USDC issuer Circle has secured in-principle approval from Abu Dhabi’s financial regulator. This move marks a key step for the fintech giant in expanding its presence across the Middle East and Africa (MEA). Besides, the approval also highlights the UAE’s role as a leading hub for regulated digital finance innovation.
USDC Issuer Circle Wins Major Approval In Abu Dhabi
The stablecoin issuer revealed that it had received initial regulatory clearance from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM). The FSRA approval allows the company to progress toward a full Financial Services Permission (FSP) to operate as a money services business in the UAE.
This marks a major step forward for the USDC issuer, which was formally incorporated in ADGM in December 2024. CEO Jeremy Allaire highlighted the UAE’s openness to regulated innovation. He stated the country is becoming a global model for building a resilient Internet financial system.
Meanwhile, Allaire said this approval helps the fintech firm to build lasting ties in markets that support blockchain-based finance. He also emphasized the firm’s long-term commitment to compliance and transparency, stating that regulatory clarity can drive meaningful innovation.
Dante Disparte, Circle’s Chief Strategy Officer, echoed this sentiment. He said the move is not just a regional milestone but a strong global message that oversight and innovation can go hand-in-hand. According to Disparte, the firm’s infrastructure is designed to support the safe adoption of stablecoins worldwide.
ADGM also welcomed the development. Arvind Ramamurthy, its Chief of Market Development, said the company’s approach fits perfectly with ADGM’s goal to become a global fintech hub. He noted that Circle’s presence will boost the growth of future-ready financial services across the region.
New Collaboration To Boost Fintech Innovation
In addition to the regulatory win, Circle announced a strategic tie-up with Hub71, Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem. The two plan to collaborate on programs inside ADGM’s digital sandbox.
This includes grants, mentorship opportunities, and access to venture capital for startups working in Web3 and digital assets. The fintech firm will also become a part of Hub71’s digital assets network, connecting with over 500 startups and global investors.
Meanwhile, this news follows Circle’s launch of a global payment network last week. The move sparked speculation that the stablecoin issuer may be gearing up to compete with Ripple in the cross-border payment space.
Besides, the broader stablecoin market has also gained notable traction recently. This comes as analysts at Citigroup project the stablecoin market could reach $1.6 trillion by 2030. A recent Bitcoin price analysis also showed that BTC could hit $475K if this Citigroup prediction holds true, reflecting how the stablecoins might influence the market trajectory.
Binance is listing Bubblemaps (BMT), causing a 100% rally for the newly launched altcoin. The exchange also put BMT in its HODLer Airdrops program, further driving engagement and market interest.
BMT will provide key benefits to Bubblemaps, powering its analysis platform and allowing increased community participation in its research and investigations.
Now, Binance is listing BMT and adding it to the HODLer Airdrops program.
“Binance is excited to announce the 12th project on the HODLer Airdrops page – Bubblemaps (BMT). Users who subscribed their BNB to Simple Earn (Flexible and/or Locked) and/or On-Chain Yields products… will get the airdrops distribution. Binance will then list BMT at 2025-03-18 15:00 (UTC) and open trading,” the firm claimed in an announcement.
At the time of writing, BMT price is up nearly 100% today, and its daily trading volume has surged 230%. Current market sentiment suggests significant hype and speculative around the new token.
Bubblemap’s data analytics tools have been instrumental in investigating crypto crimes, and it’s opening these to community participation. BMT holders will be able to submit cases and vote on on-chain research priorities through the new IntelDesk feature, helping decide new goals.
Meanwhile, BMT is the 12th asset to be in Binance’s HODLer Airdrops program. This program rewards BNB holders by periodically distributing free tokens from new projects.
This is mutually beneficial for both parties; Binance can reward its loyal users, and the exposure gives these new projects a real notoriety boost.
Ultimately, Bubblemaps’ token getting listed on Binance seems like a win for everybody. Sophisticated crypto investigations can be a thankless business, and BMT’s success directly subsidizes the platform’s work.
The crypto market is currently facing a significant correction, with the top tokens like Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Dogecoin (DOGE), and XRP experiencing notable dips. The recent crypto price drop has left investors and analysts wondering what’s behind the market crash. Notably, today’s crypto price drop could be attributed to two main factors: President Donald Trump’s recent criticism of China on Truth Social, accusing them of breaching their trade agreement with the US, and the growing likelihood that the Federal Reserve won’t cut interest rates. Crypto Market Crash: Bitcoin & Altcoins Bleed The global crypto market has seen a severe downturn today, losing $186 billion from yesterday’s high. As of press time, the total market cap stands at $3.35 trillion, down by 3.15% over the last 24 hours. Major cryptocurrencies are in the red, with Dogecoin taking the biggest hit among the top 10. As per CoinMarketCap data, Bitcoin is… Read More at Coingape.com
Real-World Assets (RWA) are becoming one of the most closely watched narratives in crypto as the sector evolves under increased institutional and regulatory scrutiny. The collapse of MANTRA served as a wake-up call, exposing operational vulnerabilities and sparking demands for higher standards across tokenization platforms.
While skepticism grows around decentralized RWA projects, the broader investment case for asset-backed tokens remains intact—especially as stablecoins and tokenized treasuries lead adoption efforts. Against this backdrop, several RWA altcoins are standing out in May 2025, showing both technical momentum and renewed investor interest.
Stablecoins and Treasuries Lead RWA Adoption Wave
The collapse of Mantra has triggered a wave of reflection and caution across the Real World Asset (RWA) sector. As Andrei Grachev, Managing Partner of DWF Labs, puts it:
“The Mantra collapse is really a pivotal moment for the RWA sector. It has exposed some serious vulnerabilities in how these permissionless tokenisation platforms operate. I think we’re going to see investors getting much more cautious and selective about where they put their money now. Institutional players will probably start demanding much higher standards of due diligence, and regulators might step in with more scrutiny too.”
This event has clearly shaken confidence in the structure of some decentralized RWA models, pushing institutional and retail participants toward more regulated, vetted alternatives.
At the same time, the debate around RWA tokens’ potential to decouple from broader crypto market volatility is gaining momentum.
In response to Binance Research’s observation that RWA tokens have shown more stability than Bitcoin during tariff events, Edwin Mata, Co-founder & CEO of Brickken, said:
“True RWA tokens are backed by real-world value and governed by legal frameworks that enforce rights, obligations, and cash flows. In that sense, they behave more like traditional securities and can, over time, become more resilient to macro-level crypto volatility, especially during periods of market stress, regulatory shifts, or geopolitical shocks like tariffs.”
Shahaf bar Geffen, CEO and Founder of COTI, reinforced this emerging divergence by stating:
“We‘re already witnessing the early stages of that decoupling. RWA tokens are anchored to tangible assets—real estate, commodities, invoices—which inherently provide a stability layer absent in purely speculative cryptocurrencies. The potential for RWAs to hedge against macroeconomic volatility, such as tariffs or inflationary pressures, is significant.”
The macroeconomic case is strengthening, but the technological and institutional backing behind RWAs is also evolving quickly. Kadan Stadelmann, Chief Technology Officer at Komodo Platform, believes institutional adoption will be a decisive factor:
“The adoption by mainstream financial institutions will separate RWAs from the rest of the crypto index. No other crypto product will be as extensively adopted by mainstream finance as RWAs other than stablecoins, which I would argue are a type of RWA.”
Here are the top 3 RWA coins to watch in May.
Ondo (ONDO)
ONDO has climbed nearly 14% over the past 30 days, recently breaking above the $1 mark for the first time since March 6. This move has brought renewed attention to the token, as its market cap approaches the $3 billion threshold again.
However, this upward price action comes amid a broader contraction in the space. According to data from rwa.xyz, total RWA on-chain value currently sits at $16.6 billion, representing a 16.92% decline over the past 30 days.
Despite ONDO’s short-term strength, its technical indicators are flashing caution. A death cross has recently formed on its EMA lines—a pattern often associated with bearish momentum.
The first key support is $0.866. If that level breaks, ONDO could decline to $0.819, with deeper support at $0.73 and $0.663 if the downtrend accelerates.
On the upside, if sentiment reverses and ONDO manages to break above the $1.04 resistance, a push toward $1.20 could follow, opening the door for a stronger recovery.
Reserve Rights (RSR)
Reserve Rights is up nearly 41% over the past 30 days, riding a wave of renewed interest following its Coinbase listing and lingering associations with incoming SEC Chair Paul Atkins.
Despite Atkins having no active ties to the project today, his early advisory role has fueled trader speculation about potential regulatory tailwinds.
This narrative, combined with Binance’s top traders heavily going long, has positioned RSR as one of the more politically charged tokens in the current market.
The listing alone sparked a 9% intraday jump, helping bring RSR back into the spotlight after a long quiet phase post-2021 peak.
Technically, RSR is approaching a critical decision point. The token recently attempted to break the $0.0096 resistance level twice and failed, signaling the importance of that threshold.
A successful breakout could open the door to $0.011, and potentially $0.0137 if momentum builds. However, failure to hold current levels could trigger a correction toward $0.0084, with deeper support at $0.0071 and $0.0057.
TokenFi (TOKEN)
Real-world asset (RWA) platform TokenFi (TOKEN) has surged nearly 40% over the past seven days, pushing its market cap back to the $20 million mark.
The sharp rise comes despite a notable drop in trading activity, with 24-hour volume falling over 59% to $8.13 million.
The divergence between price appreciation and declining volume raises questions about the rally’s sustainability, but for now, TOKEN is regaining attention as a small-cap RWA narrative play in the altcoin market.
From a technical standpoint, TOKEN is approaching key resistance levels. If the bullish momentum continues, the token could test $0.024 and $0.0275, with a potential breakout target of $0.041.
However, any reversal could see TOKEN retrace toward the $0.0194 support level. If that fails, deeper downside levels lie at $0.0137 and $0.0112.
