Standard Chartered has been recognised with two major awards by The Banker, highlighting the growing importance of Islamic finance across global banking markets.

The international banking group was named “Islamic Bank of the Year” and also received the “Most Innovative Sukuk” award for its role in ADNOC’s debut international sukuk issuance.

The recognition reflects increasing momentum in the Islamic finance sector, which continues expanding across the Middle East, Asia, and Africa as demand grows for Shariah-compliant banking, investment, and capital market solutions.

According to industry projections referenced by the bank, global Islamic finance assets are expected to reach approximately $7.5 trillion by 2028, representing one of the fastest-growing segments in international finance.

Khurram Hilal, CEO of Islamic Banking at Standard Chartered, said the sector is evolving beyond domestic markets as affluent investors and institutions increasingly seek cross-border Islamic finance opportunities.

The bank stated that its Islamic finance platform supports a wide range of clients, including affluent individuals, corporations, and institutional investors, with services spanning wealth management, financing, liquidity solutions, and sukuk structuring.

Sukuk markets in particular have seen increasing institutional demand in recent years as governments, sovereign wealth funds, and major corporations across the Gulf region continue diversifying funding sources and attracting international investors.

The awards also underline the UAE’s broader ambition to strengthen its position as a leading global hub for Islamic finance and Shariah-compliant capital markets.

Narrow Legislative Window Raises Pressure

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse said CLARITY Act urgency has increased as Congress faces a tight timeline. He pointed to a short window in the Senate that could decide the bill’s progress.

He stated that lawmakers must act within two weeks or risk delay. Election cycles often slow legislative work. As a result, CLARITY Act urgency now defines the current policy environment for digital assets.

Garlinghouse noted that the recent Senate movement offers some progress. However, he stressed that momentum may not hold. Political priorities could shift quickly and push the bill aside.

Regulatory Clarity Remains Central Issue

The proposed law aims to define how regulators oversee digital assets. Industry participants have long requested such clarity after years of mixed enforcement actions.

Garlinghouse highlighted that CLARITY Act urgency reflects broader industry concerns. Companies operating in the United States still face unclear regulatory boundaries. This uncertainty affects compliance planning and investment decisions.

Ripple and similar firms continue to allocate resources toward legal strategy. Without clear rules, firms must adjust to evolving interpretations from multiple agencies. CLARITY Act urgency underscores the need for consistent guidelines.

Market Attention and Potential Impact

Market participants have started to monitor the bill closely. Some analysts link future price movements of major tokens to regulatory developments tied to the legislation.

In that context, CLARITY Act urgency has entered broader market discussions. Investors view potential passage as a factor that could support institutional adoption. However, these expectations remain conditional.

Garlinghouse also warned that delays could extend uncertainty. If the bill stalls, companies may continue to face fragmented oversight. This situation could maintain volatility tied to regulatory headlines.

The current outlook remains uncertain. CLARITY Act urgency highlights both opportunity and risk. While progress exists, the timeline leaves limited room for delay.

Ripple ($XRP) CEO Brad Garlinghouse just issued a stark warning on the CLARITY Act: if the Senate Banking Committee markup slips in the next two weeks, the bill’s chances fall ‘precipitously.’ pic.twitter.com/0WA1tTBgsG

— Wizzy (@WizzyOnChain) May 6, 2026

Bitcoin Cash (BCH) continued its strong recovery on Wednesday, climbing above $489 and extending weekly gains beyond 8% as bullish positioning across the derivatives market reinforced the ongoing rally.

The broader crypto market backdrop remains supportive, with Bitcoin (BTC) holding near the $82,000 level, while technical indicators suggest BCH could be preparing for a breakout above the psychological $500 barrier.

Bullish derivatives activity strengthens BCH outlook

According to CoinGlass data, Bitcoin Cash futures Open Interest (OI) jumped to $683.83 million on Wednesday from roughly $642 million recorded on Sunday.

The increase in Open Interest signals fresh capital entering the market, typically reflecting growing trader participation and stronger buying activity that could further support BCH’s upward momentum.

Additional derivatives data also point to strengthening bullish sentiment. CoinGlass shows BCH’s long-to-short ratio rising to 1.25 on Wednesday, marking its highest level in more than a month. A ratio above one indicates that a larger share of traders are positioning for additional upside.

Meanwhile, CryptoQuant data presents a largely constructive outlook for Bitcoin Cash despite some mixed signals. The platform’s summary metrics highlight increased whale activity across spot and futures markets alongside cooling market conditions, both of which historically support upside continuation.

However, persistent sell-side dominance in the spot market could limit the pace of the rally and create short-term volatility near key resistance levels.

Technical outlook: BCH bulls target rally above $500

Bitcoin Cash trades near $489.60 after breaking above several important technical levels. The token now holds comfortably above the 50-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) at $457.91 and the 100-day EMA at $478.47, reinforcing the bullish structure following the breakout above a former descending trendline near $449.56.

Momentum indicators continue to favor buyers. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) on the 4-hour chart has climbed toward 70, approaching overbought territory but still signaling strong bullish momentum.

At the same time, the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) remains firmly in positive territory and continues to expand, suggesting buying pressure remains dominant.

On the upside, immediate resistance is located near the 200-day EMA at $497.05. A decisive daily close above that level could open the door for a push toward the 38.2% Fibonacci retracement level at $515.06.

Beyond that, bulls may target the 50% retracement near $544.56, followed by the 61.8% Fibonacci level around $574.07 if momentum accelerates.

On the downside, immediate support sits near the confluence zone between $478.47 and $478.55, where the 100-day EMA aligns with the 23.6% Fibonacci retracement level.

Additional support is found at the 50-day EMA near $457.91, while the former breakout trendline around $449.56 could attract renewed dip-buying interest during deeper pullbacks.

Ethereum accumulation addresses witnessed a surge in daily inflows on Wednesday, suggesting growing confidence in Ether’s (ETH) long-term price trajectory following its latest rise to $2,400.

Key takeaways:

• Accumulation addresses absorbed about $592 million in ETH on Wednesday, signalling aggressive long-term buying.
• Ether’s ascending triangle projects an ETH price rally to $3,315.

Ethereum accumulators add $592 million in ETH

Ether’s investor confidence has returned following its 39% recovery from a multi-year low below $1,750.

Data from CryptoQuant showed daily inflows into accumulation addresses have increased steadily since mid-2025, reaching an all-time high of 1.14 million ETH in November 2025. The inflows have continued to climb in 2026, averaging 200,000 ETH per day.

These addresses received 246,620 ETH on Tuesday, worth approximately $592 million at current rates.

ETH inflows into accumulation addresses. Source: CryptoQuant

Accumulation addresses are wallets that continuously receive ETH without making any outgoing transactions. They may belong to long-term holders, institutional investors, or entities strategically accumulating Ethereum rather than actively trading it.

As a result, the total ETH held by these long-term holders reached a record 25 million ETH, marking a 20.36% jump so far in 2026. 

Large spikes in inflows to these addresses often signal strong confidence in Ether’s long-term potential, with past trends showing that such surges frequently precede price rallies.

For example, on June 22, 2025, Ethereum accumulation addresses recorded a daily inflow of over 380,000 ETH. Nearly 30 days later, ETH’s price rose by almost 85%. A similar price rally followed November 2025’s inflow spike into the accumulation addresses.

Whale wallets are also showing bullish signals. The chart below shows that whale wallets with a balance of 10,000-100,000 ETH have seen their holdings rise to an all-time high of over 19.5 million tokens, after rapid accumulation over the last 30 days.

Wallets with over 100,000 ETH have also increased their holdings to 4.7 million ETH, a 30% increase in 2026. 

Ethereum: Balance by holder value

As Cointelegraph reported, Ether’s spot taker cumulative volume delta, which has been increasing since early April, also suggested growing confidence among buyers.

How high can the ETH price go?

Ether’s liquidation heatmap shows the price eating away liquidity around $2,400, with large bid orders still sitting at $3,000, and between $3,350 and 3,500.

“If $ETH breaks through $2,500, a steady rise to $3,000 will follow,” crypto analyst CW8900 said in a Wednesday post on X, adding:

“There is almost no resistance for short positions.”

ETH liquidation heatmap. Source: CoinGlass

From a technical perspective, the ETH/USD pair is seeking to break above the horizontal trend line of an ascending triangle at $2,400.

A daily candlestick close above the 200-day exponential moving average at $2,700 will confirm the continuation of the uptrend toward the measured target of the triangle at $3,315. Such a move would bring the total gains to 40%.

ETH/USD daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

Technical analyst XForceGlobal shared a chart suggesting that Ether’s macro bottom could be in, with an Elliott Wave analysis projecting a rally to $3,500 once resistance at $2,600-$2,700 is broken.

ETH/USD daily chart. Source: XForceGlobal

As Cointelegraph reported, a close above the $2,600-$2,700 region would confirm a trend change, paving the way for the ETH/USD pair to rally toward $3,000.

This article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and is intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute investment advice or recommendations. All investments and trades carry risk; readers are encouraged to conduct independent research.

Bermuda is aiming to show an example how to move crypto into everyday commerce without breaking the financial system, Premier David Burt said onstage at Consensus Miami 2026 on Wednesday.

Burt said the tiny island on the Atlantic is expanding its “onchain economy” initiative, a push to get stablecoins into the hands of residents, merchants and local businesses. The project was first announced in January at the World Economic Forum, with stablecoin issuer Circle (CRCL) and exchange Coinbase (COIN).

The government plans another airdrop of USDC stablecoin this year, tied to next week’s Bermuda Digital Finance Forum 2026, while also onboarding merchants that can accept digital payments. Participants will receive stablecoins through wallets and can spend them with local vendors, Burt said.

“If you are a vendor and you’re accepting digital assets, but you do not have a way to use and spend those digital assets inside your economy, that presents a problem,” Burt said.

The broader goal for Bermuda is to build payment infrastructure outside traditional card networks and banking rails, he said, arguing that small businesses face high transaction fees and limited access to financial apps common in larger markets.

Coinbase Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal, who joined Burt on stage, said Bermuda’s approach stands out because regulators and private firms are building in tandem instead of working separately.

“What’s most interesting about the Bermuda example is it is a parallel process,” Grewal said. “Government services can be accessed using payment stablecoins, while merchants and businesses are brought into the system at the same time.”

Bermuda, Burt said, has spent years building a digital asset framework through its Digital Asset Business Act. He described the island’s regulatory style as iterative and industry-facing, with the Bermuda Monetary Authority working directly with firms on issues such as staking, lending and DeFi supervision.

“You cannot regulate out failure,” Burt said. “But you can put in place the items which allow responsible innovation to happen.”

Grewal also contrasted Bermuda’s approach with the regulatory climate crypto firms faced in the U.S. over the past several years under former Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler. That has changed for the better under the Trump administration, he argued.

“It is a new day here in the United States,” Grewal said, pointing to what he described as a more constructive tone from agencies under SEC Chair Paul Atkins and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chair Michael Selig.

“We still have challenges, to be clear, but it’s a very different dynamic,” he said.

Dominance in a market is not universal. DraftKings dominates the US online gambling market for the US sports bettor — the player the platform was built around, the player whose expectations it meets consistently, and the player who has kept it at the top of US market share tables since state-by-state licensing opened. Bet365 dominates the international sportsbook market for the global sports bettor — the player whose primary criterion is the widest possible range of betting markets and who has found no better answer in 25 years of looking.

Both forms of dominance are real and both are earned. Neither is universal.

The player neither platform dominates for is the one driving the most significant shift in the 2026 online gambling audience. Crypto-native. Esports-aware. Loyalty-transparent. Withdrawal-speed-sensitive. This player is not looking for the platform that dominated yesterday’s market. They are looking for the platform built for theirs. In 2026 that platform is ZunaBet — and the conversation it is generating among this player type is what this article examines.

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DraftKings: Dominant Where It Was Built to Dominate

The circumstances that produced DraftKings’ US market dominance were specific enough that they are worth understanding clearly. A daily fantasy sports platform with existing brand recognition and an engaged US sports audience converted that audience into licensed gamblers when the legal framework for state-by-state sports betting opened after 2018. The conversion speed was faster than most competitors from outside the US could manage and the dominance it produced has proven durable through consistent product investment.

The sportsbook is the product’s core expression of that dominance. American sports culture is embedded in it at a level that international platforms find difficult to replicate from the outside — NFL with the market depth and cultural fluency that US bettors expect, NBA and MLB and NHL and college sports structured around the specific rhythms of American sports betting. The app is reliable. In-play coverage is well-developed. Odds compete within the US context.

The casino serves its supporting function adequately. A reasonable library, live dealer content, standard table game variants for the mainstream US player.

The dominance has edges. Fiat payment infrastructure means withdrawal timelines of multiple business days as standard. Bitcoin in select states does not change this fundamentally because it is not native crypto infrastructure. Dynasty Rewards points convert to less actual cash value than tier descriptions implied for most players who calculate it carefully. Geographic operation is confined to licensed US states.

Where DraftKings dominates it dominates genuinely. Where it does not the absence is conspicuous.

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Bet365: Dominant Where It Was Built to Dominate

Bet365’s international sportsbook dominance is the product of 25 years of singular focus producing a sportsbook that no competitor has fully replicated. Major global sports at comprehensive depth, minor events that other platforms do not price, in-play coverage on competitions that competitors abandon before they start, live streaming of events within the platform as players bet on them. For the sports bettor whose measure of quality is range of available markets the dominance is deserved.

The casino has grown alongside the sportsbook. A large library, strong live dealer content, polished and consistent platform experience. The product reflects the resources of an operator that has been investing in breadth for decades.

The dominance has edges here too. Geographic restrictions eliminate the platform for the entire US market and several other significant jurisdictions. The loyalty program’s meaningful tiers are invite-only — the general player base operates without meaningful loyalty visibility or a clear pathway toward the levels that deliver genuine value. Crypto support is minimal. Fiat banking timelines apply throughout.

Where Bet365 dominates it dominates genuinely. Where it does not the absence is equally conspicuous.

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ZunaBet: Dominating the Conversation for the Player Left Out

ZunaBet launched in 2026 under Strathvale Group Ltd, operating under an Anjouan gaming license and registered in Belize. The team carries over 20 years of combined industry experience. It is not a US licensed operator and it does not hold UK regulatory certification. It is a crypto-first, internationally accessible platform built specifically around the player that neither established platform dominates for — and it is generating the conversation it is generating because that player is searching actively and finding what they are looking for.

The game library starts the product conversation at a number that differentiates immediately. ZunaBet carries 11,294 titles from 63 providers. The player whose search includes game library depth finds a number here that exceeds both established platforms by a margin that reflects a fundamentally different category of casino product. Evolution for the full live dealer catalogue across table games and game shows. Pragmatic Play across multiple product categories. Hacksaw Gaming for the high-volatility slot mechanics that experienced players seek specifically. Yggdrasil for its distinctive design philosophy that has built a dedicated following. BGaming for content whose aesthetic speaks to the crypto-native player’s preferences. Sixty-three providers means sixty-three different creative approaches — different mechanics, different volatility profiles, different visual identities — producing genuine variety that volume alone cannot deliver.

The sportsbook covers football, basketball, tennis, NHL, and other major global sports. The conversation it generates among the player left out by both established platforms comes from the esports section — CS2, Dota 2, League of Legends, and Valorant as genuine primary markets. Virtual sports and combat sports complete a sportsbook designed around the full range of what the 2026 player bets on. One account. One balance. One loyalty program covering everything.

Payment support covers more than 20 cryptocurrencies natively — BTC, ETH, USDT across multiple chains, SOL, DOGE, ADA, XRP, and others. No platform processing fees. Withdrawals settling in minutes. Apps across iOS, Android, Windows, and MacOS with 24-hour live chat support.

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The Payment Conversation: Why Minutes vs Days Generates Attention

The payment comparison between ZunaBet and both established platforms is generating conversation because the gap is structural and the player it affects is growing in number.

DraftKings processes withdrawals through fiat banking in the US regulatory context. Multiple business days as standard. Bitcoin in select states does not change this because it is processed through layers that negate crypto’s speed advantage.

Bet365 processes withdrawals through fiat banking in its operating jurisdictions. Bank transfer, card payment, e-wallet — each with associated processing timelines measured in days.

ZunaBet processes withdrawals through native crypto infrastructure. Minutes. Twenty-plus coins supported natively. No fees beyond standard network costs. No banking intermediaries introducing delays.

The conversation this generates is simple. A player who discovers that one platform measures withdrawal time in minutes and two measure it in days has had their expectation permanently recalibrated. Every subsequent platform evaluation includes the minutes question. For the growing segment of crypto-native players this recalibration is happening in large numbers and ZunaBet is the platform on the right side of it.

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The Loyalty Conversation: Why Transparency Generates Attention

The loyalty conversation ZunaBet is generating follows the same pattern. Players who have calculated their actual return under DraftKings Dynasty Rewards — points converting through a redemption structure that delivers less cash value than headline tier descriptions suggested — are actively looking for something more transparent. Players who have investigated Bet365’s loyalty structure and discovered that the meaningful tiers are invite-only are equally motivated to look elsewhere.

ZunaBet’s dragon evolution loyalty system generates attention because it answers the transparency question before it is asked. Six tiers — Squire, Warden, Champion, Divine, Knight, and Ultimate — with a gamified mascot called Zuno and direct rakeback rates of 1%, 2%, 4%, 5%, 10%, and 20%. All tiers open. All rates applying to all activity — casino sessions and sportsbook bets alike. No conversion process. No invitation. No ambiguity about what the stated percentage means in practice.

Twenty percent at the Ultimate tier means twenty percent returned. That calculation is available before the first deposit and it does not change. Additional tier benefits — up to 1,000 free spins, VIP club access, double wheel spins — extend the value beyond a core structure that already delivers direct transparent returns.

The conversation this generates is equally simple. A player comparing a loyalty program that requires guesswork with one that requires only multiplication is not making a difficult choice.

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The Welcome Bonus

ZunaBet new players receive a bonus across three deposits totalling up to $5,000 plus 75 free spins. First deposit matched 100% up to $2,000 with 25 free spins. Second deposit matched 50% up to $1,500 with 25 spins. Third deposit matched 100% up to $1,500 with 25 spins.

DraftKings and Bet365 offer welcome promotions within their regulated markets. Terms vary by jurisdiction and should be confirmed directly on each platform. ZunaBet’s three-deposit structure gives players time to explore a platform of 11,000-plus games and a full sportsbook before the promotional window closes.

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What the Three-Way Conversation Concludes

DraftKings dominates its market and serves its player well. The conversation it generates is the conversation of a dominant platform — brand recognition, established trust, consistent product quality for the player it was built for.

Bet365 dominates its market and serves its player well. The conversation it generates is the same kind — sportsbook comprehensiveness, operational history, the deepest market coverage available for the player in an eligible jurisdiction.

ZunaBet generates a different kind of conversation. It is the conversation of a platform that arrived at exactly the moment when the player it was built for was most actively searching. The crypto-native player. The esports bettor. The player who wants loyalty transparency before commitment and withdrawal speed that matches their expectations of digital transactions.

ZunaBet launched in 2026 and its operational track record is still short. That belongs in any honest comparison and players should weigh it. But the conversation it is generating is the conversation of a platform that found its player — and in 2026 that player is not going back to the platforms that were built without them in mind.

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Disclaimer: This is a Press Release provided by a third party who is responsible for the content. Please conduct your own research before taking any action based on the content.