Bitget works towards goal of Bitcoin ecosystem support

DWF Labs Enters Into Strategic Partnership with TRONDWF Labs, a Singapore-headquartered global digital asset market maker and Web3 investment firm, has announced a strategic partnership with TRON, the leading blockchain network focused on decentralizing the Internet through decentralized applications (dApps).Photo by Ketut Subiyanto on PexelsProviding liquidityThe partnership was announced via a press release published on Tuesday. As part of this collaboration, DWF Labs has become a liquidity provider for TRON, aiming to strengthen the ecosystem support of the blockchain.Andrei Grachev, the Managing Partner of DWF Labs, expressed confidence in the TRON ecosystem, highlighting its impressive adoption in the Web3 space. Grachev stated: “TRON stands as one of the fastest-growing dApps ecosystems in the space at the moment, and the consistent rollout of innovative tools and services proves that TRON has a leading role in paving the trail in blockchain.” He further emphasized DWF Labs’ commitment to supporting the ecosystem through additional investments in the near future.DWF Labs, known for its active support and investments in Web3 protocols, had previously allocated $15 million to the Web3 Industry Recovery Initiative, led by Binance Labs, to aid struggling protocols in the industry’s recovery. The company has also formed strategic partnerships with other prominent players in the crypto industry.Global market makerDWF Labs, as a global digital asset market maker and multi-stage Web3 investment firm, supports portfolio companies throughout various stages, from token listing to market making to OTC trading solutions. With offices in multiple locations worldwide, including Singapore, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Hong Kong, South Korea, and the British Virgin Islands (BVI), DWF operates as an affiliate of Digital Wave Finance (DWF), known for its proprietary technology in high-frequency trading and consistently ranking among the top 5 trading entities by volume in the cryptocurrency world.The firm has been on a spending spree in recent months. In April, it invested $10 million into Singapore-based payments provider Alchemy Pay. In the same month, it led a Series A funding round into Crypto GPT, an AI-powered blockchain platform. A $60 million investment in layer one blockchain EOS followed.A spokesperson for TRON expressed delight in partnering with DWF Labs, acknowledging their expertise and excellence in further strengthening the TRON ecosystem. Together, the aim is to advance TRON’s vision of a decentralized future, empowering decentralized commerce and community for every individual worldwide.By joining TRON as a liquidity provider, DWF Labs intends to contribute to the growth and development of the TRON ecosystem. This partnership aims to enhance the accessibility of the blockchain network for all TRON users and community members.TRON, founded in September 2017 by Justin Sun, has achieved significant milestones since the launch of its Mainnet in May 2018. Notably, the integration of BitTorrent, a decentralized Web3 services pioneer with over 100 million monthly active users, into the TRON ecosystem in July 2018. TRON has gained significant traction, with over 166.5 million total user accounts, more than 5.85 billion total transactions, and over $11.52 billion in total value locked (TVL) as of June 2023, according to TRONSCAN.

HashKey Group, a Hong Kong-headquartered digital asset financial services firm, has partnered with Bosera Asset Management (International) Co., the Hong Kong subsidiary of Chinese asset management firm Bosera Asset Management, to launch the world’s first tokenized money market exchange-traded funds (ETFs). In a press release published by PR Newswire on behalf of HashKey Group on March 28, HashKey outlined that the two funds are titled “Bosera HKD Money Market ETF (Tokenised Class)” and ”Bosera USD Money Market ETF (Tokenised Class).”While the products were launched last Friday, they won’t officially go live until April. Both products have been approved by Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC). Photo by Vighnesh Dudani on UnsplashArising out of Project EnsembleThis latest product offering has its origins in Project Ensemble, an initiative launched by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) back in March 2024. The original aim of Project Ensemble was to support the development of the tokenization market in Hong Kong. The SFC got involved later that year, collaborating with the HKMA in the launch of a regulatory sandbox aimed at advancing the tokenization of assets in various financial sectors. In October 2024 it emerged that HashKey was participating within that sandbox, with these new products arising from those efforts. The company claims that these tokenized products improve upon what’s currently on offer via traditional finance, providing greater transparency and operational efficiency, thanks to the use of blockchain technology.  HashKey Tokenisation, the tokenization arm of the firm, takes care of full-process design and execution for tokenized issuance. Subsequently, these products will be deployed on HashKey Chain, a regulatory-compliant, institutional-grade layer-2 network geared towards bridging the gap between traditional finance and Web3. On that subject, HashKey Group Chairman and CEO Dr. Xiao Feng stated:"Bringing money market ETFs on-chain through blockchain technology is a crucial step for traditional finance to embrace Web3.” Looking towards the future, Feng added that the company expects “more traditional financial institutions to actively enter the crypto finance sector through innovative tokenisation products.”Anna Liu, CEO of HashKey Tokenisation, told the South China Morning Post (SCMP) that “the biggest advantages of this product are that the underlying assets are mature and high-quality, and it fully considers security and regulatory compliance while reducing investor costs and improving overall liquidity.” Liu added that the firm hopes that this product offering is the first of many, paving the way for subsequent tokenized real-world asset (RWA) offerings. Last month, Hong Kong-based digital asset platform OSL launched a tokenized mutual fund, the ChinaAMC HKD Digital Money Market Fund. The retail tokenized fund has been issued by China Asset Management (Hong Kong), with Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) acting as tokenization agent, digital platform operator and administrator. In the U.S., financial services company Fidelity Investments recently filed documents with the intention of rolling out a tokenized U.S. money market fund. BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, launched its tokenized money market fund, BUIDL, last year. The fund is expected to surpass a market cap of $2 billion in the coming weeks.

Hong Kong-based game software company Animoca Brands has announced its foray into the Bitcoin industry by endorsing the Opal Foundation, a novel Bitcoin ecosystem protocol. The move involves the Opal Protocol and BLIF token, initiated by Animoca Brands and Darewise, a metaverse technology platform. On April 30, Animoca Brands disclosed its plans to become the "largest Web3 ecosystem" for gaming, education and culture built on Bitcoin. The company aims to establish the Opal Protocol and BLIF token as key components of this ecosystem.Photo by Kanchanara on UnsplashBLIF token and Opal ProtocolThe BLIF token, also known as the Opal Protocol Runes token, is hailed by Animoca as a means to enable a "true digital life" on Bitcoin. According to Animoca's executive chairman and co-founder Yat Siu, Bitcoin is now primed for Web3, transitioning from a mere store of value to a store of culture for the Web3 age. Six of Animoca Brands' portfolio companies have already joined as Genesis members, signaling a strong start for the Opal Protocol. Additionally, all future Bitcoin-based projects from Animoca Brands will collaborate with the Opal Foundation. Launched in 2024, the Opal protocol positions itself as a decentralized ecosystem protocol on Bitcoin, powered by BLIF. Its litepaper describes it as a seamless blend of virtual and real-life experiences, offering digital extensions of reality across various domains such as banking, entertainment, education and social interactions. The launch date of the Opal protocol and BLIF airdrop is yet to be announced, but Opal's Telegram group has hinted at its impending arrival. Despite not being operational, Opal's X profile already boasts over 270,000 subscribers. Strategic partnershipAnimoca Brands is hailed as the first strategic launch partner for the Opal Foundation. The company's collaboration aims to integrate its vision into the open Opal protocol on Bitcoin and ordinals. Animoca's venture into Bitcoin coincides with the recent trading debut of spot Bitcoin and Ether exchange-traded funds (ETF) in Hong Kong. However, the initial trading volumes of these ETFs were relatively modest compared to spot Bitcoin ETFs launched in the United States in January 2024.