The latest conflict involving Iran has produced an unexpected proving ground for financial infrastructure, and an unlikely winner has emerged, argues Huang.

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The shift comes after the Kelp DAO exploit drained $292 million from its LayerZero-powered bridge, increasing concerns over the security of cross-chain infrastructure.

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DeFi is approaching a breaking point.

After a wave of hacks and growing concerns around smart contract risk, liquidity risk, and hidden dependencies, the biggest question in crypto is no longer just how much yield you can earn, but whether that yield is actually worth the risk.

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Circle introduced Agent Marketplace as part of its Agent Stack, enabling autonomous agents to discover and pay for trusted services through programmable, usage-based economic models.

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From its early, rapid-growth stages, Binance has become the largest global player in the cryptocurrency brokerage space.

That position has given Binance a clear, pro-crypto voice worldwide as countries look to regulate and adapt to the growth and implementation of cryptocurrency assets.

At Consensus 2026 in Miami Beach, BeInCrypto met up with Jimmy Su, Chief Security Officer at Binance. We discussed the crypto market, Binance’s latest tools, and how it is adapting to institutionalization by traditional financial companies.

The 30,000 Foot View

In recent weeks, news broke that the US Senate would move on the Clarity Act. This legislation would create the regulatory rails to enable adoption by large financial institutions.

That helped to push cryptocurrencies higher in May, although prices are still well off of last year’s peak.

According to Su, even though crypto prices are trending higher over time, the real story is in increasing adoption itself:

“I don’t pay too much attention to the day-to-day market movements, but I do see more adoption in crypto, more rural use of crypto, like RWA, tokenizing different rural assets. Those are all moving in the right direction.

We have a five to ten year window and longer horizon within the assets, and  I think it’s going well. We’re seeing a lot of the tradfi solution products and the crypto products moving into the same arena in the middle, where you are seeing crypto companies providing access to stock tokens, commodity tokens. And then you are seeing on the other side, tradfi providing more crypto services.”

Crypto Meets Oil

Binance has recently added significant new features to its platform.

One of the more interesting features is the addition of contracts to trade oil prices. That’s a sign that crypto companies are moving towards the middle, with features that trend towards tradfi. More tradfi features are likely to be added to the platform in the months ahead.

While that may mean less overall focus, it can also mean that cryptocurrency brokerages like Binance can grab a bigger market share:

“We are expanding into areas where we are attracting new interest in trading. That moves us into a place where we’re moving from crypto, there are more tradfi trading products so our competitor pool is getting bigger.”

Crypto Security In the Age of AI

As the Chief Security Officer of Binance, Su has been at the forefront of protecting user data and developing new tools to guard against the ever-increasing sophistication of criminals seeking to gain access.

Both the white hats and the black hats are increasingly turning to AI tools to identify threats – or create them.

Looking at the attacker side of things, AI tools are speeding up the size and scale of attacks. Per Su:

“Over the last six months, the adoption of AI has been expanding, not just in security, but all over our business. But especially in security, we see that it has both the advantages for the attacker and the defender. 

On the attacker point of view, using the AI tools, they’re able to scale much faster.

What used to be needing a team of five or six red teamers to find vulnerability, now can be done with one person from my AI tool over a span of a weekend. So the time between the exploit and actually the coin attack is decreasing.”

AI Can Be Used Defensively Too

Typically, attackers in the security space can have a first-mover advantage. AI tools can speed that up. But defenders have access to similar tools as well. And the speed and sophistication of defensive AI tools can continue to thwart attacks.

AI may even be able to identify attack vectors and plug holes before they’re exploited, or recognize the start of an attack well before a human can see the pattern at play.

“On the defensive side, we see AI as a partner, as a SOC team member that we can partner with. It’s able to synthesize signals from different areas, different logs, email network on the endpoint device. So that helps us on the defensive side as well, so that we can look at the logs more broadly and more in depth and make it up just using our SOC team.”

Security Threat #1: Check Your Links

Regarding recent specific security threats, Su noted that malicious links in search engine results have soared, and the malware from those links could create a security breach:

“Recently, we’ve seen a lot of distribution of AI tools. Many of the searches that you see on the search engine actually return ad results that has been poisoned. And sometimes when the user is not careful, they’re looking just in the top of the screen. The ads are not so obvious, and they might be installing a malicious AI tool.

So that’s what we have caught in recent weeks. we have seen that users are actually installing AI tools that have malware in it, which would expose their credentials, including private keys, account credentials. So that’s a trend that we’ve seen.”

Security Threat #2: Wrench Attacks

Even if a crypto wallet is digitally secure, other threats exist. One is a so-called wrench attack, which involves physical violence to give up a digital wallet.

While such an attack may not be completely avoidable, it can be possible to lock a wallet and ensure that even if some information is compromised, your crypto holdings aren’t:

“We released a feature called Withdrawal Protection. This helps our users to have a control to specify the freeze for a certain amount of time in their withdrawal. 

This is at the moment, the crypto withdrawal is at the highest risk. Because many times when you withdraw crypto, it’s irreversible. Let’s say you were doing ACH on Jack and Young, that’s much more reversible. 

So we introduced this as a control, as a layer approach where the user gets to control when their withdrawal is frozen, so they get more time to recover in case they get into that potential.”

From Security to a Streamlined User Experience

AI tools can help balance security and protection with a seamless user experience. Binance’s growth and continued success has come from astutely managing this balance. 

Su sees ways to further streamline the experience with AI tools:

“We are always looking for ways to balance the user experience with user protection. So sometimes the improvement you see is actually what you don’t see in the workflow. 

For example, we are adding more AI in terms of learning about the context of our users, so that when either they are logging in or doing withdrawal, if we know they are on a trusted device, and the behavior of the user matches what they had before, then we will introduce fewer challenges so that the experience is smoother.

But the AI can also help us to spotlight users that have high-risk behavior, and that’s when we step up our challenges, such as using 2FA or biometrics or face recognition.”

Looking Ahead

Although Binance has added some significant features recently, there’s much more work that it can do. 

And they’re not resting on their laurels, instead looking for more ways to streamline the user experience, keep systems secure, and do so with fewer resources thanks to AI. One area with some improvement ahead? Faster and better coding thanks to AI tools:

“We are using cloud code. So I think what we see is that from just being a tool to write code faster, test code faster, it seems to have a step up in this AI capability, where it’s able to synthesize the entire queue chain of an attack.

So that’s very promising. Because that would mean that from discovering vulnerability to all the way deploying in the real world, AI can do that independently. So in that case, it’s not just a tool, but it’s a very capable Red Team member that we can have as a partner.”

The post Crypto Adoption Meets AI Security: A Discussion with Binance Chief Security Officer Jimmy Su appeared first on BeInCrypto.

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Asset manager Bitwise is set to launch an exchange-traded fund tracking Hyperliquid’s native HYPE token.

The ETF will start trading on May 15 under the ticker BHYP on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

Capitalizing on Hyperliquid’s Growth and Dominance

Bitwise said that BHYP is the first HYPE ETF to use an in-house staking infrastructure, with the firm adding that the fund was designed to give investors a convenient and low-cost way to participate in Hyperliquid’s growth. Reacting to the development, Galaxy’s head of DeFi, Marc Antonio, wrote, “Damn Matt Hougan and Bitwise are cooking.”

DeFi Llama data shows that Hyperliquid makes up about 60% of global on-chain perpetual DEX open interest, with the network being capable of processing up to 200,000 orders per second while maintaining a strong reliability track record. Bitwise believes that because of this, the platform is on the road to becoming one of the biggest beneficiaries as capital markets continue moving on-chain.

Matt Hougan, Chief Investment Officer at Bitwise, said the chain proved its relevance during a period of geopolitical tensions earlier this year, when traditional markets were closed, and traders turned to it for price discovery.

“Hyperliquid has emerged as one of the most compelling investment opportunities in crypto today,” said Hougan.

Additionally, Hype has risen to become the tenth largest crypto asset in the world since launching two years ago, with a market cap of over $11 billion.

“Hyperliquid’s token is explicitly designed so that rising trading activity on the Hyperliquid platform directly benefits token holders. This has translated into historically strong returns,” he added.

Bitwise Shares Fees

The fund’s prospectus shows that BHYP carries a 0.34% sponsor fee, which Bitwise plans to waive for the first month on the first $500 million in assets. The company also clarified that the product hasn’t been registered as an investment firm, meaning it doesn’t have the same protections as ETFs and mutual funds.

Earlier in the week, 21Shares launched a similar product tracking HYPE dubbed THYP, which pulled about $1.8 million in trading volume on its first day, a feat described by analyst James Seyffart as “nothing too crazy.”

It has since racked up $7.42 million in cumulative net inflow, with data from SoSoValue showing that yesterday’s flow alone came in at nearly $5 million.

The post Bitwise Set to Launch Hyperliquid (HYPE) ETF appeared first on CryptoPotato.

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Revolut reportedly plans to launch a UK private banking unit this summer with a £500,000 ($630,000) deposit threshold, a move that could deepen its appeal to crypto-focused wealth clients after fresh approvals from the Financial Conduct Authority.

The proposed arm would target mass-affluent customers sitting between retail banking and traditional private banks. It may pair leveraged products, discretionary portfolio management and private wealth advisory services with Revolut’s existing crypto stack used by more than 10 million customers.

Crypto Sits at the Center of the £500,000 Push

Revolut already runs one of Europe’s largest retail crypto operations. Its pro exchange Revolut X offers 250-plus tokens with zero maker fees. The platform adds API access, TradingView charts and deep liquidity for active traders.

Wealth revenue at the company climbed 31% to $876 million in 2025. Crypto activity was a meaningful driver, according to its annual report. The segment grew almost 300% in 2024 before that figure normalised.

More than 10 million customers hold or trade crypto inside the app. The proposed private banking unit could deepen that base. It would serve holders who already sit on six and seven-figure positions.

FCA Permissions Unlock Managed Crypto Portfolios

The Financial Conduct Authority recently granted Revolut Trading permission to offer leveraged products, discretionary portfolio management and sophisticated investment services.

Those approvals reshape what the company can build for higher-tier UK clients.

The structure should support portfolios blending crypto with traditional assets, staking exposure and managed solutions inside a regulated, FSCS-protected environment.

Revolut’s UK banking licence granted in March 2026 anchors depositor coverage up to £120,000 ($160,000) per client.

Earlier this year, Revolut secured a Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) licence through Cyprus. The authorisation gives the firm passportable access across 30 European Economic Area markets for its crypto services.

A Bridge for Crypto Holders Into Mass-Affluent Wealth

The reported £500,000 threshold would target a segment traditional private banks have walked away from.

• Coutts recently moved its minimum to £3 million ($3.9 million).

• UBS sets its bar at £1 million ($1.3 million) in investable assets, leaving a wide gap.

Many of those clients hold meaningful crypto positions and want institutional-grade tools without leaving the Revolut ecosystem. Established private banks often remain crypto-shy or push minimums beyond reach.

The company is positioning the launch ahead of a potential Nasdaq listing in 2028. Reports point to a $150 billion to $200 billion valuation target.

How regulators treat leveraged crypto exposure inside a regulated private bank will shape this model’s reach. The next twelve months should reveal how far it can spread across Europe.

The post Revolut’s New Private Banking Ambitions Could Deepen Its Crypto Wealth Push appeared first on BeInCrypto.

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Spark has released a comprehensive risk framework for the Sky Agent Network, detailing how losses are absorbed and risk is bounded across Spark Savings, SparkLend, and the Spark Liquidity Layer.

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The Hyperliquid Policy Center disputed the framing.

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The decentralized finance (DeFi) applications blockchain network Flare has unveiled a new XRP yield product in collaboration with digital asset manager Monarq and vault infrastructure provider Upshift.

According to a press release sent to CryptoPotato, the new product is a multi-strategy XRP vault offering diversified yield opportunities. Launched on Flare and accessible to XRP holders, the Monarq XRP Yield Vault (MXRPY) is powered by Monarq and built on Upshift’s vault infrastructure.

MXRPY Offers Diversified Yield

MXRPY allocates capital across three strategies: options trading, basis and funding rate arbitrage, and on-chain XRPFi deployment. Users deposit Flare XRP (FXRP), receive MXRPY tokens representing their capital and accrued yield, and expect returns from the three primary engines.

The first return engine uses XRP as collateral to support options strategies across several platforms and over-the-counter products. Through the second strategy, XRP is deployed in funding rates and market-neutral basis using borrowed stablecoins across major platforms. For the third engine, the vault allocates the capital into Flare-native XRP Finance (XRPFi) opportunities and DeFi applications.

With an initial deposit cap of 500,000 FXRP, the vault targets a range of 3% to 4% annual percentage yield (APY) distributed over time based on strategy, performance, and market conditions. The product is accessible through Upshift; the platform processes withdrawals weekly, every Friday, with an optional fee-based instant redemption mechanism available.

Monarq’s managing partner, Shiliang Tang, commented on the launch, saying: “A real financial system needs a broader menu of options. MXRPY is built to be one of those options for XRP holders.”

MXRPY App Coming Up

While MXRPY expands the scope of XRPFI beyond Flare, it adds to the rapidly growing list of products on the DeFi applications network. Over the past months, Flare has launched several yield-bearing products, including lending markets, for XRP holders. The latest launch combines on-chain and off-chain execution in a structure that provides XRP holders with diversified yield opportunities.

“The Clearstar EarnXRP vault showed that there is real demand for XRP-denominated vaults on Flare. Upshift provided the infrastructure behind that launch, and we’re now expanding the model with Monarq, a second XRP vault with a different strategy profile and a broader set of yield sources,” remarked Upshift’s growth lead, Ethan Luc.

While the XRP community embraces MXRPY, the companies intend to release a standalone application in the future. The upcoming app is expected to provide users with a direct connection to MXRPY via their XRP Ledger wallets.

The post XRP Holders Get New Yield Opportunity via Flare and Monarq Collaboration appeared first on CryptoPotato.

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