Institutional demand for digital assets remains robust despite recent market turbulence, with a majority of large investors planning to increase allocations over the next year. Key developments include SBI VC Trade launching a regulated retail USDC lending service in Japan and crypto wealth manager Abra pursuing a Nasdaq listing via a $750 million SPAC deal. Simultaneously, tokenization efforts are expanding, exemplified by Theo‘s new $100 million vault for a gold-linked yield stablecoin, signaling continued market maturation through regulated pathways.
Institutional investors are preparing to increase their digital asset exposure despite a 40% market sell-off since October. A January survey of 351 investors by Coinbase and EY-Parthenon found that 73% plan to buy more digital assets this year.
Bitcoin and Ether remain primary entry points, but interest is expanding into stablecoins and tokenized assets. Two-thirds of respondents said they prefer gaining exposure through regulated vehicles such as exchange-traded products.
In Japan, SBI VC Trade is expanding stablecoin use with the launch of a retail USDC lending service. This follows regulatory changes allowing licensed companies to handle foreign stablecoins like Circle-issued USDC.
Crypto wealth manager Abra is planning to go public through a merger with New Providence Acquisition Corp. The deal values the combined entity at around $750 million and is expected to list on Nasdaq.
Tokenization platform Theo has unveiled a $100 million vault tied to a gold-linked, yield-bearing stablecoin. The structure links the token’s value to gold while offering yield to users.
These developments point to a market that is still expanding through regulated pathways. This occurs even as price volatility and regulatory uncertainty persist across the sector.
