Crypto market regulatory clarity was cited as the top catalyst for growth in the digital asset industry, according to a survey by crypto exchange Coinbase (COIN) and consulting firm EY-Parthenon (EYP).

Coinbase and EY Parthenon surveyed 352 institutional investors between Jan. 13 and Jan. 24 this year.

86% of those surveyed said they had exposure to digital assets or planned to make allocations in 2025, and 84% said they had increased allocations to crypto and crypto-related products in 2024.

59% of respondents said they planned to allocate more than 5% of their assets under management (AUM) to cryptocurrencies in 2025.

An improving regulatory backdrop under Donald Trump’s new administration is viewed as a large tailwind for the digital asset industry. The President has promised to make the U.S. the «crypto capital of the world.»

Altcoins are also becoming increasingly popular amongst institutional investors, according to the survey. 73% of respondents said they held tokens other than bitcoin (BTC) and ether (ETH), led by hedge funds at 80%.

About half of those surveyed said they leverage stablecoins, with yield generation, transactions, and foreign exchange cited as the main use cases.

60% of investors said they preferred to gain exposure to crypto via registered vehicles such as exchange-traded products (ETPs).

The survey focused on decision makers in the U.S. and Europe, with some participation from investors worldwide.

Read more: U.S. Crypto Investors Are Still Piling Into Memecoins Despite the Huge Risks: Kraken

Tech giant Microsoft shared a new report warning of malware that targets 20 of the most popular cryptocurrency wallets used with the Google Chrome extension.

Microsoft’s Incident Response researchers raised alarms of a new remote access trojan (RAT), dubbed StilachiRAT, which could deploy “sophisticated techniques to evade detection, persist in the target environment, and exfiltrate sensitive data,” the team shared in a blog post.

According to the team, the malware was discovered in November 2024, and it could steal users’ wallet information, and any credentials, including usernames and passwords, stored in their Google Chrome browser. StilachiRAT targets 20 crypto wallets including some of the most widely-used ones like MetaMask, Coinbase Wallet, Phantom, OKX Wallet, and BNB Chain Wallet.

While the malware has not been distributed widely, Microsoft did share that it has not been able to identify what entity is behind the threat and laid out some mitigation guidelines for current targets including installing antivirus software.

“Due to its stealth capabilities and the rapid changes within the malware ecosystem, we are sharing these findings as part of our ongoing efforts to monitor, analyze, and report on the evolving threat landscape,” the team wrote.

Read more: Microsoft Shareholders Vote Down Bitcoin Treasury Proposal

Cryptocurrency market maker Keyrock is launching a new entity in the U.S. and opening an office in New York, the company said in a press release on Tuesday.

Robert Valdes-Rodriguez, Keyrock’s chief commercial officer, will lead the development of the New York business, the company said.

Valdes-Rodriguez has more than 25 years of experience in senior management roles at traditional finance institutions including ABN AMRO, Scotiabank and Credit Agricole.

Improving regulatory clarity in the U.S. under President Donald Trump’s new administration is expected to lead to a boom in digital assets.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has formed a new crypto task force led by Commissioner Hester Peirce to draft new regulation for the industry.

«The U.S., as the largest capital market in the world, is a natural fit for our ambitions to eventually become one of the largest players in global financial markets,» said Kevin de Patroul, CEO of Keyrock, in the release.

Keyrock was founded in Brussels in 2017, and has existing entities in Belgium, the U.K., Switzerland and France.

The crypto market maker provides liquidity to over 85 centralized and decentralized trading venues globally. The firm has 170 employees and operates across 37 countries.