Asset | Crypto

Itaú Asset is launching a crypto division within its billion-dollar mutual funds arm, aiming to deliver alpha for clients with digital assets trading. Itaú Asset Management, Brazil’s largest private asset manager, has created a dedicated crypto division and appointed former Hashdex executive João Marco Braga da Cunha to lead the new unit. The unit builds on Itaú Asset’s existing crypto products, including the bank's Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) and a retirement fund offering exposure to digital assets. Itaú Asset manages over 1 trillion reais ($185 billion) in assets for its clients. “The crypto asset segment has unique characteristics for generating alpha. It’s a relatively new market that creates major opportunities due to its volatility,” Cunha said. He previously served as portfolio management director at Hashdex, the Brazilian firm that behind one of the country’s first crypto ETFs. Read more

Chainlink recently inked deals with JP Morgan's Kinexys and Ondo Finance to develop payment rails for tokenized assets. Asset tokenization is set to accelerate the movement of capital across traditional markets, according to Chainlink co-founder Sergey Nazarov. Speaking with Cointelegraph at Consensus 2025 in Toronto, Nazarov said the shift will boost capital velocity in asset classes such as treasuries, equities, private credit, commercial debt, and real estate. "I think that there are two sides to this equation. One is the asset, and the other one is the payment. So, you need more high-quality assets onchain, but you also need more frictionless payments that existing institutions can use easily," Nazarov said on May 14. The remarks came on the same day Chainlink announced a partnership with Kinexys, a blockchain network for institutional-grade tokenized assets by JP Morgan, and digital asset firm Ondo Finance. Together, the companies will develop payment rails for institutions trading tokenized real-world a...