UPDATE: 🇯🇵 Tourist tax refunds are getting an onchain payment option in Japan. Japan Tax Free and UPBOND are partnering with @jpyc_official to enable international visitors to receive eligible tax refunds in JPYC directly into their wallets through @avax's C-Chain. The initiative brings stablecoin payments into Japan’s tourism refund process, giving international visitors another way to receive their money. It also introduces a practical use case for yen-denominated digital payments on Avalanche.

LATEST: 🇬🇧🇭🇰 The London Metal Exchange is exploring tokenization of off-warrant metal stored in Hong Kong, which could allow businesses to use digital representations of their inventories as loan collateral. The LME says it will consult industry stakeholders as it develops the proposal. An invitation-only industry roundtable is planned for early November.

🚨UPDATE: Diversified investment portfolios are expanding further into onchain markets. @Ondo has introduced seven tokenized portfolios on @solana, including three built around investment strategies developed by @BlackRock. The portfolios use smart contracts to manage asset allocation, fees and scheduled rebalancing, while allowing investors to verify holdings and portfolio weightings onchain. The launch follows the expansion of the same product lineup on @ethereum and @BNBCHAIN, where it has surpassed $45 million in total value locked, according to Ondo.

🚨UPDATE: Curve Finance is expanding beyond EVM-compatible blockchains. @CurveFinance is now live on @StellarOrg mainnet, bringing its StableSwap infrastructure to the network for the first time. The deployment gives Stellar users access to Curve’s specialized liquidity pools for assets with closely linked prices, including stablecoins and tokenized assets.

⚡️NEW: Traditional financial markets are bringing more securities onchain. @The_DTCC has launched its tokenization service, covering 34 securities worth around $30 trillion, with @CantonNetwork among the first blockchain networks supporting the rollout. With 20 DTC participants signed up, the service gives major financial institutions a way to use tokenized securities while DTC maintains the official ownership records. DTCC plans to expand blockchain support, with additional integrations expected in 2027.

🚨UPDATE: Crypto price predictions are getting shorter timeframes on @Polymarket US. The platform now offers five-minute up-or-down markets for $BTC, $ETH, $SOL and $XRP, with @chainlink price data determining the outcomes. With five-minute markets, traders can take views on short-term crypto price movements rather than longer-term direction. The format brings faster-paced prediction markets to four major digital assets.

🚨NEWS: Traditional banking infrastructure is moving deeper into digital assets. @Ripple and @BNYglobal are expanding their partnership to support $XRP and $RLUSD custody, with plans to explore tokenized trade finance on the XRP Ledger. BNY’s role extends beyond custody, with clients able to mint and redeem RLUSD directly. The two firms will also explore how the XRP Ledger could support more efficient trade finance, payments, settlement and collateral workflows for institutional clients.

🚨LATEST: Gold-backed tokens are expanding across blockchain networks. The Hong Kong Gold Exchange is integrating @chainlink CCIP with Midas Labs to enable its gold-backed XGZ token to move securely across multiple blockchains. The integration combines chainlink’s cross-chain interoperability technology with @midaslabsxyz's tokenization infrastructure, allowing @goldzipxgz to move beyond the blockchain where it was originally issued and reach multiple networks.

🚨UPDATE: AI computing costs are becoming a new market for derivatives traders. @injective's Super Intelligence Compute Index combines rental rates for five @nvidia GPUs into a single benchmark, allowing traders to speculate on changes in demand for computing resources. The market could also serve a practical purpose beyond speculation. AI developers can hedge against rising GPU rental fees, while computing providers can protect against declines in rental income.

🚨LATEST: @Ondo tokenized portfolios have surpassed $30 million in TVL in less than a month. With seven portfolios spanning income, growth, and thematic strategies, the platform is extending tokenization beyond individual assets to complete investment portfolios. Tokenization is moving beyond individual stocks and Treasuries into diversified investment portfolios. Ondo’s rapid early growth shows growing interest in bringing entire investment strategies onchain.