S&P 500 Gets an Official Perp
Plus, Visa reveals AI agent payment product
gm, Defiers!
TL;DR:
- TradeXYZ gets license for S&P 500 perp
- Visa launches agentic payment tool
- 1inch launches DeFi education campaign in the U.S.
- WhiteBIT and 10 Other Firms Enter Ghana's First Crypto Regulatory Sandbox [MEDIA PARTNER]
Let’s dive in.
Markets slumped further today, with total market cap slipping 1.5% in the past 24 hours. BTC and ETH are both down 1-2% today and are trading above the $70K and $2K levels, respectively, still slightly in the green on the week. Higher energy prices, driven by the escalating war in the Middle East, are leaving markets shaky.
Meanwhile, in DeFi, Hyperliquid-based perps platform TradeXYZ just landed a license from S&P Dow Jones Indices to launch the first officially sanctioned perpetual futures contract based on the index. The S&P 500 generates over $1 trillion in daily volume across all its linked exposures, which will now include a contract on TradeXYZ, which routinely processes more than $1 billion in daily volumes.
On the TradFi side, Visa revealed its new product for AI agent payments, currently in closed beta. The tool is the first product from Visa’s new Crypto Labs division. The product joins a slew of recent moves in agentic commerce in the last two weeks alone from the likes of Mastercard, Stripe, and Circle.
Finally, DEX aggregator 1inch expanded deeper into U.S. policy yesterday with the launch of a campaign to add DeFi to the curricula of major U.S. universities. The firm also highlighted its own research showing that Google searches for “crypto jobs” and “blockchain jobs,” as well as more niche DeFi job terms, surged notable last year, as compared with 2024.
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📈 Markets in the Past 24 Hours
| TICKER | VALUE | 24H | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Bitcoin | $69,784 | -1.75 % |
 | Ethereum | $2,122.53 | -2.59 % |
 | XRP | $1.43 | -1.41 % |
 | BNB | $637.15 | -1.58 % |
 | Solana | $87.89 | -2.09 % |
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🎬WATCH
Will Aave’s New Plan Change DeFi Forever? | Stani Kulechov Explains
In this episode of The Defiant Podcast, Cami sits down with Aave founder Stani Kulechov.
Aave is navigating a pivotal moment with the recent "Aave Will Win" proposal. This initiative aims to redirect 100% of protocol revenue back to the Aave DAO, a move that many in the community have embraced. But with any major change comes scrutiny.
Watch the full interview:
Top News in the Past 24 Hours
TradeXYZ Lands Official S&P 500 License for On-Chain Perpetual
S&P Dow Jones Indices has licensed the S&P 500 to TradeXYZ, enabling the launch of the first officially sanctioned perpetual futures contract based on the index.
Why it matters: TradeXYZ is the perpetuals arm of Unit, the Hyperliquid tokenization layer; This marks the first time eligible investors can gain leveraged exposure to the S&P 500 through an officially licensed, on-chain instrument.
Visa Bets on Agentic Commerce With CLI Payment Tool for AI Agents
Visa has unveiled Visa CLI, the first product out of its newly branded Visa Crypto Labs division, targeting the emerging market for AI agent payments. The tool is currently in closed beta, with access available by request through GitHub authentication.
Why it matters: The launch arrives as incumbent payment networks converge on agentic commerce from multiple angles, including a new agent-focused protocol from Stripe.
1inch Launches Campaign to Push DeFi into US University Curricula
1inch has launched 1inch Forward, a DeFi education campaign across universities in the United States, aimed at preparing students for a future career in decentralized finance.
Why it matters: The campaign includes an open letter to the deans and faculty of major U.S. business and law schools, co-signed by 20+ leading DeFi orgs.
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