Dubai-based crypto lawyer Irina Heaver and her team parsed every crypto deal in the first half of 2026. BlackRock, Goldman, and Persian Gulf sovereigns all wrote checks to regulated firms.
- Crypto startups raised $11.2 billion in the first half of 2026, with all disclosed funding flowing to regulated, permissioned businesses rather than the permissionless projects that once defined the industry.
- Payments and stablecoins, prediction markets, and exchanges and trading platforms drew the most capital, much of it from major Wall Street and global financial institutions that are prioritizing licensed, compliant ventures.
- Investors and founders increasingly view regulatory licenses as scarce, defensible assets that confer competitive advantage, even as retail users continue to trade largely on unlicensed or alternative venues outside the main funding flows.
- 1 Crypto poured years into new products. The next challenge is keeping users 4 hours ago
- 2 The Clarity Act stalled. Bankers aren’t hitting the brakes yet on crypto dealmaking 5 hours ago
- 3 Payments firm OpenPayd targets year-end Nasdaq listing to fund U.S. expansion and acquisitions 1 day ago
- 4 Crypto job postings triple to over 1,200 in September, but applications fall 1 day ago
- 5 Cathie Wood says smart investors need to start watching where AI agents spend money 1 day ago
- 6 Crypto's Sisyphean struggle 1 day ago
- 7 BlackRock offers a glimpse of how tokenization may change your investment portfolio 1 day ago
- 8 Bank group sues U.S. regulator over granting crypto trust charters 1 day ago
- 9 BNY in talks with Kraken parent Payward over infrastructure partnership 2 days ago
- 10 Once a $2 billion Ethereum layer-2, Blast is shutting down after assets plunge 98% 2 days ago
The Definitive Stablecoin Landscape Series: Asia Pacific
As stablecoins move into regulated finance, APAC is becoming a key proving ground. This report maps the region’s rules, use cases, and RLUSD’s role.
Why it matters :
As stablecoins move into regulated finance, APAC is becoming a key proving ground. This report maps the region’s rules, use cases, and RLUSD’s role.
Crypto poured years into new products. The next challenge is keeping users
The Clarity Act stalled. Bankers aren’t hitting the brakes yet on crypto dealmaking
Payments firm OpenPayd targets year-end Nasdaq listing to fund U.S. expansion and acquisitions
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