Author: Chain Wire

Copenhagen, Denmark, July 1st, 2026, FinanceWire

Former McKinsey Senior Partner and Co-Leader of the Global Banking Sector joins Performativ following the company’s $14 million Series A led by Deutsche Börse Group 

Performativ, the next-generation operating system for wealth management, today announced the appointment of Jacob Dahl as Chair of its Board of Directors. Dahl, a former Senior Partner and Co-Leader of the Global Banking Sector at McKinsey & Company, brings more than three decades of experience across global banking, financial services, technology transformation, risk and compliance. 

Dahl’s appointment follows Performativ’s recent $14 million Series A funding round, led by Deutsche Börse Group, with participation from Rabo Investments, Jacob Dahl and existing investors including FinTech Collective and EIFO. His move from investor to Chair reflects continued confidence in Performativ’s mission to modernize the operational backbone of wealth management and support larger financial institutions as they replace fragmented legacy infrastructure with more integrated, AI-enabled operating models. 

“Performativ is addressing one of the most important challenges in wealth management: the need for modern, scalable infrastructure that can support increasingly complex client, data and regulatory requirements,” said Jacob Dahl, Chair of Performativ. “After more than 30 years working with banks and financial institutions around the world, I believe the industry is ready for a new operating model. Performativ’s unified platform and AI-native approach put the company in a strong position to support private banks, wealth managers and larger institutions through that transition.” 

Founded in 2020, Performativ provides a cloud-native platform that brings together portfolio management, performance and attribution analysis, risk analytics, compliance, reporting, multi-custodian data aggregation and trading in one operating system. The platform is designed to help wealth and asset managers, private banks and financial institutions reduce operational complexity, improve scalability and automate manual workflows across the wealth management value chain. 

Dahl has held senior leadership roles across Europe, Africa and Asia. At McKinsey & Company, he led banking practices across multiple regions, including Scandinavia, Africa, EEMA and Asia, and co-led the firm’s Global Banking Sector. Earlier in his career, he co-founded Basisbank and held senior roles in corporate banking, private banking and capital markets. 

“Jacob brings exceptional experience from the global banking industry and a deep understanding of the transformation challenges facing financial institutions,” said Albert Geisler Fox, CEO of Performativ. “As we expand further into the enterprise segment, his strategic guidance, industry knowledge and network will be highly valuable. We are pleased to welcome him as Chair and look forward to working closely with him in this next phase of Performativ’s growth.” 

The appointment strengthens Performativ’s position as the company continues to expand across Europe and increase its focus on private banks and larger financial institutions. With fresh capital, a growing client base and strengthened board leadership, Performativ is positioned to accelerate the adoption of integrated, AI-enabled infrastructure across the wealth management industry. 

About Performativ 

Performativ is building the operating system for tomorrow’s wealth management. Headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, the company helps wealth organizations unify data, workflows and governance across their operations, enabling firms to operate with greater clarity, control and scale. 

More information available at performativ.com. 

Contact

Chief Commercial Officer
Christian Lindvall
Performativ
christian.lindvall@performativ.com

Istanbul, Türkiye, July 1st, 2026, FinanceWire

Türkiye’s leading digital asset platform expands into DeFi and equities, integrating Hyperliquid perpetuals, Polymarket option markets, and US and Turkish stocks in a single app 

Paribu, Türkiye’s leading digital asset platform, has launched DeFi access, covering DEX trading, perpetual contracts via Hyperliquid, and option markets via Polymarket and has opened an equity trading waitlist. The moves mark a strategic shift for the nine-year-old exchange as it builds toward a single app covering crypto, DeFi, yield, and equities.

Paribu is the first regulated exchange to deliver both Hyperliquid perpetuals and Polymarket option markets directly inside a CEX interface, without a separate wallet app. Users access all DeFi features from within the existing Paribu app, using their existing balance, through a fully self-custodial setup. Paribu delivers onchain access from within the exchange interface itself: same account, same balance, no separate app, no seed phrase. Every DeFi position is self-custodial, assets remain in the user’s own wallet at all times.

A single destination for investing across traditional and onchain markets

Türkiye ranks fifth globally in retail crypto activity, recording $40 billion in volume in Q1 2026 alone, growing 7% year-over-year amid an 11% global contraction (TRM Labs, April 2026). Until now, its retail investor base had no meaningful access to onchain perpetuals or option markets.

Existing integrations for both Hyperliquid and Polymarket have reached users already operating in DeFi wallet environments. Paribu brings these markets to a different audience: the millions who manage their primary crypto holdings in a single app and have never had a reason to leave it. Paribu’s integration lets them reach perpetuals and option markets without giving up that familiar setup: no separate wallet app, no new account, no platform switch, and the entire experience stays inside Paribu.

“Paribu is becoming a single app for all of finance: crypto, DeFi, equities, and yield. Integrating Hyperliquid and Polymarket is another step toward that vision. Instead of asking users to navigate multiple wallets and protocols, we’re bringing a seamless in-app self-custodial DeFi experience to millions of people, making onchain perpetuals and prediction markets as accessible as the rest of their financial lives. Soon, we’ll expand that vision even further by bringing access to both U.S. equities and Borsa Istanbul-listed stocks into the Paribu app, creating a single destination for investing across traditional and onchain markets.” — Yasin Oral, Founder and CEO, Paribu

Perpetuals, now on a CEX experience

Perpetual contracts are now accessible through the DeFi section of the Paribu app. Trades route directly to Hyperliquid’s decentralized blockchain. Every position exists onchain, in the user’s self-custodial wallet, at all times. 

Hyperliquid has become the dominant infrastructure layer for onchain perpetuals. The protocol has processed over $4 trillion in cumulative trading volume, leads the decentralized exchange market by open interest, and has attracted a fast-growing builder ecosystem — including integrations with major self-custody wallets. Its builder code program has distributed over $85 million in revenue to frontend developers. For Paribu, integrating Hyperliquid means connecting its users to the deepest onchain liquidity available in the perpetuals market today.

Prediction markets, accessible in Türkiye for the first time

Curated prediction markets are accessible through the same DeFi section. Paribu serves as the interface layer; execution and settlement occur onchain via Polymarket’s infrastructure. Markets are curated: each contract is reviewed for integrity, liquidity depth, and risk profile before it appears in the app.

Polymarket is the world’s largest decentralized option market. This is the first time option markets are accessible to Türkiye’s retail base through a mainstream exchange interface, and the first time a centralized exchange has delivered Polymarket through a fully self-custodial setup.

Stocks are coming

Paribu holds CMB establishment authorization for its brokerage arm, which is awaiting its operating license. NYSE, Nasdaq, and Borsa Istanbul stocks will be tradeable on Paribu. Real-time market data for all three is live today, free for all users. A waitlist is open ahead of trading going live.

About Paribu

Paribu is Türkiye’s leading digital asset platform and a key player in the country’s fintech ecosystem. Founded in 2017, the company pursues a growth strategy focused on regulatory compliance, product innovation, and expansion into multiple geographies. In 2026, Paribu expanded from a crypto exchange into a multi-asset investment app, bringing together crypto trading, DeFi access, yield products, and equities on a single platform. Paribu supports 220+ crypto assets and serves millions of users. Its matching engine, Hyper Engine, processes 7.6 million orders per second. The company’s institutional custody infrastructure is built on ColdShield, its proprietary multi-layer digital asset custody technology. In 2025, Paribu acquired a majority stake in CoinMENA, a licensed exchange operating in Dubai and Bahrain serving 1.5M users across MENA. In 2026, self-custodial finance app Clave joined Paribu, bringing passkey-based account abstraction and on-chain capabilities to the stack.

Contact

Ayşenur Akçelik
aysenur.akcelik@paribu.com

Istanbul, Turkey, July 1st, 2026, FinanceWire

Regulatory approval marks a key milestone toward building Freedom’s full-service financial platform in Türkiye

Freedom Finansal Hizmetler A.Ş., a subsidiary of Freedom Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: FRHC), an international diversified financial services group operating in more than 20 countries, today announced that Türkiye’s Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BRSA) and Competition Authority of Türkiye has approved its planned acquisition of 99.32% of the share capital of Turkish Bank A.Ş.

BRSA approval is an important step toward completing the transaction and supports Freedom Holding Corp.’s strategy to build integrated financial services platforms in selected growth markets. Upon closing, Turkish Bank A.Ş., a Turkish banking institution with a history dating back to 1982, will become part of the Group’s regional platform in Türkiye, alongside its brokerage, investment and capital markets businesses.

“Türkiye is a strategic market for Freedom, and we are entering it with a clear understanding of what we want to build. In Kazakhstan, we have already proven that a digital ecosystem can become part of people’s everyday lives. In less than two years since its launch, Freedom SuperApp has reached 5.67 million users and has become one of the country’s fastest-growing digital services. We have brought financial services and advanced digital products together on a single platform, allowing them to complement and strengthen one another,” said Timur Turlov, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Freedom Holding Corp.

“This is the experience we intend to bring to the Turkish market, where the potential client base could be four to five times larger than in Kazakhstan. The acquisition of a bank creates the foundation for scaling a model that has already proven its effectiveness, and BRSA approval is an important step toward launching it in Türkiye,” Turlov added.

Following completion of the acquisition, Turkish Bank will continue to operate under Turkish regulatory supervision and will gain access to Freedom’s expertise in digital financial services, technology-driven distribution and client-focused product development.

BRSA approval also comes as Freedom Holding is in the final stage of establishing its brokerage business in Türkiye. Final authorization from the Capital Markets Board of Türkiye would allow the Group to expand its financial products and services for retail, affluent and high-net-worth clients, as well as small and medium-sized businesses and corporate clients.

The Bank is expected to support Freedom’s regional strategy by enabling deeper integration of banking services, capital markets, insurance and cross-border financial solutions. Over time, the model may be expanded through non-financial services, including e-commerce, telecommunications and lifestyle offerings.

“BRSA approval is an important step toward implementing our strategy in Türkiye,” said H. Cenk Eynehan, Chief Executive Officer of Freedom Finansal Hizmetler A.Ş. “Following completion of the transaction, we will have the opportunity to combine the heritage and market position of an established Turkish banking institution with Freedom’s technology, entrepreneurial culture and international expertise. Our priority will be to create additional value for clients through innovation, accessibility and an expanded range of financial products and services.”

Freedom plans to implement a modernization and growth program focused on digital transformation, client channels, product expansion and operational efficiency. Integration will focus on technology infrastructure, client experience, product development and cooperation among Freedom’s Turkish business lines.

The transaction is expected to expand Freedom Holding Corp.’s presence across Eurasia, the Middle East and Central Asia and support the Group’s long-term investment strategy in selected growth markets.

The Freedom Holding Corp.’s banking business is already present in Tajikistan. In November last year, The Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market granted the holding company approval to establish a bank in Georgia. In early June, Freedom Holding Corp. submitted an application to the French regulator for a banking license. Timur Turlov noted that the company plans to invest approximately €500 million in developing its digital ecosystem in France.

About Freedom Holding Corp.

Freedom Holding Corp. provides financial services in 22 countries, including Kazakhstan, the United States, Cyprus, Poland, Spain, Uzbekistan, and Armenia. The Company’s principal executive office is located in New York City. In Kazakhstan, Freedom is actively developing its financial and digital ecosystem, which includes Freedom Bank, Freedom Broker, the insurance companies Freedom Life and Freedom insurance, as well as a lifestyle segment that features Arbuz.kz, Freedom Ticketon, and Aviata. Freedom Holding Corp. shares are traded on the U.S. technology exchange NASDAQ, the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE), and the Astana International Exchange (AIX) under the ticker symbol FRHC. Freedom Holding Corp. is regulated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the common stock is included in Russell 3000 Index.

Freedom Finansal Hizmetler A.Ş., a wholly owned subsidiary of Freedom Holding Corp., was established in 2022 to support the Group’s expansion in Türkiye’s financial services sector. The company focuses on financial consulting and investments across banking, insurance, capital markets, payment systems and other financial services, including supporting the capitalization and development of portfolio companies.

In 2025, the Capital Markets Board of Türkiye granted the company an establishment license. Freedom Yatırım Menkul Değerler A.Ş. was subsequently established and is working toward obtaining an operating brokerage license upon meeting the regulator’s requirements

Turkish Bank A.Ş. is a commercial bank operating in Türkiye and a member of TurkishBank Group. The bank provides a range of financial services, including corporate, commercial and retail banking solutions.

TurkishBank Group, established in 1901, is a privately owned financial services group operating across Türkiye, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the United Kingdom. The Group provides banking, financial and wealth management solutions through an international network.

Contact

Head of Public Relations
Natalia Kharlashina
Freedom Holding Corp.
prglobal@ffin.kz
+77013641454

Dubai, UAE, July 1st, 2026, Chainwire

Utorg, a crypto wallet and card platform built on institutional-grade infrastructure, today announced it has received full authorization under the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, effective July 1, 2026 – the date on which the industry’s transitional period ends and unauthorized providers can no longer legally serve European users. 

The company, which also provides regulated crypto rails, wallets and stablecoin infrastructure to businesses across 130+ countries, is among a small number of platforms to have completed the full authorization process and is now cleared to operate across all 29 EEA member states, a combined market of over 450 million people.

What MiCA means for users

MiCA is the EU’s first unified regulatory framework for crypto-assets, establishing binding standards on consumer protection, transparency, and financial integrity across all member states.

For users, MiCA authorization means concrete protective measures that previously did not exist in crypto: funds must be held separately from company assets, fees must be disclosed upfront, and users have a legal right to file complaints with a national regulator. If a MiCA-authorized platform fails, user assets are protected under EU law (not subject to the discretion of an offshore jurisdiction).

For Utorg, the authorization is the result of a full regulatory review of its products, operations, and compliance infrastructure. It also means ongoing oversight: Utorg is now subject to regular reporting obligations and supervisory review under EU financial law.

Industry background

July 1, 2026 marks the end of MiCA’s transitional period – the point at which crypto-asset service providers without full authorization can no longer legally serve users in the EEA. 

In the months leading up to the deadline, a significant portion of the market has withdrawn from or restricted European operations. Utorg is among the few platforms to have completed the full authorization process and is operational from day one of the new regulatory regime.

Eugene Petrakov, Co-founder of Utorg, said: “Most of the industry spent the last two years hoping MiCA would get delayed or softened. We spent it building toward it. For European users, July 1 means fewer options, stricter standards, and a much shorter list of platforms they can actually trust. We intend to be at the top of that list, not just because we’re authorized, but because we built a product that is safe by design. The license confirms what was already true.”

Utorg’s products available to EEA residents

From July 1, EEA users can continue to access Utorg’s full product suite through the Utorg App, including:

• A crypto wallet supporting buy, send, receive, store, and swap across 170+ cryptocurrencies and 14 blockchains, including BTC, ETH, and SOL. Thanks to its non-custodial nature, Utorg has no access to users’ funds at any point.
• A crypto card accepted at 80 million+ merchants worldwide, with Google Pay and Apple Pay support and allowing users to spend their crypto as they wish. It’s worth mentioning that there are no fees for issuance, maintenance, or top-ups.

This crypto card operates under strict AML (Anti-Money Laundering) and KYC (Know Your Customer) compliance requirements, as mandated by MiCA, ensuring users benefit from the full protections afforded by EU law. 

For card payments specifically, Utorg holds a PCI DSS Level 2 certificate under the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. This is the same security framework used across the traditional payments industry, and it governs how card numbers, transaction records, and personal details are stored, processed, and transmitted. Compliance is verified through regular audits by an independent assessor.

About Utorg

Founded in 2019, Utorg is a crypto infrastructure and consumer application fintech company operating across 130+ countries. It provides regulated on/off-ramp rails, wallet infrastructure, and stablecoin solutions to fintechs, exchanges, digital asset platforms and other businesses globally. Its consumer app, trusted by more than 2 million users, offers a self-custodial multi-chain wallet and a free Visa crypto card, available on iOS (in July) and Android. Utorg is MiCA-authorized and holds PCI DSS Level 2 certification. 

Contact

CMO
Andrey
Utorg
pr@utorg.com

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, July 1st, 2026, FinanceWire

The 22-23 September 2026 gathering at Dubai World Trade Centre will bring together 20,000+ verified traders, IBs/Affiliates, brokers, liquidity providers, and HNIs for two days of networking, client acquisition, and partnership opportunities.

Distinguished brands take centre stage

More than 200 brands have confirmed their participation at Forex Expo Dubai 2026, including Exness, VT Markets, ADSS, ATFX, Vantage, XM, CFI, Multibank, SwissQuote, Capital.com, Plus500 and many others from across the trading and fintech ecosystem.

Representing brokerages, fintech companies, technology providers, payment solution providers, and financial services firms, the exhibitor lineup reflects the breadth of businesses operating across today’s financial markets.

Insights from those leading the industry

The agenda features more than 100 speakers from leading trading, brokerage, fintech, and financial services companies.

Confirmed speakers include Avraam Despoti, Founder and CEO of XM; Sean Bolton, Group Chief Operating Officer of Xoala; Tien Ching, Chief Executive Officer of ACCM; Yasaman Pazooki, Chief Operating Officer of OPO GROUP; and Norayr Djerrahian, Chief Commercial Officer of Hantec Markets with additional speakers to be announced in the coming months.

Sessions will explore market trends, platform innovation, regulatory developments, business growth strategies, and emerging opportunities across the trading and fintech sectors.

Experiences that define the event

Attendees will have the opportunity to meet brokers and service providers directly, compare platforms and trading solutions, discover new technologies, and engage with industry professionals face-to-face.

The event extends well beyond the exhibition floor. Verified traders and introducing brokers benefit from dedicated seminars, exclusive lounges, and a traders clinic designed for personalised guidance. Pre-event webinars and podcasts further foster a community focused on learning, collaboration, and growth.

The Forex Gala Night brings the IB and affiliate community together for an evening of networking and industry recognition — a highlight for relationship-building beyond business hours. Attendees will also witness the Forex Expo Dubai Awards, which recognize the achievements, influence, innovation, and leadership shaping the future of global trading.

The attendee experience is further enhanced through prize draws across all ticket categories.

About Forex Expo Dubai

Forex Expo Dubai is one of the region’s leading gatherings for the global online trading and fintech industry, bringing together brokerages, fintech innovators, institutional traders, investors, payment solution providers, IBs, affiliates and online trading technology companies under one roof. The expo serves as a platform for industry dialogue, business networking, technology showcases and market-focused conversations shaping the future of modern finance.

Registration Link : https://bit.ly/4vz1PXb

Contact

Commercial Director
Niyaz Mohamed
HQMENA
Sales@hqmena.com