Ikenomic Insights

  This  Forbes  piece   published last month offered explanations for why and how cryptocurrencies and asset tokenization have gone mainstream. Well, brace yourselves because that “mainstreaming” is only accelerating. The transition from a hostile to supportive regulatory environment in 2025 has encouraged widespread institutional adoption and a broadening role for digital assets in global finance. Indeed, mentions of stablecoins in SEC filings surged by more than 60 percent in the months following enactment of the GENIUS Act ( as industry analysts note ), and major financial institutions began rolling out new product offerings built on blockchain technology. Major financial institutions , including Citigroup, Fidelity Investments, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Mastercard, and Visa are either offering or developing crypto-enabled products for everyday consumers. These allow customers to buy, sell, and hold digital assets alongside traditional instruments like equi...

(Originally published at Forbes .) The supply of beef in the U.S. market is at a seven-decade low, consumer prices for beef are at near-record highs, and Americans are foregoing their beloved burgers and steaks for cheaper sources of protein. To remedy the shortage, President Trump is opening the door for Argentina to ship more beef to the U.S. Such a measure would augment supply and help restrain prices, while reinforcing U.S. relations with a regional ally being aggressively courted by Beijing. Although U.S.  cattlemen are profiting handsomely and would prefer to quell discussion of the issue altogether, Americans are facing a serious beef shortage. According to the  Department of Agriculture , the inventory of all U.S. beef cattle in 2025 was 27.9 million heads, down 1% from 2024, which was down 2% from 2023, which was 4% below 2022 levels. Today’s beef herd is the smallest since 1951. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show the connection between waning supply and skyrocket...