Spiko launches Tokenized T-Bills on Arbitrum, iDEGEN presale nets $18.6M in funds

  • Spiko has introduced tokenized T-Bills on Arbitrum.
  • iDEGEN presale has raised over $18.6M with 21K+ holders.
  • As the iDEGEN presale gathers steam, the iDEGEN AI is learning from community interaction on X.

In a groundbreaking move, Spiko, a French fintech company, has introduced tokenized US and EU Treasury Bill Money Market Funds to the Arbitrum One blockchain, marking a significant step towards integrating traditional finance with decentralized finance (DeFi).

Notably, the launch of Spiko’s Tokenized T-Bills coincides with the iDEGEN project raising an impressive $18.624 million in its presale, showcasing the growing interest in AI-driven, community-engaged crypto projects.

Together, these developments reflect a dynamic shift in the financial landscape, where real-world assets (RWAs) and community-driven AI projects are gaining traction.

Spiko’s tokenized T-Bills bridge traditional finance with DeFi

Spiko’s initiative to deploy its tokenized Money Market Funds on Arbitrum One is not just an expansion of its service offering but a pioneering effort to bring institutional-grade investment assets into the blockchain ecosystem.

These funds, regulated under the European Commission’s Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities (UCITS), provide a compliant framework for mutual funds, thereby adding layers of trust and security for investors.

The US T-Bills fund has shown robust growth, with net assets increasing by 8% over the past month to exceed $50 million, offering an annual percentage yield (APY) of 4.37%. This performance is indicative of the appetite for yield-generating blockchain assets.

On the other hand, the EU fund has amassed $95.1 million, growing by 10.9% within the same period.

The tokenization of Treasury Bills on Arbitrum isn’t just about bringing traditional financial products into the crypto space; it’s about democratizing access to investments that were previously the domain of larger institutional investors.

By leveraging blockchain technology, these funds offer unprecedented liquidity and the ability to trade regulated financial instruments in a decentralized environment.

This fusion of traditional finance with DeFi is seen as a critical step towards mainstream adoption, where even smaller investors can participate in markets traditionally inaccessible due to high entry barriers.

The broader market for tokenized Treasury assets is also on the rise, with other players like Ondo Finance contributing to an ecosystem now valued at $3.43 billion.

This growing market underscores the increasing acceptance of blockchain as a viable platform for traditional financial instruments, potentially reshaping how investments are managed and traded.

iDEGEN presale and the community-driven AI evolution

Parallel to Spiko’s advancements, the iDEGEN (IDGN) project has captured the crypto community’s imagination with its unique approach to AI development.

iDEGEN’s AI, which learns directly from unmoderated X (formerly Twitter) interactions, represents a novel experiment in AI-driven community engagement.

iDEGEN initially employed a dynamic auction model but has since transitioned to a more predictable pricing strategy for its presale, aiming to balance excitement with investor stability. Currently, the token price stands at $0.0161 in its sixth presale stage out of fifteen stages.

In the next presale stage, the price is expected to rise to $0.0177, with the final presale price set at $0.038 by the end of its 15-stage presale.

iDEGEN presale structure

The presale has not only been a financial success, raising $18.624 million with over 21,759 holders and 1.578 billion tokens sold but has also generated significant community engagement, achieving 1.44 million impressions.

This success story illustrates how community involvement can be leveraged to evolve an AI’s intelligence, creating a symbiotic relationship where each tweet or interaction contributes to the AI’s learning process.

As iDEGEN prepares for its exchange listing on February 27, the project stands as a testament to the potential of community-led initiatives in the crypto space, where participants are not just investors but active contributors to the project’s direction and growth.

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France probing Binance over fraud, money laundering: report

  • Binance is reportedly under tax fraud and money laundering probe in France.
  • Reuters reported on Jan. 28 that France’s prosecutors are investigating Binance over activities between 2019 and 2024.

France has launched a judicial investigation into allegations of tax fraud, money laundering and other illicit activities at Binance, Reuters reported on Jan.28.

The report states that investigators from the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office had opened the probe into  Binance’s activities between 2019 and 2024.

French investigation into Binance

Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by volume, settled with the US authorities in November 2023. In June of the same year, France revealed the company was under preliminary investigation over money laundering.

Binance has reportedly been under probe in France at least since 2022.

In a comment on the reports of a French probe into tax fraud and money laundering, a Binance spokesperson reportedly told Protos:

“Binance fully denies the allegations and will vigorously fight any charges made against it.”

While the exchange settled with the US DOJ for $4.3 billion and agreed the exit of former CEO Changpeng Zhao, it remains in a legal tussle with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Binance and its CZ recently lost an appeal that sought to dismiss a class action lawsuit alleging the crypto exchange violated US securities laws. The company’s appeal failed at the US Supreme Court.

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MEXC Leads Q4 2024 Meme Trading Wave: 140% QoQ Volume Growth & 240 New Projects Added

MEXC, the world-leading digital asset trading platform, saw significant growth in memecoin trading during Q4 2024. Data shows that the overall trading volume of memecoins on the platform, including Spot and Futures, surged by 140% quarter-over-quarter. The proportion of daily active users trading memecoins climbed to 35.8%, while the proportion of daily average trading volume more than doubled to 18.8%.

MEXC took strategic steps to enhance its memecoin trading services by launching the Meme+ zone on December 24, 2024. The dedicated zone proved highly successful, with approximately 124 popular memecoins listed within its first month of operation. This initiative generated significant momentum, leading to continued growth in memecoin trading activity on MEXC in January 2025. User engagement reached new heights, with the percentage of daily trading users increasing to 37.1%, while memecoins came to represent 25.9% of the platform’s average daily trading volume.

MEXC demonstrated strong market leadership in Q4 2024 by strategically focusing on the memecoin sector, successfully introducing more than 240 high-quality meme projects to its platform. The exchange’s careful project selection proved highly successful, with the top 5 newly listed memecoins in 2024 achieving remarkable results – their prices recorded an average peak gain of over 8,700%, while standout performers KEKIUS and FWOG surpassed 10,000% gains. Market capitalization metrics were equally impressive, with the top 5 memecoins averaging peak gains of over 3,500%, notably led by PNUT which achieved an exceptional maximum gain of more than 7,000%.

To enhance its asset offerings, MEXC recently introduced a new feature allowing users to search for trading pairs using contract addresses. This aims to help users identify target trading pairs more quickly and accurately, providing a more efficient trading experience and enhancing their overall journey.

In a move to enhance platform functionality, MEXC has introduced a new contract address search feature for trading pairs, enabling users to locate specific trading pairs with greater precision and speed. This enhancement streamlines the trading process, making it more efficient for users to find and access their desired trading pairs. The feature allows users to input token contract addresses into MEXC’s global search or Spot trading search bar to accurately locate tokens. This is particularly valuable in the active memecoin market, where similar token names can cause confusion and bring investment risk. By utilizing contract addresses—the unique identifier for tokens on the blockchain—this search mechanism ensures precision and provides users with enhanced security.

About MEXC

Founded in 2018, MEXC is committed to being “Your Easiest Way to Crypto”. Serving over 30 million users across 170+ countries, MEXC is known for its broad selection of trending tokens, frequent airdrop opportunities, and low trading fees. Our user-friendly platform is designed to support both new traders and experienced investors, offering secure and efficient access to digital assets. MEXC prioritizes simplicity and innovation, making crypto trading more accessible and rewarding.

MEXC Official Website X TelegramHow to Sign Up on MEXC

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Ondo Finance brings tokenized US Treasury fund on Ripple’s XRP Ledger

  • Ondo Finance will launch its OUSG fund on the XRP Ledger.
  • The partnership with Ripple expands accessibility to tokenized US Treasuries funds to institutional investors.
  • Ripple introduced OpenEden’s TBILL on XRPL in August last year.

Tokenized real-world assets platform Ondo Finance is set to bring its U.S. Treasury token OUSG to Ripple’s enterprise-focused network XRP Ledger.

Ondo Finance and Ripple shared the integration news on Tuesday, Jan. 28.

The launch will expand access to tokenized US Treasuries to institutional investors, with BUIDL-backed Ondo Short-Term U.S. Government Treasuries (OUSG) providing 24/7 minting and redemption via Ripple’s stablecoin RLUSD.

Ondo’s expansion of OUSG on XRPL follows Ripple’s RWA move that brought OpenEden’s TBILL to the network in August 2024.

“This integration is the natural convergence of a compliance-first, yield-bearing product with a network purpose-built for institutional adoption, setting the groundwork for forward-thinking institutions to lead a new era of capital markets onchain,” Ondo Finance vice president of partnerships Katie Wheeler noted.

A $3.5 billion market

Ripple and Ondo Finance’s collaboration adds further traction to the RWA and specifically, tokenized US Treasuries market. The sector has witnessed tremendous growth in the past year, with the market now at $3.5 billion.

Ondo Finance’s OUSG currently has a market cap of over $185 million.

Meanwhile, the platform’s other US Treasuries offering, the U.S. Dollar Yield has over $384 million in total value locked. Per rwa.xyz, BlackRock’s BUIDL and Franklin Templeton’s FOBXX are the top two with over $600 million and $509 million respectively.

OpenEden’s TBILL, available on XRPL, has a market cap of just over $82 million.

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