Yesterday, El Salvador’s National Commission of Digital Assets (CNAD) met with staff members from the SEC’s Crypto Task Force. They sketched out plans for a cross-border “regulatory sandbox” for crypto.
This plan involves two pilot programs, each costing less than $10,000, where a US-based broker would partner with a Salvadoran tokenization firm. The plan is tailored to give data on the Task Force’s top regulatory priorities.
Will El Salvador Partner with The SEC?
The SEC’s meeting with CNAD discussed plans for El Salvador, as recorded in a log on the Commission’s site. In the meeting, the parties explicitly discussed priorities in line with Commissioner Hester Peirce’s initial statement announcing the Crypto Task Force.
Of four stated goals, the notion of a “cross-border sandbox” was listed first.
“This initiative offers the SEC Crypto Task Force a live, real-world case study to evaluate streamlined regulatory approaches for digital assets—an opportunity to observe and refine frameworks that could enhance US market innovation. A key lesson from El Salvador’s experience is the transformative potential of tokenization, particularly in real estate,” it claimed.
This sandbox will take the form of a pilot program with two scenarios, each costing $10,000 or less.
In Scenario 1, a US-based real estate broker will partner with a Salvadoran tokenization firm. They will enable investors to purchase tokenized shares of a piece of property.
Scenario 2 tests these firms’ ability to raise capital by selling tokenized shares, using this capital to actually launch a project. It doesn’t specify the project in question, but this scenario doesn’t mention real estate in any capacity.
Both these endeavors will give the SEC valuable data on joint business ventures in El Salvador.
Representatives from El Salvador and the SEC were joined by Erica Perkin, a lawyer specializing in digital asset consulting, and Heather Shemilt, a former partner at Goldman Sachs.
According to the document, participants discussed these proposals, but it doesn’t seem like they actually reached a binding agreement.
The Task Force only sent some of its staff to this meeting, no Commissioners were actually present. Still, this partnership with El Salvador could give the SEC a lot of useful insights.
This plan offers a low-cost way to gather hard data on half of the Task Force’s highest priorities, which seems like a valuable opportunity.
Solana’s DeFi ecosystem is getting major boosts, with PancakeSwap officially launching its v3 liquidity pools on the network.
At the same time, Kamino Finance has announced support for tokenized equities (xStocks), deepening Solana’s growing reputation as the infrastructure layer for “internet capital markets.”
PancakeSwap v3 Brings Capital-Efficient DeFi to Solana
PancakeSwap’s latest deployment introduces its Concentrated Liquidity Automated Market Maker (CLAMM) pool structure to Solana. It unlocks new capital-efficient trading tools, ultra-low fees, and high-yield opportunities for liquidity providers.
“PancakeSwap v3 liquidity pool is now live on Solana,” PancakeSwap shared in a post.
The launch allows traders to swap Solana-based tokens with fees as low as 0.01%. Meanwhile, liquidity providers (LPs) can earn up to 84% of the trading fees based on the liquidity they contribute.
Further, liquidity provisioning is also live for key Solana pairs such as BONK-SOL, PYUSD-USDT, and EURC-USDC.
“With Solana joining the ranks of PancakeSwap’s multi-chain ecosystem, we’re moving closer to creating a truly borderless DeFi experience,” the team stated in a blog.
They emphasized Solana’s “unmatched speed and low fees” as a key integration driver. According to the team, Solana’s active community and high on-chain volume significantly drove this initiative.
PancakeSwap v3 allows LPs to set custom price ranges for their positions, enhancing capital efficiency by reducing idle liquidity.
“By concentrating liquidity within a specific price range, LPs can boost liquidity depth and potentially earn higher returns, all without having to deploy more capital,” the blog explained.
Another key innovation is the introduction of NFT-based LP positions, where each liquidity contribution is minted as a unique non-fungible token (NFT). This structure lets users easily track, manage, or transfer their positions.
Kamino Launches xStocks for Tokenized Stock Trading on Solana
Meanwhile, Kamino Finance adds to the momentum, announcing its integration of tokenized equities dubbed xStocks into the Solana ecosystem.
Backed xStocks will be collateral within Kamino’s lending markets and can be traded on Kamino Swap. This means users can swap crypto for stocks.
Supported tokenized assets include major US equities such as Apple, Nvidia, Google, Meta, Tesla, SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, and Invesco QQQ Trust.
“Via the Kamino Lend integration, users will be able to deploy their xStocks as collateral via a new xStocks Market, enabling borrows against the following assets: AAPLx NVDAx GOOGLx METAx TSLAx SPYx QQQx,” Kamino articulated.
These will be accessible via Kamino Swap, powered by Pyth Network’s Express Relay, or through centralized platforms like Kraken exchange, with users transferring them to Solana.
However, despite these bullish fundamentals for the Solana blockchain, its powering token, SOL, is treading lower, down 0.49% in the last 24 hours. As of this writing, Solana was trading for $149.94.
For years, crypto in Africa was synonymous with Bitcoin (BTC). Today, that narrative has flipped, with companies like Yellow Card, a crypto exchange operating in Africa, clearly reflecting this shift.
In an exclusive with BeInCrypto, Yellow Card co-founder and CEO Chris Maurice reveals how it is building a pan-African stablecoin network to leapfrog traditional finance (TradFi). This is amid growing regulatory clarity, collapsing fiat systems, and a remittance revolution.
Stablecoins Are Transforming Africa’s Financial Scene
The pan-African exchange operates in over 20 markets, and Maurice says stablecoins now account for over 99% of its transactions. This makes Yellow Card a bellwether for what might be the most transformative trend in emerging markets finance.
“When we first launched Yellow Card in 2019, people were exclusively buying Bitcoin. Now, the most popular asset is Tether (USDT),” Maurice told BeInCrypto.
As it happened, necessity, not speculation, has driven this evolution. Africa leads the world in peer-to-peer (P2P) crypto trading volume. However, unlike global crypto hubs chasing volatile returns, Africans are choosing stablecoins out of financial survival.
Local currencies are eroding under inflationary pressure in countries like Nigeria, which ranks second globally in crypto adoption (per Chainalysis). Stablecoins offer a reliable store of value and seamless means of cross-border payments.
This is especially critical in a continent with $48 billion annual remittances and persistent banking limitations.
“Stablecoins are solving practical financial services challenges in Africa. People aren’t in love with the tech. They need faster, cheaper ways to move money to survive and thrive,” Maurice added.
Infrastructure Built for the Unbanked
Yellow Card has gone beyond trading services. Its infrastructure integrates mobile money systems (like M-Pesa in Kenya) and local fiat currencies such as the Nigerian naira and Ghanaian cedi. According to the firm’s CEO, this helps onboard users without bank accounts.
By managing compliance, currency exchange, and payments internally, the firm enables businesses to operate without battling unreliable local rails.
“Our mission is to let companies invest, hire, and grow in emerging markets without needing to stress over infrastructure. We’ve built the back office [meaning] cybersecurity, AML, [and] data protection, so they can focus on growth,” he articulated.
The Regulatory Dam Has Broken
Maurice also observed that African regulators kept crypto in limbo for years. In Yellow Card’s view, 2024 marked a tipping point.
“There is regulatory momentum in Africa that is only accelerating. The dam has broken,” he said.
South Africa now classifies crypto as a financial product. It has licensed major exchanges like Luno and VALR. Countries in the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC), Mauritius, Botswana, and Namibia have followed suit with licensing regimes.
Meanwhile, regulatory incubators are emerging in Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Tanzania. Against this backdrop, Maurice says Yellow Card has actively helped draft legislation in Kenya and supports crypto frameworks in Morocco.
Fighting the Informal Market
Still, challenges remain. In countries like Ethiopia, Cameroon, and Morocco, outright bans have driven users underground into high-risk P2P networks. Yellow Card pushes for frameworks that level the playing field for compliant players.
“We face a lot of competition from companies that don’t maintain high AML standards…A level playing field is all we seek,” he said.
With $85 million in venture funding, Yellow Card is deploying capital into compliance and partnerships. With this, the company positions itself as the go-to infrastructure provider for global firms looking to tap African markets.
From Africa to Emerging Markets Everywhere
Cross-border payments are perhaps Yellow Card’s most powerful use case. The company’s co-founder says its stablecoin-powered rails are helping businesses reduce working capital needs, expand to new regions, and hire faster.
“We’ve had clients tell us we’ve enabled them to scale into new countries and reduce their costs dramatically. That’s real economic impact,” said Maurice.
The company is not stopping at Africa. Its infrastructure extends into other frontier markets, with a wave of strategic partnerships expected in 2025.
“Yellow Card has built a series of easy buttons for developed world companies to expand into complicated, high-growth markets,” he noted.
“Stablecoins are already a standard part of the financial infrastructure in Africa. CFOs and treasurers in traditional industries are now routinely using them to store and transfer value,” he added.
Africa’s crypto market is still small compared to global giants. Nevertheless, as the world shifts from speculation to utility, the continent’s fragmented financial systems may offer a glimpse into crypto’s most impactful use case: economic empowerment. For Yellow Card, the mission is clear and increasingly urgent.
“We’ve built a company for longevity and scale. Crypto adoption in Africa is stablecoin adoption,” Maurice concluded.
Mantra (OM) is down 20% over the last 30 days and 5% today. Despite this recent correction, it remains the second-largest RWA (real-world asset) token in the market.
The technical outlook shows growing signs of weakness, with indicators suggesting the current consolidation could shift into a downtrend. At the same time, key support levels are being tested, and a potential death cross is forming on the EMA chart.
Mantra ADX Shows The Current Consolidation Could Change
Mantra’s ADX is currently at 22.96, a drop from 26.5 just a day ago, signaling a weakening trend. The ADX, or Average Directional Index, measures the strength of a trend without indicating its direction.
Readings below 20 generally suggest a weak or non-trending market, while values above 25 indicate a strong trend is forming or in progress.
Ichimoku Cloud Shows A Bearish Trend Could Intensify
Mantra’s Ichimoku Cloud chart currently shows a market in hesitation, with the price moving along the edge of the cloud. This positioning reflects a state of consolidation, where neither buyers nor sellers have full control, as Mantra keeps its position as the second biggest RWA coin in the market.
The Tenkan-sen (blue) and Kijun-sen (red) lines are flat and close together, a typical sign of weak momentum and sideways movement in the short term. This setup often precedes a breakout, but the direction remains uncertain until a clear move occurs.
The future cloud is thin and has turned slightly bearish (red). It indicates that support ahead is weak and could be easily broken if selling pressure increases.
While the price hasn’t decisively broken below the cloud yet, any further downside could shift the bias toward a confirmed downtrend. For now, OM remains in a vulnerable position. Traders will be watching closely to see if the cloud acts as support—or gives way.
Can Mantra Fall Below $6 Soon?
MANTRA’s EMA lines are signaling potential weakness, with a possible death cross forming soon—a bearish pattern in which short-term moving averages cross below long-term ones.
If this pattern is confirmed and downward pressure increases, OM could fall to test the support at $6.15. A break below that level may lead to a further drop toward $5.85, signaling a deeper correction phase in the absence of renewed bullish momentum.
