TOKEN2049 Opens With Bold Moves
Day One of TOKEN2049 set the stage for crypto’s next chapter, with heavyweight players rolling out strategic bets, brand reinventions, and infrastructure breakthroughs.
Arthur Hayes’ family office Maelstrom is shifting gears with the launch of MAELSTROM EQUITY, its first private equity arm. For the first time, the firm will accept outside institutional capital to acquire controlling and minority stakes in crypto and adjacent companies.
The move, announced at this year's TOKEN2049 in Singapore, signals a pivot from venture and liquid strategies to buyouts and growth equity, focusing on firms with strong potential but liquidity challenges. Hayes’ ambition: to reshape core verticals in a maturing industry.
KuCoin Bets Big on Trust
KuCoin, one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges, unveiled a refreshed brand identity with the tagline: «Trust First. Trade Next. Trust Is The Only Currency We Trade In.»
The new positioning underscores KuCoin’s evolution from its 2017 origins as the «exchange for everyone» to today’s partner of trust for millions of global users. A new visual identity aims to reinforce reliability and security in volatile markets, while sharpening the brand’s global accessibility.
MEXC Doubles Down on Ethena
MEXC Ventures has deepened its commitment to the Ethena Protocol, announcing a second strategic investment in its governance token, ENA, bringing its total investment to $30 million. Combined with earlier bets – including $20 million worth of USDe purchases – the firm has poured $66 million into the Ethena ecosystem.
This week in Singapore: TOKEN2049 (Image: Newsroom)
Chief Strategy Officer Cecilia Hsueh emphasized that MEXC is more than a capital provider: «Through the synergy of exchange operations, strategic investments, and project empowerment, MEXC serves as an industry enabler.»
Tether Gold Lands on Celo
The omnichain deployment of Tether Gold (XAUt0) is now live on Celo, bringing tokenized gold to a payments-focused Layer 2 network.
Joining native USDT – already powering over 119 million transactions on Celo – the new integration opens gold exposure to users across 150+ countries. It’s a milestone that marries the world’s oldest store of value with modern blockchain rails.
Enterprise Privacy Arrives on Celo
In a separate announcement, the Celo Foundation revealed the first payments-focused blockchain deployment of EY’s Nightfall, a zero-knowledge privacy layer.
Now live as a Layer 3 on Celo, Nightfall enables private, auditable, and cost-efficient B2B payments, unlocking opportunities in cross-border transactions, supply chain finance, and enterprise settlements. With global B2B flows projected to surpass $180 trillion, the move positions Celo at the intersection of privacy, scale, and impact.
Crypto is Moving
Day One of TOKEN2049 made one thing clear: crypto is moving beyond survival into long-term infrastructure building. From private equity buyouts to tokenized gold and enterprise privacy, the sector is sharpening its edge for mainstream adoption.
