Welcome to Kaupr Today

Good morning and welcome to Kaupr Today!

We have been busy, live blogging from the Norway Fintech Festival in Bergen on Thursday. Still busy, preparing for Kaupr TV tomorrow at 12:00 CET / 13:00 EET.

Read more about these community activities in the Nordics, but we also include some global news in Kaupr Today:

🔷 Live blogging from Nordic Fintech festival
🔷 Kaupr TV are back on Friday 24 of April
🔷 Bitcoin moving above key resistance?
🔷 Tokenization of RWA assets across the globe
🔷 Crypto currencies challenging the dollar?
🔷 US stablecoin regulation and New York gambling claim

Have a good read!

Morten

Fintech Festival, live blogging and Kaupr TV

Kaupr live blogging, video interviews and reporting from Nordic Fintech festival.

🎙️ 600 attendees. One city. A lot of crypto, digital payments, and digital assets at a Fintech conference.

Yesterday, Kaupr was on the ground at Norway Fintech Festival in Bergen — covering the scene live with blogging and video interviews throughout the day.

👉 Head to the Kaupr LinkedIn feed to catch all the keynotes and panel discussions we covered.

https://lnkd.in/dWHr_RFF

Photo, from left to right: Magnus Jones (Nordic Blockchain Association), left, Venkat Hrushikesa Varri (Kaupr) and Morten Myrstad (Kaupr) — at the Norway Fintech Festival welcome party the night before.

Follow Kaupr TV on Friday - on Linkedin, YouTube and Kaupr

🎙️ Tomorrow. Live. 12:00 CET / 13:00 EET.

Kaupr TV Live is back on air — Friday 24 April, live from the studio in Stockholm.

News, guests, and conversations from the Nordic, Baltic, and European Web3 and digital finance scene. Built for investors, builders, and professionals who want signal over noise.

📅 Register on LinkedIn to get notified when we go live, watch the show and engage in conversations: https://lnkd.in/eJtfCdQN

▶️ Prefer YouTube? https://lnkd.in/e7ddskkP

📺 Prefer to watch on the Kaupr TV landing page? On kaupr.io/tv you'll also find recordings from our studio conversations with Frank Schuil (Safello), 🇸🇪 Christian Ander (BTCX) and Marco Poblete (Bitwise in Europe) — plus full replays from our two previous live shows.

Hosted by Morten Myrstad and Leon Aleksander Karlsen Solbakken

Bitcoin moving above key resistance?

Bitcoin back at $78,000 — but can it finally clear $80K?

Bitcoin has retested $78,000 with real spot demand behind it this time — Strategy's $2.54 billion buy and Trump's indefinite ceasefire extension replaced the short squeeze that drove last week's failed rally. The $80,000 level remains the key resistance: Bitcoin has failed to close above it four times since February's crash to $60K. Above $80K, the 200-day EMA at $83,000 is the next test that would confirm the downtrend is over. Bears watch $77,300 — a failure there triggers $71 million in long liquidations.

Why it matters: This is the clearest technical and fundamental setup Bitcoin has had since January — but $80K has become as much a psychological barrier as a technical one.

Source: Bitcoin Price Prediction as BTC Hits $78K Again: Can It Clear $80K?, 24/7 Wall St. via Yahoo Finance

Tokenization of RWA assets across the globe

Coinbase and Bybit exploring tokenization and global distribution of US stocks

Coinbase and Bybit are in talks to tokenize, custody and distribute US public and pre-IPO stocks — including names like SpaceX — to international users, particularly in Asia. The arrangement would see Coinbase provide regulated infrastructure while Bybit brings global reach and liquidity. The discussions do not involve equity investment or Bybit's planned US market entry, which will proceed through a separate entity led by former co-CEO Helen Liu.

Why it matters: Tokenized US equities remain under $1 billion globally — this partnership could accelerate mainstream adoption by routing demand through Bybit's large Asian user base.

Source: Coinbase, Bybit said to be working together on tokenization, custody and distribution of U.S. stocks, CoinDesk

OCBC launches Southeast Asia's first onchain tokenised gold fund

OCBC, Lion Global Investors and Singapore-regulated digital exchange DigiFT have launched GOLDX — Southeast Asia's first tokenised physical gold fund on a public blockchain — issued on both Ethereum and Solana. Institutional and accredited investors can subscribe using stablecoins or fiat, with the token delivered directly to blockchain wallets. The underlying fund already holds $525.9 million in assets under management, just four months after launch.

Why it matters: A major Asian bank has moved physical gold onto public blockchain infrastructure under full regulatory oversight — a template for how traditional assets enter onchain finance at institutional scale.

Source: OCBC and partners launch South-east Asia's first on-chain tokenised physical gold fund, Business Times

Payments

Digital currencies challenging the dollar?

BRICS prepares a PIX-inspired cross-border payment system

The BRICS bloc is developing a cross-border payment system modelled on Brazil's PIX, connecting member countries' central bank digital currencies for direct settlement without the dollar or Western infrastructure. India proposed the mechanism at the 2025 Rio Summit, where it was declared a "strategic priority," and will advance the agenda at the 2026 BRICS Summit it hosts. Members already conduct 65% of mutual trade in local currencies.

Why it matters: A functional BRICS payment rail would be the most direct challenge to dollar dominance in decades — and the 2026 summit gives it a concrete timeline.

Source: BRICS is preparing a payment system inspired by Brazilian PIX, CPG Click Oil and Gas

Bank of Korea's new governor backs CBDCs — and stays silent on stablecoins

New Bank of Korea governor Shin Hyun-song used his inaugural address to prioritise CBDCs and bank-issued deposit tokens, making no mention of stablecoins despite ongoing legislative debate over the Digital Asset Basic Act. Shin highlighted Project Hangang — the central bank's retail CBDC and deposit token pilot — and South Korea's role in the BIS's cross-border tokenization initiative Project Agora. The silence is notable: Shin had previously said stablecoins could coexist with CBDCs in a "supplementary and competitive" manner.

Why it matters: South Korea is drawing a clear line — state-controlled digital money first, private stablecoins second. That's the opposite direction from France, and the contrast will shape how global stablecoin issuers approach Asian markets.

Source: Bank of Korea's new governor signals CBDC and bank token push, skips stablecoins in key address, CoinDesk

US stablecoin regulation and New York gambling claim

US crypto bill nears stablecoin rewards deal — but ethics issues return

The Senate's crypto market structure bill is closing in on a stablecoin rewards compromise — ban yield on idle holdings, allow activity-based rewards tied to payments. A markup is unlikely before May, and TD Cowen flags five remaining hurdles beyond yield, including Trump's crypto conflicts and Democratic ethics demands. Sources give the bill a 60% chance of passing in 2026.

Why it matters: The stablecoin rewards outcome sets the template that European and Nordic regulators will benchmark against.

Source: Crypto bill nears stablecoin rewards breakthrough, The Block

Tokenization

New York sues Coinbase and Gemini — calls their prediction markets illegal gambling

New York Attorney General Letitia James sued Coinbase and Gemini on Tuesday, claiming their prediction market platforms are unlicensed gambling operations. The state is seeking $3.4 billion in fines plus restitution, and wants under-21 users banned. The CFTC has simultaneously sued three other states for trying to regulate prediction markets it considers its exclusive jurisdiction.

Why it matters: The state-versus-federal battle over prediction markets is heading for the courts — and the outcome will define the regulatory perimeter for crypto event contracts across the US.

Source: New York sues Coi

Bitcoin steady — and Strategy is moving markets

Nordic evergreen reads

Baltic Crypto Adoption Hub

Baltic Crypto Adoption Week 2026 (7–9 April) has wrapped, and all content is now available in an evergreen hub on Kaupr.
Hub: Baltic Crypto Adoption, Kaupr

Nordic Crypto Adoption Week Hub

Nordic Crypto Adoption Week 2026 (23–26 March) has wrapped, and all content is now available in an evergreen hub on Kaupr.
Hub: Nordic Crypto Adoption — Kaupr

Nordic voices on diversity in crypto

On 6 March, Kaupr brought together guests from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland for a Diversity in Crypto event.
Hub: Diversity in Crypto — Kaupr

Share Kaupr Today

Thank you for reading Kaupr Today. If you find this briefing useful, please share it with a colleague or friend who should be following Nordic and European digital‑finance news more closely. Wishing you a great Thursday — and welcome back on Friday morning for the next edition of Kaupr Today.

If you want to go deeper and get a more umbrella‑level view of the digital transformation reshaping finance, make sure you’re subscribed to our Future of Finance Premium newsletter.

Best regards
Morten Myrstad
Founder & Editor