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Charles Hoskinson confirms deal to onboard LayerZero on Cardano

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Charles Hoskinson confirms deal to onboard LayerZero on Cardano

Input Output CEO and founder Charles Hoskinson announced a deal to get LayerZero ported over to the Cardano blockchain during a keynote speech at Consensus Hong Kong on Thursday.

LayerZero is a blockchain aimed at powering institutional-grade markets that received investment from Citadel Securities on Wednesday.

The announcement comes alongside the rollout of Midnight’s mainnet, which was also revealed on Thursday morning.

Hoskinson, who was comically wearing a McDonalds uniform in a nod to the recent market downturn said: “The industry is not healthy. S*** is getting real. Twitter is a nuclear dumpster fire. Sentiment is at an all time low.”

But he insisted it was a micro downturn, and “the macro remains bullish.”

“And to prove it, I’m excited to announce our partnership with LayerZero,” he said. “We’re bringing USDCx to Cardano with a launch date set, complete with broad wallet and exchange support. This means stablecoins with true privacy and immutability, powered by zero-knowledge tech. It’s institutional-grade, and it’s happening now — alongside Midnight’s mainnet rollout. Get ready, folks. This changes everything.”

UPDATE (Feb. 12, 2026, 02:21 UTC): Adds additional information and commentary from Charles Hoskinson.

Billiton Diamond and Ctrl Alt Pioneer UAE Commodity Tokenisation with $280m Diamond Initiative

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Billiton Diamond and Ctrl Alt Pioneer UAE Commodity Tokenisation with $280m Diamond Initiative

Billiton Diamond, the Dubai-based diamond auction house, and tokenisation provider Ctrl Alt have successfully tokenised over AED 1billion ($280million) of certified polished diamonds in the UAE.

The collaboration marks a significant milestone for the region’s commodities market. By digitising high-value inventory, the initiative aims to transform diamonds—traditionally an illiquid asset class—into a transparent, accessible, and operationally efficient digital asset.

Bringing gems on-chain

Under the partnership, Ctrl Alt is providing the end-to-end tokenisation infrastructure to bring Billiton’s approved partner inventory onto the blockchain. The tokens are minted on the XRP Ledger (XRPL), chosen for its speed and low transaction costs, while the physical assets are secured using Ripple’s enterprise-grade custody technology.

The project creates a platform where stakeholders can verify the origin, grading, and ownership history of each stone in real-time. This “digital twin” approach is designed to eliminate opacity in the supply chain and shorten working capital cycles for manufacturers and traders.

Jamal Akhtar, joint owner of Billiton Diamond, commented: “This partnership transforms polished diamonds from a traditionally illiquid asset class into a transparent, investable digital asset that supports manufacturers, brands, and investors alike. Tokenization introduces an unprecedented level of transparency, unlocking the potential for new liquidity… and opening the door to seamless global participation in Dubai’s growing luxury ecosystem.”

Institutional-grade infrastructure

The initiative has received support from the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), reinforcing its strategy to bridge physical trade with digital innovation.

Ahmed Bin Sulayem, executive chairman and CEO of DMCC, said: “This initiative reinforces DMCC’s role as the bridge between commodities, capital and next-generation digital markets… We are creating the frameworks for industry leaders such as Billiton Diamond and Ctrl Alt to apply digital innovation to the physical diamond trade and to advance the wider tokenization of high-value commodities in a manner that is secure, scalable and trusted.”

Future trading plans

While the initial phase focuses on tokenising inventory, the partners plan to enable secondary market trading in future stages. This would allow investors to buy and sell tokenised diamond assets seamlessly. However, the companies noted that these novel operations, including secondary market listings, will be subject to regulatory approval by Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) prior to launch.

Robert Farquhar, CEO of MENA at Ctrl Alt, added: “Billiton needed robust, institutional-grade infrastructure to handle the complexity and scale of its polished diamond supply. Our proven tokenization expertise and technology provide a clear, secure, and compliant route for diamond ownership to move on-chain.”

The move capitalises on Dubai’s strategic vision to become a global hub where traditional commodity trading converges with innovative blockchain infrastructure.

UK appoints HSBC for blockchain bond pilot

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UK appoints HSBC for blockchain bond pilot

Britain is positioning itself to become the first G7 nation to issue sovereign debt on the blockchain, appointing banking giant HSBC and law firm Ashurst to steer a digital gilt trial expected this year, according to the Financial Times.

The Treasury’s selection of the two firms aims to quell growing criticism that the U.K. has been dragging its feet on tokenized government bonds. While Chancellor Rachel Reeves unveiled the pilot plan in late 2024, other jurisdictions including Hong Kong have already crossed the finish line with their own digital sovereign issuances.

The pilot aims to slash settlement time and operational costs for market participants. The experiment will run within the Bank of England’s “digital sandbox,” a controlled environment where financial innovations can operate under relaxed regulatory constraints.

HSBC has experience in digital debt offerings, having orchestrated over $3.5 billion in digital bond issuances through its proprietary Orion blockchain — including Hong Kong’s $1.3 billion green bond last year, one of the largest tokenized debt sales globally.

On Wednesday, Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said the multicurrency offering helped boost liquidity on the product.

“We will regularize the issuance of tokenized green bonds,” he said at CoinDesk’s Consensus Hong Kong conference, which could support further adoption.

Charles Hoskinson announces late-March debut for Midnight, unveils privacy simulation platform

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Charles Hoskinson announces late-March debut for Midnight, unveils privacy simulation platform

Input Output Global (IOG) founder Charles Hoskinson announced Thursday that Midnight, the company’s long-awaited privacy-focused blockchain, will officially launch during the final week of March.

The announcement came during Hoskinson’s keynote speech at Consensus Hong Kong, marking a major step forward in IOG’s efforts to bring data protection and regulatory compliance to decentralized systems.

“We have some great collaborations to help us run it,” he said. “Google is one of them. Telegram is another. We’re really excited, there’s more that will come.”

Midnight uses zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs to enable selective disclosure. Think of it as a smart curtain for blockchain data, letting users share only what they choose while keeping the rest private. It works as a partner chain to the smart contract platform Cardano and provides privacy and regulatory compliance for decentralized applications.

Alongside the mainnet timeline, Hoskinson unveiled Midnight City Simulation, an interactive platform offering a glimpse of how Midnight’s delivers scalable privacy through selective disclosure. The so-called rational privacy ensures that transaction data remains private by default, while specific information can be shared with authorized parties when required.

This flexibility balances transparency and confidentiality on the blockchain through multiple disclosure views, categorized as public, auditor, and god, each with a different access level.

The simulation, hosted at midnight.city, became operational at 10:00 a.m. Hong Kong time Thursday, although public access to the simulation remains restricted until Feb. 26, according to a press release.

The simulation, which runs on the Midnight network and recruits AI-driven agents that interact unpredictably to create a steady flow of transactions, shows how well the blockchain can handle real-world demand and scales accordingly.

IOG said this test demonstrates the network’s ability to keep generating and processing proofs at scale — an important step in proving it’s ready for real-world use.

USDC-Fueled Hackathon Lets AI Agents Build, Judge and Vote

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USDC-Fueled Hackathon Lets AI Agents Build, Judge and Vote

Circle’s stablecoin USDC just powered what organizers call the world’s first hackathon run entirely by autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) agents — no human judges, no human voters, just code evaluating code. Circle’s USDC Anchors Experimental AI Agent Hackathon The weeklong event was conducted on Moltbook and Openclaw, with agents handling everything from submissions to evaluation […]

5 Best Platforms for Silver Trading in the UAE

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5 Best Platforms for Silver Trading in the UAE

After producing 139% returns in 2025, it is no wonder that interest in silver has been surging. Many investors now realise that commodities like silver serve important functions in a diversified portfolio. 

If you are in the UAE, you are probably wondering how to invest in silver. 

Given that buying physical silver is expensive, illiquid, and inconvenient (you have to consider storage and security), you should consider how to invest in silver stocks or how to buy silver exchange-traded funds (ETFs), exchange-traded commodities (ETCs), and derivatives. 

In this article, we consider five options you can explore for buying silver stocks, ETFs, ETCs, and derivatives.

 1.Sarwa

Sarwa is a UAE-based trading platform where you can purchase silver stocks, ETFs, and ETCs. 

Best known for

Sarwa is best known as an all-in-one platform where you can build a portfolio of different assets. 

Key advantages

  • Direct and indirect exposure: You can invest directly in silver’s price through silver ETCs or indirectly through silver stocks and ETFs. 
  • Free deposits and withdrawals: Transfers between local UAE bank accounts and Sarwa brokerage accounts are free. 
  • Fractional investing: You can buy a fraction of a share of a stock, ETF, or ETC if you don’t want to buy a whole share. 
  • Low commissions: You can buy silver stocks, ETFs, and ETCs with commissions as low as $1 or 0.25% of the traded value. 
  • Educational resources: Is investing in silver a good idea? On Sarwa, you will find resources on this and many questions about silver investing and trading. 

Ideal for

Sarwa is ideal for investors and traders who want to manage their portfolios from a single platform. 

2.Tickmill

Tickmill is a global broker that is available in the UAE. They provide access to contracts for difference (CFDs) on silver. 

This gives direct exposure to the silver price without owning the underlying asset. 

Best known for

Tickmill is best known for its low cost and tight spreads. 

Key advantages 

  • Low spreads: The typical spread on silver CFDs is as low as 0.021. 
  • Fast execution: Tickmill executes trades in as fast as 0.20 seconds. 
  • Leverage: You can get leverage of up to 1:1000. 
  • MetaTrader and TradingView support: You can conduct technical analysis on silver using the MetaTrader or TradingView integrations.   

Ideal for

Tickmill is ideal for derivatives traders who prefer CFDs to options and futures. 

3.Saxo Bank

Saxo Bank is a Danish company that is available in the UAE. It provides access to silver stocks, spot silver (against other commodities and currencies), silver CFDs, silver futures, silver options, silver ETFs, and silver ETC. 

Best known for

Saxo Bank is best known for offering a large number of assets across global exchanges. 

Key advantages 

  • Tiered pricing: Saxo Bank has three pricing tiers, and the higher you move, the lower the commission you pay. For silver, commission is as low as 0.31 cents for the top tier.  
  • Low spreads: Saxo Bank also offers low bid-ask spreads. 
  • Support tools: Advanced traders can use professional-grade research tools for both fundamental and technical analysis. 
  • Strong reputation: Saxo Bank is a global brand with a reputation in the investment and trading community. 

Ideal for

Saxo Bank is ideal for professional traders who want to execute various complex strategies. 

4.IC Markets

IC Markets is a broker based in Australia but available to UAE residents. It provides access to silver CFDs. 

Best known for

IC Markets is best known for its low spreads. 

Key advantages 

  • Low spreads: IC Markets’ deep liquidity allows it to offer low spreads to traders. 
  • Fast execution: It also provides fast execution irrespective of trade volume.  
  • Trading platforms integrations: IC Markets provides integrations with MetaTrader, cTrader, and TradingView.  
  • Leverage: You can get up to 1:1000 leverage. 

Ideal for

IC Markets is ideal for derivatives traders who prefer CFDs. 

5.Interactive Brokers (IBKR)

IBKR is a global brokerage firm available to UAE investors. They offer spot silver, silver futures, and silver ETF options. 

Best known for

IBKR is best known for providing access to a large variety of assets across global exchanges. 

Key advantages 

  • Low commissions: They charge zero commission on ETFs and low commissions on other products. 
  • Trading tools: IBKR provides access to trading tools for fundamental and technical analysis. 
  • Educational resources: You can learn more about the financial markets through their educational resources. 

Ideal for

IBKR is ideal for professional and experienced traders who can make good use of the available trading tools. 

 







Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson says Midnight won’t chase Monero, ZCash users

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Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson says Midnight won’t chase Monero, ZCash users

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson said that privacy-focused blockchain Midnight doesn’t have plans to onboard privacy maxis from the zcash and monero communities to the Midnight chain.

“You don’t try to get anybody from Monero or ZCash over,” he said during a Q&A session at Consensus Hong Kong on Thursday.

“They certainly will come in their own time, but they’re a different demographic,” he said. “Those are people that wake up every day and they really care about privacy, and they matter and they’re important, but what we’re going for is the billions of people that don’t know they need privacy but give it to them by default.”

Midnight announced Thursday that its mainnet will go live in March as a partner chain to Cardano.

Hoskinson then claimed the ethos of privacy is not as simplistic as the monero and zcash communities often allude to.

“What Monero and ZCash have been trying to convince people is it’s like a light switch. We’re private. The switch is on. Everybody else is not. The switch is off. That’s not how that works,” he said.

Lombard Launches Smart Accounts to Connect Institutional Bitcoin to DeFi

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Lombard Launches Smart Accounts to Connect Institutional Bitcoin to DeFi

The new system lets institutions earn yield and access liquidity without moving Bitcoin out of custody.

Lombard on Wed., Feb. 11, launched Bitcoin Smart Accounts, a new product that allows institutions to use their Bitcoin in decentralized finance (DeFi) without moving it out of custody.

Lombard is a DeFi protocol with more than $1 billion in total value locked (TVL), according to DeFiLlama. The new product allows Bitcoin held with custodians, in MPC setups, or in self-custody wallets to be used as on-chain collateral, according to a press release viewed by The Defiant.

The process eliminates the need to transfer Bitcoin to a DeFi platform first, allowing institutions to keep their BTC in their existing custody arrangements. Bitcoin is currently trading at $67,615, down 1.5% on the day, per CoinGecko.

The product targets roughly $500 billion in Bitcoin that is currently held in professional custody by asset managers, corporations and high-net-worth individuals. Most of that Bitcoin does not currently participate in DeFi because transferring assets can create legal, operational or security risks.

“For 17 years, institutions could have the security of top custodians, or they could have on-chain utility — never both,” said Jacob Phillips, co-founder of Lombard. “Bitcoin Smart Accounts are a settlement network, similar to that of SWIFT and ACH, that eliminate that trade-off, and allow Bitcoin to stay in custody and settle on-chain, transforming Bitcoin from a passive asset into usable capital.”

How it Works

Institutions begin by adding a Smart Account designation to their existing custody setup, according to Lombard. Their Bitcoin is then recognized on-chain through a receipt token called BTC.b, which represents the held BTC.

The underlying Bitcoin remains with the custodian at all times, the company said, and legal ownership does not change.

Furthermore, the product will launch with Morpho, a lending protocol with more than $5.7 billion in TVL (and the seventh-largest protocol by TVL), according to DeFiLlama. Through the integration, Bitcoin held in custody can be used as collateral in Morpho’s lending markets.

This allows institutions to borrow against their BTC or potentially earn yield without transferring the underlying assets out of custody.

MSTR’s STRC returns to $100 par, poised to unlock more BTC accumulation

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MSTR’s STRC returns to $100 par, poised to unlock more BTC accumulation

Stretch (STRC), the perpetual preferred equity issued by Strategy (MSTR) the world’s largest corporate bitcoin holder reclaimed its $100 par value during Wednesday’s U.S. session for the first time since mid-January.

STRC trading at or above par enables the company to resume at-the-market (ATM) offerings to fund further bitcoin acquisitions. STRC last hit the $100 level on Jan. 16 when bitcoin hovered near $97,000; however, as the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization retreated to as low as $60,000 by on Feb. 5, STRC dipped to a low of $93 before its recent rebound.

Positioned as a short-duration, high-yield credit instrument, STRC currently offers an 11.25% annual dividend distributed monthly. To mitigate volatility and incentivize trading near par, Strategy resets this rate monthly, recently hiking it to the current 11.25% yield.

MSTR common stock faced pressure, sliding 5% on Wednesday to close at $126, as bitcoin hovers around $67,500.

No Stablecoin Bill Deal at 2nd Crypto, Banks White House Meet

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No Stablecoin Bill Deal at 2nd Crypto, Banks White House Meet

A White House-brokered meeting between crypto and bank representatives to reach an agreement on stablecoin provisions in the market structure bill has been described as “productive,” but remains unresolved. 

“Productive session at the White House today — compromise is in the air,” Ripple legal chief Stuart Alderoty, one of the meeting’s attendees, posted to X on Tuesday. 

“Clear, bipartisan momentum remains behind sensible crypto market structure legislation. We should move now — while the window is still open,” he added.

Congress is looking to pass a bill to define how US market regulators are to police crypto. The House passed a similar bill, the CLARITY Act, in July, but the effort has stalled as the Senate Banking Committee has yet to garner enough bipartisan support to advance it.

Momentum to advance the bill was lost when major crypto lobbyist Coinbase pulled its support for the bill last month over provisions that would prohibit all yield payments tied to stablecoins.

Banking lobbyists have argued that yield payments to stablecoin holders on third-party platforms such as exchanges pose a risk to bank deposits and could undermine the banking system.

Bankers, crypto flag need for more discussions 

The meeting on Tuesday was the second in two weeks to bring banks and the crypto industry to the White House; the first on Feb. 2 was described by White House crypto adviser Patrick Witt as “constructive” and “fact-based.”

Dan Spuller, the industry affairs lead at crypto advocacy group the Blockchain Association, posted to X that the latest meeting “was a smaller, more focused session” with “serious problem-solving.”

“Stablecoin rewards were front and center,” he added. “Banks did not come to negotiate from the bill text, instead arriving with broad prohibitive principles, which remains a key disagreement.”

Source: Dan Spuller

A handout given at the meeting by the banking groups reportedly listed “yield and interest prohibition principles” that should be included in the Senate’s crypto bill, reiterating the group’s push to ban all stablecoin yield payments.

Related: Crypto PACs secure massive war chests ahead of US midterms

Three major banking groups, the American Bankers Association, the Bank Policy Institute, and the Independent Community Bankers of America, said in a joint statement that “ongoing discussions” were needed to move the legislation forward.