Futures prop firm Tradeify has added WealthCharts as an official platform option, reflecting a broader shift towards competition based on technology and risk infrastructure rather than account size or profit splits. Earlier growth in the prop trading industry was driven by aggressive marketing and appealing challenge structures. Over the past decade, the industry expanded to an estimated $10 billion market. More recently, attention has shifted toward platform stability, analytics, and embedded risk controls. An industry analyst summarised the transition by noting that while early-stage competition centred on challenge conditions and payout ratios, the next phase is increasingly defined by platform capabilities and risk management architecture. Technology as a Competitive Factor Firms across the sector now focus on building integrated trading environments. For example, Kraken-owned NinjaTrader has introduced its own prop trading offerings. It has also enhanced risk controls and platform integrations.Platform providers like Match-Trader offer bundled solutions that combine trading interfaces with CRM tools for prop operations.Tradeify’s integration of WealthCharts expands its technology offering. In addition to platforms like Tradovate and NinjaTrader, WealthCharts offers a single interface that combines charting, risk monitoring, and performance analytics.The platform automatically journals trades and captures real-time performance data. Risk alerts notify traders as they approach rule limits. Built-in trade-copier tools let users replicate strategies across accounts. These features, usually handled through separate third-party apps, are now consolidated into the trading workflow. “This partnership raises the bar for prop traders, combining our platform with one of the industry’s top firms to deliver a smoother, more powerful trading experience” said Eric Barden, Chief Commercial Office at WealthCharts. This development demonstrates an industry shift: firms now compete on platform integration, risk control, and operational reliability. As more sophisticated traders enter the space, platform quality is key to a firm's value proposition. This article was written by Tanya Chepkova at www.financemagnates.com.

Finalto, a leading global provider of liquidity and financial technology solutions, has announced the opening of its new MENA office in Dubai in February 2026. This strategic expansion follows the Finalto Group’s acquisition of a Category 5 CMA license, underscoring the company’s long-term commitment to serving clients across the region. The move reflects the rapidly growing demand for professional and institutional trading services throughout the MENA market.Finalto’s marked the occasion with an opening ceremony at its new Barsha Heights office, attended by the heads of the company’s London, Singapore and Australia offices.Conor Canny, CEO of Finalto MENA, explains that Finalto is uniquely positioned to support regional clients through a combination of deep liquidity, bespoke pricing, and market leading proprietary risk and trading technology.“With an established global presence across the UK, Europe, Australia, Singapore, and now Dubai, the firm delivers around-the-clock customer support and seamless access to global markets. This footprint enables Finalto to offer tailored solutions that align with regional trading practices, regulatory frameworks, and the evolving objectives of MENA based institutions,” Canny said.A New Horizon for FinaltoThe MENA region presents significant opportunities, driven by increasing participation from professional and institutional investors, strong demand for precious metals trading, and the rapid adoption of sophisticated, technology driven trading strategies-driven trading strategies.Commenting on the expansion, Finalto UK-EU CEO Paul Groves said the move marks an important milestone for the business:“Finalto’s extensive experience operating across multiple regulated jurisdictions positions us strongly to support clients in this dynamic region. Our focus is on delivering trusted, transparent and scalable solutions that are tailored to local market needs, underpinned by the same high standards of risk management, liquidity provision and technology that define our global offering.”Contact Finalto MENA: sales@finalto.comMedia enquiries: Lara Hussaini (lara.hussaini@finalto.com)About FinaltoFinalto is an innovative prime brokerage that provides bespoke liquidity and fintech solutions. Our award-winning technology and expertise enable us to deliver effective, flexible service to a wide range of institutional clients globally, personalised to suit their needs. We deliver best-in-class pricing, execution and prime broker solutions across multiple assets, including CFDs on Equities, Indices, Commodities, Cryptos and rolling spot FX, Precious and Base Metals, and bespoke products such as NDFs.Service available only to Professional clients and varies per jurisdiction – Trading involves significant risk of loss. This article was written by FM Contributors at www.financemagnates.com.

Silver rose to $90.73 per ounce Wednesday, up 4.16% on the day, its highest print since February 4. The intraday high tagged just below $91, a level the market has not seen in three weeks. At the time of writing, the metal is holding near $90.70, consolidating just above the breakout zone.Silver price surge may be the most technically significant of the year so far. In this article, I examine why silver is surging today, analyze the chart in detail based on my over a decade of experience as an analyst and trader, and present the newest silver price predictions from major institutions and market analysts.Follow me on X for more silver market analysis: @ChmielDkSilver Price Today: Breaking Out of February's RangeTo understand the significance of this move, context matters. Silver plunged from its all-time high of $121.67 on January 29 to lows near $70 in early February - one of the most violent precious metals selloffs in recent history, a crash I covered in detail at the time in Why Silver Price Crashed 33%: Fed Chair, Reuters Panic and Algo Selloff. The entire month of February has since been a slow, grinding recovery - until today. Year-over-year, silver remains up approximately 184%.According to my technical analysis, today's session is delivering the most important signal of the month. As shown on my chart, silver has spent all of February oscillating inside a well-defined consolidation channel with clear boundaries:Upper resistance (now broken): $90 - the ceiling of February's range, aligned with structural price memoryChannel midpoint / key support: $80 - aligning precisely with the December 29 highs and the 50 EMA, which has been moving horizontally throughout the monthChannel floor: $70 - the early February lows, the deepest point of the post-ATH correctionToday's candle is testing a breakout above that upper boundary. A daily or weekly close above $90 is the confirmation signal I am watching. If silver achieves that close, the technical path reopens toward:$100 - the psychological level and first major target$118 - the January 26 session highs, which represent the ultimate resistance before the ATH zone. Note: while silver traded above $118 on January 29, the session closed below that level - meaning $118 continues to act as significant resistance, not just a waypoint$121.67 - the all-time highThe bearish scenario requires watching carefully too. A failure to hold $90 and a return into the consolidation channel would not be catastrophic on its own - but a breakdown below the $70 floor would open a much more serious move toward $55-$59 per ounce, where the November 13 structural peaks and the 200 EMA currently sit. That is the level that would truly challenge the bull market thesis.Why Is Silver Going Up: Tariff War Resumes With Full ForceThe catalyst for Wednesday's move is the same force that has been driving precious metals all month - but with fresh intensity. After the Supreme Court struck down Trump's IEEPA tariff framework last Thursday, markets briefly exhaled. That relief lasted less than 24 hours.Trump responded by imposing 15% global tariffs under Section 122, then threatened additional duties against any country that "plays games" with current trade arrangements. The shifting policy stance has made it impossible for institutional traders to price certainty into any risk-asset position - and when uncertainty spikes, silver and gold are the instinctive beneficiaries."Silver has witnessed dramatic moves in recent days, reflecting the sensitivity of this dual-natured metal - both investment and industrial - to political and monetary shocks at the same time," said Rania Gule, Senior Market Analyst at XS.com.[#highlighted-links#] As she noted about the recent pattern: "What happened does not represent a trend reversal as much as it reflects a rapid repricing of a sudden political shock, followed by the natural behavior of markets that tend to test extremes before stabilizing new positions."The second macro driver is US-Iran tensions. Diplomatic talks are scheduled to resume Thursday, with Trump reiterating his preference for a negotiated resolution while warning of "serious consequences" if no nuclear deal is secured. That combination - open negotiation with a military ultimatum attached - is the precise kind of headline that keeps safe-haven demand elevated without fully releasing it."The sharp rally was not surprising," Gule added. "Trade escalation typically revives investor appetite for hedging assets, particularly in a global environment marked by slowing growth and rising geopolitical polarization."Beyond the immediate catalysts, the structural picture remains firmly in silver's corner:Five consecutive annual supply deficits, with the Silver Institute projecting no resolution in 2026China's new silver export licensing system, implemented January 1, 2026, restricting physical flows from the world's largest silver-producing nationCOMEX registered silver inventories below 100 million ounces for the first time since records began - a level crossed last weekIndustrial demand from solar manufacturing, AI infrastructure buildout, EV production, and defense electronics showing no signs of slowingSilver's Contradictions: The Industrial Hedge DilemmaSilver's dual nature - simultaneously a safe-haven asset and an industrial input - creates a tension that distinguishes it from gold. Gule of XS.com put it plainly: "Silver differs from gold in that it is more sensitive to the economic cycle, given its close link to industrial demand. A trade shock that heightens concerns about supply chains may support prices through safe-haven flows in the short term, while simultaneously raising questions about global industrial activity in the medium term."This contradiction partly explains the swift profit-taking that followed Monday's initial 6% surge to $89, before the market found footing and built higher again. It also explains why silver's intraday volatility continues to dwarf gold's - and why the technical structure I outlined above matters so much. Silver needs to close sessions above key levels, not just tag them intraday.As JPMorgan noted in its February 2026 outlook, silver's 130%+ rise through 2025 was "fueled by industrial demand and uncertainty over tariff regulations" - precisely the same combination driving today's move.Silver Price Prediction 2026: Where Do Analysts See the Price Going?The range of credible forecasts for silver in 2026 is extraordinarily wide - reflecting both genuine analytical disagreement and the unprecedented nature of recent price action."I'm very bullish the metals. My silver target is $180 and gold $6,800 - and I think we could see those targets reached in the second quarter," said macro strategist David Hunter. Rashad Hajiyev goes further, arguing that if the Gold/Silver Ratio continues its compression toward the 2011 low of 30, "$250 silver becomes a mathematical expectation with gold at $7,500." The ratio currently sits near 57-59 - its lowest level since 2011.For broader institutional context on where gold fits into this picture, see my analysis: Gold Price Prediction 2026: How High Can Gold Really Go?Silver's Road Back to $100: Key Milestones to WatchThe recovery from February's brutal lows has been steady but not smooth. After the January 29-30 crash - which I documented in Why Gold Is Falling With Silver Today: The Strongest XAU and XAG Selloff in 13 Years - silver found support near $70 and began rebuilding. The February 13 session produced another sharp 10% decline, covered in Why Is Silver Falling With Gold? Silver Price Crashes 3rd Hardest in 6 Years, before the metal stabilized and began its current recovery. Monday's session - detailed in Why Silver Is Surging With Gold Price and Why Analyst Predicts $400 in 2026 - was the first sign this breakout attempt was building momentum.Today's close is the one that matters most. As shown on my chart, the $90 level is not just resistance - it is the gate. Everything technically interesting happens above it.FAQWhy is silver going up today?Silver is surging Wednesday due to renewed safe-haven demand driven by Trump's 15% global tariff escalation and ongoing US-Iran nuclear tensions, with talks resuming Thursday. The move also reflects a technical breakout above the $90 resistance that has capped February's entire consolidation range, attracting momentum buyers.How high can silver go in 2026?Based on my technical analysis, a sustained close above $90 targets $100, then $118 resistance, and ultimately the $121.67 all-time high. Institutional forecasts range from HSBC's $68 average - already well exceeded - to David Hunter's $180 and Rashad Hajiyev's $250-$400 in a high-conviction bull scenario where the Gold/Silver Ratio compresses to 20-30.What is the silver price prediction for 2026?JPMorgan sees silver averaging $60-$90, underpinned by structural supply deficits and industrial demand. Bank of America's $65 target has already been surpassed. More aggressive analysts target $150-$400, with the structural case built on five consecutive deficit years, China export controls, and COMEX inventory depletion.What could stop silver's rally?A failure to hold $90 on a daily close and a return into the $70-$90 consolidation channel would be the first warning sign. A breakdown below $70 - the February lows - would open a move toward $55-$59, where the November structural peaks and the 200 EMA converge. Macro resolution of the tariff situation or a US-Iran deal could temporarily reduce safe-haven demand and trigger profit-taking. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

Risk management has overtaken every other operational concern among global brokerages heading into 2026, according to a new industry report from technology provider Tools for Brokers (TFB). The timing is notable. Retail trading demand hit record highs in early 2026, surging 25% above the previous peak set during the 2021 pandemic surge, with FMIntel data suggesting monthly CFD volumes could exceed $37 trillion this year. That kind of volume puts every operational weakness under a microscope.Some 34% of respondents named risk management as their primary challenge for the year ahead, placing it comfortably above the second-ranked concern, scaling operations, cited by 26% of firms. Technology stack complexity followed at 15%, with compliance and regulation accounting for 11%.Risk Is No Longer a Back-Office ProblemFor years, risk oversight sat somewhere between a compliance checkbox and a back-office function at many retail brokerages. That appears to be changing fast. Faster execution environments, higher market volatility, and growing client protection requirements are pushing firms to build risk controls directly into their core infrastructure - not bolt them on after the fact.Alexey Kutsenko, CEO at TFB, said the findings track closely with what the company has observed across its own client base."Over the past decade, the brokerage landscape has become materially more complex," he said. "Risk management is no longer a back-office function, but a... priority tied to scalability and long-term resilience. Firms moving ahead are investing in tighter execution, real-time client visibility, AI integration, and greater automation across risk workflows."The report argues that the most resilient brokerages now run risk management as a continuous system - think real-time alerting, predefined thresholds, and automated responses to abnormal trading behavior - rather than relying on periodic manual reviews. The distinction matters. During volatile market conditions, the firms that break first are typically those whose systems fail under pressure, not those with bad products.Scaling Up Without Blowing UpGrowth is creating its own set of problems. One in four brokers surveyed said scaling operations was their biggest challenge, a figure that reflects how rapidly rising transaction volumes are stressing infrastructure built for a smaller, simpler business. The report notes that firms successfully navigating this pressure typically share a few common threads: flexible infrastructure, advanced liquidity aggregation, and automated risk controls. The ability to absorb volume spikes without compromising pricing quality or execution speed is increasingly what separates firms that can expand into new markets from those that get stuck firefighting. The scaling challenge is especially sharp for brokers pushing into regions such as Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America, where infrastructure limitations and regulatory fragmentation add layers of complexity that more established markets don't face to the same degree.AI and Liquidity Bridges Lead Tech SpendingWhen brokerages were asked where they planned to invest in technology for 2026, artificial intelligence came out on top at 28%, followed by liquidity bridges at 20%. AI-driven risk management tools, automation, social trading, mobile applications, and big data analytics made up the rest of the top priorities.On the operational side, AI-driven tools are also increasingly being used to support account management, help sales teams prioritize high-risk accounts, and improve the consistency of internal decision-making.Liquidity bridges ranked second in spending intentions. As TFB detailed last November, the push toward consolidated platforms that combine execution, analytics, and risk management in a single environment has been gathering momentum, with major tech providers racing to build what amounts to an all-in-one operating system for brokers. Earlier this month, Alchemy Markets integrated TFB's Trade Processor into its trading infrastructure to automate liquidity management, risk controls, and regulatory reporting simultaneously .Compliance Hardens Into an Operational Function"Regulatory readiness ensures both client trust and operational sustainability,” TFB's COO Vladimir Viuchejskiy, added. “Advanced tech combined with skilled teams mitigates risk and positions firms as market leaders."Regulatory compliance ranked fourth among broker concerns, but the tone in the report around this topic suggests it deserves more attention than the raw percentage implies. Brokerages are under rising pressure from regulators, banking partners, and liquidity providers to demonstrate structured reporting, clear audit trails, and documented risk controls, regardless of whether local regulation formally requires it.The automated reporting angle is gaining traction as a practical fix: last July, TFB partnered with TRAction to let brokers auto-report directly through their trading platform, covering major regulatory frameworks including EMIR, MiFIR, and ASIC rules. Kutsenko noted at the time that "reporting and compliance remain among the most important challenges our clients face.” This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

TP ICAP is changing how its institutional crypto exchange handles trades, moving to a model that puts the London-based broker in the middle of every transaction, a structure already well-established in its traditional markets operations.The company said this week that Fusion Digital Assets will switch to a so-called matched principal model in March, under which TP ICAP stands as counterparty to both sides of each trade. The change eliminates the need for clients to pre-fund their positions: institutions will be able to trade first and settle afterward, freeing up capital that would otherwise sit idle waiting for a deal to clear.Bringing a Traditional Markets Playbook to CryptoThe matched principal setup is hardly new for TP ICAP. The firm already runs the model across its foreign exchange, rates, and credit markets businesses, processing more than $200 trillion in notional volume through it in 2025. What's different now is that Fusion Digital Assets - launched for spot crypto trading back in May 2023 after the firm secured a UK license the year before - is getting the same treatment.Under the new structure, each trade will be backed by TP ICAP's investment-grade credit rating. Settlement will move off-exchange, with the firm acting as counterparty on the clearing side. Clients will also be free to use whichever digital asset custodian they prefer - a deliberate design choice to avoid locking institutions into a single custody relationship.Simon Forster, managing director and global co-head of digital assets at TP ICAP, said the shift addresses a persistent structural problem in institutional crypto trading. "This proven model is familiar to institutional clients, delivered by a counterparty they trust. It fills a critical gap in the crypto landscape by improving efficiency, reducing risk, and creating a flexible, institution-ready framework for trading."Volume Growth Adds Pressure to ExpandThe timing reflects real momentum on the platform. Fusion Digital Assets crossed $1 billion in monthly notional volume in September last year, with activity concentrated in spot Bitcoin and Ether. That figure gave TP ICAP a concrete data point to justify expanding what the platform offers.Once the matched principal model is in place, the company plans to roll out stablecoins, additional major cryptoassets, new fiat currency pairs, and tokenized real-world assets. Operating hours will also extend from the current 23 hours a day, five days a week, to full 24/5 coverage, with weekend trading possible as demand grows.The platform will also introduce multilateral netting, a mechanism common in traditional markets that allows multiple offsetting positions to settle as a single net obligation rather than as individual trades, cutting both cost and settlement risk.Expansion Accelerates Across TP ICAP's Business LinesThe Fusion overhaul is part of a broader push by TP ICAP across its operations. In January, the firm acquired Vantage Capital Markets to deepen its Asia-Pacific footprint, with Vantage's offices in Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Dubai expected to close into TP ICAP's network in Q2 this year. Earlier this month, the group also brought electronic trading to structured products, building a centralized order book for a corner of the market that had historically relied on phone-based negotiation.The digital assets arm has been a bright spot for the group. TP ICAP's most recent revenue report showed £1.78 billion at the top line, though weakness in the firm's energy and commodities unit has weighed on overall results. Crypto infrastructure, by contrast, has continued to attract institutional attention as more banks and asset managers look for exchange-grade venues that offer the compliance and counterparty standards they're used to in traditional markets.Forster framed the model change as more than just an operational upgrade. "This marks a transformational step in Fusion Digital Asset's development. It reflects our commitment to delivering trusted, efficient market infrastructure for the digital asset ecosystem." This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

Russia is preparing a legal framework that would bring digital assets into a structure similar to its traditional financial market. Under the draft proposal, licensed brokers would serve as the mandatory access point for retail crypto trading. This comes as the European Union considers banning crypto activity with Russia. The EU plans focus on cross-border limits, while Russia aims to regulate domestic crypto activity. The Central Bank and the Ministry of Finance drafted the proposal. Officials expect the new structure to be operational by July 2027. At its core, the plan requires retail investors to access digital assets through licensed intermediaries. Brokers would oversee onboarding, investor checks, and compliance, while licensed crypto exchanges and digital custodians would operate within a structure modeled on the traditional securities market. All trading would take place inside this regulated environment and remain subject to existing anti-money laundering and reporting requirements. A Broader Role for Brokers If adopted, the framework expands brokers’ roles in digital assets. They would run trades, oversee investor tests, give risk disclosures, and classify clients. The proposal builds a domestic investment channel and cuts reliance on offshore platforms. Some Russian-origin brands still work internationally. For example, the Alpari brand, now part of Exinity Group, has a platform offering “up or down” binary-style contracts. These contracts would not be covered by the domestic regime. Russia would not allow direct retail access to global crypto platforms. Instead, trading must go through licensed intermediaries. Brokers become the main compliance and distribution layer for retail crypto. This article was written by Tanya Chepkova at www.financemagnates.com.

It’s Payback Time for Asian Stockholders…For years, ASEAN has been framed almost exclusively as a growth story. Favourable demographics, rising consumption and the relocation of manufacturing have positioned Southeast Asia as one of the most dynamic emerging regions in the world.But as the region’s economy matures, a new narrative is taking shape. ASEAN is no longer just about growth; it is increasingly becoming a compelling destination for dividend seekers.That is the view of Miko Huang, Senior Manager, Equity Index Product Management APAC at London Stock Exchange Group, who notes that the FTSE ASEAN Index, which captures the large- and mid-cap companies listed in the five ASEAN markets (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines), has delivered a 10-year average dividend yield of 3.57%.This exceeds the yields of many major global benchmarks, including the FTSE Asia Pacific ex Japan Australia and New Zealand Index (2.49%), the FTSE USA Index (1.68%), the FTSE Developed Europe Index (3.18%) and the FTSE Emerging Index (2.9%).Over the last five years, the FTSE ASEAN Index has recorded steady growth in cash flow per share, and the region’s average dividend payout ratio during this period also stands out relative to global peers. The forward 12-month dividend yield remains attractive compared with other major markets worldwide, highlighting the region’s appeal for income-oriented investors.As of the end of last year, more than 60% of the large- and mid-cap companies in the FTSE ASEAN Index offered dividend yields above 3%, reflecting a management culture that focuses on shareholder returns.However, Huang cautions that not all dividend strategies are created equal. Traditional dividend approaches often focus on the highest-yielding stocks, which can lead to excessive portfolio concentration and above-average exposure to smaller companies or businesses with weakening fundamentals.“Many dividend indices simply rank stocks by yield and pick the companies at the top of the ranking,” she says. “The problem with that approach is that very high yields are often a warning sign. They can come from smaller or distressed companies where the share price has already fallen sharply, creating what we call a ‘yield trap’. While the yield may appear attractive, it is often unsustainable, as the share price fall is an early indicator of a future dividend cut.”…While Their UK Counterparts Are Frustrated by BuybacksAccording to Computershare’s Q4 2025 UK Dividend Monitor, UK dividends fell 0.9% to £87.5 billion on a headline basis in 2025, while one-off special dividends of £2.9 billion were half the 10-year average.Share buybacks reached a provisional £63.6 billion in 2025, more than double the 2019 level, while dividends have fallen by 13% over the same period. Share buybacks have slowed dividend growth by 3% per annum since 2019 by diverting cash to repurchases rather than distributions.Read more: Plus500 Starts $100 Million Repurchase With $800 Million CashMark Cleland, CEO of Governance Services at Computershare, observes that for 2026 there are relatively few major growth drivers to push dividends higher. Declines in mining payouts are likely to slow further or stop altogether, banks are likely to continue to deliver modest growth, and energy payouts are likely to be flat.Across the wider market, Computershare projects steady, low single-digit growth. Meanwhile, the dampening effect of share buybacks and the strong pound is set to continue (if sterling maintains its current rate), though the exchange rate effect will weaken as the year progresses.“For Q1 2026, Next has already declared a very large payment of £3.60 per share, reflecting both very strong trading and associated cash generation, as well as some land disposals,” says Cleland. “This will ensure the Q1 2026 special dividend total easily exceeds Q1 2025, though we assume for now that the full year will be roughly flat, given the unpredictable nature of this form of payout.”No Time to Be Squeamish About Defence StocksThe phrase “buy when there is blood in the streets, even if the blood is your own” is a contrarian investment maxim frequently attributed to Baron Rothschild, who allegedly made a fortune buying during the panic following the Battle of Waterloo.It means buying assets when market fear is at its highest, others are panic-selling, and prices are falling, even if your own investments are losing value.Sadly, there has been blood in the streets in too many parts of the world recently. In particular, the conflict in Ukraine (and criticism of Europe’s commitment to its armed forces from members of the Trump administration) has focused attention on Europe’s ability to defend its borders.Until relatively recently, investors were reluctant to buy defence stocks in large volumes, partly due to ethical concerns. But inflows rose significantly following Russia’s invasion of its south-west neighbour in 2022 and, after a brief lull, rose again when the US President made it clear that he expected NATO countries to make a more substantial contribution to the defence of the continent.Hargreaves Lansdown’s December 2025 Sustainable Investor Survey recorded a sharp fall in the number of investors who excluded weapons from their allocations. Many European investors have re-evaluated how investing in defence stocks aligns with ESG commitments, leading defence sector-focused funds to reach an all-time high.As reported recently, data from eToro show that defence names listed in Europe moved into focus as a structural allocation rather than a tactical trade for many retail investors last year, with four European defence groups appearing in the platform’s global ‘top risers’ table.The European Commission’s ReArm Europe Plan/Readiness 2030, presented in March 2025, proposes leveraging over €800 billion in defence spending through national fiscal flexibility, a new €150 billion loan instrument (SAFE) for joint procurement, potential redirection of cohesion funds, and expanded European Investment Bank support.Thematic European ETFs have also benefited, with $6.3 billion in positive net flows into global defence last year, accounting for 40% of all new money that moved into this sector in 2025. European defence was the next highest contributor to new flows, representing an additional 30%. This article was written by Paul Golden at www.financemagnates.com.

Stablecoins started as a workaround for crypto traders. They matured into a consumer money layer that moves across borders, settles quickly and keeps value stable in places where local currencies swing. Wallets now sit at the same crossroads neobanks faced a decade ago: payments promise scale, brand recognition and daily usage.Crypto cannot copy the neobank model and expect durable margins. Interchange caps and razor-thin foreign exchange economics already squeezed neobanks into constant product expansion — and stablecoins compress spreads even further. Market pricing will reward wallets that treat payments as distribution and concentrate monetization in onchain finance, including trading, tokenized assets and structured yield.Neobanks Hit a Ceiling Where Interchange Gets CappedNeobanks built their growth stories by pairing sleek apps with card spend, and they relied on interchange and FX as recurring revenue. Europe’s regulatory caps made that ceiling explicit, limiting consumer debit fees to 0.2% and credit to 0.3%.As scale increased, revenue still leaned heavily on card payments while profitability depended on building higher-margin lines, such as wealth products, subscriptions and lending. Revolut’s trajectory proves the point: card payments remained a major revenue driver even as wealth and interest income surged.That pattern holds the lesson for crypto. Payments create daily relevance, and card rails offer reach, yet capped interchange rarely sustains an entire consumer finance stack on its own.Stablecoins Tighten Margins Further by Compressing FXCrypto “neobanks” face the same cap table with a sharper edge. Stablecoins turn cross-border value transfer into a commodity service, and the spread that once sat inside retail FX often disappears once a user holds a dollar-pegged asset. Institutions like the IMF increasingly frame stablecoins as a route to faster and cheaper payments, especially across borders.Fintechs also move in that direction. Major buy-now-pay-later players have launched stablecoins to cut cross-border payment costs, a move that shows how quickly the economic centre of gravity shifts once stablecoin settlement becomes standard inside payment operations.For wallet operators, this changes the unit economics. Stablecoin-led settlement pulls FX revenue toward zero and pushes competition into user experience, routing efficiency and risk controls. This dynamic compresses fees across the board.Card Networks Keep Costs High While Margins ShrinkCard issuance delivers broad merchant acceptance, and consumers want familiar tap-to-pay experiences. Card coverage and local payment integration expand access for users who lack reliable banking, and stablecoin spending can plug into systems such as Brazil’s Pix while also using global card networks.Those rails also carry fixed costs and compliance burdens. Network rules, chargebacks, fraud monitoring, program management and jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction licensing push operating costs upward even as interchange and FX compress downward. Artemis data shows the industry is already adapting: Visa now captures over 90% of on-chain card volume by partnering with full-stack issuers like Rain or Reap. By bypassing traditional sponsor banks, these players prove that surviving thin margins requires owning the entire stack, effectively replacing the "rented" neobank model with direct network integration. The result resembles the neobank squeeze, with a harsher spread profile once stablecoins become the default “currency” inside the wallet.The industry should stop treating card spend as a profit engine and start treating it as a distribution channel. It also asks wallet operators to accept thinner payment fees and build their business around higher-margin on-chain finance, leveraging DeFi protocols and investment products that banks rarely distribute directly at consumer scale.Payments Work Best as a Gateway to Higher-Value Onchain FinanceThe sustainable model positions transactions as the front door and earns revenue when users choose higher-value activities. Recent data validates this hierarchy, showing that payments and earning use cases are rising alongside trading. Bitget Wallet’s card spending volume grew more than 28-fold year on year, and stablecoin-focused earnings accelerated even as market activity cooled late in the year.JUST IN: ?? Senator Bill Hagerty says crypto stablecoin legislation "is going to propel America's payment system into the 21st century." pic.twitter.com/t3p2HhiRIv— Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) June 4, 2025High-inflation environments provide the blueprint for this utility-first adoption. Users hold stablecoins to preserve purchasing power and then seek predictable returns through on-chain earning products. Due to the nature of how most of these products are marketed (headline yields, instant access to capital), transparency regarding the risks involved and the redemption terms of each product is critical.Inevitably, the profits generated by scaling wallet payments will shift toward higher-margin on-chain financial products, including derivatives, RWAs and increasingly complex earning vaults, where platforms that package these services cleanly will take share.Tokenised assets add a second layer of defensibility. Once users treat the wallet as a place to manage cash-like stablecoins and investable products in one interface, switching costs rise for reasons that resemble brokerage behaviour rather than card behaviour. Yield products also create stickier balances and reduce reliance on constant new user acquisition to maintain growth.The Market Will Reward the Builders Who Accept Thin Payment MarginsCrypto wallets that copy the neobank revenue stack will face the same margin ceiling, with less room to manoeuvre once stablecoins erase spreads. The era of subsiding growth with interchange and FX spreads is over. The winners of the next cycle will use global payment networks to build daily usage and trust, while monetisation concentrates on higher-value on-chain activity.Wallets get stuck when they try to recreate a full neobank. They do better when banking features feed into on-chain products that actually carry margin. This is why the breakout belongs to wallets that become an everyday on-chain finance platform, where payments bring users in, and markets keep them engaged. If the industry treats payments as the habit layer, the ceiling on crypto fintech rises sharply. This article was written by Alvin Kan at www.financemagnates.com.

Australia's financial watchdog has wrapped up the most lucrative enforcement period in its history, extracting nearly $350 million in court-ordered civil penalties from some of the country's biggest financial institutions in the second half of last year, while also clawing back more than half a billion dollars for ordinary Australians caught up in misconduct schemes.The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) said this week it secured $349.8 million in civil penalties between July and December 2025, the highest six-monthly total since the agency's founding. That figure comes alongside $583 million in refunds and compensation payments flowing back to consumers and investors, a combined outcome that Chairman Joe Longo called evidence of a regulator that has fundamentally changed how it operates."Today, ASIC is one of the most active law enforcement agencies in the country," Longo said. "We are taking more cases to court, achieving record penalties, and protecting consumers."ANZ Pays the Biggest PriceNo single outcome defined the period more than the action against ANZ. In December, the Federal Court ordered Australia and New Zealand Banking Group to pay $250 million in combined penalties - the largest amount ASIC has ever secured against one entity - for a pattern of misconduct that stretched from bond market manipulation to charging fees to the accounts of dead customers.Deputy Chairwoman Sarah Court didn't soften her message. "This outcome sends a clear message to ANZ that it needs to do better by its customers and to all banks that the cost of breaking the law is not an acceptable cost of doing business."ANZ now faces 11 civil penalty proceedings brought by ASIC since 2016. Cbus, NAB, and RAMS Financial Group also faced significant penalties during the period - $23.5 million, $15.5 million, and $20 million, respectively - for failures ranging from botched death benefit payments to home loan compliance gaps.“Our Work Continues”The enforcement ramp-up is part of a multi-year pattern. ASIC secured over $120 million in court-ordered penalties during the full 2024-25 fiscal year and has been steadily increasing the volume and scale of its actions.[#highlighted-links#] The regulator granted 290 new Australian Financial Services licences in FY25 while pulling back 215 others - a pattern that reflects a regulator tightening who gets to operate in the market, not just punishing those who already are.Longo acknowledged that the pace won't ease off. "While 2025 was a significant year, our work continues in intensity in the year ahead."Shield and First Guardian: $420 Million and CountingBeyond the headline bank penalties, ASIC's two most complex ongoing investigations - into the collapsed Shield Master Fund and First Guardian Master Fund - produced some of the period's most consequential outcomes for ordinary investors.Both schemes funnelled Australians' superannuation savings into managed investment products that subsequently unravelled. By December, ASIC had secured more than $420 million in compensation commitments for around 4,000 investors. Macquarie admitted to contraventions of the Corporations Act and committed to paying $321 million to Shield investors, while Netwealth agreed to pay over $100 million to more than 1,000 First Guardian investors.FinanceMagnates.com previously reported on the early stages of these collapses in June 2025, when ASIC first moved to freeze assets across 31 connected entities as some 600 Australians stood to lose $160 million in retirement savings.Corporate Complaints SurgeA separate dataset released Wednesday adds another dimension to the picture. Between July and December 2025, ASIC received 9,686 reports of misconduct, raising 13,036 individual issues, a 28% jump from the first half of the year. The agency attributed part of that increase to a redesigned reporting portal launched in June that made lodging complaints easier.Corporate governance concerns accounted for 40% of all issues raised - up from 3,819 in the previous period to 5,217 - driven by failures to hand company records to liquidators, fraud allegations, and insolvency matters. Financial services and retail investor issues made up another 44%.Deputy Chairwoman Court said the data reinforces where ASIC plans to focus. "They underscore [ASIC's enforcement priorities], which include tackling governance and directors' duties failures, reaffirming that stronger governance remains a top priority for ASIC."Low-Income Customers Get $161 Million BackSeparately, ASIC's "Better and Beyond" review of bank fee practices produced another significant consumer outcome. Twenty-one banks agreed to refund $161 million to customers who had been stuck in high-fee accounts - a group disproportionately made up of low-income earners. The Commonwealth Bank alone committed to returning $68 million in December.Commissioner Alan Kirkland acknowledged progress but struck a cautious note: "Our intervention has forced many banks to take action, but more needs to be done to ensure financially vulnerable consumers are not put in this position again."Several banks also shifted more than one million customers into low-fee accounts, a change ASIC estimates will save them a combined $50 million annually.A 14-Year Prison Sentence Sends a MessageOn the criminal side, the period's most striking outcome was a 14-year prison sentence handed to West Australian fraudster Chris Marco by the Supreme Court of Western Australia - pending appeal, the longest custodial sentence ever imposed in connection with an ASIC criminal investigation. The regulator recorded 17 criminal convictions against individuals across the period, a 31% increase from the prior six months.Across all enforcement categories, ASIC launched 123 new investigations, completed 518 surveillances, filed 23 new civil proceedings, and commenced 11 new criminal prosecutions. Infringement notice penalties totalled $6.9 million. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

At iFX EXPO Dubai 2026, Finance Magnates met with Ilia Iarovitcyn, CEO of Spotware, to discuss the company’s record-breaking 2025 performance, the launch of cBridge, the rapid expansion of cTrader Store, and strategic priorities for 2026.Spotware reported a second consecutive year of triple-digit client growth alongside new trading volume records. In the interview, Ilia addressed how AI is now embedded in Spotware’s core operations, how brokers are managing rising gold concentration in trading flows, and how the company plans to support firms facing higher acquisition costs and conversion rate pressure. He also detailed cBridge’s cost structure and explained how cTrader gives brokers the flexibility to tailor the platform around the specific needs of their business and clients. Record Growth, Operational Stability and a Broader Product VisionFor the second consecutive year, Spotware reported triple-digit growth in new clients alongside record trading volumes. According to Ilia Iarovitcyn, this is not just a numbers story but a validation of long-term positioning.“The year was genuinely packed with achievements. For the second year in a row, we saw a triple-digit number of new clients and set new records in trading volume along the way.”At the core of that growth is his consistent focus on innovation and transparency. Over time, cTrader has become a benchmark for fair and ethical business practices among brokers and prop firms, a stance rooted in its TradersFirst™ vision. That trader-centric positioning has made cTrader essential for brokers: when traders see cTrader offered by a broker, they take it as a sign the broker is operating openly and honestly. That positioning appears to be resonating with users. cTrader maintains a 4.8 Trustpilot rating based on thousands of reviews. As Ilia Iarovitcyn stated, “The ‘trader love’ isn’t something we just talk about; you can measure it.”Operationally, one of the most significant developments in 2025 was the integration of AI into core business processes. With AI supporting daily operations and development, Spotware significantly increased both the frequency and quality of releases while minimising downtime risk across critical components. “In 2025, AI helped us accelerate delivery without compromising the quality our clients expect,”Most importantly, 2025 marked the launch of cBridge, a move that signals Spotware’s evolution beyond a single-product company. “We clearly demonstrated to the industry that Spotware is no longer a single-product developer,” he said.The “Gold Challenge” and Broker Growth in 2026Looking ahead, Ilia ties Spotware’s priorities directly to broker realities.“The challenges we see for 2026 are closely linked to the challenges brokers face, as our success depends on theirs. That’s why one of our core priorities is to make brokers grow.” One of the most pressing structural shifts across the CFD industry is what he calls the “Gold challenge.” For many brokers, gold now accounts for more than 70% of total trading volume, while traditional FX pairs such as EURUSD have fallen down the ranking table.This concentration risk creates pressure on margin, hedging and reporting frameworks. In response, Spotware is investing in enhanced risk-management tools and advanced reporting capabilities to help brokers manage exposure more efficiently.At the same time, acquisition economics are tightening. Rising traffic costs are making it harder to convert leads into first-time deposits. To address this, Spotware has introduced features such as live trading ribbons, personalised push notifications, CRM integrations, single sign-on, KYC flows and in-app deposits. IB programmes have also been synchronised with partner tools like cTrader Invite.“That’s the foundation, and we plan to build on this further in 2026,” Ilia Iarovitcyn said.AI will remain central to that roadmap. “We’re convinced AI will set the pace in the years ahead,” he added, warning that firms slow to adopt new capabilities risk falling into catch-up mode.cBridge: A Standalone, Platform-Agnostic BridgeThe launch of cBridge at iFX EXPO Dubai represents a strategic expansion for Spotware.For years, cTrader offered direct connectivity to liquidity providers within the platform. However, clients increasingly requested a standalone bridge solution. “We kept hearing the same request: clients wanted a standalone bridge with added functionality beyond basic liquidity routing. So we decided to respond to that demand with cBridge,” Ilia explained.One of cBridge's defining features is its pricing model. Unlike many bridge providers, Spotware does not charge volume-based fees.“Brokers can significantly reduce bridge costs without volume becoming a cost driver,” he said.Importantly, cBridge is not limited to cTrader. Built as a standalone solution, it is compatible with all major trading platforms. This reflects the company’s broader “Be Open” principle, rooted in the Open Trading Platform™ concept.cTrader Store and the Power of DistributionIn parallel, cTrader Store has moved from the launch phase to a growth engine.“I expected the Store to be successful, but I didn’t expect it to take off to this extent,” Ilia Iarovitcyn admitted. “In 2025, it really hit its stride.”The Store reflects how traders behave: they search for strategies, tools, automation, copy trading and analytics within a trusted environment. By bringing together in-demand tools in one trusted environment, the Store helps brokers increase trader engagement and extend trader lifetime value. With more than 11 million active traders, the Store also serves as a discovery channel for traders and an acquisition channel for brokers. It provides free organic exposure to a large community of cTrader traders through a dedicated Brokers listing, driving up to 10,000 daily visits. For traders, it means access to brokers and prop firms that meet defined reliability criteria within the environment Ilia Iarovitcyn describes as scam-resistant.The recognition of cTrader as Best Trading Platform at UF AWARDS MEA 2026 further reinforces that positioning.Open Trading Platform™ as a Competitive EdgeSpotware’s Open Trading Platform™ positioning remains central to its identity.“For us, being ‘open’ is a principle that guides our engineering decisions,” Ilia explained. In practical terms, that translates into integration flexibility. cTrader connects with more than 100 FX/CFD solutions, including CRMs, liquidity providers and reporting systems, with further integrations in progress. “This is exactly what makes the difference,” he said. “cTrader gives brokers the flexibility to shape the platform around the specific needs of their business and traders, without any limitations,” Ilia Iarovitcyn said. “With UI plugins, brokers can expand the platform’s functionality in virtually unlimited ways by building and integrating their own custom solutions.”“Our idea is simple: build the highest-quality products and give clients real choice, so they choose you because the product delivers – not because a provider has limited the options,” Ilia Iarovitcyn added.Spotware’s Growth RoadmapWith cBridge live and cTrader Store scaling, Spotware is positioning itself as a broader infrastructure partner rather than a single-platform provider.As Ilia made clear, 2026 will focus on broker growth. Spotware will remain at the forefront of innovation, delivering in-demand solutions for FX/CFD businesses while staying true to TradersFirst™ and Open Trading Platform™ principles.For brokers, liquidity providers, and fintech firms interested in learning more about Spotware’s solutions, including cTrader and cBridge, you can get in touch directly with the team below:? Contact SpotwareRead More about SpotwareSpotware Doubles Trading Volume as cTrader Adds 2 Million UsersIntroducing "Spotware talks" panel discussion series This article was written by Finance Magnates Staff at www.financemagnates.com.

In the world of online brokerages, the need to integrate "the next big thing" is constant. We’ve seen the industry pivot from spot FX to CFDs, then to the democratisation of equities, and most recently, the wild frontier of digital assets. Each wave was met with initial scepticism by incumbents, only to eventually become a standard requirement for any brokerage hoping to maintain market share.Today, we are standing at the edge of the next great shift: the institutionalisation and integration of prediction markets.Recently, prediction markets have been primarily associated with hype around political polling and sports. But that perception is undergoing a radical transformation. We are seeing first-hand that prediction markets are no longer a niche curiosity; they are becoming a fundamental macroeconomic tool.Related: Plus500 Launches Predictions Markets in the US, Offering Kalshi's 'Regulated' ProductsIf you are running a brokerage, a CFD platform, or a fintech operation, here is why prediction markets need to be on your 2026 product roadmap.The New "Source of Truth"The most significant validation for this asset class didn't come from a tech blog, but from the halls of the Federal Reserve. A recent post from the Fed highlighted the rise of "macro markets", noting that platforms like Kalshi are providing real-time, high-fidelity data on how the market perceives future economic events.Traditional markets are often "noisy", influenced by a million variables, from liquidity crunches to unrelated geopolitical tremors. Prediction markets, however, are laser-focused on specific outcomes: Will the Fed hike rates in June? Will the CPI exceed 3.2%? When thousands of participants put capital behind a specific outcome, the resulting price is often a more accurate forecast than expert consensus or lagging indicators. For brokers, offering these markets isn't just about providing a tradable instrument; it’s about providing your users with the ultimate "source of truth" to guide their entire portfolio strategy.Key Takeaways from the Federal Reserve paper:"@Kalshi and the Rise of Macro Markets"The Fed just published a 41-page working paper evaluating Kalshi as a macro forecasting tool.They compare prediction markets to:- Fed funds futures- Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR)… pic.twitter.com/DC65j2CABu— PJ (@Prithvir12) February 19, 2026The Ultimate Hedging ToolFor the typical CFD or Forex trader on your platform, event risk is the greatest enemy. A sudden central bank decision or a surprise election result can wipe out a leveraged position in seconds. Historically, traders have tried to hedge these risks using complex options structures or inverse correlations – methods that are often inefficient or too expensive for the retail trader.Prediction markets solve this. They allow a trader to hedge specific, binary risks with surgical precision. If a client has a heavy long position on the euro, they can hedge the specific risk of political upheaval by taking a position in a prediction market focused on that event. By integrating these markets, you aren't just giving your clients a new way to trade; you are giving them the tools to stay in the game longer, manage their downside, and trade with more confidence.The "New, Expected, Lagging" LifecycleWe are currently in the "New" phase of prediction markets. Early adopters are capturing the headlines, the "early-in" liquidity, and the SEO dominance.Very soon, likely within the next 12 to 18 months, prediction markets will move to the "Expected" phase. Just as a modern broker wouldn't dream of launching without gold, oil, or major tech stocks, users will expect to be able to trade the outcomes of the events that move those markets.The final phase is the most dangerous for incumbents: the "Lagging" strategy. In the near future, a brokerage that does not offer prediction markets will be seen as an incomplete platform. You will be asking your users to look elsewhere for their macro-hedging and event trading. And as we know, once a user moves their capital to a competitor for one asset class, the risk of losing them is high.The Opportunity for OperatorsWe know the infrastructure is ready for prime time. The US is leading the way with regulatory clarity, and prediction markets are thriving in 100+ other jurisdictions. Liquidity is deepening, and the technology to integrate these markets is seamless.The question for operators is no longer if prediction markets will go mainstream, but rather who will take them there. The data is clear, the Fed is watching, and the traders are ready.It is time to move beyond the chart and start trading the event. The future isn't just something that happens to us – it’s the next great market. This article was written by Leon Okun at www.financemagnates.com.

Meta plans to reenter the stablecoin market later this year, four years after regulators blocked its earlier digital currency effort, Libra. The company is preparing to integrate dollar-pegged payments across its social platforms, according to people familiar with the matter.Sources cited by Coindesk said Meta issued requests for product proposals to external firms to help manage stablecoin-based payments. One named Stripe, which acquired the stablecoin infrastructure firm Bridge last year, as a possible partner. Stripe CEO Patrick Collison joined Meta’s board last year, signaling tighter cooperation between the two companies.SCOOP: Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta is planning a stablecoin comeback in H2, eyeing a third-party vendor as a key partner to power payments across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.@IanAllison123 reportshttps://t.co/NGgZHy9MC0— CoinDesk (@CoinDesk) February 24, 2026Meta Sends Out RFPs for Stablecoin IntegrationCommenting on the move, fintech analyst Simon Taylor said Meta’s latest move is about distribution, not reinvention. He added that stablecoins could become the “settlement layer” for Meta’s AI-driven commerce as digital agents begin to transact globally.“I can imagine stablecoins will improve cross border flows in long-tail markets where Meta already operates, as it does for Deel and Payoneer today, but think about AI. Meta is earmarking $115-135B in 2026 capex, mostly for AI. They're building agents that shop and transact autonomously, "agentic commerce.”Meta aims to begin integration in the second half of 2026, supported by a new wallet feature. Unlike the failed Libra project, Meta’s new plan relies on third-party payment infrastructure rather than building its own currency. “They want to do this, but at arm’s length,” one source said.Regulation and TimingThe renewed push follows the passage of the U.S. GENIUS Act in 2025, which established rules for stablecoin issuers. The company is reportedly racing to launch before provisions limiting big tech stablecoin activity take effect later this year.Related: Meta Soars 12%, Microsoft Tops $4 Trillion as AI Spending Powers ProfitsMeta returning to stablecoins in a second act shaped by its Libra defeat, a new U.S. law that forces big technology companies into partnership models, and a broader race among global platforms (Meta, X, Telegram) to control the stablecoin payments rails rather than the coins themselves.Policymakers in the United States and Europe were alarmed at the idea of a social media company effectively launching a private global currency, raising concerns over monetary sovereignty, financial stability, and Meta’s track record on data and privacy. Meta’s new strategy fits squarely into this more cautious, infrastructure‑first environment. Rather than issuing its own coin, it is reportedly sending requests for product proposals to external firms, with Stripe emerging as a likely partner for underlying stablecoin payments. This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.

Coinbase has made stock and ETF trading available to all users in the United States. Customers can now buy, sell, and manage traditional securities alongside crypto holdings. Trading is available 24 hours a day, five days a week. The company has partnered with Yahoo Finance, allowing users to move from researching an asset to executing a trade with “one simple click.”Coinbase has expanded from a crypto-only exchange to a multi-asset platform. It integrates equities, derivatives, prediction markets, and crypto, with infrastructure that allows capital to move across products in near real time. The expansion follows regulatory approvals in the U.S., Europe, and Canada. Coinbase has also made acquisitions to gain expertise in regulated markets.Coinbase Plans Tokenized Stocks, Global AccessUsers can fund trades with USD or USDC. Fractional shares allow investing from as little as $1. Coinbase One members receive uncapped rewards on their USDC balances. The company said it is “starting with the market's leading equities and plan[s] to expand 24/5 trading to thousands more stocks over the coming months.” It also plans to offer tokenized stocks and broader access to U.S. equities for international traders in the spring.8,000+ stocks. 24/5 trading. One app.Stock trading is live in the U.S., and we've partnered with @YahooFinance to power real-time discovery for traders everywhere.Wall Street, meet crypto. pic.twitter.com/dXaS9Fz77I— Coinbase ?️ (@coinbase) February 24, 2026Yahoo Finance Users Access Coinbase Trading DirectlyUsers can move from researching an asset to executing a trade with “one simple click,” and Yahoo Finance will integrate real-time data from Coinbase. The partnership includes a free one-month trial of Coinbase One Basic for Yahoo Finance users.The platform uses Apex Fintech Solutions for clearing, custody, and execution services. This article was written by Tareq Sikder at www.financemagnates.com.

Kraken has introduced tokenized equity perpetual futures, giving non-U.S. clients in more than 110 countries continuous leveraged access to leading U.S. equities, indices, and gold. The new offering is built using the exchange’s xStocks framework and is available on Kraken and Kraken Pro platforms.Tokenized Access to EquitiesThe perpetual futures track tokenized versions of major benchmarks and companies, including the S&P 500 (SPYx), Nasdaq 100 (QQQx), gold (GLDx), Apple (AAPLx), Alphabet (GOOGLx), Nvidia (NVDAx), Tesla (TSLAx), Robinhood (HOODx), and others.Crypto derivatives venues such as Binance and BitMEX already list equity‑style perpetual futures tied to names like Tesla and major U.S. indices, also giving traders 24/7, leveraged exposure to stock prices using crypto margin.xStocks Perps just expanded.$TSLAx, $AAPLx, $NVDAx and more now trade 24/7 on Kraken.Long or short, anytime.Click to trade @xStocksFi ⤵️— Kraken (@krakenfx) February 24, 2026 Notably, Kraken’s latest offering is the combination of 1:1‑backed tokenized equities (xStocks), regulated benchmarks, and a more tightly regulated structure around the underlying tokenized shares, rather than simply mirroring stock prices via cash‑settled crypto derivatives.Read more: Kraken-Backed xStocks Debut on Deutsche Börse’s 360X​“This is what it looks like when traditional markets are rebuilt for a crypto-native, always-on world, not a moment too soon given the volatility that all markets are exhibiting,” commented Kraken Global Head of Consumer Mark Greenberg.According to the exchange, each xStock is fully collateralized and backed 1:1 by the underlying asset, allowing them to trade on-chain 24/7, even when traditional exchanges are closed.The tokenized equity perpetuals allow traders to open or close positions at any time, with leverage of up to 20x. The instruments operate with regulated benchmarks and support a range of trading strategies, including directional, event-driven, and hedging positions.Expansion PlansKraken aims to broaden its xStocks offering in the coming months to include more tokenized equities and ETFs, as well as expand access in additional markets. xStocks recently reported that it had surpassed $25 billion in cumulative transaction volume, highlighting the accelerating adoption of tokenized equities across both centralized and decentralized platforms.$25,000,000,000 in total transaction volume.In under 7 months since launch.@xStocksFi is making history.As part of @payward’s group, xStocks is cementing its position as the largest provider and leading framework for tokenized equities globally. pic.twitter.com/XTPyXOMpBU— Kraken (@krakenfx) February 19, 2026The exchange said the total captures trading on centralized exchanges, activity on DeFi protocols, and mint and redemption flows for its tokenized products, all achieved in under eight months. Onchain activity alone contributes more than $3.5 billion of the volume, supported by over 80,000 unique onchain holders participating in the xStocks ecosystem. As of February 17, xStocks accounts for eight of the eleven largest tokenized equities by unique holders and 68% of the top 25 tokenized stocks by holder count. This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.

Another global crypto exchange is edging closer to operationalising its MiFID license. Having acquired CFD broker Sheer Markets in 2024, Gate.io announced in January 2026 that the entity had been rebranded as Gate Securities (Cyprus) Ltd.“This marks a significant step forward, reinforcing our commitment to regulatory compliance while supporting the expansion of the Gate Group brand across global financial markets,” the rebranded entity’s Executive Director and CEO, Wasim Zayed, said on LinkedIn.Derivatives Have Been a Growth Engine for Gate The timing is hardly accidental. By mid-2025, Gate’s global user base had surpassed 30 million and closed the year with nearly 50 million, with derivatives trading emerging as a key growth driver. The platform’s futures market share had climbed into double-digit territory, reaching 10.6%, making it one of the fastest-growing venues in global crypto derivatives.The broader group has also been busy reshaping its corporate structure. Gate Technology Ltd rebranded to Gate.io in 2024 as part of a push to strengthen its European presence, where the firm has been active since 2022.Multi-Asset Expansion Is the Name of the Game Multi-asset expansion has become the playbook in the CFD world; it is little surprise that crypto exchanges are now following a similar path. The pairing of a MiCA licence with MiFID permissions is fast becoming standard practice among large platforms seeking to deepen their European footprint. MiCA provides the regulatory scaffolding for spot trading and custody, while MiFID opens the door to derivatives and brokerage-style services.[#highlighted-links#] Crypto.com, Backpack Exchange and Coinbase have all secured MiFID footholds in Cyprus, while others, like Gemini, have sought MiFID pipelines elsewhere. Kraken, for its part, has recently embarked on a Cyprus hiring blitz, advertising roughly 50 island-linked roles in the past fortnight following its 2025 acquisition of CFD broker Greenfields Wealth. Vacancies such as the Regulatory MiFID Officer appear consistent with building out its MiFID-licensed business, even as many of the engineering roles likely support Kraken’s broader platform. The convergence is also running in reverse. As crypto-native firms push deeper into derivatives, traditional CFD brokers are moving further into spot crypto. eToro was an early – if then unusual – mover back in 2013. More recently, IG Group and Pepperstone have entered the spot crypto market, while Capital.com and XTB are preparing to follow. CMC Markets has likewise signalled ambitions that extend into decentralised finance. According to Pepperstone’s Group CEO Tamas Szabo, part of the rationale is straightforward: “Internal and external research has shown that CFD traders are heavy crypto investors." This article was written by Adonis Adoni at www.financemagnates.com.

IG Group has closed its South Africa office, including the lay-off of its local staff, FinanceMagnates.com has learned from an industry source. Although the number of staff made redundant remains unclear, the broker once had around 90 employees there.IG’s Full Exit from South AfricaThe closure of the South Africa office came nine months after the London-headquartered broker stopped offering services under its local unit. IG gave its local South African customers the option to move their accounts to other offshore entities.FinanceMagnates.com understands that IG operated only a marketing hub from South Africa. The closure of the local office after the exit appears to be a natural step.The broker also gave up its ODP licence in the country, which has become mandatory for offering contracts for difference (CFD) trading there.Although IG declined to share details on the latest office closure, it told FinanceMagnates.com that “the business was proposing the closure of its South Africa office for operational efficiency reasons” after the mid-2025 commercial operations exit.“The consultation has placed all remaining roles in South Africa at risk,” the IG representative added. “We cannot confirm any further details until the consultation period has ended.”[#highlighted-links#] IG’s New Business DirectionIG is one of the largest retail brokers offering contracts for difference (CFD) instruments. Apart from South Africa, the brand operates under licences in the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and Bermuda. It also offers derivatives in the United States through its subsidiary tastyfx.Interestingly, IG has exited several other operations and investments in the recent past, which include Spectrum Markets, Brightpool, Raydius, BadTrader and Small Exchange.Meanwhile, the broker is now eyeing the crypto market and has rolled out spot crypto trading through a third-party partnership. It has also acquired a crypto exchange and plans to offer “crypto propositions” in the Middle East and Asia Pacific. This article was written by Arnab Shome at www.financemagnates.com.

Omar Arnaout, chief executive of Polish retail broker XTB, says spot cryptocurrency trading could reshape the company's revenue structure within two to three years, but only if Poland gets out of the way.Speaking in an interview with Polish YouTube channel Comparic, Arnaout was unusually blunt about how lopsided XTB's income currently is. "Around 95%, maybe even more, of revenues are generated from CFD instruments," he said, calling the situation a source of genuine frustration. His ambition: bring that figure down to roughly 70%, with crypto and equities filling the gap.That's not a small shift. It would mean building an entirely new revenue stream from scratch, one that doesn't yet exist for XTB in any meaningful form in its home market.Poland's Crypto Deadlock Is Costing XTB on the Stock MarketThe obstacle isn't product development or client demand, it's regulation. Poland remains one of the few EU member states that hasn't implemented MiCA, the bloc's digital asset framework, leaving XTB unable to offer spot cryptocurrency trading to Polish clients through a domestic license.Arnaout didn't hide his feelings about it. He said the situation "really hurts,” not just because of the revenue opportunity being missed, but because of what it means for XTB's valuation. "I'm convinced we would have a completely different valuation on the stock exchange if we had greater revenue diversification," he said.That's a pointed comment from a CEO whose company trades on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. XTB shares hit an all-time high of nearly 92 PLN last month despite a weaker earnings quarter, driven largely by record client growth. But Arnaout is signaling that the stock could be worth considerably more if crypto revenues were already in the mix.XTB secured a MiCA license in Cyprus in December 2025, sidestepping the Polish legislative impasse by routing its spot crypto ambitions through its Cypriot entity. The plan is to test the product there before rolling it out across the EU. But it's a workaround, not a solution, and Arnaout knows it. XTB had previously written an open letter to Poland's president urging him to sign the domestic crypto bill, warning that the absence of a local framework was pushing Polish investors toward offshore platforms outside national supervision.Client Demand Is Already There, Revenue Isn'tThe commercial case for spot crypto at XTB isn't theoretical. Arnaout said that every time something moves in the crypto market, XTB sees a surge in both new client signups and activity from existing users , even though the company only offers crypto CFDs, not actual digital assets. "Inflows of new clients and the activity of existing clients is simply record-breaking," he said, describing these moments as practically always hitting new highs.That's the second source of pain he described: watching high-intent crypto customers arrive on the platform while being unable to offer them the product they actually want. Competitors based in jurisdictions where MiCA has already been implemented can offer spot crypto to Polish clients, creating what Arnaout called an uneven playing field. "They have cryptocurrencies and offer cryptocurrencies to their clients, and we cannot do this," he said.The CFD-heavy revenue structure isn't just a diversification problem, it's a volatility problem. As FinanceMagnates,com reported in April 2025, CFD revenues accounted for over 97% of XTB's income in Q1 2025, with the company's profitability tightly linked to market conditions. In flat or range-bound markets, that model generates less. Arnaout acknowledged 2025 was exactly that kind of year, roughly flat on most major indices from April through September.Equities Could Also Chip Away at CFD DominanceArnaout's 70% target isn't riding entirely on crypto. He also pointed to equities as a growing contributor, particularly as XTB's client base continues to expand rapidly.The broker added 864,000 new accounts in 2025, roughly equivalent to its entire pre-2020 history of client acquisition compressed into a single year. As reported earlier this month, Arnaout is targeting at least 1.2 million new clients in 2026, with ambitions to push toward 1.3 or 1.4 million. The logic is simple: a larger, more active client base trading stocks and ETFs means more non-CFD revenue, even without crypto.That shift in client behavior is already visible. Only 7% of new XTB clients in 2025 chose CFDs as their first transaction, down from 80% in 2019. The new cohort is predominantly buying ETFs and stocks, lower-margin products but ones that build a stickier, longer-term client relationship. Over 80% of new clients in 2025 opened their first position in an ETF, an investment plan built on ETFs, or equities.The revenue math hasn't fully caught up with that behavioral shift yet. Equities and ETFs don't currently generate enough per-user income to offset what CFDs bring in during volatile periods. Spot crypto, with its higher margins and round-the-clock trading, is the more obvious lever. Arnaout clearly sees it the same way, which is why, for now, regulatory gridlock in Warsaw remains his most pressing business problem. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

KPMG is urging financial institutions to take prediction markets more seriously. The firm argues that event-based contracts are moving from speculative novelty to a potential strategic component of trading and risk infrastructure. In its latest white paper, “Prediction Markets in the Financial Sector,” KPMG suggests the industry may be approaching an inflection point. Banks, asset managers, and brokers can no longer treat event contracts as peripheral products; they must decide whether and how to include these instruments in their existing platforms. Prediction markets are regularly tied to election betting. However, the report frames them more broadly—as tools for structuring exposure to macroeconomic developments, corporate events, and regulatory outcomes. In that sense, they are positioned less as a gambling mechanism and more as an alternative architecture for event risk. What It Means for Brokers For brokerage firms, the implications are structural, not cosmetic. KPMG argues that standardized event contracts could gradually shift emphasis. Firms may move from distributing complex, bespoke derivatives to operating transparent marketplaces where clients trade directly. Such a shift would alter the composition of revenue. Instead of relying primarily on structured-product margins, brokers would generate income from platform access, liquidity provision, and analytics.As Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev is quoted in the report, “I believe prediction markets should be live for everything.” The statement captures a wider view within parts of the industry that event contracts could evolve into a standard trading category. For brokerage leadership, the practical question is less about immediate disruption. The focus is more on positioning. Integrating event markets into the core trading infrastructure rather than isolating them as experimental features would require a meaningful platform redesign. Liquidity and Regulation Remain Decisive At the same time, major constraints remain. Liquidity in prediction markets is still much thinner than in established derivatives venues. That gap causes sharper price swings and limits effectiveness for large institutional hedging. Flash volatility and cross-platform arbitrage in late 2025 and early 2026 illustrated the sensitivity of fragmented order books. Regulatory alignment is also critical. In the United States, the CFTC treats certain event contracts as derivatives under the Commodity Exchange Act, requiring futures-style oversight. Some state authorities, however, view political and sports contracts through a betting-law lens. This creates overlapping jurisdictional uncertainty. KPMG’s broader point is that prediction markets will not scale within mainstream finance on narrative alone. Their trajectory will depend on two fundamentals: sustained liquidity and clearer regulatory treatment. If those conditions strengthen, event contracts could become more embedded in brokerage platforms. If they do not, adoption is likely to remain uneven. This article was written by Tanya Chepkova at www.financemagnates.com.

TradeStation Securities has struck a deal with retirement fintech Capitalize to bring 401(k)-to-IRA rollovers inside the TradeStation platform, targeting a pain point that has long frustrated American workers changing jobs.The Florida-based brokerage will embed Capitalize's Rollover API, letting users locate old 401(k) accounts, verify their details, and submit transfer requests without ever leaving TradeStation's interface. The feature is aimed squarely at TradeStation's core audience: experienced, active traders who also hold retirement assets and want everything accessible in one place.A Broken Process Gets a Digital FixThe rollover problem is real and widespread. According to Capitalize's own research, nearly 80% of Americans cannot complete a 401(k) rollover without outside help, and the average unassisted transfer takes close to two months from start to finish. That compares to roughly five days for ACH transfers and around ten days for ACATS brokerage account transfers. Over 43% of savers end up receiving a physical paper check at some point during the process - a relic of an era when paper dominated financial services."TradeStation clients expect award-winning technology, whether they're trading or managing long-term investments," said John Bartleman, President and CEO of TradeStation Group, Inc. "Through our integration with Capitalize, we're bringing that same standard to retirement accounts, supporting confident and efficient movement of assets."TradeStation Pushes Beyond Active TradingThe retirement move fits a broader pattern emerging across trading platforms. TradeStation has been on an expansion drive, adding MultiCharts integration in December 2025 to give clients an all-in-one trading and analysis setup, and before that rolled out XRP Futures from CME Group in the spring of 2025. While those moves targeted active traders chasing new instruments, the Capitalize deal takes the platform in a different direction - toward long-term savers who may not trade daily but still want a capable home for their retirement nest egg.TradeStation is also not alone in this pivot. Across the Atlantic, eToro last year expanded into the French savings and retirement market, opening a Paris office and partnering with Generali for retirement products - following a similar move by XTB into long-term investment accounts in France. Active-trading platforms are increasingly eyeing the much larger pool of passive, long-term investors as a second revenue stream.TradeStation itself has gone through significant structural changes in recent years. In April 2024, Kraken acquired TradeStation Crypto, the crypto arm of the group, which held licenses across 47 US states, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico, though the financial terms of that deal were never disclosed.Capitalize Builds Out Its Broker NetworkTradeStation is not Capitalize's first rodeo with online brokerages. The fintech has been steadily expanding its network of institutional partners, with Firstrade Securities adding the same Rollover API last October, and TIAA Wealth Management announcing a similar integration just days ago. Capitalize says its technology has already powered billions of dollars in retirement transfers across its growing client roster.Gaurav Sharma, CEO and Co-Founder of Capitalize, said the TradeStation partnership extends the API's reach into one of the more demanding corners of the retail trading world. "TradeStation has long pushed trading execution and innovation," Sharma said, "and together we're giving traders the same high-performance experience they expect, this time for their retirement account transfers."TradeStation says users will "soon" be able to access the Capitalize rollover experience, though the company has not given a specific launch date. Once live, traders will be able to hunt down forgotten 401(k)s, confirm account information, and kick off the transfer - all without switching platforms. The integration does not eliminate the legal complexity of rollovers: TradeStation notes that a rollover to an IRA is not the only option available, and users should weigh tax implications and other factors before making a move. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

Swyft Markets, a South African multi-platform access CFDs broker, has integrated the cTrader platform into its trading services. The move expands the broker’s technology offering and adds new trading tools for clients.The integration follows broader growth in the cTrader ecosystem. In 2025, Spotware, the developer of cTrader, reported a 105% year-on-year increase in live USD trading volume on the platform, with over 11 million traders. The firm added 104 new clients and expanded its product range with a liquidity bridge, marketplace tools, and AI enhancements. cTrader Store and cTrader Leads also saw increased adoption, supporting broker and prop firm connections.Broker Highlights “Transparency” Through Social TradingThe integration includes cTrader Copy, a social trading feature that allows users to follow strategies with transparency on performance metrics. Swyft Markets said the feature supports its goal of offering a broad range of trading opportunities.The broker stated that the integration prioritizes compliance and transparency, which it described as key elements of a “safe and ethical trading experience.”cTrader Supports FX, CFDs, Social TradingcTrader is offered as a platform-as-a-service model. Swyft Markets said this allows for regular updates, additional functionality, and potential global expansion. The platform supports more than 100 FX and CFD instruments, spread betting, in-app messaging, and mobile push notifications.Yiota Hadjilouka, chief operating officer of cTrader, said the platform provides technology “tailored to the needs of both newcomers and professionals.” The update also adds social trading features and other broker services.cTrader Admin 9.9 Implements Routine Workflow UpdatesAlongside client-facing updates, Spotware has released version 9.9 of cTrader Admin, its back-office platform for brokers and prop firms. The update focuses on incremental improvements to daily operations rather than new features.Changes include displaying client emails in session views, consolidating workspace settings, trimming navigation menus, and adding a Ticks tab in the Orders app. Configuration for symbols and liquidity feeds has also been simplified. This article was written by Tareq Sikder at www.financemagnates.com.