Wall Street heavyweight Cantor among investment banks pitching FalconX for its potential IPO

Crypto trading firm FalconX's CEO has previously said it is considering a public listing.

source https://www.coindesk.com/business/2026/03/18/wall-street-heavyweight-cantor-among-investment-banks-pitching-falconx-for-its-potential-ipo

Market maker IMC Trading hires Alex Casimo as chief commercial officer for its crypto business

Casimo will be responsible for growing the Dutch market maker's institutional crypto offering.

source https://www.coindesk.com/business/2026/03/19/market-maker-imc-trading-hires-alex-casimo-as-chief-commercial-officer-for-its-crypto-business

Polymarket acquires Brahma to scale blockchain trading infrastructure

"Building reliable infrastructure across blockchain networks and traditional financial rails is hard — there are no shortcuts,” said Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan.

source https://www.coindesk.com/business/2026/03/18/polymarket-acquires-defi-brahma-to-build-reliable-financial-blockchain-infrastructure

Kalshi co-founder fights back against Arizona’s ‘overstep’ in what a lawyer calls a federal-state turf war

Arizona has filed 20 criminal counts against Kalshi, a prediction market platform, accusing it of operating an illegal gambling business and offering election wagering in the state.

source https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2026/03/18/kalshi-co-founder-fights-back-against-arizona-s-overstep-in-what-a-lawyer-calls-a-federal-state-turf-war

Senator Tim Scott says market structure negotiations are advancing

The South Carolina Republican said he might see a draft of stablecoin yield language as soon as this week, and other issues continue to be negotiated.

source https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2026/03/17/senator-tim-scott-says-market-structure-negotiations-are-advancing

U.S. SEC issues first-ever definitions for what crypto assets are securities

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission shared the informal guidance it'll use to classify crypto securities alongside its sister agency overseeing commodities.

source https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2026/03/17/u-s-sec-issues-first-ever-definitions-for-what-crypto-assets-are-securities

Mastercard's $1.8 billion deal 'a clear answer' to a massive shift in the global payment war

Analysts say the $1.8 billion acquisition shows stablecoins are moving from niche use to global settlement rails.

source https://www.coindesk.com/business/2026/03/17/mastercard-s-usd1-8-billion-deal-a-clear-answer-to-a-massive-shift-in-the-global-payment-war