Digital assets traded within a relatively narrow range this week as institutional developments continued to outpace market performance. Announcements from DTCC, Visa, T. Rowe Price, the ECB and Citadel Securities reflected continued investment in the infrastructure supporting digital asset markets.
- Bitcoin briefly climbed above $65,800 before easing back towards $65,700, trading between $62,500 and $65,800 during the week.
- Ether outperformed Bitcoin, extending last week’s recovery as investors rotated back into higher-beta digital assets.
- Overall digital asset market capitalisation edged higher, while Bitcoin dominance eased slightly, reflecting stronger performance across the wider digital asset market.
T. Rowe Price launches first active multi-token crypto ETF
- T. Rowe Price launched what is being described as the ‘industry’s first’ actively managed multi-token crypto exchange-traded fund, allowing portfolio managers to actively allocate across digital assets including Bitcoin, Ether and Solana rather than tracking a single cryptocurrency.
- The fund marks T. Rowe Price’s first digital asset exchange-traded product and extends active portfolio management into a market that has so far been dominated by passive single-asset funds.
BlackRock and JPMorgan among 40 institutions joining DTCC tokenised securities platform
- DTCC completed live transactions on its new tokenised securities platform ahead of its planned October 2026 launch, with BlackRock, JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Vanguard and the New York Stock Exchange among almost 40 participating institutions.
- The platform enables equities, ETFs and US Treasuries to move between traditional and blockchain-based infrastructure while preserving the legal rights attached to the underlying securities.
- Unlike many earlier tokenisation initiatives, the platform is designed to integrate directly with existing market infrastructure, allowing eligible securities to move seamlessly between conventional and distributed-ledger systems.
Visa launches platform enabling banks to issue and settle stablecoins
- Visa launched the Visa Stablecoin Platform, enabling banks and financial institutions to issue, manage and settle stablecoins through a single institutional infrastructure.
- The platform’s aim is to simplify the integration of blockchain-based payments into existing banking and treasury systems.
- Supporting OpenUSD at launch, the platform provides regulated financial institutions with the tools to issue and move stablecoins without needing to develop their own blockchain infrastructure.
HSBC receives first UK Digital Securities Sandbox approval
- HSBC became the first UK institution authorised to operate within the Bank of England’s Digital Securities Sandbox, allowing its Orion platform to provide digital securities depository services for tokenised bonds.
- The approval enables HSBC to support the issuance, settlement and custody of digitally native securities, including the UK Government’s planned digital gilt programme, through regulated distributed ledger infrastructure.
- The milestone marks the transition of the UK’s Digital Securities Sandbox from policy framework to live market participation, providing a foundation for broader institutional adoption of tokenised capital markets.
Citadel invests $400m in crypto exchange, Crypto.com at $20bn valuation
- Citadel Securities invested $400 million in Crypto.com, valuing the digital asset exchange at $20 billion in its first institutional funding round.
- The capital will support the firm’s expansion into tokenised securities, derivatives and broader institutional trading services.
This weekly financial roundup is for informational purposes only and is not financial, investment, or legal advice. Information is taken from public sources and Nickel takes no responsibility for its veracity. The information was sourced around the time of publication but may become out of date, even over short periods of time. Consult a professional before acting.