Crypto Morning Brief: NYSE’s Parent Company Invests in OKX; X Launches “Exclusive Topic Posts” Feature
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Crypto Morning Brief: NYSE’s Parent Company Invests in OKX; X Launches “Exclusive Topic Posts” Feature
The U.S. and the U.K. will establish a transatlantic working group to streamline capital market access and strengthen cryptocurrency cooperation.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsAuthor: TechFlow
Market Highlights — Yesterday
U.S. Initial Jobless Claims for the Week Ending February 28: 213,000, vs. Expected 215,000; Prior Figure Revised from 212,000 to 213,000
According to JIN10 Data, initial jobless claims in the U.S. for the week ending February 28 totaled 213,000—lower than the consensus estimate of 215,000. The prior week’s figure was revised upward from 212,000 to 213,000.
U.K. and U.S. to Establish Transatlantic Working Group to Simplify Capital Market Access and Strengthen Crypto Cooperation
According to Reuters, the U.K. Treasury announced on Monday that the U.K. and U.S. governments will jointly establish a “Transatlantic Future Markets Working Group” aimed at reducing bureaucratic hurdles for businesses entering each other’s capital markets and enhancing cooperation in the digital asset space. The group will deliver a report within 180 days, outlining short-term improvements and long-term options—particularly in wholesale digital markets. The initiative has been approved by U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and will be co-chaired by officials from both countries’ treasuries, with participation from respective regulatory agencies.
NYSE Parent ICE Invests in OKX at $25 Billion Valuation
According to Fortune, Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), has invested in cryptocurrency exchange OKX at a valuation of $25 billion.
OKX will provide ICE with real-time price data feeds for crypto assets tradable on its platform. More significantly, OKX users will soon be able to directly trade tokenized stocks and derivatives listed on the NYSE—a feature slated for official launch in the second half of 2026.
Rafique stated that OKX plans to relocate up to 2,000 of its 5,000 employees to the U.S., though no specific timeline was disclosed. “We’ll definitely invest heavily in the U.S.—especially to support this product,” he said, referring specifically to the tokenized stock and ICE asset trading initiative.
OKX Star: Targeting 120 Million Users for Access to ICE Futures and NYSE Tokenized Stock Markets
According to an official announcement, Star, Founder and CEO of OKX, confirmed that ICE has completed its investment in OKX and will join its board of directors. ICE owns the NYSE and operates global derivatives and clearing platforms. This partnership reflects a shared belief in the long-term role of digital asset technologies in future financial markets.
Star noted that OKX aims to enable over 120 million global users to access ICE’s U.S. futures markets and the NYSE’s tokenized stock market—exploring pathways to integrate traditional financial markets with digital asset infrastructure under compliant frameworks. He added that, as blockchain and AI technologies drive structural transformation across finance, the two parties will collaborate on tokenized securities and digitization of traditional assets, exploring next-generation financial infrastructure models that are more efficient and transparent.
X Launches “Exclusive Threads” Feature, Enabling Creators to Monetize Content via Subscription
According to Nikita Bier, Head of Product at X, the platform has launched a new feature called “Exclusive Threads,” enabling creators to monetize their content through subscriptions.
Nikita Bier explained that the feature leverages X Timeline—the world’s most powerful distribution channel—to help domain experts and writers earn more. Unlike traditional subscription platforms such as Substack or Patreon, X charges creators no revenue share, and subscribers can access subscription content without leaving the app.
Jump Crypto and Manifold Trading Receive 4 Million OPN Tokens Combined—Appearing to Serve Simultaneously as Investors and Market Makers
According to on-chain analyst Ai Aunt (@ai_9684xtpa), Binance Launchpool project OPN is scheduled to conduct its token generation event (TGE) tonight. Jump Crypto and Manifold Trading appear to serve simultaneously as investors and market makers, receiving 2.5 million and 1.5 million OPN tokens respectively. Collectively, these two market makers received tokens representing 2% of the initial circulating supply, and have already deposited part of their allocations into exchanges.
SEC Drops Charges Against Justin Sun and Tron; Rainberry Agrees to Pay $10 Million Fine
According to The Block, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has dropped its 2023 charges against Justin Sun, founder of Tron; the Tron Foundation; and the BitTorrent Foundation. Meanwhile, Rainberry (formerly BitTorrent Inc.), the company led by Sun that developed the BitTorrent protocol and BTT cryptocurrency, has agreed to pay a $10 million civil penalty to the SEC.
In 2023, the SEC accused Sun and three affiliated entities of conducting unregistered sales of TRX and BTT tokens, manipulating TRX prices through fake transactions, and paying celebrities to promote tokens without proper disclosure. Per Thursday’s filing, the defendants consented to the SEC’s terms but neither admitted nor denied the allegations.
Digital Asset Trading Technology Firm Crossover Markets Raises $31 Million in Series B Round Led by Tradeweb Markets
According to Tradeweb Markets, institutional-grade digital asset trading technology firm Crossover Markets has closed a $31 million Series B funding round at a $200 million valuation. The round was led by global multi-asset electronic trading platform Tradeweb Markets, with participation from DRW Venture Capital, Illuminate Financial, Ripple, Virtu Financial, Wintermute Ventures, and XTX Markets.
As part of the collaboration, Tradeweb plans to deliver Crossover’s institutional spot crypto liquidity globally using its algorithmic order routing technology. Proceeds will be used to enhance the CROSSx technology stack, expand operations worldwide, and deepen integration with institutional partners.
Tether Announces Strategic Investment in Cross-Border Payments Firm Axiym to Expand Digital Asset Use Cases
According to an official announcement, stablecoin issuer Tether has made a strategic investment in cross-border payments company Axiym. Axiym operates a globally distributed funds and settlement infrastructure, currently supporting payment and settlement activities across 140 countries and 70 currencies.
This partnership aims to natively integrate USD₮ into regulated payment ecosystems, streamlining global payments and improving capital efficiency. Axiym’s infrastructure supports a “Pay Now, Settle Later” (PNSL) post-payment settlement model, enabling payment firms to directly access USD₮ within existing treasury operations—without requiring external procurement or managing separate settlement rails.
Core Scientific Secures $500 Million Loan from Morgan Stanley, Expandable to $1 Billion
According to The Block, Bitcoin mining firm Core Scientific has secured a 364-day $500 million loan from Morgan Stanley, with an option to expand the total amount to $1 billion.
Core Scientific stated it will use the proceeds to acquire real estate, cover pre-development costs, secure additional energy contracts, and purchase equipment—transforming its existing facilities in Texas, Georgia, and North Carolina into infrastructure capable of supporting compute-intensive workloads.
The company is transitioning from Bitcoin mining to providing high-density hosting services for AI clients. According to its annual report filed this week, Core Scientific expects to liquidate “nearly all” of its Bitcoin reserves by 2026 to fund this pivot.
The Information: Alibaba, ByteDance, and Tencent Shift Toward Domestic Chipmakers
According to The Information, sources familiar with the matter revealed that Alibaba, ByteDance, and Tencent are turning to domestic chipmakers to mitigate the impact of worsening global memory chip shortages.
Market Data
Recommended Reading
The Shopping Cart of the USDT Billionaire: A Mattress
This article details Tether’s recent strategic investment in smart mattress company Eight Sleep, illustrating CEO Paolo Ardoino’s distinctive worldview centered on data sovereignty and tech communities. Ardoino believes individuals should hold full sovereignty over their bodies, data, and finances—and that diversified investments—including brain-computer interfaces and peer-to-peer communication platforms—are aligned with this principle. These investments reflect Tether’s idealistic vision of building “post-apocalyptic” infrastructure through technology. However, concerns persist regarding Tether’s operational model and the transparency of USDT’s reserves, raising questions about its long-term stability.
Interview with Ray Dalio: Why I Trust Gold—but Not Bitcoin
This article presents an interview with Ray Dalio, covering topics including America’s debt crisis, challenges facing government reform, monetary policy, differences between gold and Bitcoin, the relationship between tariffs and inflation, and broader challenges confronting the global economy. Dalio offers an in-depth analysis of the U.S.’s current economic and political landscape, drawing on historical insights and highlighting key levers for resolving systemic issues.
Vitalik’s Rare Self-Critique: Ethereum Missed the Most Important Battlefield
This article documents a rare self-critique by Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, who acknowledges Ethereum’s limited contributions to social issues. He proposes a new framework—“sanctuary tech”—to create digital spaces powered by free and open-source technologies that address societal challenges such as privacy protection, digital security, and community collaboration. Vitalik argues that Ethereum must transcend purely financial applications and become part of a broader anti-authoritarian ecosystem—one that helps people build digital islands of stability amid chaos, and optimizes applications for users who rely on sanctuary technologies.
a16z: Stablecoins’ Real Opportunity Lies Not in Disruption—but in Filling Gaps
This article analyzes stablecoins’ latent potential and explores their future trajectory in payments, arguing that their true value lies not in displacing traditional bank cards, but in serving emerging merchants excluded from conventional payment systems.
This article examines ICE’s $25 billion investment in OKX and its plan to launch tokenized stock and derivative trading on OKX in the second half of 2026. It marks a pivotal step toward convergence between traditional finance (TradFi) and centralized finance (CeFi). Through this partnership, OKX aims to strengthen its regulatory compliance posture and global influence in the U.S. market while advancing adoption of tokenized securities and blockchain technology.
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