Private Credit

RockawayX is launching Catapult, a $150 million initiative aimed at expanding tokenized private credit and other yield-generating real-world assets in DeFi. The digital-asset investment firm is targeting trade finance, asset-backed securities, real estate credit and related markets as investors search for yield less tied to crypto price swings.

Laser Digital, Nomura Group’s digital assets arm, has made a strategic investment in UAE-based Layer1 blockchain ZIGChain. The partnership targets institutional onchain vault products, private credit access across the Gulf States, and Sharia-compliant offerings.

Investors sought liquidity from both U.S.-listed spot bitcoin ETFs and private credit funds in the second quarter, underscoring a broader defensive turn across risk assets. Private credit redemption requests reached $15.6 billion, while spot bitcoin ETF outflows neared $5 billion as BTC logged another quarterly decline.

Bitcoin-backed lending is gaining fresh momentum as lenders move toward overcollateralization, transparency and institutional oversight. Silicon Valley Bank says the sector is emerging from the 2022 credit collapse with stronger foundations and broader institutional support.