Whales Surge: Massive Bitcoin Purchases Signal Market Optimism

The post Hong Kong Backs Commercial Bank Tokenized Deposits in 2025 appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. HKMA to support tokenized deposits and regular issuance of digital bonds. SFC drafting licensing framework for trading, custody, and stablecoin issuers. New rules will cover stablecoin issuers, digital asset trading, and custody services. Hong Kong is stepping up its digital finance ambitions with a policy blueprint that places tokenization at the core of banking innovation.  In the 2025 Policy Address, Chief Executive John Lee outlined measures that will see the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) encourage commercial banks to roll out tokenized deposits and expand the city’s live tokenized-asset transactions. Hong Kong’s Project Ensemble to Drive Tokenized Deposits Lee confirmed that the HKMA will “continue to take forward Project Ensemble, including encouraging commercial banks to introduce tokenised deposits, and promoting live transactions of tokenised assets, such as the settlement of tokenised money market funds with tokenised deposits.” The initiative aims to embed tokenized deposits, bank liabilities represented as blockchain-based tokens, into mainstream financial operations. These deposits could facilitate the settlement of money-market funds and other financial instruments more quickly and efficiently. To ensure a controlled rollout, the HKMA will utilize its regulatory sandbox to enable banks to test tokenized products while enhancing risk management. Tokenized Bonds to Become a Regular Feature Beyond deposits, the government intends to make tokenized bond issuance a permanent element of Hong Kong’s financial markets. After successful pilots, including green bonds, the HKMA will help regularize the issuance process to build deep and liquid markets for digital bonds accessible to both local and international investors. Related: Beijing Blocks State-Owned Firms From Stablecoin Businesses in Hong Kong Hong Kong’s Global Financial Role The policy address also set out a comprehensive regulatory framework for digital assets. Hong Kong is implementing a regime for stablecoin issuers and drafting licensing rules for digital asset trading and custody services. The Securities…

The post Fed rate decision September 2025 appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. WASHINGTON – The Federal Reserve on Wednesday approved a widely anticipated rate cut and signaled that two more are on the way before the end of the year as concerns intensified over the U.S. labor market. In an 11-to-1 vote signaling less dissent than Wall Street had anticipated, the Federal Open Market Committee lowered its benchmark overnight lending rate by a quarter percentage point. The decision puts the overnight funds rate in a range between 4.00%-4.25%. Newly-installed Governor Stephen Miran was the only policymaker voting against the quarter-point move, instead advocating for a half-point cut. Governors Michelle Bowman and Christopher Waller, looked at for possible additional dissents, both voted for the 25-basis point reduction. All were appointed by President Donald Trump, who has badgered the Fed all summer to cut not merely in its traditional quarter-point moves but to lower the fed funds rate quickly and aggressively. In the post-meeting statement, the committee again characterized economic activity as having “moderated” but added language saying that “job gains have slowed” and noted that inflation “has moved up and remains somewhat elevated.” Lower job growth and higher inflation are in conflict with the Fed’s twin goals of stable prices and full employment.  “Uncertainty about the economic outlook remains elevated” the Fed statement said. “The Committee is attentive to the risks to both sides of its dual mandate and judges that downside risks to employment have risen.” Markets showed mixed reaction to the developments, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average up more than 300 points but the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite posting losses. Treasury yields were modestly lower. At his post-meeting news conference, Fed Chair Jerome Powell echoed the concerns about the labor market. “The marked slowing in both the supply of and demand for workers is unusual in this less dynamic…

The AI boom is premised on immense greed, writes Andrew Keen. Keen: The tech companies are well on the way to becoming the 21st-century equivalent of the American Fruit Company that ravaged Guatemala with its neo-colonialist labour practices. The threat posed by tech behemoths like Google, Meta, and Microsoft is universally recognised.