Industry Reports

What to know: Digital asset ETP assets surged past $250B at their peak following U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF approvals, with $184B in AUM at year-end 2025 and the U.S. accounting for nearly 80% of global assets. The market remains concentrated, with Bitcoin-based products

What to know: The Problem: 90% of stables are "dead weight." Issuers take your fiat, buy T-bills, and keep 100% of the yield - a massive "hidden tax" on users. The Opportunity: Over $11B in DAO treasuries and $1.2B in DEX liquidity is currently unproductive. Emerging Solutions: I

Korea’s Toss Payments becomes the first company to fully implement post-quantum cryptography, using the NIST-standard algorithm "ML-KEM" to enable hybrid key exchange and enhance security against threats from quantum computers.

In the first quarter of 2026, funding for crypto startups nearly reached $5 billion, down 16% year over year. Funds flowed into practical sectors, where prediction markets led the way, raising more than $1.7 billion. Top investment institutions are accelerating their entry, and major funding projects include Kalshi and Polymarket.

JPMorgan Chase’s analysis shows that in Q1 2026, digital-asset fund flows totaled only $11 billion, market momentum slowed, and the main sources of capital were corporate allocations and crypto venture capital; meanwhile, traditional investors’ participation declined, and the overall market exhibited the characteristics of being dominated by a few large players.

Stablecoins are undergoing an evolution into a foundational financial infrastructure. North America leads in development, focusing on regulated, compliant options. The market shows a shift with RLUSD gaining traction due to integration with Ripple, emphasizing real demand over exchange liquidity.

The latest report from the Cardano Foundation shows that its asset structure is shifting from reliance on ADA toward more diversified allocations. By the end of 2025, the ADA share is expected to fall to 51.6%, while the Bitcoin share increases to 25.5%. Total assets amount to CHF 287.5 million, down by about 45% compared with the end of 2024. The reserve system will move from a single token to a more diversified configuration.

A Bank of Canada research report states that Aave V3 on Ethereum is expected to achieve zero non-performing loans in 2024, with a total loan volume of about $6 billion. The report analyzes the effectiveness of over-collateralization and automatic liquidation mechanisms in protecting lenders, finding that leveraged loop transactions are mainly driven by large investors, liquidation activity is concentrated in a small number of assets, and it has little impact on market prices.

In the first quarter of 2026, total cryptocurrency market trading volume reached $2.057 trillion, with derivatives dominating trading volume at approximately $1.863 trillion; spot trading volume was about $205.7k. Competition among the top five exchanges was fragmented. The decentralized platform Hyperliquid emerged as the standout, with quarterly derivatives trading volume of approximately $492.7 billion.

In February, stablecoins surpassed the US ACH network in transaction volume, reaching $7.2 trillion. This growth indicates their emerging role as a global payment infrastructure, enhancing financial accessibility without traditional banking constraints.

The EthCC exhibition at Cannes Ethereum blockchain event showcased a split in the cryptocurrency industry, highlighting the tensions between the crypto punk community and traditional financial institutions. Although institutional investment is increasing, concerns about the industry’s ideals have been raised by high ticket prices and sponsor-related controversies. The Ethereum Foundation reaffirmed the crypto punk principles, and future development will depend on how to balance capital and ideas.

Riot Platforms sold 3,778 bitcoin during the first quarter of 2026, generating $289.5 million in net proceeds at an average price of $76,626 per BTC, according to the company’s official unaudited Q1 2026 production and operations update released this week. Riot Platforms Q1 2026 Update The

The report points out that traditional financial institutions are rapidly moving into the cryptocurrency market, creating competitive pressure on exchanges. With the rollout of spot Bitcoin ETFs, investors are increasingly favoring bank and securities products, leading to decreased exchange trading volume and layoffs. If an exchange doesn’t offer unique services, it will be difficult to survive. The trend toward the integration of traditional finance and the crypto industry is also strengthening, and exchanges worldwide face challenges.

After Naoris Protocol goes live on the quantum blockchain mainnet, it uses NIST-approved post-quantum cryptography technology to ensure protection against quantum computers cracking mainstream blockchains. Users need to migrate their assets to receive quantum-safe security assurances, while Bitcoin and Ethereum developers are also exploring solutions to resist quantum attacks.

The latest research shows that Japan’s Gen Z has stronger risk-awareness in the cryptocurrency space, especially staying alert to scams on social media. Overall data indicates the main concerns include understanding how cryptocurrencies work, price volatility, and scam risk. Older groups focus more on technical complexity, while Millennials are the most active investors. About 50% of respondents have not been exposed to cryptocurrencies, and their information mainly comes from traditional news and social media, with YouTube having the greatest impact on decision-making. In the future, targeted education will be needed to increase user engagement.

The NFT market is undergoing a restructuring, and a small number of projects such as Pudgy Penguins and Doodles are shifting from speculation to sustainable brand operations, demonstrating their ability to convert to real businesses. The industry is clearly diverging; NFT projects that rely on scarcity are losing their appeal, and a complete business model needs to be built. Game mechanics are also shifting from “Play-to-Earn” to “Play-to-Own,” emphasizing asset ownership. The trend of tokenizing NFT IP is gaining traction, but there are risks of fragmented governance and declining loyalty. Going forward, projects that can establish genuine demand and form a closed-loop business cycle are more likely to survive.

Key Insights: XRP trades about 60% below its peak despite steady ETF inflows, reflecting a gap between improving fundamentals and current market valuation levels. Institutional exposure through XRP ETFs reached 1.1 billion dollars, yet analysts say inflow scale remains too small to

This essay discusses the inefficiencies of stablecoins, highlighting that 90% are unproductive and act as a hidden tax. It identifies a significant opportunity within DAO treasuries and DEX liquidity, as well as emerging solutions like HyENA and Solomon that aim to enhance yields for users.