Layer-1 blockchain Near’s forthcoming upgrade will allow the network to scale dynamically without human intervention.

The market is giving it a thumbs-up, sending the native token’s price sharply higher. NEAR has gained more than 27% in the last 24 hours to trade at $2.25.

“Dynamic resharding is coming to NEAR. The upcoming network upgrade will enable the protocol to add shards automatically as demand grows,” the protocol announced on X. “This delivers on NEAR’s founding vision of building the world’s most scalable blockchain protocol at the highest level of performance.”

Shards are smaller, independent partitions of the blockchain network that process transactions and smart contracts in parallel. Imagine a grocery store with multiple checkout lines. This helps Near handle more traffic than typical blockchains with a single checkout line.

The catch? Until now, opening a new partition on Near has been a slow, manual process, requiring weeks of validator coordination, a vote, and a staged rollout.

The upcoming dynamic resharding in June will automate this process. In other words, when the network sees a specific check out line, a shard, getting too full, it doesn’t wait for a human to fix it. It automatically splits, not in half, but by adding more independent parallel validators to the system, just as the grocery store would hire new cashiers and customer staff.

“Adding shards has required a full protocol upgrade: weeks of validator coordination, a vote, a staged rollout. Dynamic resharding makes it automatic: a shard hits a state size threshold, splits deterministically, and is validated by state witnesses with no human intervention,” Near said in an explainer.

The new feature is particularly foundational to an AI-led onchain economy, where bots are doing business with each other, it explained.

Quantum-proof

Scaling isn’t the only thing changing with the impending upgrade. Near is also adding “post-quantum-safe signing.”

Quantum fears have gripped the developer community ever since Google researchers warned that a sufficiently powerful quantum computer might be able to crack today’s blockchains with significantly less firepower than initially expected.

Near, therefore, is installing new locks so that years from now, those super quantum machines won’t be able to touch funds of Near users.

Native token NEAR is the best-performing cryptocurrency among the top 100 coins by market cap over the past 24 hours thanks to the rally. Bitcoin BTC$77,341.59 has dropped 0.4% to $77,360.

NEAR’s external performance is supported by strong demand for the Bitwise Near Staking ETF (exchange-traded product) listed in Europe. This week, the ETP has pulled in $7 million in investor money, according to data shared by Bitwise’s CEO Hunter Horsley.

US Securities and Exchange Commissioner Hester Peirce has told the crypto industry to cool its expectations about a potential “innovation exemption” to allow tokenized stock trading after a report earlier this week about what it could entail. 

Her comments were made after a Bloomberg report on Monday. Brett Redfearn, president of tokenization platform Securitize, expressed concern following the report, arguing that enabling third parties to tokenize stock “without an issuer at the table” could lead to fragmentation issues. 

In a post to X on Thursday, Peirce said her expectation has always been that any exemption would be “limited in scope” by only permitting “digital representations of the same underlying equity security that an investor could purchase in the secondary market today.”

Peirce said she doesn’t expect synthetic tokens to be included, which would make it more challenging for third parties to offer stock-price tracking tokens under the exemption.

Source: Hester Peirce

Data from RWA.xyz shows that $1.48 billion worth of stocks are tokenized onchain, including shares linked to stablecoin issuer Circle, Bitcoin buying firm Strategy and Google (GOOG). 

However, it hasn’t boomed as rapidly as some financial institutions have expected, including Citibank and McKinsey & Co, which predicted in 2022 and 2024 that the tokenization sector would become a trillion-dollar market by or before 2030.

Peirce’s comments cleared the air

Peirce’s comments are in line with Bloomberg’s report stating that the securities regulator is only considering permitting tokens that carry the same benefits as common stock, such as voting rights and dividends.

Robert Leshner, the CEO of crypto tokenization platform Superstate, said this stricter approach would enable decentralized finance and tokenization to expand “without compromising the standards that make the USA the center of capital markets.”

Carlos Domingo, CEO of Securitize, also said the approach would mitigate the risk of ownership fragmentation in the tokenization market. 

“This is good, we want to do on-chain trading, but for the right assets, and not to help proliferate those derivatives that are fragmenting the market and introducing additional risks.”

Bloomberg said the SEC reportedly spoke with “hundreds of market participants” for feedback on how best to tailor the rules for tokenized trading. 

Related: Kraken parent Payward sees revenue surge as tokenization expands 

Details haven’t been finalized and could change before an exemption is made, Bloomberg added in the report, citing people familiar with the matter. 

Despite the possible exemption, Bloomberg reported that some SEC officials weren’t in support of permitting tokenized stock trading.

Magazine: 5 tech predictions the mainstream media got horribly wrong 

A New Generation of Trading Platforms Is Emerging

Online trading platforms have changed a lot over the past few years. Traders today expect more than basic charts and market access. They want speed, flexibility, mobile functionality, and access to different markets without needing multiple accounts across different platforms.

That shift is creating space for newer platforms to grow, especially those focused on simplicity and modern trading habits. One name that has started appearing more frequently in online trading discussions is Patexone.

The platform has been gaining visibility among traders looking for access to crypto, commodities, forex, and other markets through a single environment that feels easier to navigate than many traditional trading platforms. So, what exactly is Patexone , and why are more people starting to pay attention to it?

What Is Patexone?

Patexone is an online trading platform that provides users with access to multiple financial markets through one account.

The platform focuses heavily on:

• Cryptocurrency trading
• Multi-market accessibility
• Mobile trading
• Fast execution and usability

Rather than building a platform designed only for highly technical traders, PatexOne appears to focus on creating a smoother experience that works for both newer users and active traders. The result is a platform that feels modern without becoming overly complicated.

Crypto Trading Remains a Major Focus

One of the biggest reasons traders are discovering PatexOne is because of its crypto trading environment.

Crypto markets move quickly, and traders often need:

• Real-time price updates
• Fast execution
• Responsive charts
• Mobile access at all times

Patexone performs well in these areas, which helps explain why it’s increasingly appearing in conversations among active crypto traders. The platform supports access to major digital assets while maintaining a relatively clean and accessible interface.

That combination matters because many crypto platforms either:

• Feel too limited or
• Feel overloaded with unnecessary complexity

Patexone sits somewhere in the middle.

More Than Just a Crypto Platform

Although crypto trading is a major attraction, the platform also gives users access to additional markets such as:

• Gold and silver
• Oil and commodities
• Forex markets
• Other trading instruments

This creates more flexibility for traders who want to diversify instead of keeping their entire portfolio tied to one asset class. And honestly, diversification is becoming more important as traders realize opportunities shift constantly between markets.

One-month momentum is in Bitcoin Currency. The next month it’s gold or oil. Platforms that allow traders to move between markets easily are becoming increasingly valuable.

The Platform Feels Built for Mobile Trading

A major part of modern trading now happens on mobile devices. People monitor positions during work, check charts while travelling, and react to market moves throughout the day. Platforms that still treat mobile access like an “extra feature” are starting to feel outdated.

Patexone seems to understand this shift. The mobile experience feels smooth, responsive, and practical for day-to-day trading.

Users can:

• Monitor live markets
• Manage positions
• Access trading tools
• Move between assets quickly

without feeling restricted compared to desktop trading. That flexibility is becoming one of the platform’s stronger selling points.

Simplicity Is Part of the Appeal

A surprising number of trading platforms make simple tasks feel unnecessarily complicated. Overloaded dashboards, endless menus, and confusing layouts can quickly frustrate users, especially newer traders.

Patexone takes a different approach. The platform focuses on keeping navigation relatively clean while still providing the tools active traders actually use.

That balance makes the platform feel more approachable without sacrificing functionality. For many users, that’s a major reason they continue using it after the initial signup phase.

Growing Attention Around the Platform

Patexone has also started gaining momentum through online discussions, reviews, and user feedback. As traders share their experiences across forums and social media, awareness around the platform continues growing, particularly among users interested in:

• Crypto trading
• Commodity markets
• Mobile trading flexibility
• Multi-market access from one platform

This type of organic visibility often matters more than aggressive marketing because it reflects actual user interest.

Bottom Line

Patexone is part of a broader shift happening in online trading. Traders are moving away from platforms that feel outdated, overloaded, or limited to one market category. Instead, they’re looking for environments that combine:

• Speed
• Simplicity
• Flexibility
• Multi-market access
• Strong mobile functionality

PatexOne appears to be building around exactly those priorities. And while every trader should always do their own research before choosing a platform, the growing attention around PatexOne suggests it’s becoming a platform more traders are starting to take seriously.

Galaxy Digital founder Mike Novogratz appeared in court on Tuesday to face off against BitGo CEO Mike Belshe in a long-running legal fight over a failed proposed $1.2 billion merger in 2021.

The planned deal was the largest-ever crypto merger at the time, set to create a massive conglomerate offering a suite of services at a time when investor interest in crypto was high.

Galaxy called off the deal in August 2022 as the crypto market was reeling from the collapse of the Terra ecosystem. BitGo has asked Galaxy to pay a $100 million fee for pulling out of the deal and also hid it was being probed by US authorities, while Galaxy has claimed BitGo failed to provide financial information on time.

According to Bloomberg, Novogratz testified in Delaware Chancery Court on Tuesday that he was “pushing to get this deal done,” but Galaxy and BitGo realized regulatory approval for the merger was unlikely because the Securities and Exchange Commission, then headed by Gary Gensler, made it “very difficult.”

Mike Novogratz, pictured in 2018 at a conference in Hong Kong, has appeared in court over a failed merger with BitGo. Source: RISE

He also said Galaxy was not the subject of the probe and it would not have affected the merger, while BitGo did not provide the needed financial information in time, forfeiting its right to a $100 million termination fee.

Related: On-Chain, In Court: What happened in crypto legal news this week

BitGo bargained for the termination fee, including a deadline to hand over financial statements, but that was complicated by the SEC’s accounting rules requiring companies to record customer crypto holdings as liabilities.

“This was incredibly damaging,” Belshe testified on Monday, claiming that BitGo had provided all the needed information. “Galaxy is telling the world we can’t pass an audit.”

The trial is set to end this week, and a judge will decide whether BitGo should receive the $100 million fee.

Magazine: Guide to the top and emerging global crypto hubs: Mid-2026

Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission’s move to allow third parties to list tokenized stocks could risk two structural disruptions with liquidity and revenue fragmentation, according to Tiger Research.

Liquidity fragmentation may occur as capital disperses from centralized exchanges across multiple blockchain platforms, said Tiger Research director and head of research Ryan Yoon on Friday.

“Traditional finance views the breakup of its previously consolidated, centralized liquidity as a serious structural threat,” said Yoon.

When third parties tokenize the same listed stock across different blockchain networks and decentralized platforms, the trading volume and order flow that should concentrate on a single venue, such as the NYSE or Nasdaq, instead disperses across multiple venues, he explained. 

“This creates price discrepancies across platforms, increases slippage on large orders, and ultimately degrades overall market efficiency.”

The research comes five days after the SEC announced its “innovation exemption” on Monday, which would allow third-party exchanges to list tokenized stocks without needing the issuer’s approval. 

Revenue fragmentation remains a risk

The second potential structural disruption is revenue fragmentation, which follows directly from market fragmentation. 

“As tokenized stocks trade across multiple platforms in disaggregated form, financial revenues that should accrue to domestic exchanges instead flow offshore, with direct implications for national financial competitiveness,” said Yoon.

Capital fragmentation is already underway with real-world asset open interest on the Hyperliquid decentralized exchange hitting an all-time high of $2.6 billion this week.  

Related: Tokenized RWA market grows 420% since 2025 on regulatory clarity, access

Yoon concluded that this shift “poses the deepest strategic dilemma for incumbent financial institutions and regulators alike.”

CEO of digital assets at FG Nexus, Maja Vujinovic, also cautioned that markets could be split into “disconnected pools” which can create “dangerous price tracking errors and shadow-shorting vulnerabilities where there aren’t enough localized buyers to stabilize a specific token’s price.” 

Tokenized stocks make up just 4.4% of total RWA onchain value. Source: RWA.xyz

Meanwhile, SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce said on Thursday that any exemption would be “limited in scope” by only permitting “digital representations of the same underlying equity security that an investor could purchase in the secondary market today.” The full ruling for what will and won’t be permitted has yet to be finalized. 

Many practical market benefits

There are arguments that tokenized stocks provide practical market benefits, such as faster settlement, fractional ownership, lower transaction costs and the potential for round-the-clock trading, according to the Blockchain Council. 

Global accessibility lets non-US investors gain exposure to high-demand US stocks without being blocked by local brokerage limitations. 

Senior research analyst at Siebert Financial, Brian Vieten, said “We believe this will accelerate the transition of the US financial system from legacy rails to onchain blockchain-based rails.”

“We expect a portion of this flow to eventually flow to high-quality blockchain networks like Bitcoin and Hyperliquid,” he added. 

Magazine: Crypto scammers face death, Aussie CGT makes Asian hubs attractive: Asia Express

• REAL Finance signs first securities tokenization deal with Factori AD.
• Agreement activates institutional pipeline exceeding $100 million in assets.
• Pilot covers 5 million Alpha Bulgaria warrants valued near €2.75 each.

REAL Technologies Inc., the parent company of REAL Finance, has signed its first securities tokenization agreement with Factori AD, a fully licensed and EU-regulated investment broker.

The deal marks the first live deployment of REAL Finance’s infrastructure for regulated securities and activates an institutional pipeline of more than $100 million in client assets.

The initial transaction will involve equity derivatives linked to Alpha Bulgaria AD, a Bulgarian Stock Exchange-listed investment company, and will be executed on an EVM-compatible blockchain before the planned launch of REAL Finance’s Layer 1 mainnet.

REAL Finance moves from infrastructure build-out to live deployment

REAL Technologies said the agreement with Factori AD represents a major step in the commercial rollout of REAL Finance’s tokenization infrastructure.

The company said the deal activates a committed institutional pipeline exceeding $100 million in client assets.

It also marks the first live deployment of REAL Finance’s tokenization infrastructure for regulated securities.

Under the structure, Factori AD will direct institutional and client assets through REAL’s infrastructure.

The broker will continue to manage all regulated brokerage functions, including client onboarding, KYC, AML compliance, licensed OTC execution, and segregated custody arrangements.

International securities custody will be maintained through Bank of New York. Bulgarian securities will be held at the Central Depository in Bulgaria.

The model is designed to keep regulated brokerage and compliance functions with the licensed broker, while REAL Finance provides the infrastructure and settlement layer for tokenization.

REAL Finance said its approach focuses exclusively on tokenizing real securities.

These include publicly traded equities and derivatives, private market shares, and bonds. The company said it does not focus on synthetic exposure products.

First tranche linked to Alpha Bulgaria warrants

The first transaction under the agreement involves equity derivatives tied to Alpha Bulgaria AD, a publicly traded investment company listed on the Bulgarian Stock Exchange under the ticker ALFB.

The pilot includes 5,000,000 warrants currently valued at approximately €2.75 each.

These warrants have been designated for tokenization through REAL’s infrastructure under Factori AD’s licensed custody and transfer-agent framework.

The transaction represents the first tranche of a broader institutional pipeline.

Factori AD has committed more than $100 million in additional client assets for tokenization through REAL’s infrastructure.

The transaction will be executed on an EVM-compatible blockchain before the planned launch of REAL Finance’s Layer 1 mainnet.

REAL Technologies said the pilot is designed to validate the full workflow for tokenized securities.

That workflow includes regulated sourcing, licensed OTC execution, regulated custody, and on-chain tokenization.

Dimitar Tsvetanov, managing director at Factori AD, said institutional interest in regulated tokenization infrastructure is growing.

We see growing institutional demand for regulated tokenization infrastructure that can bridge traditional securities markets with blockchain-based settlement systems. Through this agreement with REAL Finance, we are able to provide clients with a compliant framework for bringing real financial instruments on-chain while maintaining regulated execution, custody, and onboarding standards.

Regulated custody remains central to the model

REAL Technologies positioned the agreement as evidence that its tokenization model is now operational and under contract with a regulated broker.

“Signing this agreement demonstrates that REAL’s tokenization capabilities are operational and under contract with real securities and a regulated broker. The pilot allows us to validate the full model before we scale to service our multi-nine-figure committed assets pipeline,” said Ivo Grigorov, chief executive officer of REAL Technologies.

Valentin Dimitrov, chief operating officer of REAL Technologies, said the company had built the system around compliance and real financial instruments.

“We designed the architecture around licensed custody, full compliance, and genuine instruments. This first executed deal, together with the committed flow, confirms institutional demand for the infrastructure we are building,” Dimitrov said.

The deal comes amid rising institutional interest in tokenized real-world assets and blockchain-based settlement systems.

Key Highlights

• Steven McClurg, CEO of Canary Capital, forecasts XRP may reach prices exceeding $2.80 before 2026 concludes, anticipating a 30% surge in ETF participation.
• Last week witnessed XRP exchange-traded funds attracting $60 million in net capital, marking the most robust weekly showing in 2026 and pushing total inflows to $1.39 billion.
• XRPL mainnet version 3.1.3 deployment is confirmed for May 27, with half of all network nodes already running the updated software.
• Large holders purchased more than 71 million XRP tokens during the previous seven days, while 4,300 fresh addresses appeared within a single day.
• CME Group’s XRP derivatives products generated $62.87 billion in notional trading volume during their inaugural twelve months, with daily averages reaching $238 million.

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Ripple’s native token currently hovers between $1.36 and $1.40, encountering significant price resistance at the $1.40 threshold. While institutional backing remains consistent, recent trading sessions have shown limited directional movement.

CME Group reported that its XRP futures offering surpassed $62.87 billion in notional value during the first year of operation. Daily trading volume averaged $238 million, representing approximately 1.32 million executed contracts and total exposure equivalent to roughly 28.6 billion XRP tokens.

Speaking with reporters this week, Canary Capital’s Steven McClurg stated that XRP has the potential to “probably double in price by the end of the year.” Based on the current trading range near $1.40, this projection would place XRP above the $2.80 mark by December 2026.

McClurg simultaneously projected a 30% expansion in exchange-traded fund participation before year-end. However, he cautioned against expecting a linear trajectory, characterizing the upcoming summer months as “a tough summer for equities and crypto across the board.”

His market outlook divides into three distinct phases. The initial phase involves challenging summer conditions. The second phase encompasses reduced market activity during the midterm electoral cycle as investors retreat from risk assets. The final phase anticipates a powerful post-election rally fueled by ETF capital deployment, implementation of the CLARITY Act, and accelerated tokenization of real-world assets.

XRP-focused exchange-traded products registered $60 million in net inflows during the previous week, representing the strongest seven-day performance recorded in 2026. Total cumulative inflows have now reached $1.39 billion.

Network Activity Demonstrates Growth

Blockchain analytics provider Santiment identified a significant increase in XRP network expansion this week. Data from Santiment reveals that 4,300 new wallet addresses were generated within a 24-hour window — representing the fourth-largest single-day increase observed in 2026. The firm emphasized that network growth metrics serve as reliable early indicators for identifying potential price trend reversals.

Large holder activity also demonstrated accumulation patterns. Blockchain monitoring data confirms that whale addresses acquired over 71 million XRP tokens throughout the past week, although the accumulation rate has decelerated compared to earlier monthly activity.

Major XRPL Network Enhancement Scheduled for May 27

The XRP Ledger mainnet is preparing for a significant upgrade scheduled for May 27 at 03:49 AM UTC. Version 3.1.3 incorporates the fixCleanup3_1_3 amendment, designed to resolve existing issues affecting NFTs, Permissioned Domains, Vaults, and the network’s Lending Protocol functionality.

Current statistics indicate that 50% of network nodes have successfully implemented the latest software version. Validator nodes have achieved complete 100% consensus regarding the proposed amendment. Nodes failing to complete the upgrade face the risk of becoming “amendment-blocked,” which would prevent them from processing transactions or participating in the consensus mechanism.

David Schwartz, Ripple’s CTO Emeritus, has responded to various community questions concerning the upcoming upgrade. This enhancement represents one component of the comprehensive XRPL development roadmap, which encompasses tokenized real-world asset integration, permissioned decentralized exchange capabilities, and post-quantum cryptographic security implementations.

Derivatives traders maintain optimistic positions on XRP reclaiming the $1.40 level before month-end. Open interest across futures markets has expanded in recent days as the upgrade date approaches, though diminished spot market volume continues to suggest potential headwinds for near-term price momentum.

Market analyst CRYPTOWZRD observed that a decisive breakthrough above $1.40 would establish a clear pathway toward $1.55, with subsequent movement beyond that level potentially targeting the $2.00 price zone.

TLDR

• New Glassnode analysis reveals 6.04 million BTC — representing 30.2% of total supply — faces quantum computing threats
• Bitcoin valued at more than $469 billion has public cryptographic keys exposed on the blockchain
• Major platforms including Binance and Bitfinex display quantum exposure rates of 85% and 100%
• AmericanFortress secures $8 million in funding to create post-quantum protection using zero-knowledge proof technology
• Proposed solution aims to safeguard Satoshi’s estimated 1.1 million BTC plus nearly 5 million additional dormant coins without requiring widespread migrations

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Approximately 30% of the entire Bitcoin supply currently in circulation faces potential theft risk once quantum computers achieve sufficient processing power to break existing cryptographic protections, new data from Glassnode indicates.

The blockchain intelligence company conducted a comprehensive examination of Bitcoin’s ledger to identify coins with exposed public cryptographic keys. Their investigation uncovered 6.04 million BTC — valued at over $469 billion — in a quantum-vulnerable state. The balance of 13.99 million BTC remains protected without public key exposure.

Understanding the Security Gap

Bitcoin‘s security architecture depends on the pairing of private keys with corresponding public keys. In standard operations, public keys remain hidden from blockchain visibility. However, once exposed through outgoing transactions or repeated address usage, a quantum computer with adequate capabilities could deploy Shor’s algorithm to decrypt the private key and seize control of the assets.

Glassnode categorizes the vulnerable supply into two distinct classifications. The first, structural exposure, encompasses 1.92 million BTC, accounting for 9.6% of total supply. This segment includes original “pay-to-public-key” transactions associated with Bitcoin founder Satoshi Nakamoto, older multisignature configurations, and Taproot-based outputs.

The second and more substantial category, operational exposure, contains 4.12 million BTC, representing 20.6% of supply. These holdings became susceptible through repeated address utilization, where multiple transactions from identical addresses ultimately reveal the public key to the network.

Cryptocurrency exchanges contribute significantly to this vulnerability profile. Approximately 1.66 million BTC within the operational exposure category originates from exchange wallets. Coinbase demonstrates minimal exposure at just 5% of its tracked holdings. In contrast, Binance and Bitfinex register exposure rates of 85% and 100% respectively. Glassnode emphasized these figures reflect custody architecture decisions rather than indicating insolvency concerns.

Government-held Bitcoin reserves showed superior security positioning. National treasuries in the United States, United Kingdom, and El Salvador all recorded zero quantum vulnerability.

An Emerging Solution

Technology startup AmericanFortress believes it has engineered a viable remedy. The firm, supported by an $8 million seed financing round, has created a patent-pending post-quantum cryptographic signature system built on zero-knowledge proof foundations.

This protocol eliminates the need for large-scale fund transfers or launching alternative blockchains. Rather, it employs a backward-compatible soft fork mechanism to lock and shield inactive wallets — notably including Satoshi-period addresses that cannot undergo automatic modernization.

“Our quantum-resistant protocol would automatically freeze and protect those funds until governance decides what to do with them after Q-day,” said CEO Michal Pospieszalski.

The protection mechanism extends across Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and Tron networks. For current wallet users, the upgrade process requires approximately 50 milliseconds through a simple wallet notification. The company estimates implementation costs comparable to a single rollup transaction.

AmericanFortress estimates that more than $600 billion in cryptocurrency holdings remain in vulnerable conditions, with Solana addresses showing 100% exposure. The firm’s cryptographic approach for Bitcoin should become available for community review within weeks, preceding a formal unveiling scheduled for June 2 in Paris.

Concurrently, Bitcoin’s developer ecosystem continues deliberating BIP-360, a technical proposal for implementing quantum-resistant transaction structures. Projections for “Q-Day” — the milestone when quantum computers could potentially compromise Bitcoin’s cryptographic defenses — span from 2030 through 2032. The United States government recently announced over $2 billion in investments toward quantum computing ventures this week.