Kategorie: Crypto Markets

• REAL Finance signs first securities tokenization deal with Factori AD.
• Agreement activates institutional pipeline exceeding $100 million in assets.
• Pilot covers 5 million Alpha Bulgaria warrants valued near €2.75 each.

REAL Technologies Inc., the parent company of REAL Finance, has signed its first securities tokenization agreement with Factori AD, a fully licensed and EU-regulated investment broker.

The deal marks the first live deployment of REAL Finance’s infrastructure for regulated securities and activates an institutional pipeline of more than $100 million in client assets.

The initial transaction will involve equity derivatives linked to Alpha Bulgaria AD, a Bulgarian Stock Exchange-listed investment company, and will be executed on an EVM-compatible blockchain before the planned launch of REAL Finance’s Layer 1 mainnet.

REAL Finance moves from infrastructure build-out to live deployment

REAL Technologies said the agreement with Factori AD represents a major step in the commercial rollout of REAL Finance’s tokenization infrastructure.

The company said the deal activates a committed institutional pipeline exceeding $100 million in client assets.

It also marks the first live deployment of REAL Finance’s tokenization infrastructure for regulated securities.

Under the structure, Factori AD will direct institutional and client assets through REAL’s infrastructure.

The broker will continue to manage all regulated brokerage functions, including client onboarding, KYC, AML compliance, licensed OTC execution, and segregated custody arrangements.

International securities custody will be maintained through Bank of New York. Bulgarian securities will be held at the Central Depository in Bulgaria.

The model is designed to keep regulated brokerage and compliance functions with the licensed broker, while REAL Finance provides the infrastructure and settlement layer for tokenization.

REAL Finance said its approach focuses exclusively on tokenizing real securities.

These include publicly traded equities and derivatives, private market shares, and bonds. The company said it does not focus on synthetic exposure products.

First tranche linked to Alpha Bulgaria warrants

The first transaction under the agreement involves equity derivatives tied to Alpha Bulgaria AD, a publicly traded investment company listed on the Bulgarian Stock Exchange under the ticker ALFB.

The pilot includes 5,000,000 warrants currently valued at approximately €2.75 each.

These warrants have been designated for tokenization through REAL’s infrastructure under Factori AD’s licensed custody and transfer-agent framework.

The transaction represents the first tranche of a broader institutional pipeline.

Factori AD has committed more than $100 million in additional client assets for tokenization through REAL’s infrastructure.

The transaction will be executed on an EVM-compatible blockchain before the planned launch of REAL Finance’s Layer 1 mainnet.

REAL Technologies said the pilot is designed to validate the full workflow for tokenized securities.

That workflow includes regulated sourcing, licensed OTC execution, regulated custody, and on-chain tokenization.

Dimitar Tsvetanov, managing director at Factori AD, said institutional interest in regulated tokenization infrastructure is growing.

We see growing institutional demand for regulated tokenization infrastructure that can bridge traditional securities markets with blockchain-based settlement systems. Through this agreement with REAL Finance, we are able to provide clients with a compliant framework for bringing real financial instruments on-chain while maintaining regulated execution, custody, and onboarding standards.

Regulated custody remains central to the model

REAL Technologies positioned the agreement as evidence that its tokenization model is now operational and under contract with a regulated broker.

“Signing this agreement demonstrates that REAL’s tokenization capabilities are operational and under contract with real securities and a regulated broker. The pilot allows us to validate the full model before we scale to service our multi-nine-figure committed assets pipeline,” said Ivo Grigorov, chief executive officer of REAL Technologies.

Valentin Dimitrov, chief operating officer of REAL Technologies, said the company had built the system around compliance and real financial instruments.

“We designed the architecture around licensed custody, full compliance, and genuine instruments. This first executed deal, together with the committed flow, confirms institutional demand for the infrastructure we are building,” Dimitrov said.

The deal comes amid rising institutional interest in tokenized real-world assets and blockchain-based settlement systems.

The post REAL Finance inks tokenization deal with EU broker Factori AD appeared first on CoinJournal.

• Aster price surged to $0.74 amid a 300% increase in 24-hour trading volume.
• Rally aligns with broader capital rotation into altcoins led by Hyperliquid.
• ASTER bulls need a close above $0.75 for continuation; a close below $0.65 would risk renewed selling.

Aster (ASTER) recorded modest gains, rising to near $0.74 as traders piled into multiple altcoins seen as offering higher profit potential amid Bitcoin’s ongoing struggle.

Although ASTER later pulled back from its peak, the move highlighted renewed speculative capital flowing into niche derivatives and decentralized perpetual markets.

ASTER price jumps amid 24-hour volume spike

The perpetual DEX protocol’s token may be benefiting from a broader rotation into altcoins and renewed interest in perpetuals-related listings, helping drive a triple-digit surge in daily trading volume.

Market data shows the ASTER token tested intraday highs near $0.74 before pulling back slightly amid profit-taking.

Before slipping to around $0.70, ASTER had climbed to levels last seen a week ago.

Bullish sentiment pushed 24-hour trading volume to roughly $256 million, up 300% from the previous day.

That surge in activity helped bulls lift the token higher before profit-taking trimmed gains. At the time of writing, ASTER was still up about 5% on the day.

Can ASTER mirror Hyperliquid rally?

Strength in high-beta altcoins may partly explain Aster’s rebound, with broader capital rotation into altcoins particularly visible among perpetuals-focused projects.

The standout performer has been Hyperliquid, whose HYPE token has surged more than 19% over the past 24 hours and 46% over the past week.

HYPE reached a new all-time high above $62 on Thursday amid growing institutional demand.

Asset manager Grayscale Investments was among the notable buyers, reportedly purchasing more than 115,700 HYPE during the session.

JUST NOW: $HYPE HITS NEW ATH ABOVE $62, MARKET CAP REACHES $15B

— The Wolf Of All Streets (@scottmelker) May 21, 2026

Liquidity and trader attention also appear to be flowing into Aster and related tokens.

The addition of a SpaceX pre-IPO perpetual contract with up to 5x leverage on Aster’s platform may have further fueled speculative inflows, as traders sought leveraged exposure to a headline-grabbing underlying asset.

Aster price forecast

The near-term outlook for ASTER depends on whether the recent volume-driven rally can sustain momentum or fade into a short-lived breakout.

Bulls will need to maintain buying pressure and push the price decisively above the $0.75 resistance level.

A strong, volume-backed close above that threshold could increase the likelihood of further gains as momentum traders and retail investors continue chasing upside.

On the other hand, fading buyer interest could open the door to renewed downside pressure.

A close below $0.65 may trigger additional selling as traders who entered during the spike begin rotating out, while short-term momentum traders turn bearish.

Key support levels to watch remain in the $0.65-$0.60 range, where previous intraday buyers established positions.

 

The post Aster price gains amid 300% volume spike – can it mirror HYPE rally? appeared first on CoinJournal.

• Mantle price rose to near $0.70, supported by rising volume.
• Daily indicators (RSI, MACD) favor short-term upside, but the price remains below a key downtrend line.
• Key resistance looms at $0.71 and support at the $0.60-$0.57 zone.

Mantle climbed nearly 10% on Thursday, reaching intraday highs above $0.69 as a broader altcoin rebound lifted market sentiment.

The move mirrored gains across several mid-cap projects, including Hyperliquid, Zcash, and NEAR, and was accompanied by increased trading volume and renewed attention toward real-world asset (RWA) integrations within Mantle’s ecosystem.

While the technical picture supports further short-term upside, bears remain active near the intraday peak, and a pullback cannot be ruled out.

Mantle price retests barrier near $0.70

The MNT token’s intraday highs marked a decisive retest of the key psychological and technical resistance level at $0.70.

The move comes as bulls attempt to secure a second consecutive green daily candle following a recent dip to $0.61.

Notably, trading volume expanded alongside the rally, rising 116% to $46 million and signaling stronger buying interest.

Mantle is among the crypto tokens benefiting from growing market discussion around RWA projects, with institutional demand expected to rise if the SEC moves forward with allowing blockchain-based tokenized stock trading.

Recent ecosystem developments have also supported bullish sentiment. These include xStocks integrating xChange (Atomic RFQ) on Mantle, the launch of $BILL, and KelpDAO enabling rsETH withdrawals, bridging, and claims.

However, the key question remains whether MNT can break through the $0.70 supply zone.

MNT price prediction

The recent rally places Mantle in a short-term bullish position.

Daily technical indicators show a bullish Relative Strength Index (RSI), while the MACD is signaling a potential bullish crossover, both of which support continued upside momentum.

MNT’s recovery above the $0.65 level also places the token back above short-term moving averages, typically encouraging additional buy-side activity from momentum traders.

However, broader trend indicators still suggest a mixed outlook.

 

The post Mantle (MNT) jumps 10% to extend gains but can bulls break $0.70 resistance? appeared first on CoinJournal.

• Ethereum is testing the $2,140 level after an intraweek low near $2,070.
• A technical breakdown raises the risk of a sharp decline to $1,350, CryptoQuant notes.
• Bullish catalysts could include regulatory clarity and continued institutional demand.

Ethereum (ETH) briefly traded back above the $2,100 level on Wednesday after gaining about 1% over the past 24 hours as Bitcoin reclaimed the $77,200 mark.

While the rebound offered some relief for bulls, the altcoin remains under pressure following a sharp weekly decline.

Technical indicators continue pointing to elevated downside risk, with some analysts warning that ETH could face a deeper correction toward the $1,350 level.

Ethereum price today

Market data during the US session on Wednesday showed Ethereum testing the $2,140 zone after rebounding from intraweek lows near $2,070.

The rebound followed several sessions of heavy selling, although ETH remains well below recent swing highs.

Ethereum is currently trading nearly 7% lower for the week and roughly 28% lower year to date.

The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is hovering near oversold territory, which may suggest conditions for a short-term relief bounce.

However, ETH continues trading below all major moving averages on the daily chart, signaling that bearish momentum remains dominant.

Could ETH fall to $1,350 after a bearish breakdown?

One of the primary concerns for bulls is Ethereum’s breakdown below the support trendline of a triangle pattern.

The latest sell-off confirmed the structural breakdown on the daily chart, raising concerns that price action could mirror a similar technical failure earlier this year.

At the time, Ethereum’s price declined sharply from the $2,800–$3,000 range, falling roughly 35% over several days in February. If similar market conditions develop again, analysts warn that selling pressure could intensify further.

Analysts at CryptoQuant highlighted the downside risk in a recent market note.

“If Ethereum fails to reclaim the broken triangle structure, selling pressure could accelerate further, and price may target the $1,350 support level,” CryptoQuant author and analyst Pelin Ay wrote.

Macro conditions and weakening market flows have also added pressure to Ethereum’s price outlook.

Ethereum’s recent weakness has tracked Bitcoin’s broader lack of momentum, with BTC slipping toward the $76,000 area in recent sessions.

Meanwhile, spot Ethereum ETFs have recorded seven consecutive days of net outflows.

Persistent outflows have increased concerns that the recent technical breakdown could develop into a more prolonged downtrend.

Contrasting views and potential support levels

Not all market participants remain bearish on Ethereum’s longer-term outlook.

Bitmine’s Tom Lee said the recent pullback could represent a “buy low” opportunity, particularly as Bitmine’s treasury holdings now exceed 4.37% of Ethereum’s circulating supply.

Some bullish investors continue pointing to longer-term catalysts, including stablecoin growth on Ethereum, increasing staking adoption, and expanding interest in tokenized real-world assets (RWA).

Market participants are also monitoring regulatory developments that could influence broader institutional adoption trends over time.

In the near term, traders will closely watch whether buyers can push ETH back above the $2,200–$2,400 resistance zone.

Failure to reclaim that range could expose the token to another decline below $2,000, with some analysts identifying $1,350 as a possible downside target.

The post Ethereum retests $2,100, but could ETH crash amid technical breakdown? appeared first on CoinJournal.

• Coins.ph adds BTC and ETH payments to the Philippines QRPh system.
• Users can spend crypto at 700,000 QRPh-enabled merchants.
• Stablecoins remain key for remittances and daily crypto payments.

Coins.ph has expanded its QRPh crypto payment functionality to support Bitcoin and Ethereum transactions, broadening the use of digital assets within the Philippines’ national QR payment infrastructure.

The Manila-based crypto platform announced on May 19 that users can now pay merchants nationwide using Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) through QRPh, the national QR code standard developed by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

The expansion builds on Coins.ph’s earlier rollout of QRPh-compatible stablecoin payments, which introduced support for USDT earlier this year.

Under the system, crypto balances are automatically converted into Philippine pesos during checkout, allowing users to pay merchants directly without manually converting digital assets into local currency beforehand.

Coins.ph estimates that the integration enables crypto payments across approximately 700,000 QRPh-enabled merchants throughout the country.

Crypto payments expand within national QR infrastructure

The latest update broadens the range of cryptocurrencies supported within the Philippines’ existing QR payment ecosystem.

QRPh serves as the national QR code standard designed to enable interoperable digital payments between financial institutions and merchants across the country.

Earlier this year, Coins.ph became the first digital wallet provider in the Philippines to integrate direct crypto payments into the national QR infrastructure through stablecoin support.

The company said the earlier USDT rollout generated substantial transaction volume and demonstrated growing consumer demand for crypto-based payments integrated into everyday financial activity.

With the addition of Bitcoin and Ethereum, Coins.ph is now extending access to two of the world’s largest cryptocurrencies while maintaining the same checkout experience used for stablecoin payments.

The company said the process allows users to scan QRPh codes at merchants while the system automatically converts crypto into Philippine pesos in real time.

Stablecoins remain central to remittance use cases

Coins.ph said stablecoins continue to play a key role within the broader payment infrastructure, particularly given the Philippines’ position as one of the world’s largest remittance markets.

The country receives approximately $38 billion in annual remittance inflows, according to the company.

Stablecoins have increasingly become part of cross-border payment flows, allowing recipients to receive and hold digital dollar-denominated assets before converting or spending them locally.

Coins.ph said the QRPh integration enables users to move between fiat currency and digital assets within a single payment flow, removing additional conversion steps that are often required in crypto transactions.

The addition of Bitcoin and Ethereum broadens supported payment assets while preserving what the company described as a unified payment experience focused on practical daily use.

Coins.ph highlights broader crypto adoption growth

Coins.ph operates as a licensed Virtual Asset Service Provider and Electronic Money Issuer under BSP regulation.

The Philippines remains one of the fastest-growing crypto markets globally. According to estimates cited by the company, the country now has more than 15 million crypto users, representing roughly 13.4% of the population.

Wei Zhou, CEO of Coins.ph, said:

“The addition of new tokens to our QRPH crypto payments feature is a great achievement following the landmark introduction of USDT payments for the Philippine financial landscape. We aren’t just adding new tokens; we are redefining what a digital wallet can do. This is the future of finance in action and we’re making the world’s most popular cryptocurrencies a functional part of the Filipino daily life.”

Coins.ph said its broader platform combines digital assets, payments infrastructure, remittances, foreign exchange services, investments, and treasury products into a unified financial ecosystem designed to support both businesses and consumers.

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