Appold Market Watch - Week ending 8 August 2025
Market Update & Industry News - Week ending 8 August 2025
🔷 President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing US agencies to allow professionally managed 401(k) funds used by about 90 million savers to invest in digital assets, private equity and other alternatives, opening the $9tn retirement market. It asks the US Department of Labor for fiduciary safe harbours.
Appold view: Over 20% of retirement funds in America are held in 401(k) ’s. By possibly opening this liquidity into the digital asset space, further institutional acceptance and an increase in Digital Asset ETF inflows loom on the horizon.
🔷 Marex has become the first clearing firm to integrate JPMorganChase’s Kinexys Digital Payments, in partnership with Brevan Howard Digital, to enable near-instant settlement via blockchain deposit accounts. The move aims to modernise payments and cut settlement risk, expanding institutional infrastructure for digital assets. Both firms framed it as next-generation market plumbing.
Appold view: This news pushes the permissioned blockchain competition into the forefront. In the same way SWIFT acted as a widespread and globally accepted tool for banks, Kinexys, Digital Asset and others are attempting to create the next incumbent institutional financial connectors. Each will attempt to onboard as many major institutions as possible. Expect to see more news like this coming soon.
🔷 The U.S. SEC’s 2020 lawsuit against Ripple is over after both sides dismissed appeals, leaving Judge Analisa Torres’s 2023 findings intact: institutional XRP sales violated securities laws; retail exchange sales did not. The final judgment is a $125 million penalty and a permanent injunction. Each party bears its own costs; settlement talks were rejected.
Appold view: With appeals dropped and Judge Torres’s split ruling intact, the blueprint is clear: institutional token sales can be securities; retail exchange trading needn’t be. The $125m penalty and injunction keep digital asset issuers squarely in the SEC’s sights, while exchanges and secondary liquidity will get breathing room.
🔷 Binance has partnered with Spanish multinational bank BBVA to let clients keep collateral off-exchange. Funds held at the bank, reportedly in US Treasuries, are posted as trading margin. The arrangement seeks to curb counterparty risk after FTX and reassure investors post-2023 US penalties amid broader bank engagement with digital assets.
Appold view: The collapse of FTX led to heightened investors' wariness of digital asset exchanges. Therefore, many major exchanges, including Binance, have sought to partner with well-known financial institutions to build trust and reputation.
#Marketwatch #Blockchain #Investments
