April opened with heightened macroeconomic uncertainty as Trump’s sweeping tariff announcement on U.S. imports triggered sharp volatility across equities and digital asset markets. Bitcoin briefly lost the $80K level, while major altcoins like ETH and SOL dropped more than 10%. The move drew criticism from global leaders warning of potential economic slowdown, and tariffs remained the dominant narrative throughout the month, initially sparking market declines, followed by a partial rebound after a 90-day pause was introduced.
Despite early turbulence, crypto markets rebounded by month-end. Bitcoin rallied over 10%, reclaiming the $90K range, while U.S. listed spot ETFs saw over $3 billion in net inflows which was their strongest week in more than a month. Regulatory momentum added to the recovery, with Paul Atkins appointed SEC Chair, the DOJ closing its crypto enforcement unit, and ETH ETF options gaining approval. Together, these developments point to a maturing market, renewed institutional participation, and an increasingly constructive regulatory outlook in the U.S.
In this dynamic environment, Hex Trust continued to solidify its position at the forefront of institutional digital asset services. We announced strategic partnerships with IDA and Fuze to provide licensed, institutional-grade custody services for stablecoin products and to deliver secure, compliant digital asset custody across the Middle East, respectively. We expanded support for Stacks (STX) and sBTC, reinforcing our commitment to advancing Bitcoin DeFi. Our USD-referenced stablecoin, USDX, surpassed a $30 million market cap.
On the global stage, our leadership team shared insights at the Web3 Festival Hong Kong and Paris Blockchain Week, contributing to high-level discussions on institutional liquidity, DeFi governance, and Bitcoin's evolving market role.
Read on for detailed updates and ecosystem highlights.
Hex Trust joined forces with IDA to provide licensed, institutional-grade custody services for IDA’s stablecoin products, enabling compliant and seamless cross-border commerce and digital payments.
Full announcement: here | Featured in: The Asset
Hex Trust announced expanded support for Stacks (STX) and sBTC, Stacks’ decentralized Bitcoin-backed asset. This development follows Hex Trust’s existing partnership with the Stacks Asia Foundation to integrate Stacks-based assets and DeFi on-ramps.
Full announcement: here | Featured in: crypto.news
Hex Trust partnered with Fuze to deliver secure, compliant and scalable digital asset custody across the Middle East. With both firms operating under VARA’s regulatory framework, Hex Trust’s institutional-grade custody underpins Fuze’s mission to empower banks, fintechs, and enterprises with institutional-grade infrastructure.
Hubbis sat down with Calvin Shen, Chief Commercial Officer, to explore Hex Trust’s growth, regulatory milestones, and the accelerating pace of institutional digital asset adoption. Calvin discussed our strategic expansion across global financial hubs, the role of regulation in building trust and legitimacy, and how Hex Trust is supporting the increasing sophistication of institutional investors.
Read the full interview: here
In our latest webinar with Stacks, Hex Trust’s Giorgia Pellizzari and Gabriele Bandi joined Stacks’ Kyle Ellicott and Muneeb Ali to unpack the future of Bitcoin Finance (BTCFi). The discussion explored why institutions are increasingly turning to BTCFi for rewards, what’s needed to scale adoption, and the pivotal role of Layer 2 protocols like Stacks in building a smart contract-enabled Bitcoin ecosystem.
Watch the full webinar replay: here
USDX, Hex Trust’s 1:1 USD-referenced stablecoin backed by USD assets, cash and cash equivalents, crossed the $30M market cap milestone! USDX powers the Flare ecosystem and Ozean, Clearpool’s blockchain for RWA yield, and is live on Flare, Ethereum, and Songbird networks.
Learn more: here
Babylon Genesis Phase 2 is officially live, unlocking new opportunities for native Bitcoin staking. As an Institutional Finality Provider, Hex Trust is enabling secure access to Babylon staking directly through our institutional-grade custody platform, Hex Safe.
Learn how to stake through Hex Trust: here
The Ozean Pre-Deposit Campaign is officially live, marking a major milestone for the Clearpool ecosystem. Users can now deposit USDX, Hex Trust’s 1:1 USD-referenced stablecoin backed by USD assets, cash and cash equivalents, on Ethereum, and start earning Droplets ahead of the Ozean blockchain launch.
Learn more about the campaign: here
Hex Trust was proud to participate in Web3 Festival Hong Kong 2025. Key highlights included:
Hex Trust wrapped up a productive week at Paris Blockchain Week 2025, engaging with global leaders on the future of decentralized finance.
As part of SEZ Dubai, a two-week think tank and unconference focused on advancing innovation in the UAE through Solana, Filippo Buzzi, MENA Regional Director, joined the panel “Navigating Governance & Compliance in Web3.” The discussion explored what effective governance looks like in 2025 across decentralized ecosystems and shifting regulatory landscapes.
We’re proud to announce that Hex Trust is a Lead Sponsor of Consensus Toronto 2025, taking place from May 14–16.
🗣 Don’t miss Alessio Quaglini speaking on the Mainstage May 16.
🤝 Come and visit us at the “Hex Trust Speaker & VIP Lounge”.
🎟️ Use our exclusive discount code, Hex20, to receive 20% off your ticket.
We look forward to connecting in Toronto!
Babylon Genesis Now Live on Hex Safe
As of April 10, Babylon Genesis is officially integrated with Hex Safe, bringing support for staking two key assets: BTC and BABY, Babylon’s native token. Hex Trust continues to serve as a Finality Provider for BTC staking and now also operates a validator node to help secure the Babylon network while allowing stakers to earn rewards for BABY staking.
Available Now via Hex Safe & Hex Admin
Clients can now stake their BTC through the Babylon protocol via Hex Safe. The BABY token is also fully-supported. Clients can deposit, withdraw, stake to Hex Trust’s validator, claim rewards, and participate in governance by voting on Babylon proposals.
Previous Phase Airdrop Information
Clients who participated in Phase 1 staking have received their BABY token airdrop automatically at launch, no claiming required.
Knowledgebase:
New Hex Safe Security Enhancement
To combat a rise in phishing attempts, Hex Safe has rolled out a new UI upgrade that flags suspicious addresses with matching prefixes/suffixes.
New Feature: Webhooks Now Live on Hex Safe
Hex Safe now supports Webhooks, enabling external systems to receive real-time notifications for deposit and withdrawal events. This feature is especially useful for API clients, such as exchanges, payment providers, and digital asset platforms, who need to act immediately on transaction activity without constant manual checks.
For more information, please refer to our Knowledge Base.
Newly Supported Assets on Hex Safe
Added support for 9 new assets across various chains, including the BABY token on Babylon, and WalletConnect on Ethereum. For a complete list of supported chains and assets, please refer to our Knowledge Base.
For further information and assistance, contact our support team at clients@hextrust.com
— The Hex Trust Team
