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EY warns firms they must own the wallet to keep their customers

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EY warns firms they must own the wallet to keep their customers

In the evolving landscape of digital finance, Big Four consultancy firm EY has zeroed in on what it believes is the next defining frontier: wallets.

Wallets are fast becoming the critical interface for the next era of financial services, not just tools for holding cryptocurrency, according to Mark Nichols, principal at EY.

“The wallet is the strategy,” Nichols who co-leads the firm’s digital assets consulting business, told CoinDesk in an interview. “Who owns the wallet, who provisions the wallet, will win the client relationship.”

Nichols and his West Coast counterpart, Rebecca Carvatt, view wallets as more than infrastructure. They’re the gateway to storing, moving and managing tokenized value in a world where financial instruments, from payments to private credit, are increasingly moving onchain, he said.

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Not just custody: Wallets as the hub of tokenized finance

The vision is expansive. Far from being a niche utility for crypto enthusiasts, wallets are becoming the connective tissue of a broader tokenized financial system. Wallets will soon be indispensable for retail investors, asset managers, treasurers and even commercial banks, according to Carvatt, co-leader of EY’s digital assets consulting business.

“They’re going to be the access point for everything — payments, tokenized assets and stablecoins,” she said.

EY’s perspective positions wallets as the new bank accounts of the future, with services tailored not just to individuals, but to corporates and institutional investors who require sophisticated integration with risk systems, compliance tools and real-time capital flows.

The implication is clear: whoever controls the wallet controls the relationship. For financial institutions already losing ground to crypto-native platforms, the shift is existential.

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Beyond liquidity: The real promise of tokenization

The broader shift to tokenization is often framed as a play for liquidity, but EY believes that narrative undersells the true impact. “It’s not just about liquidity,” Nichols says. “Liquidity isn’t the be-all and end-all, it’s about the utility that onchain finance enables.”

What EY sees instead is the emergence of blockchain as a real-time infrastructure for financial markets, one that allows for programmable transaction chains, and fundamentally reshapes how capital is managed. Tokenization enables atomic settlement, sure, but its real power lies in margin optimization and operational efficiency.

Nichols points to scenarios where firms can use stablecoins or tokenized assets to meet margin calls more frequently and precisely. That, in turn, reduces initial margin requirements, freeing up capital for investment. “It’s about better risk alignment and real-time capital management,” he says. “And the wallet becomes the gateway to making that possible.”

A decade in the space: EY’s deep crypto bench

While some firms are racing to catch up, EY has been building in the digital asset space for more than 12 years. Its early investments in crypto-native audit and compliance practices now span thousands of professionals, supporting everything from hedge fund tax returns to tokenized M&A advisory.

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“We’ve worked with every client profile – large banks, asset managers, exchanges, digital natives, infrastructure providers,” Nichols says. “and have been working in the digital asset ecosystem for over a decade.”

EY’s hedge fund audit business was one of the earliest to support crypto, and its advisory team has helped firms prepare for public listings and complex regulatory environments. The firm has developed bespoke services for wallet monitoring, onchain compliance, and token-native tax reporting. It also continues to advise traditional financial institutions on how to design safe, compliant digital asset strategies, particularly as they begin to develop or integrate wallet infrastructure.

Wallets for everyone: A segment-by-segment view

EY is clear that wallet needs are not monolithic. Consumers want seamless UX and secure access to payments and crypto. Corporates need integration with treasury functions and regulatory compliance across jurisdictions. Institutional clients demand secure custody, connectivity to decentralized finance (DeFi) and staking products, and embedded risk tooling.

Self-custody, EY argues, won’t be mainstream. The average user or institution doesn’t want to manage their own private keys. Instead, trusted wallet providers will emerge, banks, fintechs, or specialized custodians; each tailoring their offering based on the segment they serve.

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Provisioning wallets, then, becomes a strategic imperative. Whether firms choose to build their own, acquire providers, or form partnerships, the wallet is the new front door to financial services. Firms that act now will reduce future customer acquisition costs and own a more defensible position in the digital asset ecosystem.

Regulation: A catalyst, not a roadblock

One of the most persistent beliefs about tokenization is that regulation is a blocker. But EY’s leaders disagree. “We already have the regulatory framework in core markets, and alongside the broader industry, the passage of market structure legislation will allow for remaining issues to be ironed out,” Nichols says. “A security is a security, a commodity is a commodity. Blockchain is technology.”

In the U.S., the GENIUS Act and existing Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) exemptions provide pathways for compliant tokenized products. Globally, jurisdictions are racing to attract digital asset innovation with evolving licensing regimes. While harmonization is still in progress, the momentum is unmistakable.

EY sees this moment as a call to maturity, an inflection point where infrastructure is catching up to vision. “We’re past the experimentation phase,” Carvatt says. “Now it’s about safe, scalable implementation.”

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Rethinking asset management from the ground up

Perhaps nowhere is the impact of tokenization and wallet infrastructure more profound than in asset management. A typical fund currently requires a distribution network, an investment team, a custodian, a fund administrator, and regulatory reporting channels. With tokenization and smart contracts, much of that stack becomes programmable, and potentially obsolete.

“Asset managers just want to build great portfolios,” Nichols says. “Blockchain lets them do that without all the legacy friction.”

By tokenizing fund underliers and embedding logic into smart contracts, asset managers can automate functions like distribution, compliance, and reporting. This opens the door to lower fees, broader investor access, and new types of products, particularly in private credit and alternatives, where cost has historically been a barrier.

“From the unbanked to the unbrokered, we’re seeing more people gain exposure to assets that were previously out of reach,” Carvatt says. “That’s powerful.”

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The future of finance is onchain

Whether for crypto, payments, or tokenized assets, wallets will be the gateway to a new financial reality. Firms that ignore this will risk irrelevance. Those that embrace it will own the infrastructure, and the customer relationship, at the heart of digital finance.

“The future of finance is on-chain,” Nichols says. “And the wallet is at its center.”

Read more: R3 bets on Solana to bring institutional yield onchain

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Aave launches on OKX’s X Layer to expand on-chain lending access

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Aave launches on OKX’s X Layer to expand on-chain lending access

Decentralized lending protocol Aave has officially launched on Ethereum layer 2 X Layer.

Summary

  • Aave has launched on X Layer, enabling OKX Wallet users to lend, borrow, and earn yield directly on the network without bridging assets.
  • X Layer, developed by OKX, has seen limited growth so far, with about $25 million in total value locked.

According to the official announcement, the launch will allow OKX Wallet users and DeFi participants to directly supply assets, borrow against collateral, and earn yield on the network without having to use a separate wallet or bridge assets across chains.

X Layer was developed by OKX and launched in 2024, but network growth has been relatively slow so far, with the chain holding only about $25 million in total value locked as of press time.

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Onboarding Aave could significantly strengthen liquidity and expand the network’s DeFi capabilities.

“With a multi-year track record across more than a dozen blockchain networks and a 60% market share of DeFi lending, Aave is the largest and most trusted onchain lending network, with over $46 billion in supply & borrow. Its arrival on X Layer brings that same battle-tested infrastructure to OKX’s L2 ecosystem, permissionless, non-custodial, and accessible directly from OKX Wallet,” OKX said.

As part of the expansion, users can supply assets including USDT0, USDG, GHO, xBTC, xETH, xSOL, xBETH, and xOKSOL to earn yield that compounds automatically while retaining custody of their tokens.

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Further, users will be able to borrow assets such as USDT0, USDG, GHO, xBTC, xETH, and xSOL against their collateral without any credit check or intermediary.

To access the service, OKX Wallet users just need to open the wallet, navigate to Aave through the DApps section, and connect to the X Layer network.

The latest expansion follows the launch of Orbit, a social trading platform that the crypto exchange introduced earlier this month.

As previously covered, Orbit is designed to combine social media-style interaction with trading tools, allowing users to share strategies, discuss market developments, and follow experienced traders in real time.

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Around the same time, OKX disclosed a strategic investment from Intercontinental Exchange, with the deal set to give ICE a seat on the company’s board.

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Ripple Researchers Propose Privacy-Preserving Transfers for XRPL Multi-Purpose Tokens

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The Ripple research team has published a paper on adding transaction privacy to the XRP Ledger (XRPL). 

The paper introduces Confidential Transfers for Multi-Purpose Tokens (Confidential MPTs). The goal is to enable institutional and regulated use cases, with issuer controls such as freezing and clawbacks.

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The paper is authored by Murat Cenk, Aanchal Malhotra, and Joseph Ayo Akinyele. The Confidential MPTs would be a cryptographic extension of the XLS-33 token standard, which went live on the XRPL mainnet in October 2025

The protocol replaces plaintext per-account balances with EC-ElGamal ciphertexts. Furthermore, it uses non-interactive zero-knowledge proofs to enforce transfer correctness and balance sufficiency without requiring decryption by validators. 

Meanwhile, sender and receiver identities remain visible, preserving XRPL’s account-based model

“To accommodate regulatory and institutional requirements, Confidential MPTs provide cryptographic auditability through an on-chain selective-disclosure model based on multi-ciphertext balance representations and equality proofs, while remaining compatible with simpler issuer-mediated audit models,” the abstract reads.

The timing aligns with shifting regulatory attitudes toward on-chain privacy. In a recent report submitted to Congress in early March, the US Treasury Department acknowledged that lawful users of digital assets may rely on mixers when transacting on public blockchains.

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The privacy paper arrives as Ripple simultaneously strengthens the network’s security foundation. The firm recently outlined an AI-driven security strategy for XRPL.

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The post Ripple Researchers Propose Privacy-Preserving Transfers for XRPL Multi-Purpose Tokens appeared first on BeInCrypto.

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DeFi Tokens Face Pressure as CLARITY Act Targets Stablecoin Yields

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Brian Armstrong's Bold Prediction: AI Agents Will Soon Dominate Global Financial

Key Takeaways

  • Proposed legislation would prohibit stablecoins from generating yields, limiting them to payment functions exclusively
  • The change would redirect yield opportunities toward traditional banking and money market instruments
  • Popular DeFi platforms including Uniswap, Aave, and Compound may encounter stricter regulations on value distribution
  • Trading volumes, liquidity depth, and token demand across DeFi could decline significantly
  • Regulated stablecoin issuers like Circle stand to gain from tighter integration with payment systems

The most recent iteration of the CLARITY Act has sparked significant discussion around its stablecoin provisions. Industry experts warn that decentralized finance tokens may bear the brunt of the legislation’s consequences.

Under the proposed framework, stablecoins would be prohibited from providing yields or any similar incentive structures, including balance-based rewards. This restriction would fundamentally transform stablecoins into payment instruments rather than blockchain-based savings vehicles.

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Markus Thielen, who established 10x Research, indicated that the legislation would effectively channel yield opportunities back into conventional financial systems. Traditional banks, money market vehicles, and compliant financial products would capture these benefits, while cryptocurrency-native services would lose competitive advantage in offering returns.

Initial speculation suggested that DeFi platforms might actually attract more users if centralized crypto services were prevented from distributing yields. The theory presumed capital would migrate toward onchain alternatives.

However, Thielen challenged this assumption. He explained that the CLARITY regulatory structure would probably apply to user-facing platforms and token economics, especially when fee structures or governance mechanisms begin resembling equity instruments.

Potential Impact on DeFi Platforms

This regulatory approach places numerous DeFi initiatives under scrutiny. Decentralized trading venues and lending services may encounter fresh restrictions governing their operations and value distribution mechanisms.

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Platforms such as Uniswap, Sushi, and dYdX face potential consequences, alongside lending services like Aave and Compound. Enhanced regulatory oversight might trigger diminished trading activity, thinner liquidity pools, and decreased token valuations, the 10x Research analysis suggests.

The fundamental question centers on whether these platforms can maintain fee distribution or incentive programs for token holders without triggering new stablecoin-focused regulations.

Thielen observed that distinguishing between governance tokens and regulated financial instruments grows increasingly complex within this regulatory framework.

Circle Positioned for Potential Gains

The legislation wouldn’t create obstacles for every cryptocurrency entity. Circle, which issues the USDC stablecoin, might emerge as a beneficiary under the proposed rules.

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Thielen characterized the regulation as fundamentally favorable for infrastructure providers like Circle. Should stablecoins become embedded within payment networks, issuers maintaining robust regulatory compliance would secure advantageous positions.

The CLARITY Act continues advancing through the legislative pipeline. Congress has not yet enacted a final version.

While stablecoin provisions dominate policy discussions in Washington, industry analysts emphasize that the ripple effects across DeFi ecosystems deserve equal attention.

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White House App Sparks Privacy Fears Over Tracking and Data Collection

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Business, Technology, Privacy, Adoption, White House, Applications

A new app from the US government has sparked concerns among users and researchers over potential location-tracking features, security vulnerabilities and data collection.

The White House launched the app on Friday as a way for users to get a “direct line to the White House,” including receiving breaking news alerts on major government announcements, watching livestreams and keeping up to date on “policy breakthroughs.”

However, users on X have raised concerns about the permissions required to use the app, including access to the device’s location, shared storage and network activity, though these claims have not been independently verified.

While many apps often request location permissions and can log user data, an app launched by the federal government requesting this information can invite additional concerns. 

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However, both listings on the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store currently do not display these warnings.

A White House app privacy policy said it automatically stores information about the originating Internet Protocol (IP) address and other basic information, while it can retain names and email addresses of subscribers, though these are not required to use the app.

Business, Technology, Privacy, Adoption, White House, Applications
Source: Tyler Oakley

Cointelegraph has contacted the White House for comment.

Security engineer says GPS tracking is part of the app

On the app’s Google Play Store page, it states that personal data, including phone numbers and email addresses, may be collected through download and use. Apple’s App Store, meanwhile, directs users to the White House’s privacy policy.

A software developer using the X handle Thereallo, along with Adam, a security engineer and infrastructure architect, say they have identified code suggesting the app could access a device’s GPS for tracking.

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While the feature is common across a number of apps, Adam said it is unusual for location-tracking services to be in software that does not appear to need them.

“There is no map, no local news, no geofencing, no events near you, no weather. Nothing in the app that requires location,” he added.

Concerns of GPS tracking every 4.5 minutes

Thereallo made a similar claim that the app includes code that could enable tracking a device every 4.5 minutes in the foreground and 9.5 minutes in the background, though this has not been independently verified.

Business, Technology, Privacy, Adoption, White House, Applications
Source: Thereallo

They found that it still requires permission but warned that it is only “one call away from activating,” and that the tracking “infrastructure is there, ready to go.”

Related: Trump advisory council draws Coinbase co-founder, tech leaders

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At the same time, Thereallo said the app is collecting other data such as notification interactions, in-app message clicks and phone number.

Security could be broken, researcher says

Adam said the app’s security may also be weak enough for a technically skilled person to intercept its data or alter its functionality

“Anyone on the same Wi-Fi network, say, at a coffee shop, an airport, or a congressional hearing room, can intercept API traffic with a proxy. Anyone with a jailbroken device can hook and modify the app’s behavior at runtime,” he said.

“No servers were probed. No network traffic was intercepted. No DRM was bypassed. No tools were used that require jailbreaking. Everything described here is observable by anyone who downloads the app from the App Store and has a terminal.”

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