Traditional Finance Increases Presence in Core Crypto Sectors
This week marked a notable advance by traditional finance entities into the core infrastructure of the cryptocurrency industry. Key players across banking, investment, and technology are taking steps that signal growing confidence in digital assets and blockchain-based services.
Tether Considers Major Fundraising Round
Tether, the company behind the world�s largest stablecoin USDt, is reportedly in talks with prominent venture capital firms to raise as much as $20 billion. According to Bloomberg, the funding round could value Tether at up to $500 billion � a figure that places it alongside major private technology firms.
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino confirmed ongoing discussions with what he described as �a select group of high-profile investors.� However, Ardoino did not disclose specific details about the structure or participants of any potential deal. Tether has increased its presence beyond stablecoins, extending to infrastructure, energy, and venture capital investments.
US Regulators Examine Onchain Stock Trading
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is reportedly evaluating a framework for allowing traditional stocks to trade onchain via approved cryptocurrency exchanges. The Information reports the proposal is still in preliminary stages and would initially impact only regulated digital asset platforms.
Such changes could expand access to US equities, enabling trading beyond regular market hours and lowering participation thresholds. Platforms like Robinhood and Kraken have already introduced tokenized stock products. Nasdaq has submitted proposals to list tokenized securities, and Coinbase has shown interest in similar initiatives.
JPMorgan's Kinexys Platform Adds Gulf Bank
Qatar National Bank Group has joined JPMorgan�s Kinexys payments platform. The bank plans to use blockchain-based technology to speed up corporate US dollar payments. Kamel Moris, an executive at QNB, described 24/7 instant settlement as a central advantage, citing payment times �as fast as two minutes.�
The Kinexys platform currently manages about $3 billion in transactions daily and is exploring partnerships to enable cross-chain treasury settlements, including working with Chainlink and Ondo Finance.
Biotech Firm Allocates Treasury to DePIN Token
Predictive Oncology, a Nasdaq-listed biotechnology company, has become the first US public firm to allocate an entire treasury investment to a decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePIN) token. The company�s treasury is now held in Aethir�s ATH token, which supports a decentralized cloud computing network for GPU resources.
The move, developed with the DNA Fund and BTIG, provides Predictive Oncology with exposure to blockchain-driven real-world infrastructure. Aethir�s network comprises over 435,000 GPU containers across 200 international locations, directly tapping into AI computing tools.
Outlook
The steady interest from banks, venture investors, and public firms reflects the increasing overlap between traditional finance and the blockchain sector. These integrations are shaping new market structures and signaling broader industry adoption.
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