Coinbase plans to expand its Singapore office from 150 to about 200 employees by the end of 2026 as it grows its presence in the Lion City.
The partnership marks the next phase of xStocks, expanding the tokenised equities framework beyond U.S. stocks and ETFs to include equities from international markets and, over time, other asset classes. Subject to the required licences, it also plans to bring tokenised assets to GTN’s institutional network
DUBAI, UAE and ST. HELIER, Jersey, July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — GTN, the fintech powering limitless investment, and Payward, the developer of the xStocks tokenised equities framework and parent company of Kraken, have partnered to enhance and accelerate the global expansion of the xStocks offering.
The partnership unlocks a pathway for xStocks to significantly scale the range of equities it tokenises, beginning by tokenising equities listed in Hong Kong, before expanding to tokenise UK-listed assets, European assets, South Korean assets, and more, delivering an unrivalled breadth of international market access that no other tokenised framework offers today. It also opens the opportunity to expand xStocks beyond tokenised equities for the first time, broadening the framework to new tokenised asset classes. For individual holders, it means tokenised assets from markets across the world and multiple asset classes can sit side-by-side in one portfolio, held onchain, tradeable 24/7, and portable across the 100+ exchanges, wallets, and DeFi applications where xStocks already trade.
GTN provides the global execution and custody for the traditional assets underlying xStocks’ expansion. Spanning a broad range of asset classes across 90+ markets through a single integration, GTN is the partner making the next phase of xStocks possible, providing a route to scale its tokenised offering beyond U.S. equities to equities listed in international markets and, over time, new asset classes, each subject to regulatory approvals. Tokenisation’s promise has always been to make the world’s markets accessible to more people from a single place, and this partnership is a key step toward that goal.
Under the agreement, GTN provides infrastructure to support the ledgering and record-keeping of tokenised products, helping token issuers account for the underlying assets. Subject to GTN obtaining the required licences in each market, GTN would also make a range of xStocks available to its institutional clients alongside its existing offering. Because GTN reaches a range of asset classes across 90+ markets, the partnership also creates pathways for the xStocks ecosystem to diversify the assets it lists to the hundreds of centralised exchanges, self-custody wallets, and DeFi protocols where it already trades.
“For decades, we’ve accepted that capital markets should be fragmented by country, currency, and market hours,” said Mark Greenberg, Global Head of Payward Services. “That’s a legacy financial infrastructure problem. The biggest asset class that hasn’t been tokenized yet is the rest of the world, and our partnership with GTN is about changing that. One asset at a time, we’re bringing truly global capital markets onchain until geography becomes irrelevant to investing.”
“Financial institutions want to move into new asset classes and markets without rebuilding their technology. Our infrastructure lets partners like Payward launch quickly across 90+ markets and a full range of instruments, and it includes the sub-accounting technology Kraken needs to offer tokenised products. We are delighted that Payward has selected GTN as a global product expansion partner,” said Ankit Shah, Global Head of FinTech, GTN.
xStocks launched a year ago with tokenised U.S. stocks and ETFs, backed 1:1 by the underlying assets. It has since grown and broadened to more than 500 tokenised assets spanning equities, ETFs, and IPOs, the widest range offered by any tokenised equities framework, and now power over $35 billion dollars in transaction volume across multiple blockchain ecosystems, and has amassed nearly 200,000 holders across the world. The GTN partnership marks the start of its next phase, extending that framework beyond U.S. capital markets for investors around the world.
The partnership is already live, with tokenised distribution to GTN’s institutional clients to follow once the required licences are in place. By combining GTN’s regulated infrastructure with Payward’s platform, the two companies aim to make a wider range of assets and markets accessible to institutions worldwide, and will share details on enhanced offerings in the coming weeks.
About Payward
Payward, Inc. is a unified financial infrastructure platform that powers a family of products advancing an open, global financial system. Built on a single shared architecture, Payward enables customers to hold, trade, earn, pay, and invest across asset classes without friction or fragmentation.
At its core, Payward provides the infrastructure layer behind Kraken and a growing set of purpose-built products, including NinjaTrader, Breakout, xStocks, and CF Benchmarks.
Payward separates infrastructure from product expression. Each product surface is designed for a specific customer segment, regulatory regime, and use case, while operating on the same global foundation:
- One global liquidity pool
- One unified risk and margin engine
- One collateral and settlement system
- One compliance and licensing framework
This shared architecture allows Payward to scale efficiently, launch new products at low marginal cost, and serve diverse global markets while maintaining consistent risk management, regulatory integrity, and operational resilience.
For more information about Payward, please visit www.payward.com.
About xStocks
xStocks is the industry benchmark for tokenized equities, bringing publicly listed U.S. stocks and ETFs onchain through fully collateralized, 1:1-backed tokens. Powered by Payward’s digital asset infrastructure, xStocks provides exposure to traditional equities on blockchain infrastructure, expanding access to U.S. capital markets with extended availability, global reach, and seamless digital-native settlement.
Designed for interoperability, xStocks move seamlessly between centralized exchanges, self-custodied wallets, and onchain applications, unlocking new utility across trading, collateralization, and decentralized finance. Since launching in June 2025, xStocks is powering billions of dollars in transaction volume across multiple blockchain ecosystems and anchors a rapidly expanding global network shaping the future of tokenized markets. For more information, visit https://xstocks.fi.
About GTN
GTN is the global fintech infrastructure powering limitless investment through a unified API-first architecture. By combining cloud-native technology with deep institutional expertise, GTN provides brokers, banks, asset managers, and fintechs with brokerage infrastructure spanning 90+ markets and 8 asset classes through a single API, enabling partners to create the next generation of investing and trading experiences. From fractional trading and micro-portfolios, including $1 fractional bonds, to full-service brokerage, GTN automates the investment lifecycle from digital onboarding to post-trade settlement. As a single counterparty, GTN reduces technical and regulatory burdens, enabling investment banks, brokerage firms, and wealth management firms to scale without having to build technology from scratch.
With over 600 professionals across 14 countries, and serving 500+ clients globally, we’re united by one mission: transforming the accessibility of investment and trading opportunities for all. Regulated across six jurisdictions (FCA, DFSA, MAS, FINRA, FSCA, SFC), GTN is backed by strategic investors including IFC (World Bank Group) and SBI Ventures Singapore. Learn more at www.gtngroup.com or follow us on LinkedIn.
Important information
This announcement is for informational purposes only. It is not investment, legal or tax advice, and it is not an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security, token or other financial instrument. xStocks are issued by Backed Assets (JE) Limited (a Jersey private limited company) and offered to eligible Kraken customers via Payward Digital Solutions Ltd. (“PDSL”), a company licensed to conduct digital asset business by the Bermuda Monetary Authority, and to eligible EU customers via Payward Europe Digital Solutions Ltd., a company authorised and regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission. xStocks are not offered or available in the United States or to U.S. persons, and other geographic restrictions apply. xStocks are not, nor will they be registered with any local securities regulators. The availability of products and services varies by jurisdiction and is subject to local regulatory requirements and approvals. GTN’s provision of any services described is subject to GTN obtaining the relevant regulatory licences in each market. Tokenised and cryptoasset products carry significant risk, including the risk of total loss, may be unregulated, and may not be covered by statutory compensation schemes; the value of investments can go down as well as up. Read Kraken’s xStocks Risk Disclosure at kraken.com/legal/xstocks as well as the Base Prospectus and related Final Terms for xStocks at https://assets.backed.fi/legal-documentation to learn more.
This announcement contains forward-looking statements that reflect current expectations and are subject to change, including as a result of regulatory, market and technological developments. GTN and Payward undertake no obligation to update them.
SOURCE GTN
London, United Kingdom, July 15th, 2026, Chainwire
CT3 today announced the transition of its decentralized storage infrastructure to a dedicated Storage Contracts model designed to support continued platform growth, improve infrastructure scalability, and expand storage capacity as demand increases.
The transition follows rapid growth across the CT3 ecosystem, with more than 180,000 unique users having used the platform and more than 500,000 uploads completed. Each upload is linked to an NFT access key, allowing platform activity and network usage to be independently verified on-chain.
Continued growth in demand for ct-3.cloud services has increased pressure on the existing infrastructure. Processing all new uploads through a single main collection and one smart contract may reduce scaling flexibility and make storage capacity more difficult to manage as network activity expands.
Under the new architecture, new uploads will be distributed across dedicated Storage Contracts rather than a single main contract. Each Storage Contract is linked to a fixed amount of storage capacity and operates as an independent infrastructure segment with its own capacity, utilization level, and on-chain statistics.
The new model is intended to distribute workloads across multiple smart contracts, improve the transparency and measurement of resource utilization, and support the deployment of additional storage capacity as demand grows. Participants may finance the deployment of new Storage Contracts and the addition of storage capacity. The allocated capacity is used to store files uploaded through ct-3.cloud, while the resulting profit is shared between CT3 and the participant who financed the infrastructure expansion.
Infrastructure Segmentation
Previously, CT3 keys were issued primarily through the main collection and a single contract flow. As the platform expanded, this model became less flexible for handling different categories of data.
Storage Contracts divide the infrastructure into separate segments. Each segment:
- operates through its own smart contract;
- is linked to a specific amount of storage capacity;
- can serve a particular category of files;
- allows capacity utilization and workload to be measured independently;
- reduces pressure on the main NFT key issuance process.
This separation makes the infrastructure more resilient and allows individual areas of the platform to scale without rebuilding the entire system.
How the Allocated Storage Capacity is Used
Each Storage Contract is linked to a defined amount of capacity within the CT3 network. Once activated, the corresponding storage space is supplied by network nodes and used to store data uploaded through ct-3.cloud.
The allocated capacity may be used for:
- standard user files;
- corporate archives;
- automatic backups;
- long-term datasets;
- future CT3 products and applications.
Larger contracts can accommodate heavier files and more substantial flows of corporate or backup data. This allows the network to direct workloads to infrastructure segments with sufficient available capacity.
Storage Contract Economics
The commercial model behind Storage Contracts is based on the real use of CT3 infrastructure. The platform acquires storage capacity from node operators and provides it to ct-3.cloud customers at the market price of the storage service.
A participant finances the deployment of a new Storage Contract and the expansion of the network’s available capacity. Once launched, this capacity is used to store personal and corporate data, while the generated profit is distributed between the investor and CT3.
The financial performance of each contract depends on two main factors:
- the actual utilization of the allocated capacity;
- the margin between the cost of acquiring storage capacity and the price charged to end users.
Storage Contracts therefore allow participants to take part in the growth of CT3 infrastructure and potentially earn income linked to real demand for storage services. The more actively the allocated capacity is used, the greater the contract’s potential result.
On-chain transparency
The operation of each Storage Contract can be verified through the blockchain. Files stored within the allocated capacity are represented by NFT keys containing storage-related metadata.
The combined size of the files associated with these keys can be compared with the utilization figure displayed for the contract. Through the smart contract address, an investor can verify issued NFTs, collection activity, and the actual use of the capacity they helped finance.
This model makes it possible to independently verify:
- the number of keys created;
- the volume of stored data;
- utilization of the allocated capacity;
- activity within a specific Storage Contract;
- the relationship between infrastructure usage and profit generation.
For ct-3.cloud users, the experience remains unchanged: both existing and new NFT keys continue to be supported, and the transition to the new architecture requires no additional action.
About CT3
CT3 is developing a decentralized data storage infrastructure that combines independent nodes, the ct-3.cloud interface, NFT access keys, and blockchain verification.
Users upload files through ct-3.cloud, after which the data is distributed across network nodes. An NFT key is created for every stored object, confirming access rights and containing the relevant storage metadata.
Within this model, nodes provide physical storage capacity, CT3 manages data distribution and access, while individual and corporate users generate demand for storage services.
As the number of users and uploads increases, the network must continuously expand its available capacity. At certain times, demand growth may outpace the addition of new capacity from node operators. Storage Contracts allow CT3 to add new resources in a structured way and allocate them to specific areas of use.
Contact
CMO
Rodrigo Pereira
CT3
contact@ct-3.ltd
The Web3 neobank narrative is accelerating fast. Stablecoins, crypto cards, self-custody finance and stablecoin settlements are moving from niche crypto products into everyday payment infrastructure. Recent market activity shows how serious traditional payment networks and fintech players have become about stablecoin-powered finance, with global payment companies increasingly investing in crypto settlement, wallet infrastructure and digital asset payment rails.
THORWallet is now taking another major step in this direction through a strategic partnership with Unblock, a Swiss-regulated payment infrastructure provider with a global footprint across Switzerland, Latin America, and the United States.
Rather than choosing one of the larger established crypto card players such as ether.fi or Kulipa, THORWallet selected Unblock for a very specific reason: flexibility, regulatory alignment, and global reach.
Unblock is headquartered in Switzerland, operates under a Swiss regulatory framework and maintains offices in Panama, Medellin, and Miami. This international setup allows the company to support efficient card issuance and delivery across more than 175 countries, giving THORWallet the ability to serve users in almost every region of the world.Unblock is headquartered in Switzerland, operates under a Swiss regulatory framework and maintains offices in Panama, Medellin, and Miami. This international setup allows the company to support efficient card issuance and delivery across more than 175 countries, giving THORWallet the ability to serve users in almost every region of the world. With this extensive reach, we are uniquely positioned to scale globally with speed and efficiency, reaching users in markets that remain inaccessible to most competitors.
For THORWallet, the partnership is especially strategic because it is Unblock’s first non-custodial wallet partnership. This means both teams can build the product from a clean slate, instead of adapting THORWallet to an existing custodial model. The result is significantly more flexibility around user experience, card functionality, stablecoin rails and future premium features.
THORWallet was among the first wallets to offer a real non-custodial Mastercard experience. With Unblock, the company is now expanding that offering into a much broader global payment and remittance product.
The vision is clear: allow users to hold assets in self-custody, access stablecoin rails and spend through virtual and physical Mastercard products almost anywhere in the world.
For users in emerging markets, freelancers, digital nomads, crypto native teams and global businesses, this combination could become especially powerful. Stablecoins already provide fast global settlement. Mastercard acceptance adds everyday usability. THORWallet’s non-custodial infrastructure keeps users in control of their assets.
Together, THORWallet and Unblock aim to turn crypto from something users hold into something they can actually use daily.
As stablecoin payments continue to gain traction and Web3 neobanks become one of the strongest narratives in crypto, THORWallet’s partnership with Unblock positions the company to become a global payment and remittance powerhouse built on self-custody, stablecoins and real-world card access.
About THORWallet
THORWallet is a Swiss-based non-custodial DeFi wallet built to bring on-chain finance to everyday users.
The platform combines self-custody, cross-chain swaps, DeFi access, stablecoin rails and card-based spending in one mobile-first application. THORWallet allows users to swap native assets across multiple blockchains without relying on wrapped assets, centralized exchanges or traditional bridge infrastructure.
Since launching, THORWallet has positioned itself as one of the leading mobile gateways for cross-chain DeFi, giving users access to protocols such as THORChain, Maya Protocol and other decentralized liquidity networks. The app also offers real-world finance features, including Swiss IBAN account access, crypto card functionality and DeFi yield opportunities.
THORWallet’s long-term vision is to become a self-custodial on-chain finance platform where users can hold, swap, earn and spend digital assets globally while remaining in control of their funds.
About Unblock
Unblock is a Swiss regulated payment infrastructure provider building crypto enabled financial services for users and businesses worldwide.
Headquartered in Switzerland, with offices in Panama, Medellin and Miami, Unblock combines regulatory alignment with international operational reach. Its infrastructure supports fiat and crypto payment flows, card issuance and global distribution across more than 175 countries.
Unblock provides the payment and card infrastructure needed to connect digital assets with real world spending. Through its global setup, Unblock enables partners to launch virtual and physical card products, support stablecoin based payment flows and reach users across both developed and emerging markets.
Through its partnership with THORWallet, Unblock is entering the non custodial wallet sector for the first time, helping build a new generation of payment products where users can access global spending infrastructure while maintaining self custody of their assets.
The post THORWallet Partners with Unblock to Expand Global Non-Custodial Mastercard Access appeared first on BeInCrypto.
- Daylight Energy secures $75M to grow its decentralized physical energy network.
- Framework Ventures leads funding; A16z Crypto, Coinbase Ventures join in.
- New DayFi protocol links energy infrastructure yields to DeFi investors.
Daylight Energy has raised $75 million in new funding to accelerate the growth of its decentralized energy network, marking a major milestone for the startup as it aims to bring blockchain-based innovation to the physical energy infrastructure sector.
The round combines both equity and project finance capital, underscoring growing investor interest in decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN).
Funding structure and investor participation
The $75 million round includes $15 million in equity and $60 million in non-recourse project finance capital, which is secured directly against infrastructure assets, according to CEO Jason Badeaux.
This type of financing structure allows repayment from the project’s own cash flows rather than relying on the company’s balance sheet.
Framework Ventures led the $15 million equity raise, joined by several notable venture backers including A16z Crypto, Lerer Hippeau, M13, Room40 Ventures, EV3, Crucible Capital, Coinbase Ventures, and Not Boring Capital.
The project finance portion was led by Turtle Hill Capital, according to a company statement.
Daylight plans to use the new capital to advance its position in the DePIN ecosystem, particularly focusing on decentralized energy distribution.
The company previously raised $9 million in Series A funding in 2023, also led by A16z Crypto, which has remained one of its core supporters.
Expanding the DePIN vision in energy
Founded in 2022, Daylight Energy is developing a decentralized protocol that enables users to connect their energy devices—such as thermostats, batteries, electric vehicles, and solar inverters—to its application.
In return, participants earn rewards for contributing to the network’s distributed infrastructure.
The concept builds on the growing DePIN movement, which seeks to decentralize ownership and control of physical assets like telecommunications, storage, and energy infrastructure through blockchain technology.
“To build the largest decentralized energy network in the world, you need to incentivize behavior change to adopt distributed energy and catalyze a huge amount of capital behind it,” Badeaux said. “Crypto is uniquely good at doing those two things and creates opportunities to align incentives, drive down costs, and rebuild this industry on a foundation of transparency, ownership, and shared economic upside.”
Daylight’s mission aligns with a broader industry push toward democratized access to clean energy generation and participation in its value chain.
By merging blockchain incentives with real-world energy systems, the firm aims to reduce barriers to decentralized adoption.
Introducing DayFi: a bridge between energy and DeFi
Alongside the new funding, Daylight announced DayFi, a yield protocol designed to open the energy infrastructure market to decentralized finance (DeFi) investors.
The protocol will allow users to earn returns directly tied to electricity revenues generated from Daylight’s growing portfolio of solar and storage assets.
This move effectively bridges renewable energy and DeFi, offering investors exposure to real-world energy production within a blockchain-native framework.
Daylight was co-founded by Jason Badeaux, Udit Patel, and Evan Caron, all veterans of the traditional energy sector.
The team’s combined experience and backing from prominent venture firms position Daylight as one of the leading players exploring how blockchain can reshape physical infrastructure markets.
With the new financing secured, Daylight Energy is poised to expand its decentralized network footprint and further integrate energy production, distribution, and financing into a transparent, tokenized ecosystem.
The second-largest publicly traded ether treasury firm, SharpLink Gaming (SBET), has raised $76.5 million in a direct stock offering priced above market.
The Minneapolis-based company said in a press release it sold 4.5 million shares at $17 per share, a 12% premium over its $15.15 closing price on Oct. 15.
The sale price also reflected a premium to the company’s net asset value of its 840,124 ETH holdings, reflecting what the company called “strong institutional confidence” in its strategy.
An unnamed institutional investor bought the shares and received a 90-day option to buy another 4.5 million shares at $17.50.
The firm’s ether holdings are second only to that of Bitmine Immersion Technologies (BMNR), which currently has 3.03 million ETH in its treasury.
SBET is higher by 3.7 to $15.57 in early Thursday trade alongside a modest bounce in the price of ETH to back above $4,000.
