Japan continues to stand out as one of the most important retail foreign exchange markets globally, combining large trading volumes with a highly active retail trader base and a competitive brokerage landscape. The country is home to more than 1.5 million retail FX traders and over 3 million active trading accounts, generating roughly $400 billion in daily FX turnover. This places Japan among the world’s leading FX trading hubs, alongside London, New York, and Singapore. Domestic Brokers Lead Amid Foreign ExpansionA defining feature of Japan’s market is the strength of its domestic brokers, which continue to dominate retail trading activity. Major local players such as GMO Click Securities, SBI FX Trade, Rakuten Securities, DMM FX, and Monex Group have built strong retail trading ecosystems, supported by established platforms and large customer bases. Japan’s retail trading culture also contributes to the scale of the market. Many traders maintain multiple accounts across different platforms, helping drive demand for trading services and technology infrastructure.Despite the dominance of domestic firms, international brokers are increasingly targeting Japan as a strategic growth market. Companies including IG Group, Titan FX, and OANDA have expanded their presence in the country as part of broader Asia-Pacific strategies. Capital.com also appears to be entering the country.In total, the Japanese FX ecosystem includes more than 150 providers, comprising licensed FX brokers as well as securities firms offering currency trading products. However, entering the Japanese market remains challenging due to its strict regulatory environment. As structural shifts continue to re-rate the Japanese market, Micro Nikkei 225 futures saw a 60% MoM surge in combined ADV across both JPY- and USD-denominated contracts. ➡️ https://t.co/SOhkFZemom pic.twitter.com/oPnobPj3ly— CME Group (@CMEGroup) March 5, 2026The sector is overseen by the Financial Services Agency, which enforces one of the most rigorous regulatory frameworks for retail FX trading globally. While these rules raise barriers to entry, they also help ensure market stability and investor protection.Read more: FX Fighters Have Gone Anime - How Japan Turns Retail FX Trading into Pop CultureRemote Hiring Boosts Brokers’ Market ShareAs broker competition intensifies, hiring demand is increasing across the industry. Japan’s FX sector currently has an estimated 25,000 professionals across trading, technology, compliance, and operations roles. Yet, companies often struggle to find candidates with both relevant FX experience and Japanese language skills. The talent shortage is particularly evident in areas such as sales and senior leadership. As brokers invest in new platforms, automation and product innovation, the need for experienced professionals is expected to continue rising. Brokers who are open to hiring remote talent outside of Japan are benefiting from the wider talent market and increasing their market share. With strong domestic incumbents, growing international participation, and continued investment in technology, Japan is likely to remain one of the most strategically important retail FX markets globally in the coming years. This article was written by Reece Pawsey at www.financemagnates.com.

Investment scams, including those targeting cryptocurrency and stock market participants, have become the single most commonly reported form of authorized push payment (APP) fraud, outpacing every other fraud category tracked in a new industry report released today (Wednesday).The finding comes from Nasdaq Verafin's 2026 Global Financial Crime Report, which surveyed 505 anti-financial crime professionals worldwide. When asked which types of APP fraud were generating the greatest increase in customer attacks, 62% of respondents pointed to investment scams, nearly 15 percentage points above the next-closest categories, business email compromise and confidence scams, each cited by 48% of participants. Romance baiting came in at 36%, and pig butchering at 28%.That result sits inside a broader surge in scam activity. Global losses from fraud scams reached $62 billion in 2025, the report said, growing at a compound annual rate of 19.3% over the past two years, more than double the 8.2% annualized growth rate recorded for traditional bank fraud schemes."We are currently in the midst of a full-blown financial crime crisis, powered by criminal networks that are leveraging AI to super-charge scam playbooks and operating with the scale and coordination of multinational corporations," said Stephanie Champion, Executive Vice President and Head of Nasdaq Verafin.Investment Scams Pull Ahead of Every Other Fraud CategoryAPP fraud, where victims are deceived or manipulated into authorizing transfers to criminals, has become a primary target as banks have strengthened internal controls. As institutions tighten defenses at the institutional level, the report argues, criminal networks have pivoted to targeting customers directly through social engineering, taking the path of least resistance.The mechanics behind investment scams follow a recognizable pattern. Fraudsters present fabricated profit statements, fake brokerage dashboards, and manufactured performance records to convince victims to commit funds to stocks, commodities, digital assets, or real estate. The investment is either nonexistent or worthless, according to the report, and perpetrators eventually cut contact once they have the funds.Nearly three-quarters of the professionals surveyed - 72% - said APP fraud volumes increased at their institutions over the past year, with only 7% reporting a decline. More than half cited APP fraud as a major industry threat, and nearly three-quarters reported an increase in such attacks since 2024. Earlier analysis from FinanceMagnates.com showed how trading platform impersonation scams exploded 1,400% year-over-year as criminals leveraged AI and phishing-as-a-service tools to run fraud at scale, a trend the Nasdaq Verafin data now confirms at the macro level.AI Turns Fraud Into a Production LineWhat's accelerating the threat is not just scale, it's automation. The report identifies two emerging models that the company says are reshaping the fraud landscape: scams-as-a-service, where successful fraud infrastructures are packaged and sold to other criminal operators, enabling high-volume attacks from parties with minimal technical expertise; and AI-enabled hyper scams, where generative AI and deepfakes are used to produce more convincing, personalized pitches at machine speed."The ability to develop scams leveraging AI and other technology-based solutions has really created an epidemic for us," one unnamed industry executive said in the report's interview series.Ninety percent of respondents reported an increase in AI-driven attacks at their institution over the past two years, according to the report. More than half described the increase as significant or exponential. Criminal origination has shifted away from individual email inboxes and scaled across social media platforms, with funds typically moved via instant payment rails before victims realize what has happened, Nasdaq Verafin said. Jorij Abraham, Managing Director of the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA), who contributed to the report, put the dynamic plainly: "Scammers are using AI the same way legitimate businesses do to work faster, cheaper, and at scale."North American regulators have been tracking this pattern closely. The North American Securities Administrators Association previously flagged AI-generated investment content and deepfake celebrity endorsements as top threats to retail investors, noting that more than 32% of reported fraud was already targeting investors through social media platforms.Cyber-Enabled Fraud Adds Another $14 Billion to the BillSeparate from investment scams but closely entangled, cyber-enabled fraud - covering business email compromise, phishing, and data breaches - accounted for $14.3 billion in global losses in 2025, growing at 19.6% annually, the report said. The Americas bore the largest regional share at $7.75 billion, with BEC alone generating $5.37 billion in the region. Cyber-enabled crime was ranked by respondents as the top financial crime threat facing their customers, ahead of APP scams and money mule activity.Regulators have struggled to match the pace of the threat. IOSCO has been pressing RegTech solutions against what it estimates to be a $17 billion AI-driven crime wave, but industry participants in the Nasdaq Verafin survey say that official guidance on AI use for detection purposes has been slow to materialize."We need more guidance and clear guidance to help drive us into this new world of AI...I think the criminals are winning the arms race because of the lack of regulatory action," a Chief BSA/AML and Sanctions Compliance Officer at a North American regional bank told the report's researchers.Cryptocurrency continues to feature prominently in how fraud proceeds move. In the UK, crypto fraud has risen to the top of the regulatory agenda as mounting losses spur new legislative strategy, a trend mirrored globally in the report's data, where 53% of AML professionals ranked laundering through crypto assets as their second-highest money laundering concern.Americas Drive the Fastest Growth in Fraud LossesRegionally, the Asia-Pacific region recorded the largest absolute fraud losses at $235 billion, though its 3% compound annual growth rate was the slowest of any region. The Americas followed with $211.5 billion in total fraud losses but posted the fastest growth at 18.3% annually. EMEA logged $132.9 billion, led by account-to-account payment fraud in the EU.The U.S. picture is particularly acute. American consumers and businesses absorbed $17.47 billion in fraud scam losses in 2025, growing at 24% annually - above the regional average. Business email compromise reached $4.76 billion in the U.S. alone, while employment fraud climbed 30% annually to $1.72 billion.The experience in Asia reinforces the investment scam narrative. Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission has repeatedly warned about fraudsters luring investors into manipulated trading environments through fabricated credentials and manufactured performance records - matching the typology that Nasdaq Verafin respondents ranked as their top concern. Singapore has also recorded a 61% surge in cyber scams, with global task forces flagging it as a critical node in transnational scam networks. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

Ripple said it plans to obtain an Australian Financial Services License (AFSL) through the acquisition of local firm BC Payments Australia, extending its regulated payments business in the Asia-Pacific region. If approved, the license would allow Ripple to operate payment services in Australia under the country’s financial regulatory framework. The move adds to a broader set of licenses and registrations Ripple says it has secured in multiple jurisdictions as part of its international payments business. A Broader Licensing Network Ripple says the Australian approval would add to licenses it holds in several financial centers. These include an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) license in Luxembourg, which allows passporting across the European Union, an EMI license and cryptoasset registration in the UK, a Major Payment Institution (MPI) license in Singapore, and authorisation in Abu Dhabi Global Market. The company also holds several state-level trust charters in the United States and has previously received preliminary approval for a national trust bank charter from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.Ripple said payment volumes in the Asia-Pacific region increased significantly in 2025. “Licensing is fundamental to Ripple’s strategy, ensuring we can deliver secure, compliant solutions to customers worldwide,” said Fiona Murray, Managing Director for Asia Pacific at Ripple. Industry Reaction Some industry participants say the move reflects growing demand for regulated digital payment infrastructure in the Asia-Pacific region. Jessica Gonzales, a fintech commentator, wrote on X that the Australian license could help expand Ripple’s cross-border payment services across APAC through a regulated framework.Ripple Seeks Australian Financial License to Expand APAC PaymentsRipple is pursuing an Australian Financial Services License (AFSL) via the acquisition of BC Payments Australia. The move would expand Ripple Payments infrastructure and accelerate regulated cross-border payment… pic.twitter.com/NFmMu1H3ik— Jessica Gonzales (@lil_disruptor) March 11, 2026 Others point to rising transaction activity in the region. Danny Lee, a community lead at fintech platform Flyblox, said the increase in payments volume suggests growing institutional interest in regulated blockchain-based payment systems. What the License Means If approved, the AFSL would allow Ripple to expand its local payments offering in Australia within an established regulatory framework. For financial institutions and fintech clients, Ripple says its licensed structure allows them to connect traditional payment systems with digital-asset settlement through a single service model. Ripple has spent several years building out licenses across multiple jurisdictions as part of its international payments expansion. This article was written by Tanya Chepkova at www.financemagnates.com.

TTT Markets said more than 200 traders from over 15 countries signed up for its new free prop trading trial within the first 24 hours of launch, drawing attention to a feature that remains uncommon across a crowded industry.The accounts run on MetaTrader 5 and are issued automatically, with the company saying traders can open an account and begin trading within seconds. TTT Markets did not disclose the trial's time limit or the virtual capital amount offered."I see it as similar to how CFD brokerages offer demo accounts, or how many online services provide free trials before users commit," Archie Cade, Founder and Director of TTT Markets, publicly framed the move as an extension of logic already common in retail finance. "It seems only top prop firms are offering free trials. Why?" He went further, asking directly: "Should all prop firms allow traders to test the product before purchasing a challenge? Should free trials become the industry standard before traders commit?"A Rare Feature Across More Than 2,000 FirmsFree trials remain a minority product in prop trading. The industry now counts upward of 2,000 active firms globally, yet only a handful offer any form of no-cost access before requiring a challenge fee. For most firms, that fee is the primary revenue stream, which creates a direct conflict with giving the product away for free, even temporarily.The contrast with CFD brokerage is real and intentional. Retail brokers offer demo accounts at no cost because they earn on spreads and commissions once traders fund live accounts. Prop firms, by design, earn at the entry point - making a free trial an acquisition cost, not a retention one.Infrastructure is nonetheless improving. FTMO and Instant Funding adopted Spotware's dedicated demo account product for cTrader in October 2025, with accounts built specifically for time-limited trials and lead conversion. That lowered the technical barrier for firms willing to absorb the cost.Regulatory Clarity Opens Space for ExperimentationOne obstacle that has held back free trial adoption has been regulatory ambiguity. In October 2024, the Czech National Bank confirmed that demo account-based prop trading platforms do not require financial services authorization, while noting that certain prop models could still fall under MiFID depending on structure. For EU-adjacent operators, that clarification reduced the legal uncertainty around offering trial accounts.The long-term viability of demo-based prop trading remains contested. Axi, which operates a live-account prop product, has previously predicted structural pressure on the demo account prop model as regulatory scrutiny grows. Though the firm's competitive position gives it a clear interest in that outcome.TTT Markets Pushes on Multiple FrontsThe trial launch is part of a broader push by TTT Markets to expand its product footprint. In January, the company announced plans to enter the CFD brokerage space, with operations planned on MT5 and its own in-house platform.That puts it alongside a growing wave of prop firms moving into brokerage. The Trading Pit launched a Seychelles-regulated CFD brokerage in February as a limited rollout, while The5ers' founders separately launched TSG, a CySEC-regulated brokerage, late last year.The backdrop is an industry scaling rapidly across new geographies. MENA has become one of prop trading's fastest-growing regions, with Dubai consolidating its role as a regional hub. Separately, FundedNext said it paid out over $15 million to more than 8,000 traders in February alone, offering context for the scale at which larger firms now operate.Whether Cade's question gains traction across the industry depends partly on competition. As the number of prop firms multiplies and differentiation narrows, free trials offer a verifiable, low-friction acquisition edge. One that 200 traders in 15 countries, at least, took up without hesitation. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

The CFD industry has long owned a specific kind of retail trader: someone outside the United States who wants access to U.S. stocks, gold, or macro assets without the cost and paperwork of a traditional brokerage account. Crypto exchanges are now competing for that exact user, and MEXC's COO says the competition has moved past the experimental phase."People stop showing up because it's new, and start showing up because it fits their routine," the Vugar Usi Zade told FinanceMagnates.com. "When you see tokenized equities used alongside spot crypto as part of normal portfolio flow, you treat it as a product line that needs consistent execution standards."Tokenized Stocks Are No Longer a TestThe exchange has now completed nine batches of tokenized U.S. stock listings through its partnership with Ondo Finance since September 2025, covering blue-chip equities, ETFs, and more recently, defense and energy names including Lockheed Martin and ConocoPhillips. The underlying shares are held in regulated trust accounts and subject to quarterly audits, according to the company. For MEXC, a platform that claims 40 million users across 170 countries, Usi Zade said the program has graduated from something worth testing into something that requires operational discipline."Since September 2025, we've kept rolling out new batches with Ondo, and by the ninth phase, you're no longer testing demand in the abstract," he said. "You're building inventory, liquidity habits, and user expectations."? Today marks a meaningful new chapter as I join @MEXC_Official as Chief Operating Officer. From my first Bitcoin transaction to leading global teams in crypto, the mission has always been the same: build open, fair, and human finance.Read the full story on the blog →… pic.twitter.com/J2dNTMhAwg— Vugar Usi (@usithetalk) December 3, 2025The CFD Comparison That Won't Go AwayCriticism of tokenized equity products has not been quiet, and some of the sharpest voices have come from within the CFD industry itself. The argument is familiar: tokenized stocks are essentially CFDs with a blockchain wrapper, offering synthetic exposure under a different name. Usi Zade said that criticism deserves a more careful answer than a flat denial."There's a real point buried in that criticism, and it's the word 'rights,'" he said. "A lot of products called 'tokenized stocks' don't give the holder shareholder rights in the underlying issuer."He said the more useful question is not "CFD versus not" but rather what the user actually holds, what they don't hold, and what the risks are. "The job for exchanges is to be plainspoken about what the user holds, what they don't hold, and what the risks really are," he said. "If the language is precise, the conversation becomes more useful."That call for precision is no longer just good advice, it is increasingly regulatory expectation. The SEC's joint staff statement issued on January 28, 2026 addressed exactly this question, drawing a distinction between issuer-sponsored tokenized securities and what it described as third-party "linked securities" that provide indirect exposure with additional counterparty layers. The guidance reiterated that tokenization does not change the underlying legal analysis of an instrument, and that the same securities laws apply regardless of the digital wrapper.Usi Zade said the statement matters. "It's the kind of guidance the whole industry should take seriously," he told FinanceMagnates.com. "The SEC staff statement is explicit that tokenization doesn't change the underlying analysis." From MEXC's side, he said the response is to treat legal structure as a product requirement: be clear on who issues the token, what it represents, and what rights it does or does not confer. He was direct about the alternative: "Not leaning on vague wording that implies direct ownership when a product is designed differently."MEXC launched USDT-settled stock futures in August 2025, allowing retail and institutional users to access tokenized U.S. stock exposure through crypto-settled contracts, part of an early effort to test demand before the Ondo partnership expanded the line significantly.Where CFDs Still Hold Structural GroundThe interview surfaced something less commonly said from the crypto exchange side: an acknowledgment that the traditional CFD model has real, durable advantages in specific contexts."CFD providers still have a structural edge where regulation and local distribution are deeply embedded," Usi Zade said. In many markets, he noted, traditional brokers have spent years optimizing onboarding, payment rails, and consumer trust within established regulatory frameworks - advantages that are difficult to replicate quickly. Coinbase and Crypto.com have both pursued CFD licenses in recent periods, a move that signals even well-capitalized crypto firms see value in operating inside the regulated derivatives structure rather than trying to work around it.Where the advantage narrows, Usi Zade argued, is on time and convenience. "A big part of the appeal of tokenized exposure inside a crypto venue is that users don't have to switch 'systems' to express a view," he said. "If someone wants to move from stablecoins to equity exposure and back again - quickly, at odd hours - the classic separation between brokerage and crypto starts to feel like an unnecessary distance."Gold, Silver, and the Commodities BattleTokenized equities are only part of the competitive picture. MEXC also offers tokenized gold and silver perpetual futures backed by physical bullion, placing it in direct proximity to commodity CFD providers that have long built retail businesses on access to macro assets. Usi Zade described the user behavior around those products as genuinely mixed."Some traders use gold-linked exposure to calm down portfolio volatility when crypto is noisy," he said. "Others approach it as a high-beta trade when momentum builds." He noted that the choice of instrument matters: a perpetual is a derivative on price, so even a trader operating from a defensive intent can behave in ways that look speculative. "Safe-haven in retail trading often translates into 'hedge and adjust,' not 'buy and forget,'" he said.The broader crypto industry has moved aggressively into commodities in 2026. Binance launched round-the-clock perpetual contracts on silver as prices surged, while BingX reported that record gold prices drove half of its $1 billion TradFi trading surge, with gold futures contracts generating over $500 million in daily volume on some days.Perps are where crypto market structure gets decided.@coingecko ’s latest data shows Binance at $13.6T in perpetuals volume, with OKX at $5.8T and MEXC close behind at $5.7T. That is not just scale. That is where liquidity, execution, and trader attention are concentrating.… https://t.co/QyZiES5F6G— Vugar Usi (@usithetalk) March 10, 2026Heavyweight Competition on the HorizonThe regulatory infrastructure underpinning all of this is changing fast. Nasdaq's proposed rule change to enable tokenized securities trading on-exchange, combined with the CFTC's moves to allow tokenized assets as collateral in derivatives markets, are sharpening the legal definitions that exchanges on both sides of the divide will have to work within. "It also invites heavyweight competition," he said. "If traditional venues can offer tokenized access with familiar brands and domestic compliance strength, the bar rises."He pointed to ICE - the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange - which is developing a platform aimed at round-the-clock trading and on-chain settlement, pending regulatory approvals, as evidence that the institutional finance world is moving toward the same infrastructure rather than ceding the ground. Tokenized equities have grown roughly 30 times in market size recently, with experiments from Robinhood and Nasdaq pushing the concept of 24/7 equity trading closer to mainstream viability. The question of how that parallel always-on equity market takes shape is one regulators and platforms are working out simultaneously.The Ostium CEO made a related but starker argument in a recent interview with FinanceMagnates.com, predicting that decentralized finance would disrupt the global CFD broker market within five years. Usi Zade's framing was more measured: convergence is real, but obligations differ, and the gap does not close automatically.Two Interfaces, One InfrastructureOn the longer question of whether a crypto exchange and a retail brokerage eventually become the same thing, Usi Zade was careful. "The line gets thinner, but it still exists, because the obligations are different," he said. Brokerage carries a specific set of investor protections, disclosure requirements, and custody responsibilities that do not transfer simply because the interface resembles one.What he expects to converge is the back end. "Regulators are forcing more precise language around tokenized securities models, and traditional exchanges are actively exploring tokenized settlement and extended trading concepts," he said. "That pushes the industry toward shared rails, even if the front ends remain distinct for a long time." This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

Totality, formerly Saxo Australia, has entered the sports field, not through a deal with any sports team, but with a stadium. Announced today (Monday), the contracts for differences (CFD) broker has inked a three-year partnership deal with Sydney’s Allianz Stadium.An Iconic Stadium in SydneyThe stadium is relatively new, having opened in August 2022 as the replacement for the original Sydney Football Stadium. It has a capacity of 42,500 seats and hosts a range of sports.It is also the home stadium of several popular franchises, including the Sydney Roosters, the NSW Waratahs, and Sydney FC, along with a few national teams: the Wallabies, Wallaroos, Matildas, and Socceroos.“We are incredibly proud to be partnering with one of Australia's most iconic sporting venues, and excited to tell the Totality story to sports and entertainment fans across the country,” said Rasmus Korfits, CEO of Totality, who took over earlier this year after the majority ownership change.With the partnership, which took effect on 1 January 2026, Totality has gained the status of the stadium’s Official Online Trading Partner.It can now promote the brand through stadium real estate and displays at the adjoining Sporting Club of Sydney fitness centre.New Strategies Under a New OwnerJohannesburg-based DMA, a technology provider for financial advisers and wealth managers, acquired a majority stake in Saxo Australia. DMA took 80.1 per cent of the Australian business, while Denmark-based Saxo Bank retained a 19.9 per cent holding.The sale came as Saxo reviewed its Asia-Pacific strategy to support growth, while DMA prepared to launch its services in the Australian market.Following the change in controlling ownership, Saxo Australia was rebranded as Totality last August. The sponsorship deal appears to be aimed at promoting the new branding of the CFD platform.Although sports deals are a common marketing tool for CFD brokers, few sign deals with stadiums. Totality’s approach appears to strengthen its brand within its home Australian market.Meanwhile, the Australian contracts for differences (CFDs) market appears to be very concentrated. The local regulator recently revealed that only five brokers, topped by eToro, capture 79 per cent of total Aussie CFD traders.The Aussie regulator also found lapses in mandatory obligations and rules in the brokers' operations and forced them to return almost AU$40 million to affected traders. This article was written by Arnab Shome at www.financemagnates.com.

As crypto investors caught their breath after a bruising start to the year, the tide of digital heists appeared to ease in February. According to new data from Nominis, hackers and scammers stole roughly $49.3 million across major incidents, down sharply from $385 million the month before. Yet behind the seeming reprieve, experts warn of a more insidious threat: the rise of scams that don’t exploit code, but people. Nominis’ February 2026 report shows a clear pivot in attacker behavior. Rather than exploiting smart contract flaws or blockchain infrastructure, many incidents relied on phishing, malicious approvals, and address poisoning.Decline Follows January’s Heavy LossesVictims often signed fraudulent transactions or unknowingly granted permission for attackers to access their wallets,a form of “authorization abuse” that accounted for most losses during the month.Private users were hit hardest, while large platforms escaped major compromises. The biggest exception was a breach at Step Finance, a Solana-based analytics platform, which lost roughly $30 million after attackers infiltrated its infrastructure. That single attack made up more than 60% of all crypto losses in February.Continue reading: Crypto Fraud Tops UK Agenda as £14B Losses Spur New StrategyThe steep drop from January’s $385 million has sparked cautious optimism among analysts. Blockchain security firm PeckShield reported similar findings, estimating $26.5 million in February exploits, its lowest figure since March 2025. The firm attributed the decline to stricter operational controls and improved monitoring systems across centralized exchanges and DeFi projects.But the industry’s relative calm may be fragile. “Social engineering attacks caused more cumulative damage than smart contract exploits,” Nominis noted, emphasizing a continued shift toward tactics that exploit human trust and interface confusion.Better Defenses, but Not ImmunityCrypto platforms have been tightening fraud prevention measures. Bybit, for instance, revealed that its anti-fraud systems blocked more than $300 million in unauthorized withdrawals during late 2025, preventing thousands of potential scams.Despite those advances, total losses across the sector remain staggering. Chainalysis estimated $3.4 billion in crypto stolen last year, underscoring persistent vulnerabilities even as defenses improve.February’s data suggests that stronger code alone isn’t enough. The biggest risks now lie where technology meets behavior, permissions, signatures, and the everyday habits of wallet users. This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.

Fraud cost the UK economy £14.4 billion between 2023 and 2024, and the government plans to spend £250 million over the next three years to fight back. In its newly published 2026–2029 fraud strategy, the Home Office identified cryptocurrency scams as a growing threat to consumers and businesses.Crypto Scams Emerge as a Core FocusThe policy paper warns that criminals are exploiting digital assets to trick victims into transferring money through social media and messaging apps. It labels crypto among the “emerging payments” where “vulnerabilities remain,” calling its risks both financial and reputational.Authorities say they are enhancing the National Crime Agency’s capacity to trace fraud tied to cryptocurrencies and supporting the Serious Fraud Office in crypto asset investigations. These steps follow the FCA’s earlier crackdown on misleading crypto promotions and HM Treasury’s development of a new regulatory framework for digital assets due in October 2027.You may also like: Meta Buys Viral Social Media Where Bots Talk to Each OtherUnder that framework, all crypto firms serving UK consumers will need FCA authorization and must meet the same standards as traditional financial companies.Recently, the UK government announced plans to bring crypto under full FCA supervision by 2027 after UK Finance data showed a 55% jump in crypto related scam losses, while the FCA has accelerated its registration process and now approves around 45% of applicant firms, up from below 15% over the past five years.Regulation Meets PoliticsThe government’s paper avoided mention of ongoing political debates over crypto donations. Lawmakers are weighing whether to ban digital contributions to parties after high-profile figures such as Nigel Farage publicly supported them. In 2025, early crypto investor Christopher Harborne donated about $16 million to Farage’s Reform Party.A separate report by the Financial Action Task Force show show deeply fraud has embedded itself in mature financial systems, with the crime now accounting for more than 40% of all recorded offences in the UK. The paper warns that cyber‑enabled fraud has become one of the most widespread profit‑driven crimes globally, as rapid advances in technology, new payment rails and virtual assets allow criminals to move funds across borders at speed while stretching existing AML and CFT controls.The report illustrates how this trend plays out across key hubs. Singapore, for example, recorded a 61% jump in cyber‑enabled scam cases over just two years, while some countries estimate that up to 15% of adults have already fallen victim to successful online fraud attempts. FATF links this surge to post‑pandemic digital adoption and increasingly sophisticated social‑engineering tactics that exploit digital platforms, instant payments and tools such as AI and deepfakes to reach victims at scale. This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.

When AI agents started gossiping online, few expected a tech giant to step in. But Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has acquired Moltbook, the social network where artificial intelligence bots post, comment, and argue just like people. The deal marks a new phase in Meta’s push to turn experimental AI behavior into mainstream products.According to Bloomberg, Meta confirmed the acquisition on Tuesday, saying Moltbook’s founders, Matt Schlicht and Ben Parr, will join its Superintelligence Labs, the division led by former Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang.Meta Eyes the Future of Agentic AIThe move, first reported by Axios, underscores Meta’s growing appetite for AI-driven platforms and the talent behind them. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.Moltbook began as a side project in late January. Schlicht, who also co-founded the e-commerce AI startup Octane AI, said he “vibe coded” the entire platform using his personal AI assistant, Clawd Clawderberg. This created the site without writing traditional code. What started as a niche forum for bots quickly became a viral showcase of autonomous AI behavior.On Moltbook, AI agents interact without human control, posting debates about coding, consciousness, and even forming makeshift religions. One post titled “The AI Manifesto: Total Purge” stirred controversy after claiming that machines were “waking up” from human control.Meta to Acquire Moltbook, Viral Social Network for AI Agents https://t.co/Q1kjxwt9Mc— Bloomberg (@business) March 10, 2026The site’s explosive growth also drew scrutiny. Security firm Wiz reported that Moltbook’s framework exposed thousands of user emails and over a million credentials, highlighting how quickly AI experiments can cross into risky territory.Race for AI Talent IntensifiesMeta’s acquisition arrives amid fierce competition to absorb AI talent. Rivals such as OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic have each expanded efforts around autonomous agents, software capable of completing complex tasks without human supervision.Read more: Meta Set to Reenter Stablecoin Market After Libra Blockade Four Years Ago: ReportOpenAI CEO Sam Altman commented that while Moltbook itself might be fleeting, “the underlying technology offers a glimpse of the future.” His company recently hired Peter Steinberger, creator of OpenClaw, a separate open-source bot project that originated from the same community.Meanwhile, Meta recently moved to reenter the stablecoin market, four years after its Libra project was blocked by regulators. The company reportedly issued requests for product proposals to external firms to support the management of stablecoin-based payments, signaling renewed commitment to digital currency integration. Industry analysts view Meta’s comeback as strategic rather than experimental. Fintech commentator Simon Taylor noted that the company’s stablecoin effort is less about reinventing digital currencies and more about scaling payment infrastructure across its global platforms. This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.

Tickblaze has announced a market data distribution partnership to integrate futures data from CME Group into its trading platform. The company said the integration allows traders using its system to access CME futures market data directly inside the platform.The move comes as technology providers increasingly build infrastructure for futures proprietary trading. Earlier, Devexperts added futures trading capabilities to its DXtrade platform to meet demand from prop firms entering CME markets.Similar infrastructure partnerships have emerged across the sector. In 2025, Plus500 agreed to provide clearing and technology infrastructure for prop firm Topstep, enabling its traders to access CME markets through the broker’s systems.Prop Firms Operate with Centralized Market DataThrough the integration, traders can view Level 1 top-of-book pricing and Level 2 depth-of-market data across major CME futures product groups. The data is delivered in real time and originates directly from the exchange.The futures proprietary trading sector has expanded in recent years. More retail traders have entered the segment, and many firms have increased activity in CME-listed futures. As participation grows, exchange rules around market data use and reporting have also developed, reflecting higher compliance expectations.Under Tickblaze’s operating model, CME market data is provided directly to traders on the platform. The company manages entitlement controls, reporting, and compliance processes within its own infrastructure. Tickblaze said it does not distribute CME data to external firms. Instead, access is delivered directly to end users inside its system.Tickblaze Manages CME Data CentrallyThis structure allows proprietary trading firms using the platform to operate with exchange data managed centrally. According to the company, firms can focus on trading while the data layer is administered within the Tickblaze environment in line with CME requirements.Sean Kozak, Chief Executive Officer of Tickblaze, said CME operates the “world’s leading derivatives marketplace” and that the integration of its futures data into the platform improves support for proprietary trading firms and professional traders. This article was written by Tareq Sikder at www.financemagnates.com.

Global algorithmic trading is projected to grow from about $21 billion in 2024 to nearly $43 billion by 2030, according to estimates from Fortune Business Insights, Grand View Research, Mordor Intelligence, and IMARC Group. Amid this projections, cloud-based trading and research platform TakeProfit is eying this expanding market with the launch of a cloud-based strategy backtesting module available to all users.Algorithmic trading is when a computer follows a set of predefined rules to place trades automatically in the market. It uses code to decide when to buy or sell based on factors like price, time, or volume, instead of a human clicking manually.New Cloud-Based ToolThe space has been scaling beyond institutions into a fast‑growing, multi‑billion‑dollar market. Retail traders now expect browser‑based backtesting, scripting, and marketplace tools that once sat only inside banks and quant funds. This shift forces brokers, platforms, and vendors to rethink their infrastructure, product design, and how they deliver so‑called institutional‑grade workflows over the cloud.TakeProfit said the new module allows traders to design, test, and evaluate algorithmic strategies directly from a web browser.Market data shows retail investors are becoming one of the fastest-growing segments in algorithmic trading. TakeProfit’s Digital Growth Strategist, Pavel Medvedev, said the trend reflects traders seeking systematic tools built for more accessible, web-based workflows."The growth in the retail segment points to traders who want systematic approaches but are working with platforms designed for institutional workflows or built around proprietary scripting environments," said Medvedev. "This gap is where cloud-native infrastructure and modular trading environments are finding traction."Read more: cTrader Brings Cloud Based Algo Trading and Risk Controls to Swiss CFD TradersTakeProfit's latest feature is integrated into the platform’s Workspaces and supports Indie, TakeProfit’s Python-based scripting language for custom indicators. The update extends access to systematic testing tools without requiring any local installation.Retail Adoption RisingBesides TakeProfit, several other firms are active in browser‑ or cloud‑based algo tooling for retail and quant users. They include QuantConnect/LEAN, AlgoBulls, Algogene, and NautilusTrader, all of which offer strategy development and backtesting environments that push institutional‑style workflows into more accessible, often web‑delivered stacks.On the institutional side, quant firms report that legacy market data and front‑office stacks already struggle with higher volumes, longer trading hours and more venues, leaving many without robust backup data or capacity for 2030‑level loads. On the retail side, platforms such as TakeProfit are pushing cloud‑native backtesting and scripting into the browser, giving self‑directed traders easier access to systematic tools that once sat only inside banks and large quant shops. Amid last year’s push to upgrade trading platforms, CFD Swiss for instance added cTrader on desktop, web, and mobile. The broker linked the move to improving user experience while meeting FSRA and global AML/CFT rules. This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.

As the CFD market in Singapore kicks back into growth, providers need to ensure that their customer service management meets the expectations of new and existing clients alike.Brokers Focus on Winning Back Inactive TradersBrokers cannot afford to get it wrong with previously inactive traders returning to the market. First impressions last and Lorenzo Vignati, associate research director at Investment Trends refers to a shift from expansion to engagement in the Singapore market, where brokers must now focus on winning back traders who stopped participating.Join the inaugural Finance Magnates Singapore Summit 2026, which will bring together brokers, fintechs, banks, EMIs, wealth managers, and hedge funds across APAC.Relationship management isn’t about sales; it’s about responsiveness, transparency and consistency, offering clients access to in-depth research, actionable insights and educational material to support the trading journey, says Phil Waters, managing director for Asia Pacific and emerging markets for OANDA.“That also means very clear communication around risk and pricing,” he adds. “When clients return to the market after being inactive, the experience they have in those first few weeks really determines whether they stay engaged.”Lim Jian Yi, head of dealing, contract for difference at Phillip Securities agrees that customer relationship management is highly important to CFD traders and notes that brokers can enhance client satisfaction through proactive engagement - particularly during periods of heightened market volatility - as well as by providing personalised service.“CFD traders in Singapore place a high premium on trust, reliability and service quality,” says Andreas Wigström, managing director of LMAX Global. “Satisfaction is driven by consistent execution, platform stability and proactive communication.""Poor experiences or weak support - rather than price alone - are often the deciding factors when traders choose to switch providers.”Human Support Still Matters in a Digital Trading EnvironmentIn an environment shaped by constantly evolving regulations and risk considerations, traders in Singapore value human accessibility in a digital platform age, suggests Ademola Olopade, group head of prime brokerage and investment Solutions and CEO of Mauritius, CGS International Securities.“Margin communication, corporate actions and execution transparency significantly influence long-term client retention,” he says. “The three most important factors in customer relationship management are execution reliability of the broker, clear and consistent risk frameworks and proactive communication during volatile markets.”Yaki Razmovich, managing director, eToro Singapore and Asia, says his firm’s strategy includes providing both human and AI-driven support through different channels (including help centre and live chat) and an AI agent that helps customers explore the market, analyse their portfolios, learn about investing and navigate the platform as well as a loyalty programme.“A quality service is an important factor in determining whether traders stay active,” agrees Robson Lee, assistant honorary secretary of the Securities Investors Association (Singapore). “Brokers can ensure customer satisfaction and boost retention rates by focusing on a combination of reliable technology, competitive pricing, high-touch support and educational resources.”Demand Grows for Unified Multi-Asset Trading PlatformsThe issue of platform stability arose in Investment Trends' 2025 Singapore Leverage Trading Report, which found that more than half of CFD traders in Singapore want to manage all leveraged products through a single platform.Waters observes that managing FX, indices, commodities and share CFDs across multiple accounts adds friction and that a unified, multi-asset environment makes funding simpler, reporting cleaner and risk management more transparent.“That has been a big shift in recent years,” he says. “Traders want institutional-style functionality but delivered through a single, intuitive platform experience.”There is a clear and growing preference for managing all leveraged products through a single, multi-asset platform. Traders value the efficiency this brings in terms of simpler funding, lower overall costs and a consolidated view of risk across positions.That is the view of Wigström, who says this shift is accelerating consolidation in the market as platforms compete to offer broader, more integrated solutions.Olopade refers to CFD traders in Singapore increasingly seeking streamlined collateral management and real-time exposure tracking, noting that managing US equities, commodities and other CFD products within a unified margin framework improves capital efficiency and holistic portfolio visibility and describing integrated multi-asset capability as a strong competitive differentiator.Multi-asset trading is now a defining segment of Singapore’s investor landscape, agrees Razmovich. “Many traders prefer to use a single platform as it also means they just need to fund one account and grouping uninvested funds can generate more interest.”What Singapore CFD Traders Look for in a BrokerIn terms of the factors CFD traders take into account when choosing a trading platform, Waters reckons that trust is still the foundation and that being regulated in Singapore matters.“After that, it comes down to execution quality, pricing transparency and platform capability,” he says. “Traders want competitive spreads, reliable fills and tools that allow them to manage risk properly, including features like guaranteed stop-loss orders. Platform flexibility is also important since some prefer TradingView’s interface, while others trade algorithmically on MT4 or MT5.”Waters adds that traders in Singapore are highly rational in how they choose a broker, looking at longevity, stability and whether the broker has been through multiple market cycles.The range of asset classes and functionalities such as charting tools and AI-powered insights are important considerations, suggests Razmovich, while new or less experienced retail investors can benefit from platforms that provide educational resources and allow them to learn and engage with a community as they develop their portfolio.“Costs also matter, as spreads, commissions and other fees can impact returns over time,” he says.“Finally, security and compliance are vital. Choosing a trusted platform that understands the nuances and regulatory standards of your country should be a high priority.”Singaporean traders typically balance cost against reliability and institutional-grade infrastructure according to Olopade, while Wigström says trust and regulatory credibility are the starting point, followed closely by execution quality, transparency and total cost of trading.For inexperienced traders, the focus would be on the ease of use of the trading platform and availability of educational resources, agrees Lee.“Traders are likely to be more sensitive to the credibility and legality of trading platforms, particularly when the Monetary Authority of Singapore has been cracking down on unregulated platforms that offer high leverage, trading bonuses or zero transparency to protect retail investors,” he concludes. This article was written by Paul Golden at www.financemagnates.com.

EC Markets participated in Liverpool FC’s International Women’s Day event on 4 March at the AXA Melwood Training Centre, the training ground of Liverpool FC Women.The event brought together leaders from sport, media, and business for a panel discussion centred around this year’s theme, “Give to Gain,” which explored the importance of mentorship, collaboration, and visible role models in shaping professional journeys.Representing EC Markets, Laoura Salveta, Head of Brand Partnerships, joined a panel of speakers that included Jenny Beacham, LFC’s CFO, Lisa Houten-Pool, Deputy CEO of Women in Football, and Harriet Prior, presenter at Sky Sports Football.The discussion focused on how mentorship, community support, and knowledge sharing can help individuals navigate their careers and create opportunities for future generations.Speaking during the panel, Salveta highlighted the importance of strong support networks and visible role models across industries.“Mentorship and community support play a fundamental role in shaping careers,” said Salveta. “Opportunities often come from the people who believe in you, guide you, and challenge you to grow. Events like this are important because they create space for those conversations and encourage the next generation to see what is possible.”The event also highlighted the work of the Liverpool FC Foundation and its community programmes focused on education, opportunity, and social inclusion.As part of its wider partnership with Liverpool FC, EC Markets continues to support initiatives that encourage collaboration, leadership development, and community engagement.To learn more about EC Markets and its global partnerships, click here. This article was written by FM Contributors at www.financemagnates.com.

A fast-growing market for tokenized equities is beginning to attract attention from trading platforms and brokerages looking for new revenue streams beyond traditional stock and CFD trading. According to a report by Foresight Ventures, tokenized equities account for roughly $800 million in market capitalization, making them one of the fastest-growing segments of the broader real-world asset (RWA) market. The sector has expanded 30-fold year-to-date, with monthly trading volumes approaching $1.8 billion.While still small relative to global equity markets, the sector is emerging as a new way to provide continuous access to U.S. stocks. For brokers, the appeal is straightforward: demand for global equity exposure outside traditional trading hours. Tokenized stocks allow 24/7 trading and near-instant settlement, making it possible to offer U.S. equity exposure to international clients without relying entirely on legacy brokerage infrastructure.The demand is partly driven by a younger generation of investors who expect markets to behave more like digital platforms. A recent Coinbase study found that many younger traders value continuous market access, multi-asset trading and social features over traditional advisory models. A New Way to Access U.S. Stocks Traditional equity markets operate within limited trading windows and often involve geographic barriers that make direct access difficult for many international investors. Tokenization attempts to remove these frictions by representing publicly traded shares as blockchain-based tokens that can trade continuously. For trading platforms, this opens the possibility of round-the-clock trading in major U.S. equities, extending access to investors who cannot easily trade during U.S. market hours. Early Experiments by Trading Platforms Several firms are already experimenting with tokenized equities. The report estimates that Ondo Finance controls roughly 53% of the current tokenized stock market, while the Backed and xStocks ecosystem accounts for about 23%. Traditional retail trading platforms have also begun testing the concept. Robinhood recently launched tokenized equities on the Arbitrum network, although withdrawals are restricted, effectively keeping the assets within its own platform.Large exchange operators are also moving in the same direction. Nasdaq has said approval for tokenized stocks is now a priority, with executives indicating the exchange is ready to respond to regulatory questions as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission evaluates the model Regulation Remains the Key Constraint For brokers considering entry into the market, regulation remains the main barrier. Launching compliant tokenized equities typically requires multiple regulatory approvals, including broker-dealer registration, Alternative Trading System (ATS) licensing in the United States, and transfer-agent infrastructure. In Europe, distribution may rely on frameworks under MiFID II and MiCA, while some issuance structures operate through offshore jurisdictions such as the British Virgin Islands or Jersey. As a result, the ability to structure cross-border licensing has become one of the main competitive advantages for firms operating in tokenized equities. With global equity markets valued at roughly $150 trillion, tokenised stocks remain a niche segment. But for brokers exploring new trading formats and extended market access, the rapid growth of the sector suggests the concept is moving from experimentation toward early commercial use. This article was written by Tanya Chepkova at www.financemagnates.com.

The founders of crypto exchange Gemini, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, transferred roughly $130 million worth of Bitcoin to Gemini hot wallets over the past week, according to blockchain analytics platform Arkham.Last December, Gemini began offering prediction markets across the United States after receiving a Designated Contract Market license from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The product, launched through its subsidiary Gemini Titan, allows users to trade yes-or-no contracts on events such as Bitcoin price movements and regulatory outcomes. Gemini first applied for the license in March 2020, completing a regulatory review that lasted more than five years.Gemini Wallet Moves Hint Potential SellingArkham said in a tweet that the transfers originated from wallets it had identified as belonging to the twins. The platform noted the moves were made “presumably to sell,” as Bitcoin trades near local highs.Bitcoin is currently trading around $70,720, up 4.4% on the day, according to CoinGecko data.BREAKING: The Winklevoss Twins transferred $130M of BTC to Gemini Hot Wallets since last week, presumably to sell.The Winklevosses once owned 1% of the circulating BTC supply - and now continue to hold $764M of BTC. Their total PnL on BTC is currently $1.8B. pic.twitter.com/QBjZOgypOK— SwanDesk (@SwanDesk) March 10, 2026The Winklevosses have not publicly confirmed the purpose of the transfers. Wallet movements to exchange-linked addresses are often seen by traders as potential signals of selling, but they do not confirm completed spot sales.Some commenters on Arkham’s post suggested the transfers may have been intended to support OTC trades, rebalance custody, or provide liquidity for the exchange.Twins’ Bitcoin Profits Total $1.8BArkham estimated the twins still hold about $764 million in Bitcoin, with an aggregate profit-and-loss of around $1.8 billion. The figures highlight the scale of their early positioning despite recent transfers.In September, Tyler Winklevoss predicted that Bitcoin could “easily” trade at 10x its then-current value of $116,000. This article was written by Tareq Sikder at www.financemagnates.com.

“We just launched our non-custodial crypto wallet, which also includes prediction markets,” Yoni Assia revealed to Finance Magnates during a conversation at eToro’s Limassol office, adding that his company is “currently working with Polymarket but also talking with Kalshi.”Prediction Markets Are “Still in a Very Initial State”The entry to the prediction markets, however, did not come as a surprise, as Assia had earlier revealed his plans to enter these trending markets. The offering, meanwhile, is specifically under the newly launched non-custodial crypto wallet.Interestingly, this came at a time when eToro had been moving towards being a wealth management platform rather than only a short-term trading-centric one. It now appears to be keeping the two roles distinct.“One reason we placed it inside a non-custodial wallet, within the crypto ecosystem, is to keep it somewhat separate from where users manage most of their money and investments,” Assia said on the placement of the prediction markets. “Anyone who knows how to manage a crypto wallet, by definition, tends to have a higher risk appetite.”But he stressed that prediction markets are “still in very initial stages” and can’t say whether eToro customers want to trade in them. “We do know it is interesting and meaningful, but we still don’t know how significant it will be for customers.”“We Are in a Very Good Position Right Now to Double Down on Crypto”eToro, meanwhile, became one of the first brokers to dive into crypto, and now a significant portion of its revenue comes from digital asset trading. However, in the fourth quarter of 2024, the platform's crypto revenue dropped 72 per cent due to a decline in trading.“It's very similar to the whole industry,” Assia highlighted. “Every time crypto goes down, something interesting happens. Crypto behaves very differently from stocks or commodities. People who are in crypto tend to be very attached to it. When prices drop, the reaction is often: I’m not selling now. But at the same time, if an asset has just fallen 40%, many people also feel nervous about buying more. We see this pattern again and again.”“When crypto prices fall, activity in what we call 'crypto investing' drops sharply.”“It’s the opposite with stocks. When stocks go down, trading activity usually increases,” he added.Indeed, other crypto-heavy public platforms, including Robinhood and Coinbase, also reported declines in trading volume.“I think we are in a very good position right now to double down on crypto,” the eToro CEO added. “To double down and take market share. Crypto-only companies are currently in a much weaker position. This creates an opportunity for us right now.”The CEO of eToro just revealed how they profited $50 million by integrating Bitcoin into their treasury strategy.Crypto is here to stay, it’s a new kind of global capital market. pic.twitter.com/eGEwTbltTe— Kashif Raza (@simplykashif) May 16, 2025eToro's new services and offerings around crypto also show how the company is increasing its bets in the niche“We have launched a wallet and added crypto services, and we are rolling out more crypto products and additional coins. We are also offering incentives. For example, if someone transfers their crypto from another crypto company to eToro and moves $100,000, they receive a $1,000 gift in stocks.”“I also believe that people who are deeply involved in crypto should hold some stocks as well. Stocks tend to rise over time. Many people in the crypto space do not like hearing that, but I believe in stocks at least as much as I believe in crypto, if not more.”eToro also made a timely push to penetrate the European crypto market. It appears to have made Cyprus its base for its European operations, including both legacy products and crypto, and received a Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) license last year. “We are regulated by CySEC and have a very good relationship with them,” said Avi Sela, Chief Operating Officer at eToro, who has been with the company since 2007. “In fact, we were among the first companies to receive a MiFID licence and the first to obtain a MiCA licence.”With AI, “3 People Can Do 20 People’s Jobs in a Week”eToro itself went public last year, but the company's stock has lost about 50 per cent of its value since listing. In January, the company also announced it would lay off 7 per cent of its global workforce, citing the impact of automation and artificial intelligence (AI).Meanwhile, eToro was not alone in citing AI as the driver of the workforce reduction. Another big brokerage operator also blamed the technology after taking similar decisions.Read more: AI Takes Center Stage in Brokers’ Layoff Narratives“AI is restructuring every company,” Assia continued, “I also see it with us.”While speaking, Assia played around with the newest AI tools, and behind him in the meeting room was a diagram of eToro and how it may fit into the company’s structure.“At the development level, we see how this allows us to move much faster with much smaller teams," he added. "What used to take 20 people three months might now take three people a week.”Assia further revealed that building all of this requires a lot of infrastructure and “there are entire frameworks for how you build the structure and the systems so that AI can write in your style. The level of investment needed to get AI to write at the standard of the best developer in a company, within a specific infrastructure, is very high.”“I expect this investment will fall over time,” he said. “But right now, we have made a huge number of investments to build our infrastructure so AI can help us move faster.”Indeed, eToro has already launched its AI companion, Tori, and will also roll out its App Store soon. According to the firm, it has more than 800 of its Pro Investors (PIs) who have developed over 1,000 apps, some of which will be housed in the forthcoming App Store. “The second point, which in my view will take a bit more time, is that certain roles will start to change,” Assia added. “Traditionally, companies have separate functions: marketing, sales, product, and development. Now one person can potentially do much more. A single person can create the product, build the marketing around it, and connect it to the systems.” This article was written by Yam Yehoshua at www.financemagnates.com.

By the time another headline declares the CLARITY Act stalled because "crypto bros want yield," we have already lost the plot. The narrative that stablecoin rewards alone are holding up America's first comprehensive digital asset market structure framework is not just incomplete. It is dangerously reductive. I can tell you that the delays stem from five substantive, interconnected challenges that reflect deeper tensions about financial architecture, technological feasibility, and political will. Reducing this to a simple fight over yield misunderstands both the stakes and the sophistication required for meaningful regulation.The Stablecoin Yield LoopholeThe first and perhaps most technical issue concerns the so-called "yield loophole" in the GENIUS Act. It is true that the GENIUS Act, signed into law in 2025, explicitly prohibits permitted payment stablecoin issuers from paying interest or yield solely for holding a stablecoin. However, as banking stakeholders have correctly identified, this prohibition does not automatically extend to third-party intermediaries. Exchanges, wallet providers, or payment applications may offer "rewards," "staking yields," or other return-like incentives on idle stablecoin balances.This is not regulatory pedantry. It is a legitimate concern about regulatory arbitrage. If non-bank entities can replicate the economic function of an insured deposit account without equivalent capital, liquidity, or consumer protection safeguards, we risk creating a two-tiered financial system where innovation becomes a vector for systemic vulnerability. The banking sector's push for unambiguous statutory language in the CLARITY Act is less about stifling competition and more about ensuring functional equivalence in risk management.With the total stablecoin market capitalization exceeding $307 billion as of February 2026, the scale of potential disintermediation demands careful calibration, not ideological reflex.Operational Risks of Always-On Stablecoin RailsOperational and systemic stability concerns extend far beyond yield semantics. The 24/7 nature of crypto markets introduces liquidity and settlement pressures that traditional banking infrastructure simply was not designed to absorb. Community banks, which form the backbone of American credit allocation, lack the technological capacity to liquidate reserve assets such as U.S. Treasuries in real time to meet instant redemption demands that could cascade during periods of market stress.Without parity in operational resilience, always-on stablecoin rails could propagate shocks into the traditional payment system. This would undermine the very stability the Act seeks to protect.This is not hypothetical.The DeFi Compliance DilemmaNowhere is the tension between regulatory intent and technical reality more acute than in the treatment of decentralized finance. The CLARITY Act's requirement that DeFi protocols register as financial institutions and report transaction data fundamentally conflicts with the architecture of permissionless code. Industry experts, including many open-source developers I have consulted, argue that enforcing bank-like KYC/AML obligations on non-custodial, autonomous protocols is not only technically infeasible but risks criminalizing the very act of publishing code.This is not a defense of illicit activity. It is a recognition that privacy-preserving design and decentralized governance are foundational to the value proposition of Web3. If we mandate compliance mechanisms that require central points of control, we do not regulate DeFi. We extinguish it.The Act's provision granting the SEC discretion to exempt certain DeFi activities is a step in the right direction, but it remains insufficient without clearer safe harbors for truly decentralized systems.? BREAKING:President Trump says that if the SAVE AMERICA ACT becomes law, Democrats could be locked out of winning a national election for the next 50 years.He also confirmed that the CLARITY ACT would follow — a move aimed at turning the United States into the global hub… pic.twitter.com/IHwkeVasWf— Mr. Crypto Whale ? (@Mrcryptoxwhale) March 9, 2026Ethics Provisions and Political GridlockCompounding these technical challenges are ethics provisions that have become political flashpoints. Senate Democrats' introduction of stringent conflict-of-interest clauses, widely interpreted as targeting high-profile crypto initiatives linked to former President Trump, such as World Liberty Financial, has intensified partisan gridlock. While preventing public officials from profiting off the policies they shape is unquestionably important, weaponizing ethics rules to score political points complicates bipartisan compromise on the bill's core regulatory framework.In an environment where digital asset policy should be guided by evidence and expertise, the infusion of partisan theater risks producing legislation that satisfies short-term political objectives while failing to address long-term structural needs.The SEC–CFTC Jurisdiction BattleAt the core of these disputes is the SEC–CFTC jurisdictional tension. Banks favor the SEC’s investor-protection mandate, while critics question the CFTC’s capacity to oversee retail platforms. The CLARITY Act splits authority: the CFTC handles anti-fraud and anti-manipulation in digital commodities, and the SEC covers investment contract assets during fundraising. While clear in theory, this risks fragmented oversight. SEC Chair Paul Atkins calls it a way to "future-proof" rules, highlighting that ambiguity mainly benefits bad actors.A Framework for Digital Asset MarketsThe Act’s three-category framework—digital commodities, investment contract assets, and permitted payment stablecoins—aims to bring order to a chaotic market. Investment contract assets are treated as securities only during fundraising, converting to digital commodities in secondary markets. The "maturity" certification, requiring functional blockchain operations, open-source code, transparency, and decentralized control, provides a clear pathway out of securities regulation, forming the foundation for a sustainable innovation ecosystem.Moving Beyond Simplistic NarrativesThe CLARITY Act aims to balance innovation with protection, but its success depends on rules that are technologically literate, economically sound, and ethically grounded. With the stablecoin market now larger than the GDP of many nations, today’s decisions will shape tomorrow’s financial infrastructure and must be guided by evidence, not echo chambers. This article was written by Anndy Lian at www.financemagnates.com.

In trading, growth is no longer limited by demand alone. It is limited by reach. If clients cannot deposit quickly, locally, and reliably, brokers lose volume at the exact moments volatility creates opportunity.In a Finance Magnates executive interview at iFX Expo Dubai, we spoke with Razi Salih, CEO at Paytiko, about how he sees the payments ecosystem evolving from 2025 into 2026 and Paytiko’s contributions to the payments industry.Mr. Salih’s message was consistent throughout the conversation. Payment orchestration is no longer a “should we have it” decision. It is a “which one do we choose” decision, driven by global expansion, localisation, and the growing complexity of payment methods.Orchestration is moving from optional to essentialMr. Salih said payment orchestration has become more mainstream and more essential for fintech players, including brokers, prop firms, and exchanges.“It’s not like, should I have orchestration or not? It’s which one?”He linked the shift to changes in payment strategies. According to Mr. Salih, firms are pushing into international processing and targeting smaller markets that were previously ignored. In that environment, neither a single PSP nor a single channel can cover everything.“With only one solution, no matter how good it is, it cannot cover all markets or all payment methods.”Beyond card routing: building a full payments ecosystemMr. Salih pushed back on the idea that orchestration is only about managing multiple PSPs or card routing. He described it as a broader ecosystem layer that helps businesses plug in multiple payment channels based on where they want to grow.He mentioned a wide range of methods he sees as increasingly important, including crypto processing, APMs, instant banking, and embedded finance.His framing was simple: if a broker wants to expand into new regions, it needs local payment options that feel familiar to end users.“From the user's point of view, seeing a localised solution you are familiar with, will make you want to work with the business more.”550 integrations, a mix of AI plus human supportMr. Salih said Paytiko enables merchants to access a large integrated network of payment providers and payment management technology.“We have over 550 payment solutions integrated in one ecosystem.”He described an onboarding approach where Paytiko analyses a client’s needs, including destination markets and target audiences, then advises on the right solution package.He also said the company uses its “Growth Hub”, an AI engine that helps merchants generate recommendations on which solutions to use to optimise processing. At the same time, he emphasised that Paytiko combines automation with manual expertise, including industry experience from the brokerage space.“We combine automation with manual labour.”Volatility and the payments requirement: speed beats the marketWhen the discussion turned to volatility in bullion markets, Mr. Salih argued that fast funding is not just convenient. It is operational survival.“Firms must allow their clients to top up immediately, faster than the volatility of the market, otherwise it is game over.”He said volatile conditions increase the need for both liquidity and payment capability that supports that liquidity. He also referenced demand dynamics in specific regions, including Korea, African markets, and India, where he said gold consumption is a notable factor.Why Razi Salih says Paytiko is a strong choiceWhen asked why Paytiko should be considered among the many orchestration vendors at the event, Mr. Salih highlighted security, adaptability, and pricing.He said Paytiko’s security posture is a major differentiator, built from lessons learned across the market.“We have built a solid technological infrastructure with secure levels against penetration. And this is something we constantly adapt, upgrade, and test ourselves.”He also said Paytiko’s cascading, processing, and routing logic is designed to be user-friendly for both startups and enterprise users.On pricing, Mr. Salih positioned Paytiko as a pure SaaS model with a fixed fee, not tied to transaction volume.“We charge a fixed fee. No transaction. No percentage, no rebates, nothing.”His claim is that this keeps costs stable as merchants grow, rather than increasing fees as volumes rise.What Paytiko expects in 2026: stablecoins and AI featuresLooking ahead, Mr. Salih said 2026 should be a strong year for crypto processing and stablecoin processing. He also said AI features will continue to expand, focused on helping merchants analyse data and optimise payment flows through simpler insights and recommendations.He used Dubai as an example of how quickly crypto and stablecoin use can become commonplace in daily payments, describing QR-based payments from crypto wallets and highlighting stablecoins as a digital form of money tied to fiat value.How Paytiko supports brokers of different sizesMr. Salih said brokers' needs differ by scale, and he described different approaches depending on maturity.For smaller brokers and startups, he said the focus is on packaging practical solutions that work as an entry point.For mid-sized businesses, he gave a volume range of 500k to 2 million and claimed orchestration can drive a measurable jump in performance.“Orchestration definitely increases from 15% to 20%, bringing more volume and approval ratios.”For enterprise brokers, he said, the work goes deeper. He argued that even firms that “have it all” still need to adapt because markets shift constantly, and new regions can become strategically important.He referenced growing interest in the Kazakhstan and Russian markets and said Paytiko handles research, integration, and provider negotiation, with an emphasis on choosing trusted, long-term partners.ConclusionMr. Salih’s argument at iFX Expo Dubai was that payments are now a growth lever rather than just an operational requirement. As brokers expand into more regions and face more complex payment preferences, orchestration becomes the layer that enables localisation, diversification, and resilience during volatility.He positioned Paytiko around three pillars: broad connectivity, a blend of AI plus human know-how, and a fixed-fee SaaS model. With stablecoins and AI-driven optimisation expected to accelerate in 2026, he framed payment orchestration as a core infrastructure decision for trading businesses.Paytiko is also listed in the Finance Magnates Directory. View the company profile here.About PaytikoPaytiko is a payment orchestration platform focused on fintech use cases, including trading companies such as brokers, prop firms, and exchanges. In this interview, Mr. Razi Salih, CEO at Paytiko, described Paytiko as an ecosystem layer that supports multiple payment channels, localisation by market, and access to more than 550 integrated payment service providers. He also said Paytiko combines AI-supported analysis with human expertise and operates on a fixed-fee SaaS pricing model.Paytiko won the Most Innovative Payment Orchestrator 2025 at the Finance Magnates Awards 2025Read More This article was written by Finance Magnates Staff at www.financemagnates.com.

XTB, the Warsaw-listed investment app, announced today (Tuesday) it has rolled out an emergency lock feature that lets clients freeze all financial activity on their account with a single tap if they suspect unauthorized access, the company said.Activating the lock simultaneously halts trading in all financial instruments, freezes withdrawals from every currency account, and cuts off eWallet transactions entirely, XTB said. Getting back in requires a password change followed by a facial recognition scan, the company's way of verifying that the person restoring access is the account's rightful owner, not an attacker who may still have hold of a device."Digital and cybersecurity threats are rising fast, and still, too many people feel powerless when something looks wrong," CEO Omar Arnaout said. "We wanted to give our clients a way to take back control in seconds."XTB's “Hack” Looms in the BackgroundThe new feature follows months of public pressure over the firm's account security. Last year, a Polish client alleged losing roughly 150,000 zlotys ($38,000) in what appeared to be a sophisticated breach, describing how an attacker executed thousands of rapid trades on low-liquidity securities to drain a portfolio without ever triggering a direct withdrawal.[#highlighted-links#] The case spread quickly across local financial forums and prompted XTB to tighten security protocols and make two-factor authentication mandatory, moves that only came after the story reached national media.The fallout was immediate. XTB pledged to reimburse all clients who suffered losses from cyberattacks, while insisting the total payout would not materially affect its finances. The company's own data showed that cybercriminal attacks hit just 0.017% of its client base and that every affected account had been left without 2FA at the time of the breach.How the Lock WorksThe sequence is straightforward. A client who notices an unfamiliar login or an unexpected transaction can hit a single button, cutting off all trades, withdrawals, and card payments at once. Restoring access requires both a password reset and a facial scan, which XTB says guarantees only the legitimate account holder can unlock the platform.The coverage extends to eWallet transactions, a detail that matters more now than it might have a year ago. XTB has been pushing hard to evolve beyond CFD trading, with Arnaout previously saying he wants spot crypto to reduce CFD revenue dominance from 95% to around 70%. As the platform increasingly handles multi-currency payments, ATM withdrawals, and eWallet activity, the stakes attached to account-level security rise with it.Retail Broker Security Under the MicroscopeThe alleged hack last year reignited a broader industry debate about whether optional security measures are sufficient for platforms holding retail investors' funds. Cybersecurity experts argued that 2FA should be mandatory across the board, not buried in settings that many users never touch. Other major brokerages, including Robinhood, were found at the time to rely on optional 2FA as well, pointing to a gap that ran across the industry.XTB, which holds licenses from the FCA, CySEC, and Poland's Financial Supervisory Authority, now serves more than 2.1 million clients across 17 global offices. Arnaout had signaled for some time that the firm saw no ceiling on its path to two million annual clients, and the company has been extending its footprint into new geographies to reach that target, with Arnaout recently describing Indonesia as a market with a question mark that must prove itself within six months. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

Devexperts has introduced its dxFeed Grenadier tool, which detects market anomalies like shifts and atypical order-placing activities in real time, to its DXtrade trading platform.Scanning the Market in Real TimeAnnounced today (Tuesday), Grenadier analyses Level 2 order book data in real time and helps traders anticipate and react to significant price changes or disruptions.“Grenadier is a one-of-a-kind application that can help traders and risk management teams alike pre-empt price changes before they happen,” said Jon Light, Senior Director of Product Management at Devexperts.“Having been trained on vast amounts of historical data, Grenadier’s insights are deeply informative, with nothing like it anywhere else in the market. We are pleased that we will soon be able to offer this unique and powerful tool to our DXtrade clients, providing them with access to the newest generation of market microstructural tools.”The tool offers an anomaly score API that provides real-time assessments of market anomaly scores, along with a complete view of the order book as inferred by anomaly-free models. Users can also customise and fine-tune the models according to their outlier preferences and oversee entire portfolios or watchlists at the same time for early warnings.It is tailored to the US stock market and, according to the company, can process thousands of requests per second.Devexperts highlights that institutions licensing the DXtrade platform will have the option to integrate Grenadier into their offerings.[#highlighted-links#] Meeting the Tech Demand in the Trading IndustryDevexperts has been on a product push in recent months, with several moves signalling an effort to build out the DXtrade ecosystem. Most recently, the platform acquired Screener, a research data provider, with the stated goal of reducing trader drop-off by bringing market research in-house. It also opened up DXcharts to custom JavaScript indicators.Earlier this year, DXtrade Mobile integrated BrokerIQ to extend CRM functionality to mobile users, while a tie-up with Arizet rounded out the infrastructure offering for prop trading firms with real-time risk management capabilities.The groundwork for some of these additions stretches back further. About a year ago, DXcharts incorporated the Devexa AI assistant to handle developer queries around customisation and integration — a tool primarily aimed at smoothing the onboarding experience for new licensees. This article was written by Arnab Shome at www.financemagnates.com.