Organized by: Cora, Techub News
TinTinLand
Original title: Hong Kong Web3 Daily Must-Read: OKX received investment from ICE, the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange, at a valuation of US$25 billion, a16z Crypto plans to raise US$2 billion for the fifth phase of the fund
Corruption fear index: 25 (panic)
Bitcoin price: $70,829
BTC/ETH Spot ETF Fund Flow (3.5)
BTC net outflow: $91.06 M
ETH net outflow: $8.89 M
Hongkong
BTC/ETH Spot ETF Fund Flow (3.5)
BTC net deposit/redemption: 0 BTC
ETH net deposit/redemption: 0 ETH
Hong Kong police cracked the case of money laundering in puppet accounts and cryptocurrency exchange shops, and two mainland men and women were sentenced respectively
Hong Kong police uncovered a case of money laundering using puppet accounts and cryptocurrency exchange shops. Two mainland men and women came to Hong Kong to open 43 local bank accounts, collected fraudulent funds from 34 different fraud cases, and purchased cryptocurrency at cryptocurrency exchange shops, laundering a total of approximately HK$17.3 million in criminal proceeds. Fund flow analysis shows that the criminal group conducted cryptocurrency transactions through local bank accounts, laundering a total amount of black money of up to HK$230 million. The police charged the two men with 3 and 10 counts of money laundering respectively. After reviewing the facts of the case, the court approved aggravated sentences, jailing them for 28 months and 43 months respectively.
Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission Chief Executive Leung Fengyi: It is necessary to comprehensively upgrade market infrastructure and effectively integrate tokenization-related innovations
Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission Chief Executive Leung Fengyi said at the 2026 Asian Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association EU-Asia Financial Services Dialogue event that Hong Kong must completely upgrade its market infrastructure, especially in the segmentation, clearing and settlement of financial products, and the development of distributed ledger technology and tokenization provides solutions. The core value of tokenization lies in its programmable nature, which can support a wide range of investment products such as bonds, funds and even gold; as the tokenization ecosystem continues to expand, it is necessary to effectively integrate relevant innovative projects to seamlessly combine the confidence of traditional finance with the efficiency of decentralized finance to further release liquidity. Liang Fengyi also revealed that the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission has jointly led the working group of the Asia-Pacific Regional Commission with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission to combat online scams, exchange intelligence with global counterparts, and participate in the formulation and coordination of standards in areas such as digital assets.
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority and four other regulatory agencies joined forces with Cyberport to launch GenA.I. Sandbox++
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the Securities and Futures Commission, the Insurance Authority and the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority jointly announced the launch of the Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenA.I.) Sandbox++ today in conjunction with the Hong Kong Cyberport. Based on the successful experience of the GenA.I. sandbox launched in 2024, the plan has expanded to cover multiple financial fields such as banking, securities and capital markets, asset and wealth management, insurance, mandatory provident funds and stored value payment instruments. It focuses on the three major areas of risk management, anti-fraud and customer experience, and promotes the "AI versus AI" strategy to manage AI application risks. Participating institutions can receive targeted regulatory guidance, technical support and free use of the GPU computing resources of the Cyberport Artificial Intelligence Supercomputing Center to develop and test industry-specific or cross-sector AI applications in a risk-controlled environment, such as intelligent customer chatbots, fraud detection systems, insurance underwriting claims processes and investment product suitability assessments, etc.
First time in Asia Pacific! The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission releases RWA for concert revenue rights, and the fan economy is ushering in the moment of compliance and capitalization
This is not the common "fan token" hype in the Web 3 world, nor is it an air project issued overseas by a certain project party. This is the first time in the Asia-Pacific region that concert proceeds are used as RWA (Real World Assets, real world assets) to issue compliant security tokens, operating under the regulatory framework of the China Securities Regulatory Commission.
An in-depth dismantling of the Yi Sheng model: the logic of Hong Kong’s RWA supervision and the compliant issuance path of cultural and entertainment assets
By comparing it with Delin Holdings Real Estate RWA, we can clearly see the complete thinking of Hong Kong regulators on RWA. This article will deeply dismantle the Yisheng model and explore more diverse distribution paths in the future.
Highlights of Hong Kong March 2026 Events
We have specially sorted out noteworthy activities in the encryption field in Hong Kong in March. These activities will open a window to the future of Web3 for you.
Regulation/Macro
Canadian residents encounter second cryptocurrency scam, scammers pretend to use RCMP logo
A Canadian resident first received a fraudulent text message at the end of 2025, which induced him to deposit 5,000 Canadian dollars through a cryptocurrency ATM to participate in the "Home-based Stock Cryptocurrency Trading" job opportunity. The funds were subsequently lost. Earlier this year, the resident saw a fake Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) public service announcement online. After clicking on the link to fill out the form, a person claiming to be a lawyer from the Toronto law firm Helprpc called and falsely claimed that he had seized two encrypted wallets under the victim's name containing approximately $60,000 in "proceeds" and offered to provide recovery services. The victim became suspicious and verified that the lawyer was not registered with the British Columbia or Ontario Bar Associations, and police confirmed that the website provided by the caller was inaccessible. This case highlights a common secondary fraud technique used in crypto fraud, taking advantage of victims’ eagerness to recover losses to commit further fraud.
Esperanza and Hatcher Group form joint venture to provide automated trading services for tokenized investments
Esperanza entered into a joint venture agreement with Hatcher Group Limited (Yichen Group) on March 3, 2026. The two parties will hold 49% and 51% of the equity of the joint venture company JV BVI Co respectively; after the Securities Regulatory Commission grants a license to JV BVI Co and other prerequisites are met, Yichen Group will allot and issue consideration shares to Esperanza (or its agent) in return. The joint venture company JV BVI Co will become a direct non-wholly owned subsidiary of Yichen Group, and its financial results will be consolidated into Esperanza's accounts. This cooperation aims to improve the market layout of tokenized investment products, create a compliant tokenized issuance system, and establish a regulated asset-based tokenized investment automated trading system with cross-industry scalability.
White House to review new prediction market regulatory measures proposed by CFTC
The White House will review new prediction market regulations submitted by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). This measure aims to provide a clearer regulatory framework for prediction markets (such as event contracts), support market development while preventing risks. The specific content and review progress have not yet been publicly disclosed, and subsequent progress will depend on feedback from the White House.
Project/Company News
OKX receives investment from ICE, the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange, at a valuation of US$25 billion
Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange, announced a strategic investment in OKX with a valuation of US$25 billion. The amount of money ICE invested in OKX and the specific investment terms were not disclosed. Under the agreement, ICE will gain a seat on OKX’s board of directors. The two institutions will launch a number of cooperative products, including OKX providing real-time cryptocurrency price information to ICE. OKX users will be able to trade tokenized stocks and derivatives listed on the New York Stock Exchange on the platform. This feature is expected to be launched in the second half of 2026.
Visa and other institutions complete pilot of Chainlink cross-border settlement solution
Visa, ANZ Bank, China Asset Management and Fidelity International completed cross-border settlement solutions based on Chainlink. Under the Hong Kong Monetary Authority's e-HKD initiative, Chainlink enables secure transfers of regulated assets through automated compliance and atomic settlement. Chainlink's digital transfer agent technology standard can automatically issue tokenized fund units, while using Chainlink data standards to obtain on-chain NAV data to achieve near-real-time settlement. Chainlink CCIP enables secure messaging and e-HKD value transfer across jurisdictions and blockchains; Chainlink’s automated compliance engine verifies identity credentials across networks in real time.
Google warns of new Coruna iOS exploit kit targeting cryptocurrency wallets
The Google Threat Intelligence Team discovered a new iOS exploit kit called "Coruna" that can launch attacks on iPhones running iOS 13.0 to 17.2.1 versions and steal cryptocurrency wallet mnemonic phrases. The kit contains 5 complete iOS exploit chains and 23 vulnerabilities, some of which have not been previously disclosed. Google first discovered the kit in February 2025. It was used by suspected Russian espionage organizations to target Ukrainian users, and then appeared on fake Chinese cryptocurrency websites to steal cryptocurrency assets; when users visit these websites, the kit will scan and extract text containing keywords such as mnemonics and backup phrases to steal sensitive information from applications such as Uniswap and MetaMask. Google recommends iPhone users to immediately update to the latest iOS version or turn on "Lockdown Mode" to prevent such attacks. This suite is not compatible with the latest iOS version.
Alchemy Pay obtains money transmission license from Delaware, USA
Alchemy Pay, an encrypted payment company, has obtained a money transmission license issued by the state of Delaware in the United States, and is allowed to conduct compliant fund transmission-related businesses there. After the approval of this license, Alchemy Pay already holds money transmission licenses in 15 states in the United States. Its global compliance layout has covered Australia, South Korea, Switzerland and Hong Kong, China.
Robinhood Ventures' first fund plans to list on New York Stock Exchange on March 6
Robinhood held a “Take Flight” event and announced a number of new products and features. Among them, Robinhood Ventures' first fund Fund I is expected to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange on March 6; it will soon launch an account sharing function with revocable trust accounts and flexible permission settings; a "Family Center" will be launched within this year to provide a family financial overview and external brokerage account portfolio tracking; a children's investment custody account (UTMA) is now online, supporting gifts in cash, stocks or ETFs. In addition, Robinhood also announced the launch of the Platinum Card, Robinhood Strategies enhancements, Gold Rewards Hub, early dividend payment capabilities, and brand merchandise store Robinhood Market.
Western Union partners with Crossmint to support USDPT stablecoin issuance and global payments on Solana
Cross-border payment giant Western Union has reached a cooperation with infrastructure provider Crossmint to support the issuance of the US dollar stable currency USDPT on the Solana blockchain and connect it to the Western Union global payment network. The partnership will integrate Crossmint’s wallet and payments API with Western Union’s infrastructure, allowing the fintech platform to transfer funds using stablecoins and convert digital dollars into local fiat currencies through Western Union’s more than 360,000 cash withdrawal locations. Previously, in October 2025, Western Union had announced plans to launch the Solana-based USDPT stablecoin in 2026.
Crossover Markets completed US$31 million in Series B financing, led by Tradeweb Markets
Crossover Markets, a cryptocurrency execution trading platform, completed a $31 million Series B round of financing, led by Tradeweb Markets, with participation from DRW Venture Capital, Ripple, Virtu Financial, Wintermute Ventures, XTX Markets and Illuminate Financial. The company plans to use the funds to further optimize its foreign exchange-style market structure and improve the execution efficiency and liquidity of institutional-level crypto transactions. Crossover Markets previously completed US$12 million in financing in June 2024, led by Illuminate Financial and DRW Venture Capital.
a16z Crypto plans to raise US$2 billion for its fifth fund, focusing on blockchain investment
According to multiple people familiar with the matter, a16z Crypto is raising funds for its fifth fund, with a target size of approximately US$2 billion, and plans to complete fundraising in the first half of 2026. The fund will focus entirely on blockchain investments. a16z Crypto has continued to expand in scale since its first fund of US$300 million in 2018, and in 2022 it raised a huge fund of US$4.5 billion. Although the size of the new fund is less than half that of the previous one, sources said a16z Crypto plans to shorten the fundraising cycle to more quickly adapt to the rapidly changing trends in the encryption industry.
Tether strategically invests in smart sleep technology company Eight Sleep at a valuation of US$1.5 billion
Tether made a strategic investment in smart sleep technology company Eight Sleep at a valuation of US$1.5 billion. Eight Sleep uses artificial intelligence and embedded sensors to provide personalized sleep insights and enhancements. This investment aims to enhance Eight Sleep's capabilities and establish long-term cooperation to jointly develop AI-driven health technology based on the Tether QVAC architecture. The investment follows Tether’s launch of the QVAC Health personal health platform, which integrates fragmented health data and supports local device processing to ensure user control and provide a highly personalized experience.
Depth & Foresight
A $2 billion reassurance: While joining the AI wave, a16z did not forget Crypto
As the number one player in the crypto VC field, the news of a16z’s fundraising against the trend quickly attracted widespread market attention. Although the volume of US$2 billion is less than half of the peak of US$4.5 billion set in 2022, at a critical node when the industry cycle is rotating and the regulatory environment is gradually becoming clearer, this move undoubtedly injected a boost into the crypto market in the cold winter, and once again confirmed its firm bet on the long-term prospects of blockchain technology.
The bet that Vitalik lost: One person used AI to run through Ethereum in 6 days. The future in 5 years
We have the tools to quickly simulate the future, which is both an opportunity and a pressure. The opportunity lies in identifying real problems earlier, and the pressure lies in having to make decisions faster—because with every hesitation, competitors move forward.
point of view
After "buying the bottom" of 400,000 BTC: Is $74,000 a rebound or a reversal?
Tom Lee believes that March is a bottom-forming period. The decline in software, Mag 7 and crypto assets is about 90% complete. They are outperforming the market, which is a sign of leadership. Even if there is a global trade disruption, you still need AI and you still need Mag 7. The fundamentals of these companies remain strong. Investors need to remain patient and cautious and retain some cash. But I think opportunities are emerging.
Web3 lawyer analysis: What is the future of U.S. stock tokenization?
We have previously dismantled the technical elements of the New York Stock Exchange platform, including designs such as 7×24-hour trading, odd-lot mechanism, instant settlement based on stable currency, and native digital securities issuance. This article will not repeat these details, but attempts to answer two deeper questions: Why did the New York Stock Exchange choose to launch at this point in time? What is the future of tokenization of U.S. stocks?
