This year, crypto firms have gone deeper into Wall Street territory, creating more traditional, regulated investment products coupled with strategic management of their token allocations. Mantra's CEO, John Patrick Mullin, initiated the unstaking of 150 million OM tokens for burning, aiming to reduce supply and bolster token value. Securitize recently partnered with Mantle to launch MI4, an institutional fund. The fund provides direct exposure to digital assets including Bitcoin, Ether and Solana, while adding liquid staking tokens to enhance yield. So far this year, the SEC has been busy reviewing an increasing tidal wave of ETF proposals. This trend reflects the growing intersection of mainstream finance and the crypto world.

Mantra Burns Tokens to Restore Value

Mantra’s founder and CEO, John Patrick Mullin, has just started to unstake 150 million of his Mantra (OM) tokens. These tokens will go to a burn address, permanently taking them out of circulation. The move is a strategic one, intended to increase the value of the token by cutting its supply.

After burning 150 million OM tokens, the supply of Mantra will be reduced to 1.67 billion. Meanwhile, the number of staked tokens will decrease by more than 26%, from 571.8 million OM to 421.8 million OM. Mantra is yet to formally announce that they have sent the tokens to the burn address. This move will ensure they are permanently removed from the circulating supply.

"first step in rebuilding trust with the community, but far from the last" - John Patrick Mullin

This step is meant to demonstrate OM’s long-term health and stability.

Securitize and Mantle Launch Institutional Fund

Securitize has partnered with Mantle. Combined, they are launching an institutional fund that seeks to provide yield on a diversified basket of cryptoassets. The Mantle Index Four (MI4) Fund has a simple goal of providing investors access to the top cryptocurrencies. This includes well-known choices such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), and Solana (SOL). The fund includes exposure to liquid staking tokens like Mantle’s mETH, Bybit’s bbSOL and the Ethena USDe.

The goal behind liquid staking token integration is to increase return rates via onchain yield. Investors gain access to the upside potential of the cryptocurrency investments through this structured approach. Beyond that, it gives you a new source of income in the form of staking rewards.

The MI4 Fund pairs real-world digital assets and a variety of cryptocurrencies paired with yield-generating staking mechanisms. This framework presents a compelling opportunity for institutional investors seeking exposure into the digital asset ecosystem.

ETFs and the Convergence of Finance

Grayscale’s latest ETF filing joins a long list of about 70 other proposed ETFs still waiting for approval from the SEC. These proposed ETFs would allow funds that hold altcoins, memecoins, and crypto-related financial derivatives. As Bloomberg analyst Eric Balchunas recently pointed out, asset managers have been very busy with ETFs that would cover just about everything under the crypto sun.

"every thing from XRP, Litecoin and Solana to Penguins, Doge and 2x Melania and everything in between" - Eric Balchunas

The recent popularity of crypto-based ETFs highlights a further sign of the convergence of traditional financial investments with the rapidly expanding crypto space.

According to Gracy Chen, CEO of Bitget, cryptocurrency firms and exchanges are increasingly moving into Wall Street territory by launching more traditional investment offerings.

"There's a growing synergy between traditional financial investments and the emerging crypto space" - Gracy Chen

"Crypto players are now checking out traditional finance as they see the opportunity to bridge it" - Gracy Chen

"Investors want flexibility, and products that can straddle both worlds are naturally attractive" - Gracy Chen

"In a volatile market, integration is smarter than isolation" - Gracy Chen

The institutional fund launches right as retail and institutional investors start to increase their activity within the cryptocurrency space. They are especially bullish on Bitcoin specifically, seeing it as a hedge to increasing macroeconomic uncertainty.