In his 2026–27 budget speech, Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan announced that HKMA subsidiary CMU OmniClear Holdings will build a digital asset platform to issue and settle tokenized bonds and later connect it with other regional tokenization systems. Chan also outlined plans to begin issuing the first fiat‑referenced stablecoin licenses in March and to introduce new licensing regimes and tax reporting rules for digital asset service providers.

On 25 February 2026, major financial institutions intensified their push into blockchain-based markets, with tokenized real-world assets approaching $20 billion in value. Products tied to U.S. Treasuries, private credit and other traditional instruments are increasingly issued and traded onchain, while large asset managers and banks expand tokenization, stablecoin and deposit token initiatives. This shift reflects a move beyond pilot projects toward scaled onchain funds and infrastructure within mainstream capital markets.

Payoneer said on Tuesday it applied to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for a US national trust banking charter to create PAYO Digital Bank and issue its PAYO-USD stablecoin. The firm plans to use the GENIUS Act-compliant token as a wallet holding currency and to support cross-border payments for its nearly two million mainly small and medium-sized business customers.

On Feb 24, 2026, William M. Peaster outlined how NFTs, as flexible onchain ownership records, are spreading beyond art and PFPs. Citing Paul Brody's "Everything will be an NFT" tweet posted this morning, he highlighted 12 live projects using ERC-721, ERC-1155, and ERC-6551 to power finance and business functions.

On Tuesday, Sen. Richard Blumenthal said he had opened an inquiry into Binance and requested records tied to alleged Iran-linked sanctions evasion. His letter to CEO Richard Teng seeks materials on Iranian users and actions involving compliance staff, coming a little over two years after the exchange’s guilty plea and over $4 billion in penalties.

Stripe said in an annual letter on Tuesday that it signed agreements with investors to run a tender offer providing liquidity for current and former employees, valuing the company at $159 billion. The letter also reported $1.9 trillion in 2025 customer payment volume, up 34% year over year, and noted its revenue suite is on track for a $1 billion annual run rate this year.

Mortgage lender Better and crypto VC Framework Ventures announced Tuesday a plan to access up to $500 million in financing through the Sky stablecoin ecosystem. The structure channels blockchain-based liquidity into U.S. mortgage originations, with Better designated as a "Star" recipient while continuing underwriting and loan processing.

On February 24, 2026, X moved to tighten its paid partnerships policy, with Head of Product Nikita Bier describing a goal of a "world without prediction market spam." In response, Kalshi removed affiliate badges on X, while Polymarket-linked accounts kept theirs. According to Dune, Kalshi has processed roughly $42.7 billion in volume, including $6.8 billion this month.