Andre De Castro

First G-10 To Tokenize Assets Brazil is well positioned to be the first G-10 economy in the world to tokenize real and financial assets. Why does it matter? First, the rest of the world will be watching to understand how it works and how impactful it can be. Second, on the benefits: - Less fraud, more transparency, faster transactions and less costly processes - Step 2 will be the trading of what before behaved as illiquid and opaque private assets Potential result: more efficient private markets, especially in credit. As a result, lower cost of capital and more capital available. Lastly, global investors will have seamless access to Brazilian assets, anywhere in the world, regardless of investor size. None of this will happen over night. We are talking about 10 years. But boy, it has the potential of being truly transformative. This is what we at Valor are most excited about!

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We just took another major step forward in strengthening our KYB solution and expanding the value of RiskOS as the core infrastructure layer for identity, compliance, and risk decisioning. Starting today, Baselayer’s business identity and fraud signals, sourced from authoritative government databases and a network of 2,200+ financial institutions, are fully integrated into RiskOS and available to all KYB customers with the configuration of an enrichment step, which takes all of 30 seconds. No engineering lift.  No extra vendor management.  Just better signal, instantly operationalized. Why it matters: ◼️ Baselayer improves our ability to detect synthetic and high-risk business entities ◼️ It boosts auto-approval rates, especially for sole props and thin-file businesses ◼️ And it further differentiates RiskOS as the only platform with native orchestration and the flexibility to embed external best-in-class data sources and solutions We already offer the most automated and performant KYB solution in the market via RiskOS. This deepens that advantage, while reinforcing our strategy to grow the RiskOS 3rd party provider ecosystem and increase platform value for every Socure customer. We now have 85+ pre-integrated partners, adding multiple more every week, and Baselayer represents a blueprint for future integrations: ◼️ Award winning solution (our co-winner of the Liminal Award for top 20 leaders shaping the future of KYB) ◼️ Zero friction, immediate ROI ◼️ Zero integration expense to any RiskOS customer + the integration was done with AI agents and took just a few days ◼️ Extensible across sectors - from fintech and lending to marketplaces and public sector This is how we will continue to compound value for every RiskOS platform user. (Press release in comments)

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Ever since the election of Donald Trump the idea of the US housing some sort of Bitcoin reserve has captured the imagination of many in the crypto space. After all--if Bitcoin is a hedge against economic disruption--doesn't it make sense for the United States to retain some? Many have questioned what the vehicle would be for Bitcoin--and now the conversation has expanded to other assets like Solana. The answer may lie in the just-announced executive action directing officials to create a Sovereign Wealth Fund. Let's take a look at how some other Sovereign Funds have approached investing in digital assets. Norway's Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG): Managed by Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM), GPFG has gained indirect exposure to Bitcoin through its investments in companies like MicroStrategy, which holds substantial Bitcoin assets. As of the end of 2024, NBIM's indirect Bitcoin exposure had increased to approximately 3,821 BTC. Singapore's Sovereign Wealth Funds: Both GIC and Temasek have shown interest in the digital asset space. GIC participated in Coinbase's $300 million Series E funding round in 2018, signaling early institutional interest in crypto exchanges. Temasek has invested in firms like Amber Group and Immutable, focusing on blockchain technology's long-term potential. While Temasek has stated it does not hold Bitcoin directly, its strategic investments indicate an openness to digital assets as part of broader financial innovation. United Arab Emirates' Sovereign Wealth Funds: The UAE has positioned itself as a global leader in crypto adoption. Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) has allocated funds toward blockchain infrastructure and crypto ventures. Mubadala Investment Company, one of the largest wealth funds globally, has backed blockchain startups, reflecting a commitment to integrating digital assets into their investment portfolios. These developments indicate a broader trend among sovereign wealth funds to diversify their portfolios by incorporating digital assets, whether through direct investments in cryptocurrencies or by supporting blockchain-related companies and infrastructure. But could we see the US take this a step further and not only invest in companies in the crypto space but also hold the assets themselves? It is looking more and more likely. Bloomberg Kathy Burton https://lnkd.in/eiqAyg6m

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Greetings from Dubai and TOKEN2049, I want to highlight three items: 1) Great article out from MIT's CS AI lab. See the link below. https://bit.ly/44Jbz6C 2) J.P. Morgan CiSO just put out an open letter to third party vendors on security. This is a critical item that must be addressed as more and more data is being created, it lives at the edge, and what is at the edge is getting smarter. This is the intersection of ai and dlt. https://bit.ly/4cSCgaZ 3) Schroders published a great research article, that I did not agree with a number of their points, but their focus on private equity, smaller private equity targets, the need for price discovery, and that AI remains attractive. I would argue these two thesis will feed each other. https://bit.ly/4kekTEn The next generation of Private Markets will be data driven, decentralized, and agentic. In this high volume data environment you need an immutable ledger to create the audit trail for agents and a tool for agents to reference and prove, proof of origin of data, proof of state of data, and proof of process of data. This decentralized data architecture using zk proofs is how #2 and #3 connect. With this addition of #1 we begin to see a world where asset owners control their own data, have valuable unstructured data that provides the context for AI to understand the assets, and the ability for adversarial agents and methods to double check the work. The outputs of AI can cite the source data, with context, has an audit trail, and with this produce commercially reliable outputs. This will allow the next generation of private markets to be data driven, auditable, transparent, and decentralized. Real time, or near real time agentic survellience of assets will allow you to understand the Gross Asset Value, run a water fall, calculate the carry, allocate expense, and price the capital stack on an automated basis, with full audit trail and can be re-run daily, or as often as new data effecting the calculation Is detected by the agent. We will have these agents in production with our clients in Q3, right now we are in beta and testing them, this is happening fast, it is the intersection of Data, DLT, and AI which will power the price discovery and trading of private market derivatives, interval funds, Actively managed private market ETFs, lending/collateralization, accounting treatment on capital reserves, secondaries, and eventually digital primary distribution. This is Private Markets Real World Asseets, or PrRWA.

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On January 23, President #Trump signed an executive order to strengthen U.S. leadership in digital assets and financial technology. The order recognizes the industry's pivotal role in driving innovation and economic growth in the United States. Key highlights include expanding individual access to #blockchain networks, supporting the development of dollar-backed stablecoins, and establishing clearer, technology-neutral regulations to reduce uncertainty. The order also opposes central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), citing concerns over privacy, financial stability, and U.S. sovereignty. This marks a critical milestone for the crypto industry, reflecting the government's commitment to fostering innovation while ensuring strong consumer protections and market integrity. Source: White House, Reuters

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US passes GENIUS Act to make stablecoins legal and regulated. This changes everything for US dollar dominance. Stablecoins like USDT and USDC now have a federal framework. No more gray zones: • Redemption at par guaranteed. • Licensed by banks or qualified entities. • Oversight from Treasury on foreign coins. • Monthly audits required for transparency. • Issuers must back coins 1:1 with cash or Treasuries.    Why this matters: Stablecoins aren't just for trading anymore. They power $1T+ in monthly volume. Mostly from hedge funds and market makers rebalancing liquidity. Now US turns them into tools for global finance. Contrast this with Europe: MiCA caps emissions and forces 60% in bank reserves. It kills liquidity. US builds for scale. Europe falls behind. (As always) This will guarantee the supremacy of USD in crypto markets. And with America's ever growing national debt, these stablecoin issuers will be the perfect buyers of US treasuries. Seems like a win-win for US and the stablecoin industry. ♻️ Repost this to help others in your network. 📌 And follow Aram Mughalyan for more content like this

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Blockchain Analytics Companies DON'T Work ..... If you haven't identified a crypto address or crypto artifacts that lead you to an address that you can trace. I know that statement was a little unsettling for most 😇 and we understand that some of the best tools are used by law enforcement and the private sector like Chainalysis, Elliptic, TRM Labs and more 🤷🏼‍♀️ But They Only Work If You Have A Crypto Address to Start TRACING 🤷🏼‍♀️ I actually heard this mentioned by Evan Kohlmann of Cloudburst Technologies whose team tries to attribute real world entities and identities with crypto addresses. And I have to agree. As a company that prides ourselves in finding MILLIONS of dollars worth of crypto hiding in plain sight, we work hard to ensure that our clients are able to find any linkage to crypto "DNA" in order for them to be able to take the next most important step in digital asset recovery..... 📌Crypto Tracing using blockchain analytics and intelligence tools. Many of the major investigation agencies from all around the world have come to the conclusion that crypto is connected to the majority of their investigations, but WHERE ❓❓❓❓ Is the bottleneck we are trying to get most companies past. We need to find the crypto address, in order to trace the digital assets and seize them. .... I'm extremely happy that the Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum allowed me to share this important insight in Spain earlier this year and emphasize that we can't get to STEP 2 (tracing crypto) of a crypto investigation, without STEP 1 (identifying crypto artifacts) 🎯 Did I Miss Anything 💭❓

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𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐁𝐢𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐌𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐁𝐞 𝐀𝐈 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 Ok… first is first; did you know that Brazil banned Tools for Humanity (co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman) from offering #cryptocurrency for #iris scans, as #financial #incentives compromise genuine consent for sensitive #biometric #datacollection. Simultaneously, #OpenAI’s popular Ghibli-style AI image feature prompts users to upload personal photos, potentially providing facial data that could be incorporated into AI training datasets, raising serious privacy and security concerns. Think carefully: Your #biometric data could train AI models, without your explicit awareness or control. Stay informed. Demand transparency on how your personal information is collected and used. #DataPrivacy #BiometricSecurity #AITraining #ResponsibleAI

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Stablecoins aren’t just a trend. They’re a turning point. I recently listened to a compelling discussion on the WSJ’s Take on the Week podcast, where a Mizuho analyst delved into how stablecoins are reshaping the future of payments. At Mastercard, we’re already seeing the impact. Our work in cross-border payments is evolving, with stablecoins offering a more efficient, transparent, and cost-effective alternative to traditional methods. This innovation is crucial for financial inclusion, enabling faster and more affordable remittances for underserved communities. As we continue to explore the potential of stablecoins, it’s clear that they’re not just a passing phase. They’re a foundational element of the future of payments. #Stablecoins #FuturePayments #FinancialInclusion #Innovation #MastercardEmployee

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Is Trump's new crypto executive order the next catalyst for a digital assets? Yesterday, President Trump signed an Executive Order with far-reaching implications for the crypto space. Here are the key highlights: 📌 Establishes the Presidential Working Group on Digital Asset Markets to craft a Federal regulatory framework for digital assets, including stablecoins. 📌 Proposes a strategic national digital assets stockpile. 📌 Rejects Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), shifting focus to private-sector solutions. 📌 Revokes the previous Administration’s restrictive frameworks, aiming to foster innovation and global leadership. 📌 Empowers banks to custody Bitcoin, unlocking future opportunities like BTC-backed loans. 📌 Creates a task force led by David Sacks, supported by regulators and industry experts. Our Take: The immediate price action reflects uncertainty, a brief rally followed by retracement. In the short term, the market seems undecided, leaning slightly bearish as it digests the implications. That said, we view the mid- to long-term impact as highly bullish: 1️⃣ No CBDCs: Rejecting a U.S. CBDC strengthens the case for private stablecoins like USDC and USDT, supporting decentralization. 2️⃣ BTC Custody by Banks: This could open the door to innovations like Bitcoin-backed loans and expands institutional adoption. 3️⃣ Pro-Crypto Task Force: With industry insiders driving the agenda, we expect regulatory clarity and innovation around areas like staking (ETH ETFs), DeFi and real-world asset tokenization. While the absence of a strategic BTC reserve may feel like a missed opportunity, the broader stance signals pro-crypto momentum and reaffirms the U.S. commitment to leadership in digital assets. The market may take time to digest this, but we believe it lays a strong foundation for growth and innovation.

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