• Real Finance and Anchorage Digital form RWA infrastructure pact.
• Partnership combines tokenization, custody, and settlement tools.
• Firms target institutional adoption of on-chain capital markets.

Real Finance and Anchorage Digital have entered into a strategic partnership aimed at supporting the full lifecycle of tokenized assets, as institutional interest in real-world asset (RWA) tokenization continues to grow.

The collaboration combines Real Finance’s blockchain-based tokenization infrastructure with Anchorage Digital’s regulated custody, treasury management, settlement, and institutional security capabilities.

The companies said the partnership is designed to address key operational challenges that have slowed broader institutional adoption of tokenized financial products.

Under the agreement, the two firms will work together across asset issuance, custody, settlement, servicing, and secondary market liquidity.

The initiative is intended to provide a more integrated framework for institutions looking to participate in on-chain capital markets.

Focus on custody and tokenization infrastructure

Real Finance operates an Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)-compatible Layer 1 blockchain developed specifically for real-world asset tokenization.

Anchorage Digital, meanwhile, is the parent company of the first federally chartered crypto bank in the United States and serves as a qualified institutional custodian.

As part of the partnership, Anchorage Digital will provide regulated custody and treasury infrastructure for the Real Finance ecosystem and its native ASSET token.

The companies also said Anchorage Digital will act as a foundational custody layer for tokenized financial instruments launched on the Real Finance blockchain.

The arrangement is intended to support broader institutional participation by offering regulated custody services alongside tokenized asset issuance.

In addition, both firms will support each other’s institutional client pipelines.

Real Finance expects to generate additional demand for custody services through asset issuers and onboarding initiatives, while Anchorage Digital plans to connect institutional clients with tokenization and blockchain infrastructure solutions built on Real Finance.

Companies target institutional adoption

Executives from both companies said the partnership is focused on building the infrastructure required for institutional-scale adoption of tokenized assets.

Ivo Grigorov, CEO of Real Finance, said:

“Real Finance and Anchorage Digital are collaboratively building the institutional infrastructure for the next generation of tokenized financial markets. Tokenization alone is not enough. Institutions need trusted, regulated layers that integrate custody, servicing, settlement, and lifecycle management. Together we are moving the industry from experimentation toward functional on-chain capital markets and delivering the unified experience institutions demand.”

Nathan McCauley, Co-Founder and CEO, Anchorage Digital, added:

“RWAs are one of the clearest examples of how blockchain can modernize capital markets, but institutions need more than tokenization rails alone. They need regulated, secure infrastructure that can support custody, settlement, and lifecycle connectivity at scale. Our partnership with Real Finance brings together the core building blocks institutions need to move from isolated pilots to real onchain capital markets.”

Addressing fragmentation in tokenized markets

The companies said the tokenized asset ecosystem remains fragmented across issuance, custody, compliance, settlement, servicing, and liquidity infrastructure.

According to the firms, institutions frequently cite operational trust concerns and disconnected counterparties as obstacles to wider adoption.

The partnership is intended to create a more connected framework by combining blockchain infrastructure, regulated custody, treasury management, settlement capabilities, and tokenization tools.

Real Finance and Anchorage Digital said the framework could support a range of tokenized asset classes, including private credit, investment funds, real estate, structured products, and bank-integrated financial instruments.

The announcement comes as financial institutions continue exploring tokenized assets as a way to modernize capital markets infrastructure and expand access to blockchain-based financial services.

By integrating custody, settlement, and tokenization capabilities within a single ecosystem, the two companies aim to address some of the operational challenges that have limited the growth of institutional on-chain markets.

OKX debuts World Cup-focused outcomes market built on new Exchange OS protocol

OKX has launched The Beautiful Game, a free-to-play outcomes market that lets users predict winners across all World Cup fixtures and compete for a portion of a multi-BTC prize pool. The product is powered by Exchange OS, OKX’s recently introduced open protocol that the company says provides matching and settlement infrastructure at the protocol layer.

The contest runs through July 20, 2026 and is open to eligible users of the OKX mobile app in markets where the promotion is permitted. OKX says the leaderboard-based tournament will distribute rewards proportionally at the end of the competition. Participation mechanics include daily check-ins, position commitments on matches, referral incentives and other platform activity that feed into players’ scores.

The launch comes alongside a company survey of 2,000 self-identified football fans who trade cryptocurrency, which found a substantial tilt toward crypto assets over sporting triumphs among respondents. Among the headline results: roughly three quarters said they would rather receive 1 BTC than see their favored national team win the World Cup. The survey also reported that a majority associate football more closely with crypto than other sports, and that many respondents see overlapping skill sets between sports prediction and crypto trading.

What Exchange OS adds — and why it matters

Exchange OS is presented by OKX as a permissionless infrastructure layer that sits on top of its X Layer EVM-compatible layer two. According to the company, the protocol handles trade matching and settlement so that third-party builders can deploy spot, perpetual, or prediction-market exchanges without rebuilding the low-level infrastructure.

If adopted, that pattern could reduce engineering overhead for teams hoping to launch market venues and accelerate experimentation in onchain trading products. OKX says deployers will retain control over listings, branding and user experience while relying on Exchange OS for the underlying operations.

From a market perspective, platforms that abstract matching and settlement into a shared protocol may increase interoperability and liquidity, but they also raise questions about centralization, governance and the extent to which responsibility remains with the protocol operator versus individual deployers.

Survey findings underscore a growing crossover between sports fandom and crypto

The OKX survey is notable for quantifying the overlap between football interest and crypto activity among a self-selected cohort of trading fans. Key figures include:

Preference for crypto rewards: Approximately 76% of respondents said they would choose 1 BTC over their favorite team lifting the World Cup trophy.

Emotional tradeoffs: About 23% indicated they would be more upset by their national team being eliminated than by a 20% loss in their crypto portfolio.

Perceived skill overlap: A large share—reported at 84%—said the cognitive skills that support trading, such as probabilistic thinking and pattern recognition, also apply to predicting football outcomes. Nearly half said their match calls would outperform their trading performance over the same time period.

These results suggest that gamified prediction products aimed at sports fans can tap into an audience already familiar with trading concepts and risk tolerance. For exchanges and app-based platforms, seasonal sports events like the World Cup offer predictable spikes in engagement and a natural promotional window for onboarding users.

Regulatory and operational considerations

Outcomes and prediction markets operate in a crowded regulatory landscape. Different jurisdictions treat these products as gambling, financial instruments, or unregulated entertainment, depending on local law and the structure of the offering. OKX’s release emphasizes region-by-region eligibility and the absence of required payments to participate, which reflects standard compliance precautions.

Even so, operators deploying similar markets will need clear legal strategies, robust user protections and transparent terms to limit exposure. Financial regulators and gambling authorities have in the past scrutinized platforms that offer monetary returns from event-based predictions. Projects that combine onchain settlement with centralized control over listings may attract additional regulatory attention.

Market implications and what to watch

For OKX, The Beautiful Game serves multiple purposes: it promotes app usage during a global sporting event, showcases Exchange OS as a layer for builders, and reinforces the company’s positioning at the intersection of trading and consumer engagement. The product’s free-to-play design lowers the barrier to entry and helps sidestep some payout and licensing complications that accompany real-money betting in regulated markets.

Observers should monitor several metrics and developments to assess the launch’s wider impact: user sign-ups and retention tied to the tournament, the rate at which external builders adopt Exchange OS, any regulatory inquiries in key markets, and whether similar products proliferate among incumbent exchanges and decentralized platforms.

Ultimately, OKX’s move illustrates the continued blending of sports fandom and crypto-native product design. If the protocol-layer approach to matching and settlement gains traction, it could reshape how prediction markets and niche exchanges are launched — but it will also test operator readiness for regulatory scrutiny and the operational demands of higher-volume, event-driven traffic.

Disclosure: The information in this article is based on company announcements and a survey published by OKX. It does not constitute investment advice.

The online gambling industry is no longer defined by a single style of platform. For years, players had to pick a side. On one end were the traditional operators built on regulated markets and familiar payment methods. On the other were the crypto-first casinos that grew quickly by offering speed and a more modern feel. Bet365 leads the first group. Stake.com leads the second. Both have huge user bases, and both have shaped what players expect from an online casino in their own way.

A new name is now showing up in conversations about which platform to try next. ZunaBet launched in 2026 with a crypto-first build, more than 11,000 games, a full sportsbook, and a loyalty program built around dragons. This article takes a closer look at how Stake.com and Bet365 compare, and why ZunaBet has quickly become one of the most talked-about new platforms in the space.

The Two Giants Players Already Know

Stake.com has built one of the strongest names in crypto gambling. It supports Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other major coins, and its brand grew on the back of a fast platform, a clean interface, and a sportsbook that gave esports as much weight as traditional sports. Major sponsorships with sports teams and well-known creators have made Stake one of the most visible names in the space. For a lot of crypto-savvy players, it is the first stop.

Bet365 took a very different route. It started in UK sports betting and turned into one of the largest gambling operators in the world. The sportsbook is the core of the platform, with deep markets and one of the best live betting setups around. Casino games, poker, and live dealer products came later. Payments stick to cards, bank transfers, and a small list of e-wallets. Bet365 only operates in regulated markets, where it works inside strict local rules.

Both platforms have earned their spot. Stake fits players who want speed, crypto support, and a modern feel. Bet365 fits players who want a regulated, fiat-based experience tied to a long-established brand. The space in between, where crypto meets a massive library and a fully developed sportsbook, is exactly where newer platforms are starting to break through.

A Quick Look at ZunaBet

ZunaBet runs under Strathvale Group Ltd and operates on an Anjouan gaming license. The team behind it has over 20 years of combined industry experience, but the platform itself is brand new and built from scratch for a crypto-first audience.

The size of the library catches the eye right away. ZunaBet carries 11,294 games from 63 providers. The list of studios includes Pragmatic Play, Hacksaw Gaming, Yggdrasil, BGaming, and Evolution. Slots take the largest share, while RNG table games and live dealer rooms cover the rest. Few crypto casinos come close to that kind of variety.

The sportsbook gets the same level of attention. It covers football, basketball, tennis, NHL, and other major sports with deep markets. Esports get equal focus, with markets on CS2, Dota 2, League of Legends, and Valorant. Virtual sports and combat sports finish out the lineup. Players move between casino games and sports bets in one account, without bouncing between sites.

Crypto vs Traditional Money

Payments are where the three platforms separate most clearly.

Bet365 runs entirely on traditional banking. Cards, bank transfers, and a few e-wallets handle nearly every transaction. These methods are familiar but slow. Withdrawals can take a few business days. Some banks flag or block gambling-related payments. Players in certain regions are stuck with very limited options.

Stake.com is crypto-first and supports a healthy list of cryptocurrencies. Withdrawals move quickly, fees stay low, and the whole flow feels lighter than going through a bank.

ZunaBet pushes the crypto-first model even further. It supports more than 20 cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDT on multiple chains, Solana, Dogecoin, Cardano, and XRP. There are no platform processing fees, and withdrawals usually clear in minutes. Anyone with a wallet and an internet connection can play, no matter where they live. That kind of access is hard to match with bank-based systems.

For players who already use crypto in their daily life, this setup feels natural. Gambling becomes one more use case for the same digital wallet they already use for trading, payments, or savings.

Loyalty Programs: A Real Point of Difference

Each platform handles loyalty in its own way.

Bet365 uses a standard rewards system. Players earn points based on wagering and unlock perks like cashback and free spins. It works, but it follows the same template most traditional VIP programs use.

Stake.com runs a more modern rewards model with rakeback, weekly bonuses, and rank-based perks. It is especially popular with active players and has played a big role in the brand’s fast growth.

ZunaBet built something with more personality. Its loyalty system runs on a dragon evolution theme with six tiers: Squire, Warden, Champion, Divine, Knight, and Ultimate. Each tier brings better rakeback, starting at 1% and reaching 20% at the top. Higher tiers also unlock more free spins, with up to 1,000 available at the highest level. VIP club access, double wheel spins, and a mascot named Zuno tie everything together.

The 20% rakeback at the top tier is one of the highest in the industry. The bigger draw is how the progression feels. Climbing through dragon tiers is closer to leveling up a character in a video game than tracking points on a card. That kind of design lines up well with how younger players already engage with the apps and games they use outside of gambling.

The Welcome Offer

The welcome bonus is one of the easiest ways to compare platforms. Bet365 offers welcome bonuses tied to a single deposit, usually with wagering rules that take effort to clear. Stake.com puts less focus on a big upfront bonus and leans more on ongoing rewards and rakeback for active players.

ZunaBet leans hard into the welcome package. It spreads the offer across three deposits, with a total value of up to $5,000 plus 75 free spins. The first deposit gets a 100% match up to $2,000 plus 25 spins. The second adds a 50% match up to $1,500 plus 25 spins. The third closes things off with another 100% match up to $1,500 plus 25 spins. Combined, that works out to a 250% bonus across the first three deposits, which is well above the industry average.

Why ZunaBet Feels Built for the Next Generation

The strength of ZunaBet is in how the pieces fit together. Crypto-first payments. A massive game library. A real sportsbook with deep esports coverage. A loyalty program with character. Each piece points to the same kind of player. Someone who already lives online, manages money in digital wallets, follows esports, and wants a casino that feels modern and a bit fun.

Stake.com appeals to a similar group with its own style. Bet365 serves a more traditional side of the market. ZunaBet sits between those two worlds and combines the speed of crypto casinos with the size, depth, and design that newer players expect from a 2026 platform.

A Look at What Is Ahead

Stake.com and Bet365 are not going anywhere. Both have strong brands, large user bases, and proven products. They will keep serving the players who prefer their approach.

But the bigger picture is shifting. Crypto has gone mainstream. Esports betting is now a major category. Players want speed, choice, and platforms that feel alive instead of stuck in an older model. ZunaBet was built with those expectations in mind from day one rather than added on top of an older system. It is still a young platform, but it has already become one of the most talked-about launches of 2026. For players asking which platform to check out next, ZunaBet is fast becoming the easy answer.

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.

Julian Sawyer, CEO of Zodia Custody, described Standard Chartered’s ongoing acquisition of the firm as a “major validation” that highlights a growing reality in mainstream finance: legacy banks cannot build institutional-grade digital asset custody safely or efficiently without proper software.

Instead of treating crypto as an isolated sector, Sawyer noted that the industry is hitting a maturity point where the underlying blockchain infrastructure is moving toward real-world asset tokenization and stablecoin payments.

“This is the maturity point of where custody of the blockchain…is moving from crypto to other assets, stable coins and tokenization,” he said in an interview with CoinDesk on Wedneday. “If you’re going to do that, you need trust. Trust is what banks do.” Because these financial use cases require absolute trust, global banks are moving to acquire established platforms to gain immediate scale and secure bank-grade tech.

Sawyer noted that client’s interest in their infrastructure software has scaled dramatically. “Every single bank is going to need to know how to hold digital assets,” Sawyer said.

“The big guys are absolutely looking, and everybody else who’s thinking about stablecoins… thinking about tokenization needs to have an answer. So the market is huge.”

Standard Chartered acquisition

Sawyer confirmed that Standard Chartered’s full acquisition of the firm is on track to target a signing at the end of June and complete by the end of August.

He declined to disclose the purchase amount or valuation. In 2023, Zodia announced a $36 million funding round led by SBI Holdings. Market estimates place the custodian’s annual revenue at roughly $34.6 million. Market estimates place the custodian’s annual revenue at roughly $34.6 million with a current total funding of roughly $46 million.

He said that under the acquisition agreement, Standard Chartered’s existing digital custody business in Dubai, Luxembourg, and Hong Kong will merge with Zodia Custody and ultimately fold into Standard Chartered under its brand, meaning Zodia Custody will not exist in the medium term.

Concurrently, a new entity called Zodia Solutions will carry forward the software and infrastructure side of the business, backed by existing bank shareholders including Northern Trust, Emirates NBD, and National Australia Bank.

“This is a major validation,” Sawyer said, detailing the systemic impact of the consolidation. “Every bank in the world is going to do something with digital assets…they are going to need to know and have some technology to be able to hold those assets.”

Global regulation

Institutional integration is forcing a regulatory convergence worldwide. When asked whether the U.K. is holding back from becoming the crypto hub it aspires to be due to internal friction between the Bank of England, the Treasury, and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Sawyer acknowledged the shifting tides.

“I guess I’m old enough to remember when the FCA was ahead of the market and people did come to the UK to set up,” Sawyer noted. “I think one of the fascinating parts of our industry is that each jurisdiction, each government, is moving at a different pace .”

He highlighted the “huge progress” in Asia and Singapore, as well as new regulations in Hong Kong and Abu Dhabi. “The message I would have is this is a very evolving ecosystem and that regulators and the participants need to continue to evolve.”

While some industry participants worry that Wall Street giants will completely take over the sector, Sawyer suggests the crypto industry is naturally moving toward banking due to compliance laws like Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML).

“The crypto industry is moving towards banking because of the law,” Sawyer stated.

New research released by Paybis at Money20/20 Europe suggests that stablecoins are rapidly evolving from a crypto-native tool into a core component of business payment infrastructure, with B2B transactions now accounting for the overwhelming majority of stablecoin payment volume.

According to the company’s latest Stablecoin Infrastructure Report, business adoption is accelerating across cross-border settlements, treasury management, supplier payments, and international payouts. The findings challenge the long-standing narrative that retail checkout payments would become the primary use case for stablecoins.

B2B Stablecoin Payments Reach Critical Scale

The report cites market research indicating that approximately $390 billion in stablecoin payment volume was processed globally in 2025, with around 60% originating from business-related transactions. B2B stablecoin payments reportedly grew by 733% year-over-year, highlighting increasing demand for faster and more efficient international payment rails.

Paybis’ internal transaction data reflects a similar trend. Stablecoins represented just 12% of crypto transaction volume on the platform in 2023. By April 2026, that figure had climbed to nearly 86%, making stablecoins the dominant asset category processed through the company’s infrastructure.

Even more notable is the shift in customer composition. B2B transactions accounted for approximately 36% of Paybis stablecoin volume in 2023, increasing to more than 70% in 2024 and reaching nearly 98% throughout 2025 and the first months of 2026.

The company reported a cumulative $2.81 billion in stablecoin transaction volume between 2023 and 2026.

Cross-Border Payments Drive Adoption

The strongest adoption appears in sectors that regularly move funds across borders and require efficient settlement mechanisms.

According to Paybis, the largest B2B stablecoin categories since April 2024 have included:

• Digital Goods
• Virtual Assets Businesses
• Technology Companies
• Retail and E-commerce
• Financial Technology Firms

Together, these sectors represented more than three quarters of the platform’s B2B stablecoin activity.

For many businesses operating internationally, traditional payment systems continue to present challenges related to settlement delays, banking fees, liquidity management, and operational complexity. Stablecoins are increasingly being evaluated as an alternative settlement layer capable of reducing friction while improving transaction speed and transparency.

Businesses Still Misunderstand Stablecoin Costs and Settlement Speed

Despite growing adoption, the report highlights a significant knowledge gap among business decision-makers.

In a survey of more than 1,000 respondents, only 53% correctly believed that international stablecoin transfers settle almost instantly. The remaining participants expected settlement times ranging from one hour to an entire day.

Similarly, fee expectations varied considerably. While stablecoin payment costs are generally considered competitive compared with traditional international payment methods, survey participants were almost evenly divided between expecting very low fees and significantly higher costs.

The findings suggest that education and implementation clarity remain major obstacles to broader enterprise adoption.

Stablecoins Becoming Financial Infrastructure

Commenting on the findings, Konstantins Vasilenko, Co-Founder and CBDO of Paybis, said:

“Stablecoins have moved from a crypto niche to business infrastructure. B2B is now the overwhelming majority of volume on our platform, driven by companies that need faster cross-border settlement and treasury movement.”

Vasilenko believes the next phase of growth will depend less on awareness and more on integration.

Businesses increasingly want access to stablecoin-based settlement without having to manage complex blockchain infrastructure themselves. As a result, regulated providers offering compliant on-ramp, off-ramp, treasury and payment solutions may play a key role in accelerating adoption.

Looking Ahead

While stablecoins still represent a relatively small portion of global payment activity, current market data suggests they are finding product-market fit in specific business workflows where speed, cost efficiency and cross-border accessibility are critical.

As regulatory frameworks continue to mature and enterprise infrastructure improves, stablecoins may become an increasingly common component of international business payments rather than simply a cryptocurrency use case.

With major industry discussions taking place this week at Money20/20 Europe in Amsterdam, the debate is no longer whether stablecoins can be used for payments, but where they deliver the greatest value. Current data increasingly points toward business adoption rather than consumer checkout experiences.

A physical bitcoin BTC$66,747.24 from the legendary 2011-2013 Casascius mint had its hologram seal removed on Wednesday and the 25 BTC stored inside, worth $1.70 million at current prices, transferred to a new wallet.

Casascius coins were physical tokens created by software engineer Mike Caldwell in denominations of 0.5, 1, 5, 10, 25, 100 and even 1,000 BTC. Each coin had its receiving bitcoin address printed on the outside, with the matching private key concealed under a tamper-evident hologram on the back.

Holders could spend the bitcoin at any time by peeling the hologram and importing the private key into a wallet, a one-way move that destroyed the coin’s collectible status.

Caldwell halted production in late 2013 after the U.S. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network advised him he was operating as a money transmitter without a license.

Intact-hologram Casascius coins continue to occupy an unusual category in collectibles markets. Each piece holds real bitcoin at face value and commands a numismatic premium for the physical artifact when sold intact in collector markets. Thousands of Casascius coins remain unredeemed across all denominations, trackers show.

Caldwell minted fewer than 20 of the 1,000-BTC denomination pieces, most of which are still intact and would each now hold the equivalent of roughly $66 million in bitcoin. While the project inspired a wave of physical-bitcoin successor mints including Lealana, Denarium and BTCC, Casascius remains the most collected by a wide margin.

Peeling a Casascius is a one-way trade with real economic stakes. Intact Series 1 large-denomination coins typically command a premium over their face bitcoin value, meaning the Wednesday redemption converted what could have been a higher-priced collectible back into pure bitcoin.

The redemption, recorded in Bitcoin block 952,159, arrives during a week of unusual activity at the dormant end of Bitcoin’s UTXO set, with a 2011-era wallet moving 35 BTC after 15 years of dormancy.