Mad News: June 2026
Backpack Token, SpaceX, lot of fun
June was anything but a quiet month for the crypto ecosystem
For the first time in a while, it feels like the industry has something tangible to rally behind. The launch of tokenized shares on Solana opened the door to a future where stocks can be traded on-chain, 24/7, alongside crypto assets. What once felt like a distant vision is slowly becoming reality
SpaceX went public, and on the very same day, its shares came on-chain through SPCX. Unlike the countless “tokenized stocks” we’ve seen over the years, this wasn’t just synthetic price exposure. Backpack Securities launched a token backed 1:1 by real SpaceX shares, creating a bridge between traditional brokerage infrastructure and Solana
That said, the market remains the market... One day everyone is convinced we’re entering a new bull run, and the next we’re staring at red candles wondering what just happened. Sentiment continues to swing between euphoria and despair, often within the same week…
Throughout it all, the Mad Lads community kept showing up. Whether reacting to ecosystem developments, supporting builders, creating content, or simply keeping the culture alive online and offline, the Lads remained active across every corner of Solana. Markets change, narratives come and go, but one thing stays the same: the WAO spirit remains strong!
Backpack News
CASP License (MiCA)
Backpack reached a major milestone this month by securing both a MiCA CASP licence and a PSD payment institution licence from Latvia’s central bank
This means Backpack EU is now officially a reality. With regulatory approval to offer crypto trading services across the European Economic Area and the ability to process payments and bank transfers, Backpack is one step closer to bringing spot trading and seamless EUR on/off-ramps to users across Europe
In case you missed the news, crypto firms operating in Europe have only a couple of weeks left to secure a MiCA licence or stop serving EU customers. So far, fewer than 200 firms have been authorized, and several major players (including Binance) have yet to obtain a licence in key European jurisdictions
This makes Backpack’s recent MiCA approval even more significant, positioning the exchange among a relatively small group of fully authorized crypto platforms able to operate across the European market
New Hire
Backpack US strengthened its leadership team this month with the appointment of Dr. Michael S. Piwowar to its Board of Directors
A former SEC Commissioner and Acting SEC Chairman, Dr. Piwowar was one of the first senior U.S. regulators to engage publicly with digital asset regulation. His expertise in securities regulation, capital markets, and investor protection will be invaluable as Backpack continues its U.S. expansion
With former CFTC Commissioner and Acting Chairman Mark Wetjen serving as President of Backpack US, the company is assembling a leadership team with deep experience across the SEC, CFTC, DTCC, and U.S. capital markets
How Backpack Securities Is Bringing Real Stocks On-Chain
For years, crypto has promised a future where stocks could be traded on-chain as easily as tokens. Many projects tried to make that vision a reality, but most stopped at creating blockchain assets that simply mirrored the price of a stock…
This month, Backpack took a major step further!
Through Backpack Securities, the company launched tokenized versions of both SpaceX (SPCX) and Micron Technology (MU) on Solana, giving users access to real securities through a bridge between traditional financial markets and blockchain infrastructure
What Is Backpack Securities?
Backpack Securities is a regulated U.S. brokerage designed to connect Wall Street and Solana.
Instead of forcing users to choose between traditional finance and crypto, Backpack is building infrastructure that allows securities to move between both worlds. Real shares can be held through traditional brokerage rails and represented on-chain, while maintaining a path back to the underlying asset.
This is an important distinction because most tokenized stock products today don’t operate this way.
Backpack vs xStocks: What’s the Difference?
At first glance, Backpack Securities and xStocks might look similar. Both allow users to trade stock-related assets on-chain, and both are backed by real-world securities but the difference lies in what users actually own
xStocks are designed to provide exposure to the economic value of a stock. They are backed by underlying shares held by custodians, but users generally hold a tokenized certificate that tracks the stock rather than the stock itself
Think of xStocks as:
“I own a blockchain asset that represents the value of a stock”
Backpack’s approach is different; it starts with a regulated brokerage account and real securities ownership. Those securities can then be tokenized and brought onto Solana through Backpack’s infrastructure
Think of Backpack as:
“I own the actual security, and it can also exist on-chain”
This allows Backpack to build something that most tokenized stock providers cannot: a true bridge between traditional brokerage infrastructure and blockchain networks (Backpack → IBKR → Backpack → Robinhood → eToro → Backpack)
The SpaceX Launch
The biggest demonstration of this vision came with SpaceX, when SpaceX went public, Backpack Securities launched SPCX on Solana on the very same day. Each SPCX token is backed 1:1 by a real SpaceX share held through Backpack Securities
Unlike previous generations of tokenized equities, SPCX wasn’t designed as synthetic exposure or a derivative product. It was built around actual ownership and redemption
For the first time, one of the world’s most anticipated IPOs became tradable both through traditional financial infrastructure and on-chain through Solana
Expanding Beyond SpaceX
SPCX wasn’t a one-off experiment, shortly after, Backpack expanded its tokenized equity offering with Micron Technology ($MU), one of the world’s leading semiconductor and memory manufacturers
The launch demonstrated that Backpack’s infrastructure wasn’t built for a single stock. It was built to create a framework capable of bringing many traditional securities on-chain
Why This Matters
The real innovation isn’t simply putting stocks on a blockchain; the innovation is creating a two-way bridge between traditional finance and crypto
For years, these systems existed separately. Stocks lived inside brokerage accounts and DTCC settlement rails, while crypto assets lived on public blockchains
Backpack is attempting to merge those worlds into a future where users can hold securities, trade them 24/7, use them as collateral in DeFi, and move seamlessly between traditional finance and blockchain applications
Alpha?
One day, out of nowhere, Backpack China posted :
is it some guuuud alpha? future will tell!
Respect the pamp
At some point, you have to stop fighting it and simply respect the pump
Ever since launch, BP has had one mission: make sidelined farmers, airdrop dumpers, and CT bears question their life choices. Every dip gets bought, every pullback gets called “the top,” and somehow the chart keeps finding a way to grind higher…
While the rest of the market spends its days debating whether we’re bullish or bearish, Backpack keeps shipping. MiCA licence in Europe. Tokenized SpaceX shares. Tokenized Micron shares. Expansion of Backpack Securities. Former SEC and CFTC officials joining the team. Meanwhile, most projects are still announcing partnerships with each other
For months, people viewed BP as just another exchange token. Today, more and more traders are starting to realize they’re holding exposure to one of the fastest-moving companies in crypto. Of course, this is crypto. The chart won’t go up forever, and volatility is guaranteed. But every time BP makes a new move, the same cycle repeats itself: people call it overvalued, wait for a correction, miss the next leg up, and then convince themselves they’ll buy the next dip…
Love it or hate it, the market has been sending a clear message lately: Respect the pamp!
NFA DYOR
Mad Lads
We Are One
Mad Lads is for everyone. No matter your age, background, or gender, at the end of the day, We Are One
Every time we see moments like this, we’re reminded that Mad Lads is more than just an NFT collection, it’s a community that people genuinely connect with
Mad Poker Series
Round 3 of the Mad Poker Series took place on June 20th against the Dinos from @Claynosaurz, and for the first time, it’s not a Lads who claimed first place…
Congratulations to the Dino for taking home the win, and get ready for the next round!
The MAD World Cup
Unfortunately, it's now too late to join, but every Mad Lads holder competing in the Prediction World Cup is battling for first place. And for good reason: the grand prize is a custom pair of Nike Air Force 1s featuring your very own Lad, Lassie, or even a Skull!
Be sure to keep an eye on the Mad Lads Discord. Our new Community Manager has been cooking up plenty of events, competitions, and fun community activities, so there's always something happening in there
PODCAST CORNER 🎙️
SPCX on Solana X Vibhu, Armani Ferrante and Shadddowfax
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