Upvest, a Berlin-based provider of API-based investment infrastructure for banks and fintechs, said today (Tuesday) it has raised $125 million in a new funding round, with the deal valuing the company at €640 million, up from €360 million when it last raised money in December 2024.The round consists of $90 million in equity, led by Sapphire Ventures and Tencent Holdings, with participation from existing investors including BlackRock and Bessemer Venture Partners. The company said it is also in the final stages of securing a $35 million debt facility, which would bring the total financing to $125 million.Upvest Valuation Nearly Doubles in 15 MonthsThe valuation jump follows a period of rapid growth for Upvest, which said it processed more than 100 million investment orders on behalf of clients in 2025. The firm's client roster now includes over 30 financial institutions, among them DKB, Revolut, N26, and Santander's Openbank, which switched to Upvest's API infrastructure for fractional stock and ETF trading in Germany last year. CEO Martin Kassing told Bloomberg the company aims to reach more than €100 million in annualized revenue and profitability within the next 24 months."Banks, brokers, and wealth managers choose Upvest for the infrastructure needed to grow their investment propositions profitably and at scale for a new generation of investors," Kassing added in the official press release.[#highlighted-links#] "The $125m round, just 12 months after our Series C, underscores our momentum to be the top choice for financial institutions launching and scaling best-in-class investment experiences at lightspeed in Europe."Pension Products and AI Drive Expansion PlansUpvest said it plans to use the new capital to roll out localized pension products, including Germany's Altersvorsorgedepot and the UK's Self-Invested Personal Pensions, which it says will allow financial institutions to bring pension offerings to market in months rather than years. The firm is also building out AI-supported investment tools, which it says will enable banks and developers to offer hyper-personalized advisory services to retail customers.The UK has been a growing priority for the company. Upvest hired a former Starling Bank executive last year to lead its push into the British market, targeting what it described as an underpenetrated retail investment opportunity. More recently, the firm added 2.5 million derivatives instruments through a partnership with Boerse Stuttgart in January, broadening the product range available to its banking clients.Banks Now the Primary Growth TargetKassing signaled a shift in where he expects future revenue to come from. "We are onboarding additional retail banks, wealth managers and private banks," he told Bloomberg. "The majority of our sales will come from banks and less than a third from fintechs."That mix has been shifting for some time. While Upvest built much of its early profile through partnerships with neobanks, the company has been adding traditional lenders and brokers to its client base. IG Group signed on to use Upvest's infrastructure to offer stock trading in France last November, and UK digital lender Zopa adopted Upvest's platform to launch stocks and shares ISAs for its 1.6 million customers, sitting alongside Revolut, which also runs on the same underlying infrastructure.Andreas Weiskam, partner at Sapphire Ventures, said the firm sees Upvest's growth as tied directly to broader retail investing trends across the continent. "With retail investing accelerating across Europe, Upvest is expanding into new assets, local tax wrappers, and AI-enabled capabilities, powering the next generation of personalized investing," he said.Series D Follows Quick Succession of RoundsThis latest raise is Upvest's second major funding event in roughly 15 months. The company closed a €100 million Series C in December 2024, at the time citing plans to scale its infrastructure across Europe. The pace of fundraising reflects a broader appetite among investors for B2B fintech infrastructure plays in Europe, where retail investing penetration still lags the United States. Founded in Berlin in 2017, Upvest now employs 280 people and holds regulatory status as a securities institution in both Europe and the UK. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

IG Group-owned crypto exchange Independent Reserve is going to add payment capabilities and yield products for corporate customers across the Asia Pacific. Announced today (Tuesday), the new products will be part of its “next phase of regional expansion” and are slated to launch in the second half of 2026.New Corporate-Centric Crypto ProductsAlthough the new products are subject to regulatory approvals, they will be built on the exchange’s existing regulated infrastructure.“We’re seeing stronger demand from corporates and institutions for infrastructure that is regulated, scalable, and built for long-term participation,” said Lasanka Perera, CEO of Independent Reserve Singapore. “These new products are an extension of how we’ve been evolving our platform as we continue to build on the governance and compliance discipline we’re known for.”IG closed its acquisition of Independent Reserve earlier this year. The London-listed giant, which recently entered the FTSE 100 index, previously revealed its plans to launch “a crypto proposition” for its customers in Singapore, Australia, and the UAE in the second half of 2026 following the deal.Independent Reserve also highlighted that IG, as its parent, would bring global scale, institutional expertise, and platform capabilities to support its next phase of growth.An APAC-Focused Crypto ExchangeHeadquartered in Australia, the crypto exchange generated A$35.3 million in revenue in FY25, a sharp increase from A$18.8 million in the previous year. It also reported EBITDA of A$9.9 million, with a 28.2 per cent margin.At the time of its sale to IG, it had 129,400 funded accounts, A$1.7 billion in assets under custody, and an average of 116,000 monthly active customers.The initial enterprise value of the deal was set at A$178 million. It was valued at five times its annual revenue for the last financial year.IG initially acquired the crypto exchange for A$109.6 million. A further contingent payment of A$15 million will be made based on the performance of the Australian company in FY26. The UK broker also has a call option to purchase the 30 per cent stake it will not own at closing, with the valuation based on performance in FY27 and FY28.“Singapore is a core market for IG,” added Matt Macklin, Managing Director of APAC and ME at IG Group, “with Independent Reserve playing a central role in our digital assets strategy and serving as a springboard for regional growth.” This article was written by Arnab Shome at www.financemagnates.com.

Kraken Pro has introduced 70 traditional finance futures markets for eligible EU clients, giving them access to equity indices, commodities, and FX contracts alongside more than 290 existing crypto perpetuals.Kraken Pro Expands Futures Access for EU TradersAccording to Monday's announcement, the expansion lets users trade short or long positions on assets such as the S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, gold, oil, and major currency pairs on the same interface used for digital assets. The contracts follow the CME Group’s extended 23-hour trading schedule, available from Sunday evening to Friday afternoon ET.The launch means Kraken, ranked #14 in daily volumes on CoinMarketCap, is turning into a more full‑service trading venue for European clients by letting them trade major equity indices, commodities and FX futures on the same platform they already use for crypto.You may also like: Maven Joins Wave of Prop Firms Launching Crypto Funded-Trader PlatformsThe products are offered through Payward Europe Digital Solutions (CY) Limited, Kraken’s Cyprus-based investment firm regulated by CySEC. Traders must complete an eligibility assessment before activating derivatives trading on Kraken Pro. Funded accounts receive free real-time Level 1 data, with optional Level 2 for deeper market insight.Macro traders, this one's for you ?TradFi futures are now live on Kraken Pro.Trade S&P 500, Nasdaq-100, gold, oil, FX and more directly on Kraken Pro alongside crypto.Global markets. One terminal.Get started ?https://t.co/iDprZ0UHrs pic.twitter.com/264XzyjYpu— Kraken Pro (@krakenpro) March 16, 2026CySEC-Regulated Offering This launch builds on Kraken’s 2025 rollout of regulated crypto futures in Europe and marks another step toward a unified multi-asset platform. EU traders can now act on global market events across both traditional and digital assets without leaving the exchange’s environment.In recent months, Kraken has laid the groundwork for this move with a series of EU‑focused initiatives. The exchange secured an EU MiFID license via the acquisition of a CySEC‑regulated Cyprus investment firm, paving the way for regulated crypto derivatives across the bloc. Kraken has also deepened its push to blur the lines between digital and traditional assets, extending 24/7 access to tokenized equities and equity‑linked perpetual futures via its xStocks product and it also entered a collaboration with Deutsche Börse aimed at unified trading, custody and settlement across crypto, stocks and futures.On the futures side, Coinbase is the clearest peer moving in a similar direction to Kraken. The exchange recently launched regulated crypto and equity‑index futures across 26 European countries via its CySEC‑licensed MiFID entity. It offers leveraged contracts and index products to eligible users on the same Coinbase Advanced interface they use for spot trading. This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.

Prop trading firm Maven has rolled out a new crypto-focused proprietary trading brand that runs entirely on simulated trading. Dubbed WenCrypto, the platform operates under the Maven Trading brand and targets traders who want to trade crypto without using real deposits or accessing live markets.WenCrypto is here. ?A prop firm where crypto gets the spotlight it deserves. Built by the Maven Trading team. Fast, structured, and designed for people who want momentum. https://t.co/Tt41Km8Gpb pic.twitter.com/RQTwYOrpKD— WenCrypto (@WenCryptoTrade) March 16, 2026Crypto Prop Push In crypto prop trading a firm backs traders to trade with the firm’s capital and infrastructure in return for a share of any profits. Traders focus on strategies in spot and derivatives, while the firm handles risk limits, platforms, and funding. This setup attracts traders who want a professional environment without running their own fund or managing outside clients.In the past year, more firms have entered this space, including teams with a background in major banks. In Hong Kong, former executives from JP Morgan and Dresdner Kleinwort recently launched a dedicated crypto prop venture that targets professional and semi-professional traders. You may also like: TTT Markets Joins Prop Firms Expanding into CFD BrokerageAs new players arrive, competition in crypto prop trading increases. Established crypto shops now face rivals backed by people with experience from global banks and hedge funds. That push raises expectations around risk management, compliance awareness, and trading technology, even when firms focus on training, simulations, or non-broker structures instead of direct market access.Prop Firms Diversify into Crypto and BrokerageSeveral other firms have moved into crypto-focused prop trading. Crypto Fund Trader has positioned itself as a crypto-native prop platform and recently disclosed that it has paid about $18 million to traders, underscoring demand for funded-style crypto programs. Retail prop firms that started in forex and indices are also adding crypto. Besides its crypto prop launch, Maven is one of the prop firms now in the brokerage space. Last year, it secured a brokerage license to restore MetaTrader 5 access for its traders. It launched Maven Trade Ltd in Saint Lucia, allowing it to offer MT5 under its own authorization after MetaQuotes’ earlier crackdown on grey-label setups forced many prop firms, including Maven, to remove the platform. This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.

Polymarket has generated 62.3 billion dollars in notional trading volume over the past three years, giving it a 54.5% share of the 114.4 billion‑dollar prediction markets segment tracked by Token Terminal. Kalshi ranks second with 52 billion dollars in three‑year notional volume, underscoring how the two venues now dominate on‑chain and regulated event trading.According to Token Terminal’s market breakdown, prediction markets as a whole have cleared more than 114 billion dollars in notional flow over the same three‑year period, with Polymarket sitting at the top of the category by cumulative volume. Most of this activity on Polymarket has settled on Polygon, which remains the primary chain for its event contracts over the observed timeframe.Iran-linked event contracts drive record trading volumes as US regulators and lawmakers move to tighten oversight of prediction markets.CFTC Advances Rules on Event ContractsUS regulators have started to formalize how they treat these products. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has issued guidance that categorizes event contracts as a financial asset class and launched a rulemaking process to determine how the Commodity Exchange Act applies to prediction markets.CFTC chair Michael Selig has argued that the agency holds exclusive jurisdiction over these venues, though a recent Ohio court ruling questioned whether federal law fully preempts state gambling statutes in some cases.At the same time, lawmakers are targeting war-related contracts. Senator Adam Schiff has introduced the DEATH BETS Act, which would amend the Commodity Exchange Act to bar CFTC-regulated venues from listing markets tied to war, terrorism, assassination and individual deaths.Read more: Can Your Platform Launch Prediction Markets? A CFTC Compliance ChecklistPrediction markets tied to the escalating US–Iran conflict have pushed trading activity on Polymarket and Kalshi to record levels, even as Washington moves to restrict some of the most controversial contracts. Weekly notional volume on both platforms recently hit new highs, while aggregate prediction market activity has climbed to tens of billions of dollars in notional terms and millions of users.Schiff Bill Targets War and Assassination MarketsThe proposal followed reports that several Polymarket traders earned about 1 million dollars by correctly positioning for a US strike on Iran, and that Israeli authorities arrested two people accused of using confidential information about an Israeli strike to trade on the platform.No injuries are reported in Iran's latest ballistic missile attack on Israel, the fourth today.One missile struck an open area just outside Beit Shemesh, first responders say and footage shows.Sirens had sounded across the Jerusalem area, the West Bank, and parts of southern… pic.twitter.com/j6sovAsDwz— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 10, 2026Meanwhile, an Israeli war correspondent says he has received death threats from online gamblers who tried to pressure him into changing a Times of Israel report on an Iranian missile impact so they could win a high‑stakes bet on prediction platform Polymarket. In an account published on Monday, Times of Israel military reporter described a coordinated campaign of emails, social media messages and WhatsApp calls demanding that he amend his description of a March 10 ballistic missile strike near Beit Shemesh from a direct hit to “interceptor debris.”According to the correspondent, anonymous bettors posing as concerned readers, sources and even a lawyer escalated from polite requests and fabricated email screenshots to explicit threats to “finish” him and his family if he did not correct his reporting, claiming they stood to lose around 900,000 dollars if the market resolved against them. This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.

The Financial Commission has approved FP Trading as its newest member, the organization announced today (Monday).The Financial Commission recently added RA Prime as a member. Other firms that have joined the organization include FP Markets, OneRoyal, FXON, and GTCFX. Neex, which provides trading in forex, indices, and commodities, has also joined the commission.Separately, the commission certified iTech Software, confirming that its technology meets the organization’s trading infrastructure standards. The company provides solutions for forex, CFD, crypto, and NFT brokerages.Commission Offers €20,000 Protection Per ComplaintWith its approval, FP Trading and its clients gain access to the commission’s dispute resolution services, including protection of up to €20,000 per complaint through the Compensation Fund.The Financial Commission operates as an independent dispute resolution body for the financial trading industry. It offers mediation when brokers and clients cannot resolve complaints directly. For participants in CFDs, foreign exchange, and cryptocurrency markets, the commission says its third-party process can be faster and simpler than arbitration or local courts.Broker FP Trading Gains Access to Mediation ServicesFP Trading is an online brokerage providing access to global financial markets, including forex and CFD instruments. The company states it offers trading tools, pricing structures, and order execution systems for both new and experienced market participants, with a focus on technology, transparent conditions, and customer support.By joining the Financial Commission, FP Trading becomes part of a network of brokerages and independent service providers that use the organization’s mediation services as part of their client dispute handling process.Traders Targeted by Fake Commission RepresentativesSeparately, the Commission provided an update on a scam involving individuals falsely claiming to represent the organization. The imposters targeted traders who experienced losses or blocked withdrawals from non-licensed brokers, offering funds recovery and chargeback services for a fee. Some issued letters of guarantee through fictitious companies and falsified contact details resembling legitimate digital wallet providers.The Commission reiterated that it does not offer recovery services, charge fees, send unsolicited messages, or issue guarantees. Traders should consult the official member list, use the Dispute Resolution Form for inquiries, and verify all communications directly with the organization. This article was written by Tareq Sikder at www.financemagnates.com.

What began as a tool for crowdsourced forecasting is rapidly evolving into a contest of speed, automation, and trading infrastructure.Automation is beginning to reshape prediction markets in much the same way it transformed forex and crypto trading. As volumes surge on platforms such as Polymarket and Kalshi, bots are exploiting latency and arbitrage opportunities faster than human traders can react. In the global FX market, algorithmic trading already accounts for roughly 70–80% of spot activity, according to estimates from the Bank for International Settlements (BIS, 2022). High-frequency traders, execution algorithms, and quantitative strategies now dominate price discovery and liquidity. Prediction markets may be moving in the same direction. Evidence of this shift is starting to appear in trader data. A simple review of Polymarket’s public leaderboard found that 14 of the 20 most profitable wallets are bots.14/20 most profitable traders on @Polymarket are bots.The team that builds a proper agentic infrastructure layer for prediction markets will easily be a billion-dollar project. pic.twitter.com/HXYY2aRcaJ— Stacy Muur (@stacy_muur) March 16, 2026 If the pattern continues, prediction markets may follow a trajectory familiar from forex and crypto exchanges: a transition from human speculation toward machine-driven liquidity and price formation. Bots Do Not Need to Predict the Future One widely discussed example illustrates how the edge works. Wallet 0x8dxd reportedly turned roughly $300 into more than $400,000 within a month trading ultra-short crypto prediction contracts. The system did not outperform humans by forecasting outcomes better. It won because it reacted faster. The bot traded 15-minute BTC, ETH and SOL contracts, exploiting latency arbitrage between Polymarket and crypto exchanges such as Binance and Coinbase. When probabilities on Polymarket lagged behind real-time signals from those markets, the system bought the mispricing instantly. Research suggests such strategies can be highly profitable. The paper “Unravelling the Probabilistic Forest” (August 2025) estimates that arbitrage traders extracted roughly $40 million from Polymarket between April 2024 and April 2025 by exploiting structural pricing inefficiencies. The advantage came from execution speed rather than predictive accuracy. The Arbitrage Playbook Most automated trading in prediction markets relies on structural arbitrage rather than superior predictions. Bots exploit simple pricing inconsistencies: buying YES and NO contracts when their combined price drops below $1, capturing price differences between platforms such as Polymarket and Kalshi, or identifying logical mismatches between related contracts. Because these strategies depend on speed rather than insight, automated systems can execute them far more effectively than human traders. Why Humans Are Losing the Game For human traders, the disadvantage is structural. Bots operate 24/7, monitor hundreds of markets simultaneously and execute trades without hesitation or emotion. More importantly, they exploit a layer of the market many participants rarely see: data feeds, latency, order routing and cross-venue price differences. In many cases, opportunities exist only for milliseconds — the gap between two systems updating at different speeds.The dynamic is becoming visible across prediction markets. “You have human participants in prediction markets alongside many machines,” said David Minarsch, co-founder of Valory AG in an interview with CoinDesk. “So humans are already in a battle with machines.” Some analyses suggest that only 7–8% of wallets consistently generate profits, a pattern common in speculative markets where most participants lose money over time. However, automation’s dominance is not uniform across all prediction markets. Ultra-short crypto contracts, where outcomes resolve within minutes, are especially vulnerable to latency strategies. Longer-dated markets — such as elections or sports outcomes — still leave more room for human judgment and sentiment analysis. The Rise of Agentic Infrastructure Automation is also creating a new layer of fintech infrastructure around prediction markets. The opportunity is no longer simply building profitable bots. It is building the tools and rails those bots rely on: real-time data aggregation, arbitrage scanners, analytics dashboards, execution engines and automated strategy platforms.Some platforms are already experimenting with autonomous trading agents. “In a nutshell, Polystrat is an autonomous AI agent that trades on Polymarket 24/7 on behalf of its human user,” said Minarsch.Around that core layer, a broader ecosystem is emerging: whale-tracking tools, mispricing detection platforms, arbitrage scanners and institutional-style trading terminals.In effect, prediction markets are developing an algorithmic trading stack similar to the infrastructure that already underpins forex and crypto markets. In financial markets, trading strategies rarely remain profitable forever, but infrastructure often scales much further — supporting thousands of automated participants at once. Who Owns the Bots? Prediction markets were originally designed to aggregate human judgment about future events. But as automation spreads, the crowd increasingly competes with machines. If automated systems already dominate many of the most profitable wallets, the long-term question may no longer be whether humans can outperform prediction markets. The real question is who controls the infrastructure — and the bots — that shape them. This article was written by Tanya Chepkova at www.financemagnates.com.

Andreas Pilavakis has left FunderPro to take the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO) at GOAT Funded Futures, the futures-focused division of prop trading firm GOAT Funded Trader, FinanceMagnates.com has learned.Pilavakis served as head of operations at FunderPro for roughly 19 months before departing in March. His new role, which he is performing remotely from Limassol, marks his first C-suite appointment after a four-year career built almost entirely within Cyprus-based prop firms.From Prop Firm’s Support Desk to C-SuitePilavakis's path into prop firm leadership started in May 2022, when he joined The Trading Pit as a customer support manager. Over the following two and a half years, he rose to head of customer support and later moved into an operations manager role before leaving the firm in August 2024.Within weeks, he joined FunderPro as operations manager, a brand owned by Red Acre, the Malta-based technology company behind trading platform TradeLocker. At the time, Pilavakis said his goal was to achieve "operational excellence and efficiency, driving scalability, and positioning the company as an industry leader by 2025." His title was later upgraded to head of operations before his departure this month."After nearly five years leading prop firm projects and building operational frameworks in the industry, I felt ready for a new challenge," Pilavakis told FinanceMagnates.com. "Moving into a position where ownership and responsibility are core expectations, not just nice-to-have traits, felt like the natural next step."GOAT Funded Trader Builds Out Futures InfrastructureGOAT Funded Futures is the dedicated futures arm of GOAT Funded Trader, a challenge-based prop firm registered in Saint Lucia with a presence in Hong Kong. The parent company has been moving quickly on multiple fronts over the past year, launching its own brokerage to restore official MetaTrader 5 access after licensing restrictions disrupted several rival platforms. By September 2025, the company said it had surpassed $10 million in total payouts to traders.The futures division, launched roughly a year ago, focuses exclusively on regulated futures markets including CME, CBOT, NYMEX, and COMEX. The firm says it offers funding of up to $750,000 and uses an end-of-day drawdown model, which it claims is more forgiving than the intraday trailing drawdowns common at competing firms. Pilavakis said he is looking to put his operational track record to work at the new firm. "I'm excited to contribute my experience to help streamline operations and support the company's next stage of growth," he said.Competition Closes In on U.S. Futures LeadersGOAT Funded Futures has entered a segment that has grown considerably more crowded in recent months. TradersYard launched futures-specific challenge programs in January 2026, with its CEO arguing that applying forex-style rules to futures instruments creates confusion among traders and undermines performance. Just weeks later, The5ers rolled out futures prop offerings worldwide, including in the United States, expanding into territory long held by American incumbents like TopStep, Apex, and MyFundedFutures.For the GOAT Funded Trader, hiring an operations executive who has hands-on experience scaling prop firm infrastructure appears consistent with efforts to build the futures division into a competitive product, rather than a secondary offering. Whether Pilavakis's background in CFD-based prop firm operations translates cleanly into futures, a structurally different business, is a question the firm will now need to answer in practice. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

HTFX is moving to dismantle its regulated European footprint, having applied to cancel its Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) license on January 7, 2026. The move follows the official renouncement of its CySEC license earlier this month.The broker's ownership structure also appears to have significantly changed in recent years. Corporate records indicate that before October 2023, the firm was controlled by Lijun Li, alongside an offshore company, both holding authority from August 2022 until the most recent change in governance. Control now rests with Stephen Williams and Levy Benarroch, who serve as director and CEO, respectively, at the UK entity.The dual exit from two of the world’s most prominent regulatory hubs marks a definitive retreat for the broker. In a further sign of the wind-down, the company’s HFTX.eu domain (it belonged to the Cyprus entity) is parked free on GoDaddy, usually a placeholder for something soon to be on sale. It remains unclear what prompted the withdrawal from both jurisdictions; it had been operating in Cyprus and the UK for 7 and 9 years, respectively.Under the terms of its license cancellations, the broker must now fulfill all remaining legal obligations, including the orderly notification of clients and the completion of wind-down procedures for its regulated activities.Cyprus' Rising Costs of Doing Business HTFX’s departure from Cyprus comes amid a broader regulatory overhaul on the Mediterranean island, joining a growing list of brokers that have relinquished their CySEC licenses over the past yearCySEC has recently moved to adjust the cost of doing regulated investment business, proposing a new fee structure in early 2026 that significantly increases application and annual levies for Cyprus Investment Firms (CIFs). This article was written by Adonis Adoni at www.financemagnates.com.

Crypto exchange MEXC has launched a prediction market platform with zero trading and settlement fees, entering a sector that until recently was dominated by specialised venues such as Kalshi and Polymarket. The move adds to a growing trend of large exchanges integrating event-based contracts into their trading ecosystems, potentially increasing competition in a market that has expanded rapidly over the past year. The launch comes as activity in prediction markets has increased significantly over the past year. Industry data suggests that leading platforms processed more than $18 billion in trading volume in February, highlighting rising interest in the format. MEXC said the new product will run on its existing exchange infrastructure. According to the company, the platform uses the same low-latency trading systems that support its spot and derivatives markets. “The next frontier of trading isn’t just assets, it’s outcomes,” said MEXC Chief Operating Officer Vugar Usi. “At MEXC, we’re transforming global events into real-time probability signals traders can act on instantly.” Big step for us today!Prediction Markets Beta is now live on MEXC — the first crypto CEX to launch it.We build with a user-centric mindset, always exploring new products that traders actually want.Try it out, share your feedback in the comments, and join the giveaway ?… pic.twitter.com/5Ye8zMKbTW— MEXC Product | Jamie (@Jamie_MEXC) March 16, 2026Competing on Fees and Infrastructure Prediction markets have so far been dominated by a small number of specialized platforms. However, large trading venues are beginning to integrate event contracts into broader trading ecosystems. Coinbase launched regulated prediction markets in January 2026 through a partnership with Kalshi, allowing U.S. users to trade contracts tied to political and economic outcomes. Crypto.com has also introduced a CFTC-regulated prediction product through its North American derivatives unit. Other platforms are preparing similar launches. Kraken has said it plans to add prediction markets to its trading lineup, while Robinhood is developing event-based derivatives through the MIAXdx exchange. Against this backdrop, MEXC’s decision to introduce zero trading fees suggests an attempt to compete on pricing and infrastructure rather than market exclusivity. Implications for the Market The entry of large crypto exchanges could change how prediction markets develop. Platforms with existing trading infrastructure and large user bases may be able to launch event-based products quickly and experiment with different pricing models. For trading platforms and brokers watching the sector, the development highlights how prediction markets are beginning to spread beyond specialized venues into broader multi-asset trading ecosystems. This article was written by Tanya Chepkova at www.financemagnates.com.

Bitcoin (BTC) price is doing something it has not done since October 2025: rising for eight consecutive sessions. On Monday, March 16, it is testing $74,500 per coin, the highest price since February 4, nearly a month and a half ago, and the move has cleared both the upper boundary of the six-week consolidation and the 50-day EMA in the process. This is the most constructive technical development of 2026 so far, and it deserves to be taken seriously. It also deserves to be contextualized honestly, because the main trend on the Bitcoin chart remains down, the 200 EMA is still 20% away, and the Fibonacci extension from this year's declines is pointing somewhere very uncomfortable.In this article, I will break down BTC/USDT technical analysis, examine what the breakout means and what it does not mean, and compile the most relevant Bitcoin price predictions for the rest of 2026. Based on my over 15 years of experience as an analyst and retail investor, here is what I am watching.Follow me on X for real-time crypto market analysis: @ChmielDkWhy Bitcoin Is Going Up? The Breakout MechanicsSunday's 2.2% gain was the move that mattered. It pushed Bitcoin above the $70,000-$72,000 upper boundary of the consolidation range that had capped every rally attempt since early February, and Monday's follow-through above the 50 EMA confirmed the breakout rather than dismissing it as a wick. The gains throughout this eight-session run have been modest individually - this is not the kind of explosive move that gets breathless coverage - but the cumulative effect is what counts. Bitcoin has quietly climbed from the $66,000 lows of the Iran war selloff to $74,500 without a single red session.The catalyst mix is a familiar one. As the earlier analysis covering Bitcoin's $72K surge noted, the combination of deeply negative funding rates being flushed out, recovering ETF inflows, and Clarity Act regulatory optimism has driven each of Bitcoin's meaningful bounces in 2026. The same cocktail is present now, with the added technical tailwind of a clean consolidation break providing momentum for systematic buyers and algo strategies to add exposure.Paul Howard, Senior Director at Wincent, frames the broader context precisely: "If geopolitical tensions such as the conflicts in Iran or Ukraine were to ease and commodities like oil and gold begin to stabilise, Bitcoin could enter a particularly strong phase in the second half of the year." Under those conditions, he believes "risk assets would likely be reintroduced into portfolios, potentially pushing Bitcoin toward the psychologically significant $100,000 level." The second half caveat is important - Howard is not calling this rally the beginning of a new bull market, but he is identifying the conditions that could make one possible.BTC Technical Analysis: What the Breakout Actually MeansAs my chart shows, Bitcoin has broken above the $70,000-$72,000 zone - the upper boundary of the consolidation that has defined this market since early February. The simultaneous clearance of the 50-day EMA gives the move technical validity and should, according to the principle of polarity change, see that zone now act as support on any retest from above.If Bitcoin holds above $70,000-$72,000 on such a retest - and that is still an "if" - the path opens toward my next key target: $82,000-$84,000. That zone marked the late 2025 lows, formed a significant floor on the chart during the late stages of last year's bull run, and now functions as meaningful overhead resistance that accumulated sellers need to be absorbed. A clean break through $82,000-$84,000 would then set up the test that matters most on my entire chart: the 200-day EMA near $88,000.That level is the one I have been watching as the dividing line between bull and bear territory since this correction began. We are still 20% away from it. Until Bitcoin reclaims $88,000, this is a correction within a downtrend, not a trend reversal. The February 26 analysis calling for $88,000 as the confirmation level remains unchanged.The Fibonacci extension is the part of my analysis that tempers enthusiasm most directly. Measuring from this year's peak-to-trough decline and the current corrective bounce, the 100% extension falls at $36,000 - the lowest Bitcoin prices since November 2023. That level becomes relevant only if the corrective rally fails and selling resumes with new force, but it sits on my chart as an honest structural target that the market's own mathematics is producing.The Case for Caution: This Is Still a Counter-Trend Move@CryptoSpotter05 puts the crowd sentiment problem cleanly: "A lot of influencers are now calling for BTC to reach $80K. Those same influencers were calling for $40K not long ago." The speed with which the narrative flips from maximum bearishness to $80K targets is itself a cautionary signal. He adds that he "still feels the worst may not be over" and that the current move may be forming a lower high within the broader bearish structure - precisely the scenario my Fibonacci extension supports.? $BTC Update & A ReminderI know a lot of influencers are now calling for $BTC to reach $80K. Funny enough, those same influencers were calling for $40K not long ago. Now suddenly the tone has changed.But remember, I shared this idea a month ago on Feb 11, when the market… https://t.co/q8hx3C1svC pic.twitter.com/3nXL4jwIXi— Crypto Spotter (@CryptoSpotter05) March 13, 2026@DaitoCrypto aggregates several institutional bear views worth noting. Fidelity Global Macro director Jurrien Timmer says "the bear cycle isn't over and Bitcoin's bottom may be near $60,000." Tech analyst Crypto Patel warns of more downside with average realised buys at $54,400, a level that functions as a gravitational centre if the market revisits where most holders are underwater. Fidelity Global Macro director Jurrien Timmer says the bear cycle isn't over and Bitcoin's bottom may be near $60,000. Tech analyst Crypto Patel warns of more downside with average realized buys at $54,400. CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost projects the next BTC ATH in early Feb 2028.— Daito (@DaitoCrypto) March 14, 2026CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost delivers the most structurally bearish long-term view, projecting the next Bitcoin all-time high in early February 2028 - meaning over 18 months of further consolidation or decline before the cycle truly turns.Bloomberg Intelligence's Mike McGlone, cited by @iamalijandro, sits at the extreme end: he is "reiterating his pessimistic forecast that Bitcoin could fall below $10,000 amid a macroeconomic reassessment of risk assets." ?️ Mike McGlone, Senior Commodity Strategist at Bloomberg Intelligence, reiterated his pessimistic forecast, suggesting that $Bitcoin could fall below $10,000 amid a macroeconomic reassessment of risk assets.However, several market analysts disagree with this scenario, arguing…— Alijandro (@iamalijandro) March 14, 2026That scenario requires a simultaneous collapse in risk appetite, institutional exit, and regulatory reversal that is not the base case of any mainstream analyst, but it underscores how wide the range of credible outcomes remains for Bitcoin in 2026.Paul Howard of Wincent adds the important nuance that underpins the cautious middle ground: "My personal view remains that Bitcoin is unlikely to reach a new all-time high in 2026." That is a measured statement from someone with a constructive medium-term view, and it aligns with my own reading of the chart. A recovery to $88,000-$100,000 by year-end is possible. A new all-time high above $126,000 in 2026 requires a sequence of events - Fed pivot, Clarity Act, geopolitical stabilisation, and ETF flow resumption - that is asking a lot from a single calendar year.Bitcoin Price Predictions 2026: Where Analysts StandThe institutional consensus for 2026 has shifted materially since October's all-time high, with most credible forecasts now clustering in the $60,000-$100,000 range rather than the $150,000-$200,000 targets that populated research notes last year.At the bullish end, Standard Chartered's Geoff Kendrick maintains a $200,000 target for this cycle but has pushed the timeline out. VanEck's Matthew Sigel sees $180,000 as achievable before the cycle ends, while Bernstein targets $200,000 by end of 2025 - a forecast that has already been proven wrong, suggesting the timeline needs adjustment. Paul Howard of Wincent represents the institutional middle ground, seeing $100,000 as achievable in H2 2026 under the right macro conditions but doubting a new all-time high this year.At the bearish end, the earlier analysis covering the $50,000 primary bear target remains structurally valid as long as Bitcoin trades below the 200 EMA. My own Fibonacci extension at $36,000 sits below even JP Morgan's bear case and requires a genuine macro dislocation to activate.The earlier piece on how high Bitcoin can go noted that large wallets accumulated 53,000 BTC on-chain during the February lows, that accumulation zone at $60,000-$67,000 is now well below the market. Those holders are sitting on paper gains and provide a floor of conviction that was absent during the initial selloff. The question is whether institutional ETF flows return with enough force to sustain the breakout above $72,000, or whether Monday's high at $74,500 becomes the lower high that @CryptoSpotter05 warned about a month before anyone else was watching for it.FAQ, Bitcoin Price AnalysisWhy is Bitcoin going up today?Bitcoin is rising for the eighth consecutive session, testing $74,500 after Sunday's 2.2% move broke the six-week consolidation above the $70,000-$72,000 upper boundary and cleared the 50-day EMA. The technical breakout triggered systematic buying as momentum strategies added exposure, while recovering ETF inflows and Clarity Act optimism provide the fundamental backdrop. How high can Bitcoin go from here?As shown on my chart, the immediate target following the consolidation break is $82,000-$84,000, the late 2025 lows that acted as a significant floor and now represent overhead resistance. Beyond that, $88,000 (200 EMA) is the level I need to see broken for any conviction about a genuine trend reversal - we are currently 20% below it. How low can Bitcoin still go?Despite the eight-session winning streak, the main trend remains down. My Fibonacci extension from this year's decline projects $36,000 as the 100% extension - the lowest Bitcoin price since November 2023 - if the current corrective rally fails. Fidelity's Jurrien Timmer sees the bear cycle bottom near $60,000, while Crypto Patel warns of more downside with average realised buys at $54,400 as a gravitational centre. Is this the start of Bitcoin's recovery or a dead-cat bounce?My chart shows it is too early to call this a recovery. The consolidation break and 50 EMA clearance are genuine technical positives - the first in over six weeks. But as @CryptoSpotter05 correctly warned a month ago when predicting exactly this setup, the current structure is consistent with a lower high formation within a broader downtrend. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

As FX trading volumes in Singapore continue to grow, market participants are confident that the connectivity and trading infrastructure are in place to support current and future market requirements.FX Volumes Surge in SingaporeThe most recent triennial central bank survey of the global FX and OTC derivatives market, conducted by the Bank for International Settlements, found that average daily FX trading volumes in Singapore increased by 60% between April 2022 and April 2025, driven by robust growth in US dollar, Japanese yen, and euro trading.Volumes in FX spot, forwards, and swaps (which together accounted for 90% of Singapore’s turnover) rose by between 42% and 61%.Singapore strengthened its position as the third largest FX centre in the world after the UK and the US, with its share of global FX volumes rising to 11.8% and accounting for almost $1 trillion of FX trading every day.MAS Highlights Liquidity RoleThe executive director of the financial markets development department at MAS refers to deeper liquidity in the Asian time zone to support economic and hedging needs in the region as a key factor in this increase and highlighted Singapore’s role as an efficient price discovery hub.Join the inaugural Finance Magnates Singapore Summit 2026, which will bring together brokers, fintechs, banks, EMIs, wealth managers, and hedge funds across APAC.Banks Anchor Regional FX TeamsWith all of the top five global banks housing their regional FX sales and trading teams in Singapore, the city-state offers a deep and liquid market for the trading and hedging of G10 currencies, as well as Asian emerging market currencies.Electronic Trading Demands RiseAs more trading shifts to electronic platforms, the demands on infrastructure naturally increase—especially during volatile periods when activity spikes. That is the view of Jean-Philippe Malé, CEO SGX FX, who is satisfied that infrastructure development has kept pace with the development of the FX market.“The market continues to function smoothly, and that speaks to the depth of investment in infrastructure in Singapore,” he says. “We operate from Singapore to connect global participants to Asian currency risk with our on-premise and cloud-based environments to support trading at scale.”Infrastructure Supports FX ExpansionSingapore is a highly advanced economy with world-class digital infrastructure and ubiquitous internet access, and Interactive Brokers sees growth in domestic clients using its institutional-grade FX rates in support of their trading of overseas assets.“From our perspective, data centre capacity and trading bandwidth has not been an issue, and we are confident that the local infrastructure is more than capable of supporting future growth,” says Yujun Lin, CEO of Interactive Brokers Singapore.Chaitanya Peddada, chief operating officer of Spark Systems (a Singapore-based fintech that develops ultra-low latency FX trading platforms and technology solutions), also observes that Singapore’s data centre infrastructure has broadly kept pace with the growth in electronic FX trading, particularly as the market has moved towards more continuous, automated execution.Shift to Localised ProcessingA key shift has been the move to localised processing and matching, which has reduced reliance on offshore infrastructure and improved latency for institutional participants.“FX trading has become significantly more data-intensive,” he says. “Platforms are processing large volumes of market data, orders, and trade information on a near-continuous basis, placing increasing demands on infrastructure. As a result, the focus is on delivering consistent, sub-millisecond performance, resilience, and the ability to scale without introducing latency.”Singapore Positioned for FX GrowthWith strong global connectivity, sub-millisecond performance, and scalable infrastructure in place, Peddada reckons Singapore is well-positioned to support its continued expansion as a leading global FX trading hub.From a sell-side perspective, Singapore’s data centres have on the whole kept up with demand, suggests Philip Huang, chief risk officer at Orient Futures Singapore.“The infrastructure is stable and capable of supporting electronic FX trading,” he says. “That said, most liquidity in Asia is still concentrated in Tokyo (TY3), which remains the main price discovery centre. While Singapore (SG1) has strong CNH liquidity, broader G10 and regional FX liquidity is still largely anchored in Tokyo, New York, and London.”MAS Builds E-Trading InfrastructureOver the last few years, MAS has been working with banks and trading platforms to build up Singapore's e-trading infrastructure. The regulator hopes this will improve price discovery and FX trade execution in the region and provide market participants with reduced latency, better pricing, and liquidity.According to Malé, Singapore already has the fundamentals it needs to support its future electronic FX ambitions in the form of deep liquidity, global participation, and strong regulatory oversight.“That is why it consistently ranks among the top FX centres globally,” he says. “What is changing now is how firms trade, as more risk is managed across asset classes. For us, FX is part of our broader multi-asset platform, which allows participants to manage currency exposure alongside equities, rates, and commodities. That integrated set-up strengthens Singapore’s role in a market that is becoming more electronic and interconnected.”Connectivity and Matching EnginesSingapore’s rise as a major global FX centre has been closely linked to improvements in connectivity and trading infrastructure, and the city-state now benefits from strong regional and international network links, local matching capabilities, and an increasingly sophisticated institutional ecosystem—all of which support low-latency electronic trading, explains Peddada.“From our perspective, the ability to operate local matching engines across key FX centres—including Singapore, Tokyo, London, and New York—plays an important role in mitigating latency in a global market,” he says. “By matching trades closer to end users, participants can access liquidity more efficiently without relying solely on offshore infrastructure.”South East Asia Colocation Data Center Portfolio Report 2025: Singapore Dominates the Existing Market with a Power Capacity of More Than 780 MW - https://t.co/guyiBA7QmK https://t.co/7YkMcocVyc pic.twitter.com/OrYIF0TofQ— Latest News from Business Wire (@NewsFromBW) January 6, 2026Future Electronic FX ChallengesGiven Singapore’s status as a fast-growing and systemically important FX hub, Peddada believes the combination of low-latency infrastructure, deep connectivity, and institutional participation positions the market to play a leading role in the next phase of electronic FX development.Huang also agrees that Singapore has the connectivity and technical infrastructure needed to support further growth in electronic FX trading, although he acknowledges that other challenges remain.“The bigger issue is where pricing is generated,” he concludes. “Many liquidity providers still run their main pricing engines in other regional hubs. For Singapore to strengthen its position as an electronic FX hub, more liquidity providers would need to originate pricing directly from SG1 rather than simply distribute prices from other regional centres.” This article was written by Paul Golden at www.financemagnates.com.

Saxo Bank executive Casper Andreas Solbakken is stepping down after more than 20 years at the company.The departure comes shortly after ownership changes at Saxo Bank. Earlier this month, J. Safra Sarasin Group completed its acquisition of a majority stake in the Danish trading platform and installed Daniel Belfer as chief executive.Saxo Executive Solbakken Steps DownSolbakken announced his departure in a LinkedIn post on Monday. He wrote that “after 20 incredible years at Saxo Bank, the time has come for me to start a new chapter.”He said his time at the company “shaped me profoundly,” adding that it strengthened his leadership and broadened his perspective. He also said the experience reinforced his belief in “disciplined execution, strategic clarity, and strong collaboration across teams and functions.”Solbakken most recently served as Global Head of Commercial Offering & Experience at Saxo Bank. He assumed the role in May 2024.Before that, he held several senior leadership roles at the company. He served for around 10 months as Global Head of Products, Pricing and Platforms, and for almost two years as Global Head of Products and Services.From Student Assistant to Executive: ExitsHis earlier roles at Saxo Bank included Head of Equities for over two years. Prior to that, he worked for about 10 months as a Product Specialist for equities. Solbakken joined Saxo Bank as a quantitative trader and remained in the role for more than a decade.Before becoming a trader, he worked for over two years as a student assistant in the equities and derivatives division. Prior to joining Saxo Bank, he worked for just over two years as a student assistant at Nykredit.Ownership Deal Completes After Yearlong ApprovalAs Saxo Bank is now part of a new ownership structure, the combined entity will oversee more than $460 billion in client assets. J. Safra Sarasin manages over $460 billion and has around 5,000 employees across more than 35 locations. Its parent, the J. Safra Group, controls $590 billion in assets and operates in over 230 locations globally. The deal, approved by FINMA and Denmark’s FSA, took about a year to complete. This article was written by Tareq Sikder at www.financemagnates.com.

Finance Magnates announces the opening of nominations for the Finance Magnates Annual Awards 2026, marking the third edition of its annual awards programme, which recognises leading brands across online trading, fintech, payments, and related services. Nominations open today, March 16, 2026, and winners will be revealed live at the Gala Dinner in Limassol, Cyprus, on Friday, November 6, 2026.In an industry where trust can shape every decision, awards mean far more than a trophy. They show the market that a brand has earned attention, respect, and confidence. For nominees and winners, this kind of recognition can help build stronger brand awareness, create new business opportunities, and give clients and partners one more reason to believe in who they choose to work with.Why the Finance Magnates awards matterThe Finance Magnates Awards are designed to reflect real market input, not closed-door decisions. The process combines:Community voting (50%) through Finance Magnates channels for B2B categories, and investingLive channels for B2C categoriesExpert panel scoring (50%) by a panel of industry specialistsThis approach helps ensure winners are recognised for impact and reputation, supported by both community feedback and expert assessment.Awards 2026 timelineNominations phase (6-month window)Nominations open: March 16, 2026Nominations close: September 11, 2026Voting phase (21-day period)Voting opens: September 28, 2026Voting closes: October 16, 2026Gala Dinner and winners announcementAwards ceremony and winners announced: Friday, November 6, 2026 How the Awards workThe Awards follow three main stages:1) Open call for nominationsIndustry peers and supporters can nominate brands during the nominations period. Brands may veto nominations, but each participating brand must enter at least two categories based on its business type and activities.2) Voting (50/50)Community vote (50%)B2B categories: Finance Magnates channelsB2C categories: investingLive channelsExpert panel (50%)Each brand is recognised in the single award category where it achieves its highest final vote total.3) Gala Dinner winners revealWinners will be revealed at the Gala Dinner in Cyprus on Friday, 6th of November 2026, where trophies will bepresented on stage.Award groups for 2026 (B2B and B2C)The 2026 Awards are structured into B2B and B2C groups:B2C groups (Brokerage Brands)GlobalRegionalNationalB2B groups (Fintech Brands)Institutional TradingServices for BrokersTech for BrokersWinner exposure packages (available on request)Alongside the awards process, Finance Magnates offers optional winner-exposure packages designed to help brands communicate their nominations and results throughout the year.➡️Discover the Exclusive Exposure OpportunitiesThese options may include, depending on the nominated group :Pre-awards visibility for nominated brands (such as nominee announcements and social content)Gala Dinner attendance and on-site networking opportunitiesPost-awards winner announcements across Finance Magnates channelsWinner PR coverage and editorial formatsVisibility placements are linked to the winning category for the following yearBrand placement on the FM Awards winners' website for 12 monthsFor selected groups, winner interviews and directory listing supportBrands can submit a nomination and request the Awards information pack to receive full details on categories and exposure options.Gala Dinner: Friday, November 6, 2026, CyprusThe Finance Magnates Annual Awards will be celebrated at the Gala Dinner in Cyprus on Friday, November 6, 2026, bringing finalists, partners, and winners together for an in-person celebration and trophy presentation.How to be part of the Finance Magnates Awards 2026Nominations open on March 16, 2026 and run through September 11, 2026. Companies and industry professionals can nominate brands they believe have delivered strong results across products and services over the past year.Submit a nomination and request the Finance Magnates Awards 2026 information pack to get full details on categories, voting, and winner exposure options.Reflecting on Success: 2025 Award WinnersLast year, the Finance Magnates Annual Awards showcased a remarkable array of talent and innovation across the financial industry. We celebrated outstanding contributions from leaders in brokerage, fintech and payments sectors. By reflecting on their success, you can find inspiration for your entries in the upcoming 2025 awards.Relive the Finance Magnates Awards 2025 with our official video highlights. This article was written by Finance Magnates Staff at www.financemagnates.com.

Beeks Financial Cloud Group (LSE: BKS) swung to a statutory pre-tax loss in the first half of its fiscal year after a structural change in how it prices Exchange Cloud contracts and a cluster of delayed deployments held back revenue recognition, the AIM-listed provider said today (Monday).Revenue for the six months ended December 31, 2025 fell 7% to £14.65 million from £15.79 million a year earlier. The company reported a statutory pre-tax loss of £1.87 million, reversing a £0.46 million profit in the same period of fiscal 2025. Gross profit slid 25% to £4.50 million as gross margin narrowed to 30% from 38%.Revenue-Share Model Pressures Near-Term MarginsThe financial weakness is tied to timing and model design, the company said, rather than any loss of clients or competitive pressure. Under Beeks' older fixed-price Exchange Cloud contracts, the company collected sizeable deployment fees upfront. Under the newer revenue-sharing arrangement, income builds gradually as exchanges and their participants generate transaction volumes, meaning infrastructure costs land on the books well before matching revenue arrives.The scale of the timing mismatch is significant. The prior-year first half included £3.30 million in upfront revenue from three deployments. The current period produced just £0.57 million in equivalent recognition. Over half of the 8-percentage-point gross margin decline can be attributed to that gap alone, according to the company.Underlying EBITDA, which strips out amortization, share-based payments, and one-off items, dropped 28% to £4.12 million, pulling the underlying EBITDA margin to 28% from 36%. On an underlying basis, the pre-tax result shifted to a loss of £0.69 million from a £1.89 million profit a year ago. Underlying diluted earnings per share came in at -0.68 pence, compared with a positive 2.61 pence in H1 fiscal 2025.Exchange Cloud Roster Grows to Seven VenuesDespite the earnings slide, Beeks added two exchange clients during the half: TMX Datalinx, part of Canada's TMX Group which operates the Toronto Stock Exchange among other venues, and nuam, the regional holding company consolidating the stock exchanges of Santiago, Bogotá, and Lima. Both signed under the revenue-sharing model and are expected to go live in the second half of the financial year.The company first announced its TMX tie-up in September 2025 as a means of simplifying access for traders seeking to connect to Canadian markets. The nuam deal, announced in December, extended Beeks' footprint across three South American national markets under a single agreement. The Exchange Cloud roster now stands at seven signed exchanges globally, with four on the revenue-sharing arrangement.Clients secured in fiscal 2025 are progressing. Kraken - the company's first crypto exchange - went live and reached monthly profitability in March 2026, ahead of schedule. The Australian Securities Exchange also went live in H1 as planned. Mexico's Grupo Bolsa Mexicana completed its initial deployment phase, with the remaining work expected to conclude in H2.Contract Wins Climb 23%, Final Month SurgesNew contract wins totalled £11.9 million in total contract value during the half, up 23% from £9.7 million a year earlier. Beeks' annualized committed monthly recurring revenue grew 15% to £32.80 million from £28.50 million in H1 fiscal 2025, reflecting an expanding contracted base.The final month of the period was particularly busy. Beeks said it signed £7 million in total contract value during December 2025 alone, including £6 million in Proximity Cloud agreements. Around half of that is expected to contribute to H2 revenue. The company also extended a deal with a large FX broker and signed an agreement with a major South African bank, alongside supporting the Johannesburg Stock Exchange's Colo 2.0 service.In December 2025, Beeks announced a £4 million five-year FX broker deal alongside a Canadian bank contract, with revenue from both expected to begin this half. A February trading update had already flagged the revenue shortfall and the revenue-share explanation, noting that the company had secured record contract volumes while booking less income, Monday's full interim results confirm those preliminary figures.AI Analytics Product Enters Early Commercial StageBeeks introduced Market Edge Intelligence during the half, an analytics platform it describes as delivering AI-powered insights and predictive alerts directly at the colocation edge. The company claims the product targets Tier 1 and Tier 2 financial organisations and can function as a standalone platform or sit alongside existing infrastructure. An unnamed Tier 1 global bank completed a proof-of-concept engagement and is now in contractual discussions, the company said.Beeks also made a minority investment of £0.8 million in Liquid-Mark, a networking technology firm, the company said, securing exclusive access to ultra-low-latency capabilities for use within its managed infrastructure platform.Full-Year Outlook Unchanged as H2 Backlog BuildsChief Executive Gordon McArthur pointed to the H2 pipeline to reassure investors. "We enter the second half with strong momentum and a customer base comprising some of the world's largest financial institutions, each with significant expansion opportunity," he said. "While the timing of contract wins and increasing prevalence of revenue share contracts means the impact of this sales momentum was not reflected in our financial performance in the first half, it lays the foundation for significant and enhanced profitable revenue growth in the years ahead. We remain focused on fulfilling our growth potential, bolstered by a robust pipeline, while maintaining strict financial discipline to support our long-term ambitions."The company said the second half will be supported by approximately £4.5 million in revenue recognition from contracts signed at the close of H1, along with the final Grupo Bolsa Mexicana deployment and the scheduled go-lives for TMX and nuam. The board said full-year performance remains on track with its expectations.The company posted 180% underlying profit growth a year earlier when fixed-price upfront deals dominated the mix. That comparative period also marked Kraken's entry as the first crypto exchange partner - the deployment of which now serves as the company's first live proof that the revenue-share model can reach profitability ahead of schedule. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

RoboForex said today (Monday) it is making swap-free trading available to every client on its platform, removing overnight holding fees entirely without adjusting spreads or adding new commissions in return, the company declared.The broker, which operates under a Belize FSC license, said the new account structure eliminates the charges traders pay when keeping positions open past the daily rollover. The firm claims its approach differs from comparable offerings elsewhere: rather than recouping the lost fee income by marking up spreads or applying additional charges, it is simply absorbing the cost. RoboForex described that practice, widening spreads or raising commissions in exchange for swap-free status, as common among other providers.Latin America Pilot Leads to Wider RolloutRoboForex said it ran a regional test across several Latin American countries last year before deciding to extend the feature globally. According to the broker, client feedback from that trial was strong enough to support a full launch."Following a successful test launch last year in several Latin American countries and strong positive feedback from clients, we decided to scale swap-free trading across all our markets," said Douglas Abreu, LATAM Operations Director at RoboForex.[#highlighted-links#] "This step reflects our broader focus on simplifying trading conditions and making costs more transparent and predictable, giving traders more flexibility in managing longer-term positions."The company added that swap-free status will apply to newly created accounts and will cover what it described as the most popular instruments, including metals and currency pairs. RoboForex did not specify which instruments are excluded from that coverage or disclose how many clients it expects to adopt the new account type.Cost Cutting Becomes a Broker BattlegroundThe move places RoboForex in a crowded field of retail brokers competing on fee reductions as a way to attract and retain traders. Vantage Markets launched a swap-free offering in Vietnam in September 2025, positioning the product as a way to prevent overnight charges from eating into returns. Versus Trade has similarly listed swap-free accounts among its core value propositions, alongside execution quality and reduced stop-out levels, as part of its pitch to retail traders.Swap-free accounts originated in Islamic finance, where rules prohibit paying or receiving interest. In recent years, brokers have increasingly widened the offering beyond that segment, marketing it to swing traders and position traders who hold trades over days or weeks and want a more predictable cost structure.Fee Reductions Extend Beyond Swap RemovalRoboForex tied the swap announcement to a broader picture of reduced costs it says it offers clients. The broker said it allows up to three free withdrawals per month and does not charge commissions on deposits. The company frames this combination as a low-barrier environment for traders managing both entry costs and ongoing position costs.The announcement is the latest in a run of product updates from the broker. In November 2025, RoboForex overhauled its copy trading program, expanding platform support to include MT4 and MT5 and adding a commission-sharing model for partners, an update that came as copy trading was estimated to represent 6-20% of retail broker volumes, according to figures from Brokeree Solutions. Separately, the broker's affiliated entity RoboMarkets obtained a full Category 1 brokerage licence from Dubai's Securities and Commodities Authority in September 2025, allowing it to onboard UAE clients and execute trades locally.RoboForex said the swap-free feature is available immediately to new account holders across all its markets. The broker did not provide data on current client numbers or projected uptake for the new account type. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

Ant International has signed a sponsorship agreement with the Argentine Football Association (AFA), securing the rights to market its digital payment brands to audiences across Asia, the company announced today (Monday).Under the deal, the Singapore-based fintech becomes an Official Sponsor of the Argentine National Football Team for the Asia region, excluding the Middle East. The arrangement gives Ant International access to AFA's intellectual property and the likeness of Argentine players to run campaigns across its brand portfolio, including Alipay+, Antom, Bettr and WorldFirst, the company said.AFA Builds a Fintech Sponsor PortfolioThe signing adds Ant International to a growing list of financial technology firms that have struck regional deals with AFA in recent months. ATFX signed on as a regional sponsor in January 2026, targeting Asian and broader international markets with the team's brand. Before that, XBO.com was named official global sponsor in February 2025, joining a roster that already included multiple fintech and trading companies."Football is the ultimate universal language. It serves as a powerful bridge that transcends borders and connects the entire world," AFA president Claudio Fabian Tapia commented. "Through this partnership, we are excited to bring that connection to an even wider audience in Asia."The pattern reflects a deliberate commercial strategy by AFA. The association reportedly generates more than $80 million annually from sponsorships and has been aggressively pursuing Asian and Middle Eastern partners since at least 2018. PU Prime inked a regional sponsorship in March 2025 and later held an official signing ceremony in Madrid that June, signaling the federation's ongoing focus on building commercial relationships in Asia through the football property.Alipay+ Extends Its Sports Marketing PushAnt International, a subsidiary of China's Ant Group, already has sports marketing experience to draw on. In September 2025, it secured Alipay+ as an Official Payment Partner of the Laver Cup through 2029. The AFA deal extends that approach to team sports and a global audience tied to football.The company claims its Alipay+ platform connects 1.8 billion consumer accounts to more than 150 million merchants across the Asia Pacific, integrating over 300 payment methods. In February, India's government and central bank were reportedly in discussions with Ant International about linking Alipay+ with the country's instant payment system for cross-border transactions, Reuters reported.CEO Peng Yang positioned the Argentine partnership as consistent with that growth strategy. "Sports and tech are two critical bonds for communities and markets that break barriers and connect people," Yang said. "Together we will bring more extensive and enriched football experience and community impact through our Asia fintech and digital services network."World Cup Window Adds Urgency for SponsorsWith the 2026 FIFA World Cup set for North America this summer, Argentina enters as one of the tournament favorites after winning in Qatar in 2022, the country's third title after earlier victories in 1978 and 1986. That status has made AFA an attractive vehicle for brands looking to reach football fans across Asia in the months leading up to the tournament.The association has not limited its fintech partnerships to payment companies. Evest.com was named AFA's official online trading partner in January 2026, with the deals ranging from CFD brokers to crypto platforms and now cross-border payment infrastructure.Leandro Petersen, AFA's Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer, described the Ant International agreement as more than a short-term marketing activation. "By joining forces, we aim to deepen our presence in Asia and achieve new heights in both sports and fin-tech," he said. Ant International operates more than 30 offices globally and describes itself as a provider of AI- and blockchain-powered payment, treasury, and digitalization solutions for merchants and financial institutions. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

XS.com has hired Simon-Peter Massabni as its new Head of Retail Sales, the broker announced today (Monday). Massabni, who most recently served as Country Manager for MENA Commercial Management at Exness, will lead what XS.com describes as a push to accelerate growth in retail markets worldwide. Massabni spent nearly three years at Exness as Country Manager for MENA Commercial Management, based in Limassol, Cyprus. In that role, he was involved in setting regional commercial plans at both the regional director and board level, overseeing acquisition and retention operations, partnership programs, and daily performance monitoring across Middle Eastern and North African markets, according to his professional history."The priority is to strengthen retail sales structures, empower teams, and create long-term value for clients through disciplined growth strategies aligned with the company's vision,” Massabni commented on the new hire.In his new role, XS.com says he will focus on client acquisition and retention frameworks, partnerships in regulated markets, and expanding the firm's market reach, though specific targets were not disclosed.MENA Track Record Drives the HireBefore Exness, Massabni spent roughly two years as Head of Business Development at ILimits Invest in Beirut, where he built the sales department, including processes, CRM architecture, staffing, and training. During that period, the company said he managed daily performance that exceeded $1 million in net deposits per month.His career in online trading dates to 2009, when he joined FXCM as Senior FX Sales covering Lebanon and the broader MENA region. He later rose to Sales Manager, running a team of five sales representatives and a retention unit of equal size, and delivered educational workshops at institutions including the American University of Beirut. MENA has become a high-priority growth market for several major retail brokers, with firms publicly pointing to trust, local talent, and mobile-first infrastructure as the drivers behind rising trading volumes in the region.After FXCM, Massabni held a Head of Sales role at CFI Financial Group in Beirut for three years, then moved to ICM Capital as Head of Business Development in Lebanon before joining ILimits and eventually Exness. The cumulative picture is of an executive who has spent most of his career building teams and sales infrastructure in the Middle East.XS.com Adds Commercial Talent After a Run of Leadership ChangesThe Massabni appointment follows several senior hires at XS.com over the past year. In February 2025, the broker named Stelios Pallis as Chief Technology Officer, bringing in an executive with four years of experience at GT Group. At the time, XS.com also announced a partnership with Brokeree Solutions to launch copy trading functionality, according to the company."His deep experience in retail sales strategy, regional expansion, and team development makes him a strong addition to XS.com," Wael Hammad, Group Chief Commercial Officer at XS.com, commented on the hire.Regulatory Push Underpins the Commercial ExpansionThe hiring activity sits alongside a period of active licensing work. Last October, XS.com secured approval from the UAE's Securities and Commodities Authority, its eighth regulatory approval, at a time when the UAE was attracting a growing number of CFD and cryptocurrency firms. Earlier that year, the broker added a Mauritius licence to its offshore portfolio, which already included Seychelles and Labuan.Hammad told FinanceMagnates.com in January that the firm opened new offices in Kuwait City and Dubai during 2025, citing the need to be closer to clients and partners in the Gulf. XS.com, which was founded in Australia in 2010, now holds licences across multiple jurisdictions and maintains offices in several locations globally.In January, Mateusz Wyka, a former Exness operations and project management executive, was appointed CEO of online trading firm YWO after building nearly four years of experience at the Limassol broker. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

16 per cent of Australia’s Gen Z population "completely trust" artificial intelligence (AI) platforms with their financial decisions, while 56 per cent and 52 per cent believe on financial information on social media and from finfluencers, respectively.A Survey to Examine the Investment Trends of the Young GenerationAustralia’s Moneysmart surveyed 1,127 Australians aged 18 to 28 to examine the role of modern technology and social media in their financial decision-making.The local financial regulator, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), further found that 63 per cent of respondents use social media for financial information and guidance, while 30 per cent use YouTube and 18 per cent use AI platforms.However, 60 per cent still use formal or professional sources, while about 50 per cent turn to family and friends.Read more: How AI Guides Smart Spending and InvestingThe Aussie regulator's concern appears to be the dominance of social media in financial decision-making among young people. It is now urging them to ‘sense check’ the information they see online.“While Gen Z values credibility when seeking financial advice, what they see on social media is usually shaped by algorithms that are designed to drive clicks and views rather than provide accurate information,” said ASIC Commissioner Alan Kirkland.“Financial information on social media and accessed through AI tools can be incomplete, promotional, or misleading. Relying on it alone increases the risk of making a decision you may later regret.”[#highlighted-links#] Crypto Bets Are a ConcernThe regulator appears more concerned about the rising short-term investment in cryptocurrencies by this age group.The survey found that 23 per cent, or almost a quarter, of respondents own cryptocurrencies. Among them, 66 per cent take short-term, speculative bets. Additionally, 29 per cent trade based on social media and influencer content or recommendations.Moreover, 24 per cent of Gen Z crypto investors try to invest in new “coins”, while 15 per cent invest in them as a ‘bit of a punt’.You may also like: eToro CEO - “We’re in a Strong Position to Double Down on Crypto,” Adds Prediction MarketsSocial media advertisements have encouraged around 72 per cent of Aussie crypto investors in this age group to invest in this asset class in the past 12 months. Interestingly, 41 per cent were approached by someone offering to help them invest in crypto.“Short-term or speculative trading based on what’s popular online carries real risks, particularly in volatile markets like crypto,” Kirkland added.While the influence of social media on the financial habits of the younger generation is now clearly visible, ASIC has also had disputes with some local finfluencers. Meanwhile, the UAE remains the only country to mandate licensing for all finfluencers who give financial advice on social media platforms. This article was written by Arnab Shome at www.financemagnates.com.

IronFX cuts 150 rolesJob cuts at IronFX have emerged as the latest sign of pressure across the online trading industry. The broker laid off around 150 employees, or about 10% of its roughly 1,500‑strong workforce, with sources citing “efficiency” amid the AI wave as the main driver.​ The layoffs follow earlier reductions at other brokers, including Tradu/FXCM and eToro, and come as IronFX continues to operate with a Cyprus Investment Firm license, a British Virgin Islands offshore license and authorization from the UK Financial Conduct Authority.eToro's crypto expansion planMeanwhile, eToro CEO Yoni Assia said the fintech giant is in a strong position to expand its crypto offering and has introduced prediction markets within its new non-custodial crypto wallet.Speaking to Finance Magnates in Limassol, Assia noted that the feature was designed to stay separate from users’ main investments. He added that eToro is currently working with Polymarket and holding discussions with Kalshi as the company explores opportunities in the fast-emerging prediction markets sector.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, 2025Assia emphasized that prediction markets remain in the early stages of development and it is still unclear how much interest eToro users will show in them.War exposes insider risks in prediction marketsIn the wild west of prediction markets, the Iran war has drawn sharp attention to the growing risk of insider trading. Following the US strike on Iran in late February, users reportedly wagered hundreds of millions of dollars on outcomes ranging from the timing of attacks to a potential nuclear detonation. Data analytics firm Bubblemaps identified several suspected insiders who allegedly bet over a million dollars on the timing of the strike, while other analysts noted trading patterns that mirrored insider behavior around events involving Iran’s leadership.CFTC rules for prediction marketPrediction markets are indeed gaining mainstream attention, but new regulatory signals suggest the rules are tightening. CFTC issued new guidance for platforms interested in launching prediction markets, outlining standards that resemble a compliance test. The advisory requires platforms to demonstrate that their event contracts can resist market manipulation and insider trading before being approved for trading in the United States.At the same time, CFTC Chairman Michael Selig said the agency does not intend to decide which products people are allowed to trade and will avoid making policy through enforcement actions.Instead, he told an audience at the FIA Global Cleared Markets Conference in Florida that the CFTC plans to move away from “regulating through enforcement” and step back from enforcement-driven policymaking.Are prediction markets the next prop trading?Prediction markets are also emerging as a potential alternative for retail traders as regulators tighten oversight of simulated proprietary trading. Authorities in the U.S., Canada, and Europe have begun scrutinizing prop trading firms that rely more on challenge fees than real trading activity.Many of these firms operate in regulatory gray areas, often using simulated accounts rather than executing live trades. Recent enforcement cases and platform shutdowns have accelerated the industry’s search for new models.XTB adds kill switch to block hackersAway from prediction markets, XTB introduced an emergency lock feature that allows clients to freeze all activity on their account with a single tap if they suspect unauthorized access. When activated, the lock halts trading in all instruments, blocks withdrawals from all currency accounts, and disables all eWallet transactions, the company said. To restore access, users must first change their password and then pass a facial recognition check to confirm they are the legitimate account holder. XTB CEO Omar Arnaout said the feature is designed to give clients a fast way to regain control of their accounts amid rising digital and cybersecurity threats.Over half of Singapore CFD traders use one platformAs Singapore’s CFD market returns to growth, providers are under pressure to ensure their customer service meets the expectations of both new and existing clients. Firms need to handle inquiries, onboarding, and support efficiently to retain traders in a more competitive environment.According to Investment Trends associate research director Lorenzo Vignati, the focus in Singapore has shifted from expansion to engagement, with brokers now concentrating on reactivating traders who previously stopped trading. He noted that brokers cannot afford missteps with returning clients because first impressions are critical when these traders come back to the market.Global forex brokers target JapanJapan remains one of the world’s key retail foreign exchange markets, combining high trading volumes with a large and active base of retail traders. The country has more than 1.5 million retail FX traders and over 3 million active trading accounts, generating around $400 billion in daily FX turnover, putting it alongside London, New York, and Singapore as a major FX hub. A notable feature of Japan’s market is the dominance of domestic brokers in retail trading. Major local firms such as GMO Click Securities, SBI FX Trade, Rakuten Securities, DMM FX, and Monex Group have built extensive retail trading ecosystems, supported by established platforms and sizable customer bases.Revolut wins full UK bank licenceRevolut has received approval from the Prudential Regulation Authority to launch its UK bank, concluding a lengthy regulatory process. The license will allow the company to expand its services for around 13 million customers in its home market through its new entity, Revolut Bank UK Ltd.We’re now officially a fully licensed bank in the UK.As a bank, we’ll soon offer accounts protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) up to £120,000 per person on eligible deposits. It also means we’ll be able to launch more banking features in the future… pic.twitter.com/fH7K2TQLDd— Revolut (@Revolut) March 11, 2026With this authorization, Revolut can operate as a fully licensed bank in the UK and offer deposit accounts covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. It now joins other major fintechs that have obtained full banking licenses, including UK-based Monzo and Starling and Germany’s N26.Executive Moves of the week: Traze, TarurexLastly, in the executive moves, Naeem Afzal has joined Traze, the sister CFDs broker brand of ZFX under Zeal Group, as Regional Sales Director, based in the United Arab Emirates. He brings nearly 20 years of experience in institutional and retail sales, most recently serving as Regional Sales Director at GO Markets.Also this week, CFD broker Taurex reappointed Matthew Wright as a Non-Executive Director, almost three years after he left for Exinity, bringing back an executive who previously led the firm during its Zenfinex phase. This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.