Blockchain Finance

A new nonprofit, Ethereum Institutional, has launched to help banks, asset managers and enterprises evaluate Ethereum for tokenization and stablecoins. The move arrives as the Ethereum Foundation narrows its focus to the core protocol.

New York Life Investment Management has launched its first tokenized fund in partnership with Centrifuge. The product puts a U.S. high-yield corporate bond strategy onchain with subscriptions and redemptions settled in USDC.

Framework Ventures says blockchain is moving beyond crypto-native speculation and into the capital markets for AI compute, robotics and energy infrastructure. The firm has raised a $400 million fund to back tokenization, stablecoins and frontier technologies.

Kraken is evaluating a deal to acquire a 15% stake in DeFi lending protocol Aave at a valuation of $385 million, according to sources. The move comes as Payward seeks to diversify ahead of a possible IPO and as Aave rebuilds after the KelpDAO fallout.

Asset managers are accelerating plans to tokenize ETFs as investor demand and competitive pressure build around blockchain-based finance. BNY says firms are moving even as regulation, trading infrastructure and market structure remain unsettled.

tZERO has accused Securitize of infringing patents tied to tokenized securities infrastructure, escalating the rivalry with a cease-and-desist letter. Securitize answered by seeking a federal court ruling that it does not infringe as Wall Street deepens its push into onchain assets.

Fidelity rolls out its Digital Interest Token on Ethereum, surpassing $200M. Ondo Finance emerges as the primary holder, fueling the $7.5B tokenized U.S. Treasuries boom.