XPlace CEO Artem Ponomarev has called for safer crypto-backed borrowing tools as DeFi lending protocols hold more than $42 billion in total value locked.

Artem Ponomarev, founder and CEO of digital-wealth platform XPlace, told crypto.news that digital-asset services must move beyond helping people acquire wealth and give them responsible ways to use it.

“I think we’re moving into a stage where the question is no longer simply whether people will own digital assets, but what they can actually do with the wealth they’ve built,” Ponomarev said.

His comments focus on collateralized borrowing, which allows an investor to pledge Bitcoin, another crypto asset, or a tokenized security in exchange for liquidity. Unlike a direct sale, the arrangement lets the borrower keep exposure to the pledged asset unless its value falls far enough to trigger liquidation.

Digital wealth needs tools already common in finance

Ponomarev compared the model with borrowing against property or securities, a common service in traditional wealth management. Investors use securities-backed credit when they need cash but do not want to sell positions held for long-term returns.

“In traditional finance, borrowing against assets is completely normal,” he said. “Investors borrow against securities or property because they don’t necessarily want to sell a long-term position every time they need liquidity.”

The US Financial Industry Regulatory Authority describes a securities-backed line of credit as a loan that uses assets held in an investment account as collateral. According to FINRA’s investor guidance, the lender may demand additional collateral or sell pledged securities when their value falls below the required level.

Ponomarev expects digital-asset holders to seek similar flexibility as more personal wealth moves into Bitcoin, other crypto assets, and tokenized equities. Instead of maintaining separate systems for crypto holdings, stocks, and routine spending, he said investors should be able to manage the assets as parts of one financial position.

“If someone holds Bitcoin alongside tokenized equities, those assets should be able to form part of the same financial picture and provide access to liquidity without requiring the user to sell each time they want to spend.”

Market data indicate that crypto-backed credit already has considerable activity. DefiLlama’s lending dashboard showed about $42.06 billion locked across 571 tracked protocols, with Aave holding approximately $14.74 billion. Active loans on Aave stood at about $11.26 billion.

New assets are also entering on-chain credit markets. In August, XRP entered Ethereum lending through Flare’s FXRP and a Morpho vault curated by Sentora, allowing holders to borrow Ripple USD without selling their XRP exposure.

Tokenized equities could expand available collateral

Tokenized stocks add another potential source of collateral by placing representations of equities on blockchain networks. RWA.xyz recorded $2.34 billion in distributed tokenized stock value as of Aug. 18, while its total distributed real-world asset value stood at $38.21 billion.

Products within the category do not always give buyers the same legal rights. Some tokens represent direct or beneficial ownership of securities, while others provide synthetic exposure that only follows an asset’s price.

US transfer agents raised that distinction in July when they sought tighter SEC rules for third-party tokens. Continental Stock Transfer & Trust and the Securities Transfer Association argued that products created without an issuer’s involvement could leave holders without voting rights, ownership claims, or standard investor protections.

Ponomarev’s proposal would require lending systems to determine which assets can serve as collateral and how their ownership, custody, and market value should be verified. A token that only tracks a stock may carry different legal and liquidity risks from a tokenized share connected to the issuer’s official shareholder register.

The Securities and Exchange Commission addressed the distinction in January. In its tokenized securities statement, the agency said stocks, bonds, notes, options, and other securities can be tokenized, but their digital format does not change the application of federal securities laws.

Regulated US market operators have since moved tokenized securities closer to existing trading systems. The SEC approved Nasdaq’s tokenized securities framework in March, allowing eligible securities and their tokenized forms to share the same ticker, CUSIP, shareholder rights, and order book.

NYSE has also proposed rules for tokenized securities under a Depository Trust Company pilot. Under the exchange’s filing, eligible tokens would retain the rights and privileges of the conventional securities they represent while continuing to use existing clearing and settlement arrangements.

Crypto-backed loans depend on liquidation controls

Access to liquidity introduces losses when collateral values fall, according to US regulators and international financial institutions. FINRA warns that securities-backed borrowers may face maintenance calls, forced asset sales, and variable interest expenses.

Crypto collateral adds round-the-clock price changes and automated liquidation. The Bank for International Settlements said in a report on risks in DeFi that decentralized loans tend to be overcollateralized because borrowers may be anonymous and the pledged assets can be highly volatile.

Under such systems, a protocol can sell collateral automatically when its value drops below a specified ratio. The sale repays lenders but can leave borrowers with losses, fees, and no remaining exposure to an asset they intended to hold.

Ponomarev said collateralized credit should give investors controlled access to existing wealth rather than encourage maximum leverage. For the model to work, he called for conservative loan-to-value limits, continuous collateral monitoring, and plain disclosure of interest charges and liquidation terms.

“A user should understand exactly what happens if the value of their collateral falls before they borrow,” he said.

Warnings before a position reaches its liquidation level could give borrowers time to repay part of a loan or provide more collateral. Conservative lending ratios would also leave more room between the initial loan value and the price at which pledged assets are sold.

Oracle design presents another risk because DeFi protocols rely on external pricing systems to value collateral. Stale or manipulated prices can affect a position’s recorded health, while rapid market declines can cause several loans to be liquidated together. A July guide to crypto liquidation explained that forced sales can push prices down and trigger another group of leveraged positions.

US rules leave custody and tax questions

American investors also face custody risks when pledging digital assets. SEC staff guidance states that non-security crypto assets are not protected by the Securities Investor Protection Act and may lack protection under another specific insolvency system.

According to the SEC’s crypto custody guidance, customers could lose assets if a broker-dealer becomes insolvent, depending on how the assets are held and whether they become part of the firm’s bankruptcy estate.

US capital rules present a separate limit for lenders. An August analysis by Crowell & Moring found that digital-asset collateral does not receive credit-risk mitigation recognition under current bank capital rules. The law firm also said nonbank lenders may need state licences, depending on their activities and the borrowers they serve.

Tax treatment can vary with the structure of a crypto-backed loan. The Internal Revenue Service treats digital assets as property and generally applies capital-gains rules when an owner sells or otherwise disposes of them. IRS regulations also require brokers to report covered digital-asset sales under rules taking effect in stages.

Borrowing does not itself involve an asset sale when the transaction operates as a genuine loan, but a forced disposal of collateral may create a reportable transaction. The IRS states that the fair market value of a digital asset is generally determined at the date and time of its sale or disposition.

Tokyo-listed corporate Bitcoin investor Metaplanet says it will expand its Bitcoin treasury playbook into the United States through a proposed controlling stake in Nasdaq-listed Super League Enterprise—an acquisition plan framed as a way to unlock additional capital channels for its existing strategy.

According to comments from Metaplanet CEO Simon Gerovich, the company plans to contribute 2,100 Bitcoin and $2.5 million in cash to Super League Enterprise. The target company is expected to be renamed Superplanet and positioned as Metaplanet’s US Bitcoin treasury platform. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions, including approval from Super League shareholders.

Key takeaways

• Metaplanet plans to supply 2,100 BTC and $2.5 million to take control of Super League Enterprise, which would become Superplanet.
• The BTC transfer would come from Metaplanet’s existing treasury, meaning it is not described as a fresh Bitcoin purchase.
• Metaplanet says the structure creates two funding pathways: Superplanet could raise capital in US markets while Metaplanet continues fundraising in Japan.
• Superplanet may also pursue US acquisitions in the Bitcoin treasury space that Metaplanet cannot access directly from Japan.
• Super League’s shares jumped after the announcement, with trading activity surging sharply, according to Yahoo Finance data.

A US platform built from an existing Bitcoin war chest

Gerovich’s plan centers on converting a portion of Metaplanet’s current holdings into US corporate control. Metaplanet reportedly holds about 43,000 BTC, and the proposed 2,100 BTC contribution represents just under 5% of that balance. Based on the article’s cited valuation at current Bitcoin prices, the transferred BTC is worth roughly $135 million.

Importantly for investors watching treasury risk and capital efficiency, Metaplanet says the Bitcoin used in the deal would be sourced from its existing treasury. That detail matters because it distinguishes the transaction from a strategy that requires immediately buying more BTC—at least for the initial funding of the US platform.

The financing concept is also designed to be flexible. Gerovich indicated that the resulting group structure would allow both entities to contribute to the broader Bitcoin treasury agenda, with capital raised by either company potentially supporting further accumulation over time. Superplanet would operate as the US vehicle, while Metaplanet remains the Japan-listed parent.

What could change for corporate Bitcoin treasuries in practice

Metaplanet’s proposal is one more sign that corporate Bitcoin holders are rethinking how they manage fundraising and exposure across jurisdictions. The core pitch is diversification of access to capital: instead of relying solely on Japanese markets for additional funds, the group would have a US-listed outlet through Superplanet.

Gerovich also suggested Superplanet could pursue acquisitions in the US Bitcoin treasury sector that may not be available to Metaplanet directly. If those opportunities are real, the deal would not only relocate part of Metaplanet’s treasury influence into the US, but also potentially broaden the group’s deal pipeline—important in a market where the number of suitable targets can be limited by listing status, regulatory posture, and investor reach.

Still, the timetable is long and conditional. The closing window—expected in Q4 2026—means the plan faces two categories of uncertainty: (1) the outcome of Super League shareholder approvals and other closing conditions, and (2) how capital markets—and Bitcoin’s price and liquidity—may evolve between now and then.

Super League shares react sharply to the Bitcoin treasury signal

Markets responded quickly to the announcement. Super League Enterprise shares surged by more than 50% following the news, with trading activity expanding dramatically. The article cites Yahoo Finance data showing trading volume of roughly 37.3 million shares compared with about 393,000 shares beforehand—an increase of nearly 95 times.

While stock moves don’t confirm the underlying transaction’s completion, the reaction underscores how investors are reading this as more than a routine corporate deal. For a company whose current operations include immersive gaming, content, and advertising, the proposed pivot to a US Bitcoin treasury platform changes the narrative: from a gaming/content business to a structure where Bitcoin treasury management becomes central.

Metaplanet’s place among corporate Bitcoin holders

Metaplanet is described in the source as the third-largest corporate Bitcoin holder, trailing Twenty One Capital by roughly 500 BTC. Twenty One Capital is a publicly traded Bitcoin treasury company backed by Tether, Bitfinex, and SoftBank, and its formation was aimed at accumulating Bitcoin and increasing holdings on a per-share basis.

According to BitcoinTreasuries.NET, Metaplanet last added to its Bitcoin holdings in early July. That context helps frame the company’s current move: rather than only focusing on periodic purchases, it is now exploring a corporate structure that can potentially accelerate the ability to raise capital—without necessarily requiring immediate new BTC buying each time.

The article also highlights Strategy (linked to Michael Saylor) as the largest corporate Bitcoin holder, with more than 840,000 BTC. However, it notes that Strategy has also sold Bitcoin in recent months to fund dividends, share repurchases, and its US dollar reserve—an example of how publicly traded Bitcoin treasury companies may face balancing acts between maintaining BTC exposure and meeting corporate capital-management needs.

That tension is central to how investors should evaluate Metaplanet’s plan. The deal could strengthen the group’s capacity to raise capital and pursue acquisitions, but the ultimate impact will depend on how the combined entities handle future financing cycles, treasury drawdowns, and any need for fiat liquidity.

Investors should watch closely for progress toward shareholder approval at Super League Enterprise, any details that emerge about the final deal mechanics once terms are finalized, and—perhaps most importantly—how Superplanet intends to fund future Bitcoin treasury initiatives once it becomes operational.

Amid subdued crypto sentiment and capital outflows, EiCrypto is promoting cloud mining as a way for holders to generate cash flow from idle digital assets.

Cryptocurrency market sentiment has recently been subdued, driven primarily by a breakdown in on-chain liquidity transmission, persistent net outflows from spot ETFs, sell-offs by whales and large holders (such as Strategy), and a macro-level decoupling between traditional finance and crypto assets. Although US stocks have hit new highs on expectations of interest rate cuts, capital has not effectively flowed into the crypto market.

Consequently, a large number of long-term cryptocurrency holders face two issues: price volatility and asset dormancy.

• Price Volatility: The prices of major cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP are susceptible to factors including market sentiment, macroeconomic conditions, policy changes, and capital flows, potentially leading to significant fluctuations within short periods. Investors relying solely on price appreciation for returns must wait for market opportunities over the long term while also bearing the risk of price declines.
• Asset Dormancy: When investors choose to hold digital assets for the long term, the assets themselves typically remain in a relatively “dormant” state unless they are traded, staked, or utilized in other digital asset services. In other words, while the assets possess potential long-term value, they do not automatically generate additional cash flow while the investor waits for price appreciation.

Consequently, an increasing number of users are shifting their investment mindset; while retaining their assets and the potential for long-term growth, they are seeking alternative ways to enhance asset utilization and establish diversified passive income streams.

In response to growing market demand, EiCrypto has launched a brand-new cloud mining service. Leveraging a unique contract mechanism that links hash power to returns, the service enables users to effectively mitigate market volatility risks and convert idle assets — such as BTC, ETH, and DOGE — into cash flow, thereby establishing an efficient passive income solution.

EiCrypto operates mining facilities across more than 100 countries, utilizing over 800,000 mining units powered entirely by renewable energy and situated in regions with low electricity costs and stable infrastructure.

These mining facilities operate continuously to mine cryptocurrency. Users do not need to purchase hardware or grapple with technical complexities; instead, they participate remotely by selecting cloud mining contract plans via the EiCrypto platform, thereby securing the right to utilize computing power for a fixed contract term. The share of computing power purchased determines the user’s final returns.

Join EiCrypto cloud mining quickly in just three steps.

Register an Account: Sign up here to receive a $15 new-user bonus.

Deposit Methods: EiCrypto supports a wide range of mainstream digital assets; users can deposit major cryptocurrencies such as BTC, USDT, ETH, LTC, USDC, XRP, SOL, and BNB.

Select a Contract: Choose a cloud mining contract that suits a particular budget and timeframe; the system will then operate automatically.

Reference strategies for popular contracts:

Starter Contract: $100 — 2 days — Total return approx. $108

Basic Contract: $500 — 5 days — Total return approx. $532

Basic Contract: $1,500 — 10 days — Total return approx. $1,705

Stable Contract: $5,500 — 20 days — Total return approx. $7,050

Stable Contract: $9,900 — 25 days — Total return approx. $14,280

Premium Contract: $48,000 — 35 days — Total return approx. $77,064

Click here to view more contract details.

Once the contract is activated, earnings will be automatically settled to an account after 24 hours. Users can choose to withdraw their earnings or reinvest them, thereby achieving long-term, compound growth of their digital assets.

EiCrypto has established multiple security mechanisms regarding compliance and safety:

• 
  Annual financial and security compliance audits by PwC;
• Digital asset custody insurance from Lloyd’s of London;
• Cloudflare enterprise-grade cybersecurity protection and McAfee® security systems;
• AI-driven risk control, multi-layered encryption architecture, and two-factor authentication (2FA).

In conclusion

EiCrypto’s new cloud mining model effectively solves the two major problems of price volatility and asset idleness. In the future, what will truly differentiate us will not only be wealth accumulation, but also our level of understanding and innovation capabilities.

For more information, visit the official website and download the application.

MoonPay has integrated Cash App Pay as a payment option for cryptocurrency purchases, allowing eligible US customers to fund transactions using their Cash App balances.

The crypto payments company said in an announcement shared with Cointelegraph Tuesday that Cash App Pay is now available through MoonPay’s own checkout and with select partners, including Trust Wallet, Bitcoin.com, MetaMask, Moonshot, Ledger, BitPay, Uniswap, Tangem, LOBSTR and Edge.

The integration lets customers use their Cash App balance to buy crypto directly through MoonPay without switching between apps or completing a separate login.

MoonPay now supports payment integrations with Cash App, PayPal and Venmo, having added PayPal in 2024 before later expanding to Venmo.

Cash App, the mobile payments service operated by Jack Dorsey’s Block, already allows customers to buy and sell Bitcoin directly through its app. The MoonPay integration broadens that access to a wider range of cryptocurrencies. Cash App reported 59 million active users in June, according to Block’s second-quarter shareholder report.

“Cash App is where tens of millions of Americans already manage their money,” MoonPay co-founder and CEO Ivan Soto-Wright said. “This integration means that those users can access the digital asset ecosystem, funded instantly from an app they already know and trust.”

Expansion beyond crypto onramps

MoonPay is licensed by the New York State Department of Financial Services through a BitLicense and Limited Purpose Trust Charter, and is authorized under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation in the Netherlands.

Related: PayPal, MoonPay and M0 launch PYUSDx to let devs issue app-specific stablecoins

The company has spent much of 2026 on an acquisition spree as it expands beyond its traditional fiat-to-crypto onramp business. It acquired Solana trading infrastructure provider DFlow in May, following an April deal for crypto security firm Sodot as part of a broader push into institutional crypto services.

In July, it acquired cross-chain infrastructure startup Glide and launched PayBox, a vault that lets ChatGPT and Claude users authorize crypto transactions while keeping custody of their assets.

Asia Express: ‘Fabricated rumors’ about BitMart founder, Binance bStocks dominate

Kraken’s consumer payment app, Krak, has rolled out a multi-asset debit card in the United States, letting customers pay with crypto and fiat while earning cashback. The card supports spending from more than 600 assets and currencies, converting holdings into US dollars at the point of sale, according to an announcement on Tuesday.

The move expands Kraken’s push toward everyday finance products that sit alongside trading. It also positions a rewards model that depends on asset balances rather than credit-based payments—an angle aimed at consumers who are wary of accumulating monthly credit-card debt.

Key takeaways

• Krak launched a US multi-asset debit card that can draw from 600+ assets/currencies and converts them into USD at checkout.
• Users can choose the order in which balances are spent, allowing multiple holdings to contribute to a single purchase.
• Cashback can be earned up to 2%, paid in US dollars or Bitcoin, with rates tied to average assets held across Krak, Kraken, and Kraken Pro.
• The cards are issued by Lead Bank on Visa and powered by Stripe Issuing, with physical and virtual options for eligible US customers.
• Kraken says it has already issued 135,000 multi-asset cards in the UK and EEA since a December 2025 launch.

A debit card built for crypto and fiat spending

Krak’s new card is designed to work like a conventional debit instrument, but with a key difference: the funding sources can include both traditional currencies and crypto assets. When users make a purchase, holdings are converted into US dollars at the point of sale.

Rather than forcing customers to pick a single wallet or balance up front, the card can pull from multiple assets during one transaction. Krak says users will be able to set the order of assets that get spent first, giving customers control over how their portfolio is applied at checkout.

For investors and traders considering real-world utility, the practical takeaway is that Krak is trying to remove friction between “holding” and “spending.” Instead of treating crypto as a separate ecosystem from everyday commerce, the card aims to make it operationally comparable to a multi-currency payment tool—though users still need to understand that conversion happens at the moment of purchase.

Cashback up to 2%—but tied to average balances

Krak says the cashback program can reach 2% and is delivered either in dollars or Bitcoin. The determining factor is not simply transaction behavior; the company says cashback rates depend on the average assets held across Krak, Kraken, and Kraken Pro.

This structure mirrors a broader trend among crypto payment products: loyalty incentives increasingly target longer-term account engagement rather than short-term promotional activity. It also helps explain Krak’s emphasis on balances across multiple Kraken properties, effectively blending “payments” with “customer stickiness” across the ecosystem.

Krak is marketing the card as an alternative to rewards programs typically offered by credit cards. In a survey of 2,001 US adults commissioned by Krak via Morning Consult, 42% of credit card holders said they worry about paying off their monthly balance. In the same survey, 60% said they would switch to a debit card offering rewards without taking on debt.

While the survey does not prove how many people will actually adopt Krak’s card, it does clarify why the company believes the debit + rewards format can resonate in a market where credit-card interest costs remain a consumer concern.

How the card works: Visa issuance and Stripe Issuing

Operationally, Krak’s card is backed by established payment infrastructure. The card is issued by Lead Bank on the Visa network, and Krak says it is powered by Stripe Issuing. The company also indicates both physical and virtual versions are available to eligible customers in the United States.

For users, that combination typically matters for practical adoption—virtual cards can be used for online spending, while physical cards cover in-store purchases. For builders and partners watching the sector, it underscores how crypto-native finance products increasingly rely on mainstream rails to scale distribution and compliance workflows, even when the “wallet logic” remains crypto-specific.

From UK/EEA rollout to US expansion

Krak did not start from scratch in payments. Kraken says it has issued more than 135,000 multi-asset cards in the UK and European Economic Area (EEA) since launching there in December 2025.

That history matters because it frames the US card as an expansion of a live product rather than a brand-new concept. It also suggests Krak is carrying operational learnings from earlier markets—such as how customers choose spending order across assets and how cashback eligibility and conversion behavior work in practice.

Still, readers should watch how US users experience the same mechanics. The US rollout may face different consumer habits, regulatory requirements, and asset availability expectations compared with UK/EEA customers, even if the core product design is similar.

Kraken’s broader push beyond trading

The card launch fits into a wider strategy at Kraken’s parent company, Payward. In remarks at the Wyoming Blockchain Symposium, Payward co-CEO Arjun Sethi discussed plans to expand the firm’s financial services offering, including pushing into additional asset classes and more traditional financial products.

Sethi said diversification across multiple asset classes could reduce dependence on any single market cycle. He also described tokenization as “a large part” of the company’s effort to broaden its financial offerings, and compared the company’s target end state to major incumbent banks—arguing it needs products and services “not too different to a JP Morgan or a financial institution.”

That message lands at a time when several large exchanges are broadening their businesses beyond spot trading. Coinbase and others have expanded into areas such as equities, derivatives, prediction markets, tokenized assets, and pre-IPO products—signaling that the competitive battleground is shifting toward multi-vertical financial platforms.

Krak’s debit card adds a consumer-facing layer to that trend. Instead of asking users to interact with crypto primarily through trading screens, Kraken is moving toward everyday financial touchpoints—spending, rewards, and balance-based incentives—that could keep customers engaged even when they are not actively trading.

Kraken is also continuing to expand its regulated offerings. Separately, the company launched trading in more than 7,000 US-listed stocks for customers in the EEA earlier this week, reinforcing the pattern of “financial services first” expansion.

Next, investors and consumers should watch how Krak’s US rollout performs against its UK/EEA track record—particularly around card issuance eligibility, cashback mechanics, and how users manage multi-asset spending order in real transactions.

Aave, one of crypto’s largest lending and borrowing protocols, still hasn’t recovered from the April 18 hack of KelpDAO.

Indeed, the value of all crypto assets in its smart contracts is down 43% since the attack, and 67% below its 52-week high.

Despite KelpDAO users entrusting $26.4 billion to Aave just prior to the hack — already way down on the October 2025 peak of $45.9 billion — there’s a mere $14.9 billion worth of assets in the ecosystem today.

North Korean hackers looted KelpDAO in mid-April, and through its acceptance of KelpDAO tokens as collateral for loans, Aave was left nursing a nine-figure loss.

North Korea infected the industry

Despite Aave itself never being hacked, per its own report, its utility for lending cost it a long-held title as DeFi’s biggest platform. Four months later, depositors still have cold feet.

LayerZero, the KelpDAO bridge’s software provider, blamed North Korea within 48 hours — an early call that outside investigators later confirmed.

KelpDAO takes deposits of ETH, stakes on Ethereum’s blockchain for yield, and issues a tradeable receipt token called rsETH. The thieves parked stolen rsETH on Aave and borrowed real ETH against it, leaving Aave and fellow lender Compound with an estimated $246 million of combined bad debt.

Aave forcibly liquidated the attacker’s positions, industry allies rebuilt the missing collateral, and by late May, Aave had declared every market back to normal.

Nevertheless, the dollar value of its liquidity pools never recovered and Aave still sits about two-thirds below its October peak.

Securitize has launched a tokenized fixed-income fund managed with Neuberger that will invest mainly in high-yield bonds and issue interests across Avalanche, Ethereum, Solana, and Sui.

Securitize said in an Aug. 18 announcement that the Neuberger Securitize High Income Tokenized Fund, trading under the ticker HINC, will seek risk-adjusted returns from a portfolio of income-producing fixed-income assets.

Along with high-yield bonds, the mandate permits investments in collateralized loan obligations and leveraged loans. Neuberger will manage the portfolio as subadvisor, drawing on a fixed-income business overseeing more than $230 billion in assets.

Securitize Capital LLC serves as the investment adviser, while Securitize Markets LLC will offer fund interests to eligible investors. Other affiliates of the tokenization company will handle administration and operational services.

HINC brings a high-yield strategy to four blockchains

HINC will issue tokenized interests on Avalanche, Ethereum, Solana, and Sui, giving eligible investors four networks through which to access the fund.

Although the fund’s interests are represented on public blockchains, participation will remain restricted. Investors must qualify as accredited investors or qualified purchasers and complete Securitize’s onboarding process, including know-your-customer and anti-money laundering checks.

Access will also depend on an investor’s jurisdiction and applicable securities laws. As a result, the tokens will not be freely available to every wallet user in the same way as an unrestricted cryptocurrency.

Carlos Domingo, co-founder and CEO of Securitize, said the fund places Neuberger’s fixed-income capabilities on public blockchains through the company’s regulated infrastructure.

“Launching HINC across Avalanche, Ethereum, Solana and Sui gives eligible investors access through four leading blockchain network.”

Neuberger’s role is limited to serving as the fund’s subadvisor, while Securitize’s entities retain the other advisory, distribution, and administrative duties outlined in the announcement.

For Neuberger, HINC represents its first role as subadvisor to a tokenized fund. The asset manager will apply its research and portfolio-management process to the underlying fixed-income investments rather than manage the blockchain infrastructure.

Neuberger will manage the underlying fixed-income portfolio

Neuberger manages approximately $613 billion across equities, fixed income, private markets, real estate, and hedge fund portfolios, based on company data as of June 30. Its fixed-income platform accounts for more than $230 billion of that total.

Anil Abraham, Neuberger’s head of product management, said the firm has developed its fixed-income operation through several market cycles using research-led and diversified strategies.

“We are pleased to work with Securitize to extend our process-driven, actively managed approach to qualified investors looking to access fixed income strategies on-chain,” Abraham said.

Tokenization changes how investors hold and transact in fund interests, but the announced investment mandate remains centered on conventional credit instruments. High-yield bonds generally refer to corporate debt carrying ratings below investment grade, while leveraged loans are commonly issued by companies with elevated debt levels.

Collateralized loan obligations, another permitted part of HINC’s portfolio, pool corporate loans and divide their cash flows among different groups of investors. The announcement did not state how much of HINC would be allocated to bonds, CLOs, or leveraged loans.

A comparable institutional product entered the market in July when Centrifuge and New York Life Investment Management introduced a tokenized U.S. high-yield corporate bond strategy. According to a report on NYLIM’s fund, subscriptions and redemptions for the HYB product settle in USDC, while NYLIM retains responsibility for portfolio management and risk controls.

Unlike that single-chain arrangement, Securitize has chosen four networks for HINC at launch. The release did not specify whether subscriptions and redemptions would settle in dollars, stablecoins or both.

Securitize expands its tokenized fund lineup

Securitize reported more than $4 billion in assets on its tokenization platform as of April. The company also works with asset managers including Apollo, BlackRock, BNY, Hamilton Lane, KKR, and VanEck.

Earlier in August, BlackRock launched two tokenized funds holding cash, short-term U.S. government debt, and Treasury-backed repurchase agreements. Securitize acts as a transfer agent and tokenization provider for the products, according to the coverage of the funds.

HINC differs from cash and Treasury products because it takes exposure to lower-rated corporate debt and other credit assets. The fund’s return profile and risk will therefore depend on the performance of its underlying portfolio rather than the blockchain used to record ownership.

Recent figures also point to rising use of blockchains for conventional financial assets. A May report based on InvestaX data placed the tokenized RWA market excluding stablecoins at about $29 billion at the end of March, following approximately 30% growth during the first quarter.

Alongside third-party funds, Securitize placed its own publicly traded shares on Solana and Avalanche when the company began trading on the New York Stock Exchange in July. The tokenized SECZ shares represent the same common stock as the exchange-listed securities rather than a separate share class, crypto.news reported at the time.

U.S. access remains subject to securities requirements

In the United States, Securitize Markets operates as a broker-dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and runs an alternative trading system. Securitize Transfer Agent is also registered with the SEC, while Securitize Capital operates as an exempt reporting adviser, according to the company.

Those entities divide the responsibilities connected to HINC. Securitize Capital advises the fund, Securitize Markets offers its interests, and affiliated businesses provide tokenization and administrative services.

The fund’s availability to accredited investors and qualified purchasers places eligibility checks before blockchain access. Prospective investors must also pass KYC and AML screening and meet any restrictions tied to where they live.

Outside the United States, Securitize operates through Securitize Europe Brokerage and Markets, an authorized investment firm that runs a trading and settlement system under the European Union’s DLT Pilot Regime.

Founded in 1939, Neuberger remains privately held and employee-owned, with no corporate parent or unaffiliated external shareholders. The investment manager employs about 3,000 people across 26 countries and manages portfolios for institutions, financial advisers, and individual clients.

0G Private Computer has processed more than 250 billion tokens across 17 million requests while expanding its private AI service to 28 models and adding U.S. dollar payments.

In an Aug. 18 press release shared with crypto.news, 0G Labs said that Private Computer had also produced 15 million Trusted Execution Environment attestation proofs since launching on April 27.

The platform began with seven models and now offers 28 through a web console and an application programming interface compatible with OpenAI’s API. Users can access text, image, audio, and video generation tools from one account.

According to the company, Private Computer does not retain user data. Prompts are processed in memory, are not stored after use, and are not added to model-training datasets. Usage figures and attestation activity are displayed through a public real-time dashboard.

0G Private Computer adds dollar and card payments

USD Mode is now generally available, giving users the option to maintain account balances in U.S. dollars and add funds by card through Stripe, the release said. Email sign-in and a guided first-deposit process have also been introduced.

Previously, interacting with decentralized AI infrastructure could require users to set up a crypto wallet, acquire a supported token, and complete an on-chain transaction. Under the updated process described by 0G Labs, customers can create an account with an email address and start using the service without buying a token.

For U.S. users, the main access change is the ability to pay in dollars through a familiar card-based checkout. The company did not announce a new U.S.-specific token, investment product, or securities offering as part of the update.

Each request lets users select a trust tier, with verifiable execution available on 20 of the 28 listed models. Payments can take place in dollars even when the selected model uses the platform’s decentralized verification infrastructure.

“Privacy should not require a crypto wallet,” 0G Labs co-founder and CEO Michael Heinrich said.

“With this upgrade anyone can pay for AI in dollars and still get hardware-verified privacy. Decentralized infrastructure goes mainstream by meeting people where they are, not by asking them to change how they pay.”

Twenty AI models support verifiable execution

Trusted Execution Environments are protected areas within computer hardware that isolate data and code while a task is being completed. Within Private Computer, the technology is used to process prompts without exposing them outside the protected environment, according to 0G Labs.

Of the platform’s 20 verifiable models, 15 use a system called TeeTLS for verified routing. Another five use TeeML, which keeps prompts inside a hardware enclave while a model generates its response.

Model pages display privacy labels so users can check the type of execution available before submitting a request. Eight of the 28 models do not currently carry the same verifiable-execution support, based on the figures supplied by the company.

TEE-based computing is also being tested elsewhere in the crypto and blockchain sector. A March report on Origins detailed an $8 million raise for a modular AI network that separates heavy model workloads from blockchain-based verification.

In April, crypto.news covered 0G’s Qianwen integration, which connected Alibaba’s large language model family to applications and AI agents built on 0G infrastructure. The integration was designed to let developers use Qianwen models within on-chain applications rather than rely only on conventional AI platforms.

Private Computer takes a consumer-facing approach to the same infrastructure. Instead of asking users to manage the blockchain layer directly, the service presents its models through an account dashboard and a standard API used by many AI developers.

Video generation expands the 0G model lineup

Hailuo 3, a video model developed by MiniMax, joined Private Computer on Aug. 3, according to the release. It supports both text-to-video generation and first-frame image-to-video generation through the platform’s browser interface.

The addition means customers can access video, image, text, and audio models without creating separate accounts for each format. Private Computer’s model count has quadrupled from seven at launch to 28, while 0G Labs reported reaching 15,000 users during the same period.

Model access can also be handled through the OpenAI-compatible API. Compatibility allows developers already using that API format to connect their applications without creating a completely different request structure for 0G’s service.

The company said users can choose between models and verification levels for individual requests. Its public dashboard records aggregate activity, including the reported 250 billion tokens, 17 million requests, and 15 million TEE proofs.

Private Computer connects to 0G’s blockchain stack

Private Computer operates as an access point for the other parts of 0G’s network, which include decentralized computing, distributed storage, data availability services, and an Ethereum Virtual Machine-compatible blockchain.

Known as Aristotle Mainnet, the blockchain was launched alongside the 0G token in September 2025. At the time, a report on its Kraken listing described 0G as a modular layer-1 network built to support decentralized AI applications.

The September report said the project had raised more than $350 million, including a $40 million seed round and a $250 million token purchase commitment obtained by the 0G Foundation. Investors named in the earlier funding included Hack VC, OKX Ventures, Delphi Ventures, Samsung Next, and Animoca Brands.

In its latest release, 0G Labs said its ecosystem has now raised more than $360 million and works with over 100 partners. The company listed Chainlink, Google Cloud, and Alibaba Cloud among the organizations connected to the ecosystem.

Bitcoin (BTC) hit $65,000 after Tuesday’s Wall Street open as US stocks rebounded in spite of geopolitical pressure.

Key points:

• Bitcoin reaches $65,000 for the first time since Aug. 10 as risk assets navigate fresh US-Iran signals.
• Analysis warns of surging US 30-year bond yields, which hit 29-year highs of 5.34%.
• BTC price analysis flags decision time on a head-and-shoulders bottoming structure.

Bitcoin diverges from US stocks as Trump says Strait of Hormuz “open”

Data from TradingView showed BTC/USD building on the week’s gains as the S&P 500 bounced from 7,696, its lowest level since Aug. 4.

BTC/USD four-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

This came after US president Donald Trump posted a map of the closed Strait of Hormuz oil route to Truth Social where it was labeled “new US territory.”

Both the US and Iran lay claim to control of Hormuz, with Trump threatening US ally Oman with military action over its plans to work with Iran on charging tolls to shipping traffic. In a subsequent post, Trump confirmed that further diplomacy with Iran was not on the agenda.

“There are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Naval Blockade remains in full force and effect. The Hormuz Strait is open and operating. All water mines have been removed or detonated,” he wrote.

S&P 500 one-day chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

As on Monday, oil avoided major volatility, with WTI crude down 1% at the time of writing at $84 per barrel. US government bonds continued to show strain, with the 30-year yield hitting 5.34%, its highest since January 2007.

“Bond prices are sending warnings,” BNY Mellon analyst Geoff Yu wrote in a research note quoted by the New York Times. Yu said that the surge came as “investors demand more compensation for inflation risk,” while also attributing the upside to government borrowing. 

US 30-year bond yields one-month chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

BTC price faces crunch rebound test

Updating X followers on BTC/USD, trader and analyst Aksel Kibar eyed the culmination of a potential reverse head-and-shoulders pattern at $62,300. 

Related: Bitcoin price spike to $64.5K was ‘low-volume liquidity trap’: Analysis

“If $BTCUSD is going to rebound, it has to come from here,” he argued on Monday.

Kibar offered a $53,000 target in the event of the head-and-shoulders structure failing, with $76,000 a potential upside target should the rebound sustain. 

BTC/USD one-day chart. Source: Aksel Kibar on X.com

Previously, Cointelegraph reported that underwater investors were contributing to Bitcoin’s inability to break higher. Its rebound to $64,500 also stopped short of an overhead trend line, the 50-month exponential moving average (EMA). This moving average is now in place as resistance at $65,827.