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Republic Digital joins push for tokenization, invests in RWA pioneer Centrifuge
NFT Gaming

Republic Digital joins push for tokenization, invests in RWA pioneer Centrifuge

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Republic Digital made a strategic investment in RWA firm Centrifuge via its Opportunistic Digital Assets Fund.

Summary

  • Republic Digital’s Opportunistic Digital Assets Fund invested in Centrifuge RWA firm
  • The company’s JAAA ETF enables ordinary investors to buy in complex fixed-income products
  • Centrifuge’s TVL grew from $120M to $1.2B in just 6 months

Real world assets are continuing to capture the interest among tradFi firms. On Tuesday, August 26, Republic Digital announced a strategic investment in Centrifuge, via its Opportunistic Digital Assets Fund. Republic Digital and Centrifuge did not disclose the total value of the investment.

According to Republic Digital, this investment reflects its commitment to the future of tokenized assets. Moreover, its CEO, Joe Naggar, praised Centrifuge’s JAAA collateralized loan obligations ETF, released last year. This type of investment vehicle is usually reserved for Wall Street investors, but is now available to the public.

“Tokenized treasuries have captured a lot of attention lately, but now the question is what comes next. Centrifuge delivered that answer with JAAA. They’re not just experimenting, they’re executing. The infrastructure is live, the products are functioning, and the market is only beginning to grasp the scale of what this team has built. Our investment reflects strong conviction in both their leadership and long-term vision,” Joe Naggar, CEO and CIO of Republic Digital.

Centrifuge’s TVL grows 10x in six months to $1.2B

Centrifuge stated that the funding from Republic Digital will go toward making its RWAs transferable, composable, and liquid. So far, the total value of all real-world assets locked in on Centrifuge has reached $1.2 billion, up from $120 million six months ago.

“Tokenization is not merely a trend, it’s the long-term architecture of modern finance. We’ve spent years building the infrastructure to drive it, and with live products like JAAA, the shift from theory to execution is already underway. The next phase is about scaling access, liquidity, and composability,” Bhaji Illuminati, CEO of Centrifuge.



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Donald Trump Jr. Joins Polymarket Following Investment Into Crypto Prediction Market

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In brief

  • Polymarket unveiled an investment from 1789 Capital.
  • Donald Trump Jr. serves as a partner at the venture capital firm and is joining the prediction market’s advisory board.
  • The prediction market is trying to reenter the U.S.

Donald Trump Jr. is joining Polymarket’s advisory board, the prediction market said in a press release on Tuesday, while announcing that 1789 Capital, where the U.S. president’s eldest son serves as a partner, has also made an investment in the New York-based firm.

The deal, which was first reported by Axios, was reportedly delayed until Polymarket had a clear path to reentering the U.S., while discussions between the two firms’ executives began about 18 months ago, according to an unmanned source who’s familiar with the situation. 

The investment, made on undisclosed terms, follows Polymarket’s acquisition of QCEX. The prediction market signaled last month that it was eyeing a return to the U.S. after acquiring the little-known derivatives exchange, and its clearinghouse, for $122 million.



In a statement, Trump Jr. described Polymarket as an “important platform” that Americans need access to, saying it helps people cut through media and political spin. 

Trump Jr. has been serving as an advisor to prediction market rival Kalshi since January.  He was brought on to help Kalshi with partnerships and market strategy in its efforts to expand.

Although last year’s presidential election was viewed as a tossup by pollsters, Polymarket tilted toward U.S. President Donald Trump in the race’s final months. It also foresaw then-U.S. President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the top of the Democratic ticket.

Activity on Polymarket has cooled in recent months, but the platform registered $1 billion in trading volume in July, according to a Dune dashboard. Over the same period, it registered around 285,000 active traders.

1789 Capital is “funding the next chapter of American exceptionalism,” according to its website. The firm has made investments in firms, including SpaceX, according to PitchBook.

Some of tech CEO Elon Musk’s firms have drawn closer to Polymarket itself, including X, as the billionaire’s social media company inches toward becoming an “everything app.”

In June, X inked a partnership with Polymarket. The prediction market became X’s official platform, alongside the release of a tool for dissecting market-moving news in real time.

Authorities and regulators began scrutinizing Polymarket last year for allegedly allowing Americans to use its services, but those investigations have since been dropped. Since 2022, the company has agreed to block U.S. users, after reaching a settlement with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission for allegedly failing to register with the regulator.

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Metaplanet Joins FTSE Japan Index, Continues to Stack Bitcoin

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In brief

  • FTSE Russell’s September review has elevated the company from small-cap to mid-cap status.
  • Eric Trump, a strategic adviser since March, is expected to attend the company’s next shareholder meeting in Tokyo.
  • The inclusion will channel passive investment flows into a balance sheet centered on Bitcoin, though not without risks, analysts told Decrypt.

Metaplanet, a Tokyo-listed hotel group that over the past year has recast itself as Asia’s most active Bitcoin treasury firm, will be added to the FTSE Japan Index, further embedding the world’s largest digital asset into mainstream equity portfolios.

The change was confirmed in an announcement from FTSE Russell’s September 2025 semi-annual review on Friday, which upgraded Metaplanet from small-cap to mid-cap status, with the index inclusion taking effect after market close by September 19.

Metaplanet’s inclusion marks another “important milestone” as it attempts to stay “as Japan’s leading Bitcoin treasury company, CEO Simon Gerovich wrote Sunday on X.



Shortly after Gerovich announced the inclusion, the company disclosed the purchase of an additional 103 BTC, bringing total holdings to 18,991 BTC.

It also updated its capital structure, saying 49,000 stock acquisition rights were exercised in the week of August 18–22, adding 4.9 million shares and lifting the total to 722 million, a step that funds further Bitcoin purchases but leaves each existing investor with a smaller slice of the company.

Eric Trump, appointed as a strategic adviser to Metaplanet in March, will reportedly attend Metaplanet’s next shareholder meeting in Tokyo in September, according to a Friday report from Bloomberg.

Part of the FTSE global equity index series, the FTSE Japan Index tracks mid and large-cap companies listed in Japan. Funds that track the index automatically buy the stocks it lists.

Passive inflow effects

Metaplanet’s inclusion in the FTSE Japan and All-World indices creates a “regulated route for BTC exposures” and “paves the way for other crypto-forward companies to join major benchmarks,” Vincent Liu, chief investment officer at Kronos Research, told Decrypt.

In effect, “passive flows into the FTSE indices” could “channel institutional capital” into Metaplanet to offer indirect Bitcoin exposure, boosting “liquidity and long-term stability” despite risks where large movements “could still ripple through both equity and crypto markets,” Liu said.

At a structural level, the promotion “shows that Bitcoin treasury strategies don’t create barriers to index inclusion,” Ryan Yoon, senior analyst at Tiger Research, told Decrypt.

Metaplanet was likely evaluated “using standard criteria like market cap and trading volume, without separately considering their Bitcoin holdings,” he added.

However, the inclusion appears to represent “the existing index framework’s neutral approach rather than active crypto acceptance, “Yoon noted.

“Passive inflow effects exist structurally, but practical impact remains limited,” Yoon said, explaining that while pension funds and index funds automatically purchase Metaplanet shares when tracking FTSE Japan, it produces “small index weighting,” which means “minimal direct Bitcoin demand.”

What’s problematic, according to Yoon, is that investors might “think they’re making ‘diversified Japan equity investments’ while actually being exposed to both Bitcoin price volatility and the company’s execution capability in acquiring Bitcoin.”

Now at nearly 64% of its 2025 goal, once Metaplanet reaches its 210,000 BTC target, the dependency on Bitcoin could intensify and potentially create “unexpected volatility for passive investors who didn’t anticipate such crypto exposure,” Yoon said.

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Trump, Musk feud; Circle IPO; Strategy upsize
GameFi Guides

Ripple expands in Asia, Bo Hines joins Tether

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This week in crypto, the market saw a mix of high-profile partnerships, regulatory moves, and massive token acquisitions.

From Ripple and SBI Holdings preparing to bring RLUSD to Japan, to SharpLink Gaming and Strategy making significant Ethereum and Bitcoin buys, digital assets continue to make waves.

Meanwhile, global authorities cracked down on cybercrime, regulators pushed forward with “crypto sprint” initiatives, and political and corporate actors deepened their stake in the space.

Here’s a roundup of the top stories shaping the crypto ecosystem this week.

SBI Holdings welcomes Ripple stablecoin

  • Tokyo-based financial services giant SBI Holdings agreed to collaborate with Ripple for introducing RLUSD stablecoin to Japan.
  • The partnership targets the first quarter of 2026 for market launch.

Interpol coordinates cybercrime crackdown

  • Operation Serengeti 2.0 resulted in over 1,200 arrests across 18 African nations and the United Kingdom.
  • The operation targeted criminals who victimized 88,000 individuals through various schemes including cryptocurrency fraud. Authorities confiscated more than $97.4 million.

VanEck submits JitoSOL ETF application

  • The global investment management company filed registration documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed VanEck JitoSOL ETF tracking the liquid staking token.

CFTC advances crypto sprint initiative

  • The Commodity Futures Trading Commission continues to implement its third phase of accelerated rulemaking efforts based on recommendations from the President’s Working Group on Digital Asset Markets.
  • These “crypto sprint” measures aim to establish clearer regulatory frameworks for digital asset derivatives and trading.

Social engineering scam costs investor $91 million

  • An unidentified cryptocurrency holder lost 783 Bitcoin after fraudsters impersonated customer support representatives from a hardware wallet manufacturer and exchange platform.

South Korean officials prepare stablecoin framework

  • Senior executives from major Korean financial institutions are scheduled to meet with leadership teams from Tether and Circle Internet Group this week.
  • These discussions precede South Korea’s anticipated October launch of legal frameworks governing stablecoin operations.

DBS Bank tokenizes structured notes on Ethereum

  • Singapore’s largest financial institution announced plans to offer tokenized structured notes through partnerships with ADDX, DigiFT, and HydraX platforms.
  • Eligible traders will access these products via cryptocurrency investment platforms and exchanges.

Winklevoss twins increase political contributions

  • Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss donated an additional $21 million worth of Bitcoin (BTC) to the Digital Freedom Fund PAC, contributing over 188 BTC to political advocacy efforts.
  • The contribution aims to maintain President Donald Trump’s support for the cryptocurrency industry.
  • The online gambling marketing company acquired 143,593 Ethereum (ETH) for $601.5 million between August 10-15.
  • This purchase represents SharpLink’s largest Ethereum acquisition over the past month as part of its treasury strategy transition.

SkyBridge Capital to tokenize $300m in hedge funds

  • Anthony Scaramucci’s investment management firm will tokenize $300 million worth of hedge funds on the Avalanche network through partnerships with Tokeny and Apex Group.
  • The Digital Macro Master Fund and Legion Strategies will move on-chain through this collaboration with the $3.5 trillion asset manager.

Bo Hines joins Tether

  • The former presidential crypto advisor accepted appointment as strategic advisor for digital assets and U.S. strategy at the stablecoin issuer.
  • Hines will focus on Tether’s American market entry strategy.

Thailand delays crypto tourist payment features

  • The Bank of Thailand suspended cryptocurrency conversion capabilities in its new Tourist Wallet pending regulatory review through mid-August.
  • The digital payment system currently supports QR-based foreign currency conversions with eight partner countries including Singapore and Malaysia.

Strategy accumulates more Bitcoin

  • Strategy purchased 430 Bitcoin for $51.4 million during the week, paying an average price of $119,666 per coin.



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USA's Gio Reyna joins Gladbach from Borussia Dortmund
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USA’s Gio Reyna joins Gladbach from Borussia Dortmund

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Jul 20, 2025, 06:26 PM ET

United States midfielder Gio Reyna has completed his transfer to Borussia Mönchengladbach from Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund, the clubs announced Saturday.

Reyna, 22, has signed a three-year contract through the summer of 2028.

For Reyna, it means an end to his six-year stay at Dortmund, where he began his professional career after leaving New York City FC’s academy.

It represents a fresh start for Reyna after his initial sizable promise was stalled by a series of injuries and a struggle for first-team minutes.

“Borussia are a fantastic, big club,” Reyna said in a statement. “I’m delighted that the transfer has been able to be completed and am looking forward to getting to know everyone here, as well as tackling the upcoming games together.”

Reyna made just three starts in Germany’s Bundesliga last season having spent the second half of the previous campaign on loan at Premier League side Nottingham Forest.

While he was part of the Dortmund squad that reached the quarterfinals of this summer’s Club World Cup, Reyna made only one 12-minute substitute appearance. His participation in the tournament nonetheless meant he missed out on the U.S. men’s national team squad for the Concacaf Gold Cup.

Reyna, son of former U.S. midfielder Claudio Reyna, has won 32 caps for the USMNT and scored eight goals. With only a solitary substitute appearance since Mauricio Pochettino took over as coach last year, Reyna will now be hoping that the move to Gladbach can rejuvenate his career and earn him a place in the U.S. squad for next summer’s World Cup on home soil.

He joins a Gladbach side that finished 10th in the Bundesliga last season and kicks off the new campaign at home to Hamburg on Sunday.

“Gio brings plenty of experience with him, in addition to being a young player with plenty of potential,” said Roland Virkus, Borussia’s managing director for sport. “We have been monitoring him for a while now and are convinced that he has the qualities needed to help us on the pitch.

“He’s familiar with the Bundesliga and can play at a number of different positions in attack.”



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Japan’s SBI Holdings Joins Tokenized Stock Push With Startale Joint Venture

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Japanese financial giant SBI Holdings is moving into the red-hot tokenized stock market through a joint venture with Singapore-based blockchain development firm Startale.

The companies plan to build an on-chain platform designed for trading tokenized equities and real-world assets (RWAs), they announced on Friday.

The step puts SBI alongside a growing roster of major players experimenting with tokenized stocks. Robinhood and several crypto exchanges including Kraken, Gemini started offering blockchain-based versions of publicly traded shares.

SBI, which oversees more than 11 trillion yen ($74 billion) in assets and has over 65 million customers globally, sees asset tokenization as a major shift in global markets.

“We predict that this movement will eventually lead to the digitalization of capital markets themselves, including exchanges,” Yoshitaka Kitao, president and CEO of SBI Holdings, said in a statement.

The joint venture will focus on 24/7 trading of tokenized U.S. and Japanese stocks with near-instant settlement, the press release said. Features are expected to include fractional ownership, institutional-grade custody and real-time compliance monitoring.

“This platform will be highly interoperable, always open, accessible to anyone, and designed to meet the needs of users worldwide in the global market,” Yoshitaka Kitao said.

Startale previously developed Soneium, an Ethereum layer-2 network, with Japanese tech giant Sony.

Read more: DBS Launches Tokenized Structured Notes on Ethereum, Expanding Investor Access



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Tron Joins Metamask With Native Integration
Crypto Trends

Tron Joins MetaMask With Native Integration

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Tron has officially joined MetaMask, the world’s most used crypto wallet made by Consensys. This news was shared through a new partnership with Tron DAO. 

With this, it makes Tron only the third blockchain outside Ethereum to get full MetaMask support since the wallet started in 2016. Before Tron, MetaMask added Solana and BNB Smart Chain.

According to the press release, users can now use MetaMask to connect directly to the Tron network. This means users can send and receive TRX, work with TRC-20 tokens, use stablecoins, and even trade NFTs, all inside the wallet.

“MetaMask’s extensive user base and established reputation make it a vital gateway to decentralized applications,” said Tron DAO community spokesperson Sam Elfarra. 

Tron founder Justin Sun added that “as stablecoin adoption accelerates, networks that can consistently deliver high throughput, liquidity depth, and low transaction costs are emerging as the backbone of digital finance.”

MetaMask Expands Beyond Ethereum

MetaMask has been working to add more blockchains beyond Ethereum. In May, it rolled out support for Solana through an extension and has plans to add Bitcoin later in 2025. 

Angel Gonzalez-Capizzi, director of business development at MetaMask, said Tron’s strong base in Asia makes it an important chain for reaching users worldwide. Tron itself says it now processes almost nine million transactions daily and moves more than $22 billion in value each day, making it the top blockchain for USDT payments.

MetaMask & Tron’s Momentum in the Market

MetaMask was first released in 2016 and today has more than 100 million active users. The team has been expanding the wallet’s scope through new integrations.

Earlier this year, MetaMask also launched a self-custody crypto card with Mastercard, though it is only available to people on a waiting list. Consensys, the company behind MetaMask, has also considered launching its own token after U.S. regulators closed an investigation into the firm earlier this year.

Tron has grown fast since its launch in 2017. It has become one of the top 10 blockchains by size and is well known for handling stablecoin transfers at low cost. In the United States, Tron has seen new growth after recent regulatory changes. 

In June, SRM Entertainment said it would change its name to Tron Inc. and use a treasury strategy based on TRX, with Sun as an adviser.

Also Read: Bullish Raises $1.15B IPO Funds in Stablecoins



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Figure Joins Crypto IPO Rush With Nasdaq Listing Bid Under FIGR

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Figure, the blockchain-powered lender founded by SoFi co-founder Mike Cagney, has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering as the latest entrant in a growing crypto IPO wave.

The company plans to list its Class A shares on the Nasdaq under the ticker FIGR, with Goldman Sachs, Jefferies, and BofA Securities serving as lead underwriters.

Figure’s path to public markets has been years in the making. In 2021, it launched a special purpose acquisition company, Figure Acquisition Corp. I, with a $250 million raise aimed at acquiring growth-stage businesses using Provenance as an efficiency layer, however in the end this SPAC did not bring Figure to market.

A friendlier regulatory stance under the Trump administration and buoyant crypto and stock markets have set the stage for a surge of digital asset firms tapping the equity markets, including crypto exchange Bullish which is the owner of CoinDesk.

The company last month merged with Figure Markets, a blockchain marketplace also launched by Cagney that issues YDLS, a yield-bearing stablecoin structured as a tokenized money market fund.

Financials disclosed in the S-1 show revenue up 22.4% in the first half of 2025 to $190.6 million, with net income of $29 million compared with a $13 million loss a year earlier.

According to the filing with the SEC, proceeds from the IPO will fund working capital and potential acquisitions, with no dividends planned.



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