The tokenised asset market is expanding, but investor demand and liquidity are not keeping pace, speakers at a Connect event in Singapore said. They flagged an imbalance between supply and demand in real-world asset tokenisation and growing fragmentation of liquidity. In stablecoins, they said linking to everyday payments matters more than cross-border transfers, with user experience and regulatory compliance also key. Stablecoin market capitalisation reached $306 billion.

Bitcoin held the $76,000 level despite a U.S. Federal Reserve rate increase, avoiding an immediate shock. The Fed lifted rates by 25 basis points to 3.75 to 4 percent, its first hike since 2023, while bitcoin traded around pre-announcement levels and rose 1.35 percent to $76,663 even as U.S. stocks fell. Attention has shifted to possible further tightening, with most officials forecasting at least one more hike this year.