Bitcoin rebounds above $80,000 despite Clarity Act setback and Fed rate hike

• Bitcoin recovered above $80,000 on Friday after falling towards $75,000 earlier in the week following the Senate’s failure to advance the Clarity Act and the Federal Reserve’s first rate increase in more than three years.
• The Federal Reserve raised its target range by 25 basis points to 3.75%-4.00%, while the regulatory setback initially added to pressure across digital asset markets.
• Sentiment subsequently improved as the SEC introduced its tokenised-stock Innovation Exemption and the CFTC advanced further digital asset rulemaking, helping Bitcoin erase its earlier weekly losses.
• Bitcoin continued higher following the initial recovery, ending the period at approximately $86,432, representing a +10.1% seven-day gain.

ECB prepares to invest own funds in tokenised securities

• The European Central Bank launched preparatory work to invest a small portion of its own fund’s portfolio directly in tokenised securities, giving it first-hand experience across trading, settlement, systems and portfolio management.
• Initial investments will focus on euro-denominated securities issued by euro-area governments, regional authorities, agencies and European supranational institutions.
• Transactions will settle in central bank money through Pontes, the Eurosystem’s newly launched infrastructure connecting distributed-ledger-based asset markets with central-bank settlement.

SEC permits limited onchain trading of listed US stocks

• The SEC introduced a temporary Innovation Exemption allowing qualifying Tokenized Securities Venues to facilitate onchain trading of tokenised National Market System stocks through permissioned automated market makers and liquidity pools.
• Eligible tokenised shares must provide investors with the same rights and privileges as the equivalent conventional stock, while issuers can object to unaffiliated third parties making tokenised versions of their shares available for trading.
• Smart contracts used by participating venues must be auditable and publicly deployed, while the exemption also places limits on trading volumes and the number of securities available.
• The exemption is scheduled to last for five years and is intended to allow controlled experimentation while the SEC considers more permanent rules for onchain securities markets.

Google and Apple recruit for stablecoin and tokenisation expertise

• Google and Apple published job openings seeking digital asset and blockchain expertise, including experience relating to stablecoins, tokenised deposits and blockchain-based financial infrastructure.
• The recruitment provides an indication that both technology groups are evaluating potential applications for digital asset infrastructure, although neither company has announced a specific stablecoin or tokenisation product.
• The development extends institutional interest in blockchain-based financial rails beyond banks, asset managers and crypto-native companies into major global technology platforms.

SEC and CFTC push ahead with crypto rules after Clarity setback

• The SEC and CFTC indicated they would continue developing digital asset regulation under their existing statutory authority after the US Senate failed to advance the Clarity Act in a 49–50 vote.
• SEC Chairman Paul Atkins said the Commission would continue acting within its statutory powers, while CFTC Chairman Mike Selig indicated that his agency was ready to advance its digital asset rules.
• The SEC followed two days later with its Innovation Exemption for tokenised equities, while the CFTC submitted a proposal covering crypto asset transactions and markets for White House review.
• The developments mean US digital asset policy is continuing through agency-led measures despite the absence of comprehensive market-structure legislation from Congress.

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.