Bakkt takes stake in Japanese textile firm in pivot to crypto treasury strategy

Korean crypto exchange Upbit adds one-second interval chartsSouth Korea’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Upbit, now offers one-second interval charts for its users.Dunamu, the blockchain and fintech company behind Upbit, announced on Friday (local time) that it has introduced a one-second interval feature to Upbit’s “original” charts. This makes Upbit the first Korean cryptocurrency exchange to offer this functionality.Photo by m. on UnsplashResponding to user demandUpbit has rolled out this one-second interval feature in response to user demand. This addition facilitates a broader range of investment strategies, allowing Upbit users to fine-tune their decisions based on their investment preferences. Now, the time frames available on Upbit are 1 second, 1 minute, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 4 hours, 1 day, 1 week and 1 month.A representative from Upbit said that they have incorporated the one-second interval feature into their original charts to provide users with quick and easy access to virtual asset price information for their investments. The official added that the company will remain committed to fostering a user-friendly and comfortable trading environment.Available on both web and mobileUsers can access the one-second interval feature on both the web and app versions of Upbit. To utilize this feature, they can select the “1s” time frame on the original charts found under the “Exchange” tab of Upbit.

Russia is moving to let ordinary investors gain limited exposure to cryptocurrencies under a draft law that would bring digital assets under the country’s existing financial market framework rather than treating them as a separate category of regulation.Photo by Michael Parulava on UnsplashAnnual retail crypto cap set at $3,800According to a Jan. 13 report by TASS, Anatoly Aksakov, chairman of the State Duma Committee on the Financial Market, said the changes would allow digital assets to become part of everyday life for Russian citizens, but within limits. Under the proposal, annual crypto purchases by retail investors would be capped at 300,000 rubles (roughly $3,800). Aksakov added that professional investors would face no restrictions on crypto investing, noting that digital assets are expected to play a significant role in international settlements. The shift had already been signaled in a December statement from the central bank, cited by Bloomberg. The Bank of Russia said non-qualified investors would be allowed limited access to the most liquid cryptocurrencies after passing a knowledge test. Qualified investors, meanwhile, would be able to buy digital assets without restrictions—excluding anonymous tokens—after completing a risk-awareness assessment. Under the proposals, crypto transactions would be routed through existing market infrastructure. Regulated exchanges, brokers, and trust managers would operate under their current licenses, while custodians and crypto exchange services would be subject to separate requirements. Residents would also be permitted to buy digital assets abroad and transfer their holdings through Russian intermediaries, provided such transactions are reported to tax authorities. The central bank submitted the proposals to the government as part of legislative amendments intended to regulate trading by July 1. It also warned that crypto assets remain high-risk and that investors could face losses. The move marks a notable shift in tone for the Bank of Russia, which in early 2022 pushed for strict limits on the issuance and use of digital assets, likening them to pyramid schemes. Crypto’s role in Russia’s cross-border activity has since expanded amid Western sanctions, including restrictions on access to the SWIFT messaging system imposed on Russian banks after the invasion of Ukraine. Ruble stablecoin booms amid sanctionsThat environment has helped fuel the recent rise of a ruble-backed token used in cross-border flows. A7A5, launched in Kyrgyzstan in January 2025, capitalized on this demand, processing more than $93.3 billion in transaction volume over about a year, according to Chainalysis data. Operating on the TRON and Ethereum blockchains, the token has become a major tool for Russian users navigating banking restrictions. This utility had driven daily transfer volumes past $1 billion by July, according to Elliptic. The activity has persisted despite sanctions and questions about fundamentals, even as the ruble had gained roughly 40% against the dollar by early June, based on Bank of America data cited by CNBC. CoinMarketCap data show A7A5 listed only in a USDT pair on Uniswap V2, while an August Chainalysis report found that activity is concentrated on U.S. Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)-sanctioned services with Russian ties, including Meer, Bitpapa, and Grinex, a confirmed successor to Garantex. Operations on these platforms follow a strict Monday-to-Friday schedule, with volumes surging early in the week and vanishing on weekends. 

Hong Kong last week entered the pilot phase of Project Ensemble, an initiative focused on developing infrastructure for a tokenized market and creating a sandbox where institutions can test blockchain systems in real business environments. Set to run through 2026, the pilot involves the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), several banks, and other industry participants. Its early work will examine how tokenized deposits can be used in money market fund transactions and how these tools might support real-time liquidity and treasury management. Interoperability key to tokenizationCommenting on the development, Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) CEO Julia Leung said, “To scale tokenisation of investment products, interoperability is key.” She added that the measure announced on Nov. 13 by the HKMA “will gradually allow interbank settlement of tokenised deposits in real time 24/7.”Photo by Ibrahim Rifath on UnsplashFollowing the HKMA’s announcement, Ant International, the global arm of Ant Group, revealed that it is joining Project Ensemble’s Architecture Community. As part of this digital finance effort, Ant International will help design and advance the tokenization ecosystem in the special administrative region, contribute to defining industry standards, and support broader industry adoption. Corporate initiatives in digital financeSeparately, Ant International also signed a memorandum of understanding with Swiss bank UBS to explore new opportunities in tokenized deposits, leveraging Ant’s blockchain platform Whale. Under this partnership, UBS Digital Cash, a blockchain-based payment solution developed by UBS, will be used to support Ant International’s global treasury operations. Young Jin Yee, Co-Head UBS Global Wealth Management Asia Pacific and Country Head UBS Singapore, said the collaboration with Ant aims to achieve “a real-time, multi-currency payment solution that sets standards for transparency and efficiency.” Hong Kong has been seeing a noticeable pickup in crypto-related activity more broadly. According to a post on X by Unfolded, AMINA, a Swiss-regulated institution, is now the first international banking group to roll out full crypto trading and custody services in Hong Kong. Adding to this momentum, companies are stepping up their Bitcoin accumulation. In its third-quarter results announcement, Boyaa International, a Hong Kong–listed firm specializing in online card and board games, reported a quarter-over-quarter increase of 738 Bitcoin. As of Sept. 30, its total holdings stood at 4,091 Bitcoin at an average cost of about $68,114 per coin. Adoption trends and market contractionThis push into the crypto sector aligns with broader digital asset adoption across Asia. A recent survey by CoinDesk and Protocol Theory of 4,020 individuals aged 18 to 64 in 10 Asian countries found potential crypto ownership of around 25% among respondents with internet access. The survey also noted that roughly half of adults familiar with crypto plan to use it within the next year or so. Despite the uptick in activity and interest, the market itself is currently in a downturn, with Bitcoin falling below the $90,000 mark on Nov. 18 for the first time since April 22. Analyzing the move, CoinDesk’s Omkar Godbole said Bitcoin looks oversold, as the 14-day relative strength index (RSI) has slipped under 30, indicating the drop may be steep enough to trigger a pause or a possible rebound. Godbole drew a parallel with price action earlier in the year, noting that February was the last time the RSI fell below 30, when Bitcoin was trading under $80,000. After that decline, the market bottomed out at around $75,000 in April, a pattern that traders may be watching closely as they assess the current pullback. At the time of publication, Bitcoin was trading around $90,400 against USDT on Binance.