Track market-moving stories before they get noisy

Franklin Templeton Extends Tokenized Collateral Service to Bybit

Franklin Templeton Expands Its Tokenized Collateral Services to Bybit

Coinbase has deepened its partnership with Citi to deliver an integrated payments solution that combines the strengths of traditional banking and digital assets for business customers. The collaboration centers on Citi’s Virtual Account Wallet, which will power Coinbase Virtual Accounts, providing companies with the ability to accept, hold, and send funds in a manner similar to bank accounts.

Integrated Fiat and Stablecoin SolutionsBusinesses using the new system will benefit from automatic conversion options, as incoming fiat can be switched into stablecoins seamlessly. Coinbase is also supporting stablecoin acceptance through Citi’s Spring platform, with these new functionalities launching first in the United States.

Alec Lovett, Head of Infrastructure Product at Coinbase, emphasized the scale and compliance benefits that Citi brings, allowing fintechs to bridge fiat and stablecoins effectively. He explained that integrating Citi’s regulated infrastructure gives businesses the speed and digital flexibility of stablecoins while enabling stablecoin acceptance via Spring by Citi, so users can shift between fiat and digital assets effortlessly.

Fintechs building on Coinbase have always needed a fast, compliant bridge between fiat and stablecoins, and Citi gives us that at scale. By powering our Virtual Accounts with Citi’s regulated banking infrastructure, we’re giving businesses bank-account-like functionality with the speed of stablecoins underneath it, and pairing that with stablecoin acceptance through Spring by Citi means our shared customers can move between fiat and digital assets without ever having to think about which one they’re touching.

By relying on Citi’s regulatory framework, companies do not need to create separate infrastructure for banking or conversion, streamlining the process and focusing on business growth. The partnership aims to deliver a direct pathway between legacy financial systems and the digital asset economy.

At the same time, customers using Coinbase and Citi can set up branded virtual accounts without maintaining the underlying banking framework themselves.

Stablecoin Payments Arrive for Citi BusinessesCiti’s business customers will now be able to accept stablecoin payments during checkout via the Spring by Citi platform. Importantly, these customers will not be required to hold or transact directly in stablecoins, as Coinbase’s technology automatically converts digital assets into fiat, while Citi completes settlement.

With this infrastructure, clients may receive funds in the currency of their choice, while counterparties can pay using stablecoins. This innovation allows companies to accept digital asset payments without changes to their existing settlement processes, reducing friction and complexity.

Citi is exactly the kind of regulated banking partner the digital asset economy needs to move from experimentation to everyday commerce. This collaboration gives Coinbase customers bank-grade fiat infrastructure on one side and Citi’s institutional clients easy, low-friction stablecoin acceptance on the other, without either side needing to build or manage a system they don’t need.

Brett Tejpaul, Head of Coinbase Institutional, highlighted that the arrangement offers institutional-grade fiat provisions and removes barriers for digital asset and fiat usage among clients of both companies.

Broader Industry Trends and Future MovesThe new ventures build on a digital assets partnership announced by Coinbase and Citi in October 2025, which initially focused on digital payments for institutional clients. Both organizations stated that they are continuing to explore additional ways of linking traditional payment rails with blockchain-based stablecoins.

These launches bring practical payment use cases closer to market, joining regulated banking, stablecoin conversions, and digital merchant solutions across both platforms.

Citi currently covers more than 300 payment clearing networks in 94 countries, bringing significant scale to the partnership. Alongside these developments, the bank continues to expand its digital asset services, including 24/7 USD Clearing and Citi Token Services. Coinbase’s core offering enables companies to transact in both fiat and cryptocurrencies, making payment and stablecoin features easily accessible to businesses.

The initiatives will initially target the US market before expanding additional features, depending on institutional and enterprise demand in the coming months. Both parties see potential in extending the offering to more geographies and providing further payment options.

As stablecoins become more widely accepted in mainstream payment systems, market participants are closely monitoring new technical inflows and trader sentiment. In the meme token market, an internet trend can transform into millions of dollars of interest within days. According to data shared by Fomo App, a trade involving “Niu Lai”—which turned a $99 investment into approximately $370,000—stands out as a striking example. In this market, close monitoring of both price moves and investor behavior remains essential. Fomo App combines token discovery and social trading tools on a single platform, allowing users to follow meme tokens and investor activity in real time.

The ultimate success of the Coinbase and Citi partnership will depend on adoption rates, demand from institutional and business clients, and the development of additional payment innovations.

Source: Binance EN

This is a general announcement. Products and services referred to here may not be available in your region. Terms and conditions apply. Disclaimer: This is not available for users in the EEA. Fellow Binancians, Binance is pleased to launch a new Word of the Day (WOTD) game! The theme of this week’s WOTD is “IPOs Are Moving On-Chain”. Read selected articles to learn more about this topic and participate in this week’s WOTD to grab a share of the rewards. Activity Period: 2026-09-28 00:00 (UTC) to 2026-10-04 23:59 (UTC) Complete 5 Words and $50 Equivalent Trading Volume to Unlock Your Share of 10,000 USDC WOTD is an educational word-guessing game, which allows users to increase their crypto vocabulary and stay on top of the latest market developments. How Does It Work: All eligible users may play up to two WOTD games per day to test their knowledge on the given topic.Users who achieve at least five correct answers during the Activity Period will be eligible to equally share a 3,000 USDC reward pool, distributed based on each user’s proportion of correct answers (User’s correct answers / Total correct answers of all eligible users).In addition, users who achieve at least five correct answers and complete a cumulative trading volume of $50 equivalent in non-zero fee trades (including any of Spot, Convert, TradFi, bStocks, or Futures) during the Activity Period will be eligible to share a 7,000 USDC reward pool.Rewards will be distributed based on each user’s proportion of correct answers (User’s correct answers / Total correct answers of all eligible users), with a maximum reward cap of 5 USDC per user.All rewards will be distributed by 2026-10-18 23:59 (UTC) directly to the user’s Rewards Hub.Eligible users should claim their vouchers before the expiration date. No replacement reward will be provided. Learn how to redeem a Binance voucher. How to Enable the Second WOTD Game: After the first game, click the "Get A New WOTD" button.Share the featured link on social media.Unlock the second WOTD game once the shared link is clicked by a logged in user. New User Welcome Bonus: In addition, all new users who register for a Binance account using the “WOTD” referral code or via this referral link during the Activity Period, will each receive 10% off their Spot trading fees. Users may also qualify for additional welcome rewards by completing tasks available at the Rewards Hub within 14 days after registration. Play WOTD Now to Earn Rewards! Related Readings for This Week’s WOTD: IPOs Are Starting to Move On Chain: Here’s What That Actually Means Terms & Conditions: Binance reserves the right to modify or cancel the Promotion at any time without prior notice.Binance reserves the right to update the list of eligible countries/regions for the Promotion at any time. Users who were previously able to participate may no longer be eligible to join or receive rewards under the updated terms.These terms and conditions (“Activity Terms”) govern users’ participation in this WOTD activity (“Activity”). By participating in this Activity, users agree to these Activity Terms, and the following additional terms: (a) Binance Terms and Conditions for Prize Promotions; (b) Binance Terms of Use; and (c) Binance Privacy Policy; all of which are incorporated by reference into these terms and conditions. In case of any inconsistency or conflict between these Activity Terms, and any other incorporated terms, the provisions of these Activity Terms shall prevail, followed by the following in this order of precedence, and to the extent of such conflict: (a) Binance Terms and Conditions for Prize Promotions; (b) Binance Terms of Use; and (c) Binance Privacy Policy.The WOTD game may not be available in certain countries/regions. Only users from eligible countries/regions who complete account verification shall be able to participate and receive rewards.For the new user welcome bonus: The 10% Spot trading fee discount will remain valid as long as the Binance referral program is in place. Users may qualify for welcome rewards by completing tasks available at the Rewards Hub within 14 days after registration.Binance reserves the right to disqualify a user’s reward eligibility if the account is involved in any dishonest behavior (e.g., wash trading, illegal bulk account registrations, self dealing, or market manipulation).Binance reserves the right to disqualify any participant found to be engaging in fraudulent activities or violating the platform’s terms of use.Binance reserves the right to disqualify any participants who tamper with Binance program code, or interfere with the operation of Binance program code with other software.Binance reserves the right at any time in its sole and absolute discretion to determine and/or amend or vary these Activity Terms without prior notice, including but not limited to canceling, extending, terminating or suspending this Activity, its eligibility terms and criteria, the selection and number of winners, and the timing of any act to be done, and all users shall be bound by these amendments.There may be discrepancies between this original content in English and any translated versions. Please refer to the original English version for the most accurate information, in case any discrepancies arise. Thank you for your support! Binance Team 2026-09-28 Disclaimer: Nest Trading Limited acts as your introducing broker and routes your orders for Stock Options to its clearing broker partner, Alpaca Securities LLC, for execution, clearing, settlement and custody. Binance does not handle or custody your Securities. Stock Options are contracts that give you the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell the underlying Securities at a specified price on or before a specified expiration date. You pay a Premium to acquire this right. Stock Options do not represent ownership of the underlying Securities. Stock Options can be exercised at any time before the cut-off time on the relevant expiration date. You are solely responsible for monitoring your open Stock Option positions and determining whether to exercise them. To exercise a Stock Option, you must submit an exercise instruction through the Binance Platform. If you do not submit an exercise instruction before the cut-off, your Stock Option will be subject to auto-liquidation, meaning that your position will be sold on a best-efforts basis before the close of trading. Your Stock Option may expire without value and you may lose the entire Premium paid. Even if your Stock Option is in-the-money at expiration, it will not be automatically exercised unless you have submitted an exercise instruction. Stock Options are subject to high market and liquidity risk and price volatility. The value of your investment may go down or up and you may not get back the amount invested. Stock Options are only available for trading during regular market hours. You are solely responsible for your investment decisions and Binance is not liable for any losses you may incur. Past performance is not a reliable predictor of future performance. Before trading, you should make an independent assessment of the appropriateness of the transaction in light of your own objectives and circumstances, including the risks and potential benefits. You should not trade Stock Options unless you understand the nature of the product, including how options are exercised, the risks of auto-liquidation and the consequences of failing to act before the relevant cut-off time. Consult your own advisers, where appropriate. This information should not be construed as financial or investment advice. Binance may receive payment for order flow remuneration for directing your orders. To learn more about how to protect yourself, visit our Responsible Trading page. For more information, see our Terms of Use, Stock Options Product Terms, Securities Trading Product Terms and Risk Warning.

Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.

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Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.

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Tokenized equities are evolving from stock ownership as Aave [AAVE] V4 turns them into collateral for borrowing through Base.

Coinbase’s seven tokenized stocks can now be used as collateral for USDC loans, allowing eligible users to access liquidity without selling their holdings.

The integration of tokenized equities in DeFi allows equity holders to utilize their holdings to unlock their potential for access to capital.

Source: X Collateral values will continue to be valued using Chainlink [LINK] pricing. Still, at this time the market remains limited to eligible non-U.S. users.

However, once more assets are approved, this model could potentially become a larger option for lending using equity-backed lending across DeFi.

The rapid growth in tokenized-equity trading on Base is now exposing a liquidity gap beneath the headline volumes. About $1 billion changed hands over 30 days, yet most activity remains concentrated in a few stocks and Aerodrome.

This creates strong turnover without providing enough depth for larger positions.

Source: Dune Price changes caused by forced sales will also have an impact on Aave‘s ability to use collateral when liquidating. This is because many pools do not have enough capital reserves to cover the losses.

Consequently, the forced sale of a sizable collateral position could trigger sharp price declines, further reducing the value of the remaining collateral.

Therefore, until additional market liquidity develops to allow for safe, larger credit positions, increasing trading volume does not necessarily translate into safety.

Can tokenized stocks handle DeFi risk? As Aave incorporates equities into its DeFi lending, it must manage the risk of stock prices moving faster than market liquidity can absorb, particularly during periods of volatility.

The Equities Hub limits borrowing through 65%–79% collateral factors across seven stocks, thus providing a layer of protection from volatile movements.

Source: Aave The Equities Hub’s protection weakens when traditional markets close. Chainlink holds the last stock price over weekends and U.S. holidays, while borrowers continue accruing interest on their positions.

Therefore, a borrower’s health factor may decrease prior to new market pricing.

Final Summary Tokenized equities are gaining a new DeFi use case as Aave enables stock-backed USDC borrowing on Base. Limited liquidity and market-hour constraints could restrict how quickly tokenized stocks scale as DeFi collateral.

Circle gains Binance backing in USDC-Tether race

Trump: AI is not a false concept; the term 'superintelligence' is more accurate.

U.S. President Trump stated that "Super Intelligence" is a more fitting name, explaining that the word "Artificial" often carries connotations of being "fake" or "unreal"—but AI is not a false entity, but an extremely powerful form of intelligence.

7 hours ago

Bonk Guy: Bullish on the STONK Ecosystem, But Not All Competitors Should Be Viewed as 'Vampires'

Renowned trader Bonk Guy said in a post that he is bullish on STONK and has recently bought a large amount of STONK ecosystem tokens. He believes the ecosystem has strong development potential and may perform well in the long run. However, Bonk Guy called on the STONK community to stop regarding all potentially competing projects as attempts to siphon the ecosystem. He noted that the only factor currently causing him pessimism about the STONK ecosystem is that influential participants within it are continuously promoting the narrative that "all competitors are siphons". This internal anti-competitive attitude is even more worrying than coordinated FUD targeting the STONK ecosystem from outside. He emphasized that the market can and will have multiple winners at the same time.

7 hours ago

Benson Sun: Bitcoin may experience a slow bull run in this cycle and will gradually reach new highs.

Crypto KOL and former FTX community partner Benson Sun posted that he expects Bitcoin’s current market cycle to follow a slow bull run marked by successive new all-time highs, rather than the sharp short-term rallies that peaked abruptly in 2013 and 2017. Before the actual cycle peak arrives, the market may see multiple local topping signals in succession. He noted that since 2021, BTC’s main buying demand has gradually shifted from retail investors to institutional players including public companies, spot ETFs, and corporate treasuries. Since institutions primarily purchase spot assets, and some funds also use delta neutral strategies for arbitrage, traditional metrics such as funding rates and MVRV Z-Score may not reach extreme levels again at the cycle peak. The upcoming cycle peak is more likely to be defined by a lack of follow-through from institutional capital, rather than widespread retail euphoria. The Institutional Liquidity Index (ILI), which tracks overall U.S. dollar liquidity, Strategy’s mNAV, and Bitcoin ETF net flows, is designed to determine if institutional capital is aligning with BTC when the asset hits new highs. A yellow divergence occurs when BTC posts a 30-day rolling high while the ILI fails to rise in tandem; a red divergence forms when BTC breaks its all-time high and the ILI is in divergence and below 50. Benson Sun stated that he will use the number of yellow divergences as a reference for gauging the cycle’s progress: each occurrence will prompt him to appropriately reduce his altcoin positions and leverage; as the market enters its later stages, he will gradually increase his BTC allocation and eventually hold only spot assets. If a red divergence appears, he will stop further participation.

7 hours ago

Circle’s CFO to step down at year-end, firm initiates successor selection process.

Circle announced that Jeremy Fox-Geen will step down as its Chief Financial Officer (CFO) after more than five years in the role. To ensure a smooth transition, he will remain in his position through the end of December 2026, though his tenure could conclude earlier if a successor is appointed sooner. The company has launched a search for a new CFO. Fox-Geen joined Circle in May 2021, where he contributed to building the firm’s financial organizational structure and supported its $1.2 billion initial public offering (IPO). Circle noted that he also helped drive over five consecutive years of the company’s growth. Fox-Geen stated that his time as Circle’s CFO has been a significant career experience, adding that after the company achieved multiple milestones, now is the appropriate time to step down and take a break before the next phase of his professional journey. He also expressed confidence in Circle’s future.

7 hours ago

Analysis: As global debt continues to rise, Bitcoin benefits from the declining purchasing power of fiat currencies.

According to Forbes, Bitcoin briefly neared $90,000 earlier this month. Meanwhile, global debt continues to climb, and "currency devaluation trades" focused on the declining purchasing power of fiat currencies have emerged as one of the factors driving up assets like Bitcoin and gold. Data from the Institute of International Finance (IIF) shows global debt rose by $10 trillion in the first half of this year, pushing the total above $365 trillion. U.S. debt has exceeded $40 trillion, with annual interest payments hitting $1.27 trillion—surpassing spending on defense and Medicaid, and trailing only Social Security expenditures. The IIF warns interest costs will rise further as benchmark rates increase. Nic Puckrin, founder and cross-asset analyst at The Coin Bureau, said the current environment favors "devaluation assets" such as Bitcoin and gold, which is part of the reason for Bitcoin’s recent rally. The larger major economies’ debt loads, the more likely they are to suppress real borrowing costs and let inflation erode debt’s real value, boosting the appeal of such trades. Analysts at The Kobeissi Letter point out the U.S. dollar’s purchasing power has fallen 23% since 2020; if assets have only risen 30% over the same period, investors are essentially breaking even when adjusted for real purchasing power. U.S. inflation has stayed above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target for 60 consecutive months.

7 hours ago

Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.

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A recent survey by Visa indicates that consumer protections such as fraud safeguards and deposit insurance could significantly impact Americans’ willingness to use stablecoins for transactions.

Visa survey detailsVisa’s Money Travels research polled more than 2,000 adults across the United States. The findings show that 36% of respondents initially expressed interest in using stablecoins. When asked to consider stablecoins with bank-like fraud protections and deposit insurance, the figure climbed to 56%.

This survey measured interest levels based on a hypothetical scenario where such protections exist, rather than reporting on current user behaviors or available safeguards in the stablecoin sector. Visa emphasized that actual stablecoin products typically do not offer deposit insurance or the same consumer protections associated with banks.

Respondents also voiced concern about the potential risks of artificial intelligence in facilitating impersonation and fraud during cross-border payments, underlining the demand for secure transaction environments.

Mini dictionary: Stablecoin, a type of cryptocurrency designed to maintain a stable value by pegging it to a reserve asset, often a fiat currency like the US dollar.

Visa is a global payments technology company known for providing credit, debit, and prepaid card solutions along with digital transaction services to consumers, businesses, and governments.

Limited implications for market adoptionSurvey data reflects public perception under hypothetical conditions, not a shift in actual usage or regulatory guarantees. A fast payment process does not always eliminate risks such as issuer defaults or errors in transferring funds.

While some stablecoins claim to be backed by traditional currency reserves, these claims do not extend to consumer protection if an intermediary fails. Consumers are advised to review actual terms and policies before assuming products carry insurance akin to bank deposits or federal guarantees.

Consumers should focus on the specific terms and remedies offered by a given stablecoin provider, as survey language about insurance does not confirm real-world eligibility for such coverage.

Fraud, loss of custody, and redemption risk remain important factors for anyone considering stablecoin-based payments.

Business outlook and consumer trustThe Visa study indicates that trust, in addition to convenience, is a key factor affecting intentions to use stablecoins. However, stated intent in a survey may not translate to adoption in the context of transaction fees, onboarding requirements, or the need to resolve disputes.

Visa highlighted that only real-world usage, including rates of adoption and complaints, would ultimately demonstrate whether consumer expectations are being met by stablecoin issuers and payment platforms.

ScenarioUS consumer interest in stablecoinsWithout added protections36%With bank-like fraud protections & deposit insurance56%Comparison of potential interest suggests that enhanced consumer protections could play a decisive role in the broader adoption of stablecoins in the United States.

Trust and legal safeguards remain as critical to stablecoin uptake as convenience or speed, making enforceable consumer protection measures increasingly central to the competition among payment providers.

Scope and research contextVisa’s report comes as both regulators and payment companies examine ways to balance innovation in digital currencies with consumer protection standards. Supplemental research has addressed how dollar-pegged stablecoins could influence global remittance flows and even local currency markets.

The use case for stablecoins is evolving, with public interest and regulatory oversight both likely to shape next steps in adoption and service development.

Bitcoin

26 September 2026 | 12:38 Digital dollars may become a major practical entry point into crypto: a way to pay, manage cash and access investments before users decide whether to own volatile assets.

Key Takeaways Dollar products lower the first onchain barrier. BTC can provide collateral; USDC provides liquidity. Settlement rails are moving beyond crypto exchanges. Stablecoin volume alone cannot prove adoption. Tokenized assets give onchain cash broader purpose. For most of crypto’s history, the first decision was whether to buy Bitcoin. A company or investor can now enter the same financial system through a dollar balance, a settlement workflow, a loan against Bitcoin or a tokenized fund, without first making a bet on BTC’s price.

That is the case for a different kind of growth: dollar-denominated products can bring users, companies and capital onchain through familiar financial tasks. They may deepen the infrastructure around crypto, but they do not by themselves create demand for Bitcoin, Ether or any other volatile asset.

Why Onchain Finance Needs a Dollar Working Balance Bitcoin can serve as an investment asset, reserve asset or collateral, but it is a difficult default unit for payroll, invoices and short-term cash management. Its price can change materially before a merchant, borrower or treasury team has completed a transaction. A dollar-pegged token solves a separate problem: it keeps the unit of account familiar while putting the transfer and settlement process on blockchain rails.

Circle’s September 21 launch illustrates the split. Eligible Circle Mint customers can use BTC-backed cirBTC as collateral to borrow USDC through third-party markets, including Morpho at launch. The borrower keeps exposure to Bitcoin; the dollar token is the liquidity they can use, account for or deploy. It is an institutional product with eligibility limits, not evidence of mass-market credit adoption, but it shows how the two assets can play different roles in the same transaction.

Payment networks are testing the same working-balance idea from the settlement side. Mastercard says it is expanding regulated stablecoin settlement capabilities, starting with USDC in select markets and adding support for PYUSD, RLUSD, SoFiUSD and other tokens through network partners. The practical use case is back-end settlement: participating financial firms can test whether some obligations can move outside conventional banking cut-off times. Mastercard describes a staged expansion, not a global live rollout.

How digital dollars fit into onchain finance
Each use begins with a familiar dollar-based task, then connects to wider blockchain markets.

Send or settle a payment

Why it fits
Prices and invoices are already in fiat.

What it connects to
Merchant payouts and cross-border transfers.

Hold short-term cash

Why it fits
A stable balance is easier to plan around.

What it connects to
Onchain yield and tokenized Treasuries.

Borrow against crypto collateral

Why it fits
Loan size and repayment remain dollar-denominated.

What it connects to
BTC-backed credit and lending markets.

Buy a tokenized financial asset

Why it fits
It provides an onchain settlement balance.

What it connects to
Funds, eligible equities and portfolio products.

Visa Onchain Analytics reported that adjusted stablecoin volume rose 58% and transactions 35% in the 12 months through August 31. Adjusted measures are more useful than raw blockchain totals because they seek to filter out some activity that can inflate the headline figures.

From Dollar Balances to Onchain Markets A digital dollar becomes more useful when it can settle an investment, not only wait for the next crypto trade. That is why tokenized Treasuries, funds and certain securities matter to the stablecoin story: they can give onchain cash a use beyond transfers and crypto-exchange liquidity.

The RWA.xyz tokenized-Treasury dashboard showed about $14.94 billion in distributed value when checked on September 26. The total remains tiny beside the conventional Treasury market, but it is large enough to establish tokenized cash management as a functioning category. The harder test is whether investors can reliably enter and exit those products in secondary markets, rather than only buy new issuance.

RWA.xyz tokenized Treasury market growth. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has also opened a narrow route that connects the settlement question with investment products. Its temporary Innovation Exemption allows qualifying venues to seek conditional relief for permissioned trading in certain tokenized U.S. stocks. Access, custody and shareholder rights remain central conditions; a token tracking a share price is not automatically the same as owning that share. Coindoo’s analysis of the SEC’s tokenized-stock route explains why the framework remains a controlled market test.

Where the Link to Crypto-Asset Demand Breaks The bridge from dollar usage to a broader crypto market is indirect. Dollar products may bring firms onchain, recurring balances may justify better wallets, custody and compliance systems, and deeper infrastructure may make other assets easier to access. The final step still depends on whether users choose to deploy that liquidity into volatile tokens, tokenized securities or lending markets.

That is why stablecoin growth can remain largely inside a dollar loop. A business may use USDC for a weekend payment, while an investor may hold tokenized Treasuries for yield; neither action necessarily increases demand for Bitcoin. The more compelling adoption case would be users and institutions moving between payments, cash products, collateral and regulated investment markets—not simply holding a larger stablecoin balance.

There is a methodological reason for caution too. McKinsey has warned that headline stablecoin transaction totals can overstate real economic use because trading, internal transfers and automated activity are mixed into the data. Higher volume can be meaningful without proving that blockchain payments have become a broad consumer habit.

Even if payment and investment use widens, a separate question remains: what legal claim, redemption right and operational protection does each onchain dollar actually give its holder?

Growth Does Not Remove the New Risks Moving dollars onchain does not make them risk-free. Stablecoins still depend on issuer reserves, redemption arrangements, legal claims and banking access. Tokenized assets may add transfer restrictions, thin liquidity and rights that differ from the asset they reference. The Bank for International Settlements has argued that programmable money can improve settlement and collateral movement while leaving difficult questions around redemption, interoperability, integrity and the role of issuers.

The useful comparison is therefore not “crypto versus banks.” It is whether a particular onchain product offers a clearer, cheaper or more flexible service than the existing alternative, and whether its legal and operational protections are clear before something goes wrong.

What Would Show That the Shift Is Real? The evidence should show more than rising stablecoin market capitalization or a strong Bitcoin candle. A durable change would appear in several places at once:

Better transaction quality: payment, payroll, settlement and business-transfer activity growing alongside trading flows; Production use: card, bank and treasury products moving beyond limited pilots and announcements; Secondary liquidity: tokenized Treasury, fund and equity products becoming easier to buy and sell; Institutional behaviour: companies using onchain dollars for ordinary treasury and collateral operations; Clearer protections: workable rules on redemption, custody, disclosures and investor rights. The Next On-Ramp May Not Look Like Crypto Bitcoin can remain central to a future expansion without being the product that starts it. The next user may arrive through a corporate settlement tool, a regulated fund, a dollar balance in a wallet, or a loan secured by assets they already own.

If digital dollars become a normal tool for paying, settling, managing cash, and investing, crypto’s growth will be built on dollars, not Bitcoin. Whether that foundation later supports speculative demand for volatile tokens will depend on risk appetite and investment decisions. The decisive test comes earlier: whether a dollar balance onchain turns into repeatable financial activity rather than simply a larger stablecoin supply.

Author

Alex is Editor-in-Chief of Coindoo and co-founder of Millennial Media Group, with nearly a decade of experience covering financial markets - crypto first, then everything else. It started in 2016 with Bitcoin. Like most people at the time, he didn't fully understand it - so he kept digging. Blockchain, tokenomics, the projects, the cycles. That curiosity never stopped, and eventually pulled him into traditional markets too: equities, commodities, macro. Not because he left crypto behind, but because you can't properly understand one without the other. What drives him is straightforward: he wants to know why something is happening, not just that it's happening. Most market coverage stops at the headline - price up, price down, here's a chart. Alex finds that kind of reporting actively unhelpful. If you walk away from an article without understanding the mechanism behind the move, what did you actually learn? He holds a degree in Tourism from New Bulgarian University - not the most obvious path into financial markets, but markets have a way of pulling in people who are simply too curious to stay out. He has authored over 200 in-depth analyses and more than 10,000 articles across crypto and traditional finance. He still thinks every day in markets teaches him something new. That's probably why he hasn't stopped.

Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.

Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.

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AAVE is trading around $146 as Aave expands its V4 lending market on Base with Coinbase tokenized stocks. Seven U.S. technology stock tokens can now serve as collateral for USDC loans to eligible users outside the United States.

AAVE Price Gains as Equities Hub Goes Live Aave has announced that AAPLc, AMZNc, GOOGLc, METAc, MSFTc, NVDAc, and TSLAc are now available through its Equities Hub. Users can deposit these assets as collateral and borrow USDC while maintaining exposure to the underlying companies.

The market is built on Aave V4 on Base, and Chainlink provides pricing data for the tokenized equities. LlamaRisk completed the risk assessment, and Aave Labs deployed the V4 instance on behalf of Aave DAO.

After the announcement, AAVE jumped over 7%, trading at $146.65 as of press time, after its recent pullback. Consequently, with the recovery, the AAVE price is up 13% in the last 7 days and 25% in the last 30 days.

Coinbase Stocks Become Collateral for USDC Loans Coinbase Onchain SPV Ltd. issues the tokens, while Alpaca Securities holds the underlying shares in segregated custody accounts. This structure gives token holders economic exposure to real equities rather than instruments that only track their prices.

Instead of being distributed, cash dividends are reinvested in underlying shares after fees and withholding taxes apply. An onchain multiplier also accounts for other corporate actions such as stock splits, which alter the underlying claim of each token.

At launch, the Equities Hub contains one USDC reserve, while all seven tokenized stocks can be posted as collateral. However, users cannot borrow the equity tokens or use one tokenized stock to borrow another equity token.

The design allows holders to maintain their liquidity in USDC while retaining their tokenized equity holdings without the need to liquidate them. Every collateral asset is also subject to individual risk factors depending on the characteristics and the market conditions of the asset.

Aave V4 Base Market Operates Around the Clock Aave remains available around the clock, although Chainlink’s tokenized equity feeds publish prices on a 24/5 schedule. Pricing changes are made during the weekend from Sunday evening to Friday evening and during U.S. market holidays.

During those times, users are still able to borrow, repay, supply, and withdraw, but the price of the collaterals does not change. Another way to temporarily suspend affected reserves is to implement corporate actions before updated token multipliers are applied to correctly reflect the new reality.

Aave is looking to add additional Coinbase tokenized stocks, and GHO may eventually be integrated into lendable assets alongside USDC. Any expansion will be subject to Aave governance procedures and additional risk assessments before activation.

With the Base launch, Aave V4 is furthering its specialization in tokenized assets and real-world financial products. In July, Aave V4 expanded to Avalanche, targeting dedicated credit markets for tokenized real-world assets and institutional finance.

Eligible U.S. investors can now buy the ARK Venture Fund as an Ethereum token with USDC through Securitize, while cash-outs still run through the fund’s quarterly repurchase offers.

Crypto investors can now buy into Cathie Wood's SpaceX/OpenAI/Kalshi fund

Original Image Credits: CityOfPete / flickr.com

Posted September 25, 2026 at 4:15 pm EST.

Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest and tokenization firm Securitize announced on Sept. 24 that they have tokenized the ARK Venture Fund (ARKVX) on Ethereum. Eligible U.S. investors can now buy it with USDC and hold the position in their own wallets, according to Securitize’s ARKVX page.

ARKVX launched in September 2022 as a registered closed-end interval fund that holds both private and publicly traded companies. It had $1.3 billion in net assets as of June 30, with about 62% of the portfolio in private companies, according to Securitize’s page. As of Aug. 31, prediction market Kalshi made up 5.81% of the fund, second only to SpaceX at 7.54%, ARK’s holdings file shows. OpenAI accounted for 5.26% and Anthropic 3.86%.

“Based on our research, tokenization has the potential to reshape fundamentally the way that investors access and participate in both private and public financial markets,” Wood, who founded ARK and runs it as CEO and chief investment officer, said in the release.

How the Token Works To buy, investors need a verified Securitize account and a wallet approved in advance, and they pay in USDC. The first investment carries a $500 minimum, and later additions can be as small as $5. A 2% transaction fee comes off each deposit before it is priced at the fund’s end-of-day net asset value. The fund also charges annual expenses of 3.49%, or 2.90% after fee waivers.

Securitize Markets buys the ARKVX shares behind the tokens and keeps them with custodian BNY Mellon, backing each token one-to-one. Tokens arrive in the buyer’s wallet the next business day.

Same Quarterly Exits Securitize says the token carries the same quarterly liquidity as the fund. Holders cash out through quarterly repurchase offers capped at 5% of outstanding shares, and requests may be prorated. For now, holders can send the token only to other investors Securitize has already verified. Securitize lists trading on decentralized exchanges and use as DeFi collateral as “coming soon.” The offering is open to U.S. investors only for now.

Securitize CEO Carlos Domingo said in the release that the launch shows asset managers can “use tokenization to move established investment products onto modern capital markets infrastructure.”

ARK announced a strategic investment in Securitize in October 2025. The launch comes a week after the SEC granted an innovation exemption for trading tokenized stocks onchain, and a day after Blockchain.com and the NYSE signed a memorandum of understanding to offer tokenized stocks to Blockchain.com’s users.

Related Listen: The Chopping Block: Dragonfly’s $650M Fund + Crypto’s Great Resignation + OpenClaw vs Crypto Twitter

AI-assisted content: This article was produced with the assistance of AI tools and was reviewed, edited, and fact-checked by a member of the Unchained editorial team before publication.

The total market capitalization of stablecoins on the XRP Ledger reached $1.159 billion on September 25, rising by $67.12 million in the last week, according to data from DefiLlama. This marks a 6.15% increase over seven days, with RLUSD maintaining its position as the dominant stablecoin on the network.

RLUSD strengthens dominanceRLUSD, also known as Ripple USD, accounted for $1.067 billion, representing 92.1% of all stablecoins tracked on the XRP Ledger. RLUSD’s market value increased 11.55% over the past 30 days, outpacing the overall 9.8% growth of the stablecoin sector on the network during the same period.

The XRP Ledger, first launched by Ripple Labs in 2012, is a decentralized blockchain network focused on fast and cost-efficient digital asset transfers.

The RLUSD surge coincides with developments on the network, including preparations for the activation of Batch V1.1, which has surpassed the necessary validator support threshold. This feature is set to allow groups of interlinked transactions to settle together under preset conditions, aiming to improve efficiency for users executing multiple related transfers.

Mini dictionary: XRP Ledger Batch V1.1, an upcoming protocol upgrade that enables grouped transactions to be executed and settled under defined rules, intended to streamline complex operations and enhance throughput on the blockchain.

The growth in RLUSD has helped push the overall market capitalization of XRP Ledger stablecoins to new highs, attracting increased industry attention.

StablecoinMarket Cap (XRP Ledger)30-Day Change7-Day ChangeShare of MarketRLUSD$1.067 billion+11.55%+6.69%92.1%USDC$4.62 million-21.86%+6.71%0.4%Valtorum USD$72.77 million-7.03%Data not specified6.3%EUR CoinVertible$11.37 million-2.37%Data not specified1.0%USDC and other stablecoins declineUSDC, issued by Circle, saw its market cap on the XRP Ledger drop 21.86% over the last month to $4.62 million, despite achieving a 6.71% increase in the past week. This recent uptick was marginally higher than RLUSD’s weekly growth rate. However, on the whole, USDC’s position on the ledger has weakened significantly.

Other network stablecoins also experienced decreases over the month. Valtorum USD fell 7.03% to $72.77 million, while EUR CoinVertible declined 2.37% to $11.37 million. These market cap numbers represent only the stablecoin balances on the XRP Ledger, not their supply across all blockchain networks.

The value tracked by DefiLlama covers only the stablecoins present and circulating on the XRP Ledger, not overall trading volumes or total decentralized finance activity. Binance marked the week with a campaign launching new XRP rewards for eligible RLUSD holders, prompting additional focus on the token.

Market trends and stablecoin mechanicsChanges in stablecoin market capitalization do not directly imply that funds were moved from USDC or other coins into RLUSD. Confirming such flows would require specific transaction data linking withdrawals, redemptions, transfers, and issuances. Balances on the ledger also provide no detail about the identities of users or institutions responsible for the recent net increases.

RLUSD aims to maintain a 1:1 peg to the US dollar, backed by cash and cash-equivalent reserves, according to issuer Ripple. RLUSD is available on both the XRP Ledger and Ethereum networks; thus, the market cap figure reflects only the XRP Ledger portion of its total circulation.

Ripple says RLUSD serves payments, institutional settlements, and treasury management needs. The company guarantees RLUSD’s redeemability for US dollars. XRP, the native asset of the XRP Ledger, remains distinct from RLUSD and other stablecoins. The recent rise in RLUSD and other balances does not necessarily indicate corresponding XRP purchases or increased institutional participation.

The uptick in XRP Ledger stablecoin balances cannot be interpreted as evidence of direct institutional investment or automatic buying of XRP tokens by stablecoin issuers or holders.

XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) jumps 4% Friday as whale accumulation and three straight days of ETF inflows build momentum.

Why Whales Are Loading UpWidely followed crypto analyst Ali Martinez posted on X that whales accumulated more than 470 million XRP in just five days, worth around $724 million. 

He also flagged an inverse head-and-shoulders pattern still forming on the daily chart, arguing a bullish breakout could be getting closer.

What the ETF Flows ShowUS spot XRP ETFs added $14.89 million on September 24, marking a third straight day of inflows following $18.04 million on September 23 and $20.02 million on Sept. 22, according to SoSoValue. 

That consistent buying lines up with whale accumulation, pointing to demand building from both institutional and large-holder wallets at the same time.

A Risk Worth Watching: The Bitget HackBSCN reported Friday that Bitget CEO Gracy Chen confirmed the exchange’s $351 million security incident affected several major networks and tokens:

Additional tokens affected include USDT (CRYPTO: USDT) and USDC (CRYPTO: USDC).

Chen said Bitget’s on-chain cold wallets remain secure, and the company has contacted the foundations of every affected chain, with several confirming freezes on suspected hacker addresses. 

Bitget’s protection fund reportedly exceeds $464 million in publicly verifiable wallets, and the exchange says its proprietary assets top $1 billion. 

Bitget Wallet remains independent and unaffected, though the company hasn’t given a fixed recovery timeline.

XRP Price Prediction: Technical AnalysisXRP breaks above the $1.56 pivot Friday, pushing back toward the recent August high near $1.70. 

The move caps a choppy two-day stretch: Wednesday saw a sharp 3.69% pullback off highs near $1.66, Thursday stabilized with a modest bounce holding above EMA support, and today’s rally has now recovered all of that pullback and more.

The trend structure stays firmly bullish. The Supertrend flipped to buy near $1.00 back in August and continues trailing support at $1.28, with price sitting well above every major EMA.

Key levels for XRP: $1.70 — August high, next major target $1.43 — 20-day EMA, key support below Read Next

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1 min read

Circle and Tether freeze hacker's stablecoin (Etherscan)Summary

Circle and Tether froze a Bitget exploiter wallet holding about $318,000 in stablecoins after Thursday's $351.6 million hack.The freeze covers only a small part of the stolen funds. Other exploiter addresses still hold more than 63,000 ETH, which no issuer can freeze.Circle acted faster this time than after April's Drift hack, when critics said it let about $232 million in stolen USDC move across chains without stepping in.Circle and Tether have frozen stablecoins in a wallet linked to Thursday's $351.6 million Bitget hack, though the amount is a small fraction of the total.

Circle blacklisted the address, which Etherscan labels "Bitget Exploiter 8," at 05:00 UTC Friday, onchain data shows. The wallet holds about 170.47 ETH, 218,023 USDT and 99,990 USDC. Blockchain security firm MistTrack said Tether has since banned the wallet too.

That leaves roughly $318,000 in stablecoins stuck. MistTrack's tracker shows other exploiter addresses still holding more than 63,000 ETH, which no issuer can freeze.

Bitget CEO Gracy Chen said attackers compromised a backend system in the exchange's wallet infrastructure, spoofed transaction data and triggered its authorization process to move funds out. She ruled out a private key compromise. Chen said Bitget's user protection fund, which holds over $464 million, covers the loss.

Circle's quick action contrasts with its response to April's $285 million Drift hack. In that case, the attacker moved about $232 million in USDC from Solana to Ethereum using Circle's own cross-chain transfer protocol. Critics including ZachXBT said Circle could have moved faster to blacklist wallets and freeze funds. Circle said it freezes assets when legally required.

12345678910The Definitive Stablecoin Landscape Series: Asia Pacific

The Definitive Stablecoin Landscape Series: Asia Pacific

As stablecoins move into regulated finance, APAC is becoming a key proving ground. This report maps the region’s rules, use cases, and RLUSD’s role.

Sep 15, 2026

As stablecoins move into regulated finance, APAC is becoming a key proving ground. This report maps the region’s rules, use cases, and RLUSD’s role.

Why it matters:

As stablecoins move into regulated finance, APAC is becoming a key proving ground. This report maps the region’s rules, use cases, and RLUSD’s role.

2 hours ago

Stablecoins and asset tokenization are pushing traditional finance and the crypto industry into an increasingly overlapping market, with both sectors competing in areas including payments, stocks, and ETFs. This week, Binance announced a $100 million investment in stablecoin issuer Circle, alongside a 5-year USDC promotion agreement. Separately, Canada’s six largest banks are jointly exploring tokenized Canadian dollar deposits. Meanwhile, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Blockchain.com, planning to tokenize U.S. stocks and ETFs and introduce them to the crypto market via a new Alternative Trading System (ATS) — a plan that still requires regulatory approval. Data shows that as of now, the total value of tokenized stocks has hit $3.14 billion, with holders rising to 3.87 million, a 72% increase from prior levels. Additionally, as of June this year, cross-border stablecoin flows rose 77.5% year-over-year to $220.3 billion, while the global crypto market total capitalization dropped 37% to $2.1 trillion over the same period, reflecting stablecoins’ growing adoption in real-world use cases like payments, remittances, and savings.

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Circle (NYSE:CRCL) and Tether (CRYPTO: USDT) froze a wallet linked to Thursday’s $351.6 million Bitget hack, though the frozen amount covers only a small fraction of the total amount stolen.

What Got FrozenCoinDesk reported Friday that Circle blacklisted the address, labeled “Bitget Exploiter 8” on Etherscan, at 05:00 UTC. 

Blockchain security firm MistTrack confirmed Tether has since banned the same wallet, which holds:

170.47 ETH 218,023 USDT 99,990 USDC That leaves roughly $318,000 in stablecoins stuck in place. The bigger problem is what can’t be frozen: MistTrack’s tracker shows other exploiter addresses still holding more than 63,000 ETH, and no stablecoin issuer has authority to freeze Ether itself.

Circle’s quick response here stands out against its handling of April’s $285 million Drift hack.

Critics including ZachXBT argued Circle moved too slowly to blacklist wallets back then, after an attacker moved $232 million in USDC from Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) to Ethereum using Circle’s own cross-chain transfer protocol.

How the Hack HappenedBitget CEO Gracy Chen said attackers compromised a backend system in the exchange’s wallet infrastructure, spoofed transaction data, and triggered the authorization process to move funds out. 

She ruled out a private key compromise and said Bitget’s user protection fund, which holds over $464 million, covers the full loss.

Reuters reported Friday that Bitget paused customer withdrawals as a precaution, not because of any funding shortfall. 

“Withdrawals remain temporarily suspended as a security precaution, not because of any shortfall in funds,” Chen told Reuters. Bitget says it serves more than 120 million users worldwide.

Which Networks Took the HitAs Benzinga reported Friday, the hack affected several major networks and tokens:

Additional tokens affected include USDT and USDC (CRYPTO: USDC). Chen said Bitget’s on-chain cold wallets remain secure, and several affected chain foundations have already confirmed freezes on suspected hacker addresses. 

Bitget Wallet remains independent and unaffected, though the company hasn’t given a fixed recovery timeline.

What Circle’s Chart SaysCRCL slides 5% Friday, breaking below the 20-day EMA at $89.66 within a broader descending channel following its breakout from a June-to-September rounding-bottom pattern that topped near $103. 

RSI reads 49.88, just below its signal line, pointing to momentum that has cooled to neutral after the recent overbought push.

Key levels for CRCL: $84.88 to $85.02 — 50-day/100-day EMA confluence, key support test Read Next

Photo via Shutterstock

© 2026 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Coinbase’s tokenized stocks can now be used as collateral for USDC loans on Aave V4 on Base, bringing seven U.S. equities into the decentralized lending protocol’s collateral markets.

The Equities Hub launched Friday with Coinbase-issued tokenized stocks tracking Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla, according to a statement shared with The Block. The seven assets are available to eligible non-U.S. users in permitted jurisdictions.

Aave said users can deposit the tokenized stocks and borrow USDC against them. The equities are collateral-only at launch, with Chainlink providing onchain pricing through its tokenized equity feeds.

“Public equities are one of the largest pools of capital in the world, and tokenization is starting to bring that capital onchain,” Stani Kulechov, founder and CEO of Aave Labs, said in the announcement.

“Until now a tokenized stock was something you could hold or trade. Today it becomes something you can borrow against,” Stani Kulechov, founder and CEO of Aave Labs, told The Block.

The market launches with an initial collateral cap of roughly $29 million across the seven stocks, a $32 million USDC supply cap and a $21 million USDC borrow cap, according to Aave’s risk provider LlamaRisk. Collateral factors range from 65% to 79%, depending on the stock.

Aave pushes beyond crypto assets The launch comes as Kulechov has been outlining a broader push into tokenized stocks, securities, and other real-world assets. In a recent interview with The Block, he said institutions "come with size" and could drive demand for onchain borrowing.

Kulechov also said the technology behind tokenization is no longer the main obstacle for the sector. “Tokenization and DeFi are not a technological challenge anymore,” he said. “I think it's a go-to-market challenge.”

His comments came a day after the Senate voted 49-50 against advancing the Clarity Act. Kulechov said DeFi may need to follow an “Uber path” by reaching enough users that lawmakers are forced to address how the sector should be regulated.

“But if that doesn’t obviously happen, I think the ultimate goal is to really use this technology and empower millions of people around the world,” he said.

Equities pooled into one USDC market Aave said the Equities Hub uses its Hub and Spoke architecture to pool the equity collateral into a single market with one USDC reserve. Risk parameters are set separately for each asset, while issues affecting one equity are isolated from the others.

The market operates around the clock, according to the statement. Additional Coinbase tokenized stocks could be added over time, along with GHO as a borrowable asset, subject to governance and risk review.

“Aave's adoption of Coinbase’s Tokenized Stocks powered by Chainlink as official oracle solution marks a major step toward bringing the $150+ trillion global equities market onchain,” Chainlink Chief Business Officer Johann Eid said.

Base Head of Growth Antonio García-Martínez said eligible customers outside the U.S. can use the stocks to borrow USDC, while USDC suppliers can earn interest.

USDC supply by blockchain. Image: The Block. Aave said it has processed $3.6 trillion in cumulative deposits and more than $1 trillion in all-time loans.

The spot trading volume of tokenized stocks on Base chain reached $1.3 billion over the past 30 days, surging 153.8% month-over-month.

Over the past 30 days, tokenized stocks on the Base blockchain have generated approximately $1.3 billion in spot decentralized exchange (DEX) trading volume, a 153.8% increase compared to the prior 30-day period. Of this total, tokenized stocks issued by Coinbase accounted for roughly $1.2 billion, representing the vast majority, while st0x-related assets saw trading volume of around $90 million.

1 hours ago

Cosmos Hub Recovers 1.227 Million ATOM from Neutron Attack, Funds Temporarily Held in 4/6 Multi-Signature Address

Cosmos Labs released a disclosure stating that on September 22, Neutron suffered a governance attack, resulting in the theft of liquidity from protocols including Astroport. Approximately 1.73 million ATOM were subsequently transferred by the attacker to the Cosmos Hub. The Cosmos Hub itself was not targeted in the attack, and user funds remained unharmed. To block the stolen ATOM from being further moved, Hub validators temporarily paused the network for roughly 24.5 hours, resuming block production on September 23 using the patched Gaia v28.3.0. Cosmos Labs added that during the pause, 1.227 million ATOM stayed in the attacker’s Hub address. Upon network recovery, these funds were transferred in a single operation to a 4/6 multi-sig address made up of Nansen, Keplr, Enigma, Silknodes, Kiln, and Polkachu. Earlier, around 500,000 ATOM had been swapped for ETH via THORChain and cannot be recovered. An additional 169,000 ATOM entered the attacker’s address via a THORChain refund after the network came back online, and were later transferred to Osmosis and sold. The multi-sig address currently holds approximately 1.227 million ATOM, which can only be returned following authorization via a Cosmos Hub governance proposal. The funds will not be staked, lent, or traded. The Neutron team is expected to submit a recovery plan and related governance proposal next week.

1 hours ago

Hunter Biden questions claim of cashing out tens of millions of dollars: Laptop Team wallet has never sold its tokens

Crypto news outlet Market Insider reported that Hunter Biden-associated token LAPTOP has seen its market capitalization drop below $25 million, a 99.9% plunge from its launch, and estimated the project team reaped eight-figure profits. Hunter Biden, son of former U.S. President Joe Biden, responded that he had previously called the token launch "terrible", adding that relevant accounts are under review. He noted that the project team’s wallet has not sold any LAPTOP tokens to date, questioned the claim that the team cashed out an eight-figure sum, and demanded the person who made the estimate disclose the relevant wallet address.

1 hours ago

US CFTC sues Cash FX Group and its executives, alleging involvement in a $950 million foreign exchange Ponzi scheme.

On September 25, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced it had filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida against Cash FX Group and its CEO Huascar Jose Lopez Castillo, The Conversion Pros and its CEO Ronald Pope, and Justin Halladay. The CFTC alleges the defendants operated a multi-level marketing Ponzi scheme, illegally raising over $950 million from the public including U.S. residents, claiming the funds would be used to trade retail foreign exchange contracts and promising weekly investment returns of up to 15%. According to the CFTC, Cash FX only conducted a small amount of actual forex trading, misappropriating nearly all participants’ funds. It used money from new participants to pay out fraudulent trading profits to other participants, while also paying millions of dollars to the defendants. The company maintained the fraud by providing false account statements. The CFTC states that participants have lost at least $406 million, and it is currently seeking to recover funds, forfeit illegal proceeds, impose civil penalties, secure trading and registration bans, and obtain permanent injunctions barring the defendants from further violating the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC regulations.

1 hours ago

Iran says it will not compromise on the nuclear issue, and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz still depends on the US meeting its conditions.

A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran will not make concessions on its nuclear program even if the U.S. accepts Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The official added that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the U.S. meets all of Iran’s conditions. Iranian Foreign Minister Al-Araghchi previously stated that Iran has put forward a seven-day plan, which includes ending hostilities in multiple regions, lifting the U.S. maritime blockade on Iranian ports, unfreezing frozen assets, and canceling oil sanctions, in return for reopening the critical waterway. (Jinshi)

1 hours ago

SK Hynix's subsidiary Solidigm plans to launch an IPO in 2027, with a potential valuation of $150 billion.

Sources familiar with the matter said SK Hynix’s solid-state drive (SSD) division Solidigm plans to hold its initial public offering (IPO) as early as 2027, with a potential valuation of up to $150 billion at that time. Solidigm held roadshows with multiple banks this week to select underwriters and other relevant service providers for the IPO, sources added.

1 hours ago

Coinbase’s tokenized stocks are moving further into decentralized finance, with seven of the products now live as collateral on Aave V4 on Base.

Coinbase Tokenized Stocks are live on Aave V4 on @base.

Tokenized stocks are only available in eligible jurisdictions outside of the U.S. pic.twitter.com/VOL363Ihd9

— Aave (@aave) September 25, 2026

AAPLc, AMZNc, GOOGLc, METAc, MSFTc, NVDAc and TSLAc can now be deposited into Aave’s Equities Hub and used to borrow USDC. The products are available to eligible users outside the United States, while Chainlink provides the market data used to value the collateral onchain.

The integration gives Coinbase’s recently launched tokenized equities a new use case beyond simply holding or trading them. Rather than selling the exposure, users can now borrow against the positions while keeping the underlying economic exposure to companies including Apple, Nvidia, Microsoft and Tesla.

The tokens are issued by Coinbase Onchain SPV Ltd., with the underlying shares held by Alpaca Securities LLC in segregated custody accounts. Coinbase says the structure gives token holders exposure to actual equities rather than a synthetic instrument that merely tracks their prices.

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Dividends are also handled differently from traditional stock accounts. Instead of being paid directly to holders, cash distributions are used to purchase additional underlying shares after fees and withholding taxes. Stock splits and other corporate actions are reflected through an onchain multiplier, effectively making the tokens total-return instruments.

Aave’s setup is relatively simple at launch. The Equities Hub has a single USDC reserve, while all seven stocks can be posted as collateral under their own risk parameters.

The stocks themselves cannot be borrowed, and users cannot yet open positions that borrow one tokenized equity against another.

One complication comes from the mismatch between crypto’s always-on markets and traditional equities trading hours.

Aave remains accessible around the clock, but Chainlink’s tokenized equity feeds publish prices from Sunday evening through Friday evening. During weekends and US market holidays, the most recent price remains fixed until the underlying market reopens.

That means users can continue to borrow, repay or withdraw during those periods, but the value of the stock collateral does not move with any off-market developments until fresh pricing becomes available.

Corporate actions can also temporarily interrupt activity. A reserve may be paused during events such as stock splits until the updated token multiplier is applied.

The launch is expected to expand over time. More Coinbase Tokenized Stocks could be added to the market, while Aave also plans to introduce GHO as another borrowable asset, subject to governance and risk approval.

The tokenized stocks are available only to eligible users outside the United States and in jurisdictions where the products are permitted.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Estefano Gomez. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.

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Update:

The funds hacked from #Bitget include:

102.93M $XRP ($157.48M)
31,890 $ETH ($85.75M)
34.75M $USDT ($34.75M)
21.05M $USDC ($21.05M)
19.67M $USD₮0 ($19.67M)
3,000 $XAUt ($12.82M)
12,719 $BNB ($9.88M)
821,012 $AVAX ($8.38M)
20.59M $TRX ($7.07M)
https://x.com/lookonchain/status/2103268114603639155