alpha un# weekly roundup

This week, the crypto markets experienced significant developments, including regulatory breakthroughs, strategic institutional investments, and major shifts in the DeFi landscape.

SEC has officially dropped its lawsuit against Ripple, a landmark decision that has triggered a sharp rally in XRP’s price.

Volatility Shares is set to launch the first U.S.-based Solana futures exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on March 20, marking a major milestone in Solana’s institutional adoption.

The Singapore Exchange (SGX) has announced plans to list perpetual Bitcoin futures in the second half of 2025, targeting institutional clients and professional investors. Meanwhile, Pakistan is drafting a regulatory framework for cryptocurrency trading, aiming to attract foreign investment and position itself as a key digital asset hub.

In Southeast Asia, Vietnam has outlined a roadmap to finalize its legal framework for digital assets by March 2025, while Singapore has granted 30 companies Major Payment Institution (MPI) licenses related to digital payment tokens, reinforcing its status as a global fintech leader.

Nasdaq-listed cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has introduced Verified Pools, a new service designed to mitigate counterparty risk in DeFi, ensuring a more secure trading environment for institutional participants.

MicroStrategy, now operating under the name Strategy, is moving forward with a $500 million sale of perpetual preferred stock, with proceeds earmarked for additional Bitcoin acquisitions. This follows the firm’s recent $10.7 million BTC purchase, reinforcing its long-term bullish stance on digital assets.

On the un# podcast, Sri Misra chats with Dharamveer Singh Chouhan, Co-Founder & CEO of Zo World, on leveraging Web3 to enhance—not replace—your community.

DeFi highlights:

The DeFi sector’s Total Value Locked (TVL) has surged to $192 billion, marking its highest level in 15 months. This represents a 17% increase from the previous month, driven by the rising valuations of major smart contract platforms such as Ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL).

Real-World Asset (RWA) tokenization continues to gain traction, with total TVL in RWA protocols surpassing $10 billion. Leading platforms in this sector include:
 🔹 MakerDAO RWA – $1.298 billion
 🔹 BlackRock BUIDL – $1.232 billion
 🔹 Ethena USDtb – $1.182 billion

Meanwhile, World Liberty Financial (WLF)—a firm backed by the Trump family—has announced plans to launch USD1, a new stablecoin backed by short-term U.S. Treasurys and dollar deposits, aimed at introducing a more stable on-chain asset for institutional DeFi participants.

With Asia emerging as a key driver in crypto regulation and institutional adoption, these developments highlight the rapid evolution of digital assets and the growing intersection of traditional finance and DeFi.

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