Shining Light on WSJ’s Attack on ShapeShift and Crypto 2711

Erik Voorhees is among the top-recognized serial Bitcoin advocates and entrepreneurs. He founded ShapeShift in August 2014 as an elegant, secure, and fast solution to digital asset exchanges. Erik has been a featured guest on Bloomberg, Fox Business, CNBC, BBC Radio, The Peter Schiff Show, and numerous blockchain industry conferences. His past affiliations include: BitInstant, Coinapult, and SatoshiDICE, which was responsible for most of the world’s Bitcoin transactions in 2012 and 2013.

Post Synopsis

  • ShapeShift has been the subject of claims from the Wall Street Journal related to money laundering
  • We have worked with the journalists for 5 months under false pretenses
  • The WSJ omitted relevant information
  • The WSJ forwent a chance to prevent potential illicit activity
  • ShapeShift is designed to protect users and their privacy and we do not transact in fiat
  • We publish every single transaction conducted on the platform, making all of them traceable
  • The authors do not have a sufficient understanding of blockchains and our platform in particular
  • The claims made are factually incorrect and deceptive
  • ShapeShift has an industry-leading compliance and AML program
  • We’re here to build a better financial system

ShapeShift has been the subject of claims from the WSJ related to money laundering

This past Friday (9/28), two reporters at the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published an article, “How Dirty Money Disappears Into the Black Hole of Cryptocurrency.”

The article begins as follows: “A North Korean agent, a stolen-credit-card peddler and the mastermind of an $80 million Ponzi scheme had a common problem. They needed to launder their dirty money. They found a common solution in ShapeShift.”

The article then describes the WSJ’s attempt to analyze two years of blockchain data, concluding (wrongly) that $9m was laundered through the ShapeShift platform. The article singled-out ShapeShift and implied that the company is a bastion of illicit activity because it hadn’t previously required user information–despite that same data showing that other exchanges (which did take user information) had similar figures.

Overall, the article contains factual inaccuracies, omits significant details about how ShapeShift operates, and reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of how blockchain transactions work.

We have worked with the WSJ for 5 months under false pretenses

The WSJ reporters reached out to us months ago asking for friendly assistance on a piece about the crypto industry in general. Over a period of five months, we were open and accommodating of their questions while in contrast they misrepresented their intentions until very recently. Of the many things I communicated with them over the past months, they included not a single statement from those lengthy discussions, preferring instead to include out-of-context remarks I’d made elsewhere.

The WSJ omitted relevant information

Let’s instead look at the actual facts, which ShapeShift shared with the WSJ through multiple phone calls, in-person meetings, and emails, but the WSJ decided to exclude from their article; facts such as:

  • $9m (even if it was true) is 0.15% of ShapeShift’s exchange volume during the described time period;
  • We have a strong record of complying with law-enforcement requests, providing valuable assistance in over 30 investigations in 13 different countries all over the world;
  • We work with other exchanges on an almost-daily basis to identify and block thieves and criminals, through a self-policing group ShapeShift created to protect the users and industry;
  • We block entire countries on the sanctions lists;
  • We have an internal anti-money laundering program that uses blockchain forensics that are far more advanced (and we would argue, effective) than asking someone for their “name and address”;
  • We blacklist suspicious addresses upon learning of them.

There is no mention of any of this in the WSJ article.

The WSJ forewent a chance to prevent potential illicit activity

The WSJ reporters withheld information for months about suspicious accounts in order to build their story, rather than communicating it to the appropriate exchanges and ShapeShift immediately so that funds could be frozen or blocked. It is likely victims of these thefts lost their chance to recoup some of the funds due to this opportunism.

ShapeShift is designed to protect users and their privacy and we do not transact in fiat

Unlike most other exchanges, ShapeShift is a crypto-to-crypto, non-custodial platform. We don’t take custody of user funds, but instead swap our own assets for theirs, at a set price. We don’t touch fiat currency, so users cannot swap their dollars/euros/yen for our Bitcoin/Ethereum/Dogecoin. Not a single dollar, euro, or yen has ever been laundered through ShapeShift. It can’t be done.

We publish every single transaction conducted on the platform publicly, making all of them traceable

From ShapeShift’s beginning, it has had a unique model — one which respects user privacy, and yet one which is transparent about all transaction details. To date, ShapeShift remains the only financial company in the world that publishes all transactions that go through its platform. It was this very feed of public information which the WSJ relied upon. Perhaps the irony is lost on the WSJ, but the WSJ would have been unable to do this kind of investigation with any other crypto exchange, because they aren’t transparent in this way.

The WSJ did not have a sufficient understanding of blockchains and our platform in particular

Blockchains and cryptocurrency represent a new, fast-evolving technology and industry. For those who are not real experts, it can be confusing. And the WSJ reporters appear to have gotten confused about how our platform functions. Based on our own analysis of the transactions cited in the article, the WSJ erroneously attributed vast sums of allegedly illicit transactions to ShapeShift in a way that exhibits a profound failure to grasp how blockchains, in general, and our system in particular, really work.

The claims made are factually inaccurate and deceptive

For example:

1) The authors allege this address is a suspicious person. 1AE2cBJDn4cuLCR6RPESpqdaDXdZwhgUya

2) On 9/20/17 this person sends 0.0959 BTC ($600) to another address, which is an exchange (someone other than ShapeShift) 18G8Mf61kFFDt9AVLUdvh1xTUYrLDny6T4

3) Nearly a year later, on 7/13/18 this 18G8 address sends a batch transaction out of its wallet. As part of the batch, 11 BTC ($70,000) is sent to ShapeShift’s address:
1NSc6zAdG2NGbjPLQwAjAuqjHSoq5KECT7 This 11 BTC is not a user sending funds to ShapeShift, it is one of our exchange partners sending BTC to us.

In other words, $600 of suspicious funds were sent to an exchange that wasn’t ShapeShift. Because ShapeShift happens to be a customer of this same exchange–10 months later in a completely unrelated transaction–the exchange sent funds to ShapeShift. The authors didn’t understand how to properly read the blockchains transactions, so they assumed there was $70k in “dirty money” sent to ShapeShift.

Allegation: $70,000 laundered by ShapeShift
Reality: $0 laundered by ShapeShift

We’ve found numerous other examples. We asked the WSJ to send us the specific transaction ID’s that they are claiming as received by ShapeShift, but the analysis we’ve been able to do thus far indicates the WSJ has made wildly inaccurate assertions. As of this writing, the WSJ has been unwilling or unable to send the requested transaction data necessary for us to do a more fulsome analysis of their assertions.

ShapeShift has an industry-leading compliance and AML program

Contrary to the portrayal in the WSJ piece, ShapeShift has always sought to comply with those laws that apply to its unique business model. Crypto being a new technology and the Bank Secrecy Act being a relatively old law, there are rational and strong legal arguments that ShapeShift is not subject to the “Know Your Customer” rules found in the BSA. Indeed, in part because of this legal uncertainty, we have sought clarification from regulators and have implemented KYC in the interim. That is, despite the fact that ShapeShift operates in a world of unclear and changing regulations, we have built an industry-leading compliance program:

  • We have been working with inside and outside legal counsel for years in addressing regulation appropriately, particularly in the US and Switzerland
  • We have an industry-leading Anti-Money Laundering compliance firm checking all our transactions
  • We have a Chief Legal Officer with 20 years of regulatory experience at leading law firms
  • We have a Chief Compliance Officer with 6+ years of compliance experience
  • We monitor addresses on our blacklists to prevent known illicit transactions
  • We have announced mandatory KYC for all users of ShapeShift

All of the above was done upon thorough, thoughtful, and extensive legal and business-risk analysis in the interest of mitigating perceived threats.

We’re here to build a better financial system

The WSJ article’s implication that ShapeShift is somehow negligent or complicit on this issue of money laundering is false and absurd; emblematic of a media industry that cares more about clickbait sensationalism than it does about improving the financial state of mankind. But we should not expect the Wall Street Journal to change Wall Street.

An objective observer will find no complacency here; ShapeShift’s record (based on facts) compares favorably against any peer, within the crypto industry or without.

Ultimately, we are trying to pioneer a new financial system, and we don’t expect to be loved by the proponents of the old. That’s understandable. Yet ShapeShift has always been in favor of complying with the laws of the jurisdictions in which it operates, even though many of these laws are unclear, ever-changing, contradictory, and in some cases ineffective.

We will push forward, and we’d suggest the WSJ change their title to be more accurate and objective, “Less than two tenths of one percent of ShapeShift’s business might be illicit.”

-Erik Voorhees
CEO ShapeShift

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Solv Protocol Becomes First to Deliver Bitcoin-Native Yield via Utexo on RGB + Lightning Network, Aligning with Tether’s USDT Expansion 381

Solv Protocol, the leading on-chain Bitcoin asset management platform with over $2 billion in reserves and the largest on chain Bitcoin-native yield infrastructure, today announced a strategic integration with Utexo, a non-custodial settlement layer built on RGB protocol and Lightning Network. This marks the industry’s first true Bitcoin-native yield powered by atomic swaps between native BTC-to-USDT swaps directly on Bitcoin’s rails, eliminating wrappers, bridges, and custodial dependencies while preserving full self-custody, privacy, and settlement finality.

The integration aligns with Tether’s August 2025 announcement to issue USDT natively on RGB-compatible Lightning rails, marking a key step in commercializing Bitcoin-native stablecoins with faster, more private transfers.

A Shared Vision for Production-Ready Bitcoin Infrastructure

Solv participated as a strategic angel investor in Utexo’s recent $7.5 million seed round, which was led by Tether alongside other prominent investors. Both Solv and the round’s lead investors recognized the same critical gap: the lack of production-ready infrastructure capable of enabling scalable, native stablecoin settlements on Bitcoin and Lightning.

As Lightning Network advances toward even quicker settlements and broader asset support in 2026, Solv’s Utexo integration positions Bitcoin yield for large-scale institutional use, enabling seamless, Bitcoin-anchored financial flows.

A Milestone Shift to Pure Bitcoin-Native Yield

Traditional Bitcoin yield solutions force users to sacrifice custody, privacy, or settlement integrity. Solv’s Utexo integration changes that with 3 breakthrough advantages:

  • True self-custody — RGB’s client-side validation keeps transactions confidential while anchored to Bitcoin’s UTXO model
  • Lightning Network delivers 10x faster settlement — enabling instant, near-zero-fee transactions that finalize in approximately 50ms
  • Institutional-ready — Enterprise APIs eliminate technical complexity for funds, exchanges, and DeFi protocols

The timing aligns perfectly with Tether’s RGB-compatible USDT launch, positioning Solv to capture institutional demand as Bitcoin-native stablecoins go mainstream in 2026.

“Bitcoin-native yield has long been diluted by wrappers and intermediaries. With Utexo, we are drawing a clear line: true yield must be built directly on native Bitcoin rails, prioritizing security, privacy, and settlement integrity at institutional scale,” said Ryan Chow, Co-founder and CEO of Solv Protocol. “This is a key step in our ongoing exploration and creation of more sophisticated native BTC yield products for sophisticated capital.”

Utexo complements Solv’s vision by providing production-ready infrastructure for native BTC/USDT flows, especially as Tether’s RGB rollout expands stablecoin adoption on Bitcoin. Together, they support regulated access, enhanced collateral use cases and demand for high-throughput settlement with private execution and pre-fixed costs.

“Utexo’s RGB-Lightning stack empowers Solv to offer scalable, enterprise-grade yield, aligning with Tether’s native stablecoin roadmap,” said Viktor Ihnatiuk, Utexo’s Co-founder and CEO.

This positions Solv as a pioneer in Bitcoin-native finance, supporting Tether’s vision for private USDT transfers on Lightning, unlocking $1T+ in BTC potential amid 2026’s DeFi surge.

For more information, please visit https://solv.finance

Solv Protocol

Solv Protocol is the largest on-chain Bitcoin reserve, bridging TradFi, CeFi, DeFi, and RWAFfi (real-world assets finance) through its Bitcoin Finance product suite which includes SolvBTC, xSolvBTC and BTC+. With over 25,000 BTC staked and $2.5 billion in asset under management (AUM), Solv offers institutional-grade vaults, liquid staking, and lending solutions audited via Chainlink Proof of Reserve.

Backed by Binance Labs, Solv is building the $1 trillion Bitcoin economy — powered by transparency, efficiency, and interoperability.

Utexo

Utexo is a Bitcoin-anchored execution and settlement layer for stablecoin payments. By combining Lightning Network’s instant execution with RGB’s privacy-preserving asset issuance, Utexo’s API and SDK enable payment operators, exchanges, wallets, and custodians to process USDT with predictable fixed costs, sub-second settlement, and private execution without operating blockchain infrastructure or managing Lightning liquidity.

Quip.Network launches quantum-classical blockchain testnet, opens doors to global research community 712

More than 13,000 researchers sign up to participate in testnet to facilitate research and development in secure, trustworthy distributed quantum computing

Postquant Labs, the developer building Quip.Network, the first worldwide distributed quantum compute network, announced today that it has launched a publicly available quantum-classical blockchain test network (testnet). More than 13,000 people have signed up to participate in the testnet, which enables the global research community to experiment, collaborate, and contribute to advancing the intersection between quantum computing, blockchain technology and distributed quantum computing.

Built in consultation with D-Wave Quantum Inc. (“D-Wave”), the world’s leading quantum computing company, the testnet is designed to support the development and adoption of a global quantum blockchain standard. It is planned to also assess the role quantum computing could play in enabling a more secure and energy-efficient blockchain within a distributed computing network. The testnet uses D-Wave’s Advantage2 annealing quantum computers to solve complex optimization problems along with other computing platforms.

“Today, annealing quantum computers are starting to show performance advantages on useful optimization applications across logistics, manufacturing, and beyond, often delivering better results, faster, and at lower energy cost than classical-only solutions,” said Colton Dillion, CEO and co-founder of Postquant Labs. “Our goal is to make this quantum advantage accessible across a blockchain network, and we can begin to build the foundations for this today.”

Quip.Network’s testnet mining protocol is built around solving a set of computationally challenging optimization problems — a class of problems where D-Wave’s Advantage2 annealing quantum computer has demonstrated competitive performance relative to classical computing approaches. Researchers and developers are invited to participate in the testnet and compete for QUIP token incentives by solving these benchmark problems using quantum and classical computing resources, including CPUs and GPUs.

“The convergence of quantum computing and blockchain represents a powerful new frontier for secure, energy-efficient, and distributed computing,” said Dr. Trevor Lanting, chief development officer at D-Wave. “Quip.Network’s testnet provides a pathway for researchers to explore, understand and accelerate how quantum computing could enhance blockchain performance.”

“Quip.Network is open-source because quantum advantage shouldn’t be a marketing claim, but rather a verifiable result,” said Dr. Richard Carback, chief technology officer and co-founder of Postquant Labs. “We want the community running nodes and helping us harden the infrastructure. We want researchers to challenge our implementations and submit proofs of work optimized for their own processors.”

The network’s cross-chain architecture means users don’t need to move funds to a new blockchain to participate, and its post-quantum secure design protects user assets against emerging quantum threats. Quantum-resistant wallets are already deployed on EVM and Solana networks, with Bitcoin and other network support in development.

About Postquant Labs

Postquant Labs is building Quip.Network, the first decentralized, worldwide quantum computer. The network incentivizes both quantum and classical operators to contribute computing power, creating a trustless marketplace for quantum computing. Quip.Network’s quantum-resistant wallets are already deployed across multiple blockchains.

Uniblock Raises $5.2M to Operate Blockchain Infrastructure 835

Uniblock, the managed infrastructure layer for blockchain applications, has raised $5.2 million in funding ($7.5M to date). The round brings together investors across the US, Japan, India, Singapore, and the Solana ecosystem, including SBI, AllianceDAO, CoinSwitch, Blockchain Founders Fund, Hustle Fund, AAF Management, NGC Ventures, Alchemy, MoonPay among others, with angel participation from executives at Kraken, Uber, and CoinList.

Alongside the raise, Uniblock has shipped a suite of AI-native developer tools built for how blockchain development actually happens today.

The Infrastructure Problem

Blockchain infrastructure has entered a new phase. Stripe has entered the crypto arena in a big way with its $1.1B acquisition of Bridge for stablecoins, Privy for wallets and now Tempo, its own Layer 1 blockchain for payments, with Mastercard, Visa, and UBS already testing on the network. Mainstream media networks broadcast Polymarket prediction market odds in live news tickers alongside war coverage and election results. Tokenized assets trade on regulated exchanges.

At the same time, AI agents are beginning to read and write blockchain data autonomously, and developers increasingly build through AI coding assistants rather than reading documentation line by line.

No single blockchain data provider covers every chain an application may need. No single provider can guarantee uptime. Without a managed orchestration layer, every team builds and maintains its own routing and fallback system. AI agents face the same fragmentation with less tolerance for it.

Uniblock Today

Uniblock operates the managed infrastructure layer between blockchain applications and the 55 data partners they depend on. One API key provides access to over 300 blockchains and more than 3,000 APIs, with patented auto-routing that handles provider selection, failover, and data normalization. Over 3,000 projects and 4,000 developers run on the platform. Customers including Plume Network, Stellar Blockchain, Hypernative, Oku Trade, nReach, and Apechain run production workloads. Plume Network and Apechain run Uniblock as managed RPC infrastructure through ecosystem partnerships.

AI-driven API consumption is a growing segment on the platform. It accelerates Uniblock’s own development, powers the product’s intelligent routing engine, and represents a new category of infrastructure consumer.

AI-Native Developer Tools

Alongside the raise, Uniblock has shipped a suite of AI-native developer tools designed for how blockchain development happens today:

  • MCP Server. AI agents call Uniblock’s unified APIs directly with no humans in the loop. Live at a public endpoint.
  • LLM-Optimized Documentation (llms.txt). Structured API reference built for AI consumption. When a developer’s AI assistant queries Uniblock integration details, the answer is accurate.
  • Agent Skills. Ready-to-paste context for Claude, Codex, Cursor, and other AI coding environments. Developers drop these into their IDE so the AI writes correct Uniblock integration code on the first attempt.

“Two shifts are happening at once. Mainstream companies are bringing production workloads to blockchain, and AI agents are starting to read and write chain data autonomously. Both need the same thing: reliable infrastructure across hundreds of chains. That’s what Uniblock runs.”
Kevin Callahan, CEO and Co-Founder, Uniblock

“The next wave of blockchain adoption will depend on infrastructure that simplifies an increasingly complex ecosystem while maintaining dependable performance. Uniblock is building exactly that through a single API layer that simplifies multi-chain access for developers, enterprises, and AI-driven applications, and we are pleased to support the team as it enters this next phase of growth.”
Eiichiro So, CEO & Managing Director of SBI Ven Capital

“Stripe bought Bridge for $1.1B. Visa is embracing onchain. AI agents are transacting autonomously. All of them need reliable multi-chain infrastructure. Uniblock built it. 3,000 projects already run on the platform and that number only grows from here.”
Aly Madhavji, Managing Partner, Blockchain Founders Fund

Use of Funds

Capital will accelerate platform expansion: deepening chain coverage, scaling the intelligent orchestration engine, and building new API categories including stablecoins, wallets, and prediction markets. Investment continues in AI developer tooling, enterprise go-to-market, and ecosystem partnerships across the US, Japan, India, Singapore, and the Solana ecosystem. The team is scaling engineering and operations from its Canadian headquarters.

About Uniblock

Uniblock is the managed infrastructure layer for blockchain applications. A single API connection provides access to 300+ blockchains and 55 data partners through patented auto-routing with intelligent orchestration. AI-native developer tools, including an MCP server, LLM-optimized documentation, and Agent Skills, are live and in production. 3,000 projects and 4,000 developers run on the platform. Headquartered in Canada. Visit uniblock.dev.

STARTRADER Launches Web STAR Copy to Expand Social Trading Capabilities 906

New website feature empowers traders with greater control, flexibility, and confidence through strategy sharing and automated trade replication.

STARTRADER has introduced Web STAR Copy, a new web-based feature designed to simplify access to copy trading and enable more structured participation in financial markets. The feature allows traders to follow and copy strategies from experienced participants, improving execution consistency and overall trading efficiency.

As demand for social and copy trading grows among retail traders, Web STAR Copy offers a more structured way to participate, allowing users to create a dedicated account via the STARTRADER Client Portal and choose to act as either a Signal Provider or a Copier.

Experienced traders can monetize their strategies, while Copiers can follow proven approaches and trade with less reliance on manual execution.

The feature is built to enhance transparency and confidence. Strategy pages provide clear visibility into key performance metrics, including returns, trading activity, and the number of active Copiers, enabling users to evaluate strategies based on real data and make more informed choices.

Web STAR Copy also gives traders greater flexibility in how they participate. Copiers can tailor how trades are copied according to their individual preferences, while integrated risk management settings help control exposure and protect capital in changing market conditions.

In addition, users benefit from full visibility and control over their trading activity, including real-time positions, transaction history, and profit-sharing summaries. Flexible management options allow traders to adjust their participation at any time, ensuring a more responsive and controlled trading experience.

“Web STAR Copy reflects our focus on building a more connected trading ecosystem, where transparency and trust support long-term participation. We are continuously evolving our offering to give traders the confidence to engage with the markets in a more structured and reliable way.” — Peter Karsten, Chief Executive Officer, STARTRADER

The introduction of Web STAR Copy reflects STARTRADER’s ongoing commitment to enhancing its digital trading ecosystem by developing features that support collaboration, strategy sharing, and flexible participation for traders worldwide.

About STARTRADER

STARTRADER is a global broker that provides its clients with opportunities to trade financial instruments online. STARTRADER serves both Partners and Retail Clients, who can trade using the MetaTrader Platform, the STAR-APP, and STAR-COPY.

As a global broker, STARTRADER holds a client-first approach as its core principle. Regulated in 5 jurisdictions (ASIC, FSA, FSC, FSCA, and CMA), STARTRADER upholds strong governance and sustainable growth. STARTRADER’s team comprises dedicated professionals working collaboratively to deliver quality service to its Partners and Clients.

TradFi-DeFi Convergence Accelerates as Real-World Asset Tokenization Gains Institutional Momentum 1643

I-ON Digital, Instruxi and RAAC partnership illustrates emerging infrastructure linking gold-backed assets, stablecoins, and on-chain liquidity markets

The convergence of traditional finance (“TradFi”) and decentralized finance (“DeFi”) is moving from concept to implementation, as real-world asset (RWA) tokenization begins to establish a new foundation for global capital markets.

For small-cap investors and institutional observers alike, this shift represents a critical inflection point: the emergence of infrastructure capable of connecting regulated, asset-backed financial systems with blockchain-based liquidity and settlement networks.

From Fragmentation to Integration

Historically, TradFi and DeFi have operated in parallel:

  • TradFi offers regulatory structure, institutional trust, and deep capital markets
  • DeFi delivers programmability, continuous liquidity, and capital efficiency

Bridging these systems has remained a central challenge until the recent rise of tokenized RWAs, which allow tangible assets to be represented, financed, and deployed on-chain.

Market participants increasingly view RWA tokenization as one of the most significant growth vectors in digital finance, with long-term projections ranging into the hundreds of billions, and potentially trillions, of dollars.

Infrastructure in Practice: I-ON Digital and RAAC.io

A growing number of platforms are now moving beyond theory, building integrated systems that connect asset origination, stablecoin issuance, and decentralized liquidity.

I-ON Digital Corp., in partnership with Instruxi (https://www.instruxi.io/) RAAC (https://raac.io), provides a case study in how this convergence is being operationalized.

At the core of this model:

  • Digitized Gold-Backed Assets (IONau): Real-world gold exposure is structured into a blockchain-compatible financial instrument designed to align with traditional secured asset frameworks.
  • Stablecoin Layer (pmUSD): These assets support the issuance of pmUSD, a stablecoin engineered to maintain stability through structured collateralization tied to underlying real-world value.
  • Liquidity Infrastructure: pmUSD is deployed across established decentralized finance protocols and liquidity pools, enabling yield generation, market depth, and continuous capital deployment.

This vertically integrated approach, linking asset backing, issuance, and liquidity, addresses one of the primary limitations of earlier digital asset models: the disconnect between real-world value and on-chain utility.

The Role of Liquidity: From Concept to Market Depth

A defining feature of the next phase of digital finance is not simply tokenization, but liquidity at scale.

Deep, programmatic liquidity pools surrounding instruments like pmUSD are critical for:

  • Efficient price discovery
  • Scalable yield generation
  • Institutional-grade entry and exit pathways
  • Reduced volatility through structured collateral frameworks

By establishing liquidity infrastructure alongside asset issuance, platforms can move beyond static token models toward dynamic financial ecosystems capable of supporting meaningful capital flows.

Why It Matters for Small-Cap Investors

For investors focused on emerging growth sectors, the TradFi-to-DeFi bridge represents a foundational shift comparable to the early development of electronic trading or exchange-traded funds.

Key considerations include:

  • Early Infrastructure Positioning: Companies building compliant, scalable rails may capture disproportionate value as adoption accelerates
  • Institutional Tailwinds: Evolving regulatory clarity around stablecoins and digital assets is lowering barriers to institutional participation
  • Expanded Addressable Markets: Tokenization introduces liquidity and accessibility to asset classes historically constrained by geography or structure
  • Compounding Network Effects: Integrated ecosystems—combining asset backing, stablecoins, and liquidity—can scale rapidly as usage increases

A Structural Shift in Capital Markets

The integration of TradFi and DeFi is increasingly being viewed not as a replacement of existing systems, but as an extension that enhances efficiency, transparency, and capital mobility.

As real-world assets move on-chain and liquidity infrastructure matures, the ability to seamlessly connect regulated financial assets with decentralized markets may define the next generation of financial leaders.

About I-ON Digital Corp.

I-ON Digital Corp. is a U.S.-based digital asset infrastructure company focused on real-world-asset tokenization, regulated gold-backed digital instruments, and digital asset banking services. The Company’s platform enables institutions to digitize, tokenize, manage, and distribute physical and in-situ assets within compliant, treasury-grade frameworks.

Soter Insure Issues World’s First Ethereum-Denominated Slashing Insurance Policy 1914

Soter advances digital asset risk management through a novel ETH-denominated slashing product, providing stakers with native-asset indemnity and eliminating FX gaps in legacy insurance policies.

Soter Insure, a provider of institutional-grade insurance for the digital asset economy, today announced the launch of the world’s first Ethereum-denominated slashing insurance product. Developed in collaboration with Galaxy Digital, this innovative policy provides a critical safety net for Ethereum validators and institutional stakers.

As Ethereum staking becomes a cornerstone of institutional portfolios, “slashing”, or the penalization of a validator for protocol violations, remains a primary technical and operational risk. This penalty is denominated in ETH, while traditionally, insurance for such events was capped in fiat (USD), leaving institutions exposed if the price of ETH surged during the policy period. Soter’s new product solves this by denominating both premiums and claims in ETH, ensuring that the protection scales perfectly with the value of the staked assets.

Risk-Aligned Protection for the Staking Ecosystem

The policy provides comprehensive coverage for ETH stakers, covering financial losses from both isolated and network-wide slashing events, settled entirely in native ETH. By settling claims directly in ETH, Soter removes the “currency risk” associated with currency mismatch.

“As Ethereum’s Proof-of-Stake architecture becomes more widely adopted by traditional financial institutions, institutional participants require sophisticated risk-transfer mechanisms that extend beyond mere technical redundancy,” said Henson Orser, Founder and CEO of Soter. “By collaborating with Galaxy Digital, we have engineered a capital-efficient solution that eliminates the currency risk inherent in traditional indemnity. This ETH-denominated framework ensures that institutional stakers can safeguard both principal and yield through a core risk-mitigation tool that is intrinsically aligned with their digital asset balance sheets.”

Strengthening Institutional Infrastructure

This new slashing product complements Soter’s existing suite of BTC-denominated crime policies and traditional fiat-denominated financial lines coverage. By addressing the specific nuances of Proof-of-Stake (PoS) mechanics, Soter is providing the necessary infrastructure for the next wave of institutional ETH adoption.

The successful rollout of this product demonstrates that the insurance industry is no longer playing catch-up; it is now building bespoke solutions that enhance the robustness of the entire digital asset ecosystem.

“As institutional participation in Ethereum deepens, having coverage that is native to the protocol is a natural and important evolution for the ecosystem,” said Chris Ferraro, President and CIO at Galaxy. “We’re proud to have worked with Soter to develop this product and look forward to utilizing it ourselves.”

Empowering the Next Generation of Staked ETH ETFs

The launch of Soter’s ETH-denominated slashing product arrives at a critical juncture as major asset managers look to evolve their spot ETH offerings into Staked ETH ETFs. By providing indemnity exclusively in ETH, Soter ensures that any insured slashing penalties are replaced in kind. This native settlement removes the basis risk inherent in fiat-denominated policies, where price fluctuations could prevent a full recovery of the insured principal.

About Soter Insure

Soter Insure is a leading provider of specialized insurance solutions for the institutional digital asset ecosystem. Soter offers a range of innovative insurance products—including D&O, Professional Indemnity, and natively-denominated crime and slashing cover—that address the unique risks of the blockchain ecosystem. For more information, please visit soter.insure.

About Galaxy

Galaxy Digital Inc. is a global leader in digital assets and data center infrastructure, delivering solutions that accelerate progress in finance and artificial intelligence. Our digital assets platform offers institutional access to trading, advisory, asset management, staking, self-custody, and tokenization technology. In addition, we develop and operate cutting-edge data center infrastructure to power AI and HPC workloads. Our 1.6 GW Helios campus in Texas positions Galaxy among the largest and fastest-growing data center developers in North America. The Company is headquartered in New York City, with offices across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Additional information about Galaxy’s businesses and products is available on www.galaxy.com.