With this launch, INFINIOS becomes the first issuer in Bahrain, apart from being one of the first fintechs in the Middle East, to enable Mastercard settlement using stablecoins, unlocking faster, more efficient settlement capabilities for modern commerce.

The integration also forms part of Mastercard’s broader regional strategy to bring regulated, real‑world blockchain use cases into the mainstream payments ecosystem, bridging traditional finance with tokenized money. INFINIOS was selected as an early live partner following rigorous regulatory, operational, and technical readiness requirements.

“By going live with Mastercard on stablecoin settlement, INFINIOS is helping define the future of how money moves—faster, more transparent, and designed for a digital‑first economy. Bahrain is once again proving it can lead in payment innovation and financial ecosystem transformation,” said Sherif Abdelsalam, CEO of INFINIOS.

“In addition, the collaboration establishes the foundation for 24/7 settlement capabilities that will be introduced progressively over time, addressing long‑standing inefficiencies in cross‑border and institutional payments while maintaining full regulatory compliance,” the senior official remarked further.

Mastercard announced INFINIOS as one of its initial Middle East partners for stablecoin settlement as part of its blockchain and digital asset expansion strategy, reinforcing Bahrain’s role as a forward‑looking fintech hub.

“At Mastercard, we are bringing our global network of partners together to shape the future of stablecoin adoption and power a new wave of digitalization in financial services. Our collaboration with INFINIOS will advance the move toward trusted, enterprise-grade digital settlement rails across the Middle East,” said Saud Swar, country manager, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, and other Levant at Mastercard.

“With this go‑live, INFINIOS positions itself at the core of next‑generation payment infrastructure, enabling banks, fintechs, and enterprises to access Mastercard’s global network with the speed and programmability of blockchain‑based money,” he concluded.

INFINIOS has been expanding its operational footprint into the Middle East, in terms of making stablecoin settlement the new normal in the region.

INFINIOS, in June, entered into a strategic agreement with Circle Internet Financial, a subsidiary of Circle Internet Group, one of the world’s leading financial platform companies. Through the strategic arrangement, INFINIOS will be able to deliver faster, more secure, and more globally interoperable digital payment and treasury solutions for businesses and financial institutions in the Gulf region. The company will integrate with Circle’s financial infrastructure, including USDC, EURC, and API-enabled onchain payment capabilities for payouts and treasury operations.

“Through its integration with Circle’s infrastructure, INFINIOS aims to support institutional and enterprise use cases, including cross-border payments, treasury and liquidity management, merchant settlement, platform payouts, tokenized financial services, and embedded finance. The collaboration also reflects a shared focus on compliance, transparency, and regulatory alignment, including KYC, AML/CFT, and data protection standards,” the Bahraini company said in June, while announcing the agreement.

The post Bahrain’s INFINIOS marks Middle East stablecoin milestone with Mastercard appeared first on International Finance.

It is heavy, it needs to be stored securely, and moving it across borders or between owners is slow and expensive. In a world that increasingly runs on digital speed, gold has remained stubbornly analogue.

Tokenised gold is changing that. It takes the oldest store of value in human history, and gives it a passport into the digital economy. As more of our everyday devices and systems begin talking to each other and to blockchains directly, tokenised gold may end up being just one small piece of a much larger transformation. To understand why this matters, it helps to break the concept down from the ground up.

As David Tait, CEO of the World Gold Council, put it earlier in 2026, “Gold faces a rapid and pervasive digital transformation.” In financial services, the metal must evolve to keep its place in the system.

At its simplest, tokenised gold is a digital token that represents ownership of a specific amount of physical gold. Each token is typically backed by a fixed quantity, often one gram or one troy ounce, of real gold bullion sitting in a vault somewhere in the world. The token itself lives on a blockchain, the same technology that underpins cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Smart Contracts Explained

The link that connects the digital token to the physical metal is something called a smart contract. A smart contract is essentially a self-executing computer programme stored on a blockchain. It automatically carries out an agreement once certain conditions are met, without needing a bank, broker, or middleman to approve each step.

In the case of tokenised gold, smart contracts manage the rules around minting new tokens, transferring ownership, and redeeming tokens for physical gold. When a company issues new tokens, the smart contract typically requires proof that an equivalent amount of gold has been added to the vault.

When someone wants to redeem their tokens for actual gold bars, the smart contract handles the process of burning, or permanently removing, those tokens from circulation while triggering the physical delivery process.

This automation removes a lot of the friction and human error that traditionally came with gold trading. There is no need to physically inspect a vault every time a trade happens. The smart contract and the blockchain record do that verification work continuously.

Trust You Can Verify

Of course, none of this works without trust in the actual gold sitting in storage. This is where audited vaults come in. Companies that issue tokenised gold typically store their physical reserves in secure, professional-grade vaults, often located in established gold trading hubs.

To maintain credibility, these vaults are regularly checked by independent third-party auditors. These auditors verify that the amount of gold physically stored matches the number of tokens issued. If there are one million tokens in circulation, each representing one gram of gold, the audit confirms there really are one million grams, or one thousand kilograms, sitting in the vault.

Many issuers also allow token holders to view detailed information about the specific gold bars backing their holdings, including serial number, weight, and purity. Some go a step further by publishing real-time, or near real-time, proof of reserves, giving people an ongoing window into whether the digital tokens remain fully backed.

This question of trust sits at the heart of how the wider industry is now thinking about the asset class.

Matthias Tauber, managing director and senior partner at Boston Consulting Group, observed, “The question is no longer whether gold will be digital. It’s how it can participate in modern financial systems without compromising physical integrity.”

How Ownership Actually Works

For an everyday investor, the process of getting involved with tokenised gold is surprisingly straightforward. Most platforms allow users to purchase tokens using either traditional currency or cryptocurrency. Once purchased, the tokens sit in a digital wallet, similar to how you might hold Bitcoin or Ethereum.

From there, the tokens can be used in several ways. They can simply be held as a long-term store of value, much like owning physical gold but without the storage headaches. They can be sent to other people anywhere in the world in minutes, regardless of time zones or banking hours. They can also be sold back to the issuer, or traded on cryptocurrency exchanges for other digital assets or cash.

Interestingly, many tokenised gold products allow holders to redeem their tokens for actual physical gold, provided they meet certain minimum quantity requirements. This means the digital token is not just a representation, it carries a real claim that can be converted back into the tangible asset whenever the holder chooses.

Plugging Into Decentralised Finance

One of the most transformative aspects of tokenised gold is how it connects to the broader world of decentralised finance, often shortened to DeFi. DeFi refers to a growing ecosystem of financial services, including lending, borrowing, and trading, that operate without traditional banks or financial institutions acting as middlemen.

Since tokenised gold exists on a blockchain, it can plug directly into these DeFi platforms. Someone holding tokenised gold could use it as collateral to avail a loan in a digital currency, without ever selling their gold.

They could provide it to a lending pool and earn interest from other users who borrow against it. They could swap it instantly for other digital assets on decentralised exchanges, all without needing approval from a bank.

This idea of gold actively working within financial systems, rather than sitting passively in a vault, is exactly what industry leaders are now pushing toward.

Tait has spoken about infrastructure that would let participants ‘pass gold digitally around the gold ecosystem, as collateral, for the first time’, pointing out that gold has traditionally been viewed as a static, unyielding asset with untapped potential.

This is a genuinely new development in financial history. For the first time, an asset that has represented stability and tradition for millennia can now actively participate in fast-moving, programmable financial systems, all while the underlying physical gold remains safely locked away in a vault.

A World Where Everything Is on Chain

To really appreciate where tokenised gold might be heading, it helps to zoom out and look at a much bigger trend reshaping technology, the Internet of Things, or IoT. IoT refers to the growing network of everyday physical objects, from refrigerators and thermostats to shipping containers and factory machines, that are connected to the internet, and capable of collecting and exchanging data automatically.

Right now, most of this data sits in private company databases, isolated from each other and largely invisible to the public. But a powerful idea is gaining momentum. What if these devices could record their data directly onto a blockchain, creating permanent, verifiable, and shared records that anyone could check?
Imagine a vault holding gold reserves equipped with IoT sensors that continuously measure weight, temperature, humidity, and even motion. Instead of relying solely on periodic human audits, these sensors could feed real-time data straight onto the blockchain, automatically confirming, moment by moment, that the gold backing each token is exactly where it should be. A sudden change in weight could trigger an automatic alert, or even pause trading of the related tokens, all without a single human needing to intervene immediately.

This is part of a much larger shift that many technologists believe is coming, a future where blockchain becomes the invisible infrastructure connecting almost everything. Shipping containers could log their location and condition as they cross oceans, with smart contracts automatically releasing payments once goods are confirmed delivered in good condition.

Solar panels and electric vehicle batteries could trade excess energy with neighbours automatically, with payments settling instantly on a blockchain. Supply chains for food, medicine, and electronics could become fully transparent, with every step from factory to shelf permanently recorded and impossible to fake.
In this kind of world, tokenised gold is not an isolated experiment. It is an early example of a much broader pattern, physical things and real-world data being represented, verified, and exchanged through blockchain technology, often with little or no need for human middlemen. Gold just happens to be one of the first and most natural assets to make this leap, given how closely its value has always depended on questions of authenticity, location, and trust.

Why This Matters for Global Financial System

The importance of tokenised gold extends well beyond convenience for individual investors. On a global scale, it represents a meaningful step toward democratising access to an asset that has historically been difficult for ordinary people to own in meaningful quantities, especially in regions with limited banking infrastructure.

In many parts of the world, buying and securely storing physical gold is simply not practical for the average person. Tokenised gold removes that barrier. Someone with just a smartphone and an internet connection can own a fraction of a gold bar, something that would have been unthinkable a generation ago.
It also offers a potential hedge against currency instability. In countries where local currencies are volatile or where access to stable foreign currencies is restricted, tokenised gold provides an alternative way to preserve value, all while remaining liquid and easily transferable.

From a broader financial systems perspective, tokenised gold represents a bridge between two worlds that have often operated separately, traditional commodity markets and the emerging digital asset economy.

As more real-world assets, from real estate to bonds to commodities, follow gold’s lead and become tokenised, and as IoT devices increasingly feed real-world data onto blockchains, we may be witnessing the early stages of a fundamental shift in how value itself is stored, verified, transferred, and used.

Tokenised gold has taken one of humanity’s oldest and most trusted assets and equipped it with the speed, accessibility, and programmability of modern digital finance. It does not ask people to abandon what gold has always represented, security, permanence, and tangible worth. Instead, it simply gives that value a new way to move through the world.

As physical objects become increasingly connected, and as more of the data and assets that matter to our lives find their way onto blockchains, tokenised gold offers an early glimpse of what this future might look like, one where trust is not just promised by institutions, but continuously demonstrated by the technology itself.

The post Gold Gains Mobility In Blockchain Age appeared first on International Finance.

As per the study titled “AI in Asset Management Market Report 2026,” published on Research and Markets, the ongoing surge stems from tailwinds like advancements in digital asset management, the increasing complexity of investment portfolios, the proliferation of financial data, and the heightened demand for error reductions in asset tracking and analytics-driven decision-making.

“The forecast for AI in the asset management market extends this trajectory, predicting a leap to USD 21.82 billion by 2030 with a CAGR of 32.4%. Key factors fueling this growth include the rising adoption of AI-driven financial platforms, an escalating demand for real-time asset visibility, and the expansion of algorithmic investment strategies. The integration of AI with blockchain and the development of cloud-based asset management solutions contribute to this anticipated expansion. Future trends predict advancements in automated asset tracking, AI-driven portfolio optimization, and real-time investment decision support,” the report said.

The immediate need for sophisticated fraud detection solutions has become the critical element to the AI market’s growth. Integrating AI into asset management solutions enhances operational efficiency, accuracy, and real-time monitoring capabilities, especially in fraud detection. To prove its point, the study cited the 2024 incident, in which the United States Department of the Treasury reported prevention and recovery of over USD 4 billion in fraud by leveraging machine-learning AI, showcasing the significant impact of AI-powered fraud detection.

“Leading companies are enhancing their market positions through innovations such as AI supercomputing services. In March 2023, NVIDIA Corporation launched DGX Cloud, offering a high-performance AI-training-as-a-service platform. This service provides enterprises with a serverless environment optimized for AI, signifying a leap forward in AI application accessibility,” the report said.

DGX Cloud now allows organizations to instantly access NVIDIA AI supercomputing across global cloud platforms using a standard web browser. The AI-training-as-a-service platform is offering enterprise developers a serverless environment tailored for doing R&D activities related to generative AI. DGX Cloud, equipped with eight NVIDIA 80GB Tensor Core GPUs, enables organizations to operate their own AI supercomputer through a web interface while delivering 640GB of GPU memory per instance.

“In corporate strategy developments, Alarm.com acquired Vintra in April 2023, marking an expansion of its deep-learning capabilities and fortifying its position in advanced video analytics for asset management. Such acquisitions indicate a trend of strategic enhancements among major players in the market,” it added further.

Prominent companies dominating the AI in asset management market include Alphabet, Microsoft, JPMorgan Chase, and Amazon Web Services (AWS), among others. Going by the regional analysis, in 2025, North America emerged as the leading market, with significant activity recorded in Asia-Pacific, Europe, and South America as well.

“Tariffs have had a dual impact, increasing costs for imported data center hardware and promoting a shift to cloud-based platforms. This transition supports software-centric models, boosting regional fintech ecosystems,” the report observed.

“These tariffs have influenced the AI in the asset management market by increasing costs related to imported data center hardware, analytics servers, and supporting IT infrastructure. These impacts are more visible in on-premise deployments across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Higher infrastructure costs have encouraged firms to reassess capital investments. At the same time, tariffs are accelerating migration toward cloud-based AI asset management platforms. This transition is supporting software-centric delivery models and strengthening regional fintech ecosystems,” it added further.

Cutting-edge technologies like machine learning, deep learning, and predictive analytics have emerged as central elements to AI applications in asset management, being employed across sectors like BFSI, healthcare, retail, and more.

The post AI in asset management market to reach USD 21.82 billion by 2030, says report appeared first on International Finance.

Settlement cycles stretch across hours, sometimes days. Systems reconcile data after the fact. Liquidity gets locked in transit. And behind it all, multiple ledgers attempt to reflect the same transaction, often requiring layers of verification to confirm what should already be known.

For decades, this worked. It was reliable, regulated, and predictable. But now, that model is being quietly challenged, not by disruption at the edges, but by a structural rethink of how money itself should move.

Financial institutions are beginning to explore something that, until recently, sat firmly in the realm of experimentation: tokenised cash and programmable money. What started as a blockchain curiosity is now evolving into a serious attempt to redesign the underlying rails of finance.

And unlike past waves of innovation, this one is not being driven solely by startups or crypto-native firms. It’s being built from within the system itself.

Why now? A system under pressure

The timing is not accidental. Across the financial ecosystem, pressure has been building. Transaction volumes are increasing. Markets are becoming more interconnected. And expectations around speed driven by digital platforms in every other industry are starting to reshape what institutions consider acceptable.

Anil Thapa, a fintech expert and data analyst based in Manchester, sees this shift emerging from a fundamental mismatch between infrastructure and demand.

“A lot of the current infrastructure is still built around older assumptions. Separate ledgers, delayed updates, and manual reconciliation between parties. That works, but it creates inefficiencies that become more obvious as transaction volumes increase and as markets demand faster execution,” he told International Finance.

At its core, the issue is not just speed: it’s duplication.

Financial institutions often end up keeping their own versions of the same data, only matching things up after the transaction is done. It’s built that way for trust, but it does slow things down.

Tokenised cash offers a different approach. Instead of each participant maintaining its own record, transactions can exist on a shared ledger, visible and verifiable in real time.

“Instead of each participant maintaining its own ledger and then reconciling later, everyone is effectively looking at the same state in real time. From a data perspective, that’s a big shift; it improves transparency, reduces duplication, and makes audit trails much cleaner,” Thapa explains.

That shift from fragmented records to a shared source of truth is one of the key forces driving institutional interest.

From concept to implementation

What makes this moment different from earlier blockchain experiments is that the conversation has moved beyond theory.

Emma Landriault, Executive Director working on JPM Coin at JPMorgan, describes a growing demand from institutional clients, not for abstract innovation, but for practical, integrated solutions.

“We see growing interest from large institutional players who want more native on-chain cash solutions from pre-eminent and reputed financial institutions. These institutions typically participate actively in both crypto and real-world asset digital transactions, which is why native on-chain deposit-based cash solutions fit well with their needs,” she told International Finance.

In other words, the infrastructure around digital assets is expanding, but without a corresponding form of digital cash, the system remains incomplete. Tokenised deposits aim to fill that gap.

Unlike stablecoins, which are typically issued by non-banks and backed by separate reserves, deposit tokens are tied directly to regular bank deposits. They operate within the same regulatory and liquidity rules as regular banking, which makes them familiar and easier for institutions to use as part of their everyday financial operations.

“A deposit token is a digital representation of a bank deposit that operates on blockchain networks, designed for institutional use cases. Institutional clients can treat deposit tokens in the same way they would treat a traditional bank deposit on their balance sheet,” Landriault explains.

That distinction matters. It means tokenised cash is not positioned as a replacement for existing systems, but as an extension, one that integrates with treasury management, accounting, and liquidity frameworks already in place.

Who is already using tokenised cash?

Several large financial institutions have already started testing, and in some cases using, tokenised cash in real-world settings.

So far, the push has mostly come from big global banks, especially on the institutional side. Use cases are showing up in areas such as cross-border payments, treasury operations, and digital asset transactions.

For instance, platforms such as JPM Coin are being used by institutional clients to move money between corporate accounts more efficiently, cutting down the time it takes to settle transactions.

This hasn’t happened overnight. The groundwork has been there for a while, but it’s really only in the last few years that things have started to pick up pace. What used to be small pilot projects are gradually turning into something more real, as the tech improves and institutions get more comfortable using tokenised cash.

The response has been fairly steady. On the inside, teams working with these systems are already noticing improvements – less time spent on reconciliation, better visibility into transactions.

For clients, particularly large ones, the appeal is straightforward: faster settlement, more control over liquidity, and the ability to plug into existing systems without having to overhaul everything.

That said, adoption is still cautious. Most institutions aren’t replacing their current systems just yet. They’re running these alongside what they already have.

Efficiency beyond speed

Much of the conversation around tokenised money focuses on speed, faster payments, instant settlement, and real-time transfers. But the more meaningful impact may lie elsewhere in how capital is used.

“In traditional systems, settlement delays mean capital is often tied up for a period of time, even after a transaction is agreed. That creates inefficiency, especially at scale,” Thapa notes.

When transactions settle instantly, capital is no longer stuck in limbo. It can be redeployed immediately, improving liquidity and reducing risk.

There’s also the question of certainty. In today’s systems, the completion of a transaction often involves multiple stages, execution, clearing, and settlement, each introducing potential delays or points of failure. Tokenised systems collapse those stages into a single, atomic process.

“Tokenised money allows transactions to settle almost instantly, and more importantly, allows both sides of a transaction to complete simultaneously. That removes a lot of the uncertainty and risk that exists today,” Thapa noted.

For institutions operating at scale, those incremental efficiencies add up. They reduce the need for intermediaries, simplify post-trade processes, and eliminate much of the operational overhead tied to reconciliation.

When finance stops sleeping

If tokenised cash really takes hold, it could start to quietly change how markets function day to day.

Today, financial systems are structured around time, trading hours, settlement windows, and batch processing cycles. Even in an increasingly digital world, these constraints remain. But programmable, tokenised money introduces the possibility of continuous operation.

“Do you see programmable money enabling truly 24/7 financial markets?” is no longer a hypothetical question; it’s becoming a design consideration.

Thapa believes the implications could be significant.

“When settlement becomes instant, and systems operate continuously, the delay between decision and execution effectively disappears. That should improve liquidity, since capital is no longer sitting idle waiting for settlement,” he added.

At the same time, continuous markets introduce new dynamics.

Faster reactions can improve efficiency, but they can also amplify volatility. Without natural pauses in the system, markets may become more sensitive to real-time information.

“There’s also a structural shift for institutions. Many existing processes are built around defined operating hours. Moving to a 24/7 model requires a different approach to liquidity management, risk monitoring, and even staffing,” Thapa said.

Programmability: The real shift

While tokenisation improves infrastructure, programmability changes behaviour. Money, in this setup, isn’t just sitting idle anymore; it can actually “do” things, carrying instructions and acting on them when certain conditions are met.

So a payment might go through the moment a contract is fulfilled, collateral can shift on its own, and liquidity can move depending on what’s happening in the market.

“Yes, and I think this is where things start to get really interesting. Transactions are no longer just instructions; they can carry conditions and logic,” Thapa noted.

When combined with data and artificial intelligence, the implications expand further. Over time, these systems may move beyond fixed rules and start adjusting on their own, reacting to changes as they happen.

“Over time, I expect this to evolve into more autonomous systems where both execution and decision-making become increasingly automated,” he emphasised.

This is where the idea of ‘programmable money’ begins to feel less like infrastructure and more like an operating layer for financial activity.

Risks in a code-driven system

With that shift comes a different kind of risk. Traditional financial systems are built to manage delays, human errors, and operational inefficiencies. Programmable systems introduce new vulnerabilities, ones tied to code, data, and automation.

“The nature of risk changes quite a bit. Instead of dealing mainly with delays or manual errors, the focus shifts to system design, code quality, and data reliability,” Thapa said.

Smart contracts, once deployed, execute automatically and often irreversibly. A flaw in logic can scale quickly, with consequences that are difficult to unwind.

Then there is the question of how reliable the data actually is. These systems depend on outside inputs to make decisions, and if that data is wrong or tampered with, the results can go off track just as quickly.

Add AI into the mix, and things get more complicated. Questions around model behaviour, transparency, and whether decisions still reflect what’s happening in the real world start to matter a lot more. The emphasis, as Thapa puts it, shifts toward proactive risk management, testing, validation, and continuous monitoring.

Bridging old and new

Despite the momentum, tokenised finance is unlikely to replace existing systems overnight. In fact, the near-term reality is more hybrid than transformative.

“Tokenised financial infrastructure is no longer theoretical. However, parallel financial infrastructure will co-exist for years to come,” Landriault said.

Legacy systems are deeply embedded, and institutions cannot simply abandon them. Instead, the focus is on integration, connecting new technologies with existing frameworks.

“Scalable, institutional-grade capabilities will be the result of incremental adaptation over the years ahead, rather than overnight transformation,” she added.

This gradual approach reflects both technical and regulatory realities.

One of the bigger hurdles is still getting different systems to talk to each other smoothly. Rules and regulations are also catching up, trying to make sense of new forms of money. And for institutions, there’s the added task of investing in the kind of infrastructure that can actually connect all of this.

As Thapa puts it, the system is “progressing, but not fully there yet.”

A layer, not a replacement

One of the more persistent misconceptions around tokenised money is that it represents a break from traditional finance. In practice, it looks more like an evolution.

“I tend to see it more as an evolution of financial infrastructure rather than a completely new concept. Most institutional work in this space is focused on improving existing systems using tokenisation, not replacing them,” Thapa added.

That distinction is important.

Tokenised cash is not coming up on its own; it is growing alongside things like CBDCs, stablecoins, and the systems already in place today, each serving its own purpose. Over time, these pieces could start fitting together, shaping a more connected and flexible financial system.

The post Why the way money moves is being rethought appeared first on International Finance.

Blockchain is opening up new money flows, cross-border transactions are speeding up, and artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionising financial processes. At the same time, businesses are being forced by regulatory changes to incorporate compliance technology, which will ensure their resilience at a time of increased scrutiny.

B2B finance is at a turning point. In addition to changing the financial infrastructure, the convergence of these advances is radically changing how businesses control risk, streamline processes, and spur expansion.

Businesses that successfully use fintech solutions will have a competitive advantage, while those that don’t adjust quickly run the risk of becoming obsolete in the rapidly digitalised financial sector.

The quickening of business payments

As businesses seek quicker, more affordable solutions, the global payment infrastructure is changing. By the end of 2025, it is anticipated that the total number of cross-border blockchain transactions will have increased by 48% year over year to $5 trillion. The demand for smooth, real-time settlement solutions is expected to propel the worldwide payment processing industry, valued at $79.6 billion in 2024, to more than double, reaching $161.9 billion by 2030.

In addition to speeding up transactions, this development is forcing companies to reconsider their financial arrangements and hastening the use of financial products based on blockchain technology to improve liquidity management and maximise cash flow. This growing reliance on digital assets is ushering in a more automated and decentralised corporate finance ecosystem.

Digital asset usage in corporate finance is becoming a strategic imperative rather than just conjecture. Blockchain technology is used by financial institutions and global firms to improve security, liquidity management, and transaction efficiency.

Early blockchain projects were mostly limited to experimental pilots, but due to institutional demand, regulatory changes, and cost-saving advantages, corporate adoption has now moved to full-scale implementation.

Due to growing corporate adoption, the financial blockchain market is expected to reach $49.2 billion by 2030. Tokenisation is driving this change, as companies digitise financial instruments, commodities, and real estate to enhance liquidity and tradability.

Experts predict that the demand for tokenised assets will surpass $600 billion. Tokenised assets are already being incorporated by businesses into trade settlement, supply chain finance, and cross-border transactions, which lowers counterparty risks and shortens settlement times from days to seconds.

At the forefront of this change are institutions. Leading exchanges are modifying their models to include institutional-grade digital assets, while international banks and asset managers are introducing tokenisation platforms to enable blockchain-based financial instruments. The distinction between decentralised finance (DeFi) and traditional finance is starting to become less clear, opening up new avenues for investment vehicles and capital markets.

But there are still obstacles in the way of widespread acceptance. As different jurisdictions adopt varying approaches to digital asset monitoring and compliance regimes, regulatory uncertainty remains a major concern.

While some regions, like Singapore and the European Union, have taken proactive measures to set clear regulatory norms, others are still figuring out where they stand. Businesses’ approaches to risk reduction, security procedures, and compliance will be influenced by these changing policies.

Businesses that successfully integrate tokenisation into their financial strategy will be positioned for long-term success in an increasingly digitised and decentralised global economy, even though adoption will move at varying rates across industries.

The institutional shift and CBDCs

Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) are still developing, but more slowly than first thought. Citing the need for legislative clarity, interoperability testing, and risk assessment, about one-third of central banks have postponed their intentions to introduce digital versions of their currencies.

Most, however, are still driven to keep control over monetary policy and currency issuance and are dedicated to eventual adoption. The increase in cross-border wholesale CBDC initiatives over the past few years is indicative of an institutional focus on improving interbank settlements and simplifying international financial flows.

The People’s Bank of China (PBOC), the European Central Bank (ECB), and the United States Federal Reserve are among the central banks that have started pilot programmes to test the infrastructure for digital currency transactions at the wholesale level. Project mBridge, which links banks in China, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Hong Kong, and Saudi Arabia, is one of them.

Wholesale CBDCs are emerging as a more attractive option for large-scale corporate transactions, liquidity management, and cross-border trade financing as central banks concentrate on improving interbank settlements and simplifying international financial flows.

Adoption of CBDCs has important and encouraging ramifications for businesses. Reduced transaction costs, quicker settlement times, and less dependence on middlemen are all advantages for businesses involved in international trade.

By facilitating quicker settlement times and lowering reliance on intermediary currencies, wholesale CBDCs have the potential to lower foreign exchange risks, especially in emerging markets where operational difficulties are caused by currency volatility. CBDCs could reduce the risks related to foreign exchange swings in cross-border payments by facilitating direct currency exchanges and improving transparency in cross-currency transactions.

Despite these benefits, privacy laws, their influence on monetary policy, and cybersecurity issues remain major barriers to widespread adoption. The digital currency frameworks of some jurisdictions, like China and the UAE, are developing quickly, but others are still cautious and are waiting for more precise guidelines regarding the governance of CBDCs and their integration with current financial systems.

Businesses must keep up with changing technology and regulatory environments as CBDCs continue to grow. Navigating the next stage of financial digitisation will require an understanding of how digital currencies fit into global payment infrastructure, liquidity management, and corporate finance. This emphasis on ongoing learning and adaptation highlights the significance of remaining informed and proactive in the rapidly changing fintech world.

Future of enterprise finance and AI

Artificial intelligence is evolving from a tool for efficiency to a fundamental component of enterprise finance, changing everything from sophisticated financial modelling to real-time risk management. As businesses scramble to incorporate automation and machine learning into financial operations, investments in AI-driven compliance, fraud detection, and predictive analytics are increasing.

The B2B banking industry has proven AI’s usefulness for automated risk assessment. It enables businesses to examine large financial data sets to identify irregularities and make previously unheard-of credit risk predictions.

Real-time transactional behaviour analysis by AI-driven fraud detection systems, which are already integrated into international payment networks, can reduce financial crime losses by up to 50% by flagging questionable activity.

Corporate finance is also changing as a result of the emergence of generative AI. Complex legal documents, contract analysis, and regulatory compliance reporting are now processed by AI-powered automation, which can reduce processing times by up to 90%.

Businesses now face additional security and regulatory problems as AI develops. Although AI improves financial decision-making, authorities are examining AI-driven financial services more closely, so companies must use understandable AI models to ensure compliance and transparency.

For financial organisations, investing in AI is now a strategic need rather than an option. In an increasingly automated and data-driven economy, businesses that do not incorporate AI-powered financial solutions run the danger of falling behind.

Fintech adoption for compliance

Regulatory compliance is still a major concern as financial technology changes business interactions. Businesses are being forced to reconsider how they handle compliance as a result of the growing complexity of international financial regulations, as well as the emergence of digital assets, AI-driven financial services, and CBDCs.

Regulatory technology (RegTech), which offers automated solutions for risk assessment, fraud prevention, and real-time monitoring, is becoming an increasingly important part of enterprise fintech plans.

Several important causes are driving the need for RegTech. Businesses that conduct cross-border operations must adhere to several regulatory frameworks, which raises the cost and difficulty of reporting. Businesses may automate compliance procedures with AI-powered RegTech solutions, guaranteeing adherence to changing jurisdictional standards while lowering operational risks.

As businesses enhance automation to manage regulatory complexity, the RegTech industry is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.6% from its 2023 valuation of $11.7 billion to $83.8 billion by 2033, according to Allied Industry Research.

AI is already being used to expedite manufacturing, healthcare, and financial regulatory procedures. By automating risk assessments, fraud detection, and legal reporting, RegTech platforms powered by AI have been demonstrated to dramatically lower compliance costs. AI-based solutions have reduced document filing times in legal departments by 90%, improving operational effectiveness and reducing compliance expenses.

Initiatives for digital compliance are also being accelerated by governments and financial institutions, especially in light of the growth of digital currencies and decentralised finance (DeFi). Regulatory frameworks must change as blockchain-based transactions and CBDCs become more popular in order to adequately supervise these financial innovations.

Businesses that don’t incorporate automated compliance solutions run the danger of facing fines from the government, being investigated, and experiencing operational inefficiencies.

Businesses can lower compliance expenses, improve fraud detection capabilities, and increase the effectiveness of regulatory reporting by utilising RegTech. Integrating AI-powered compliance technologies enables businesses to manage changing regulations and reduce the dangers of financial crime.

Businesses that proactively deploy RegTech solutions will be better equipped to handle the increasingly complicated global regulatory environment as financial technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace.

In order to negotiate an increasingly complex legal environment, businesses must make sure that their infrastructure is ready for the integration of digital assets, engage in staff development to maximise AI applications, and have strict compliance procedures in place. Cybersecurity is still a major worry, and to protect digital transactions, firms must implement advanced risk mitigation techniques.

Despite the traditional lag in B2B financial technology adoption compared to consumer finance, 2025 represents a significant shift. Failure to integrate financial technology puts businesses at risk of operational inefficiencies and decreased competitiveness, especially as the sector transitions to full-scale digitisation. Moving from trial adoption to strategic deployment is now essential, making sure that technology investments solve particular operational issues and provide quantifiable corporate value.

Opportunities are being created by the quickening adoption of financial technology, but businesses that don’t make strategic plans may find it difficult to remain resilient in a setting that is changing quickly. Enterprise transactions in the future will be shaped by companies that adopt digital finance innovations now; those that do not run the risk of becoming permanently behind in a financial ecosystem that is changing quickly.

The post Fintech’s next revolution appeared first on International Finance.

In this scenario, today’s episode of International Finance’s “Start-up of the Week” will be special, as we will talk about a Web3 venture that now claims to be able to track tariffs automatically on goods coming into and out of the USA using its blockchain platform. The venture, named “Watr,” is already validating commodities for large mining companies and auto manufacturers.

Potential Game-Changer In The Making?

Created by former Shell, BP, and JP Morgan executives, the company is headed by Maryam Ayati, who led global origination and investment at Shell Trading. As per a TechCrunch report, Watr’s investors belong to a syndicate of “thus-far unnamed crypto VCs” and “commodity executives.”

While stating that, through Watr, a commodity can be pre-checked for tariffs before a transaction takes place, Ayati stated, “Some non-Western governments we’ve spoken to say that Western-country commodities traders sometimes claim that a commodity they’ve bought will be going to, for example, Europe, but then it’s sent to, for example, an Asian market. And they make a lot more money on that because they don’t give the correct cut to the original commodity owners. With our system, the minute tariffs are due, even before money changes hands, the commodity can be checked for whether a tariff is due or not.”

While there are chances that the start-up’s solution can be used to ensure strict implementation of American tariffs, the same tool can also be used to speed up global trade (and the USD 20 trillion worth of global commodities industry) hit by any tariff-induced slowdowns. Watr’s platform tracks commodities using blockchain-based tools, ranging from decentralised IDs for institutions to digital fingerprints for raw materials.

Watr’s journey started in 2022 with a “nutrition label” to track the provenance of a commodity in terms of regulations, such as CO2 emissions or other ESG considerations. Now, in 2025, the venture is switching to domains like sanctions and tariffs, using its blockchain platform to test the provenance of commodities to ensure its clients aren’t inadvertently overstepping any regulatory hurdles before a trade is completed.

Watr recently migrated to the Avalanche blockchain network. The latter, developed by Ava Labs, allows companies like Watr to create so-called “sovereign chains” — tailored to specific industry needs, in this case, the world of commodities. It’s already used by JP Morgan, Citibank, and FEMA.

How Watr Works

Watr believes that the future of commodities isn’t built by outsiders—it’s built by those who know how these markets run, how capital flows, and where innovation is most useful.

“Watr is the first open blockchain ecosystem designed for commodity markets, by those who have built, traded, and financed them at scale. Neo Holdings, creator of Watr and its ecosystem developer, is led by veterans of energy, commodities, startups, and blockchain,” the start-up added.

Neo Holdings itself works on the principle of making industry expertise meet decentralised innovation, curating and commercialising new digital technology and market ventures across the commodities industry in the process.

Neo is not just building products for Watr; it’s curating an ecosystem where liquidity, trade, and compliance meet digital-first infrastructure. Watr has become a public blockchain, open for entrepreneurs, developers, and institutions to build the next generation of commodity markets.

Watr has built and scaled blockchain-based market infrastructure, from trade finance platforms to tokenized assets, bringing industry leaders, traders, investors, and entrepreneurs on the same platform to “solve real problems for real users.” The start-up designs its solutions with interoperability, scale, and regulatory compliance in mind, ensuring real-world adoption and growth.

Watr’s decentralised market infrastructure works on two key mechanisms. The first is “Watr ID,” which is a sort of “Identity Layer,” containing verifiable, self-sovereign digital identities for businesses, individuals (traders, commodity professionals, investors, and developers), and assets, enabling trusted commodity trade, reducing counterparty risk, and streamlining financing with reusable, compliant identity credentials.

Next is “WatrMrk,” which provides digital provenance for commodities—ensuring assets are tracked, verified, and programmable, thereby creating a tamper-proof, on-chain record of asset origin, attributes, and transaction origin, critical for risk assessment, sustainable trade, and price discovery.

Partnering with Watr helps commodity sector players set the terms for new contracts, risk models, and execution structures that will define “tomorrow’s market.” Also, they can fund and collaborate with disruptors who can redefine the commodity sector’s operations through their innovations.

Watr also helps its clients unlock financing channels, such as programmable and real-world on-chain risk models. Through this, entrepreneurs, fintechs, and market pioneers can quickly develop new financial instruments, risk models, and digital trading applications.

At the beginning of our article, we stated Watr’s ability to track tariffs automatically on goods coming into and out of the USA using its blockchain platform, apart from validating commodities for large mining companies and auto manufacturers.

At the centre of these claims, we have a compliance layer, which is a portable, immutable KYC credential ensuring seamless regulatory compliance across platforms and ecosystems. To back it up, Watr has also introduced NeoReserves, a capital layer that provides on-chain liquidity pools and new trade financing models for commodities.

We also have VentureStream, a launchpad and innovation hub for startups building commodity-tech solutions, fostering a vibrant developer ecosystem, and connecting entrepreneurs with legacy market participants. Together, all these components form the building blocks of a programmable commodities economy, ensuring transparency, compliance, trust, reputation, smooth capital flow, and growth and adoption.

A-Z About Watr’s Migration To Avalanche Blockchain Network

Watr, to redefine the USD 20 trillion global commodities industry, has migrated to an Avalanche L1. This move will bring one of the world’s most critical sectors—spanning metals, minerals, food, and fuel—on-chain, thereby leveraging Avalanche’s infrastructure to unlock composability and capital efficiency at scale.

Avalanche’s modular architecture will empower Watr to launch purpose-built blockchains tailored to individual commodities, counterparties, and compliance requirements—without sacrificing speed or interoperability. Trusted by major institutions like JPMorgan, Citi, and FEMA, Avalanche provides the institutional-grade performance required to scale real-world asset applications.

Supported by a global community of developers and validators, Avalanche offers a fast, low-cost environment for building the next generation of decentralised applications (dApps). With its unique blend of speed, flexibility, and scalability, the entity has become the preferred choice for innovators pushing the boundaries of blockchain technology.

The post Start-up of the Week: Web3-based Watr to help commodity market to track ‘Trump Tariffs’ appeared first on International Finance.

After a long journey towards development, working on advanced tech projects, and pursuing postgraduate studies in artificial intelligence and robotics, he decided to turn his expertise and ideas into a tangible reality.

In his quest to identify opportunities that fill market gaps and deliver real value, Mohammed Alsolami recognised the need for an advanced financial platform that provides innovative solutions to support entrepreneurs and investors. This realisation led to the founding of “Rabeh,” a one-of-a-kind financial platform designed to empower individuals and businesses to achieve their investment aspirations with ease and efficiency.

Rabeh has emerged as a technological revolution in the financial world, by offering services like crowdfunding, crowd investment, and an innovative system for real-time ownership exchange. This is built to enhance efficiency, security, and transparency, making it the ideal destination for supporting small and medium-sized enterprises.

Redefining Funding And Investment With Advanced Technology

Rabeh goes beyond traditional financial platforms by leveraging cutting-edge technology to act as an aggregator of funding solutions and a real-time exchange platform for investments. At its core, Rabeh combines AI, blockchain, and data-driven analytics to provide a seamless, secure, and innovative experience for both investors and entrepreneurs.

Innovation is at the core of Rabeh’s success. The platform uses advanced technologies like AI to analyse data and make smart investment decisions. It also provides users with an interactive dashboard to manage their investments effortlessly.

One of Rabeh’s standout features is its focus on real-time ownership exchange, allowing investors to buy and sell shares with full transparency and speed. This innovation has captured the attention of investors and entrepreneurs worldwide.

Rabeh uses advanced AI algorithms to analyse market trends, evaluate investment opportunities, and provide real-time recommendations to users. By leveraging machine learning models, the platform identifies potential risks and helps investors make informed decisions based on historical data and predictive analytics. The AI engine also matches investors with projects that align with their financial goals, risk appetite, and industry preferences.

Every transaction on Rabeh gets recorded on a blockchain ledger, ensuring transparency and preventing fraud. Automated smart contracts streamline funding processes, enforce compliance, and ensure secure ownership transfers. The use of blockchain guarantees a tamper-proof record of all transactions, building trust among users.

Rabeh’s real-time ownership exchange allows investors to buy and sell equity stakes in startups with speed and ease, creating liquidity in what is traditionally an illiquid market. With blockchain integration, ownership transfers and settlements are completed instantly, eliminating delays and reducing transaction costs.

The platform’s cloud-based infrastructure ensures reliability and scalability, enabling Rabeh to support thousands of users and transactions simultaneously. Advanced encryption protocols protect sensitive financial data, ensuring user privacy and compliance with global regulations.

Entrepreneurs and investors can manage portfolios, monitor performance, and access analytics through intuitive dashboards. Users can tailor their dashboard experience to focus on key metrics that matter most to their financial goals.

Rabeh As A Funding Aggregator

Rabeh aggregates diverse funding solutions, making it a one-stop shop for entrepreneurs seeking capital and investors looking for opportunities. Entrepreneurs can raise funds from a pool of small investors, democratising access to capital.

The platform connects startups with institutional investors, providing access to larger funding pools and mentorship. Rabeh’s technology also enables cross-border funding, allowing entrepreneurs to tap into international markets and investors to diversify their portfolios.

By automating complex processes like due diligence, compliance checks, and contract execution, Rabeh reduces the time and costs associated with securing funding and managing investments. Entrepreneurs, including those in underserved markets, can access funding opportunities without the barriers of traditional financial systems.

The platform offers tools for real-time performance tracking, enabling stakeholders to make agile decisions and optimise returns.

A Vision For Transformation

Rabeh is not just a platform but a financial ecosystem that integrates innovation, accessibility, and sustainability. It wants to build bridges between investors and entrepreneurs from different regions, fostering innovation and economic growth, apart from making sophisticated investment tools accessible to a broader audience, including first-time investors.

The venture supported over 30 startups in its first year, contributing to job creation and strengthening the local economy. Apart from achieving a financial valuation exceeding 30 million SAR in a short period, Rabeh is also crafting successful exit strategies for startups. The company is on track to surpass a valuation of 100 million SAR in the coming days.

Rabeh, under Mohammed Alsolami’s leadership, aims to expand its services and reach new local and global markets. The vision is not just to provide a financial platform but to create a comprehensive ecosystem that supports innovation and economic sustainability.

The post Mohammed Alsolami: A financial entrepreneur’s success story appeared first on International Finance.

While some meme coins come with a market value (which also makes them convertible currencies that can be used in real-world transactions), most of them don’t often have utility, such as being used to pay blockchain participants for doing work for the blockchain. For example, ether is used to pay validators for verifying transactions on the Ethereum blockchain.

When discussing meme coins, the first name that often comes to mind is Dogecoin (DOGE), which has a market cap of USD 14.42 billion as of September 2024. However, other notable coins include SHIB, PEPE, WIF, BONK, and FLOKI. In today’s episode of “Start-up of the Week,” International Finance will feature a venture called Neverless. This company aims to simplify the process for aspiring investors to start trading cryptocurrency, with a particular emphasis on providing access to small-cap tokens.

Knowing The Start-Up In Detail

The crypto startup was founded by three former executives at British fintech giant Revolut in 2022. One of the founders, Phuc To, was Revolut’s global head of product, and was in charge of the company’s crypto project back in 2021. His colleague Mikael Peydayesh was the head of core payments at Revolut, and later became the head of premium plans, and another co-founder Arthur Johanet was the head of card payments for a while before he went on to lead Revolut’s cryptocurrency department.

While crypto exchanges have greatly simplified the onboarding experience for new users over the years, the trio believed it could still be improved, so they teamed up to create a new app with one vision: making cryptocurrencies more accessible. Neverless lets crypto investors buy over 400 crypto tokens from the start-up’s app using Apple Pay or Google Pay. In addition to the most common cryptocurrencies, the start-up has chosen to offer access to meme coins and relatively rare coins with low trading volumes.

Buying these small-cap tokens can be challenging, as the investors usually need to find a crypto exchange that lists them. Alternatively, they can swap tokens on a decentralised exchange, which can be complicated if the investors don’t understand how decentralised applications (dApps) work. When it comes to people buying tokens with low trading volumes, they can face things like varied pricing from one trading venue to another, apart from having a large spread between the buying and selling prices. Neverless claims it can seamlessly route trades to the right trading platform to get its users the best prices.

On some cryptocurrencies (BTC, ETH, DOGE, SOL, XRP, and AVAX), Neverless generates interest that is passed on to the users. The company also offers automated trading strategies that revolve around high-frequency arbitrage and market-making. Neverless can take a share of the returns generated from these yield-generating products.

The company has secured a MiFID (Markets in Financial Instruments Directive) license, which means that it is a regulated financial firm in Europe. It will have to comply with the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation when it comes into force in the coming days. Earlier in 2024, the start-up raised USD 6.7 million in a seed round led by Lakestar and Connect Ventures.

As of December 2024, Neverless has transformed itself as an institutional-grade platform to grow the crypto investors’ capital, with the latter getting the opportunities to buy meme coins, trade 500-plus cryptos for free, apart from earning automatically up to 7.78% AER (Annual Equivalent Rate) on savings, investing like hedge funds in 11.16% AER Strategies and zero-fee trading, which results in crypto investors earning higher returns on their assets (six times higher than the highest easy-access rate of banks).

Here Are The Products

In terms of facilitating crypto trading, Neverless allows investors to open their online accounts in less than two minutes, from where they can buy their meme coins through Apple or Google Pay, while not hurting their purses on things like deposits or excess fees.

If these same people are buying coins from other platforms, they immediately start at a loss of up to 1.49%, due to odds not being in their favour. However, Neverless assures profits for crypto traders as by spending USD 1000, they get 0.01074 BTC in return, higher than what established exchanges like Binance and Coinbase are offering now. The traders automatically earn 3.04% annual interest on Bitcoin with Neverless, with no lock-up period.

Next is Neverless’ “Strategies Account,” which the start-up dubs as a crypto investor’s pocket hedge fund. By investing in the fund, one will get a return of 11.17% AER (Annual Equivalent Rate that shows what the interest rate would be if interest was paid and compounded annually). Returns through the “Strategies Account” make investors’ long-term earnings exponential.

Unlike traditional hedge funds, “Strategies Account” gives people options to invest in crypto as little as they like, without worrying about locking in their funds for long periods. Generally, hedge funds involve investments based on “prediction,” while trying to forecast market movements, highs and lows. However, predictions often don’t come true, resulting in those investments failing.

Neverless Strategies differentiates itself from traditional hedge funds by helping investors to make money in real-time with real data. The start-up’s algorithm scans the live markets for inefficiencies and profits from them. It detects small price differences of the same asset in different venues, or quotes to both buyers and sellers at different prices. All the trades take place in nanoseconds, while ensuring consistent returns at lower risks, irrespective of the market movements.

Giving Paramount Importance To Data Safety

While most of the 21st century businesses are relying on AI-powered bots to answer customer queries, Neverless has put its money on “Human Intelligence,” when it comes to answering things in a transparent and crystal-clear manner, especially making investors understand that “No Return is Risk-Free.” To back things up, the start-up has even installed an in-app risk dashboard, updated in real-time.

The venture’s core team comes from a bank (Revolut) that looked after 40 million-plus customers and more than 17 billion euro in assets. All of Neverless’s solutions are designed and operated as per the industry-leading security protocols like biometrics and multi-factor authentication. Passcodes never get stored in plain text and irreversibly hashed using a competition-winning algorithm so that no one can read or decrypt them, not even Neverless staffers.

Registered as a Virtual Asset Service Provider in multiple European Union countries, Neverless only works with the world’s best financial crime technology firms.

“Data are encrypted at rest using AES-256 and in transit using TLS 1.2 or greater. We leverage Google Cloud for the physical security of our servers. Our staff is thoroughly vetted and regularly trained on data protection. Minimum access is given on a need-to-know basis and frequently reviewed,” the start-up noted.

The post Start-up of the Week: Neverless is here to make meme coins easy to buy appeared first on International Finance.

Increased demand for sustainable and green properties

Sustainability has been a growing concern in real estate for years, and by 2025, it will have moved beyond a trend to become a standard. Eco-friendly buildings with energy-efficient systems, water conservation features, and sustainable construction materials will become highly sought after. Government regulations and incentives will push developers to integrate green solutions into their projects, and buyers will increasingly prioritise sustainability when choosing homes and commercial spaces.

Smart homes and technology integration

The role of technology in real estate is poised for exponential growth. Smart homes will be the norm by 2025, with advanced AI systems managing everything from energy consumption to security. Voice-activated assistants, automated lighting, climate control, and advanced security systems will be common in residential properties. On the commercial side, buildings will incorporate IoT (Internet of Things) technology for everything from optimising energy use to enhancing tenant experience through personalised, tech-driven services.

Remote work influencing residential choices

Remote and hybrid work arrangements are likely to continue in 2025, significantly affecting housing demand. More people will seek properties that can accommodate home offices and flexible living spaces. The demand for suburban and rural properties will rise as individuals move away from crowded urban centres in search of quieter, more affordable environments. Real estate developers will respond by designing homes that cater to this new lifestyle, with larger spaces and dedicated office areas becoming standard features.

Rise of virtual and augmented reality in real estate

By 2025, Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) will have revolutionised the property-buying experience. Buyers and renters will be able to take virtual tours of homes and commercial spaces from anywhere in the world. AR will allow potential buyers to visualise how a space might look with different furniture or renovations, enhancing the decision-making process. Real estate agents will increasingly use these technologies to offer immersive experiences, creating convenience and efficiency for clients.

Affordable housing challenges and solutions

While luxury real estate continues to flourish, affordable housing remains a pressing concern. In many regions, high property prices are making it difficult for middle and lower-income families to find suitable homes. However, by 2025, governments and developers may adopt innovative solutions to address this issue. Modular and prefab homes, micro-apartments, and co-living spaces will become more common as affordable options. Additionally, public-private partnerships and new zoning laws could help make housing more accessible to underserved populations.

Real estate as an investment for the masses

By 2025, the democratisation of real estate investing will be more advanced. Crowdfunding platforms and fractional ownership models will give everyday people the opportunity to invest in real estate with relatively low capital. This trend will make real estate a more accessible asset class for retail investors. Proptech platforms will further simplify the investment process, allowing individuals to diversify their portfolios with properties in different locations or sectors (residential, commercial, etc.).

The shift to mixed-use developments

Mixed-use developments, where residential, commercial, and recreational spaces are integrated within a single community, will become increasingly popular. These developments offer convenience and reduce the need for long commutes. By 2025, cities will see more projects that combine housing, retail, and office spaces, providing a vibrant environment for residents and businesses alike. The trend is being driven by both the desire for convenience and the increasing emphasis on walkability and sustainable urban planning.

The growth of PropTech

PropTech—the use of technology to streamline and enhance real estate processes—will continue to evolve by 2025. From blockchain to AI-powered property management systems, new innovations will make transactions faster, more transparent, and more efficient. Blockchain technology, in particular, will play a significant role in simplifying property ownership and rental agreements by providing secure, immutable records. Automated property management tools will also reduce operational costs for landlords and improve tenant experience.

Urban revitalisation and smart cities

Many cities, especially in developing regions, will experience major revitalisation efforts as they aim to become “smart cities.” These urban hubs will integrate cutting-edge technologies, like 5G, AI, and IoT, to improve infrastructure, transportation, energy systems, and public services. By 2025, more cities will use data analytics to enhance urban living, making them more sustainable and livable. This will influence real estate development, with an emphasis on creating modern, efficient, and tech-integrated urban spaces.

Globalisation and cross-border real estate investment

Globalisation will continue to play a key role in the real estate sector. Investors from different parts of the world will increasingly look to international markets for opportunities, creating more cross-border transactions. 2025 will see real estate investments becoming more globalised, with more foreign buyers purchasing properties in markets like the US, Europe, and Asia. Increased access to online platforms for property buying and selling will further simplify this trend.

The real estate sector in 2025 will be defined by technological innovation, sustainability, and evolving lifestyles. From smart homes and green buildings to a continued emphasis on urban development and mixed-use projects, these trends will reshape how people live, work, and invest. The next few years will offer exciting new opportunities for developers, investors, and consumers alike, transforming the real estate landscape in ways we’re only beginning to imagine.

The post What to expect from the real estate sector in 2025 appeared first on International Finance.

With a gain of over 25% since November 5, the largest cryptocurrency in the world has become one of the most noticeable movements in the week following the election.

It is increasing alongside Elon Musk’s Tesla, an automaker that has experienced nearly a 40% rise since the election results, as investors believe that Donald Trump’s supporters and interests will thrive during his time in office.

“Obviously (it’s) a clear Trump trade as he is so supportive of the industry, and this can only mean more demand both for crypto stocks as well as the currencies themselves. The fact that Bitcoin was trading near all-time highs when the election result came through meant that it had a clean sky above,” Nick Twidale, chief market analyst at ATFX Global in Sydney said.

Donald Trump embraced digital assets during his campaign, vowing to build a national Bitcoin stockpile and turn the United States into the “crypto capital of the planet.”

Although it’s unclear how or when that might occur, the prospect sparked a wild spike in cryptocurrency mining and stock trading.

“I think it increases the chances that other nation states buy Bitcoin in a bid to front-run the US. Additionally, I think it would be a crazy catalyst for the US-listed Bitcoin miners…given possibilities of such entities getting nationalised,” Matthew Dibb, chief investment officer at cryptocurrency asset manager Astronaut Capital said.

Overnight on Wall Street, cryptocurrency miner Riot Platforms surged by almost 17%, and it continued to rise in after-hours trading. CleanSpark and fellow miners MARA Holdings saw a nearly 30% increase.

Between October 31 and November 10, MicroStrategy, a software company and Bitcoin investor, revealed that it had purchased roughly USD 2 billion.

However, short sellers of cryptocurrency and blockchain-related stocks have suffered heavy losses since November 6, after Bitcoin surged to record highs. Crypto short trades looked set for a further hammering on November 11 as most cryptocurrency-related stocks jumped in US premarket trading. Among them, Coinbase was last up close to 16%, tracking the surge in Bitcoin prices.

Traders who bet against MicroStrategy, one of Bitcoin’s biggest corporate backers, lost more than USD 1.2 billion between November 6-8, according to data analytics firm Ortex, and are down more than USD 6 billion so far in 2024.

Combined short-selling losses on crypto-exchange operator Coinbase Global, crypto miners Riot Platforms and MARA Holdings, and blockchain-farm operator Bitfarms were about USD 1.2 billion, as of the November 8 close.

“Bitcoin speculators are betting on a more clement regulatory environment and have expectations that the authorities may build up a reserve crypto fund, helping lift ongoing demand,” said Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown, while interacting with Reuters.

Investors betting against iShares Bitcoin Trust exchange-traded funds, the world’s largest ETF in terms of assets under management, lost close to USD 7 million since November 6.

The post Record-breaking Bitcoin breaches USD 94,000 on Donald Trump’s US election win appeared first on International Finance.