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BMO brings tokenized cash and deposits to CME’s 24/7 settlement rails

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BMO brings tokenized cash and deposits to CME’s 24/7 settlement rails

BMO will let clients convert dollars into tokenized cash and deposits on CME and Google Cloud’s Universal Ledger, enabling 24/7 margin, collateral and B2B payments.

Bank of Montreal (BMO), one of the largest banks in North America by assets, announced on March 24 that it will launch tokenized cash capabilities in collaboration with CME Group and Google Cloud, becoming the first bank to offer CME’s institutional tokenized cash solution on the Google Cloud Universal Ledger — a private, permissioned distributed ledger designed specifically for traditional financial institutions.

The platform allows BMO’s institutional clients to convert U.S. dollars into a tokenized instrument for use with margined products at CME Group, supporting high-value real-time settlement needs including margin calls, collateral movement, and derivatives trading — all on a 24/7 basis, free from the cutoff constraints of conventional banking infrastructure.

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Two Products, Two Client Sets

BMO’s announcement introduces two distinct capabilities. The first — tokenized cash — is designed for mutual clients of CME Group and BMO operating in capital markets and commercial banking. The bank plans to offer this institutional settlement instrument to regulated financial services firms in the second half of 2026, subject to regulatory approval.

The second capability — tokenized deposits — is broader in scope. It will allow BMO to offer traditional commercial bank funds in digital form to a wider set of BMO clients, enabling general-purpose B2B payments, treasury movements, and programmable cash applications. Together, the two products represent a full-spectrum approach to digitizing dollar-denominated liquidity across institutional and commercial use cases.

The Infrastructure Behind It

The platform runs on Google Cloud Universal Ledger (GCUL), a programmable distributed ledger that CME Group and Google Cloud began piloting in March 2025 for secure wholesale payments and capital markets settlement. Following initial integration and testing, CME and Google Cloud had targeted 2026 for new service launches — BMO’s participation represents the first live institutional deployment of that infrastructure.

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The timing is significant. CME CEO Terry Duffy had already signaled in February 2026, during the company’s Q4 earnings call, that CME was evaluating tokenized collateral frameworks and even exploring its own digital token for margin settlement. “So if you were to give me a token from a systemically important financial institution, I would probably be more comfortable than maybe a third or fourth-tier bank trying to issue a token for margin,” Duffy said, framing BMO’s participation as precisely the kind of bank-anchored model CME has been seeking.

Regulatory Momentum

The BMO announcement arrives as regulators have begun constructing frameworks to accommodate tokenized assets in derivatives markets. In December 2025, the CFTC launched a supervised pilot for tokenized derivatives collateral, allowing registered futures commission merchants to accept Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDC, and tokenized real-world assets as margin collateral under direct federal oversight. Industry leaders including Coinbase, Circle, and Ripple welcomed the move as a step toward faster, safer settlement.

BMO’s tokenized cash platform slots directly into that emerging regulatory architecture — a bank-grade, permissioned instrument designed to operate within the same capital markets rules that govern traditional futures and derivatives, while unlocking the round-the-clock settlement capabilities that crypto-native markets have long taken for granted.

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Crypto World

Trump Gives Hormuz Ultimatum in 48 Hours as Oil Surges

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Crypto Breaking News

Strategic Waterway at Risk

The Strait of Hormuz is also one of the most important routes of oil transit in the world, and its interruption has already attracted international attention. The US stance has been supported by several nations such as the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, which have put pressure on Iran to allow normal shipping activities. Furthermore, the Gulf countries have also highlighted the necessity to maintain the energy routes steadily to avoid the broader economic impact in case the US attacks. Iran has replied that any assault by the US will be met with attacks on the infrastructure in the region that benefits the US. Energy plants, technology systems, and desalination plants may serve as targets in the case of further escalation, according to the officials. This was also in response to an alleged missile attack associated with Iran on the Haifa refinery in Israel that fueled more tension in the region.

Oil markets responded swiftly to the events, with oil prices rising to approximately 98 dollars per barrel, indicating the increasing supply fears. The traders considered the possibility of extended unrest in the Gulf region, which would constrict global supplies. In addition, analysts observed that strategic reserves might fail to counter lasting supply shocks in the event that the conflict spreads to international markets. The cryptocurrency market revealed a new vulnerability as geopolitical risks rose amidst global markets. Major digital assets suffered losses with investors moving to less risky assets due to uncertainty. The larger risk-off mood thus persisted to press crypto prices even though they have tried to recover in the recent past.

The situation in the financial markets is delicate to any additional update, with each group taking a strong stand. On another indicator, investors are keeping a close eye on any diplomatic happenings that will reduce tensions or avert escalation. Nevertheless, with additional uncertainty surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, volatility can be expected to continue in the near term in both oil and digital asset markets.

Risk & affiliate notice: Crypto assets are volatile and capital is at risk. This article may contain affiliate links. Read full disclosure

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Robinhood (HOOD) lifts buyback program to $1.5 billion

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Robinhood (HOOD) lifts buyback program to $1.5 billion

Robinhood’s (HOOD) board has approved a new $1.5 billion share repurchase program, according to an 8-K filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

It adds more than $1.1 billion to existing buyback capacity.

The company said it expects to carry out the plan over about three years starting in the first quarter of 2026, though it is not required to buy a fixed amount.

Alongside the buyback, Robinhood also strengthened its access to funding. Its subsidiary, Robinhood Securities, entered into an updated credit agreement with lenders led by JPMorgan. The deal expands a revolving credit facility to $3.25 billion, up from $2.65 billion, with the option to increase total commitments to $4.875 billion.

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One of last year’s hottest stocks, in large part thanks to the boom in crypto-related trading, HOOD has lost more than 50% of its value since bitcoin topped in early October. Shares are up 1.4% in after hours trading.

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Bitcoin Holders Move to Cash as Volatility Remains High

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Cryptocurrencies, Federal Reserve, Israel, Bitcoin Price, Iran, Markets, United States, Cryptocurrency Exchange, Price Analysis, Market Analysis

Bitcoin (BTC) holders are gradually becoming less prone to panic selling and instead building up cash buffers to deploy during discounted BTC buying opportunities. Onchain data supports this view, highlighting a large surge in stablecoin activity, with USD Coin (USDC) and Tether’s USDt (USDT) transfers reaching a combined $440 billion on March 22. 

This shift in investor behavior aligns with the increasing risk-off approach seen in markets as the United States Federal Reserve dismissed near-term interest rate cut expectations, amid rising energy prices due to the ongoing US and Israel-Iran war.

Bitcoin realized volatility expands, but investors are cool headed

Bitcoin’s recent price action highlights a volatile market. It dropped 3.75% to $67,300 on Sunday before rebounding above $71,700 on Monday, with the move largely driven by news around the US and Israel-Iran war.

As a result, BTC’s realized volatility, which measures how much the price has actually moved over a given period, remains elevated across multiple time frames. The three-month and six-month realized volatility measures have climbed to 107% and 148%, respectively, up from 60% and 94.5% over the past six months. 

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Cryptocurrencies, Federal Reserve, Israel, Bitcoin Price, Iran, Markets, United States, Cryptocurrency Exchange, Price Analysis, Market Analysis
BTC realized volatility. Source: CryptoQuant

However, the long-term one-year realized volatility has remained unchanged near 180% during this period. That suggests the market isn’t in full panic mode, and it is dealing with uncertainty without widespread forced selling.

Stablecoin flows provide important context for this environment. On March 22, the total number of USDC tokens transferred surged to 368 billion, marking a roughly 2,081% daily increase to an all-time high, while USDT transfers on the Ethereum network reached 72 billion.

Cryptocurrencies, Federal Reserve, Israel, Bitcoin Price, Iran, Markets, United States, Cryptocurrency Exchange, Price Analysis, Market Analysis
BTC price, USDC, and USDT token transferred chart. Source: CryptoQuant

These stablecoin flows point to a rapid capital rotation and repositioning. The market participants are actively moving funds into stablecoins as a temporary store of value, creating a “cash buffer” that can be redeployed quickly.

This dynamic often emerges in volatile conditions, where traders may prioritize monitoring the price over high exposure.

Related: What happens to Bitcoin if US bond yields soar above 5%?

Spot and futures activity remain below bull market highs

Futures data further reinforces the current sidelined sentiment. BTC open interest (in USD) is down $19 billion over the past six months, indicating a steady reduction in leveraged exposure. This unwind reflects a market that is de-risking rather than building aggressive positions.

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Cryptocurrencies, Federal Reserve, Israel, Bitcoin Price, Iran, Markets, United States, Cryptocurrency Exchange, Price Analysis, Market Analysis
BTCUSDT, aggregated open interest, and funding rate. Source: velo.data

Aggregated funding rates have cooled to 0.01% from overheated levels near 0.1% in July-August 2025, occasionally flipping negative, while the perpetual futures premium continues to trade at a discount to spot.

Together, these signals point to subdued leverage demand and a market lacking strong directional conviction, with a slight bearish tilt.

The spot market activity paints a similar picture. Cointelegraph reported that Binance is on track to record its lowest monthly spot volume since September 2023, with volumes hovering near $52 billion.

The current participation levels align more closely with periods of reduced engagement seen during prior bear market cycles in 2022-2023.

Thus, the crypto market has strong liquidity, with capital actively moving through stablecoins, but it isn’t being deployed into Bitcoin yet, and BTC holders continue to observe the current market.

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Related: Bitcoin value ‘off the chart’ as BTC price metric hits record lows in 2026