Valereum Plc Secures $200m Financing to Advance US Listing and Platform Development

Valereum Plc has secured $200m in investment-grade asset-backed financing to support its global growth strategy. This transaction represents a significant milestone, being approximately ten times larger than any previous capital raise on the Aquis Exchange. The deal is expected to close within four weeks, subject to the completion of due diligence and regulatory verification. Upon closing, Valereum will announce a revised Board structure featuring two new directors appointed by QGP.

The UK-based fintech company will utilise the capital to bridge traditional finance with emerging blockchain technologies. A primary objective is to advance the process for a US listing on NASDAQ or NYSE, aiming to increase market visibility and global investor access. Furthermore, the funds will accelerate the development of Valereum’s AI-driven tokenisation and Royalty & Streaming platform, alongside the establishment of a Digital Asset Treasury to manage digital assets strategically. The Company also plans to pursue new acquisitions and partnerships to diversify revenue streams.

ClearToken Adopts Nasdaq Eqlipse Clearing for Launch of Digital Asset Settlement Service

ClearToken, the digital financial market infrastructure firm, has selected Nasdaq’s Eqlipse Clearing platform to underpin its new digital asset clearing and settlement service. The move supports ClearToken’s goal of modernising digital asset infrastructure through the introduction of CT Settle, a service designed to offer delivery-vs-payment (DvP) and netting capabilities for cryptoassets, stablecoins and fiat currencies. The launch follows ClearToken’s authorisation by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Currently, much of the digital asset market operates via bilateral, prefunded trades. ClearToken aims to reduce counterparty risk and operational inefficiencies by developing a central counterparty clearing house (CCP) model that supports multiple trading venues and custodians. The planned CCP will offer 24/7 real-time clearing with margining and default fund contributions to manage risk.

Nasdaq’s Eqlipse platform provides multi-asset clearing, risk, and settlement functionality, and is already used by more than 20 CCPs globally. Its flexible architecture and embedded AI tools support rapid onboarding and scalable operations.

Deutsche Börse Group and Societe Generale Partner to Accelerate Tokenised Cash Integration

Deutsche Börse Group, Societe Generale Group, and Societe Generale – FORGE (SG-FORGE) have signed a partnership agreement to speed up the integration of token-based cash solutions with existing financial market infrastructure. The collaboration aims to drive the adoption of stablecoins within European digital markets, with SG-FORGE’s CoinVertible stablecoin being key to this effort. The integration of CoinVertible as a payment and settlement instrument will bolster both groups’ digital strategies and complement Deutsche Börse Group’s current service offerings.

The initial phase of the partnership will focus on strengthening CoinVertible’s collateral management structure and its usability as a settlement instrument within Clearstream, the post-trade business of Deutsche Börse Group. This includes its application for securities processes, collateral management, and treasury functions. CoinVertible’s liquidity is also set to improve through a new listing on Deutsche Börse Group’s digital trading platforms.

Future steps involve jointly assessing the integration of both the EUR and USD CoinVertible stablecoins across Deutsche Börse Group’s entire service portfolio. This will broaden the use cases for robust, MiCA-compliant stablecoins, making them natively suitable for financial institutions and the wider cryptocurrency industry.

Franklin Templeton Expands Benji Technology Platform onto Canton Blockchain

The Canton Network has announced that Franklin Templeton is expanding its Benji Technology Platform onto the Canton Blockchain. This integration aims to provide global institutional clients with seamless access to tokenised investment products. The move expands the availability of regulated, tokenised financial instruments on the network, reinforcing Canton’s position as a key blockchain for institutions.

The Benji Technology Platform is Franklin Templeton’s proprietary system designed to manage token-based investments. Using this platform, Franklin Templeton launched the first U.S.-registered mutual fund using blockchain technology in 2021. The firm now offers several on-chain tokenised investment products for various use cases, including retail, institutional, and collateral.

This integration also creates new opportunities for Canton’s Global Collateral Network. Participants, such as QCP, intend to use the platform as a new source of liquidity. This development highlights Canton’s ability to support interconnected traditional finance and digital asset markets while adhering to institutional regulatory and privacy standards.

Avelacom and A-Field Tech Partner on Integrated Low Latency Solutions for APAC Trading Firms

Avelacom, the low latency network solutions provider, and A-Field Tech, the low-latency computing and cloud networking provider, have announced a strategic partnership, aiming to deliver fully integrated network and computing solutions to proprietary trading firms in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly those trading crypto.

By combining Avelacom’s optimised fibre and microwave networks with A-Field Tech’s edge computing nodes and cloud expertise, the partnership promises to reduce latency and to speed up data processing, factors critical for algorithmic trading in crypto markets.

tZERO Launches tZERO Connect to Offer API Access to Regulated Digital Asset Infrastructure

tZERO Group, Inc. has launched tZERO Connect, a new initiative providing institutions and fintech partners with direct, programmable API access. This connects partners to tZERO’s regulated infrastructure for digital securities and tokenised real-world assets (RWAs), supporting the firm’s B2B and B2B2C strategic priorities.

The initiative unifies tZERO’s API suite and global partnership network, enabling banks, broker-dealers, and fintech platforms to embed tokenised asset functions directly into their existing environments. Key features include Tokenisation and Issuance APIs, which are now live, alongside Data APIs and white-label partner integrations.

tZERO Connect is built on the company’s SEC- and FINRA-regulated broker-dealer and ATS. Secondary Trading APIs are planned for release in late 2025 or early 2026. The programme also supports a “follow-the-sun” global model, collaborating with partners like Alphaledger, Archax, and Lynq to expand access to compliant tokenised markets.

Tokenovate Launches Novat Protocol to Streamline Tokenised Asset Settlement

UK fintech Tokenovate has launched the Novat, a new programmable settlement protocol for tokenised assets. The solution is designed to streamline post-trade operations, unlock liquidity, and reduce systemic risk in global capital markets. It addresses the fragmentation and reconciliation delays common in legacy workflows, which are under increasing pressure from the shift to T+1 settlement timelines.

The Novat Protocol tokenises the act of settlement itself, enabling the synchronised movement of assets and cash with automation and legal finality. By combining programmability with standardisation, the protocol aligns data, logic, and the legal record within one layer. This facilitates instant, atomic, and legally final settlement without altering existing custodial arrangements or market infrastructure.

The protocol is powered by the FINOS Common Domain Model (CDM), an industry data standard. This ensures that all on-chain actions reflect clearly defined contractual obligations, transforming market standards into executable logic for deterministic and transparent settlement.

GDF Report Assesses Legal Certainty of Tokenised Money Market Funds in UK, Ireland, and Luxembourg

Global Digital Finance (GDF) has announced findings from a working group report assessing the legal certainty and collateral mobility of Tokenised Money Market Funds (TMMFs) in Luxembourg, Ireland, and the UK. These jurisdictions are critical as Ireland and Luxembourg host over 80% of Europe’s MMFs. The working group included over 70 firms, such as JP Morgan, Blackrock, Lloyds Banking Group, and LSEG.

The report found relative legal certainty for TMMFs in Luxembourg due to existing statutory frameworks. The UK also demonstrated a low degree of legal uncertainty regarding the ownership and rights of digitally native TMMFs, with further clarity anticipated from the Property (Digital Assets etc.) Bill.

In contrast, Ireland currently lacks express statutory authority for tokenised shares. The report concluded that while Irish courts would likely treat TMMFs similarly to traditional shares by analogy, this certainty is not yet directly established in law. As part of the work, 30 firms also participated in the GDF Industry Sandbox, powered by Ownera, to prove the production use case for TMMF collateral mobility.

BitGo Becomes First U.S. Qualified Custodian for Canton Network’s Canton Coin (CC)

Digital asset infrastructure company BitGo has announced custody support for Canton Coin (CC), the native token of the Canton Network. The Canton Network is designed for regulated financial markets, enabling participants to build interoperable applications connecting real-world assets and payments. This integration marks the first time institutions can hold CC with a U.S-based qualified custodian.

BitGo’s institutional clients gain access to qualified, cold-storage custody, $250 million in insurance protection, and multi-signature security. The service also provides self-custody wallets for treasury operations and streamlined reporting and audit tools to meet regulatory compliance standards.

The Canton Network has seen growing adoption for its privacy-preserving infrastructure, processing trillions in tokenized assets. BitGo is expanding its support for the full range of Canton Network assets, including future integration for withdrawals, stablecoins, and trading access.

Broadridge Survey Finds Custodians Leading Rapid Tokenisation Adoption

Tokenisation of assets is shifting rapidly from theory to practice, according to a new whitepaper from Broadridge Financial Solutions. The report, “Next-gen markets: The rise and reality of tokenization,” is based on a survey of 300 financial institutions in North America and Europe. It reveals that custodians are leading this adoption, with 63% already offering tokenised assets and an additional 30% preparing to do so within two years.

Adoption rates vary across other sectors. While only 15% of asset managers currently offer tokenised products, 41% plan to launch them soon. Wealth managers remain the most cautious, with only 10% offering them and 33% planning adoption within the next two years, citing operational complexity as a primary driver for the slower uptake.

The survey found regulatory uncertainty to be the biggest challenge to wider adoption, cited by 73% of all institutions. Other barriers include security concerns, infrastructure gaps, and a lack of common standards. Broadridge, which reported $339 billion in average daily volumes on its Distributed Ledger Repo (DLR) platform in September, noted that the benefit gap between early adopters and non-adopters is widening.