Fifteen out of 24 surveyed jurisdictions reported up to 10% or more of retail investors owned crypto last year, while six jurisdictions reported up to 30% or more crypto ownership, according to an Oct. 9 IOSCO report.

Ripple is expanding its services beyond settlements by introducing new features for banks and fintech companies to manage digital tokens. These features include pre-configured operational settings, integration with the XRP Ledger, anti-money laundering risk monitoring, and a user-friendly interface.

This comes as demand for crypto custody solutions rises, with Ripple seeing a 250% year-over-year growth and expanding to seven countries. Notable clients include HSBC, BBVA, Societe Generale, and DBS.

The growth follows Ripple's $250 million acquisition of custody firm Metaco last year. The custodial services market is projected to reach $16 trillion by 2030, driven by real-world asset tokenization.

Aaron Slettehaugh, Ripple’s senior VP of product, highlighted that these features will enhance secure and scalable digital asset custody. Banks using the XRP Ledger will also access a decentralized exchange for faster, low-fee trading.

The Thailand Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has proposed new rules enabling mutual and private funds to invest in digital assets, marking a significant shift in the country’s regulatory landscape to align with international trends in cryptocurrency investment. This initiative aims to enhance investment diversification opportunities for institutional and high-net-worth investors while imposing a 15% cap on digital asset exposure for retail mutual funds to protect against volatility. Additionally, the SEC introduces guidelines for differentiating between high-risk and stable digital assets and continues to promote innovation through its regulatory sandbox.

• The Thai SEC's proposal allows mutual and private funds to invest in digital assets, reflecting global trends in cryptocurrency.

• This initiative aims to create more investment opportunities and flexibility for fund managers incorporating crypto-related products.

• A 15% cap on digital asset exposure for retail mutual funds is proposed to safeguard investors from market volatility.

• Institutional investors will not face an exposure cap but are required to diversify their investments for risk mitigation.

• The SEC's draft also differentiates between high-risk assets like Bitcoin and stablecoins such as Tether.

• New rules include limits on the temporary holding of volatile assets to a maximum of five business days.

• Thailand ranks 10th in global cryptocurrency adoption, with a significant proportion of its population engaging in digital asset transactions.