UK Financial Conduct Authority approves IG Group's crypto asset license

- Two Gen Z entrepreneurs rejected Elon Musk's funding to develop a brain-inspired AI outperforming OpenAI and Anthropic models. - QGold Resources initiates economic assessment for its Oregon gold project with 1.543M oz reserves, signaling strategic expansion. - Galactic Gold appoints mining veteran Manley Guarducci to enhance operational efficiency amid industry consolidation. - Alamos Gold and B2Gold demonstrate resilience through record cash flow and production growth despite geopolitical risks. - Gold

- Binance launches "Prestige" to target high-net-worth clients, competing with Morgan Stanley and Fidelity through tailored crypto services. - KuCoin secures MiCA license in Austria, enabling EEA operations and emphasizing compliance with global regulatory standards. - Binance faces lawsuit alleging $50M+ in Hamas-related transactions, highlighting crypto's regulatory challenges amid expanded AML measures in South Korea. - Houdini Pay introduces privacy tools for freelancers, addressing wallet transparency

- XRP's institutional ETFs (e.g., Franklin Templeton's XRPZ) drive rapid supply depletion risks as inflows outpace expectations. - Analyst Zach Rector models potential $168 price targets if XRP ETF inflows mirror Bitcoin's $62B 2024–2025 surge pattern. - ETFs enhance XRP liquidity for SMEs and fintechs but expose risks from whale manipulation and unclear Asian regulations. - Market analysts warn XRP's limited 60.25B circulating supply faces accelerated institutional demand pressures amid growing ETF adopti

- Aster DEX's hybrid AMM-CEX model boosted its Q4 2025 Perp DEX market share to 19.3% via AI liquidity routing and cross-chain interoperability. - Institutional adoption grew through Pro Mode features (hidden orders, 1001x leverage) and partnerships like Binance, driving $27.7B daily volume and $1.4B TVL. - Cross-chain integration on BNB Chain/Ethereum/Solana expanded liquidity but raised data integrity concerns after DefiLlama temporarily delisted it for volume correlation. - Hybrid model narrows AMM-CEX