February 25th, 2025

Canary Capital launches Axelar Trust targeting institutional investors

Digital asset investment firm Canary Capital has launched a new Axelar private investment fund, giving institutional investors direct access to the interoperability network’s native token, AXL.

According to a Feb. 20 announcement, the Canary AXL Trust will be available to institutional and accredited investors. Currently, Axelar has a market capitalization of more than $444 million and nearly $1 billion in total value locked (TVL), according to Flipside Crypto.

Axelar’s interoperability stack went live in October, allowing decentralized applications to connect with various blockchains, including Solana, Stellar and Sui. Axelar’s technology also allows developers to tokenize real-world assets, including real estate, commodities and intellectual property.

Canary cited Axelar’s major institutional partnerships with Apollo Global Management, JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank as one of the reasons for launching an AXL fund.

“In addition to evaluating top 20 market cap protocols, we are evaluating a handful of top 100 market cap protocols that have strong teams of developers that are building real applications and platforms [and] have the potential, based on developer interest along with launching product, to win in their category and make it to a large market cap,” Canary Capital CEO Steven McClurg told Cointelegraph.

“Axelar qualifies in the category of interoperability,” said McClurg. “There is already demand for AXL among qualified investors.”

Institutional demand for crypto is growing

The launch of Canary’s new trust coincides with a boom in institutional demand for crypto assets. Unlike the closed-ended AXL Trust, Canary is also pursuing open-ended exchange-traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to Solana, Litecoin and XRP.

The applications were submitted following the overwhelming success of the US spot Bitcoin ETFs, which sucked in nearly $40 billion in net assets in 2024. Bitwise’s Matt Hougan believes the US Bitcoin funds could attract more than $50 billion in investor inflows this year.

Increased regulatory clarity in the United States under President Donald Trump is expected to see more institutional uptake of digital assets in the near future, Chainalysis CEO Jonathan Levin told Cointelegraph in January.

Industry executives have also cited President Trump’s executive order banning the creation of a central bank digital currency as a major driver of institutional adoption.

“This move tells you where Trump stands: He’s betting on the existing crypto market rather than creating government-backed digital dollars. It’s a vote of confidence in Bitcoin, Ethereum and others, potentially giving them a boost in legitimacy and market value,” Anndy Lian, an intergovernmental blockchain adviser, told Cointelegraph.

Representatives from the crypto and institutional investment industries recently met with President Trump’s Crypto Task Force to discuss ways to open up the market to more established players. They requested clearer guidelines around exchange-traded products and protocol staking, among others.

Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/canary-capital-launches-institutional-axelar-fund

Anndy Lian

Anndy Lian is an early blockchain adopter and experienced serial entrepreneur who is known for his work in the government sector. He is a best selling book author- “NFT: From Zero to Hero” and “Blockchain Revolution 2030”.

Currently, he is appointed as the Chief Digital Advisor at Mongolia Productivity Organization, championing national digitization. Prior to his current appointments, he was the Chairman of BigONE Exchange, a global top 30 ranked crypto spot exchange and was also the Advisory Board Member for Hyundai DAC, the blockchain arm of South Korea’s largest car manufacturer Hyundai Motor Group. Lian played a pivotal role as the Blockchain Advisor for Asian Productivity Organisation (APO), an intergovernmental organization committed to improving productivity in the Asia-Pacific region.

An avid supporter of incubating start-ups, Anndy has also been a private investor for the past eight years. With a growth investment mindset, Anndy strategically demonstrates this in the companies he chooses to be involved with. He believes that what he is doing through blockchain technology currently will revolutionise and redefine traditional businesses. He also believes that the blockchain industry has to be “redecentralised”.

www.anndy.com

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January 25th, 2025

Trump’s executive order a ’game-changer’ for institutional crypto adoption

US President Donald Trump’s executive order banning the creation of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) in the United States could mark a significant shift in institutional cryptocurrency adoption, according to industry executives.

The executive order, signed Jan. 23, prohibits the establishment, issuance, circulation or use of CBDCs, citing concerns over their potential to threaten financial system stability, individual privacy and national sovereignty.

The executive order’s CBDC ban is a “game-changer” for the crypto industry in the US, according to Anndy Lian, an author and intergovernmental blockchain adviser.

Likewise, the new crypto task force signals a clearer, “more structured” crypto regulatory landscape, Lian told Cointelegraph.

“This isn’t just about setting rules; it’s about setting the stage for crypto to play a bigger, more legitimate role in the economy,” he said. “This clarity could lure in the big investors who’ve been sitting on the sidelines, waiting for something like this to make their move.”

The executive order could also catalyze crypto payment adoption among large financial institutions in the US, according to economist Alex Krüger, who said institutions will start using blockchain for payments and tokenization.

While CBDCs have been lauded for their potential to increase financial inclusion, critics have raised concerns about their surveillance capabilities and potential for government overreach.

In July 2023, Brazil’s central bank published the source code for its CBDC pilot, and it took just four days for people to notice the surveillance and control mechanisms embedded within its code, allowing the central bank to freeze or reduce user funds within CBDC wallets.

As of May 2024, around 140 countries were working on CBDC pilots, with China’s digital yuan being one of the most advanced, Cointelegraph reported.

Trump’s CBDC ban is a bet on the existing crypto market

The executive order’s ban on CBDCs is a “curveball” for crypto and the wider financial industry that signals a “bet” on the crypto industry, Lian told Cointelegraph:

“This move tells you where Trump stands: He’s betting on the existing crypto market rather than creating government-backed digital dollars. It’s a vote of confidence in Bitcoin, Ethereum and others, potentially giving them a boost in legitimacy and market value.”

In another noteworthy development, the executive order will exclude the US Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) from cryptocurrency working groups.

This may put an end to previous crypto industry debanking efforts, according to Caitlin Long, founder and CEO of Custodia Bank. Long wrote in a Jan. 23 X post:

“Trump’s #crypto executive order EXCLUDES the Fed & FDIC from the digital asset working group. Both tried to kill the industry thru #debanking & especially targeted my company, [Custodia Bank]. Both belong on the outside. Nature is healing.”

During the Biden administration, multiple cryptocurrency firms were denied access to banking services in what some insiders described as an orchestrated effort dubbed “Operation Chokepoint 2.0.”

Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/trump-executive-order-cbdc-ban-game-changer-us-institutional-crypto-adoption

Anndy Lian

www.anndy.com

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March 9th, 2024

Public Market- Where are the biggest institutional opportunities?- Digital Assets: Realised – Hong Kong

Public Markets – Where are the Biggest Institutional Opportunities? ETF, Mutual Funds, Stocks, Bonds

– Moderator: Julien Bahurel, Partner, Deep Blue/Definer Fund
– Anndy Lian, Senior Advisor, Peach Income Fund
– Tony Wong, Managing Director, CSOP Asset Management
– Nicholas Studholme Wilson, Chief Operating Officer – Asia, GFO-X

At the panel discussion, industry experts gathered to explore the transformative potential of tokenization in asset classes and the future of financial markets. The conversation, moderated by Julian, delved into the implications of digitizing assets and the infrastructure required to support this evolution.

Julian opened the panel by highlighting the significance of functional markets, which are valued at approximately 4 trillion dollars. The focus then shifted to the opportunities presented by liquid markets through tokenization or digitization.

Tony discussed the enormous opportunities within the crypto space, particularly in Asia, where a significant portion of crypto trading activity originates. He emphasized the institutional interest in crypto markets, especially following price openings, and the inquiries from traditional managers and private bankers about accessing these new asset classes with appropriate risk levels. He pointed out that mutual funds might be the first asset class to adopt tokenization, revolutionizing the distribution landscape. He envisioned mutual funds being traded on exchanges like any other asset, within regulatory frameworks, making them accessible 24/7.

Anndy concurred with Tony’s views on mutual funds. He described tokenizing them as a “piece of cake” and predicted a substantial uptake, particularly in Hong Kong, which could become a significant player in the Asian market. Anndy also touched upon the role of exchanges like NASDAQ in a blockchain-dominated world, speculating that traditional exchanges might adapt to offer 24/7 services using blockchain technology.

Nicholas shared his perspective on achieving the end goal of a fully tokenized state on multiple chains. He stressed the importance of starting with existing infrastructure to generate revenue before transitioning to more advanced systems. Nicholas also discussed the challenges of latency and privacy considerations, suggesting that permissioned chains might be a necessary starting point before moving to public chains.

The panelists debated the coexistence of traditional liquid markets with tokenized markets, agreeing that while they may initially coexist, the superior efficiency of tokenized systems would eventually lead to a transition.

The conversation also touched on the regulatory implications of tokenization. While the technology offers exciting possibilities, it also presents challenges for regulators who must adapt to a rapidly evolving landscape.

As the discussion concluded, the panelists expressed optimism about the future of tokenized markets. They envisioned a world where traditional and tokenized markets coexist and eventually converge, thanks to improved infrastructure and broader acceptance of blockchain technology.

The panel’s insights suggest that while the journey toward widespread tokenization is still in its early stages, the destination promises a more inclusive and efficient market for all participants. As the technology matures and regulatory frameworks evolve, we may witness a significant shift in how assets are traded and managed globally.

Digital Assets: Realised held in Hong Kong on 7 March 2024. The event brought traditional funding, listing players, and new digital exchange and platform opportunities.