Bankinter, Spain’s fifth-largest bank, has made a strategic investment in Bit2Me by joining the crypto exchange’s €30 million funding round led by Tether, signaling rising institutional interest in regulated digital asset platforms across Europe. The operation places a traditional banking heavyweight inside the cap table of one of Spain’s key crypto firms, in a deal led by stablecoin issuer Tether and closed in August 2025. According to a blog post from Bankinter, the company has entered Bit2Me’s shareh ...

Spanish banking giant Bankinter has taken a minority stake in crypto exchange Bit2Me, joining a 30 million euro ($33 million) funding round involving Tether in August 2025. The investment adds another traditional bank to Bit2Me’s growing list of backers, which already includes major local financial institutions including BBVA, Unicaja and Cecabank. Bit2Me, headquartered in Madrid, is among the first firms registered under the EU’s new Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, allowing it to operate ac ...

Core Viewpoint - The European Central Bank (ECB) is set to allow blockchain-based transactions to settle in central bank money starting in 2026, amid ongoing discussions about privacy concerns related to the digital euro [1][2]. Group 1: Digital Euro Development - The ECB is advancing technical work on the digital euro, which will serve as a digital cash equivalent across the euro area [2][3]. - The integration of blockchain systems into the financial infrastructure is a significant step towards modernizing Europe's monetary framework [2][3]. Group 2: Transaction Settlement - Transactions on distributed ledger technology (DLT) platforms will settle directly in central bank money, eliminating the need for private intermediaries [3]. - This approach aims to prevent market fragmentation and ensure that new digital asset ecosystems utilize a risk-free public settlement asset [3]. Group 3: Infrastructure and Safeguards - The digital euro infrastructure will be designed to interact with other central bank digital currencies, facilitating cross-border payments [4]. - Safeguards, including holding limits and the absence of interest payments, will be implemented to maintain the role of commercial banks in credit creation and monetary transmission [4]. Group 4: Legal Framework and Timeline - The ECB's technical preparations are nearing completion, with a readiness phase initiated after a two-year preparation period ending in October 2025 [5]. - The ECB requires a legal framework approved by EU lawmakers to proceed, with pilot transactions expected to start in mid-2027 if legislation is adopted in 2026 [6]. Group 5: Privacy Concerns - As the timeline for the digital euro becomes clearer, discussions around privacy have intensified, with the ECB asserting it does not support a programmable digital euro that restricts user spending [7].

Core Insights - Doha Bank has successfully issued a $150 million digital bond that settled instantly on Euroclear's distributed ledger infrastructure, highlighting the shift towards regulated DLT systems for institutional tokenized debt [1][2] Group 1: Digital Bond Issuance - The digital bond was listed on the London Stock Exchange's International Securities Market, achieving same-day settlement through Euroclear's Digital Financial Market Infrastructure, a permissioned DLT platform [2] - Standard Chartered acted as the sole global coordinator and arranger for the transaction, overseeing the structuring, execution, and distribution of the bond [2] Group 2: Adoption of DLT in Capital Markets - An increasing number of banks and regulators in the Middle East and Asia are adopting permissioned DLT platforms for digital bond issuance to maintain regulatory control [3] - Public blockchains are also being utilized selectively, as seen with DBS's tokenized structured notes on Ethereum, where investor access and programmability are advantageous [3] Group 3: Efficiency and Market Standards - The issuance of Doha Bank's digital bond demonstrates the real-world efficiencies provided by advanced digital infrastructure in capital markets, reflecting a growing client demand for these capabilities [4] - Euroclear's DLT is tailored for regulated markets, offering controlled access and legal finality while integrating with existing custody and settlement systems, enabling T+0 settlement and automated record keeping [5] Group 4: Broader Market Trends - The transaction illustrates that same-day execution and settlement can be achieved through a neutral, regulated DLT infrastructure that adheres to established market standards, thereby reducing friction and time for issuers and investors [6] - There is a regional initiative to modernize capital markets infrastructure rather than creating separate crypto-native systems [6] Group 5: Other DLT Applications - HSBC's Orion platform has been utilized for sovereign and corporate digital bonds in regions including Hong Kong, mainland China, and the Middle East, designed to integrate with existing post-trade infrastructure [7]

Core Insights - Swiss crypto bank AMINA Bank and Deutsche Börse's Crypto Finance Group have successfully completed a pilot on Google Cloud's Universal Ledger platform for real-time fiat currency payments settlement between Swiss banks [1][2] - The pilot demonstrated the potential of distributed ledger technology (DLT) to enhance traditional financial infrastructure without necessitating new digital currencies or regulatory changes [3][4] Group 1: Pilot Details - The pilot involved multiple unnamed banking partners and enabled 24/7 payment settlements while ensuring compliance with Swiss financial regulations [2] - Crypto Finance acted as the Currency Operator, facilitating bank onboarding and enforcing transaction rules [2] - AMINA integrated the system into its core banking platform, providing instant payment capabilities to select clients without altering front-end operations [2] Group 2: Technological Context - The initiative aligns with a global trend among financial institutions exploring blockchain technology to enhance the speed, cost-effectiveness, and transparency of cross-border payments and settlements [4] - Google’s Universal Ledger is designed for real-time settlement of traditional assets using distributed ledger technology, allowing banks to function within existing legal frameworks while delivering faster services [5] Group 3: Future Developments - The next phase of the pilot will focus on onboarding additional financial institutions, transitioning from testing to live operations, and expanding into consumer-facing applications such as point-of-sale and international payments [7] - This project follows Google Cloud's partnership with CME Group, which included a $1 billion investment to transition CME's trading systems to the cloud, laying the groundwork for Google's financial infrastructure initiatives [6]

Core Insights - The HKMA's e-HKD Pilot Programme Phase 2 Report highlights the transition from physical cash to digital money, positioning Hong Kong as a leader in digital finance and next-generation payment infrastructure [1][2] Digital Money Landscape - The report categorizes the evolving digital money landscape into public money, which includes central bank digital currencies like e-HKD, and private money, which encompasses tokenised deposits and regulated stablecoins [3] Innovations and Research - Innovations in Hong Kong are laying the groundwork for tokenisation, facilitating faster, more transparent, and programmable transactions that bridge traditional finance with the Web3 ecosystem [4] - The HKMA has been researching the e-HKD since 2017, conducting pilot studies and technical experiments for both wholesale and retail applications [4] Phase 2 Focus - Phase 2 of the pilot program expanded to compare e-HKD with private digital money forms, assessing usability, scalability, and commercial viability [5] Key Themes and Findings - The Phase 2 pilots involved 11 industry partners and explored three main themes: - **Settlement of Tokenised Assets**: Pilots tested e-HKD for atomic settlement of tokenised assets, showing that DLT-based settlement could reduce cycles from T+2 to T+0, enhancing liquidity and reducing counterparty risk [6][7] - **Programmability**: The report evaluated programmable payments using smart contracts and purpose-bound money, identifying limited commercial adoption models and unclear business cases for large-scale implementation [7] - **Offline Payments**: Offline e-HKD pilots examined Super SIM and NFC-based payments without internet connectivity, concluding that the offline e-HKD would provide limited incremental benefits given existing infrastructure [8]

Core Insights - Bank Indonesia (BI) is advancing its central bank digital currency (CBDC) project, integrating stablecoin mechanics to create a digital rupiah backed by government bonds [1][2] - The digital rupiah will be supported by tokenized government bonds, known as Surat Berharga Negara (SBN), enhancing its stability [2][3] - This initiative is part of Project Garuda, aimed at financial digitalization and innovation in Indonesia [1][4] Group 1 - The digital rupiah will combine the security of a central bank-issued currency with the stability of asset-backed tokens, described as a "national stablecoin" [3] - The model ties the value of the digital rupiah directly to government bonds through tokenization, ensuring stability [3] - The new framework aligns with BI's broader digital finance agenda, focusing on innovation, industrial structure, and financial stability [4] Group 2 - BI will tokenize government bonds to issue digital securities, enhancing market liquidity and reducing transaction costs through blockchain automation [5] - The hybrid CBDC will provide advantages such as greater monetary policy control, improved payment efficiency, and enhanced security [6] - Unlike private stablecoins, the digital rupiah will be a direct liability of the central bank, reinforcing public trust and enabling faster, cheaper payments [7]

Core Insights - Hedera Hashgraph has been selected to participate in the Bank of England's DLT challenge, which focuses on testing the application of Distributed Ledger Technology in finance [1][3] - Following this announcement, HBAR crypto has seen a 15% increase over the week, coinciding with the launch of the Hedera ETF on October 28 [1][6] - The Bank of England's commitment to exploring DLT innovation marks a significant shift in the UK's approach to cryptocurrency, potentially increasing institutional interest in HBAR [2][4] DLT Challenge Details - The DLT Innovation Challenge is a collaborative initiative between the Bank of England and the Bank for International Settlements Innovation Hub, aimed at exploring transactions and settlements of central bank money on external programmable ledgers [3][4] - The challenge will run throughout the autumn and invites firms to demonstrate secure transaction methods for central bank money on non-Bank of England controlled ledgers [4] Learning Outcomes and Participants - Key learning outcomes from the challenge will include insights on settlement finality, security, scalability, transaction volume handling, network control, regulatory balance, and interoperability [5] - Other notable participants in the challenge include Ava Labs, Chainlink, Aave Labs, USDC issuer Circle, HSBC, and KPMG [5] ETF Launch Impact - The launch of the HBAR ETF by Canary Capital marks the first US-listed ETFs providing direct exposure to Hedera and Litecoin, making them the third digital assets to receive spot ETF listing approvals after Bitcoin and Ethereum [6][7] - The interaction on social media between Hedera and Litecoin highlights the significance of this milestone in the digital asset space [7]

Core Insights - Bitget, the world's largest panoramic exchange (UEX), is set to participate in the 2025 London Blockchain Conference, highlighting its growing role in the integration of traditional finance and blockchain infrastructure [2][4] - The conference will feature a high-level panel discussion on "TradFi 2.0: Building Blockchain Rails," focusing on how financial institutions can reconstruct business models using distributed ledger technology (DLT) [3] - Bitget aims to strengthen its vision of creating a borderless financial ecosystem through its UEX model, which integrates centralized trading, decentralized liquidity, and tokenized stock tokens [4] Company Overview - Founded in 2018, Bitget serves over 120 million users across more than 150 countries, offering innovative trading solutions and real-time cryptocurrency price information [5] - Bitget Wallet is a leading non-custodial cryptocurrency wallet supporting over 130 blockchains and millions of tokens, facilitating multi-chain trading and direct connections to over 20,000 decentralized applications [5] - The company has strategic partnerships for cryptocurrency promotion, including being the official cryptocurrency partner of La Liga in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Latin America [5][6]

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the launch of the Digital Market Infrastructure (DMI) by the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) in collaboration with Microsoft, aimed at enhancing the efficiency and interoperability of global capital markets through Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) [2][9]. Group 1: DMI Overview - DMI is designed to provide a trusted, scalable, and interoperable financial infrastructure, enhancing the efficiency of the entire asset lifecycle from issuance to post-trade services across various asset classes [2][6]. - The core principles of DMI are interoperability and scalability, enabling seamless integration with existing traditional financial systems while promoting innovation [2][4]. - DMI aims to support any asset class and geographic region, with a strategic initial focus on private markets, particularly private equity and private credit funds [6][7]. Group 2: Benefits of DLT - DLT offers significant advantages in addressing real challenges in capital markets, such as reducing settlement friction and counterparty risk while ensuring data integrity and auditability [3][4]. - The technology is positioned as a solution to existing problems rather than a search for problems, emphasizing an open collaboration approach with clients [3][4]. Group 3: Market Needs and Features - DMI will meet key needs of General Partners (GPs) and Limited Partners (LPs) by operating alongside existing private securities markets while leveraging DLT for primary market transactions [7][8]. - Enhanced distribution capabilities will allow GPs to access a wide range of LP resources, facilitating the discovery of private fund opportunities [8]. - DMI will provide a secure environment for LPs to trade fund shares, improving liquidity and confidence between GPs and LPs [8]. Group 4: Future Potential and Collaboration - The design of DMI is intended for cross-asset class expansion and adaptability to evolving industry demands, with future integration of artificial intelligence to optimize trading and service processes [10]. - The collaboration between LSEG and Microsoft combines market expertise with technological leadership to support the development of next-generation digital financial infrastructure [9][10]. - The article emphasizes the importance of collaboration among market stakeholders to shape the future of digital and private markets [10].