
Kraken parent Payward cuts 150 staff, streamlining business ahead of planned IPO
Payward, Kraken's parent company, cuts 150 jobs as it prepares for an IPO.

XRP has surged to become the most traded asset on South Korea's Upbit exchange, with $110 million in 24-hour volume. This rally coincides with significant inflows into US XRP exchange-traded funds amid growing institutional interest in crypto.
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XRP became the most traded asset on South Korea’s Upbit exchange in the last seven days, pulling in $110 million in 24-hour volume and outpacing both top cryptos Bitcoin and Ethereum.
The surge came alongside the biggest inflows into US XRP exchange-traded funds in four months, even as Bitcoin and Ethereum funds saw money flowing out.
CME Group and NASDAQ announced they will launch crypto index futures on June 8, covering Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, XRP, Cardano, Chainlink, and Stellar Lumens in a single contract.
The move points to growing institutional infrastructure being built around regulated digital assets. XRP itself climbed 4% in 24 hours to almost $1.5, while Bitcoin traded at $81,450 and Ethereum sat at $2,287.
The price action followed Thursday’s markup vote on the CLARITY Act, a proposed federal law that is driving fresh optimism across payment-focused cryptocurrencies.
XRP was not alone. Stellar Lumens, Cardano, and Hedera all posted gains that outran Bitcoin on the day. Reports indicate these tokens share a common thread — all are built around payments, settlement, and tokenization.
The bill, if passed, would lock in a federal court ruling that XRP sales on secondary markets do not qualify as securities. That ruling had long been in legal limbo. Making it permanent federal law would remove a regulatory cloud that has followed XRP for years.

The legislation also contains a provision — Section 401 — that would allow US banks to use digital assets for payments, custody, and settlement without needing prior regulatory approval.
For Ripple, which operates the XRP network and issues the RLUSD dollar-backed stablecoin, that opens a direct path into the American banking system.
XRP's rise in trading volume on Upbit was driven by a surge in investor interest and significant inflows into US XRP exchange-traded funds.
XRP climbed 4% in 24 hours, reaching nearly $1.5.
CME Group and NASDAQ are set to launch crypto index futures on June 8, covering multiple cryptocurrencies including XRP, Bitcoin, and Ethereum.

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XRPUSD now trading at $1.46. Chart: TradingView
Stellar Lumens, Cardano, and Hedera are catching the same wave. Based on reports, traders are treating all four as part of a single category — networks built for institutional payments — and pricing them accordingly. When the regulatory picture shifts for one, it shifts for all.
Data shows capital rotating into assets seen as ready for a regulated environment where banks can plug digital infrastructure directly into existing payment systems.
The CLARITY Act has not passed yet, but the markup vote was enough to move markets. Traders are not waiting for the final vote to make their bets.
Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView