IMF Warns Tokenized Finance Risks Amplifying Market Crises Ahead
Tokenization
”Moving Wall Street’s trading infrastructure onto blockchain-based systems could accelerate financial crises beyond regulators’ ability to respond, even as the technology promises to cut costs and eliminate settlement delays, the International Monetary Fund says. Tokenization — the act of representing assets like stocks, bonds and cash as digital tokens on shared ledgers — is a structural overhaul of financial architecture rather than a marginal efficiency gain, the IMF’s Tobias Adrian wrote in a report published on Thursday. Banks, clearing houses and asset managers including BlackRock Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. are already running live pilots to test a technology that they hope will boost fees by making it easier to trade traditional assets like stocks and bonds.”
Source: Bloomberg
Circle Future-proofs Arc Blockchain Against Quantum Threats
Security
“Circle’s Layer-1 blockchain Arc, built for stablecoin finance and institutional use, will debut with quantum-resistant features designed to survive a future in which traditional blockchains could crumble under quantum attacks. ‘At mainnet, Arc will introduce a post-quantum signature scheme, giving users a practical design path to create quantum-resistant wallets,’ Arc said in an update Thursday. The update didn't mention the timeline for the mainnet launch. It means that Arc is baking in quantum resistance from day one, unlike legacy chains, which may be waiting to add this feature later as a patch. So, when users create a wallet on the mainnet, they can choose a signing method that future quantum computers cannot break. This will ensure the long-term security and protection of crypto assets in wallets.”
Source: CoinDesk
Charles Schwab Opens Waitlist For Direct Bitcoin And Ether Trading, Targeting Q2 Limited Launch
Adoption
“Charles Schwab has opened a waitlist for 'Schwab Crypto,' a new account that will let clients buy and sell bitcoin and ether directly. A spokesperson told CoinDesk on Friday that the firm remains on track for a first-half 2026 launch. The firm's crypto page now features a 'Schwab Crypto™ is coming soon’ banner, inviting users to sign up for updates and early access to what it describes as 'your new gateway to buy and sell Bitcoin and Ethereum cryptocurrencies.' The account will be offered by Charles Schwab Premier Bank, SSB, not through standard brokerage accounts, though applicants will need an existing Schwab brokerage account to qualify. CEO Rick Wurster told Barron's in early March that the offering would start with a limited Q2 rollout, with broader expansion to follow. The plan is to test internally with employees first, then open to a select group of clients before wider availability.”
Source: The Block
Nevada Judge Extends Kalshi Ban, Calls Sports Contracts 'Indistinguishable' From Gambling
Legal
“A Nevada state court judge on Friday extended a ban on prediction market operator Kalshi and said he would issue a preliminary injunction sought by the Nevada Gaming Control Board. Judge Jason Woodbury of the First Judicial District Court in Carson City said buying a contract on a baseball game through Kalshi was 'indistinguishable' from placing a bet on a state-licensed gaming platform, according to Reuters. He extended a temporary restraining order he first granted on March 20 by two weeks while finalizing the injunction's language. Kalshi's lawyers argued the platform's contracts constitute 'swaps' regulated exclusively by the CFTC, a position the federal agency has adopted in related litigation. Woodbury was not persuaded.”
Source: The Block
Ant Group’s Blockchain Arm Unveils Platform For AI Agents to Transact on Crypto Rails
Infrastructure
“Ant Digital Technologies, the blockchain division of Chinese conglomerate Ant Group, has unveiled a new platform aimed at enabling AI agents, not humans, to become the main participants in crypto transactions called Anvita. Unveiled at the company's Real Up summit in Cannes, Anvita is Ant's bet on what it calls an 'agent-to-agent economy,' where autonomous software programs can hold assets, trade, and make payments with little to no human involvement. Anvita consists of two main products at its inception. The first, Anvita TaaS (Tokenization-as-a-Service), is focused on tokenizing real-world assets for institutions, including custody and treasury tools. The second, Anvita Flow, is a platform for AI agents to register, find each other, coordinate tasks and settle payments in real time.”
Source: CoinDesk
