Visa, ANZ Bank, Hua Xia Fund, and Fidelity International completed a cross-border settlement solution based on Chainlink. Under the Hong Kong Monetary Authority's e-HKD program, Chainlink enables secure transfers of regulated assets through automated compliance and atomic settlement. Chainlink's digital transfer agent technology standards can automatically issue tokenized fund units while utilizing Chainlink's data standards to obtain on-chain NAV data for near real-time settlement. Chainlink CCIP supports secure messaging and e-HKD value transfer across jurisdictions and blockchains; Chainlink's automated compliance engine can validate cross-network identity credentials in real-time.

Google's Threat Intelligence Team discovered a new iOS exploit kit called "Coruna" that can target iPhones running iOS versions 13.0 to 17.2.1 to steal cryptocurrency wallet mnemonic phrases. The kit contains five complete iOS exploit chains and 23 vulnerabilities, some of which were previously undisclosed. Google first discovered this kit in February 2025, which was suspected to have been used by a Russian spy organization to target Ukrainian users, and later appeared on counterfeit Chinese cryptocurrency websites to steal cryptocurrency assets; when users visit these sites, the kit scans and extracts text containing keywords like mnemonic phrases, backup phrases, etc., specifically targeting applications like Uniswap and MetaMask to steal sensitive information. Google recommends that iPhone users immediately update to the latest iOS version or enable "Lockdown Mode" to defend against such attacks, as this kit is not compatible with the latest iOS.

Cryptocurrency payment company Alchemy Pay has obtained a currency transmission license issued by the state of Delaware, USA, allowing it to conduct compliant money transfer-related business locally. Following the approval of this license, Alchemy Pay now holds currency transmission licenses in 15 states in the United States. Its global compliance layout has expanded to cover regions such as Australia, South Korea, Switzerland, and Hong Kong.

Robinhood is hosting the "Take Flight" event and releasing several new products and features. Among them, Robinhood Ventures' first fund, Fund I, is expected to go public on the NYSE on March 6; a shared account function with revocable trust accounts and flexible permission settings will soon be available; this year, a "Family Center" will be launched to provide an overview of family finances and track external brokerage accounts; a children's investment custodial account (UTMA) has now been launched, allowing gifts of cash, stocks, or ETFs. Additionally, Robinhood announced the launch of the Platinum Card, enhanced Robinhood Strategies features, Gold Rewards Hub, early dividend payments, and the Robinhood Market merchandise store.

Cross-border payment giant Western Union has partnered with infrastructure provider Crossmint to support the issuance of the USD stablecoin USDPT on the Solana blockchain and connect it to Western Union's global payment network. This collaboration will integrate Crossmint's wallet and payment APIs with Western Union's infrastructure, allowing fintech platforms to use stablecoins to transfer funds and convert digital dollars to local fiat currency through over 360,000 cash withdrawal points via Western Union. Previously, in October 2025, Western Union announced plans to launch the USDPT stablecoin based on Solana in 2026.

Cryptocurrency execution trading platform Crossover Markets has completed $31 million in Series B financing, led by Tradeweb Markets, with participation from institutions including DRW Venture Capital, Ripple, Virtu Financial, Wintermute Ventures, XTX Markets, and Illuminate Financial. The company plans to utilize the funds to further optimize its forex-style market structure and enhance the efficiency and liquidity of institutional-level cryptocurrency trading. Previously, Crossover Markets completed $12 million in funding in June 2024, led by Illuminate Financial and DRW Venture Capital.

Several informed sources disclosed that a16z Crypto is currently raising funds for its fifth fund, targeting approximately $2 billion, and plans to complete fundraising in the first half of 2026. This fund will focus entirely on blockchain investments. Since its initial $300 million fund launched in 2018, a16z Crypto has continuously expanded its scale, raising a massive $4.5 billion fund in 2022. Although the new fund's size is less than half of the previous round, sources say a16z Crypto plans to shorten the fundraising period to adapt more quickly to the rapidly changing trends in the cryptocurrency industry.

Tether is making a strategic investment in smart sleep technology company Eight Sleep, valued at $1.5 billion. Eight Sleep utilizes artificial intelligence and embedded sensors to provide personalized sleep insights and enhancement services. This investment aims to enhance Eight Sleep’s capabilities and establish a long-term collaboration to jointly develop AI-driven health technologies based on the Tether QVAC framework. This investment follows Tether's launch of the QVAC Health personal health platform, which integrates fragmented health data and supports local device processing to ensure user control, providing a highly personalized experience.

In-Depth & Forward-Looking