News Roundup — Crypto is winning the race to own oil trading after hours as Wintermute launches 24/7 trading

Major news stories this week;

1. Crypto is winning the race to own oil trading after hours as Wintermute launches 24/7 trading
2. Australia's central bank backs tokenization as pilot finds $16.7B upside
3. Coinbase launches token-backed down payments for Fannie Mae loans
4. Visa takes on Canton Super Validator role, marking major step in engaging with blockchain governance
5. Tether locks in Big Four firm for first full USDT audit

Story Summaries;

1. Crypto is winning the race to own oil trading after hours as Wintermute launches 24/7 trading Wintermute has rolled out round-the-clock trading for crude oil CFDs, allowing participants to post either traditional currency or crypto as collateral. The launch signals how “always-on” market infrastructure pioneered in digital assets is increasingly influencing commodity trading, particularly at a time when oil price swings can happen well outside standard exchange hours.
2. Australia's central bank backs tokenization as pilot finds $16.7B upside Australia’s central bank is lending support to tokenised finance after a pilot indicated meaningful economic gains if the market scales. The findings strengthen the case for upgrading market plumbing and expanding controlled testing environments so banks and intermediaries can build and trial tokenisation use cases responsibly.
3. Coinbase launches token-backed down payments for Fannie Mae loans Coinbase and Better Home & Finance have introduced a structure that allows eligible borrowers to use holdings such as BTC or USDC to support mortgage down payments tied to conforming loans. If adopted broadly, the model could make crypto liquidity more usable in mainstream lending—without requiring borrowers to sell assets at the point of purchase.
4. Visa takes on Canton Super Validator role, marking major step in engaging with blockchain governance Visa has taken on a governance-heavy position on the Canton network as a Super Validator, giving it significant influence in validating activity and supporting network operations. The move underlines how major payment incumbents are progressing from experimentation to active participation in institutional blockchain ecosystems.
5. Tether locks in Big Four firm for first full USDT audit Tether has appointed a Big Four accounting firm to complete a full audit of its USDT reserves, a step designed to raise the bar on transparency for the largest stablecoin by market value. A comprehensive audit could help address longstanding market questions around reserve composition and strengthen confidence among institutional users and regulators.

And that’s all for last week’s news! Wishing you a great week ahead!