The Bank of England has revised one of the most controversial parts of its stablecoin proposals, replacing individual holding limits with a single aggregate issuance cap. The change removes a key obstacle to using pound-backed stablecoins for larger balances, settlement, and collateral. The revised proposal drops plans to cap individual holdings at £20,000 and business holdings at £10 million per coin. Instead, the BoE will apply a temporary £40 billion aggregate issuance limit for systemic stablecoins.Industry concerns have not disappeared. Coinbase’s European policy head Katie Harries told the FT that two questions remain: how long the “temporary” per-coin issuance cap will last, and whether stablecoins will be allowed for settlement in core wholesale markets. Without the second point, she argued, the UK’s tokenisation ambitions would be harder to deliver.A Simpler Framework for Market Participants The original limits would have required firms to track individual account balances against holding caps, adding operational complexity for brokers, exchanges, and liquidity providers. The issuance-level cap removes that requirement. Market participants can hold and transfer larger GBP stablecoin balances without tracking individual account limits. The change also makes a wider range of use cases more practical, including cross-border settlement and the use of stablecoins as collateral. “This is a major milestone in delivering greater choice and innovation,” said Sarah Breeden, the BoE’s deputy governor for financial stability.Improved Economics for Issuers The earlier proposal reflected the BoE’s concern that stablecoins could accelerate deposit outflows in a banking stress event. However, the regulator adjusted reserve requirements. The share of backing assets required to be held in non-interest-bearing central bank deposits has been reduced from 40% to 30%. That leaves a larger portion of reserves available for assets such as short-term gilts. For issuers, the change improves the economics of operating a pound-backed stablecoin. The segment currently represents less than 0.5% of the global stablecoin market. The UK’s approach sits between the frameworks emerging in the US and the EU. Washington is encouraging the growth of dollar-denominated payment stablecoins through the GENIUS Act. The EU’s MiCA regime focuses more heavily on reserve quality, liquidity, and supervision of significant issuers. The BoE’s framework reflects a different concern: supporting innovation without increasing risks to a banking system that remains heavily dependent on deposits. Banks Still Face Structural Hurdles The BoE has not changed its position on bank-issued stablecoins. Banks that want to issue stablecoins must still do so through insolvency-remote entities with separate branding and governance structures. ClearBank executives have argued that this requirement could make participation difficult for traditional banks. The rule may leave non-bank issuers and fintechs with greater flexibility in the near term. While banks assess the operational and legal implications, independent issuers can move forward under a framework that requires 24-hour redemption and statutory trust arrangements. The BoE is targeting finalised rules by the end of 2026. This article was written by Tanya Chepkova at www.financemagnates.com.

AI is rapidly shifting from experimental add-on to core infrastructure in the retail trading industry, but brokers face a growing challenge: how to harness its power without eroding trust or encouraging overreliance.That tension framed a panel discussion at the Finance Magnates Singapore Summit 2026, where executives from eToro, FXTrading.com, Bridgewise, and AI-focused firms debated how artificial intelligence is reshaping trading behavior, product design, and competitive dynamics across brokerage platforms.The panel brought together, Vince De Castro, the Head of Marketing at Acuity Trading, Adam Phillips, the CEO of FXTRADING.com, Carney Mak, Partner at FXHB Asset Management, Tuvshin Tug, the Founder at iC Candle, Thomas Kareklas, the Director of Retail Forex Broker Division at BridgeWise, and Yaki Razmovich, the MD for Singapore and Asia at eToro. From Feature to FoundationAcross the panel, there was broad agreement that AI is no longer a peripheral tool. “It’s not a top layer,” said Kareklas. “It’s built within the core of all of our products.”That view was echoed by Phillips who described AI as part of the engine room of his brokerage after acquiring an in-house development team to control its technology stack and data inputs. “It's not just a bolt-on, it's a core part of the engine room of our company that helps traders assess risk and trade effectively.”Similarly, Rasmovich said the platform has become “AI-first,” embedding machine learning across the user journey, from onboarding and trade selection to risk management.More from the event: “AI Very Useful for Fraud Detection, Monitoring”: FM Singapore Summit 2026 Enters Final DayThe shift reflects a wider industry transition: AI is now central to how brokers structure client experience, generate insights, and ultimately drive trading activity.Better Decisions, or Just More Trades?A key point of debate was whether AI genuinely improves decision-making or simply increases engagement. Panelists largely argued that AI enhances traders’ analytical capabilities. By processing vast datasets, from macroeconomic indicators to earnings reports, AI tools can surface insights faster than manual analysis. “It does the legwork,” said Rasmovich, noting that personalized AI agents can deliver real-time, tailored market intelligence based on a user’s portfolio and behavior.Mak framed AI as the mechanism that turns raw data into actionable signals. “Data is now quantifiable based on AI metrics… it not only complements analysis but confirms it,” he said.“Data is now quantifiable based on AI matrix they discover they develop the AI and they give you solutions or suggestions to the AI and that is the core the analytic core of AI. So, you know we can have all the information that CNBC or even Bloomberg shares on the CPI numbers and stuff but who analyze them?”“Back then it was us with our own power knowledge and our own education but now with AI, it not only complements that but they also confirm that. So, you have a double confirmation and gives you a stronger motivation to put on a trade or more importantly put it on investment bet.”Yet there was also caution. Rasmovich warned that AI models remain rooted in historical data and may fail under unprecedented market conditions. “Traders need to combine AI with their own judgment and due diligence,” he said.Behavioral Shift: From Reactive to StructuredPanelists agreed that AI is already changing how traders operate. Tug said AI is helping shift traders from reactive behavior toward more disciplined strategies. Automated scanning and pattern recognition allow users to define criteria and let algorithms identify opportunities, reducing time spent on manual chart analysis.Related: AI Takes Center Stage in Brokers’ Layoff NarrativesAt the same time, AI is helping filter “noise”—a recurring theme throughout the discussion. Bridgewise’s Thomas noted that curated, AI-driven insights can expand traders’ knowledge while simplifying decision-making, provided the data is reliable and regulated.“AI itself, especially what we're doing here at Bridgewise, is it helps clear the noise. And there is a lot of noise out there. As long as you are using a regulated and clean AI, then that's going to actually help you in the future. So, it's very it's a very positive change to the trading environment.”However, this behavioral shift raises new risks. Faster insights and easier execution can encourage overtrading if not paired with proper safeguards.The Trust ProblemAs AI becomes more embedded, trust, and transparency, emerged as a central concern. The goal shouldn’t be to trust AI blindly, said Razmovich. Instead, it should be to understand what AI is telling you and then decide.“The goal is shouldn't be trust the AI or etc. It should be instead understood what AI is telling and then you decide kind of. So that's the where trust is built the right way without creating the over reliance on it.”Panelists emphasized the importance of explainability and data integrity. Thomas drew a distinction between generic AI tools and purpose-built financial systems, arguing that only the latter can provide “clean, audited” outputs suitable for trading decisions.Phillips highlighted another risk: AI systems designed to “please” users may generate misleading outputs, a known issue with large language models. For brokers, this makes control over data sources and model behavior critical.What Won’t LastThere was clear consensus on what approaches are unlikely to endure. Using AI primarily as a marketing label drew sharp criticism. “If brokers are using AI purely as a marketing tool, that won’t last,” Phillips said, warning that superficial implementations will quickly lose credibility.Carney added that overloading platforms with multiple AI tools can backfire, creating confusion rather than clarity. “If five different AI tools give different suggestions, the trade will not be made,” he said. Panelists also pointed to earlier misuse of AI to drive client churn and short-term volume, an approach increasingly at odds with regulatory expectations and long-term client retention.Differentiation in an AI-Saturated MarketWith AI adoption becoming ubiquitous, competitive advantage is shifting elsewhere. “It’s no longer a good-to-have, it’s a must,” said Rasmovich. Differentiation, he argued, will depend on the quality of algorithms, personalization, user experience, and integration across the trading lifecycle.Others pointed to control over infrastructure. Owning or deeply understanding AI systems allows brokers to tailor outputs, incorporate user feedback, and ensure consistency, advantages not easily replicated with off-the-shelf tools.Localization also surfaced as a key factor. Carney noted that trader preferences vary significantly across Asian markets, meaning AI deployment must align with local trading cultures and behaviors rather than follow a one-size-fits-all model.A Tool, Not a Decision-MakerIn a closing exchange with the audience, the limits of AI became clear. Asked whether AI can determine a stock’s intrinsic value, Phillips offered a blunt assessment: “A stock’s value is where buyers and sellers meet… I haven’t met an AI yet that is effective at picking share price movements over the next two weeks.”The remark underscored a broader theme running through the session: while AI can enhance analysis, streamline workflows, and improve access to information, it does not replace human judgment.For brokers, the challenge now is not adoption but execution—embedding AI in ways that improve outcomes without undermining trust. For traders, the message was equally direct: AI may sharpen decisions, but responsibility for those decisions remains firmly human. This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.

Interactive Brokers has expanded its artificial intelligence offering by integrating ChatGPT and Grok into its trading platform, while also adding support for options and futures. The move extends the broker’s push into AI-driven tools and follows its earlier integration with Anthropic’s Claude.The company said on Monday that clients can now connect their existing accounts to the AI platforms through certified marketplaces without opening new accounts or sharing sensitive credentials. Once connected, users can interact with their portfolios using natural language to analyze positions, research markets, and generate trading instructions.Broader AI Access Across Asset ClassesThe latest update increases the range of instruments available through AI-generated instructions. Clients can now create orders for options, futures, and futures options, in addition to equities and exchange-traded funds.Interactive Brokers CEO Milan Galik said interest in AI-based tools continues to grow among investors. “We continue to see growing interest from investors in using artificial intelligence as a more natural way to interact with financial markets,” he said. “Adding ChatGPT and Grok, together with support for options and futures, expands the ways clients can securely connect AI tools to Interactive Brokers for research, analysis and execution.”Continue reading: Interactive Brokers Nears $1 Trillion Client Equity in May as Trading Activity Jumps 47%The broker said users remain in control of all trades generated through AI. The system produces order instructions based on user prompts, but clients must review and approve each instruction before it reaches the market.Focus on User Control and WorkflowThe tools allow users to perform tasks such as identifying options strategies, analyzing technical indicators like relative strength index levels, and comparing portfolio performance against benchmarks. Clients can also generate futures orders using simple commands.The integrations complement a broader set of AI features already available on Interactive Brokers’ platform. These include AI-powered screeners, thematic investment tools, portfolio analysis features, and automated news summaries tailored to user holdings.The expansion reflects a wider trend among brokers to embed AI into trading workflows, as firms seek to improve efficiency and simplify market analysis for clients.IB joins several other firms in its latest move. Robinhood launched “Agentic Trading” accounts that allow customers to connect third‑party AI agents, such as Anthropic’s Claude and OpenAI’s ChatGPT, to a dedicated sub‑account.Read more: AI Agents Could Be the Next Payments Revolution: Mastercard and Santander Just Proved ItThese agents can read portfolio data, analyze markets and, under user‑defined parameters, build portfolios or place stock trades, while Robinhood keeps the activity ring‑fenced within the agentic account and subject to specific safety controls. The product positions Robinhood alongside a small but growing group of brokers experimenting with AI‑driven or “agentic” trading workflows, where clients express their objectives in natural language and delegate some of the implementation to an AI agent. This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.

Mariia Erokhina has joined Capital.com as Vice President of IT Operations, according to a LinkedIn post published today (Monday).The appointment comes as Capital.com has launched a Model Context Protocol server plugin for clients in the MENA region, allowing AI agents to connect to its systems for market research and trade execution. The company has also rebuilt its mobile app and updated its branding, positioning the platform around supporting client decision-making rather than faster execution. The redesigned app was released globally in May, with features reviewed for their impact on user understanding before action. Capital.com Hires Ex-Pepperstone ExecutivePrior to the appointment, Erokhina spent over two years at Pepperstone in Cyprus, where she held senior information security roles.In her most recent role there, she served as General Manager for Information Security and Compliance. She worked on building the firm’s security governance framework and aligning internal processes with industry and regulatory expectations. She also led the expansion of the security organisation and worked with executive leadership on risk oversight.Earlier at Pepperstone, she was Head of IT Security, where she led efforts to standardise security and governance practices across the firm’s global operations. Her work focused on strengthening core security controls, improving internal processes, and embedding security requirements into day-to-day operations.Security executive joins IT operations roleBefore joining Pepperstone, Erokhina was Chief Information Security Officer at Sumsub, where she spent more than two years. She built the company’s information security function from the ground up, developing teams across governance, application security, and security operations.During her time there, she also led multiple external assurance and compliance programmes and worked with executive leadership on risk management and incident preparedness.Earlier in her career, she spent around three years at Citi as a Senior Business Information Security Officer, focusing on information security risk and control frameworks in a regulated banking environment. This article was written by Tareq Sikder at www.financemagnates.com.

Intercontinental Exchange and OKX have formed a joint venture to develop infrastructure for tokenized and digitally native financial products.That relationship has now been formalised into a joint venture following earlier cooperation between the two firms. In March, ICE took a minority stake in OKX, valuing it at about $25 billion. ICE invested roughly $200 million and gained a board seat. Under the agreement, ICE uses OKX price data for U.S.-regulated crypto futures, while OKX is expected to distribute futures and tokenised equities linked to NYSE stocks to global users.Cuomo to Co-Chair ICE OKX VentureThe partnership will be co-chaired by ICE and Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo is a former New York governor, state attorney general, and U.S. secretary of housing and urban development. He began working with OKX in 2023.Cuomo said “the next chapter of financial markets will be defined by how well innovation and government regulation can move forward together.” He added that the partnership brings together OKX’s blockchain technology and ICE’s market infrastructure. He also said he is “personally excited” about the potential of blockchain technology and its role in financial inclusion.ICE and OKX Launch Joint Venture for Tokenized MarketsIntercontinental Exchange (ICE), parent company of the NYSE, and crypto exchange OKX announced a 50-50 joint venture to develop infrastructure for tokenized and digitally native financial products. Pending regulatory… pic.twitter.com/8EQmaNQtQI— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) June 22, 2026ICE OKX Expand Tokenized Market AccessThe companies said the venture is subject to regulatory approvals. It is expected to operate as a U.S. registered broker-dealer and futures commission merchant. It is expected to give OKX customers access to ICE futures and NYSE tokenized equities markets. The structure is planned as a 50-50 partnership. The venture will also explore other blockchain-based markets that meet regulatory requirements.Trabue Bland, Senior Vice President, Futures Exchanges at ICE, said “the ICE-OKX joint venture is a step towards building the infrastructure that will define how global markets operate in the decades ahead.” He said ICE’s market infrastructure has the trust of institutions and traders. He added that the partnership aims to extend access to OKX’s retail user base. This article was written by Tareq Sikder at www.financemagnates.com.

Gold (XAU/USD) traded at $4,185 per ounce on Monday, June 22, 2026, rebounding intraday on progress in US-Iran talks but still below its 200-day moving average after a third straight weekly decline.The bounce changes nothing on my chart, and nothing in my bearish gold price prediction. Since my recent gold analysis nearly two weeks ago, the setup is identical: price under the 200-day average, the $4,300 zone capping rallies, and a Fibonacci extension pointing to $3,440. What has sharpened is the moving-average picture, with the 50-day and 200-day lines converging toward a death cross.This week's catalysts are June PMI data, the third estimate of US first-quarter GDP, the University of Michigan inflation reading, and the next headline from the US-Iran talks.Follow me on X for real-time market analysis: @ChmielDk.Gold Technical Analysis: A Death Cross Nears as $4,000 Becomes the Last LineMy chart shows gold still trapped below the 200-day moving average, the same structure I flagged when the metal first lost its 200 EMA near $4,300. The trend reads lower while price holds beneath that band.The new development is the death cross. The 50-day moving average has fallen toward the 200-day, and the two are converging near the $4,300 to $4,400 region. A confirmed cross, with the 50-day slipping below the 200-day, would harden the medium-term sell signal rather than create it. The trend is already down, and the cross would underline it.Death crosses are not destiny. The mid-2022 version preceded a deep slide, while the 2023 cross reversed within weeks. What tips the odds bearish now is that price already sits below both averages instead of testing them from above.In 15-plus years charting metals, I rarely see a zone as well defended as $4,300 give way and then cap every bounce the way it has this month. You can follow my prior gold calls on my analyst page. That broken band, built by the 200 EMA and the October 2025 highs, now invalidates the bearish case only on a daily close back above it.Below spot, one support matters. The $4,000 to $4,100 zone, set by the March 2026 lows and retested in June, is the last defense before my downside target. The signal I watch is the retest, since each rejection at $4,300 from below strengthens the case for the next leg down. Silver is sending the same signal, trading below its own 200 EMA after breaking a multi-month range, which tightens the risk-off read across precious metals.Lose $4,000 on a daily close, and the path opens toward $3,440, the 100% Fibonacci extension of the 2025 advance and roughly the lowest level since August 2025.That target sits about 20% under the $4,000 floor and close to 40% below January's $5,602 record. A reclaim of $4,300 to $4,400 would neutralize the setup and return gold to the consolidation that framed 2026, capped by the $5,400 to $5,600 record zone. Nothing on my chart points that way yet.Why Is Gold Falling?Gold is falling because the Federal Reserve turned more hawkish. At its June meeting the Fed left rates unchanged, but nine of its 19 policymakers now expect at least one hike this year, and markets price roughly a 70% chance of an increase by September. Higher-for-longer policy lifts real Treasury yields, the main headwind for a non-yielding asset.The dollar has followed, climbing to a one-year high and adding pressure on bullion priced in the currency. The data week reinforces the bias, since soft June PMIs or a hot University of Michigan inflation print would each harden the higher-for-longer case.Institutional conviction is cooling at the margin. Goldman Sachs cut its year-end gold target to $4,900 from $5,400, a level I tracked in my Goldman Sachs gold analysis. The forecast still sits above spot, but the direction of the revision matters.Geopolitics now cuts the other way. Progress in the US-Iran talks, the driver of Monday's bounce, also thins the safe-haven premium that carried gold through 2025.The drivers behind the slide:Hawkish June Fed hold, with hike odds near 70% by SeptemberReal Treasury yields rising as the dollar hits a one-year highGoldman Sachs trimming its year-end target to $4,900 from $5,400US-Iran de-escalation reducing safe-haven demandHow Low Can Gold Go? Gold Price PredictionsMy base case stays bearish while gold holds below $4,300, and my primary target is $3,440. The forecast aligns with the World Gold Council's reflation scenario, which models a 5% to 20% drop into the $3,360 to $3,440 zone if a stronger dollar and firmer yields persist. Two independent methods landing on the same area raises my confidence in it. What would flip my base case is a daily close back above $4,300 to $4,400, which would void the death-cross setup before it confirms.The bull case has not disappeared. Goldman Sachs still targets $4,900, and the Reuters poll median of 30 analysts sits at $4,746, both above spot. My read is that these consensus figures have lagged the 2026 reversal all year and assume a Fed pivot that has not arrived.The extreme upside belongs to Wells Fargo at $6,100 to $6,300. That projection needs a dovish turn and renewed ETF demand, neither visible on my chart today. I track it as a ceiling, not a near-term path.FAQ: Gold Price PredictionWhy is gold falling right now?Gold is falling because the Federal Reserve held rates in June but signaled a hawkish bias, with markets pricing roughly 70% odds of a hike by September. That lifted real Treasury yields and pushed the dollar to a one-year high, both negative for non-yielding bullion. On the chart, gold also trades below its 200-day moving average, which invites technical selling.What is a gold death cross and does it matter?A death cross forms when the 50-day moving average falls below the 200-day, a signal traders read as a shift to a bearish medium-term trend. On my gold chart the two lines are converging near $4,300. The cross would not create the downtrend, since price already sits below both averages, but it would reinforce the existing sell signal.How low can gold go in 2026?My primary target is $3,440, the 100% Fibonacci extension of the 2025 advance, roughly the lowest level since August 2025 and about 20% below the $4,000 support. The World Gold Council's reflation scenario models a similar $3,360 to $3,440 zone. The $4,000 to $4,100 band is the first checkpoint and the last defense before that target.What happens if gold breaks $4,000?A daily close below $4,000 would remove the last support before my $3,440 target and confirm the breakdown from the March 2026 lows. It would likely accelerate technical selling toward the 2025 peak cluster near $3,440. A failure there would also pressure silver, which has already broken its own 200 EMA and multi-month range, as I argued in my silver breakdown analysis.Is the gold bull market over?Not necessarily. Central banks bought 244 net tonnes in the first quarter of 2026, and institutional year-end targets from Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo still sit above spot. The current move looks like a deep correction inside a longer cycle. A daily close back above $4,300 to $4,400 would reopen the upside toward the $5,400 record zone. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has launched a multi-agency operation targeting a forex pyramid scheme, raiding 24 locations across Bangkok and surrounding provinces. The operation, codenamed “Shutdown the Laundering,” resulted in the seizure of roughly 65 million baht ($1.8 million) in cash, gold bullion, luxury vehicles, hardware crypto wallets, and firearms. Authorities also froze 70 bank accounts linked to the investigation. The Probe Extends Beyond the Forex Brands Following a public call for information, the DSI identified several forex firms named by victims as operating without authorisation from the Bank of Thailand, including QRS Global, HFM, GOFX, and Eterwealth (also listed as Etherwell). The investigation, however, is not limited to the client-facing brands. Authorities are also examining two introducing brokers operating under the names “Coach James” and “JP Global,” along with two electronic payment companies, Rainy Corporation Co., Ltd. and Pay Solution Co., Ltd. The focus on brokers and payment providers suggests investigators are looking beyond the alleged scheme itself and into the infrastructure that enabled funds to move through the network. According to investigators, the operation attracted victims by presenting itself as a legitimate investment opportunity and promoting an image of wealth through social media. Small withdrawals were initially allowed, while larger deposits were later blocked and allegedly misappropriated. The DSI also disclosed 14 transfers totaling 28 million baht into accounts belonging to a member of the People’s Party. Authorities stressed that the transfers do not constitute evidence of wrongdoing, and the above-mentioned polititian has not been charged. In a public statement, he denied any involvement in the scheme and said the funds were related to online gold trading activity that ended several years ago. What It Means for the Brokerage Industry The investigation highlights a broader enforcement trend. The approach expands the potential compliance and enforcement perimeter beyond the trading platform itself. Rather than focusing solely on offshore forex brands, Thai authorities are examining the local infrastructure that supports them, including introducing brokers, payment providers, and fund flows connected to the ecosystem. For firms operating in the region, relationships with payment partners, affiliates, and local distribution networks may now receive the same level of scrutiny as the broker brand appearing in front of clients. This article was written by Tanya Chepkova at www.financemagnates.com.

“You can’t hide behind hacks anymore. If you don’t give the appropriate value, you don’t receive the reward,” said George Kyriakoudes, CEO of Skilling, in an episode of FM Talks. It was not merely a remark about marketing. It was, in many ways, a diagnosis of the modern retail trading industry itself. The era of gimmicks, friction-heavy onboarding and easy customer acquisition has faded. In its place stands a more demanding retail trader: faster, more informed, less loyal and armed with enough technology to make yesterday’s smart money look surprisingly analogue.Kyriakoudes would know. Promoted from CFO to CEO of Skilling in 2024, he now leads one of the more unconventional brokers operating out of Cyprus and beyond. Founded on Swedish and Norwegian roots, Skilling has built its business largely around traders in Western Europe, where digital convenience is treated less as a luxury and more as a constitutional right.He also leads the broker at a moment when the behavioural landscape of retail trading has been thoroughly terraformed. The Rise of the Informed Retail TraderBack in 2021, during the Gamestop and AMC frenzy, the narrative surrounding retail traders was distinctly patronising. They were “dumb money,” impulsive hobbyists armed with stimulus cheques and Reddit threads.But does that caricature still apply?“I would say the modern trader is significantly more informed and more global, as well as technologically enabled,” Kyriakoudes argued. They consume macroeconomic content daily, understand central bank policy and compare execution quality across brokerages with sophistication.“They are building an identity around the markets they are involved in,” he added. One characteristic that would likely surprise even some Wall Street veterans is the speed with which traders now migrate between products and platforms. One week they are riding a crypto rally; the next they are positioning around gold, before pivoting to prediction markets ahead of geopolitical events.“They are no longer loyal to a single asset class or even platform,” Kyriakoudes highlighted. Why Gen Z Is Embracing RiskAlongside this behavioural shift has come a demographic one. Younger traders appear markedly more comfortable with leverage, derivatives and complex instruments. Industry data suggests that Gen Z investors may allocate as much as a quarter of their portfolios to derivatives and crypto. The question, naturally, is why. Is this a permanent evolution in risk appetite, or merely the financial equivalent of free-climbing skyscrapers for that adrenaline kick?For Kyriakoudes, the answer lies largely in the environment this generation inherited: instant information, widely accessible crypto products and an economy mediated almost entirely through mobile applications.“Gen Z’s have also understood that salaries and pensions are not going to be their main source of income, or their only source of income,” he noted. Indeed, with median income decoupling from wealth creation, the prospect of patiently compounding ETF returns over several decades holds limited appeal for young people. Higher risk is not thrill-seeking so much as adaptation.“They could probably critise us by saying, ‘You guys left us with this kind of environment to work with,’” Kyriakoudes mused.The Curious Return of “Boring” AssetsOne of the more intriguing paradoxes of 2026 is that, despite the appetite for speculative assets, gold, silver and oil CFDs have also experienced significant inflows – instruments broadly regarded as boring. For Kyriakoudes, however, this fits neatly within the profile of the modern trader.“They are not just chasing meme stocks or some altcoin; they are actively taking a macro view on global events. It shows a certain degree of maturity.” And, admittedly, even supposedly dull instruments become more exciting when they swing 3% to 5% in a single trading session.“I think oil, and actually natural gas, will continue to be at the forefront of people’s minds. And the other thing we are seeing quite a bit is that people want to trade volatility itself. Unsurprisingly, volatility is the word for 2026,” Kyriakoudes noted. Prediction Markets: Wisdom of Crowds or Binary Options Reborn?Prediction markets have emerged as one of the hottest topics of 2026. These peer-to-peer exchanges allow users to buy and sell contracts tied to future outcomes: the result of the NBA Finals, the box-office performance of Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday, or whether Elon Musk will prevail against Sam Altman in court.To companies such as Kalshi and Polymarket, these platforms represent the purest expression of the “wisdom of crowds”: collective human judgement distilled into probability. To sceptics, meanwhile, they look suspiciously like binary options in fashionable clothes.Kyriakoudes, though, is not that cynical.“They do have a key difference, in that these contracts are traded in exchanges and the resolution mechanisms are usually external,” he explained.During the binary-options boom, brokers often created the product, priced it and acted as counterparty simultaneously, a structure that inevitably raised questions around conflicts of interest. “It also resulted in certain brokers giving the industry a bad name,” he noted.Still, he is not ready to call prediction markets the next frontier in multi-asset trading. Yet the concept does possess something traditional CFDs arguably lack: utility tied directly to outcomes rather than price action alone. The question is whether these platforms evolve toward macroeconomic forecasting or remain dominated by sport and entertainment.According to investment firm Bernstein, sport currently accounts for 62% prediction market trading volume.In the AI Era, Relevance Becomes EverythingIn many respects, the arrival of GenAI has reset the rules of digital engagement altogether. It used to be that Google search and comparison websites were the main way to draw people’s attention. “If you go back 20 years, you could SEO hack almost anything,” Kyriakoudes said. Today, though, users increasingly consult AI agents such as Perplexity AI or Gemini, asking straightforward questions such as where they should trade.“The whole system is adapting toward relevance. Are you giving value to the user?” Kyriakoudes said. Brokers must also contend with dramatically lower tolerance for friction. In Western Europe, where Skilling has a strong presence, users now expect onboarding to be entirely automated. If the process feels cumbersome, they simply leave.“And then, look, the gift and the curse of our industry is that we have this amazingly successful platform, MetaTrader,” he said. “Everybody has MetaTrader; some may also have cTrader. The question is: how do you distinguish between brokers if all the good ones have the main platforms?”Skilling’s answer has been to build its own proprietary platform. Kyriakoudes argues that it is more accessible for beginners while still supporting advanced trading functionality. The broker has also integrated tools such as TradingView alongside localised customer support and expanded analytical features.Education in the Age of Infinite InformationGenerative AI has not merely changed the rules of engagement; it has also overwhelmed traders with information. AI-driven sentiment analysis, real-time news cycles and endless streams of commentary mean that the signal is becoming noise.Now the challenge is filtering a constant torrent of data. So, what does this mean for education? “Education needs to be adaptable, and it shouldn’t just come under the education section on your website,” Kyriakoudes noted. Skilling has responded by developing its own integrated AI tool, allowing traders to interact dynamically with market information, pricing and trading concepts in real time.“The good news is that the tools you can use to transform this area have massively upgraded,” he said. This article was written by Adonis Adoni at www.financemagnates.com.

Financial technology provider Iress has signed a multi-year partnership with UAE-based trading platform BitDelta Pro, extending its trading and market data services across international markets.Under the agreement, BitDelta Pro will adopt Iress’ trading and market data products as it expands its offering into equities and contracts for difference.The deal follows previous deployments of Iress technology in the trading sector. Earlier, Rostro integrated Iress’ order management system and market-access infrastructure to support the expansion of its multi-asset and direct market access capabilities.BitDelta Pro Expands into Equities CFDsAs part of the new partnership, BitDelta Pro will implement Iress’ trading and market data suite, including ViewPoint, Iress Pro, IOS+, FIX connectivity, and application programming interfaces. It will also use Iress’ API and FIX infrastructure to link front-end trading systems with back-office operations and support multi-asset execution.Jacq Jeremiah, Managing Director for Asia at Iress, said the company would support BitDelta Pro’s expansion into new asset classes. He described BitDelta Pro as a “fast-growing business” and said the partnership would support its move into equities and CFDs through “robust, scalable technology” and market data capabilities.Iress Expands Trading Market StrategyThe agreement forms part of Iress’ strategy to expand its trading and market data business in growth markets. It also reflects alignment between the two companies, combining Iress’ trading technology and market data coverage with BitDelta Pro’s regional presence.BitDelta Group Chief Executive Officer Demetrios Zamboglou said the company selected Iress as it prepared to enter the equities and CFD markets.“As we expand into equities and CFDs, we need a technology partner that can deliver institutional-grade infrastructure with flexibility at the front-end,” Zamboglou said.Iress Integrates with Centroid Solutions Platform In 2023, Centroid Solutions partnered with Iress to enhance its trading infrastructure through the integration of real-time market data and trading APIs into its connectivity engine. The collaboration gave Centroid’s broker clients access to global market data, which could be embedded into their platforms via Iress’ ConsolidatedFEED API. It also strengthened Centroid Bridge, Centroid’s liquidity management and order execution system, by enabling end-to-end pricing and trading workflows for exchange-traded products, with a focus on improving execution efficiency and streamlining client onboarding. This article was written by Tareq Sikder at www.financemagnates.com.

AvaTrade wants to buy Stratos, the operator of FXCM and Tradu brands, from Jefferies Financial Group, Finance Magnates Intelligence has learned, and has also allegedly made an offer for the business. However, a crypto exchange is now showing interest and has allegedly made an offer.This came after Finance Magnates recently reported that Jefferies is reportedly considering selling Stratos, which operates the two contracts for differences (CFD) brands.AvaTrade is allegedly buying the entire Stratos business, except for FXCM Bullion Limited, a specialised affiliate based in Hong Kong that handles the accounts and servicing of Chinese and Hong Kong clients.However, the financial terms and conditions in both parties' offers remain unclear.Finance Magnates approached AvaTrade to know about the status of the deal, but did not receive any confirmation.CFD Brands' Ownerships Are ConsolidatingWhoever is the winner of the bidding war will put them in control of the legacy FXCM brand, which is still a prominent name in the CFD industry. The sister brand, Tradu, meanwhile, is new and appears not to have taken off.Earlier this year, the Tradu brand stopped accepting new clients and started to migrate existing ones to the sister FXCM brand. Tradu also launched a crypto exchange and is holding a MiCA license in Cyprus.FXCM's Decade-Long Owner ExitsFXCM was founded in 1999 in New York and was among the first brokers to offer retail traders online access to forex markets. It eventually became the largest retail forex broker in the US and Asia and the first in the sector to list on the NYSE in 2010.Jeffereies took an interest in FXCM in January 2015 with a $300 million bailout when the Swiss franc crisis wiped out $225 million in client equity at the CFD broker overnight. With that, Jefferies secured a 49.9 per cent voting interest.Nearly nine years later, in September 2023, Jefferies gained full ownership after foreclosing on FXCM's parent company, GLBR, which had defaulted on a credit facility backed by its equity stake in FXCM, making FXCM a wholly owned subsidiary of Jefferies.FXCM was subsequently rebranded as Stratos Group in 2023 under the ownership of Jefferies.Finance Magnates reported last December that Stratos was preparing to lay off more than 100 employees, and an internal source suggested that the future of the Tradu brand may be under internal review. Brendan Callan, CEO of FXCM and Tradu, however, attributed the move to advances in agentic AI. This article was written by Arnab Shome, Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

There's a question that keeps coming up in dealing desk conversations lately, usually phrased something like this: "We started seeing patterns we didn't recognise. Same timing, same size, same reaction to price — across accounts that have nothing to do with each other."It's not a new problem. Coordinated behaviour, latency arbitrage, group exploitation — brokers have been managing these for years. But something shifted in the last few months. The patterns are cleaner. More consistent. Less human.What shifted is that in many cases, they aren't human.The Infrastructure Just ChangedIn May 2026, Spotware opened cTrader to AI agents through Model Context Protocol — letting external AI tools place trades, manage positions, and control charts through natural language prompts. TraderEvolution had done the same in January. In March, two engineers at Revolut built a working market-making system in roughly half an hour using AI tools. Finance Magnates covered all three. Nobody in the industry missed it.What's less discussed is what this means on the other side of those trades — at the broker's risk desk.The trading infrastructure has just opened itself to a class of participants that behaves fundamentally differently from retail clients. AI agents don't hesitate. They don't get distracted, don't deviate from their logic, and don't take breaks during the London open. They execute consistently, at scale, with the same parameters every time. In normal conditions, that looks unremarkable. Under specific market conditions — a spike, a spread widening, a liquidity gap — it looks like something a dealing desk needs to have seen coming.Read more: ThinkMarkets Launches MCP Server; “AI Can Execute Trades, but Not Access Funds”What Human Intuition Was Built ForRisk management in retail brokerage was designed around human behaviour. Humans are inconsistent. They overtrade after losses, freeze during volatility, cluster around round numbers, and react emotionally to news. That inconsistency is, paradoxically, part of what makes a large retail book manageable. The noise averages out.An AI agent has none of that noise. It does exactly what it was built to do, every time, without variation. Which means if it was built to exploit a specific condition — a price feed lag, a spread pattern, a session gap — it will exploit it completely, consistently, and at whatever scale the account allows.The FM Intelligence data from Q1 2026 puts context around this. Active CFD accounts hit 7.4 million — up 42% year on year. Average monthly volume per 1,000 active accounts reached $4.3 billion, up 27% from Q1 2025. The spread between the most and least active brokers in the cohort was 17-fold. Some of that volume is human traders getting more active. Some of it is something else, and the dealing desk, looking at raw numbers, can't immediately tell which is which.The Detection ProblemHere's what makes this genuinely hard. An AI agent operating a legitimate strategy looks, at the surface level, like a disciplined human trader. Consistent sizing. Consistent timing. Consistent reaction to market conditions. The signals that traditionally flag suspicious behaviour — unusual patterns, erratic execution, timing clusters — are exactly what a well-designed agent will not produce.Related: Claude Powers Nine of Ten Broker AI Agents That Now Trade Live AccountsThe flags that matter are different. Not "this looks strange" but "this is too consistent." Not "this account is correlated with others" but "this account's behaviour changes in a mathematically predictable way when a specific condition occurs." Not volume or frequency, but the relationship between market microstructure and execution timing — and whether that relationship holds across accounts that shouldn't have any connection.This is pattern recognition at a level that's genuinely difficult to do manually. A dealer looking at a screen sees an account that's performing well, trading normal sizes, not triggering any obvious alerts. The problem isn't visible in any single account. It's visible in the relationship between accounts — and between those accounts and specific market conditions — over time.That's exactly the kind of picture that requires aggregated, real-time visibility across the full book, not account-by-account review. The dealer needs to be able to see it. And then the dealer needs to decide what to do about it — adjust spreads, flag the group, change execution conditions, escalate. Visibility is the precondition for the decision. Without it, the decision comes too late or not at all.The Speed AsymmetryThere's another dimension worth naming directly. AI agents operate at machine speed. A dealer reviewing alerts, cross-referencing accounts, assessing exposure, and forming a judgment operates at human speed. That gap exists in traditional algorithmic trading too, but it narrows significantly when the agent is running through a retail platform with retail execution conditions — because the broker's own infrastructure introduces latency that partially equalises things.What AI agent connectivity via MCP changes is that the agent is now sitting much closer to the execution layer. The interface friction that used to slow things down is reduced by design. The broker's advantage — that retail conditions inherently limit how fast an external actor can move — shrinks.This doesn't mean the broker loses. It means the broker needs to be faster at recognising what's happening, so that the human making the decision has enough time to actually make it. Early visibility isn't a nice-to-have in this environment. It's the margin between a considered response and a reactive one.What Changes for Risk DesksThe practical implication isn't to panic. Most brokers won't suddenly find their books overrun by sophisticated AI agents tomorrow. The shift is more gradual — more algorithmic behaviour, more consistent patterns, more edge cases that don't fit traditional toxicity profiles.But the direction is clear, and the dealing desks that handle it well will be the ones that update their mental model of what "suspicious" looks like before the volume becomes a problem, not after.That means looking beyond individual account flags to cross-account pattern analysis. It means paying attention to the relationship between execution behaviour and specific market microstructure events — not just whether something happened, but when it happened relative to what else was happening in the market. It means treating "too consistent" as a signal, not a reassurance.None of this replaces the dealer's judgment. The dealer still decides. But the dealer can only decide well when the picture in front of them reflects what's actually happening — and right now, what's actually happening is changing faster than most risk setups were built to track. This article was written by Marina Koltsova at www.financemagnates.com.

The latest enhancement deepens the collaboration between two long-standing trading industry innovators, combining TradingView’s charting technology with easyMarkets established risk management tools Limassol, Cyprus - June 2026, easyMarkets, the global CFD broker with more than 25 years of industry experience, has expanded its offering on TradingView by bringing its Guaranteed Stop Loss with no slippage feature to orders placed directly through the platform. The enhancement gives easyMarkets clients trading on TradingView access to fixed-risk protection designed to ensure stop loss orders are executed at the exact level selected, even during periods of heightened market volatility, sudden price movements, or market gaps. As global markets continue to experience volatility driven by macroeconomic uncertainty, central bank policy decisions, and geopolitical developments, traders are placing increasing importance on risk management and execution certainty. By extending Guaranteed Stop Loss with no slippage beyond its proprietary platform for the first time, easyMarkets is bringing one of its most recognised risk management tools directly into the TradingView trading environment. The move marks another milestone in the long-standing relationship between easyMarkets and TradingView, a collaboration between two brands that have consistently focused on advancing the trading experience through technology, transparency, and trader-focused innovation. Over the years, the partnership has combined TradingView’s globally recognised charting technology with easyMarkets trading conditions, platform innovation, and risk management tools to create a more seamless trading experience for traders worldwide. The easyMarkets and TradingView integration has also received consistent industry recognition, with easyMarkets earning TradingView awards for three consecutive years including Best Forex/CFD Broker 2023, Broker of the Year 2024 and the latest one being Customer Support Excellence 2025. Speaking about the launch, Garen Meserlian, Chief Operating Officer at easyMarkets, said: “For more than 25 years, easyMarkets has focused on developing tools and trading conditions designed to help traders manage risk with greater certainty. Bringing Guaranteed Stop Loss with no slippage to TradingView is an important step because it combines one of our most established protections with one of the world’s leading charting and trading platforms. As trading platforms continue to evolve, traders increasingly expect advanced risk management tools to exist seamlessly within the environments they already use every day. This enhancement reflects our continued focus on innovation and our commitment to delivering practical tools that help traders navigate volatile market conditions with greater confidence and control.”Rauan Khassan, Chief Growth Officer at TradingView, commented: “Our partnership with easyMarkets continues to grow through a shared commitment to delivering a better trading experience for users worldwide. By introducing Guaranteed Stop Loss with zero slippage through our integration with easyMarkets, we are expanding the risk management tools available to their clients directly on TradingView, further enhancing the seamless trading experience on our platform.”Unlike standard stop losses, which may be affected by slippage during periods of volatility or market gaps, Guaranteed Stop Loss ensures positions are closed at the exact level selected by the trader. This helps traders define their maximum potential risk exposure before entering the market, particularly during major economic announcements and rapidly moving market conditions. With more than two decades of market presence, easyMarkets continues to focus on delivering transparent trading conditions, platform innovation, and practical risk management tools across CFD trading on forex, commodities, indices, shares, metals, and cryptocurrencies. For more information, please contact: Georgia Kyriakou, Digital PR Manager, easyMarkets ?support@easy-markets.com|☎​ +357 25 828899About easyMarkets easyMarkets, founded in 2001, is an award-winning global broker. One of the first to offer online experience with innovative risk management tools, including Guaranteed Stop Loss with No Slippage and easyTrade. easyMarkets provides its sizeable clientele with a streamlined, accessible, and flexible trading experience. Offering over 275 tradeable instruments, tight fixed spreads, and 24/5 dedicated support to traders around the world, easyMarkets continues to revolutionize the trading sector by providing unparalleled security and safeguards for client funds and consistently prioritizing client commitment and satisfaction. This article was written by FM Contributors at www.financemagnates.com.

Australia's corporate regulator wants to keep four sets of relief covering exchange-traded derivatives and securities, all of them due to expire later this year. ASIC said Monday it would remake the instruments for another five years with only minor amendments, leaving their effect unchanged.What the Four Rules Actually DoAll four lapse under the Legislation Act 2003, which automatically retires legislative instruments after a decade unless ASIC acts to preserve them. Three date back to 2016 and the fourth to 2021. The renewal lands as the regulator works through a backlog of expiring rules and a broader cleanup, having scrapped more than 9,000 pages of regulatory content last year in a push it said was meant to cut compliance costs.The instruments each sit in a different corner of market infrastructure. One removes duplicate disclosure for certain exchange-traded derivatives treated as issued by both an intermediary and a market participant, so that only the market participant has to provide a product disclosure statement.A second recognizes securities settled through New Zealand's former FASTER system, now the NZCDC Legal Title Transfer system, under Australian law. A third allows foreign-company shares and debentures quoted on the ASX to transfer with statutory warranties and indemnities.The fourth, introduced in 2021, gives securities lenders relief from the substantial holding disclosure rules in Chapter 6C of the Corporations Act. That overlaps with the same disclosure forms ASIC flagged for simplification during last year's red-tape review.A Familiar Path for Expiring ReliefRolling relief forward rather than rewriting it is a route ASIC has taken before. In 2022 the regulator extended financial requirements for retail OTC derivatives providers for five years on much the same basis, citing the need for industry certainty while any changes to primary law worked through.ASIC said it had determined the four instruments are operating effectively and remain a useful part of the framework. The agency is taking feedback on the proposal, set out in a consultation paper referenced as CS 56, until 5pm AEST on July 20. The substance of the instruments will not change if they are remade, the regulator said. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

For years, the debate around artificial intelligence has centered on a single question: will AI replace human workers? That framing increasingly misses what is actually happening.The rise of AI agents is not creating a world where humans disappear from economic systems. It is creating a world where humans participate differently in those systems. The structure of labor itself is changing.We are entering an era where software no longer simply assists people. Software is beginning to coordinate people. This shift is subtle, but significant.The first generation of AI tools helped humans work faster. The next generation is designed to operate autonomously. AI agents can browse the internet, book reservations, manage workflows, write code, conduct research, and execute tasks across platforms with minimal supervision.Yet despite rapid progress, even the most advanced agents still struggle with one persistent challenge: the real world.AI systems perform exceptionally well in structured digital environments. They struggle when tasks involve ambiguity, edge cases, social nuance, trust, or unpredictable outcomes. A customer support agent can summarize policies instantly, but may fail to calm an angry customer. An autonomous shopping agent can compare prices, but may struggle when inventory information conflicts across platforms. A travel booking agent may plan a perfect itinerary, then fail when weather disruptions require contextual decision-making.This gap between intelligence and execution is becoming one of the defining bottlenecks of the agent economy. As a result, many AI systems increasingly rely on humans not as primary operators, but as fallback infrastructure.This is already visible across the technology industry. Self-driving systems still rely on remote human intervention during uncertain scenarios. Content moderation platforms combine machine filtering with human review. Large language models depend heavily on human feedback and reinforcement training. Even autonomous warehouse systems still escalate unusual cases to human supervisors.The future of AI is not purely autonomous. It is hybrid.That hybrid structure changes the role humans play in economic systems. Instead of workers operating software directly, humans increasingly become modular contributors that AI systems can call upon when necessary.In practice, this may look like AI agents hiring freelancers for edge case tasks, escalating verification requests to humans, routing physical world actions to local workers, or requesting judgment during uncertain decisions. This is not labor disappearing. It is labor becoming more dynamic, distributed, and machine coordinated.The shift resembles earlier transitions in cloud computing and digital infrastructure. Computing resources evolved from fixed hardware into elastic on-demand services accessible through APIs. Human labor may evolve in a similar direction. Instead of traditional employment structures defining every interaction, human expertise becomes increasingly accessible through programmable systems.That evolution raises important questions about how labor markets operate in an AI native economy.Traditional systems were not designed for machine-coordinated work. Banking rails are often slow and geographically fragmented. Cross-border payments remain inefficient. Micropayments are difficult to manage. Hiring systems are optimized for long-term employment relationships rather than real-time task allocation. This is one reason crypto infrastructure may become increasingly relevant in the age of AI agents.Autonomous systems require internet native coordination mechanisms. Stablecoins, programmable payments, decentralized identity systems, and global digital wallets are naturally suited for environments where software interacts directly with distributed human labor pools.An AI agent does not care about banking hours or national borders. It requires infrastructure that allows it to coordinate tasks, verify outcomes, and compensate contributors instantly.That is why many emerging AI platforms are beginning to intersect with crypto infrastructure in meaningful ways. Projects like Human API are exploring ways for AI agents to access real human labor dynamically. Distributed training networks are experimenting with decentralized contributor economies. Blockchain-based identity systems are attempting to solve trust and verification problems that autonomous systems will increasingly encounter.None of this suggests that AI-driven disruption will be painless. Certain job categories will undoubtedly change dramatically. Repetitive digital work may become heavily automated. Some traditional employment structures may weaken over time.But the popular narrative that AI eliminates humans entirely misunderstands the economics of intelligent systems. Autonomous agents still require human judgment, trust, context, and execution. In many cases, they may create entirely new forms of labor demand that did not previously exist.The more autonomous software becomes, the more valuable certain forms of human coordination may become as well. The future of work is not simply humans competing against machines.It is humans and machines operating inside increasingly interconnected systems where each handles the tasks they are best suited for.AI agents are not removing humans from the economy, they are reorganizing how humans participate in it. This article was written by FM Contributors at www.financemagnates.com.

Bitget has launched Stock+, a feature that lets users buy shares in US-listed companies using USDC and other digital assets, the cryptocurrency exchange said today (Monday). The product routes orders through regulated US brokers and gives holders direct ownership of the underlying shares rather than synthetic or derivative exposure, according to the company.The launch sits inside Bitget's Stocks 2.0 ecosystem and extends a push to let customers move between crypto and equities inside one account. It arrives during a broader scramble among trading venues to fold tokenized and traditional stock trading into crypto platforms.How Stock+ WorksUsers fund their accounts with digital assets, convert them into USDC, and buy listed shares from there, the company said. Trades are executed through brokers including RQD Clearing and Atomic Vaults Securities, with holders eligible for cash dividends and stock split adjustments.Trading hours follow US pre-market, regular, and after-hours sessions. Bitget said Stock+ also supports inbound transfers from participating brokers, letting users consolidate existing US equity holdings on the platform."Access is important, but ownership matters too," CEO Gracy Chen said in a statement.Promotional launch fees start from 0.1%, with a 50% discount running through Aug. 31, the company said. The discount is a marketing offer tied to the rollout.A Step Beyond Bitget's Own Tokenized StocksThe feature marks a shift from a model Bitget introduced only weeks earlier. In early June, the exchange launched Reality, which it describes as a regulated real-world asset protocol, alongside rToken, its own tokenized stocks.Bitget says it has listed more than 500 US stocks and exchange-traded funds through that program, including SpaceX, Tesla and NVIDIA, with rToken assets under management above $50 million. Those figures are self-reported and have not been independently verified.rToken gives users tokenized exposure to equities. Stock+ instead aims to place real shares in customer hands through the broker arrangement, a distinction Bitget put at the center of its announcement. Exchanges Race to Merge Crypto and EquitiesBitget is entering a crowded field where the line between crypto venues and stock exchanges keeps thinning. Coinbase has asked the SEC for approval to offer tokenized stock trading, while Kraken has sought regulatory clearance for a 24/7 tokenized equity platform.Traditional venues are moving too. The SEC approved a Nasdaq pilot allowing tokenized stock trading, and newcomer 24X National Exchange filed to trade tokenized equities on an already approved exchange. Consumer routes are opening as well, with xStocks placing tokenized US equities inside a Telegram wallet.Most of those efforts wrap equities in tokens. Stock+ takes the opposite path by settling real shares through US brokers. That sidesteps some of the regulatory questions tokenization still faces, but it also ties the product to conventional clearing pipes rather than blockchain rails.What Bitget Did Not DiscloseBitget describes itself as the world's largest Universal Exchange, a label it has not benchmarked against named rivals. The company did not specify which jurisdictions can access Stock+, the full broker lineup, or how custody of the underlying shares is structured.Because settlement runs through RQD Clearing and Atomic Vaults Securities, the ownership claims rest on those broker relationships rather than on the exchange itself. How crypto platforms split responsibility with licensed brokers has become a recurring question as the industry rethinks the boundaries of market access and hours through tokenization and round-the-clock trading. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

Crypto trading is now mainstream among retail FX market participants, according to a new industry survey from Gold-i, a global leader in FX and crypto trading technology, in partnership with Finance Magnates.The survey was designed to understand current attitudes, adoption levels, strategic priorities and future expectations around cryptocurrency trading among firms operating in the retail FX space. Of the 110 respondents worldwide, representing FX/CFD brokers, prop trading firms and liquidity providers/Prime of Primes, 91% already offer crypto trading, with 78% reporting strong client uptake. Only 2% said they have no plans to offer crypto trading, highlighting how far digital assets have moved from a specialist product into a core part of the trading proposition. Almost all respondents (97%) claim that cryptocurrency trading will be strategically important to their business over the next 2 years, with 75% citing crypto trading as a high priority.Driven by Client DemandClient demand is the main driver behind adoption, cited by 82% of respondents. Other reasons for offering or considering offering crypto trading include market growth opportunity (cited by 58%), revenue diversification (cited by 43%), and competitive pressure (cited by 36%). Improving regulatory clarity was cited by 12% of respondents.The commercial impact of crypto trading is also proving positive. According to the findings, 81% of respondents reported an increase in revenue attributable to crypto trading, with over one third (38%) of these saying the increase has been significant. Only 2% reported a negative impact, attributing this to volume shifting away from other products such as FX.Future GrowthMore than half of respondents (53%) plan to expand their crypto offering in the next 12 months. Crypto CFDs are the most popular target product, selected by 31% of respondents, followed by spot crypto at 21%. A cluster of more complex products, including staking and yield, futures and copy trading, were each selected by around one in five firms.The survey did, however, highlight a number of barriers to further growth. Regulatory uncertainty remains the biggest obstacle to offering or expanding crypto trading, according to 55% of respondents. The second biggest barrier, cited by 25% of respondents, is the need for 24/7 support. One in ten respondents felt that their technology and integration complexity was a barrier to expansion.The survey also highlights the extent to which hybrid execution models are becoming central to crypto trading strategies. While many firms continue to see value in retaining some B-Book exposure, 45% expect to A-Book between 25% and 50% of volume, whilst 30% expect to A-Book 50%-75% and 10% expect to A-Book over 75%.Infrastructure ReadinessInfrastructure readiness is another key theme. While 52% of respondents said they are very confident that their current infrastructure can support crypto trading at scale, 38% are only moderately confident. A further 9% have not yet assessed their infrastructure for crypto trading and 1% are not at all confident.Tom Higgins, CEO of Gold-i, commented: “The survey results make it clear that crypto trading is no longer a peripheral opportunity for retail brokers, prop trading firms and liquidity providers/Prime of Primes. Client demand is strong, the revenue impact is positive, and the majority of firms now expect crypto to become a standard part of the FX and CFD trading proposition. However, capitalising on this opportunity requires more than simply adding a new asset class. Brokers need a robust, scalable liquidity management platform that can operate 24/7, manage flow effectively, and can cope with the large number of price updates per second in the crypto space. They also need very strong risk management capabilities.“The fact that 48% of respondents are not fully confident that their current infrastructure can support crypto trading at scale should be a wake-up call. As crypto volumes grow and execution models become more sophisticated, firms need technology that gives them resilience, control and real-time visibility. Those that have the right infrastructure in place, and can confidently manage execution speed during high-volatility events, are far better positioned to capture the market opportunity and scale their crypto offering.”A Bullish Outlook for Crypto TradingIn total, 80% of respondents believe crypto will become a standard offering for retail FX brokers, prop firms and liquidity providers, while a further 16% expect the market to continue growing but remain niche. Only 3% said they expect crypto trading to slow down or decline.Download the Full ReportGold-i has produced a report:“Market Hype or Must Have Offering: Crypto’s Impact on Retail FX” which provides a more in-depth look at the research findings. To download a copy, please visit https://www.gold-i.com/crypto-report-2026About Gold-iHeadquartered in the UK, Gold-i is a global market leader in trading technology for the FX and cryptocurrency industries. The company is trusted by brokers, fund managers, prop firms, liquidity providers, exchanges and crypto institutions worldwide to manage liquidity, connectivity, pricing and risk across a broad range of trading platforms.At the core of Gold-i’s offering is MatrixNET, a sophisticated multi-asset liquidity management platform providing seamless access to deep FX and crypto liquidity, with a multitude of routing and aggregation methods. Integrated with over 80 liquidity providers and 35 leading crypto exchanges, MatrixNET delivers ultra-low latency performance of sub 2 milliseconds, enabling clients to achieve optimal execution, manage flow efficiently and scale their trading operations. MatrixNET also enables prop firms to simulate real market trading conditions.Gold-i’s product suite includes a range of MetaTrader tools, advanced risk management products and bridging technology, all designed to improve control, reduce risk and support business growth.Founded in 2008, Gold-i has a strong reputation for innovation, reliability and exceptional 24/7 customer support. For further information, visit www.gold-i.com or follow Gold-i on LinkedIn This article was written by FM Contributors at www.financemagnates.com.

iFOREX Appoints Daniel Shalom as COOiFOREX appointed Daniel Shalom as chief operating officer. He assumes responsibility for business operations, customer experience, product, and technology with immediate effect. iFOREX has previously emphasized this strategy, including bringing back a head of innovation last year to oversee AI initiatives shortly after launching its AI-powered trading recommendation service, Pulse.Shalom joins from Yad Vashem, Israel’s World Holocaust Remembrance Center, where he served as chief information officer and led a technology overhaul that included a six-petabyte data environment. Prior to that, he spent eight years at Amdocs, a software and services provider to telecom, media, and financial services firms, most recently as vice president of data and AI, where he led a 500-person team.Show more about iFOREX's appointment of Daniel Shalom as COO.BitGo names Angela Ang APAC, Singapore HeadIn the crypto space, BitGo appointed Angela Ang as managing director for Asia-Pacific and president of BitGo Singapore. The company said she assumes the role after meeting regulatory and fit-and-proper requirements. Ang joins from TRM Labs, where she served as head of APAC public policy and strategic partnerships and was part of the firm’s founding regional team.Ang previously spent more than a decade at the Monetary Authority of Singapore, where she helped develop the country’s payments and crypto licensing framework. She led the team that operationalized the licensing regime under which BitGo’s local unit is authorized as a Major Payment Institution.Disclose more about BitGo's naming of Angela Ang as Managing Director for Asia Pacific.CME CEO Terry Duffy to step downAt the same time, CME announced that Chief Executive Officer Terry Duffy will step down in March next year, ending more than two decades leading the derivatives exchange operator. The firm said Duffy will transition to Executive Chairman, while current President and Chief Financial Officer Lynne Fitzpatrick will become CEO and join the board.Duffy has led CME Group since 2002, when he became Chairman, and took on the CEO role in 2016. During his tenure, he oversaw the shift from floor-based trading to electronic markets and led major acquisitions, including the Chicago Board of Trade in 2007 and the New York Mercantile Exchange in 2008.Discover more about CME CEO plans to step down from his role.HFM names Jean Nahas UAE headHFM brought Jean Nahas as Head of Category in the UAE, where he will lead the company’s newly established licensed entity and head its Dubai office. The appointment brings in a senior executive with experience across FX, CFDs, and financial services, as brokers continue to expand their regulated presence in the region.In his role, Nahas will be responsible for driving business growth, ensuring compliance with local requirements, and strengthening HFM’s footprint in the Middle East. Before joining HFM, he worked as an independent strategic advisor and board member for firms in brokerage, fintech, and financial services. He also co-founded 357 Group and served as Group Chief Operating Officer at Zarvista Capital Markets between 2023 and 2025.Highlight more about HFM's naming of Jean Nahas as Head of Category in the UAE.Kraken EU taps CFD veteran as HeadKraken has promoted Stavros Vassiliades to Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director of its European Union business, placing him in charge of its regulated EU arm. Vassiliades joined the crypto exchange last year from Pepperstone EU, the Cyprus-licensed unit of the Australian CFD broker. His background is rooted in retail brokerage rather than crypto.Before spending three years as executive director at Pepperstone EU, he was head of compliance at MPS Marketplace Securities and worked as an operations and compliance manager at MAP Fintech. The appointment continues a pattern at Kraken, which began offering crypto derivatives in Europe under a Cyprus license.Learn more about Kraken's promotion of Stavros Vassiliades to Chief Operating Officer.CLS names six directors as cyber focus growsCLS, the financial market infrastructure group that operates the largest payment-versus-payment settlement system for foreign exchange, has appointed six new members to its board of directors. The new directors are James Hardy (independent), Richard James of Deutsche Bank, Sandra Laielli van Scherpenzeel of UBS Switzerland AG, Matthieu Mercier of BNP Paribas CIB, Chadwick Renfro (independent), and Boyd Winston of JPMorgan Chase Bank. Following the appointments, the CLS board now has 21 directors, including eight independent members. Chairman Gottfried Leibbrandt said the additions bring expertise that supports the company’s risk agenda.More about CLS naming of six new members to its board of Directors.TenTrade hires partner, CRO and CSO from INGOT BrokersElsewhere, Andreas Andreou took on a new role as Partner and Chief Revenue Officer at TenTrade, a global multi-asset broker that also operates a funded trading programme. The firm also appointed Marios Morfakis as Chief Sales Officer. Before joining TenTrade, Andreou held senior roles at several retail FX and CFD firms, primarily in Dubai.Most recently, he served as Chief Sales Officer at INGOT Brokers up to June 2026. TenTrade has also recently appointed former Portugal footballer Luis Figo as its global ambassador as part of a campaign titled “Inspiring the Next Number 10.”Read more about the latest executive changes at TenTrade.Georgios Papassavas becomes HFM CEOLastly, Georgios Papassavas became CEO of HFM in February, following nearly a decade at the Larnaca-based broker. He previously served as Chief Information Officer, where he oversaw the company’s technology infrastructure.Papassavas began his career in software development at Amdocs in 2008 and later led financial software teams at FxPro. HFM, formerly known as HotForex, rebranded in 2022 as part of a shift toward a broader multi-asset offering beyond traditional currency trading.Name more about Georgios Papassavas becoming the CEO of HFM. This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.

Why brokers aren’t always the bad guysWhat does dispute resolution in the CFD and retail FX industry actually look like in practice? FM Intelligence analyzed all 1,468 retail FX and CFD complaints handled by the Financial Commission in 2025. It found that brokers were not at fault in 94.8% of cases, based on decisions by an independent panel of 18 experts. However, these outcomes rarely gain the same visibility as the complaints themselves. Issues like delayed withdrawals often spread quickly on platforms such as Reddit or review sites, while the final rulings receive far less attention. The data also shows a gap between claims and actual payouts. Traders collectively sought $21.4 million, but only $496,304 was awarded.Most disputes were relatively small, with a median claim of $397.50. Withdrawal delays were the most common issue, accounting for 558 cases, yet 92.8% were resolved in favor of brokers, typically due to routine checks, bank processing times, or bonus terms rather than wrongdoing.XTB tops Polish account growth, pace slowsMeanwhile, XTB remained the leading broker for Polish account openings in May, adding 48,226 new accounts, according to data from the Central Securities Depository of Poland (KDPW). This brought its total to 1,087,740 accounts, more than double the size of its closest competitor.However, the pace of growth has slowed compared to earlier in the year, when the broker added 68,300 accounts in January and just over 51,000 in February. Monthly additions fell below 50,000 in April, the same month XTB surpassed the 1 million account mark. Despite the slowdown, XTB continues to widen its lead over rivals. mBank’s brokerage arm, the second-largest player, reached 560,967 accounts after adding 5,357 in May. BM Pekao followed with 210,079 accounts, while ING Bank Śląski’s brokerage unit held 205,897, leaving a significant gap between XTB and the rest of the market.eToro eyes wealth-tech deals, weighs banking licenceIn the fintch space, eToro is exploring acquisitions as it looks to expand its wealth-tech offering. CEO Yoni Assia confirmed that the company is in talks to buy two firms, one in the United States and another in a different market. Speaking to the Financial Times, Assia said eToro is working with investment bankers on the potential deals. The company, which went public last year, also confirmed to Finance Magnates that it is reviewing several opportunities but noted that discussions are still at an early stage. Assia described eToro as “very acquisitive,” adding that pursuing deals was one of the motivations behind its listing. While no details on deal size were disclosed, he said the company is targeting businesses that can strengthen its wealth offering and support global expansion, particularly in the US. In addition, eToro is considering applying for a banking licence as part of a broader push into the payments space.Axi enters Mauritius with dealer licenceAmid growing broker interest in Mauritius as an offshore hub, Axi expanded its regulatory footprint by securing a local license. The approval allows the company to operate as a full-service investment dealer in the region. Axi Markets Mauritius was granted a Category SEC-2.1B Investment Dealer license on May 14, 2026. The authorization, confirmed to Finance Magnates by a company representative, permits the firm to carry out full-service dealer activities, excluding underwriting. The broker holds multiple licenses globally, including authorization from the UK Financial Conduct Authority for its London operations.Brokers are not the only ones eyeing Mauritius, as proprietary trading firms are increasingly following suit. Prop trading firms that moved to the Comoros after MetaQuotes tightened white-label rules in early 2024 are now shifting toward Mauritius. Companies such as FundingPips, FundedNext (via FNmarkets), Hola Prime, and Finotive Markets have recently secured licenses from the Mauritius Financial Services Commission (FSC), with several now operating their brokerage services from there instead of the Comoros. The earlier move to the Comoros was largely driven by necessity, as firms sought ways to retain access to MetaTrader platforms after restrictions disrupted their models. However, licenses issued in the Comoros have faced credibility concerns.Robinhood to cut 10% of staffLayoffs across financial firms show little sign of slowing. Robinhood plans to cut about 10% of its full-time workforce, impacting roughly 290 employees, as part of a restructuring effort aimed at improving efficiency. The move comes despite strong trading activity, including high demand for its prediction markets, which saw 8.8 billion event contracts traded in the first quarter of 2026.Trading platform Robinhood cuts 10% of workforce to flatten management layers https://t.co/wdvMsO7vWy— CNBC (@CNBC) June 16, 2026According to Reuters, the layoffs are intended to simplify the company’s structure and reduce management layers. CEO Vlad Tenev said the goal is to speed up decision-making and avoid operating with too many layers of management, even as the business continues to perform strongly.“You can’t grow by cutting”: Trieu on AI in financeAs AI adoption accelerates across finance, questions are growing about its impact on jobs and career paths. Huy Nguyen Trieu, co-founder of the Centre for Finance, Technology and Entrepreneurship (CFTE), argues that the term “Artificial Intelligence” no longer fits, as the gap between human and machine capabilities has narrowed significantly. He prefers “Digital Intelligence,” noting that technology can now handle complex tasks like drafting legal briefs or building trading platforms. As adoption grows, the financial industry is increasingly questioning what this means for traditional career paths, especially as some retail brokers have already linked AI to recent layoffs. In 2026, more firms are pointing to AI as a reason for cutting staff, although there is rising skepticism that automation is sometimes used to justify cost reductions and improve financial optics. Trieu believes this reflects a deeper issue, where companies focus on reducing headcount instead of using AI to drive growth. He argues that treating employees mainly as a cost centre risks limiting the broader opportunities AI could bring to the industry.Where smart money finds valueSmall- and mid-cap stocks remain among the least efficiently priced areas of global equity markets, creating opportunities for active investors to find undervalued companies. It is widely accepted that share prices do not always reflect a company’s true value, which allows investors to target businesses with strong long-term growth potential.MARKET RECAP ? What a wild and crazy day, the S&P 500 was up in morning but closed the day down 1.2%, losing around $1 trillion in market cap ?The Fed left interest rates unchanged, as expected. What the heck is going on??! Let’s talk about it ?️ https://t.co/xm4C82iTbG pic.twitter.com/5WqLms6cfw— Peter Tuchman (@EinsteinoWallSt) June 17, 2026To identify such opportunities, investors use a range of metrics, including analyzing revenue streams, focusing on companies that can benefit from industry shifts, and spotting those positioned for earnings growth. For example, Fidelity International’s Global Future Leaders strategy starts with a universe of about 1,000 small- and mid-cap companies and filters out those with poor ESG ratings before selecting potential investments.Tokenized SpaceX bets on four crypto exchanges fall shortSpaceX’s long-awaited market debut has exposed cracks in the promise of tokenized equities. Several crypto platforms have promoted tokenization as a way to disrupt traditional stock markets, but the recent cancellation of tokenized SpaceX share offerings highlights its limitations when the underlying asset is unavailable. Binance, Bybit, Bitget Wallet, and MEXC all withdrew their tokenized IPO campaigns and refunded users after failing to secure the actual shares behind the tokens. On June 12, the same day SpaceX began trading on Nasdaq under the ticker SPCX, the platforms confirmed that xStocks, the provider responsible for sourcing the shares, could not deliver the allocations. Bybit said it received no shares, Binance pointed to circumstances beyond its control, while Bitget Wallet and MEXC also cited a lack of available allocation, leading all four to cancel their offerings and return funds to subscribers.Binance vows commitment to MiCA licence as EU exit risk loomsBinance faces the risk of losing access to the European Union market as a key regulatory decision approaches under the EU’s new MiCA regime. If the crypto exchange does not secure approval, it will no longer be able to serve users across the bloc starting next month. Sources cited by Reuters say Greece’s Hellenic Capital Market Commission is expected to reject Binance’s MiCA licence application.Under MiCA, crypto firms must obtain authorization from a national regulator by the end of June to continue operating EU-wide. Binance has said it engaged with the Greek regulator in good faith and believes its application meets the required standards.Perps hit $61.7 trillionAt the same time, perpetual futures recorded $61.7 trillion in trading volume last year, according to Reuters, making them an increasingly important product for the industry. For brokers, offering perps means handling continuous funding payments, margin and liquidation mechanisms, order routing, and compliance for an instrument that trades 24/7. A perpetual future gives traders long or short exposure to an asset with no fixed expiry date, so positions can remain open as long as margin requirements are met. The product began with crypto assets like bitcoin and ether, but brokers are now extending the same no-expiry, leveraged structure to FX pairs, equities, metals, and even pre-IPO markets, bringing perps into channels they already serve.CME sues CFTC in high-stakes perps clashOutgoing CME Group CEO Terrence Duffy says the exchange will file a federal lawsuit against the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) over its decision to approve crypto perpetual futures in the United States. He told CNBC’s Fast Money that the case will specifically challenge the CFTC’s late-May authorization of Kalshi’s BTCPERP contract, the first regulated crypto perpetual futures product in US markets, along with a related no-action letter granted to Coinbase. Duffy, who is also preparing to step down from his role as CME’s chief executive, criticized the CFTC’s handling of the approval process. He argued that the regulator moved too quickly and bypassed what he describes as a mandatory full review for products it has classified as “novel and complex.”Meanwhile, Kalshi’s new crypto perpetual futures have generated more than $5.5 billion in trading volume in their first two weeks, making them the company’s fastest-growing product launch to date. The rollout marks a shift from Kalshi’s original focus on event contracts linked to politics, sports, and other real-world outcomes toward a broader slice of the derivatives market on its CFTC-regulated exchange.Highlights from the iFX EXPO International 2026Lastly, the iFX EXPO International 2026, held at City of Dreams Mediterranean, entered its final day on Thursday. The event gathered brokers, fintech firms, liquidity and payment providers, technology vendors, and other stakeholders from across the online trading industry.Interestingly, the Seychelles Financial Services Authority was also exhibiting at the event, promoting its offshore regulatory regime directly to brokers and other industry participants. This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.

Charles Schwab is preparing to launch a new set of binary options tied to the performance of the S&P 500 through a partnership with Cboe Global Markets. The products will allow Schwab clients to take simple yes-or-no positions on whether the index reaches a specified outcome. If the condition is met, the contract pays a fixed amount. If not, it expires worthless. Schwab executives have previously criticised prediction markets, particularly contracts tied to sports and entertainment events. CEO Rick Wurster has argued that such products blur the line between gambling and investing. “I really worry about the message that’s being sent to young investors that you’ve got to get these quick hits,” he said in an extensive interview with The Wall Street Journal in December. Now Schwab is introducing a product that uses a similar binary payoff structure, albeit within a traditional options-market framework and tied to a financial benchmark rather than a real-world event.How the Product Works Schwab is taking a narrower route than prediction-market platforms. The contracts are linked to the S&P 500 and operate within established exchange and options-market infrastructure rather than as standalone event contracts. The structure allows Schwab to offer a simpler retail trading product without entering the sports, politics, or entertainment markets that have generated much of the controversy around prediction platforms. The company will use a newer payout model developed by Cboe, including a feature called the “Plus Zone.” Traditional binary contracts typically result in either a fixed payout or a total loss. Unlike traditional binary contracts, the structure allows traders to receive partial payouts even when they miss the exact target level. What It Means for Brokers Schwab's change of heart highlights how retail demand for simple outcome-based trading products is spreading beyond dedicated prediction-market venues. Wurster recently acknowledged that offering these types of products has become a “competitive necessity” as firms such as Robinhood and Interactive Brokers expand their own event-style trading offerings. The use of Cboe’s options framework gives established brokers a way to respond to changing retail preferences without building separate prediction-market businesses or relying on new regulatory structures. Schwab’s launch suggests that yes-or-no trading experiences are not unique to prediction market platforms. Similar mechanics are increasingly being packaged through existing options-market infrastructure, bringing them into the mainstream brokerage product stack. This article was written by Tanya Chepkova at www.financemagnates.com.

Webull Canada Crypto Limited has been admitted as a Dealer Member of the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization, allowing it to operate as an investment dealer in Canada under CIRO oversight.The firm previously established operations in Canada under CIRO supervision as part of Webull’s international expansion. It provides access to listed securities and exchange-traded products under the Canadian regulatory framework, separate from its crypto-related services.Webull Gains CIRO Crypto ExemptionsAlongside the membership approval, CIRO granted Webull exemptive relief from certain insurance-related regulatory requirements. The relief applies to rules covering financial institution bond insurance and mail insurance obligations for dealer members.CIRO said the exemptions are limited in scope and apply only to Webull’s crypto-related business, including its platform for buying, selling, and holding crypto assets.Under the conditions, Webull must maintain insurance coverage for crypto assets held in custody, including both internal custody systems and external custodians such as Coinbase Custody Trust Company LLC once engaged. The firm is also expected to seek additional coverage for assets held in cold storage where possible.Read More: Webull Canada Expands Trading Day With 24/5 Access to US Stocks, ETFs. The insurance arrangements must meet CIRO’s minimum capital and coverage standards. Any deductible must be reflected in the firm’s risk-adjusted capital calculations.CIRO Retains Power to Revoke ReliefWebull is also required to maintain a dedicated trust account at an approved financial institution. If a coverage shortfall is identified, the account must be funded accordingly, but client cash balances cannot be used for this purpose.CIRO also requires the firm to regularly review independent SOC 2 Type 2 audit reports from its custodians to ensure custody controls remain effective.The regulator said such exemptions are granted only in exceptional cases where firms demonstrate adequate safeguards. CIRO retains the right to revoke the relief if conditions are breached or if relevant rules change. This article was written by Tareq Sikder at www.financemagnates.com.