Crypto News Today: Pakistan Explores $2B Tokenization, Global Banks Go Deeper Into Crypto, and Bitcoin Gains Institutional Backing, According to Binance Bytes Report
Binance Bytes is your weekly snapshot of the most important crypto market developments, powered by Binance Research data and onchain insights. This week’s edition highlights a clear theme: crypto is moving deeper into sovereign finance, global banking, and institutional portfolios — even as market sentiment remains cautious.Below is everything you need to know, broken down for quick reading.Market Snapshot: Risk-Off Sentiment, Quiet AccumulationGlobal crypto market cap: $3.06T (-4.1% WoW)Bitcoin dominance: 58.5% (-0.3% WoW)Fear & Greed Index: 24 (Fear)Despite a pullback in prices, capital is not leaving the ecosystem. Instead, it is rotating and consolidating, a pattern consistent with mid-cycle market resets rather than capitulation.DeFi Resilience Stands OutTotal Value Locked (TVL): $161.3B (+2.3% WoW)Ethereum TVL dominance: 71.4%, maintaining its lead as the primary settlement layer for onchain financeThis divergence — falling prices alongside rising TVL — suggests structural demand rather than speculative excess.Chart of the Week: Perp DEX Power Shift AcceleratesBinance Research data shows a major shake-up in decentralized derivatives:Hyperliquid’s perp DEX market share collapsed from ~80% in May to ~12% todayAster and Lighter gained ground rapidly, fueled by active airdrop incentive programsPerp DEX volumes tripled in H2 2025, rising from $421B in June to $1.32T in NovemberWhy it matters: Liquidity is becoming more competitive and fragmented, which typically precedes product innovation, tighter spreads, and deeper institutional participation.Top 3 Stories You Missed This Week1. Pakistan Explores $2 Billion in Tokenized Sovereign Assets With BinancePakistan’s Finance Ministry signed an MoU with Binance to explore tokenizing up to $2 billion in sovereign bonds, T-bills, and commodity reserves.Why this is a big dealMarks a shift toward state-level real-world asset (RWA) adoptionAims to improve liquidity, transparency, and foreign investor accessPositions blockchain as regulated financial infrastructure, not experimentationThis move places Pakistan among a growing group of nations exploring onchain sovereign finance, signaling a new phase of government-led adoption.2. Standard Chartered and Coinbase Expand Institutional Crypto ServicesStandard Chartered and Coinbase announced an expanded partnership offering:Institutional-grade tradingCustodyPrime brokerage servicesWhy it mattersBridges traditional banking capital with crypto-native infrastructureAccelerates regulatory-compliant access for global institutionsSignals that crypto is now a core banking product, not a peripheral offeringThis collaboration reinforces a broader trend: banks are no longer watching from the sidelines — they are building rails.3. Brazil’s Largest Private Bank Recommends Bitcoin AllocationItaú Asset Management, Brazil’s largest private bank, now formally advises investors to allocate 1%–3% of portfolios to Bitcoin.Key rationaleLow correlation with traditional assetsLong-term diversification benefitsGrowing institutional legitimacyThis recommendation places Bitcoin alongside equities, bonds, and commodities as a strategic portfolio component, not a speculative trade.What This Week Tells Us About the Crypto MarketDespite fear-driven sentiment and short-term price weakness, the structural signals are bullish:Governments are exploring tokenized sovereign financeGlobal banks are deploying institutional crypto infrastructureMajor asset managers are endorsing Bitcoin as a long-term allocationDeFi liquidity is growing, not shrinkingThis is what early-stage financial integration looks like — quiet, methodical, and foundational.Market Watchlist: Key Dates AheadDec 15: Starknet major token unlockDec 15: Sei major token unlockCrypto markets may be cautious today, but institutions, banks, and governments are positioning for the next decade. Binance Bytes shows that beneath short-term volatility, adoption is accelerating where it matters most.
