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Gemini shutters operations across Europe and Australia to focus on the U.S. and prediction markets

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Gemini shutters operations across Europe and Australia to focus on the U.S. and prediction markets

Gemini Space Station Inc. (GEMI) is shutting down operations in the U.K., the European Union (EU) and Australia.

The crypto exchange is also reducing its staff by 25%, according to a blog post on Thursday that suggests it is focusing resources into prediction markets.

“Effective 6 April 2026, Gemini will be ceasing operations in the United Kingdom,” the crypto trading platform said in an email sent to customers seen by CoinDesk which does not mention Australia or Europe. “Starting 5 March 2026, all customer accounts in these regions will be placed in withdrawal mode.”

New York-based Gemini stated that it had partnered with brokerage platform eToro to assist customers with their offboarding process. It instructed customers to sign up with eToro so they could “assist in transferring your assets.” Full closures of all accounts will follow in April, the New York-based company said. New account creation and incentive programs will also be disabled.

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Crypto equities have lagged broader markets as risk sentiment shifted in early 2026. While major stock indices have posted gains, leading digital-asset–linked equities have slid, reflecting waning investor appetite and tightening liquidity. This underperformance underscores a retrenchment of speculative capital from crypto-linked stocks.

Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, CEO and President of Gemini, cited difficulties gaining traction in the U.K., Europe and Australian markets as their reason for exiting them, while saying the U.S. has been great to them.

“The reality is that America has the world’s greatest capital markets and America has always been where it’s at for Gemini,” they said. “So it’s time for Gemini to focus and double down on America.”

Tyler and Cameron also shared their view that prediction markets would outgrow capital markets, saying they have plans to venture into this sector.

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“Our thesis is that prediction markets will be as big or bigger than today’s capital markets,” they said. “Our investment in securing a license to launch our own prediction marketplace positions us as an early mover on this new and exciting frontier.”

They added that more than 10,000 users have traded over $24 million since the debut of Gemini Predictions in mid-December.

Gemini, which went public in September, has seen its shares fall about 23% since the start of 2025 amid a broader downturn in crypto prices. The stock was down 2.8% on Thursday.

Read more: SEC dismisses lawsuit against billionaire Winklevoss twins-backed Gemini over Earn product

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Crypto World

BTC Markets Seeks ASIC Licence For RWA Trading

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BTC Markets Seeks ASIC Licence For RWA Trading

Australian crypto exchange BTC Markets has notified the country’s securities regulator, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, of its intention to apply for a markets licence to offer regulated tokenized real-world assets (RWAs).

“Our plan is to obtain licensing infrastructure that enables particular types of tokenized assets to be offered and available to the public,” said BTC Markets CEO Lucas Dobbins on Monday.

The vision is a world where tokenized equities, bonds, and real-world assets will trade alongside cryptocurrencies, markets will operate continuously, and settlement will be instant, he added.

Speaking to Cointelegraph, Dobbins said “the roughly $26 billion in tokenized assets on-chain today is really just the proof of concept.”

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Even conservative forecasts suggest tokenized markets could reach around $2 trillion by 2030, while others, such as the Boston Consulting Group, have estimated the opportunity as high as $16 trillion, he added. 

“What’s changed is that this is no longer theoretical. Institutions like BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, and JPMorgan are already launching real products.”

BTC Markets is aiming to join the likes of Kraken and Robinhood, which began offering tokenized RWAs in 2025. 

Big names in crypto and TradFi eye tokenization

American crypto exchange Kraken began offering tokenized stocks in June 2025 via a new platform called xStocks. 

On March 5, the platform launched xChange, an onchain trading engine designed to facilitate trading of tokenized stocks across the Ethereum and Solana networks.

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Robinhood also announced a tokenized stock trading platform for European markets in 2025. 

Related: Crypto exchanges gain as tokenized commodity market climbs to $7.7B

In January, the owner of the New York Stock Exchange, Intercontinental Exchange, said it was developing a platform to support trading of tokenized securities, including stocks and ETFs. 

Nasdaq has also proposed integrating tokenized versions of stocks and ETPs into its existing trading infrastructure. 

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Meanwhile, Coinbase announced in December that it plans to launch Coinbase Tokenize, an institutional platform designed to support the issuance and management of tokenized RWAs.

RWA tokenization opportunity in Australia

In Australia, research from the Digital Finance Cooperative Research Centre suggests tokenized markets could generate around $24 billion AUD ($16.8 billion) a year in economic gains, roughly 1% of GDP, Dobbins continued. 

“On the current trajectory, we may only capture around $1 billion of that by 2030, which highlights the opportunity. Unlocking it will require licensed market infrastructure that allows tokenized assets to trade within a trusted regulatory framework,” he added.

Dobbins said that Australia also has “many of the structural drivers needed for adoption, including strong regulation, deep capital markets, and one of the largest pension systems in the world.”

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“As regulatory clarity improves and infrastructure develops, Australia has the potential to play a meaningful role in the next phase of tokenized financial markets.”

“The first use cases will likely appear in areas such as private markets, infrastructure investments, and fund distribution, where tokenization can improve efficiency and access,” he said.

Tokenized RWA TVL at peak despite bear market

RWA.xyz reports that the current onchain total value of tokenized RWAs is $26.5 billion, with Ethereum commanding the largest share of the tokenized RWA market at 57.4%, not including layer-2 and EVM platforms.

RWA onchain value is posting all-time highs despite the crypto bear market. Source: RWA.xyz

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