[News Brief] Apr 22, morning | DTCC Prepares to Launch Tokenized Securities Service in 2026

U.S. post-trade market infrastructure provider DTCC is accelerating development of its tokenized securities service and plans to begin live transaction testing in July 2026 with more than 50 financial institutions, according to PANews.

According to the report, DTCC has formed an industry working group including BlackRock, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, Circle, Ripple Labs, and Payward, the parent company of Kraken, to jointly build digital asset infrastructure.

The service is targeting an official launch in October 2026, and the initial supported assets will include highly liquid instruments such as S&P 1000 constituent stocks, major ETFs, and U.S. Treasuries.

As a core clearing and settlement infrastructure provider in the U.S. financial market, DTCC's plan is viewed as an extension of the broader trend of real-world asset tokenization in traditional finance.

U.S. Central Command said it will deploy 15,000 troops, missile destroyers, and more than 100 aircraft starting on the 4th to support the safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.

According to Odaily, the operation is being carried out under the direction of President Trump and aims to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, a key international trade route.

Iran reacted strongly. According to CCTV International, Iranian parliament deputy speaker Ali Nikzad said in an interview on the 2nd near the Strait of Hormuz coastline, "The Strait of Hormuz will not return to its pre-war state, and Iran will not retreat one step from this strait."

Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said the move could shift the standoff toward a controlled stabilization phase, but warned that Iranian threats remain and uncertainty persists over whether the U.S. will ultimately provide full naval escorts.

The Strait of Hormuz is a key corridor for global oil and logistics flows. The move may intensify Middle East geopolitical risks again and could affect volatility in financial markets and risk assets such as bitcoin.

U.S. Senator Tim Scott said Congress is making "substantial progress" in discussions over cryptocurrency market structure legislation.

According to Watcher.Guru, Scott's remarks suggest ongoing progress in efforts to establish a clearer regulatory framework for digital assets. The market structure bill is expected to focus on clarifying oversight authority, trading rules, and business standards for the crypto sector.

U.S. lawmakers have been continuing discussions aimed at increasing regulatory clarity for cryptocurrencies. Scott's comments are being interpreted as reviving expectations for movement on related legislation.

BitMine Immersion Technologies acquired an additional 101,745 ETH last week, bringing its total holdings to 5,181,131 ETH. Of that amount, 4,362,757 ETH is currently staked, worth about $10.2 billion based on an ETH price of $2,336.

According to a PANews report citing PRNewswire on the 4th, BitMine's crypto holdings also include 200 bitcoin. The company also disclosed holdings of about $83 million in shares of EitCo Holdings and $200 million in shares of Beast Industries.

The announcement shows that BitMine is expanding its Ethereum-centered asset management and staking strategy. Large-scale ETH purchases and staking volumes are considered factors that could affect Ethereum market supply and demand.

Western Union has launched the dollar stablecoin USDPT on the Solana blockchain, according to Odaily citing Businesswire.

USDPT is issued by Anchorage Digital Bank and is fully backed 1:1 by U.S. dollars. Western Union plans to integrate it directly into its global payments system for use by agents, partners, and potentially future consumer services.

The company intends to use USDPT as on-chain settlement infrastructure for cross-border remittances, combining blockchain-based settlement efficiency with its global compliance and distribution network.

The move is an example of a traditional remittance company applying stablecoins and a public blockchain to practical payment infrastructure, and is expected to support the expansion of the Solana-based payments ecosystem.

Payward, the parent company of U.S. crypto exchange Kraken, has filed a lawsuit in a Colorado court against former custody partner Etana Custody and CEO Dion Brander Russell, alleging that more than $25 million in customer funds was misappropriated and that Etana was operated in a Ponzi-like manner.

According to CoinDesk, Payward claims in the complaint that Etana commingled custodial assets with operating expenses and high-risk investments, and when facing funding shortfalls, filled the gap with new funds while continuing to falsely report to customers that their assets were being safely held.

Payward said it attempted to withdraw about $25 million in April 2025, but Etana delayed payment citing reconciliation issues. It also alleged that Etana deployed at least $16 million of customer funds into a note business already in default, and used some assets in FX hedging trades while retaining the profits. The funds have not yet been returned.

Etana is currently under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and court supervision. Payward said it is seeking at least $25 million in damages and may pursue additional legal remedies, including up to treble damages.

The lawsuit highlights that counterparty risk tied to custodians remains a key issue in the digital asset industry. Whether customer assets are truly segregated and safely held has again become a major concern for the market.

Payward, Kraken's parent company, completed its acquisition of Bitnomial, securing access to key licenses needed to enter the U.S.-based crypto derivatives market.

According to PANews citing The Block on the 4th, the acquisition gives Payward access to a derivatives licensing framework under the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, including Futures Commission Merchant (FCM), Designated Contract Market (DCM), and Derivatives Clearing Organization (DCO) capabilities.

Payward co-CEO Arjun Sethi said Kraken plans to first launch spot margin services, followed by perpetual contracts and options products.

Chicago-based Bitnomial is a crypto-focused exchange that holds licenses allowing it to operate digital asset derivatives businesses in the U.S. under CFTC regulation.

The deal size is said to be up to $550 million, including cash and stock. Payward plans to expand the Bitnomial team and continue operating the derivatives business under the existing licensing and regulatory framework.

Previously, Payward said it had raised $200 million in investment from Deutsche Boerse Group and was also preparing for an initial public offering.

Tether has minted 5 billion USDT across the Ethereum and Tron networks over the past two weeks.

According to Odaily, Onchain Lens reported that Tether newly minted 1 billion USDT on the Tron network, bringing the total amount of additional USDT issued on Ethereum and Tron over the past two weeks to 5 billion.

USDT is the most widely used dollar-pegged stablecoin in the cryptocurrency market. Large-scale issuance is typically watched as a sign of potential liquidity expansion in the market.

Spot Ethereum ETFs recorded net outflows of $82.47 million last week, ending a three-week streak of net inflows.

According to SoSoValue, total net outflows for spot Ethereum ETFs last week, from April 27 to May 1 U.S. Eastern Time, amounted to $82.47 million. The largest outflow came from BlackRock's ETHA, which posted weekly net outflows of $71.4491 million. Fidelity's FETH also recorded net outflows of $50.256 million.

Meanwhile, BlackRock's ETHB saw the largest inflow last week, with $44.4975 million in net inflows.

The total net asset value of spot Ethereum ETFs currently stands at $13.6 billion. ETF net assets account for 4.93% of Ethereum's market capitalization, while cumulative net inflows total $12.02 billion.

Bitcoin rose above $80,000, reinforcing short-term upward momentum. U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs also recorded a fifth consecutive week of net inflows, fueling expectations of continued institutional demand.

According to Odaily, bitcoin gained about 2.6% over 24 hours, rising to $80,150. Over the same period, Ethereum rose 3.6% and XRP gained 2%.

Nick Ruck, director at LVRG Research, said the rally marked a breakout above a key resistance range that had capped prices over the weekend, indicating clearly strengthening short-term momentum. Dominic John of Zeus Research said the move was accompanied by a technical short squeeze.

Fund flows were also supportive. U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs recorded about $154 million in net inflows last week, marking a fifth straight week of inflows. This is being interpreted as a sign that institutional allocation demand for bitcoin remains intact.

Market participants say bitcoin could continue trading in a strong short-term range if ETF inflows persist and macro uncertainty remains elevated. Upcoming economic data and broader risk sentiment are expected to shape the next move.

Nasdaq-listed DeFi Development has launched a $200 million at-the-market equity offering program to fund additional Solana purchases and other initiatives, according to Odaily citing GlobeNewswire.

The company said the proceeds will be used to expand its Solana holdings, strengthen working capital, and support strategic development. It also said shares will only be issued when doing so is accretive to SOL-per-share value, in an effort to minimize dilution.

Joseph Onorati, chairman and CEO of DeFi Development, said the company's core mission is to continuously accumulate a SOL treasury for shareholders, and that the program provides flexible capacity to purchase up to $200 million when market conditions are appropriate.

The plan is viewed as part of a broader strategy in which listed companies use capital markets to increase their Solana reserves.