Share this article
Aptos Strikes DeFi Partnership With Microsoft, Brevan Howard, SK Telecom
The aim is to offer banks and large institutions a gateway to decentralized finance on Aptos.
Updated Apr 18, 2024, 12:16 p.m. Published Apr 18, 2024, 12:16 p.m.
Aptos Labs, the developers behind the Aptos layer-1 blockchain, said it is collaborating with Microsoft, Brevan Howard and South Korean wireless telecommunications operator SK Telecom to offer institutions a gateway into decentralized finance.
The partnership will offer Aptos Ascend, a suite of end-to-end institutional solutions like regulatory requirement help, tools to maintain account and transaction privacy and embedded features for know-your-customer (KYC) checks.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
This comes as a number of layer 1s attempt to bridge the gap between DeFi and large institutions. Avalanche, NEAR and others have all announced enterprise collaborations in an attempt to ramp this up.
Microsoft Azure and Azure OpenAI services will be used for the financial suite offering, according to a press release.
Brevan Howard’s involvement will include tapping into its industry leadership and expertise to develop potential opportunities for institutions to offer digital assets management or offerings to their clients, the statement said. Boston Consulting Group will help implement the solutions.
“In collaboration with SKT, Brevan Howard and Microsoft, Aptos Ascend will provide the world’s financial institutions, banks, and tech-forward money markets with a performant, compliant, secure, and scalable gateway to decentralized finance on Aptos that will evolve for years to come,” said Mo Shaikh, co-founder and CEO of Aptos Labs.
The company said in August that Aptos is leveraging Microsoft's infrastructure to deploy new offerings that combine AI and blockchain technology, including a new chatbot called Aptos Assistant.
Aptos Labs was founded by former Meta employees.
More For You
KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.
What to know:
- KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
- This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
- Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
- Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
- Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.
More For You
Tom Lee urges BitMine shareholders to approve share increase ahead of January 14 vote
The chairman of the former bitcoin miner-turned-ether treasury firm reiterated his view that Ethereum is the future of finance.
What to know:
- Tom Lee, chairman of Bitmine Immersion (BMNR), urged shareholders to approve an increase in the company's authorized share count from 500 million to 50 billion.
- Lee assured shareholders that the increase is not intended to dilute shares, but instead to enable capital raising, dealmaking, and future share splits.
- Shareholders have until January 14 to vote on the proposal, with the annual meeting scheduled for January 15 in Las Vegas.
Top Stories
