented a jump of more than 70% versus its prior average, suggesting both new entries and active profit-taking. CoinMarketCap’s volume figures, consistently above $100 million in recent sessions, support the view that price swings are being driven more by short-term trading flows than by slow, organic accumulation.
Kite’s trajectory also mirrors a broader cooling in AI crypto after an overheated start to 2026. Sector-wide pieces have documented how AI tokens rallied aggressively before giving back part of their gains as traders reassessed valuations and rotated into other narratives. For readers tracking performance in real time, the Kite price page on the crypto.news market-cap dashboard offers live quotes, market cap and volume metrics, and can be used to compare KITE’s volatility and liquidity against other AI-focused tokens and major benchmarks like Bitcoin and BNB.
Stand With Crypto (SWC), the advocacy organization launched by cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, said that its strategy for turning out crypto-minded voters in the 2026 US midterm elections will prioritize races in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
In a Thursday announcement, SWC said its November 2026 battleground races would include industry-supported candidates in Iowa, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, where “crypto voters represent a meaningful and potentially decisive share of the electorate.”
The advocacy group added that its priority for the midterms would be in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District and Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District, where the respective incumbents Democrat Marcy Kaptur and Republican Scott Perry “have concerning records on crypto policy.” Perry voted against the GENIUS Act in 2025, while Kaptur voted against the payment stablecoins bill and the CLARITY market structure bill.
Stand With Crypto said it would use an “aggressive, get-out-the-vote effort” with its advocates, including “paid media campaigns across digital and direct mail, targeted SMS outreach, and robust digital organizing through email and social platforms” as well as groundwork to turn out crypto voters. The group’s platform includes information on candidates’ positions on crypto policy based on their public statements, voting records and their responses to the organization’s questionnaire.
Launched in 2023 as part of an effort to “unite global crypto advocates,” SWC is one of several crypto-affiliated organizations expected to influence voters in 2026. The group reported about 270 “pro-crypto” candidates won seats in the US House of Representatives and Senate in 2024, with many of the same candidates up for reelection this year.
Related: Crypto-backed PAC spends $8.6M in Illinois races ahead of US midterms
Stand With Crypto said in November 2025 that how US lawmakers vote on a crypto market structure bill could impact their reelection prospects. At the time, the Senate was expected to move forward on market structure legislation, but it is still unclear if or when the bill will advance out of committee and for a full floor vote.
“[As] market structure legislation continues to be negotiated in Congress, 74% of crypto owners say they would be more likely to support a candidate who supports making clearer regulations for cryptocurrency, with nearly a third (31%) who say they would be much more likely to support such a candidate,” SWC said as part of a February survey of 1,000 crypto holders.
2026 races seen testing crypto industry’s impact on candidates
Money from the crypto industry funneled through political action committees (PACs) like Fairshake may have already influenced 2026 voters in early state primaries.
Protect Progress, a Fairshake affiliate spent $1.5 million opposing the reelection of Texas Representative Al Green, who has served in Congress since 2005. Although Green did not lose the Democratic primary, he will head to a runoff with Christian Menefee in May. SWC rated Menefee as “strongly supports crypto.”
However, in Illinois, Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton won the Democratic Senate primary against Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly. The victory came despite crypto-tied lobbyists spending millions of dollars on media buys supporting Krishnamoorthi. Stratton is expected to win in the general election and take the seat of retiring Democratic Senator Dick Durbin.
In 2024, Ohio saw some of the biggest spending from the crypto industry and other PACs to unseat Senator Sherrod Brown. Although the Democrat lost to Republican Bernie Moreno, he announced in August 2025 that he plans to run again, potentially leading to the industry eyeing the US state as a battleground for crypto.
“I would assume given the politics and the candidates in Ohio that there will be a s–tload of money spent here again,” former Ohio Representative Tim Ryan, who also sits on Coinbase’s Global Advisory Council, told Cointelegraph.
Magazine: The dirty secret about quantum signatures: No one knows if they work
Elon Musk’s X has hired crypto-native product designer Benji Taylor as its new head of design, ahead of a wider rollout of the platform’s X Money payments product next month.
Taylor announced the move on X on Wednesday, saying he was “honoured” to join the company and looking forward to working closely with Musk and X’s head of product Nikita Bier. Taylor’s crypto-native background is notable, previously founding Los Feliz Engineering, a consumer software studio that was acquired by decentralized lending protocol Aave Labs in 2023.
Bier said that he had followed Taylor’s work for years and knew that he was “on track to become one of the best designers in the world,” and that X was “finally teaming up and building the greatest design team in the industry.”
The appointment comes as X prepares to expand X Money, an integrated payments and financial services layer that will introduce peer-to-peer payments, wallet services and a debit card tied to user accounts.
Aave and Base roles
After the Aave acquisition in 2023, Taylor became chief product officer until October 2025, according to his LinkedIn profile, overseeing the company’s product strategy and development for its decentralized lending protocol and related applications.
Before joining X, he led design for Coinbase’s Ethereum layer-2 network Base, where he was responsible for the network’s product and interface design across its user and developer-facing experiences. He earlier served as senior vice president of product and design at Avara, the renamed Aave Companies group.
Related: Musk confirms X Money beta testing ahead of planned 2025 launch
X Money rollout
The timing also stands out. In early March, Musk announced that X Money would begin public access next month, as an integrated payments and financial services layer for the social platform.
The product is currently in limited external beta and offers users a 6% annual percentage yield on cash balances held in an X Money wallet, a personalized metal Visa debit card engraved with the user’s X handle, and peer-to-peer payments linked directly to the X app.
Musk has described X Money as part of his plan to turn the platform into an “everything app” that combines social networking, messaging and financial services.
Magazine: How crypto laws changed in 2025 — and how they’ll change in 2026
Circle Internet Group’s CRCL stock is showing signs of a potential 25% rebound after the market may have reacted too aggressively to fears surrounding draft CLARITY Act language tied to stablecoin yield restrictions.
Key takeaways:
-
CRCL is attempting to stabilize above a major support confluence near $100.75.
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Analysts say draft CLARITY Act language may hurt distributor incentives more than Circle’s core reserve-income model.
CRCL stock holds support, opening path to $130
From a technical perspective, CRCL is trying to base near an important support cluster around $100.75, where the 100-day exponential moving average (100-day EMA) aligns with the 0.236 Fibonacci retracement level.
That confluence held even as the stock suffered a brutal 20% single-session decline, a sign that dip buyers stepped in around a historically relevant area on the chart.
The stock could rebound toward the 0.382 Fibonacci retracement level near $130 in the coming weeks if CRCL continues to hold the current floor, representing roughly 25% increase.
The bullish setup also gains some support from institutional buyers. Ark Invest bought about $16 million worth of Circle shares during the plunge on Tuesday, showing that some investors viewed the sell-off as an opportunity.
Still, the setup remains conditional. A decisive break below the $100.75 support confluence would weaken the rebound case and shift downside focus toward the 50-day EMA near $84.25.
That level also aligns with a pullback target shared by independent TradingView analyst Jackie.
CLARITY Act doesn’t affect Circle yield
CRCL fell after traders worried that draft CLARITY Act language could limit stablecoin-linked yield incentives and slow USDC growth.
But Bernstein kept its $190 price target, saying the proposal does not affect Circle’s ability to earn yield on reserves or pay distribution partners such as Coinbase, Binance, or OKX. Ark Invest’s Lorenzo Valente made a similar point.
I think people are misunderstanding what’s happening here.
The new draft of the CLARITY Act does not prohibit issuers from paying distributors such as @coinbase , @binance , or @okx . The discussion around yield is really about retail holders, meaning the end users who actually… https://t.co/hmXpIRyooi
— Lorenzo Valente (@LorenzoARK) March 25, 2026
Circle’s model is simple: it takes the cash backing its stablecoins, invests it in deposits and short-dated US Treasurys, earns yield on those reserves, and shares part of that income with partners.
In 2025, for instance, Circle earned about $2.64 billion in reserve income from roughly $75.3 billion worth of USDC reserves. It doesn’t pay yield directly to USDC holders but to its distribution partners.
Bernstein added that if yield competition becomes harder across the sector, Circle’s market position could actually improve.
Related: Circle taps African fintech Sasai to expand USDC adoption in cross-border payments
Presenting similar arguments, Bitwise said Circle’s market valuation may reach about $75 billion by 2030, almost three times its current worth.
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. While we strive to provide accurate and timely information, Cointelegraph does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information in this article. This article may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Cointelegraph will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your reliance on this information.
GameStop revealed on Tuesday that it pledged nearly all of its Bitcoin as collateral on Coinbase as part of a covered call strategy in January, ending two months of speculation over whether it had sold the coins.
In a 10-K annual report to the Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday, the video game retailer revealed it pledged 4,709 Bitcoin (BTC), nearly all of its Bitcoin, as collateral under an agreement with Coinbase Credit, using the position to sell covered call options.
The SEC filing clears speculation from January that GameStop was preparing to exit its Bitcoin position after onchain analysts pointed out that it transferred its entire Bitcoin holdings to Coinbase Prime.
The Bitcoin treasury industry has faced pressure in recent months as Bitcoin has fallen 45% from its all-time high, with some analysts casting doubt last year on the sustainability of buy-and-hold strategies.
The move shows GameStop sought to earn income on its Bitcoin by placing short-dated call options with strike prices between $105,000 and $110,000 that are set to expire Friday.
The disclosure shows a $2.3 million unrealized gain and a $700,000 liability tied to the options, while some covered-call contracts expired unexercised in January.
GameStop’s covered call strategy enables it to sell call options that give buyers the right to purchase its Bitcoin at a fixed price. GameStop earns premiums and retains the Bitcoin if the options aren’t exercised.
GameStop directly holds just one Bitcoin now
Since GameStop moved 4,709 Bitcoin to Coinbase, a counterparty that can rehypothecate or reuse the pledged Bitcoin, GameStop is no longer counting those assets as directly held.
Putting Bitcoin up as collateral “resulted in the derecognition of the pledged digital assets and the corresponding recognition of a digital asset receivable,” GameStop said in the filing.
“Although the classification of these assets has changed, our economic exposure is consistent with direct ownership of the underlying Bitcoin,” it added.
GameStop still holds one Bitcoin that wasn’t put up for collateral.
GameStop added that its pledged Bitcoin was worth $368.3 million by Jan. 31 and that it recorded an unrealized loss of $59.7 million on that date because of Bitcoin’s price drop.
Related: Bitcoin in ‘later stages’ of bear market: Watch these BTC price levels
GameStop launched a Bitcoin treasury after its CEO, Ryan Cohen, met with Strategy chair Michael Saylor in February 2025 to discuss how Bitcoin strategies can be implemented.
Prior to moving the 4,709 Bitcoin to Coinbase, GameStop’s Bitcoin stash ranked in the top 25 Bitcoin treasuries by holding size.
Magazine: Bitcoin may face hard fork over any attempt to freeze Satoshi’s coins
White House AI and Crypto Czar David Sacks is changing titles and joining the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology as co-chair, he announced Thursday.
Sacks, who was named U.S. President Donald Trump’s crypto and AI czar before Trump retook office last January, has overseen the White House’s early work on crypto initiatives, including the passage of the stablecoin-focused GENIUS Act and more recently, work around the crypto market structure bill.
“PCAST is the principal body of external advisors tasked with shaping science, technology, and innovation policy for the President and the White House,” he said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “Thirteen of the world’s most accomplished leaders in science and technology will join us as this PCAST’s initial members.”
Sacks told Bloomberg earlier Thursday that his czar role was designated as a “special government employee,” meaning he legally could only serve in that position for 130 working days. Democrats in Congress had already raised concerns that he had exceeded this period last fall.
He does not have this same issue serving as a co-chair on the advisory committee.
Sacks said in the Bloomberg interview that the council would make policy recommendations and conduct studies around artificial intelligence, quantum computing, nuclear power and other “cutting edge technologies.”
“I think you can expect us to make some recommendations in those areas. We want to push forward the president’s A.I. framework that was already released just last week,” Sacks said in the interview. “So you’ll see, I think, a lot of activity around that. But it will also be other areas as well.”
Sacks did not mention crypto in the interview.
Other members of the committee include Andreessen Horowitz co-founder Marc Andreessen, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Dell founder Michael Dell, early Coinbase backer Fred Ehrsam, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, AMD CEO Lisa Su and Meta (formerly Facebook) founder Mark Zuckerberg, among others. Michael Kratsios, who’s served in both of Trump’s administrations, will serve as the co-chair.
Nasdaq’s drive to tokenize equities could reshape capital markets by introducing a two-tier landscape where regulated US exchanges sit alongside blockchain-based trading venues. A TD Securities note suggests the move may create parallel systems capable of splintering trading activity and producing price differences across platforms as tokenized stocks gain traction.
The bank’s analysis highlights Nasdaq’s parallel push, joining NYSE’s tokenization efforts, to advance three main tracks: modernizing post-trade settlement for tokenized assets, enabling issuances of tokenized shares, and extending trading to offshore venues such as Kraken. Taken together, these efforts could lead to a split market where one stream operates within the traditional US regulatory framework and another on offshore, blockchain-enabled platforms.
TD Securities cautions that offshore venues—while backed by real securities—could escape the American regulatory perimeter. If tokenized shares trade on these platforms, prices could diverge from those on standard US venues, complicating price discovery and potentially siphoning activity away from established exchanges. Cointelegraph reached out to TD Securities for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Key takeaways
- Nasdaq’s tokenization strategy comprises three parallel efforts: post-trade settlement upgrades, tokenized equity issuance, and offshore trading support on platforms such as Kraken.
- The initiatives could yield a two-tier market: a regulated US market and an offshore, blockchain-based trading ecosystem, with potential price differentials between venues.
- Tokenized equities are gaining real traction, as shown by Kraken’s xStocks platform, which has surpassed $25 billion in cumulative trading volume and grown about 150% since November.
- Trading across multiple venues may create 24/7 access and broader round‑the‑clock liquidity, but it also introduces new risks around activity concentration and inconsistent pricing.
- Industry context shows broader momentum: Coinbase expanding tokenized stock offerings and NYSE’s collaboration with Securitize to explore 24/7 tokenized securities, signaling growing competition for traditional equity trading.
Nasdaq’s tokenization roadmap could redefine how equities are traded
The TD Securities note frames Nasdaq’s tokenization ambitions as a triad of initiatives designed to integrate blockchain-based trading into mainstream markets without waiting for a single, wholesale overhaul of market structure. First, settlement modernization would adapt clearing and custody processes to handle tokenized shares more efficiently after trade execution. This is a prerequisite for reliable, scalable on-chain settlement that can coexist with existing post-trade infrastructure.
Second, Nasdaq is examining mechanisms to issue tokenized shares themselves, potentially enabling corporate issuers to digitalize equity ownership in a way that can be traded on both traditional venues and compatible blockchain networks. Third, the exchange is said to be exploring offshore trading opportunities, effectively enabling tokenized equities to be traded on platforms outside the domestic regulatory perimeter, with Kraken cited as an example of such a venue.
Taken together, these moves imply a market where the “same” stock could be represented and traded across different rails. In practice, that means investors might access tokenized versions of equities in a 24/7 framework outside normal exchange hours, while the same underlying share remains available through standard US listings during regular hours.
For market participants, the implications are twofold. On one hand, the potential for continuous liquidity and new liquidity pools could improve access and price discovery in certain scenarios. On the other hand, the emergence of parallel offshore venues raises questions about regulatory alignment, investor protection, and the coherence of pricing across ecosystems.
Markets adapting to tokenized competition and regulatory risk
Today’s crypto-enabled trading ecosystems already feature a growing set of tokenized equities, with traders increasingly engaging a broader, cross-border audience. Cointelegraph reported that Kraken’s xStocks platform, which provides tokenized versions of publicly traded shares on blockchain-based venues, has surpassed $25 billion in cumulative trading volume, reflecting around 150% growth since November. The momentum underscores a real appetite for around-the-clock access to equities in a tokenized format, even as traditional venues continue to operate within their established hours and rules.
Behind this expansion sits a broader industry trend: the push by major exchanges to experiment with tokenization while contemplating how to regulate, govern, and ultimately integrate these assets with existing equity markets. The NYSE, for its part, has been pursuing tokenization through a partnership with Securitize to develop a platform for tokenized securities that could support extended or non-traditional trading hours. This collaboration mirrors a wider market push toward an “everything exchange” model, where tokenized assets compete for space alongside conventional securities.
From an investor perspective, the emergence of multiple venues tied to the same underlying asset could alter how portfolios are constructed and how risk is assessed. If tokenized shares trade at different prices across regulated and offshore platforms, traders may need to track multiple price signals and navigate potential arbitrage opportunities. The prospect of 24/7 trading, while attractive for liquidity and access, also introduces new layers of risk—especially if regulatory guardrails diverge between venues or jurisdictions.
Regulators will likely weigh the benefits of broader access and innovation against the need to preserve investor protections and market integrity. The current conversation highlights a tension between accelerating tokenization and maintaining a cohesive, transparent market framework. As market participants deploy more tokenized offerings, observers will be looking for alignment in settlement standards, custody controls, and cross-venue price discovery mechanisms.
Beyond Nasdaq and NYSE, other industry players have already begun positioning for tokenized trading. Coinbase has pushed into tokenized stock offerings as part of an “everything exchange” strategy, signaling a competitive push from crypto-native platforms into equity trading. In parallel, NYSE’s collaboration with Securitize points to a broader ecosystem of tokenized securities designed to enable more flexible trading paradigms, including around-the-clock access that challenges traditional market hours.
What remains uncertain is how regulators will reconcile these parallel rails. Will there be harmonized standards for settlement and custody across on-chain and off-chain venues? How will investor protections translate when trading occurs on offshore platforms? And how quickly will price discoveries across venues converge or diverge under a regime of tokenized equities?
In interviews and briefings, contributors like Reid Noch of TD Securities emphasize that while tokenization promises to broaden access and liquidity, it also introduces new complexities. The coming months are likely to bring more concrete regulatory guidance, clearer cross-venue interoperability standards, and perhaps pilot programs that test tokenized trading in controlled environments before any broad rollout.
As the market digests these developments, investors and traders should monitor several cues: the pace at which settlement and custody workflows adapt to tokenized assets, the degree of cross-venue price convergence, and the regulatory responses that could either unlock or constrain offshore trading activity. The balance between innovation and oversight will shape how tokenized equities evolve from experimental concepts into mainstream instruments.
Readers should watch for updates from Nasdaq and NYSE on timing and scope of tokenized trading pilots, along with any new clarity from US regulators on cross-border trading and tokenized securities. The coming months could reveal whether tokenization simply augments existing markets or fundamentally reconfigures how equities are priced, traded, and owned.
TLDR
- Tether has launched XAUt on BNB Chain to expand access to its tokenized gold product.
- Binance has listed XAUt for spot trading against USDT, BTC, USDC, TRY, and U.
- XAUt holds a market cap of about $3.2 billion and is backed by roughly 1,800 gold bars in Swiss vaults.
- Spot gold reached $5,595 per ounce in January before falling to around $4,450 on March 26.
- Crypto.com now offers tokenized gold perpetual contracts alongside spot trading in XAUt and PAXG.
Tether has launched XAUt on BNB Chain to expand access to its tokenized gold product. Binance confirmed it will list XAUt for spot trading against USDT, BTC, USDC, TRY, and U. The move places tokenized bullion inside one of the largest exchange ecosystems as gold trading activity shifts into crypto markets.
XAUt and Tether Expand Tokenized Gold Access
Tether introduced XAUt on BNB Chain to widen the distribution of its gold-backed token. The company aligned the launch with Binance’s spot listing announcement. As a result, traders can access XAUt across several major trading pairs on the same day.
Binance stated it would enable spot trading for XAUt against USDT, BTC, USDC, TRY, and U. The exchange added the token to its main trading platform. Therefore, users can buy and sell tokenized gold within existing crypto portfolios.
BNB Chain reported that XAUt holds a market cap of nearly $3.2 billion. The network linked the token to about 1,800 gold bars stored in Swiss vaults. Reuters reported in January that XAUt controls about 60% of the global gold-backed stablecoin market.
BNB Chain ranks as the second-largest chain for RWAs by distributed asset value, according to RWA.xyz. The network also said it attracted new asset inflows and holders over the past month. Consequently, Tether gains broader onchain reach for its bullion-backed token.
Gold Price Swings Drive Crypto Market Activity
Gold prices recorded sharp moves earlier this year and drew fresh trading interest. Spot gold reached a record $5,595 per ounce in January as geopolitical tensions increased. However, prices later reversed direction and erased part of those gains.
Gold traded near $4,450 on March 26. The metal has fallen more than 15% since the war on Iran began on February 28. Higher oil prices, inflation concerns, and a stronger dollar pressured prices during that period.
Crypto platforms responded to the volatility by expanding gold-linked products. Crypto.com said its exchange now supports tokenized gold perpetual contracts. The platform also offers spot trading in XAUt and PAXG.
These products allow users to gain leveraged exposure to gold price movements around the clock. As a result, tokenized bullion now sits alongside traditional crypto assets. Traders can switch between digital tokens and gold exposure within the same exchanges.
Paolo Ardoino described the BNB Chain launch as a utility-driven step. He said the expansion aims to make gold more usable in digital markets. The rollout coincides with Binance activating spot trading for XAUt across multiple pairs.
Crypto World
Avalanche price holds near $9.70 as U.S. ‘digital commodity’ ruling meets subnet growth
Avalanche price is grinding around $9.70 as a U.S. “digital commodity” label, fee and subnet upgrades, and growing RWA and ETF activity push fundamentals ahead of AVAX’s stalled chart.
Summary
- Avalanche trades around $9.67 with a market cap near $3.8 billion and 24-hour volume above $220 million.
- AVAX is consolidating roughly 10–12% below key $10 resistance after a March ruling that classified it as a U.S. “digital commodity” and a series of scaling upgrades.
- Subnet expansion and rising real‑world asset activity contrast with subdued price action, mirroring a broader pause across large L1 tokens.
Avalanche (AVAX), the native token of the Avalanche Layer‑1 smart contract network, is trading at about $9.67 today, with 24-hour spot volume around $226.7 million and a market capitalization close to $3.88 billion. Yahoo Finance data show AVAX closing at $9.6793 on March 26, 2026, after opening near $9.67, continuing a tight range that has persisted for several sessions. CoinGecko lists daily trading volume near $1.01 billion when aggregating spot and derivatives, representing a 61.30% increase from the previous day, suggesting renewed activity even as price remains rangebound.
Price history from CoinMarketCap places Avalanche’s recent closes between $9.17 and $9.75 over the first week of March, with March 6 seeing an open at $9.3838 and close at $9.4534, underscoring how the token has spent much of the month pivoting around the $9–$10 zone. Investing.com’s historical series similarly shows AVAX closing at $8.99 on March 22 after trading between $8.93 and $9.34 that day, with 5.19 million AVAX changing hands. Put together, the tape shows a large‑cap L1 in consolidation rather than in a trending phase.
Beyond the chart, Avalanche has logged a string of structural developments in March. Phemex notes that Avalanche was formally described as a “digital commodity” by the U.S. SEC and CFTC on March 17, 2026, a designation that clarifies its status alongside assets like Bitcoin in certain regulatory contexts. In parallel, CoinMarketCap’s latest Avalanche update highlights a recent upgrade that implemented three proposals: ACP‑226, allowing validators to dynamically adjust minimum block times; ACP‑204, adding support for the secp256r1 cryptographic curve used in Apple’s FaceID and TouchID; and ACP‑181, which stabilizes the validator set for short periods to reduce gas costs and improve cross‑chain reliability. CoinMarketCap’s analysis notes that these changes are intended to make Avalanche faster, cheaper and more secure, particularly for mobile users and cross‑chain applications.
These improvements build on the earlier “Octane” hard fork in May 2025, which reduced subnet deployment costs by approximately 83%, cut the minimum base fee by 99.6% and introduced dynamic fee algorithms to prevent spam in periods of high demand. Together, the upgrades frame Avalanche as a high‑throughput L1 with a scaling strategy centered on subnets—custom, application‑specific blockchains that require AVAX for staking and fees.
Avalanche’s longer‑term growth thesis is increasingly tied to subnets and real‑world asset (RWA) tokenization. Yahoo Finance previously reported that the Avalanche Foundation committed 4 million AVAX—valued at around $290 million at the time—to attract gaming, DeFi and NFT projects to its subnet ecosystem, via the “Multiverse” incentive program. CoinMarketCap’s Avalanche updates also reference the Evergreen Subnet initiative for institutions and RWA partners such as BlackRock and Securitize, which are working on on‑chain products that would settle on Avalanche infrastructure. Binance’s recent deep dive points to more than 75 active subnets, a $40 million Retro9000 rewards program, and the launch of a Nasdaq‑listed AVAX treasury firm and spot AVAX ETF as signs of growing institutional involvement.
Despite these developments, WazirX’s March 2026 outlook characterizes AVAX as technically weak but fundamentally supported, identifying $10 as a key support‑turned‑resistance level and outlining a medium‑term consolidation band between $9 and $11. Within the broader L1 landscape, Avalanche’s sideways trading near $9.70 stands in contrast to the more explosive moves seen in smaller altcoins, but resembles a common pattern among major smart‑contract platforms where on‑chain fundamentals improve ahead of price. For real‑time data, readers can track AVAX on the crypto.news market‑cap dashboard via the Avalanche price page, and compare it against other large L1 tokens such as Ethereum and Solana on their respective price pages.
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