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BGC Partners Updates its Outlook for the Second Quarter of 2023 and Provides an Update on the Corporate Conversion

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NEW YORK, June 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — BGC Partners, Inc. (Nasdaq: BGCP) (“BGC Partners” or “BGC” or the “Company”), a leading global brokerage and financial technology company, today announced that it has updated its outlook for the quarter ending June 30, 2023, and provided an update on the timing of its corporate conversion.

Updated Outlook
BGC reaffirmed its previously stated outlook ranges for revenue and pre-tax Adjusted Earnings for the second quarter of 2023. The Company’s outlook was contained in BGC’s financial results press release issued on May 3, 2023, which can be found at http://ir.bgcpartners.com

Corporate Conversion Update:
BGC Partners, Inc. is expected to complete its corporate conversion to a Full C-Corporation on Saturday, July 1, 2023. The Company will change its name to “BGC Group, Inc.” and its Nasdaq ticker symbol to “BGC” from “BGCP”.

The Company plans to issue a press release on July 3, 2023, under its new name BGC Group, Inc. to announce the completion of the corporate conversion. The Company will also update its main website to http://www.bgcg.com and its investor relations website to http://ir.bgcg.com.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures
This document contains non-GAAP financial measures that differ from the most directly comparable measures calculated and presented in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the United States (“GAAP”). Non-GAAP financial measures used by the Company include “Adjusted Earnings before noncontrolling interests and taxes”, which is used interchangeably with “pre-tax Adjusted Earnings”; “Post-tax Adjusted Earnings to fully diluted shareholders”, which is used interchangeably with “post-tax Adjusted Earnings”; “Adjusted EBITDA”; “Liquidity”; and “Constant Currency”. The definitions of these terms are below. 

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Adjusted Earnings Defined
BGC uses non-GAAP financial measures, including “Adjusted Earnings before noncontrolling interests and taxes” and “Post-tax Adjusted Earnings to fully diluted shareholders”, which are supplemental measures of operating results used by management to evaluate the financial performance of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries. BGC believes that Adjusted Earnings best reflect the operating earnings generated by the Company on a consolidated basis and are the earnings which management considers when managing its business. 

As compared with “Income (loss) from operations before income taxes” and “Net income (loss) for fully diluted shares”, both prepared in accordance with GAAP, Adjusted Earnings calculations primarily exclude certain non-cash items and other expenses that generally do not involve the receipt or outlay of cash by the Company and/or which do not dilute existing stockholders. In addition, Adjusted Earnings calculations exclude certain gains and charges that management believes do not best reflect the ordinary results of BGC. Adjusted Earnings is calculated by taking the most comparable GAAP measures and adjusting for certain items with respect to compensation expenses, non-compensation expenses, and other income, as discussed below.

Calculations of Compensation Adjustments for Adjusted Earnings and Adjusted EBITDA

Treatment of Equity-Based Compensation Line Item for Adjusted Earnings and Adjusted EBITDA
The Company’s Adjusted Earnings and Adjusted EBITDA measures exclude all GAAP charges included in the line item “Equity-based compensation and allocations of net income to limited partnership units and FPUs” (or “equity-based compensation” for purposes of defining the Company’s non-GAAP results) as recorded on the Company’s GAAP Consolidated Statements of Operations and GAAP Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. These GAAP equity-based compensation charges reflect the following items:

  •  
    • Charges with respect to grants of exchangeability, which reflect the right of holders of limited partnership units with no capital accounts, such as LPUs and PSUs, to exchange these units into shares of common stock, or into partnership units with capital accounts, such as HDUs, as well as cash paid with respect to taxes withheld or expected to be owed by the unit holder upon such exchange. The withholding taxes related to the exchange of certain non-exchangeable units without a capital account into either common shares or units with a capital account may be funded by the redemption of preferred units such as PPSUs.
    • Charges with respect to preferred units. Any preferred units would not be included in the Company’s fully diluted share count because they cannot be made exchangeable into shares of common stock and are entitled only to a fixed distribution. Preferred units are granted in connection with the grant of certain limited partnership units that may be granted exchangeability or redeemed in connection with the grant of shares of common stock at ratios designed to cover any withholding taxes expected to be paid. This is an alternative to the common practice among public companies of issuing the gross amount of shares to employees, subject to cashless withholding of shares, to pay applicable withholding taxes.
    • GAAP equity-based compensation charges with respect to the grant of an offsetting amount of common stock or partnership units with capital accounts in connection with the redemption of non-exchangeable units, including PSUs and LPUs.
    • Charges related to amortization of RSUs and limited partnership units.
    • Charges related to grants of equity awards, including common stock or partnership units with capital accounts.
    • Allocations of net income to limited partnership units and FPUs. Such allocations represent the pro-rata portion of post-tax GAAP earnings available to such unit holders.

The amounts of certain quarterly equity-based compensation charges are based upon the Company’s estimate of such expected charges during the annual period, as described further below under “Methodology for Calculating Adjusted Earnings Taxes.”

Virtually all of BGC’s key executives and producers have equity or partnership stakes in the Company and its subsidiaries and generally receive deferred equity or limited partnership units as part of their compensation. A significant percentage of BGC’s fully diluted shares are owned by its executives, partners and employees. The Company issues limited partnership units as well as other forms of equity-based compensation, including grants of exchangeability into shares of common stock, to provide liquidity to its employees, to align the interests of its employees and management with those of common stockholders, to help motivate and retain key employees, and to encourage a collaborative culture that drives cross-selling and revenue growth.

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All share equivalents that are part of the Company’s equity-based compensation program, including REUs, PSUs, LPUs, HDUs, and other units that may be made exchangeable into common stock, as well as RSUs (which are recorded using the treasury stock method), are included in the fully diluted share count when issued or at the beginning of the subsequent quarter after the date of grant. Generally, limited partnership units other than preferred units are expected to be paid a pro-rata distribution based on BGC’s calculation of Adjusted Earnings per fully diluted share. However, out of an abundance of caution and in order to strengthen the Company’s balance sheet due the uncertain macroeconomic conditions with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic, BGC Holdings, L.P. has reduced its distributions of income from the operations of BGC’s businesses to its partners.

Compensation charges are also adjusted for certain other cash and non-cash items.

Certain Other Compensation-Related Adjustments for Adjusted Earnings
BGC also excludes various other GAAP items that management views as not reflective of the Company’s underlying performance in a given period from its calculation of Adjusted Earnings. These may include compensation-related items with respect to cost-saving initiatives, such as severance charges incurred in connection with headcount reductions as part of broad restructuring and/or cost savings plans. 

Calculation of Non-Compensation Adjustments for Adjusted Earnings
Adjusted Earnings calculations may also exclude items such as: 

  •  
    • Non-cash GAAP charges related to the amortization of intangibles with respect to acquisitions;
    • Acquisition related costs;
    • Certain rent charges;
    • Non-cash GAAP asset impairment charges; and
    • Various other GAAP items that management views as not reflective of the Company’s underlying performance in a given period, including non-compensation-related charges incurred as part of broad restructuring and/or cost savings plans. Such GAAP items may include charges for exiting leases and/or other long-term contracts as part of cost-saving initiatives, as well as non-cash impairment charges related to assets, goodwill and/or intangibles created from acquisitions.

Calculation of Adjustments for Other (income) losses for Adjusted Earnings
Adjusted Earnings calculations also exclude certain other non-cash, non-dilutive, and/or non-economic items, which may, in some periods, include: 

  •  
    • Gains or losses on divestitures;
    • Fair value adjustment of investments;
    • Certain other GAAP items, including gains or losses related to BGC’s investments accounted for under the equity method; and
    • Any unusual, one-time, non-ordinary, or non-recurring gains or losses.

Methodology for Calculating Adjusted Earnings Taxes
Although Adjusted Earnings are calculated on a pre-tax basis, BGC also reports post-tax Adjusted Earnings to fully diluted shareholders. The Company defines post-tax Adjusted Earnings to fully diluted shareholders as pre-tax Adjusted Earnings reduced by the non-GAAP tax provision described below and net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interest for Adjusted Earnings. 

The Company calculates its tax provision for post-tax Adjusted Earnings using an annual estimate similar to how it accounts for its income tax provision under GAAP. To calculate the quarterly tax provision under GAAP, BGC estimates its full fiscal year GAAP income (loss) from operations before income taxes and noncontrolling interests in subsidiaries and the expected inclusions and deductions for income tax purposes, including expected equity-based compensation during the annual period. The resulting annualized tax rate is applied to BGC’s quarterly GAAP income (loss) from operations before income taxes and noncontrolling interests in subsidiaries. At the end of the annual period, the Company updates its estimate to reflect the actual tax amounts owed for the period.

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To determine the non-GAAP tax provision, BGC first adjusts pre-tax Adjusted Earnings by recognizing any, and only, amounts for which a tax deduction applies under applicable law. The amounts include charges with respect to equity-based compensation; certain charges related to employee loan forgiveness; certain net operating loss carryforwards when taken for statutory purposes; and certain charges related to tax goodwill amortization. These adjustments may also reflect timing and measurement differences, including treatment of employee loans; changes in the value of units between the dates of grants of exchangeability and the date of actual unit exchange; variations in the value of certain deferred tax assets; and liabilities and the different timing of permitted deductions for tax under GAAP and statutory tax requirements.

After application of these adjustments, the result is the Company’s taxable income for its pre-tax Adjusted Earnings, to which BGC then applies the statutory tax rates to determine its non-GAAP tax provision. BGC views the effective tax rate on pre-tax Adjusted Earnings as equal to the amount of its non-GAAP tax provision divided by the amount of pre-tax Adjusted Earnings.

Generally, the most significant factor affecting this non-GAAP tax provision is the amount of charges relating to equity-based compensation. Because the charges relating to equity-based compensation are deductible in accordance with applicable tax laws, increases in such charges have the effect of lowering the Company’s non-GAAP effective tax rate and thereby increasing its post-tax Adjusted Earnings.

BGC incurs income tax expenses based on the location, legal structure and jurisdictional taxing authorities of each of its subsidiaries. Certain of the Company’s entities are taxed as U.S. partnerships and are subject to the Unincorporated Business Tax (“UBT”) in New York City. Any U.S. federal and state income tax liability or benefit related to the partnership income or loss, with the exception of UBT, rests with the unit holders rather than with the partnership entity. The Company’s consolidated financial statements include U.S. federal, state, and local income taxes on the Company’s allocable share of the U.S. results of operations. Outside of the U.S., BGC is expected to operate principally through subsidiary corporations subject to local income taxes. For these reasons, taxes for Adjusted Earnings are expected to be presented to show the tax provision the consolidated Company would expect to pay if 100 percent of earnings were taxed at global corporate rates.

Calculations of Pre- and Post-Tax Adjusted Earnings per Share
BGC’s pre- and post-tax Adjusted Earnings per share calculations assume either that:

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  • The fully diluted share count includes the shares related to any dilutive instruments, but excludes the associated expense, net of tax, when the impact would be dilutive; or
  • The fully diluted share count excludes the shares related to these instruments, but includes the associated expense, net of tax, when the impact would be anti-dilutive.

The share count for Adjusted Earnings excludes certain shares and share equivalents expected to be issued in future periods but not yet eligible to receive dividends and/or distributions. Each quarter, the dividend payable to BGC’s stockholders, if any, is expected to be determined by the Company’s Board of Directors with reference to a number of factors, including post-tax Adjusted Earnings per share. BGC may also pay a pro-rata distribution of net income to limited partnership units, as well as to Cantor for its noncontrolling interest. The amount of this net income, and therefore of these payments per unit, would be determined using the above definition of Adjusted Earnings per share on a pre-tax basis.

The declaration, payment, timing, and amount of any future dividends payable by the Company will be at the discretion of its Board of Directors using the fully diluted share count. For more information on any share count adjustments, see the table titled “Fully Diluted Weighted-Average Share Count under GAAP and for Adjusted Earnings” in the Company’s most recent financial results press release.

Management Rationale for Using Adjusted Earnings
BGC’s calculation of Adjusted Earnings excludes the items discussed above because they are either non-cash in nature, because the anticipated benefits from the expenditures are not expected to be fully realized until future periods, or because the Company views results excluding these items as a better reflection of the underlying performance of BGC’s ongoing operations. Management uses Adjusted Earnings in part to help it evaluate, among other things, the overall performance of the Company’s business, to make decisions with respect to the Company’s operations, and to determine the amount of dividends payable to common stockholders and distributions payable to holders of limited partnership units. Dividends payable to common stockholders and distributions payable to holders of limited partnership units are included within “Dividends to stockholders” and “Earnings distributions to limited partnership interests and noncontrolling interests,” respectively, in our unaudited, Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. 

The term “Adjusted Earnings” should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative to GAAP net income (loss). The Company views Adjusted Earnings as a metric that is not indicative of liquidity, or the cash available to fund its operations, but rather as a performance measure. Pre- and post-tax Adjusted Earnings, as well as related measures, are not intended to replace the Company’s presentation of its GAAP financial results. However, management believes that these measures help provide investors with a clearer understanding of BGC’s financial performance and offer useful information to both management and investors regarding certain financial and business trends related to the Company’s financial condition and results of operations. Management believes that the GAAP and Adjusted Earnings measures of financial performance should be considered together.

For more information regarding Adjusted Earnings, see the sections of this document and/or in the Company’s most recent financial results press release titled “Reconciliation of GAAP Income (Loss) from Operations before Income Taxes to Adjusted Earnings and GAAP Fully Diluted EPS to Post-Tax Adjusted EPS”, including the related footnotes, for details about how BGC’s non-GAAP results are reconciled to those under GAAP.

Adjusted EBITDA Defined
BGC also provides an additional non-GAAP financial performance measure, “Adjusted EBITDA”, which it defines as GAAP “Net income (loss) available to common stockholders”, adjusted to add back the following items:

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  • Provision (benefit) for income taxes;
  • Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interest in subsidiaries;
  • Interest expense;
  • Fixed asset depreciation and intangible asset amortization;
  • Equity-based compensation and allocations of net income to limited partnership units and FPUs;
  • Impairment of long-lived assets;
  • (Gains) losses on equity method investments; and
  • Certain other non-cash GAAP items, such as non-cash charges of amortized rents incurred by the Company for its new U.K. based headquarters.

The Company’s management believes that its Adjusted EBITDA measure is useful in evaluating BGC’s operating performance, because the calculation of this measure generally eliminates the effects of financing and income taxes and the accounting effects of capital spending and acquisitions, which would include impairment charges of goodwill and intangibles created from acquisitions. Such items may vary for different companies for reasons unrelated to overall operating performance. As a result, the Company’s management uses this measure to evaluate operating performance and for other discretionary purposes. BGC believes that Adjusted EBITDA is useful to investors to assist them in getting a more complete picture of the Company’s financial results and operations.

Since BGC’s Adjusted EBITDA is not a recognized measurement under GAAP, investors should use this measure in addition to GAAP measures of net income when analyzing BGC’s operating performance. Because not all companies use identical EBITDA calculations, the Company’s presentation of Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies. Furthermore, Adjusted EBITDA is not intended to be a measure of free cash flow or GAAP cash flow from operations because the Company’s Adjusted EBITDA does not consider certain cash requirements, such as tax and debt service payments.

For more information regarding Adjusted EBITDA, see the section of this document and/or in the Company’s most recent financial results press release titled “Reconciliation of GAAP Net Income (Loss) Available to Common Stockholders to Adjusted EBITDA”, including the footnotes to the same, for details about how BGC’s non-GAAP results are reconciled to those under GAAP.

Timing of Outlook for Certain GAAP and Non-GAAP Items
BGC anticipates providing forward-looking guidance for GAAP revenues and for certain non-GAAP measures from time to time. However, the Company does not anticipate providing an outlook for other GAAP results. This is because certain GAAP items, which are excluded from Adjusted Earnings and/or Adjusted EBITDA, are difficult to forecast with precision before the end of each period. The Company therefore believes that it is not possible for it to have the required information necessary to forecast GAAP results or to quantitatively reconcile GAAP forecasts to non-GAAP forecasts with sufficient precision without unreasonable efforts. For the same reasons, the Company is unable to address the probable significance of the unavailable information. The relevant items that are difficult to predict on a quarterly and/or annual basis with precision and may materially impact the Company’s GAAP results include, but are not limited, to the following:

  • Certain equity-based compensation charges that may be determined at the discretion of management throughout and up to the period-end;
  • Unusual, one-time, non-ordinary, or non-recurring items;
  • The impact of gains or losses on certain marketable securities, as well as any gains or losses related to associated mark-to- market movements and/or hedging. These items are calculated using period-end closing prices;
  • Non-cash asset impairment charges, which are calculated and analyzed based on the period-end values of the underlying assets. These amounts may not be known until after period-end; and
  • Acquisitions, dispositions and/or resolutions of litigation, which are fluid and unpredictable in nature.

Liquidity Defined
BGC may also use a non-GAAP measure called “liquidity”. The Company considers liquidity to be comprised of the sum of cash and cash equivalents, reverse repurchase agreements (if any), financial instruments owned, at fair value, less securities lent out in securities loaned transactions and repurchase agreements (if any). The Company considers liquidity to be an important metric for determining the amount of cash that is available or that could be readily available to the Company on short notice.

For more information regarding Liquidity, see the section of this document and/or in the Company’s most recent financial results press release titled “Liquidity Analysis”, including any footnotes to the same, for details about how BGC’s non-GAAP results are reconciled to those under GAAP.

Constant Currency Defined
BGC generates a significant amount of its revenues in non-U.S. dollar denominated currencies, particularly in the euro and pound sterling. In order to present a better comparison of the Company’s revenues during the period, which exhibited highly volatile foreign exchange movements, BGC provides revenues year-over-year comparisons on a “Constant Currency” basis. BGC uses a Constant Currency financial metric to provide a better comparison of the Company’s underlying operating performance by eliminating the impacts of foreign currency fluctuations between comparative periods. Since BGC’s consolidated financial statements are presented in U.S. dollars, fluctuations in non-U.S. dollar denominated currencies have an impact on the Company’s GAAP results. The Company’s Constant Currency metric, which is a non-GAAP financial measure, assumes the foreign exchange rates used to determine the Company’s comparative prior period revenues, apply to the current period revenues. Constant Currency revenue percentage change is calculated by determining the change in current quarter non-GAAP Constant Currency revenues over prior period revenues. Non-GAAP Constant Currency revenues are total revenues excluding the effect of foreign exchange rate movements and are calculated by remeasuring and/or translating current quarter revenues using prior period exchange rates. BGC presents certain non-GAAP Constant Currency percentage changes in Constant Currency revenues as a supplementary measure because it facilitates the comparison of the Company’s core operating results. This information should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for, results reported in accordance with GAAP.

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About BGC Partners, Inc.
BGC Partners, Inc. (“BGC”) is a leading global brokerage and financial technology company. BGC, through its various affiliates, specializes in the brokerage of a broad range of products, including Fixed Income (Rates and Credit), Foreign Exchange, Equities, Energy and Commodities, Shipping, and Futures. BGC, through its various affiliates, also provides a wide variety of services, including trade execution, brokerage, clearing, trade compression, post-trade, information, and other back-office services to a broad range of financial and non-financial institutions. Through its brands, including Fenics®, FMX™, FMX Futures Exchange™, Fenics Markets Xchange™, Fenics Digital™, Fenics UST™, Fenics FX™, Fenics Repo™, Fenics Direct™, Fenics MID™, Fenics Market Data™, Fenics GO™, Fenics PortfolioMatch™, BGC®, BGC Trader™, kACE2™, and Lucera®, BGC offers financial technology solutions, market data, and analytics related to numerous financial instruments and markets. BGC, BGC Group, BGC Partners, BGC Trader, GFI, GFI Ginga, CreditMatch, Fenics, Fenics.com, FMX, Sunrise Brokers, Poten & Partners, RP Martin, kACE2, Capitalab, Swaptioniser, CBID, Caventor, LumeMarkets and Lucera are trademarks/service marks and/or registered trademarks/service marks of BGC and/or its affiliates.

BGC’s customers include many of the world’s largest banks, broker-dealers, investment banks, trading firms, hedge funds, governments, corporations, and investment firms. BGC’s Class A common stock trades on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol “BGCP”. BGC is led by Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer Howard W. Lutnick. For more information, please visit http://www.bgcpartners.com. You can also follow BGC at https://twitter.com/bgcpartners, https://www.linkedin.com/company/bgc-partners and/or http://ir.bgcpartners.com/Investors/default.aspx.

Discussion of Forward-Looking Statements about BGC
Statements in this document regarding BGC that are not historical facts are “forward-looking statements” that involve risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. These include statements about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company’s business, results, financial position, liquidity and outlook, which may constitute forward-looking statements and are subject to the risk that the actual impact may differ, possibly materially, from what is currently expected. Except as required by law, BGC undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. For a discussion of additional risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see BGC’s Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) filings, including, but not limited to, the risk factors and Special Note on Forward-Looking Information set forth in these filings and any updates to such risk factors and Special Note on Forward-Looking Information contained in subsequent reports on Form 10-K, Form 10-Q or Form 8-K. 

Media Contact:
Karen Laureano-Rikardsen
+1 212-829-4975

Investor Contact:
Jason Chryssicas
+1 212-610-2426

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Blockchain Press Releases

Rain and Visa Partner to Accelerate Onchain Credit Cards

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Showcasing blockchain’s potential to enable everyday financial transactions 

NEW YORK, May 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Rain, a global card issuing platform built for stablecoins, is helping usher in a new era of onchain finance through its work with Visa.

Today, Rain announced it has joined Visa’s pilot program for stablecoin settlement. Rain has fully tokenized its credit card receivables and has transitioned all settlement transactions for its Visa cards to USDC, to now be able to settle with Visa 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Rain provides backend infrastructure – APIs, compliance layers and settlement logic – that enables fintechs and wallets to build and launch stablecoin-linked card programs. As demand for real time, global payments grow, Rain is seeing strong momentum from partners looking to issue and use onchain cards and settle in stablecoins.

7 Day Stablecoin Settlement

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Rain’s proprietary settlement stack brings all authorization logic and settlement onchain. Rain’s technology stack allows for card transactions on the Visa network to be interoperable with stablecoins across multiple blockchains. When a user makes a payment with a Rain-issued Visa card, Visa settles with the merchant acquirer as usual. Rain is programmatically leveraging stablecoins enabling network settlement 7 days a week, 365 days a year.  

Tokenized Credit Card Receivables
Rain’s platform has also fully tokenized its credit card receivables, enabling more efficient capital management and transparency across the system. These capabilities help fintechs go to market faster with new products. While giving consumers access to digital-first globally interoperable payment experiences.

Rain is also proud to announce a world first: closed loop credit card receivable financing utilizing stablecoins. Rain works with a network of capital partners – borrowing stablecoins to facilitate network settlement for credit card receivables. By borrowing from and programmatically repaying lenders Rain has been able to reduce the total cost of capital for consumer and b2b credit programs while providing lenders access to superior collateral and programmatic repayments powered by smart contracts. This powerful construct has the potential to unlock credit access for users in underdeveloped financial markets, all while unlocking significant operational and capital efficiencies for Rain and Rain powered programs.

“By participating in Visa’s USDC settlement program, we are now able to conduct settlement 7 days a week, 365 days a year, operating outside of traditional banking hours. USDC settlement allows us to be more capital efficient – helping to reduce the need for collateral while providing our counterparties the same level of protection. This sets a new standard for issuers and further enhances digital asset utility,” said Farooq Malik, CEO & Co-founder of Rain.   

“Moving money across borders has always been complex, but blockchain technology and stablecoins are helping change that,” said Rubail Birwadker, Head of Growth Products and Partnerships, Visa. “Our work with Rain to help bring payments onchain and enable seven-day settlement is a big step toward helping to simplify global payments.”

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This is just the beginning. Rain continues to explore new ways to enhance the utility of stablecoins, such as its asset-agnostic settlement stack and blockchain permissioning, which together enable credit to exist entirely onchain. Rain is paving the way for a more efficient, transparent, and accessible financial ecosystem that reduces working capital, reduces fraud, and drives improvements in operational outcomes.

Visa Principal Membership

A Visa principal member, Rain enables seamless payment solutions at more than 150 million Visa-accepting merchant locations worldwide. By utilizing stablecoins for automated daily settlement with the Visa network, Rain is doubling down on its mission to integrate blockchain technology with traditional financial systems, making digital assets seamlessly interoperable for everyday use cases.

About Rain: Rain is a global card issuing platform powered by stablecoins. The company, which was founded in 2021 by Farooq Malik and Charles Naut, sponsors and operates card programs in multiple markets as a Visa principal member. Rain is backed by Norwest Venture Partners, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Galaxy Ventures, Coinbase Ventures and others. Learn more at https://www.rain.xyz/

CONTACT: Charles Yoo-Naut; [email protected]

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Blockchain Press Releases

MEXC Ventures Announces $300 Million Ecosystem Development Fund at Token2049 Event

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VICTORIA, Seychelles, May 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — MEXC Ventures, the investment arm of the global cryptocurrency exchange MEXC, has unveiled a $300 million Ecosystem Development Fund aimed at accelerating blockchain innovation and ecosystem growth over the next five years. The initiative was officially announced at Token2049 in Dubai on April 30, aligning with MEXC’s 7th anniversary and reaffirming the company’s evolution from a trading platform to a full-scale Web3 ecosystem builder.

The new fund marks a strategic pivot in MEXC’s positioning — from a user-focused exchange to a foundational force in blockchain infrastructure. With this move, MEXC plans to foster long-term value across the entire crypto landscape by supporting early-stage technologies, public chains, wallets, and other decentralized tools that drive the future of Web3.

“We see this commitment as an opportunity to position MEXC well above its perceived place in the industry as an exchange service. We can and intend to offer much more through this investment, driving businesses and users to our ecosystem with a value offering built on best practices. Our ultimate vision is to transition from a trading venue to an ecosystem platform that will cater to all the needs of crypto industry participants in unique, innovative, and attractive ways,” as Tracy Jin, COO of MEXC exchange, commented on the upcoming announcement.

The Ecosystem Development Fund foresees the establishment of an investment and cooperation linkage model that will connect the different businesses with the broader MEXC ecosystem to drive value. The trusted basis of MEXC as a leader in innovation will be used to expand and enhance the overall trading experience for users by offering support beyond capital. Cooperation between exchange business and investments will focus on the development of public chains, stablecoins, wallets, and media platforms as part of the MEXC ecosystem. Comprehensive selection criteria will be announced for projects interested in joining the new initiative.

The new development will allow projects to attract investments and attain visibility, thus advancing their integration across industry services. This will, in turn, give users access to new services, upping their overall experience and building trust. Greater integration and cooperation between businesses, projects and users will ultimately positively impact the industry as a whole, advancing innovation and promoting adoption across different markets and regions.

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Existing initiatives within the MEXC ecosystem include Ethena, a leading innovator in the stablecoin space. MEXC has made a strategic investment of $16 million in Ethena and has also purchased $20 million worth of USDe, Ethena’s synthetic dollar. In collaboration with Ethena, MEXC launched several joint campaigns that have gained significant traction in recent weeks, driving strong user engagement. ENA, Ethena’s native token, has showcased up to $15 million in trading volume over the past 24-hour timeframe. Such results indicate strong support for the products on the part of users, as well as demand from a liquidity standpoint. MEXC had recently invested in Ethena and launched a number of joint campaigns focused on expanding the use of public chains, wallets, and media platforms.

MEXC is determined to elevate the positioning of the platform beyond its perceived status as a trading venue to its full potential as an industry ecosystem element. Such a transition is aimed at building greater value for users and making the crypto environment more attractive to both businesses and investments. MEXC invites all projects in the crypto space to join its latest initiative.

About MEXC Ventures

MEXC Ventures is a comprehensive fund MEXC dedicated to driving innovation in the cryptocurrency sector through investments in L1/L2 ecosystems, strategic investments, M&A, and incubation. Upholding the principle of “Empowering Growth Through Synergy,” MEXC Ventures is committed to supporting innovative ideas and active builders.

MEXC Ventures is an investor and supporter of TON and Aptos, and looks forward to staying at the forefront of TON and Aptos innovations while actively engaging with builders to drive ecosystem growth.

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For more information, visit: MEXC Ventures Website

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Blocks & Headlines: Today in Blockchain – April 30, 2025

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Today’s blockchain ecosystem is defined by soaring ambitions, regulatory crosswinds, and an ever-evolving tapestry of decentralized applications. In this edition of Blocks & Headlines: Today in Blockchain – April 30, 2025, we cover five pivotal developments shaping Web3’s next chapter:

  1. Telegram’s TON Factory Launch – A breakthrough in on-chain scalability.

  2. EU Data-Protection Ruling Threatens Full Blockchain Histories – The fight between GDPR and immutability.

  3. One Championship MMA Game Debuts on Sui – A major Web3 foray into mobile gaming.

  4. U.S. Senate Eyes New Blockchain Act – Bipartisan push to regulate digital assets.

  5. DMG Blockchain’s AI Data-Center Investment – Convergence of crypto mining and AI infrastructure.

Below, we deliver concise yet detailed analyses of each story, infused with expert commentary on their strategic significance. Read on to understand how these trends will influence protocol adoption, developer incentives, regulatory frameworks, and the future of decentralized networks.


1. Telegram’s TON Factory Boosts On-Chain Scalability

What happened:

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Telegram’s Open Network (TON) team officially unveiled TON Factory, a novel toolkit designed to streamline the deployment and scaling of decentralized applications. Built atop TON’s sharded architecture, TON Factory enables developers to spin up isolated “factories”—subnets that can host smart contracts, NFTs, and DeFi modules—while sharing security guarantees with the main chain. According to the announcement, early tests show that each factory can process up to 15,000 transactions per second (TPS) in isolation, with near-instant finality.

Why it matters:

Scalability remains blockchain’s Achilles’ heel. TON Factory’s factory-of-subnets approach promises to lower the barrier to entry for high-throughput dApps—everything from micro-payment systems to real-time gaming. By offering elastic compute and fee-optimization mechanisms, Telegram aims to undercut legacy Layer-1 networks and attract a new generation of builders.

Opinion & Implications:

  • Developer Experience: Abstractions like preconfigured factories could accelerate time-to-market for teams lacking deep consensus expertise.

  • Network Effects: If TON’s UX outpaces rivals (e.g., Ethereum’s zk-rollups or Solana’s Turbine), we may see a migration of liquidity and talent.

  • Security Trade-Offs: Isolating factories can mitigate cross-dApp failures, but adds complexity to transaction routing and dispute resolution. Audits will be essential to validate this novel model.

Source: Cointelegraph – Telegram TON Factory Launch

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2. EU Regulators Propose Deleting Entire Blockchains for GDPR

What happened:

European data-protection authorities have floated a radical interpretation of GDPR: the “right to erasure” could extend to purging entire on-chain histories containing personal data. Under this view, controllers operating within the EU must either anonymize linked data or entirely delete chain segments—potentially forcing chains to implement selective pruning or permissions.

Why it matters:

Blockchain’s immutability ethos directly clashes with GDPR’s erasure mandate. If regulators enforce selective deletion, networks may need to retrofit privacy-preserving layers (e.g., zero-knowledge proofs, chameleon hashes) or risk noncompliance fines up to 4% of global turnover.

Opinion & Implications:

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  • Protocol Evolution: Expect a surge in privacy-by-design protocols that segregate PII off-chain while anchoring proofs on-chain.

  • Jurisdictional Fragmentation: Projects may geo-fence EU users or spawn EU-compliant forks—fracturing unified global ledgers.

  • Commercial Impact: Exchanges and custodians face urgent deadlines to audit on-chain data holdings and deploy erasure tools—or face hefty penalties.

Source: Daily Hodl – EU Blockchain Erasure


3. One Championship’s MMA Game Launches on Sui for iOS/Android

What happened:

One Championship, Asia’s premier martial-arts league, has partnered with Mysten Labs to release “ONE Fight Manager”—a play-to-earn mobile title powered by the Sui blockchain. Available now on iOS and Android, the game lets users train NFT fighters, compete in PvP leagues, and earn SUI tokens through ranked matches. Mysten Labs touts sub-two-second transaction finality and near-zero gas fees, enabling seamless gameplay even for on-chain microtransactions.

Why it matters:

Gaming remains the killer app for mass blockchain adoption. By leveraging Sui’s Move VM and object-centric model, ONE Fight Manager addresses two critical pain points: UX friction and cost barriers. Real-time, feeless interactions are vital to onboard traditional gamers accustomed to instant feedback loops.

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Opinion & Implications:

  • User Acquisition: High-profile IP like One Championship can drive millions of installs—and funnel new users into the broader Sui ecosystem.

  • Economics & Tokenomics: Careful tuning of token emission and NFT scarcity will determine whether the game sustains long-term engagement or succumbs to “play-to-earn” collapse.

  • Cross-Chain Synergy: Success here may inspire similar partnerships on Aptos, Ethereum, or emerging Layer-1s, intensifying competition for flagship gaming titles.

Source: Decrypt – ONE Championship Sui Game


4. Ohio Senator Leads Push for U.S. Blockchain Act

What happened:

Senator J.D. Kerns (R-OH) has introduced the Blockchain Innovation and Consumer Protection Act, aiming to create a federal framework for digital-asset oversight. Key provisions include:

  • Defined Classifications: Differentiating between payment tokens, security tokens, and utility tokens.

  • Licensing Regime: Establishing a “Digital Asset Services Commission” to grant interstate licenses for exchanges and custodians.

  • Consumer Safeguards: Mandatory proof of reserves, clear disclosure requirements, and dispute-resolution protocols.

Why it matters:

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After years of fragmented state laws and agency turf wars, this Act represents Congress’s first cohesive effort to legislate blockchain. By preempting state-level divergence, it could streamline compliance for businesses—provided it balances innovation with investor protection.

Opinion & Implications:

  • Regulatory Clarity: Clear definitions can foster institutional entry, reducing legal ambiguity that stifles corporate treasuries from adopting crypto.

  • Unintended Consequences: Overly stringent licensing could entrench incumbents and erect high barriers for startups.

  • Global Competitiveness: U.S. leadership in blockchain law may influence other jurisdictions—critical as Asia and Europe race to craft their own regulatory regimes.

Source: The Street – Blockchain Act Proposal


5. DMG Blockchain Solutions Invests in 2MW of AI Data-Center Gear

What happened:

DMG Blockchain Solutions Inc. has announced the acquisition of two megawatts of high-density GPU infrastructure, repurposed for both crypto-mining and AI-model training workloads. Housed in a new Quebec data center, the multi-use clusters will dynamically allocate capacity between proof-of-work operations and commercial AI clients—leveraging off-peak pricing to optimize ROI.

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Why it matters:

The convergence of crypto-mining and AI training infrastructure underscores growing synergies between two of the most compute-hungry industries. By offering GPUs for rent during mining downtimes, DMG anticipates 30% higher utilization rates compared to mono-purpose facilities.

Opinion & Implications:

  • Revenue Diversification: Dual-use data centers can hedge against crypto price swings and tap into booming AI-as-a-service demand.

  • Energy Efficiency: High-efficiency GPUs paired with Quebec’s hydroelectric power may set new benchmarks for sustainable compute.

  • Competitive Landscape: Other mining operators may follow suit, catalyzing a wave of AI-crypto hybrid hosting providers.

Source: GlobeNewswire – DMG AI Infrastructure Purchase


Conclusion

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April 30, 2025, illuminated blockchain’s boundless dynamism: scalability breakthroughs at Telegram’s TON Factory; privacy versus immutability in the EU’s GDPR debate; mass-market gaming on Sui; legislative clarity from Capitol Hill; and the AI-crypto infrastructure nexus in Quebec. These stories reveal an industry simultaneously innovating at the protocol layer, grappling with regulation, and exploring cross-sector partnerships. For developers, investors, and policymakers alike, the imperative is clear: build resilient architectures that anticipate regulatory shifts, prioritize user experience, and harness synergies across emerging technologies. Stay tuned to Blocks & Headlines tomorrow for your next daily briefing on the pulse of blockchain’s evolving frontier.

The post Blocks & Headlines: Today in Blockchain – April 30, 2025 appeared first on News, Events, Advertising Options.

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