Cryptocurrency firms are launching more traditional investment offerings, bridging the divide between traditional financial and digital assets.

With investors seeking more flexible product offerings under one platform, the “line is blurring” between traditional finance (TradFi) and the cryptocurrency space

In a surprising shift, cryptocurrency firms and centralized exchanges are launching more traditional investment offerings, showcasing the increasing connection between crypto and traditional finance (TradFi) and a blurring of the lines between the two financial paradigms.

As investors seek more flexible product offerings in one place, the “line is blurring” between traditional finance (TradFi) and the cryptocurrency space, and the two financial paradigms are signaling a “growing synergy,” according to Gracy Chen, CEO of Bitget, the world’s sixth-largest crypto exchange.

In the wider crypto space, Securitize partnered with Mantle protocol to launch an institutional fund that will generate yield on a basket of diverse cryptocurrencies, similar to how traditional index funds track a mix of stocks.

The developments come after crypto investor sentiment staged a significant recovery, moving from “fear” to “neutral” for the first time since January 24, according to the Crypto Fear & Greed Index.

Investor sentiment was bolstered after US President Donald Trump said that import tariffs on Chinese goods will “come down substantially,” adopting a softer tone in negotiations for the first time since the reciprocal tariff announcement.

Crypto firms are moving into Wall Street territory

Cryptocurrency firms and exchanges are increasingly moving into Wall Street territory, launching more traditional investment offerings.

“There’s a growing synergy between traditional financial investments and the emerging crypto space,” according to Gracy Chen, the CEO of Bitget, the world’s sixth-largest crypto exchange.

“Crypto players are now checking out traditional finance as they see the opportunity to bridge it,” Chen told Cointelegraph.

“The lines are blurring. Investors want flexibility, and products that can straddle both worlds are naturally attractive. Some players see TradFi as a safety net; others, like Bitget, see it as a launchpad for broader adoption,” Chen said.

Securitize, Mantle launch institutional crypto fund

Tokenization platform Securitize has partnered with decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol Mantle to launch an institutional fund designed to earn yield on a diverse basket of cryptocurrencies, the companies said.

Similar to how a traditional index fund tracks a mix of stocks, the Mantle Index Four (MI4) Fund aims to offer investors exposure to cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin BTCUSD, Ether ETHUSD, and Solana SOLUSD, as well as stablecoins tracking the US dollar, Securitize said in an April 24 announcement.

The fund also integrates liquid staking tokens — including Mantle’s mETH, Bybit’s bbSOL, and Ethena’s USDe — in a bid to enhance returns with onchain yield, according to the announcement.

The launch comes as retail and institutions alike increase exposure to cryptocurrencies, particularly Bitcoin, as a hedge amid escalating macroeconomic uncertainty.

Mantra says CEO has begun process of burning 150M OM tokens

Mantra founder and CEO John Patrick Mullin has begun unstaking 150 million of his Mantra (OM) tokens in preparation for sending them to a burn address.

Mantra announced on April 21 that the unstaking process had begun, and would be completed by April 29, at which point Mullin’s Mantra (OM) tokens will be sent to the burn address and permanently removed from circulating supply.

Mullin said it was a “first step in rebuilding trust with the community, but far from the last.”

Mantra said it was also in talks with “key ecosystem partners” about burning a further 150 million OM to bring the total burn amount to 300 million.

With 150 million fewer OM, Mantra’s total supply will decline to 1.67 billion, and its number of staked tokens will drop by over 26% to 421.8 million OM from 571.8 million OM.

Symbiotic raises $29M for staking-based universal coordination layer

Cryptocurrency staking protocol Symbiotic has closed a $29 million Series A funding round led by Web3-focused investment firms, including Pantera Capital and Coinbase Ventures, to support the launch of a new economic coordination layer for blockchain security.

The round included more than 100 angel investors, with participation by major industry players Aave, Polygon and StarkWare, the company said in an April 23 announcement.

The closing of the funding round also marks the launch of Symbiotic’s Universal Staking Framework, which aims to be an economic coordination layer that bolsters blockchain security via staking.

The new staking layer enables the use of any combination of cryptocurrencies to secure networks, including monolithic and modular layer-1 and layer-2 blockchains, the announcement said.

“We’ve created a modular framework that lets protocols evolve security models over time while efficiently coordinating risk,” Misha Putiatin, co-founder of Symbiotic, told Cointelegraph. “This empowers protocols at every stage of their lifecycle to evolve their security models seamlessly