Head of Strategy & Operations

Asterix, an AI-led trading entity, has obtained a notable investment from Wintermute, a renowned crypto liquidity provider. Specifically, Wintermute has

Unblockpay, a Brazilian fintech specialising in global payments via stablecoins, has raised $4.5 million (R$23.6 million) in a seed round led by London-based Prelude, valuing the company at $20 million (R$105 million). Plug Pay, Wintermute, Crescera and Triaxis also participated. Founded by former Stone partners, the company has processed over R$100 million and serves 40 clients, including Mercado Bitcoin. It currently has ten employees and operates across 34 European countries plus the US, UK, Mexico, Argentina and Colombia. Part of the funding will support regulatory compliance as Brazil's Central Bank implements new rules for virtual asset service providers. The company also plans to expand its team and connect to the Swift network. Unblockpay expects to process R$1 billion monthly by year-end.

Crypto giant debuts oil trading, but it's a different model to Hyperliquid's perps. Leading crypto market maker Wintermute debuts WTI crude oil CFDs - an OTC derivative that lets traders speculate on oil prices 24/7. Updated Mar 24, 2026, 11:17 p.m. Published Mar 24, 2026, 11:13 p.m. * Leading crypto market maker Wintermute debuts WTI crude oil CFDs - an OTC derivative that lets traders speculate on oil prices 24/7. * Flexible execution and margin options allow traders to use fiat or crypto collateral via chat, electronic OTC platform, or API. * CFDs offer bespoke flexibility as opposed to the one size fits all approach of exchange-listed perpetual futures. The Iran war has set oil on fire and crypto exchanges are racing to offer 24/7 trading to fill tradfi gaps, with most copying decentralized giant Hyperliquid's perpetual-futures play. Crypto market-making giant Wintermute is taking a different approach. On Tuesday, its derivatives unit, Wintermute Asia, launched over-the-counter (OTC) trading in WTI crude oil contracts for difference (CFDs). CFD is type of derivative that allows traders to speculate on the price movement of an asset without owning it. Similar to futures, CFDs track the asset's price, but the key difference is that only the difference between the opening and closing prices is exchanged between the trader and the broker when the contract is closed. CFDs are widely popular in traditional markets, particularly in Europe, Asia and Australia, where retail and institutional traders use them to access a broad range of assets from stocks, forex and commodities like oil and gold. These are typically traded over-the-counter and can be tailored in terms of size, duration and margin requirements. This bespoke flexibility allows professional traders and institutions to design strategies that match specific risk-return objectives, rather than conforming to one-size-fits-all derivatives such as Hyperliquid's oil perpetual futures. Wintermute's CFD launch comes amid weeks of intense geopolitical volatility in the Middle East. Escalating tensions between Iran and the U.S.-Israel coalition have left traders in a bind over weekends when traditional finance markets are closed, limiting their ability to adjust positions or manage risk effectively. This led to outsized trading activity on Hyperliquid's energy market perpetuals and prompted WIntermute to offer CFDs. "We are seeing strong demand from counterparties looking to use digital asset infrastructure to trade traditional products like oil. The recent price action made that need much more immediate, as many investors were unable to act until traditional venues reopened," said Evgeny Gaevoy, CEO of Wintermute. "A Wintermute counterparty could have traded the weekend move before the Monday gap or responded immediately to the reversal," Gaevoy added. Note that Wintermute is a counterparty in the CFD. Traders aren't matched with each other; they are trading directly against Wintermute, which is taking on the market risk. The firm is, therefore, leveraging its risk management systems and deep liquidity to monetize demand for 24/7 crude than simply supplying liquidity to perpetual futures. Traders can access WTI CFDs with zero trading fees, using a variety of fiat and crypto assets as margin, the official announcement said. Contracts can be executed via chat, Wintermute's electronic OTC platform, or API. The rollout builds on the recent introduction of tokenized gold, further broadening Wintermute Asia's suite of offerings beyond purely digital assets. More For You 2 hours ago The new 15-year hyperscale lease and $200 million in financing underscore the push into AI data centers. What to know: * Cipher Digital (CIFR) rose 9% in pre-market trading after the former crypto mining company said it signed a 15-year lease with a hyperscale tenant to develop its third high-performance computing data center campus. * The company also secured a revolving credit facility of up to $200 million, with an additional $50...