Circle nasadil CCTP V2 na síti Sui, což umožňuje nativní převody USDC mezi Sui a 29 dalšími blockchainy bez bridge řešení třetích stran či zabalených tokenů.
@Circle has deployed its Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol V2 (CCTP V2) on @SuiNetwork, bringing native $USDC routing to the Move-native Layer-1 blockchain. The integration means $USDC can now move between Sui and 29 other supported blockchains without relying on third-party bridges or wrapped token representations.
How It Works CCTP V2 operates on a burn-and-mint model. On Sui specifically,
The new version also introduces several developer-focused capabilities. According to Circle's official press release,
What It Means for Sui DeFi The deployment removes a structural constraint that has limited dollar liquidity on $SUI-based DeFi protocols. By eliminating the need for external bridging tools, developers can access institutional-grade USDC liquidity directly. on Sui without designing around bridge dependencies or fragmented liquidity pools.
This makes Sui a more composable environment for protocols that require complex, multi-step cross-chain logic.
The Sui integration continues a broader rollout of CCTP V2 across the industry.
Sources:
Circle Press Release: CCTP V2 Launch
CoinDesk: Circle Upgrades Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol
Circle Blog: CCTP V2, The Future of Cross-Chain
Samsung Wallet v USA podporuje USDC v síti Sui na až 82 milionech zařízení Galaxy. Uživatelé mohou USDC držet a posílat bez poplatků za transakce v síti.
Samsung Wallet now supports USDC on the Sui blockchain for eligible Galaxy devices in the US, the Sui Foundation announced on October 8. The integration covers up to 82 million US Galaxy devices, with other markets to follow at an unspecified date.
Users can hold and send USDC directly within Samsung Wallet. USDC is the only asset supported at launch, and the SUI token is not available. Sui's gasless stablecoin transfers mean users pay no network fee and do not need to hold SUI to move dollars.
"Stablecoins have the potential to make moving money around the world faster and easier," said Woncheol Chai, head of the digital wallet team in Samsung Electronics' mobile business.
Adeniyi Abiodun, co-founder and chief product officer of Mysten Labs, the original contributor to Sui, said that "stablecoins have proven that dollars can move globally in seconds."
The announcement settles details Samsung left open in July, when it showed a Samsung Wallet mockup holding USDC at its Galaxy Unpacked event in London but gave no chain, issuer or launch date. Choosing Sui over Ethereum, Solana or Base hands a high-profile distribution win to a network that has been courting payments use cases. Sui says it has processed more than $1 trillion in stablecoin transfer volume since August 2025.
Several practical questions remain. The announcement does not say how users fund their USDC balance, whether through a bank, a card or an exchange integration, or whether the wallet is self-custodial. It also describes the feature in terms of sending money and remittances, with no mention of paying merchants through Samsung Pay, which is where a phone wallet's distribution would matter most. Circle is not named as a partner, although native USDC has been live on Sui since 2024.
The 82 million figure measures potential reach. How many Galaxy owners actually fund a USDC balance will depend largely on the on-ramp, which Samsung and Sui have yet to describe.
Arc spustil Earn Kit SDK, který aplikacím umožňuje vkládat USDC a EURC do spravovaných Morpho Vaults za účelem úročení. Vklady při spuštění přesáhly 150 milionů USD.
Arc, the layer-1 blockchain developed by Circle, has rolled out its Earn Kit SDK. The kit lets developers connect USDC sitting in Arc apps directly to curated Morpho Vaults so users can earn interest.
What the Earn Kit actually does The Earn Kit SDK is part of Arc’s broader App Kits suite. Its job is narrow and practical: embed USDC and EURC earning features inside applications without forcing builders to become DeFi engineers.
Developers skip several chores that normally come with offering yield. There is no need for custom DeFi protocol integrations, no vault contracts to write and no markets to bootstrap from scratch.
Instead, the SDK takes care of the plumbing. It handles vault discovery, deposits, position tracking and withdrawals on the developer’s behalf.
For builders, the interface is a set of TypeScript methods. Functions such as exploreVaults and deposit stand in for the smart contract code that would otherwise be required.
The setup is non-custodial. Users keep control of their funds through their own wallets, and their USDC sits in vault contracts rather than with the app or Arc.
Early numbers and partners Day-one deposits topped $150 million across USDC and EURC vaults.
Two integrations are already on the board. Pulsar Money Earn and SafePal have both connected to the framework.
On the vault side, curators include Steakhouse Financial and Galaxy. Curators decide how deposited funds are allocated across lending markets, so the quality of curation largely shapes what depositors are actually exposed to.
At launch, the supported opportunities involve lending backed by ETH and BTC collateral. In plain terms, depositors’ stablecoins are lent to borrowers who post Ethereum or Bitcoin as security.
The kit also supports cross-chain deposits facilitated by CCTP, along with gas sponsorship. That means users may not need to hold a separate token just to pay transaction fees.
The SDK went live on testnet shortly after it was announced on approximately September 16, 2026. Full mainnet deployment is expected by late September 2026.
Why Morpho sits at the center Morpho was established as Arc’s primary credit layer on around September 16, 2026. The Earn Kit is essentially the developer-friendly front door to that credit infrastructure.
Morpho’s role on Arc goes beyond passive yield. It provides variable-rate lending and borrowing, which gives the network a native place for stablecoin capital to find borrowers.
Arc’s App Kits are built around a cluster of stablecoin functions: funding, earning and borrowing. The Earn Kit fills in the earning piece of that puzzle.
What this means for builders and users There are risks worth keeping in view. Yield from lending is only as sound as the collateral and the curation behind it, and launch-stage opportunities are concentrated in ETH- and BTC-backed loans.
A sharp drop in either asset would test the liquidation mechanics of these vaults. The non-custodial design protects users from an app misusing funds, but it does not shield them from market risk inside the vault itself.
The things to watch are fairly concrete. First, whether mainnet arrives on the expected late-September timeline. Second, whether more apps follow Pulsar Money Earn and SafePal in plugging in.
Third, whether deposits keep climbing beyond the $150 million opening mark across USDC and EURC vaults. Finally, if Arc expands beyond ETH and BTC backing, the risk profile of these vaults will shift, and developers will need to decide which opportunities they are comfortable putting in front of their users.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Estefano Gomez. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Extended v týdnu od 19. října přesune vypořádání na blockchain Arc. Držitelé více než 1 USD v USDT nebo wBTC je musí do 21. října do 12:00 UTC převést na USDC nebo cirBTC.
TLDR: Extended will migrate its settlement network to Circle’s Arc blockchain during the week of October 19. Holders of over $1 in USDT or wBTC must convert to USDC or cirBTC by 12:00 UTC on October 21. Converting earns a 0.50% premium paid by Extended, with no swap fees and credit within 8 hours. Deposits and withdrawals pause for about two hours, while trading and sub-account transfers continue. The Extended Arc migration will move its settlement network to Circle’s Arc blockchain during the week of October 19. Extended operates a perpetual DEX offering contracts on stocks, commodities, indices, and crypto.
Arc is a Layer 1 network built for financial markets, and it launched on September 16. Trading will continue throughout the process.
Users holding more than $1 in USDT or wBTC must convert those assets by 12:00 UTC on October 21. Neither asset exists on Arc.
Extended Arc Migration Plan and User Deadline In a post on X, Extended announced, “ The platform listed three improvements.
On infrastructure, it said trades Extended also expects broader real-world asset coverage and deeper liquidity across spot and perpetual markets.
Accounts, sub-accounts, positions, orders, history, points, and keys will carry across unchanged. However, users with more than $1 of USDT or wBTC in a sub-account must act before the deadline. They can convert in the app to USDC or cirBTC at a 1:1 rate plus a 0.50% premium.
Extended pays the premium and charges no swap fees. The premium will be credited within 8 hours after the migration.
One approval in the app covers both assets and every sub-account. Deposits of both assets were disabled as of 16:00 UTC on the day of the announcement.
ETH balances will convert automatically to wETH on Arc at a 1:1 ratio. USDC will migrate as native USDC. Vault and XVS balances, along with withdrawal rights, will be preserved. Other users need to take no action.
Process Risks and Arc Features Deposits and withdrawals will pause for roughly two hours during the Extended Arc migration. Transfers between sub-accounts will keep working.
Extended advised users to ” Precise timing will be shared closer to the date.
Under the Extended Arc migration rules, users who miss the deadline face account restrictions. Standard liquidation rules still apply, and they cannot add margin or close positions.
Affected sub-account positions close at the mark price with no fee, and open orders are cancelled. Extended returns the assets to the login wallet on Starknet or Ethereum and covers network fees.
Arc mainnet went live on September 16 with four features relevant to a trading venue. These are deterministic sub-second finality, gas paid in USDC, and EVM compatibility. The network also has an institutional validator set. Existing wallets and tooling will continue to work as they do today.
Extended is building a unified platform for trading perpetual contracts across asset classes with varied collateral. That plan requires a settlement layer built for markets and trusted by the institutions that distribute them. Arc launched with BlackRock, DTCC, ICE, Visa, and Mastercard among its founding validators.
Samsung Wallet v posledním říjnovém týdnu spustí převody USDC přes Solanu pro oprávněné uživatele v USA na více než 82 milionech kompatibilních zařízení Galaxy.
Solana Price fell 3.35% to $113.76 over the past 24 hours as weakness spread across the cryptocurrency market. The Samsung Wallet will launch international USDC transfers on Solana later this month to eligible American users.
The overall value of cryptocurrency markets fell 1.45% to a value of $2.8 trillion as institutional ETF purchases were reversing, further pressuring the market.
Bitcoin price fell to below $83,000, with XRP at less than $1.40 and Ethereum at $2,533.
Samsung Partners With Solana for Global USDC Transfers The Samsung Wallet application will introduce international transfers of USDC to eligible Galaxy users in the United States. Samsung collaborates with Solana to back the service, which is set to be introduced in the last week of October.
According to the announcement of the companies, the rollout is over 82 million compatible Galaxy devices. Samsung Wallet allows users to send money without having to download cryptocurrency apps.
🚨BREAKING BIG: @Samsung, the world’s largest smartphone maker, partners with @Solana to bring cross border $USDC transfers to Samsung Wallet on 82M Galaxy devices in the U.S., starting from the last week of October. https://t.co/aUVryO6bOX
— SolanaFloor (@SolanaFloor) October 8, 2026
The transfers will also be sent to the appropriate bank accounts in over 60 countries. Local currency can be received by recipients, and additional market development is contingent on regulatory demands.
Will Solana Price Hold $110 Support Level? The SOL crashed to $113 on October 8 after losing support at $115. The action followed a reversal of a withdrawal out of the $120 zone in which Solana price had been trading in early October.
The fall is after a recovery in September that saw SOL rise out of below $100 toward a high of about $124.
The relative strength index was at 25.63, which indicated weakness in the momentum. That puts the indicator in oversold territory, which traditionally starts below 30.
SOL/USDT 4-hour chart: TradingView The Chaikin Money Flow indicator recorded -0.21, which is a negative value, indicating selling pressure over the period measured.
The provided analysis shows that the closest support is the $112, and a strong four-hour close below this level is important. A pause like this would reinforce the bearish view and place $110 as a potential psychological downside target. Further weakness may prolong the trend towards the previous consolidation level at $108.
The first step in a recovery would be to regain $115 and retain that level as the Long-term SOL projection. That would put into focus the next upside target of $120 as the main resistance level.
Solana ETFs Record $4.8 Million in Outflows on October 7 According to SoSoValue, the Solana ETF market experienced net outflows of 4.8 million on October 7. The BSOL of Bitwise included all the withdrawals, whereas the other listed funds had no net flows.
SOL ETF The total net assets were at 1.85 billion, which is equivalent to 2.71 of Solana market capitalization. The total amount of trading was $84.65 million, and net inflows since inception were 1.59 billion. BSOL was the largest listed fund with a value of 1.29 billion.
Circle says more than $14 trillion has moved through stablecoins over the past year, a growth rate of 151%. The company’s own USDC numbers are the main driver of that figure.
The numbers behind the headline figure Circle Internet Group, the issuer of USDC, released its second-quarter 2026 earnings in early August. The disclosure put USDC on-chain transaction volume at $14.8 trillion, up 151% year over year.
Daily on-chain volume averaged $163 billion.
Supply grew too, though more slowly. As of June 30, 2026, USDC in circulation stood at $73.3 billion, up 19% from a year earlier.
USDC is estimated to have processed around $32 trillion in adjusted transfers through August, which suggests it holds a dominant share of stablecoin transfer volume in 2026.
Where the money actually comes from Total revenue and reserve income for the quarter came to $701.3 million, up 7% year over year. Net income was $48 million, and adjusted EBITDA reached $143 million, an 8% increase.
About 95% of revenue, roughly $667.7 million, was interest income on the reserves backing USDC. Those reserves sit mostly in US Treasuries and cash equivalents.
Transaction revenue was only about $5.3 million.
Circle’s results noted that average circulation helped reserve income grow even though yields were lower, at roughly 3.5%.
The payments network is the one to watch The Circle Payments Network reached an annualized volume of $14.7 billion across 175 institutions. That figure grew 76% quarter over quarter.
How Circle got here Circle was founded in 2013 to provide infrastructure for moving dollars on-chain. USDC, its fiat-backed stablecoin, became a core tool in decentralized finance (DeFi) and in institutional payments.
Regulatory progress has helped. Circle has received approvals tied to Circle National Trust and New York Trust, which strengthens its standing with traditional financial players who need clear rules before getting involved.
What this means for USDC and the stablecoin market With roughly 95% of revenue coming from reserve income, Circle’s earnings are closely tied to interest rates. Lower yields of about 3.5% have so far been offset by a larger float.
$14.8 trillion in quarterly volume shows real demand for on-chain dollars, but Circle earns little directly from that activity, with transaction revenue of only $5.3 million against $667.7 million in reserve income.
The Circle Payments Network, with its 76% quarterly growth and 175 participating institutions, is the clearest test of whether volume can become something other than interest.
Disclosure: This article was edited by John Chen. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Návrh pro Compound převádí přibližně 5,08 mil. USDC z EPCF a 356 ETH z výnosů Chainlink SVR do komunitní multisig peněženky, která vyžaduje souhlas pěti z devíti signatářů.
Proposal 613 was cancelled by the Proposal Guardian on 7 October. I am putting forward a narrower alternative for discussion.
It does not close the EPCF. It changes who holds the keys. The EPCF and the mainnet SVR revenue would move from Safes the Foundation controls alone to the Community Multisig, which needs five of nine signers.
The funds Pool Holdings on 8 October Who can move it today After this proposal EPCF 500,000 USDC and 4,583,411 USDC supplied to cUSDCv3 2-of-3 Safe; two signers are Foundation nominees Community Multisig, 5-of-9 Mainnet Chainlink SVR 355.95 ETH 2-of-4 Safe “controlled by the Foundation” Community Multisig, 5-of-9 The same two addresses, 0x0660…6bF2 and 0xA415…897E, are owners of both Safes and meet both thresholds on their own.
How this differs from Proposal 613 Proposal 613 closed the EPCF and sent everything to the Governor Timelock. @pennblockchain objected that this removes the fund’s rapid-response role, and other delegates said the same in their vote rationales.
That objection is fair, and this alternative accepts it. The EPCF keeps its purposes, its size and its 48-month term. Emergency deployment stays available.
The problem is sole control The DAO has already decided what custody of DAO funds should look like. The Treasury Escrow is owned by the Governor Timelock. The TMC needs four of six signers to start a withdrawal. Every withdrawal waits out a cooldown, the Community Multisig can block it, and governance can reclaim the assets.
The EPCF and the SVR revenue have none of that.
EPCF. Proposal 535, Section 6, gives the Foundation two of three signers. Section 4 lets it deploy funds “at its discretion when, in its judgment” a threat qualifies. SVR. The Foundation’s March update says the Safe “is controlled by the Foundation and held in trust for the DAO”. It adds that there are “no explicit governance instructions” for the funds. Together that is about 5.08M USDC and 356 ETH of DAO money behind two keys from one organisation.
If the treasury itself sits behind a committee, a cooldown and a safeguard, why do these two pools sit behind nothing?
Why this matters now Section 3 of Proposal 535 lets the Foundation:
convert a portion of EPCF assets into COMP and delegate such COMP for the purposes of participating in Compound governance.
The V2 reserves show how that kind of discretion has been used. Proposal 536 gave the Foundation 8.42M DAI “exclusively to support protocol operations and governance continuity”. Its text never mentions delegation or using the entirety of the funds to purchase COMP and vote on its own proposals. The chain shows the following.
Date (UTC) What happened Transaction 9, 15 and 25 April 7,988,003 USDC left the V2 Reserves Safe for one address, which forwarded all of it to a Binance deposit address by 26 April 1, 2, 3 14 April The Safe delegated its COMP voting power to the Foundation tx 5 May, 09:46 344,780 COMP arrived in the Safe, 58 minutes before the voting snapshot for Proposals 580 and 582 tx 5 May, 14:46 The Foundation voted 912,717 COMP for Proposal 580, which created the TMC tx 20 and 21 May 100,000 COMP left the Safe for that same address and was forwarded to a second wallet 1, 2 22 May to 10 September That wallet deposited COMP at eight exchanges: Binance, Bybit, OKX, Coinbase, KuCoin, Bitget, Gate.io and Bitvavo. Net of what came back, all 100,000 was on exchanges by 10 September wallet 2 September 900,261 USDT arrived in the Safe from that wallet tx 3 and 10 September A further 50,000 COMP took the same route 1, 2 As of 8 October that wallet has sent 213,800 COMP to exchanges and received 93,049 back. It still holds 29,250.
The Foundation’s 28 September statement says “there has been no trading”. Trades inside an exchange are not visible on-chain, so I cannot say how much was sold. The Foundation can. It has not published its agreement with the trading firm or the purchase, transfer and disposal records. None of this activity is reported in the “Transparency Threads”.
I have called this misappropriation, and the Foundation disputes that.
Another wallets activity also raises similar questions. 0xb164…6432 delegates to the Foundation’s voting address. It received 60,028 COMP before the Proposal 535 snapshot in February and sent all of it to the same Binance deposit address 4 hours 25 minutes after voting closed. In May it received 100,024 COMP before the snapshot for Proposals 580 and 582, and began sending it back 28 minutes after voting closed.
Why the Community Multisig It is nine organisations, not one. Five of nine must sign. It already holds the DAO’s safeguard roles. It is the Pause Guardian, the Safeguard on the Treasury Escrow and the Proposal Guardian. It is fast. On 7 October it executed a 5-of-9 transaction less than nine hours after Proposals 612 and 613 were queued. It was suggested at the start. In February, @blockful proposed a DAO-elected council or the Proposal Guardian members as managers, so that responsibility would not rest solely with the Foundation. I have criticised this multisig’s composition, and I stand by that. This proposal is the minimum, not the ideal. Five of nine signers from nine organisations is a stronger check than two signers from one.
Circle ve spolupráci s Tereinou umožní uživatelům finančního softwaru SAP posílat a přijímat stablecoiny USDC a EURC přímo v aplikacích, které používají.
Circle is bringing its USDC and EURC stablecoins into enterprise payment workflows through a partnership with Tereina, a financial services company backed by German enterprise software giant SAP.
The integration will allow businesses using SAP’s financial software to send and receive USDC and EURC within the applications they already use to manage payments. USDC will be the preferred stablecoin for dollar-denominated transactions, while EURC will be available for euro-denominated payments.
Source: Circle
Tereina provides payment infrastructure that companies can embed into business software, allowing them to make payments without switching to a separate financial platform. Tereina and Circle said they plan to test the stablecoin integration with customers over the coming months, including for global payments and treasury operations.
SAP’s ecosystem generates 84% of global commerce, according to the announcement, giving the integration a potentially broad enterprise reach.
The move comes less than a month after Circle launched the mainnet of Arc, its layer-1 blockchain focused on stablecoin payments and financial markets. Arc uses USDC for transaction fees and supports more than 20 fiat-backed stablecoins, including USDC and EURC.
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Circle přidala Solanu do USDC Bridge, což umožňuje přímé převody nativního USDC mezi Solanou a 18 dalšími blockchainy prostřednictvím vlastního rozhraní Circle.
Circle has added Solana to its USDC Bridge, giving users a direct route to move native $USDC between Solana and 18 other blockchain ecosystems from a single, first-party interface.
What the Integration Does Circle's USDC Bridge at bridge(.)usdc(.)com now supports Solana, letting users move native USDC between Solana and 18 other chains through Circle's own interface. The key word is native:
That matters because wrapped tokens carry their own risks and add complexity for traders and developers.
Solana's addition is notable because
Why It Matters for Solana's Ecosystem The update removes a meaningful gap in Circle's own product suite. Previously, Solana users who wanted to move USDC cross-chain through CCTP had to rely on third-party apps built on top of the protocol. Now they can do it directly through Circle's interface, reducing friction and counterparty steps.
The timing reflects Solana's growing weight in the stablecoin market.
For developers, the update also means Solana apps and markets are now reachable through a unified bridge, simplifying the user journey for anyone moving liquidity into the ecosystem from Ethereum, Base, Arbitrum, or other supported networks.
Sources:
Solana Compass: Circle's USDC Bridge Adds Solana, Linking It to 18 Other Chains
Genfinity: Circle Launches USDC Bridge for Native Cross-Chain Stablecoin Transfers
The Block: Circle Rolls Out USDC Bridge for Native Cross-Chain Stablecoin Transfers
Pulsar Money v síti Arc buduje aplikaci pro platby ve více měnách se stablecoiny, která sjednotí vklady prostřednictvím bankovních převodů, karet, Apple Pay a vkladů stablecoinů v poměru 1:1 do jediného zůstatku.
Pulsar Targets Seamless Cross-Currency Spending on ArcPulsar Money is building a stablecoin-native money app on Arc, aiming to make multi-currency payments as straightforward as using a conventional banking app.
The app is building multiple funding routes, including bank transfer, card, Apple Pay, and 1:1 stablecoin deposits, with ACH and SEPA support planned, all converging into one balance.
Arc's Infrastructure Powers the Experience Behind the ScenesUnder the hood, Arc gives Pulsar Money the infrastructure for USDC-based fees, deterministic finality, USDC and EURC flows, StableFX for currency conversion, and Circle infrastructure for crosschain stablecoin movement. The design philosophy is deliberate: stablecoins power the experience without becoming the interface.
For Pulsar Money, that breadth of infrastructure provides a foundation to expand currency support over time as the ecosystem grows.
Sources:
Pulsar Money Launches on Arc to Bring Multi-Currency Stablecoin Banking to Europe — Cryptowisser
What Is Arc? The Stablecoin Blockchain From USDC Issuer Circle — Decrypt
Circle Launches Arc Mainnet With USDC as Native Gas Token — TradingView
Circle čelil na síti X kritice poté, co přivítal DJ Khaleda v „týmu USDC“; připomnělo to jeho urovnání obvinění ze strany SEC z roku 2018 kvůli nezveřejněné placené propagaci podvodného ICO projektu Centra Tech.
Circle wanted a feel-good moment. It got a history lesson instead.
On October 5, 2026, the USDC issuer shared a post featuring rapper DJ Khaled in a Chelsea FC jersey bearing the words “USDC by Circle.” Within hours, replies on X had pulled up Khaled’s 2018 settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission over a crypto promotion that ended badly.
The backlash ran through October 5 and 6. It now stands as a fresh case study in how celebrity association can backfire in crypto, even when nobody signs a contract.
What Circle actually said The wording matters here. Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire referred to Khaled as part of “team USDC.” He did not describe a formal sponsorship, a paid ambassador deal, or any business arrangement.
Circle’s posts made no sponsorship announcement either. As far as the public record shows, Khaled was simply photographed wearing a shirt from a club Circle sponsors.
That nuance did not survive contact with the replies. Many users saw the welcome as an endorsement, and the gap between a friendly shoutout and a commercial deal stayed unclear.
The 2018 settlement users dug up The episode replies kept surfacing dates back to the 2017 initial coin offering boom. Khaled promoted the ICO of Centra Tech, a project the SEC later deemed fraudulent.
Centra Tech’s token sale raised approximately $25 million in 2017. The problem for Khaled was not just the project’s fate. He failed to disclose that he had been compensated for the promotion.
In November 2018, Khaled settled with the SEC. He paid a total of roughly $153,000, including penalties, to resolve the matter.
Why Chelsea is in the picture The jersey itself comes from one of Circle’s biggest marketing bets. On August 28, 2026, Circle became Chelsea FC’s principal partner and front-of-shirt sponsor for the 2026/27 season.
The flip side is that Circle no longer controls who wears its logo. Anyone in a Chelsea shirt, Khaled included, becomes an unofficial billboard for USDC.
Circle’s choice to amplify this particular photo is what turned a jersey sighting into a news cycle. Had the company stayed quiet, the image might have passed as just another celebrity in a football kit.
The stakes for USDC USDC carries a market capitalization of approximately $74 billion. It holds about 25% of the stablecoin market, a space dominated by Tether’s USDT.
Stablecoins are meant to be the boring part of crypto. Each token is designed to track the US dollar, so a USDC should always be worth one dollar.
That design means a stablecoin’s brand is effectively its balance sheet promise. Users hold USDC because they trust Circle to keep the peg intact and the reserves in order.
No regulatory fallout, but a reputational nick There are no direct regulatory consequences for USDC stemming from the episode. Circle made no claims about returns or investment value, and no formal endorsement was announced.
Still, the reaction shows how sensitive the crypto community remains about celebrity promotion. The ICO era left a long trail of famous faces attached to projects that collapsed.
What this means For Circle, the immediate lesson is about clarity. A vague “welcome to the team” can read as an endorsement whether or not money changed hands. When the person being welcomed has a public enforcement history tied to crypto promotion, that ambiguity becomes a liability.
With roughly a quarter of the stablecoin market, Circle is clearly trying to grow USDC’s profile against a much larger rival. The Chelsea deal signals that it is willing to spend heavily on brand awareness.
Due diligence on public figures has become part of the cost of doing business in crypto marketing. A quick search of SEC settlements would have flagged Khaled’s history in seconds. The replies under Circle’s post did exactly that, for free and in public.
Disclosure: This article was edited by John Chen. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Neoznačená peněženka převedla do úvěrového protokolu Aave přibližně 133,78 milionu USDC. Převod zaznamenala služba Whale Alert, jeho odesílatel zůstává neznámý.
An unidentified wallet just sent approximately 133.78 million USDC to Aave, the decentralized lending protocol. Whale Alert flagged the transfer.
Nobody has claimed it. The wallet has no public label, and neither Aave nor Circle has said anything about it.
What happened The transfer itself is simple. A wallet that tracking services label only as an “unknown whale” moved roughly 133.78 million units of USDC into Aave.
USDC is a dollar-pegged stablecoin issued by Circle. Each token is designed to track one US dollar, which makes this a nine-figure dollar deposit in practical terms.
Aave works like a bank with no tellers. Depositors supply assets to a shared pool and earn variable yield. Borrowers post collateral and take loans from that pool.
When a whale drops this much USDC into Aave, the usual reading is one of two things. It could be liquidity provisioning, meaning the holder wants yield. It could also be a treasury adjustment, perhaps setting up collateral or repositioning funds.
No immediate price impact or disruption to protocol operations has been tied to the transfer.
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Part of a larger pattern This deposit is not a one-off. It lands in the middle of a busy stretch of large USDC movements tied to Aave.
Around October 6, about 129.3 million USDC flowed in. A day earlier, on October 5, roughly 149.6 million USDC arrived.
Traffic has not been one-directional. An outflow of approximately 155 million USDC took place on October 3.
Multiple transactions in the $192 million to $193 million range occurred during August and September 2026.
Across the recent window from mid-September to early October, tracked deposits and withdrawals have ranged from about $120 million to roughly $193 million.
Most of these moves were surfaced by Whale Alert on social media. Transactions flagged this way typically do not show follow-on swaps or bridging activity.
A deposit followed by a swap or a cross-chain bridge would suggest active trading. A clean deposit that just sits there looks more like a parking decision.
Why Aave keeps attracting the whales Aave runs markets across multiple blockchain networks, and USDC is among its most heavily used assets.
USDC supply across Aave markets recently passed $3 billion. Against that backdrop, a 133.78 million USDC deposit is meaningful but not overwhelming.
Utilization rates for USDC vary significantly from one network to another on Aave. Pools with higher utilization tend to pay suppliers more, because borrowers are competing for a smaller cushion of available funds.
Aave’s multi-chain expansion has widened those options. More networks mean more pools, and more pools mean more places for large holders to shop for returns.
What this means The two-way traffic deserves attention. The October 3 outflow of approximately 155 million USDC shows that this capital can leave as quickly as it arrives.
There is also the attribution problem. Without knowing who controls these wallets, it is difficult to tell whether the deposits represent a single entity cycling funds, several unrelated funds making similar bets, or an institution quietly building a DeFi treasury strategy.
Watch whether these deposits stay put or reverse within days, as the October 3 outflow did. Watch utilization rates on the networks receiving the funds, since that reveals whether the cash is being borrowed or simply parked.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Estefano Gomez. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Backpack Brings Spot and Derivatives Trading to NEAR@Backpack is extending its trading infrastructure to @NEARProtocol, introducing $NEAR spot order books alongside leveraged perpetual futures and native $USDC deposit and withdrawal support. The move brings a fuller trading stack to one of the more active layer-1 networks in 2026, giving both retail users and algorithmic firms a regulated venue to trade or hedge exposure to the NEAR ecosystem.
, and The NEAR integration sits within that same regulated framework, designed to give participants clearer compliance footing than unregulated alternatives.
Native $USDC Support Cuts Bridging RiskA notable feature of the integration is native $USDC support directly on the NEAR chain. By contrast,
For traders, that distinction matters. Relying on a bridged stablecoin introduces custodial and smart contract risk at the bridge layer, as well as potential delays. Supporting the Circle-issued version directly removes that friction for dollar-denominated trading on NEAR's fast settlement infrastructure.
The combination of spot order books, perpetual futures, and native stablecoin rails positions Backpack as a more complete venue for NEAR-focused traders, rather than a single-product listing. Derivatives alongside spot liquidity allow participants to both gain directional exposure and manage downside risk within the same platform, without needing to move funds across multiple exchanges or custody solutions.
Sources:
Backpack Exchange overview, Solana Compass
Native USDC on NEAR, Circle
USDC launches natively on NEAR Protocol, NEAR Foundation
Hyperliquid poprvé získal přibližně 14,58 milionu USDC z výnosů rezervního fondu určených na budoucí zpětné odkupy tokenů HYPE. Prostředky zatím nebyly převedeny do Assistance Fund ani použity k nákupu či spálení tokenů HYPE.
5 October 2026 | 11:59 Hyperliquid’s buyback model has received its first reported contribution from a source other than trading fees: yield earned on USDC reserves held in its ecosystem. The payment, worth about $14.58 million in USDC, is the first test of whether the protocol can turn stablecoin balances into recurring funding for HYPE purchases.
The reported payment shows that Hyperliquid’s AQAv2 reserve-income arrangement has started producing funds but it does not, by itself, show that $14.58 million of HYPE has already been bought or burned.
Crypto Briefing reported on October 3 that the first payment was awaiting transfer to Hyperliquid’s Assistance Fund. The next stages remain important: the USDC must reach that fund, be used through the protocol’s buyback process, and result in HYPE being removed from circulation.
Reserve income is paid in USDC. The Assistance Fund receives the funds under the AQAv2 schedule. HYPE purchases and burns are separate on-chain events. AQAv2 gives Hyperliquid a second source of funding Hyperliquid’s established buyback engine is tied to trading activity. Its fee documentation says the Assistance Fund automatically converts trading fees into HYPE, which is then burned. Higher trading volume can therefore produce more buyback funding, while quieter markets can reduce it.
AQAv2 changes the mix by adding income connected to USDC balances rather than trading volume. Under the Aligned Quote Asset v2 framework, the treasury deployer for a qualifying stablecoin shares approximately 90% of cost-adjusted reserve-yield revenue with the protocol.
That wording is narrower than it first appears having in mind that the 90% share applies after the costs defined by the arrangement have been taken into account; it does not mean Hyperliquid receives 90 cents from every gross dollar generated by USDC reserves.
The protocol documentation also sets a 30-day payment cycle. Revenue is sent to the Assistance Fund eight days after an interval ends, giving the system a defined route from reserve yield to the fund that supports HYPE buybacks.
Circle’s role is technical, not the same as the treasury role Circle has described itself as the technical deployer for USDC on Hyperliquid. That role covers infrastructure for minting, redemption and cross-chain transfers, helping USDC move between the relevant parts of the Hyperliquid ecosystem.
It should not be confused with the separate treasury-deployer role that shares reserve-yield income under AQAv2. The distinction affects how the arrangement should be read: a technical provider keeps the stablecoin rails operating, while the treasury arrangement governs how reserve income is allocated.
The new income source has different strengths, and different dependencies Reserve income can keep accruing when trading cools, provided users continue holding USDC in the ecosystem and the underlying reserves continue earning yield. That gives Hyperliquid a funding route that is not entirely dependent on traders opening and closing positions.
It is not fixed revenue, however. The amount can change with USDC balances, the applicable reserve yield and the terms of the AQAv2 framework. A decline in stablecoin deposits or interest rates could reduce future payments even if Hyperliquid’s trading activity remains steady.
The arrangement therefore diversifies the buyback model rather than replacing the fee-based one. Trading fees remain tied to market activity; reserve income depends more heavily on the scale of USDC held within the platform and the yield available on those reserves.
Why the first payment should not be annualized too quickly The reported $14.58 million figure has prompted estimates of a much larger annual contribution. A simple annualization can be useful as a rough illustration, but it assumes that the USDC balance, interest-rate environment and AQAv2 terms remain broadly unchanged for a full year.
Those assumptions may not hold because Hyperliquid can gain or lose USDC balances, reserve yields can move with market rates, and the payment cycle itself needs to operate consistently over more than one interval before it can be treated as a durable revenue pattern.
The better question is not whether the first payment produces an eye-catching annual figure. It is whether subsequent intervals continue to produce funds that reach the Assistance Fund and become observable HYPE purchases and burns.
What confirms the model from here The first payment establishes the starting point. Its significance will depend on what follows: the transfer of USDC into the Assistance Fund, the size and timing of HYPE purchases, and whether future payments arrive under different market conditions.
Follow the flow of funds, not the headline estimate A reserve-yield payment can support HYPE buybacks, but it is only the first part of the process. Completed transfers and completed burns will show how much of that potential has become actual token demand and supply reduction.
For now, AQAv2 gives Hyperliquid a second potential route to funding HYPE buybacks. The first reported payment shows the route has begun operating; repeated payments and completed purchases will show whether it becomes a meaningful part of the protocol’s long-term model.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Reported payments, protocol rules and market conditions may change.
Author
Alexander Zdravkov is a market analyst and crypto journalist with interests in economics, broader financial markets and digital assets. His journey into crypto began more than four years ago, driven by a fascination with the rapid evolution of blockchain technology and the transformative potential of decentralized finance. He began analyzing market cycles and identifying emerging trends before they reach the mainstream. He holds a degree in International Relations - a background that helped shape his broader perspective on global economics, geopolitics, and the interconnected nature of modern financial markets. Whether covering the latest developments in the crypto sector or exploring broader macroeconomic themes, Alexander focuses on giving readers context rather than simply repeating headlines. During his career, he has authored more than 5,000 articles covering cryptocurrencies, traditional finance, and global market developments. His work spans everything from Bitcoin and altcoins to macroeconomic trends influencing risk assets worldwide.
ZachXBT infiltroval skupinu podezřelou z praní peněz pro Lazarus Group a vystopoval více než 12 milionů USD z útoku na Bybit; Tether zmrazil přibližně 442 000 USDT.
PANews, October 5 — "On-chain detective" ZachXBT posted that he had posed as a client to infiltrate a criminal group suspected of laundering money for the North Korea-linked hacker organization Lazarus Group, and helped freeze funds related to the 2025 Bybit hack.
ZachXBT said that after Bybit suffered a $1.5 billion hack in February 2025, he found more than 15 accounts in public Telegram and Discord groups seeking help processing transactions related to the stolen funds. He then contacted one Telegram user using the alias "Jimmy Green" and built trust through multiple transactions. According to his disclosure, on March 6, 2025, he transferred $3.497 million in USDC to an Ethereum address to conduct a USDC-to-TRON USDT swap with the other party. The gas funds for that address can be traced back to the Bybit hack funds, and it has been publicly flagged as a Bybit hack blacklist address.
ZachXBT said that in subsequent exchanges, the other party revealed that their team had been involved in processing the stolen Bybit funds, and tipped off in advance that the funds would be moved on chains such as Solana. By matching transaction times, amounts and on-chain data, he discovered a wallet cluster involving more than $12 million in Bybit hack funds, with fund paths spanning multiple networks including BTC→ETH→SOL→TRON. Of these, about 442,000 USDT had been frozen by Tether, and the group also attempted to launder money through Uniswap liquidity pools and low-liquidity tokens. In addition, the other party revealed that they had helped other clients process about $3 million in fraud proceeds, and ZachXBT traced the related funds to wallets associated with the sanctioned Huione Guarantee.
ZachXBT disclosed that in this investigation he first put in $3.497 million of his own funds and bore a loss risk of about 5% per transaction, and that the intelligence ultimately obtained was provided to relevant investigative agencies and law enforcement at the earliest opportunity. Since 2022, he has helped freeze more than $75 million in funds related to North Korea-linked incidents.
Bitwise Asset Management has taken its Premium RWA Vault, better known as PAPY, to Circle’s Arc blockchain. The vault now sits atop the yield rankings among Morpho vaults on the network, posting a net APY of 4.79%.
How the PAPY-USDC vault works The expansion went live on September 16, 2026, timed to coincide with Arc’s public mainnet launch. The new product, called PAPY-USDC, runs on the Morpho lending protocol using its Vault V2 architecture.
Users deposit USDC, and the vault lends that money out to borrowers who post tokenized real-world assets, or RWAs, as collateral. Those loans are overcollateralized. Borrowers have to lock up more value than they take out, which gives lenders a cushion if things go sideways.
The collateral accepted includes Huma Finance’s PST and sUSDai. The vault may also allocate to cirBTC markets, adding another potential lending venue.
Bitwise acts as the curator but stays non-custodial. It never holds depositors’ funds directly. Instead, it sets the rules: which collateral qualifies, what loan-to-value ratios apply, and which interest-rate models the vault uses.
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The numbers behind the vault PAPY-USDC targets a variable APY of 5-6%. As of early October 2026, the vault reported a net APY between 4.8% and 5.55%, with the Morpho app showing 4.79%.
The fee structure is light. Bitwise charges a management fee of approximately 0.39-0.4%, and there is no performance fee.
Deposits are still modest. In early October 2026, the vault held between $418K and $422K in USDC. The vault’s capacity is capped at roughly $1B.
The vault follows the ERC-4626 standard and has no lock-up requirements. Depositors can withdraw when they want, subject to the vault’s available liquidity.
A second act after Ethereum Arc is not PAPY’s first stop. Bitwise launched a PAPY-AUSD vault on Ethereum on September 2, 2026. That version pulled in over $20 million in deposits within two weeks.
The Arc version arrived just two weeks after the Ethereum launch. The key difference is the currency: Arc’s vault is built around USDC from day one.
Bitwise brings an established footprint to the effort, with $9 billion in client assets.
What this means for DeFi lending and RWA yield For Morpho, the expansion reinforces its role as infrastructure that curators can deploy across multiple networks. Bitwise now runs PAPY on Morpho on both Ethereum and Arc.
The vault’s yields have been variable, ranging from 4.8% to 5.55% in recent reporting, and sometimes falling short of the 5-6% target. Collateral quality is the other key variable: overcollateralization offers protection, but the vault’s safety ultimately depends on how well assets like Huma’s PST and sUSDai hold their value and remain liquid.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Kaye Quema. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Centrifuge spustil na síti Arc tři tokenizované fondy JAAA, JTRSY a HYB s expozicí na CLO, krátkodobé americké státní dluhopisy a high-yield korporátní dluhopisy. Všechny přijímají USDC.
Centrifuge has confirmed that three funds—JAAA, JTRSY, and HYB—have launched on Circle’s Arc blockchain. The funds provide exposure to AAA-rated collateralized loan obligations (CLOs), short-term U.S. Treasuries, and high-yield corporate bonds respectively, utilizing investment strategies from Janus Henderson and New York Life Investment Management. All three funds support subscriptions via USDC on Arc, with direct investment limited to eligible non-U.S. professional investors. The minimum investment amounts are $500,000 for JAAA and JTRSY, and 100,000 USDC for HYB. (The Defiant)
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VanEck: Bitcoin may still continue to expand its market share going forward, and quantum computing is currently not a sufficient reason to sell.
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Hyperliquid obdrží převod asi 14,58 milionu USDC do Assistance Fund, odkud půjdou na buybacky a spalování HYPE. Jde o první výnos z nového rámce AQAv2.
Hyperliquid is about to start paying for HYPE buybacks with money that has nothing to do with how much anyone trades.
The first yield payment under the exchange’s AQAv2 framework, approximately $14.58 million in USDC, is pending transfer to the Hyperliquid Assistance Fund as of October 3, 2026. That lands close to the roughly $15 million the market had been anticipating. For a token whose buyback engine has always run on trading fees, this adds a second, quieter fuel line.
How the USDC yield machine works Under AQAv2, about 90% of the net yield generated on Hyperliquid’s USDC reserves gets routed to the Assistance Fund. The fund then uses that money to buy HYPE on the open market and burn it.
Yield began accruing on August 26, 2026. The payment now awaiting transfer covers that first stretch of accumulation.
Validators approved the framework on June 12, 2026, with 69.08% support.
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The plumbing involves two big names in the stablecoin world. Coinbase serves as the official USDC treasury deployer, while Circle handles technical deployments. The setup operates under a 1:9 technical-to-treasury balance requirement.
Current reserves are estimated between $5 billion and $6.7 billion. At prevailing yields of about 3%, that translates to projected annual buyback funding of $135–200 million from reserves alone.
Stacking on top of the fee machine Approximately 99% of Hyperliquid’s trading fees are funneled into the Assistance Fund. Estimates put annual trading fee buyback capacity at around $771 million.
Add the USDC yield and total annual buyback capacity is estimated to exceed $900 million.
The Assistance Fund has acquired approximately 45 million HYPE tokens for around $1.1 billion at lower prices. Cumulative burns have reached hundreds of millions of tokens since the coin’s debut in late 2024.
Background: why volume-independent revenue matters Hyperliquid is a decentralized perpetuals exchange running on its own Layer 1 blockchain. Perpetuals, or perps, are futures contracts with no expiry date, letting traders take leveraged positions indefinitely.
AQAv2 changes the equation slightly. Stablecoin deposits tend to stick around even when trading slows, because traders often keep collateral parked on the exchange between positions. Yield on those balances keeps flowing whether or not anyone is opening new trades.
What this means for HYPE holders and the perp market The framework leans on Coinbase and Circle as USDC deployment partners. That ties a piece of HYPE’s tokenomics to the operational health and policies of two centralized firms.
The 69.08% validator approval shows the plan had backing, but nearly a third did not support it. Future tweaks to the yield split or the buyback mechanics will face similar scrutiny.
The near-term item to watch is the actual transfer of the approximately $14.58 million payment to the Assistance Fund. Once it moves, the market gets its first concrete look at how much buying pressure the new mechanism can deliver in practice.
Disclosure: This article was edited by John Chen. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Exodus Checkout spouští v Argentině platby předplatného v USDC a USDT pro DGO. Jediná autorizace pokryje opakované platby a Exodus při dalších obnoveních hradí gas.
Exodus Checkout launches with DGO in Argentina. Customers can pay subscriptions with USDC or USDT. One authorization can cover future recurring charges. Exodus pays blockchain gas on subsequent subscription charges. Exodus Movement has launched a merchant payment system that brings USDC and USDT directly into subscription billing, debuting the product with DGO in Argentina.
Exodus Checkout allows eligible DGO customers to select stablecoins during checkout and pay from a compatible crypto wallet. The initial launch covers Argentina, with additional Latin American markets planned. More importantly, the infrastructure supports both one-time purchases and recurring payments, moving Exodus beyond wallet software and deeper into merchant payment processing.
DGO Tests Stablecoins Without the Card Layer The architecture differs from the card-based stablecoin option Exodus introduced for DGO customers earlier this year.
Checkout creates a direct merchant payment flow. A business generates a payment session through the Checkout API, redirects the customer to a hosted payment page and receives confirmation through webhooks once the transaction is confirmed onchain. Merchants can choose direct settlement or a two-step process where funds are held until they are captured or refunded.
The system currently supports USDC and USDT across Ethereum, Solana, Polygon, Arbitrum, Base and BNB Smart Chain, although individual merchants decide which combinations to accept.
Customers are not locked into an Exodus wallet either. Exodus lists MetaMask and Phantom among compatible options, alongside other wallets supporting the required stablecoin and network.
That makes DGO less of a wallet integration and more of a live test for Exodus’ business-facing payment infrastructure.
Recurring Billing Works Differently From a Credit Card Subscriptions expose one of the harder problems in crypto payments.
A cardholder can give a merchant credentials that support future charges. A self-custodial wallet normally requires its owner to authorize transactions individually.
Exodus Checkout bridges that gap with an onchain subscription authorization. At signup, the customer signs once and the first charge occurs in the same transaction. The authorization creates an onchain subscription that can subsequently be charged by the merchant within predefined limits.
The merchant cannot withdraw an unlimited amount. Checkout supports a per-charge cap and a budget for each billing window, with those restrictions enforced onchain.
Renewals are also not automatically initiated by the blockchain. The merchant decides when a billing cycle should be charged and submits the request through Exodus’ subscription API. Fund-moving requests require a separate merchant signing key rather than relying solely on an API credential.
That architecture more closely reproduces recurring merchant billing while preserving limits established when the wallet owner authorizes the subscription.
Who Pays Gas When DGO Renews a Subscription? The implementation answers an important practical question for customers.
A user pays the normal blockchain transaction fee when initially approving a stablecoin payment or subscription. Exodus’ customer documentation warns that the fee is paid using the native asset of the selected network.
Subsequent subscription charges work differently. When the merchant requests an authorized recurring charge, Exodus submits the onchain transaction and pays the gas.
That removes the need for a subscriber to return every month simply to approve another transaction or maintain enough ETH, SOL or another native gas token for every renewal.
Stablecoin liquidity still matters.
If the wallet does not contain enough of the authorized stablecoin, the charge can fail with an InsufficientBalance error. Checkout does not automatically cancel the subscription after repeated failures. Instead, the merchant remains responsible for deciding how failed payments affect access, retries or eventual cancellation.
That division of responsibility is important for DGO. Exodus supplies the payment rails and onchain authorization, but subscription management remains a merchant function.
Stablecoin Prices Can Still Be Set in Local Currency Checkout also separates the currency used to price a subscription from the token used to settle it.
New subscription plans can be denominated in ARS, BRL, EUR or USD. When a charge is due, Checkout can quote the corresponding amount of the settlement stablecoin and lock that rate for the transaction.
A DGO subscription therefore does not necessarily need to become a fixed-USDC product simply because the customer pays with USDC.
That distinction is especially useful for consumer businesses. Merchants can continue thinking in conventional pricing currencies while customers choose blockchain settlement at checkout.
Argentina Becomes the First Test of Merchant Adoption Latin America gives Exodus a meaningful environment in which to test the model. The company specifically points to demand for dollar stablecoins in markets exposed to currency volatility, while DGO already operates across several countries in the region.
But the Oct. 1 announcement confirms production availability only in Argentina. Expansion into Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Uruguay and Ecuador remains planned and is explicitly treated by Exodus as forward-looking.
The more revealing numbers will therefore come after launch: payment volume, failed versus successful renewals, the share of subscribers choosing stablecoins and whether merchants beyond DGO integrate Checkout.
Those metrics would show whether stablecoins can move from an alternative way to fund crypto cards into payment infrastructure consumers repeatedly use without having to think about the blockchain underneath.
Alex is a financial markets journalist and co-founder of Millennial Media Group, and he's spent close to ten years trying to answer one stubborn question: what's really driving this? It started in 2016, when Bitcoin refused to make sense to him - and rather than shrug, he stayed with it until it did. That patience became his method. He's less interested in what an asset is doing today than in the plumbing behind it: how liquidity flows, where risk hides, what a chart is quietly telling you that the headline isn't. That lens eventually stretched well past crypto into traditional markets, because the same forces - fear, leverage, incentives, timing - show up everywhere once you know how to look. Most coverage, in his view, insults the reader by stopping at the surface. Price up, price down, moving on. He'd rather leave someone genuinely understanding a move than merely informed that it happened. His path into markets ran through a Tourism degree at New Bulgarian University - proof, maybe, that curiosity beats credentials. With more than 200 deep analyses and over 10,000 articles behind him, he still walks away from most trading days having learned something he didn't know that morning.
Circle vyzvalo EU ke zmírnění pravidel MiCA pro rezervy stablecoinů a chce místo pevného 30% bankovního vkladu posouzení podle likvidity aktiv. U velkých stablecoinů označených jako „material“ může být tento podíl až 60 %. Tvrdí, že současný model zvyšuje úvěrové a protistranové riziko.
Circle argued that the bank deposit requirement imposed on large stablecoin issuers increases risks. The European Union is reassessing the MiCA rules.
USDC issuer Circle has requested changes to the bank deposit requirements applied to stablecoin reserves under the European Union’s MiCA regulation. In its submission to the European Commission’s MiCA review, the company proposed a more flexible system based on asset liquidity instead of a fixed-rate deposit requirement.
Current regulations require e-money token issuers to hold at least 30% of their reserves in commercial bank deposits. For major stablecoins classified as “material” by the European Banking Authority, this figure can rise to 60%.
According to Circle, this regulation exposes stablecoin reserves to greater credit and counterparty risks in the banking sector. The company cites the 2023 Silicon Valley Bank collapse, where approximately $3.3 billion in USDC reserves remained with the bank, causing the token to briefly lose its $1 peg, as an example of these risks.
Circle is advocating for the consideration of a liquidity requirement that allows a certain portion of reserves to be cashed out within one to five business days, rather than a strict minimum deposit requirement for bank deposits. The European Central Bank and some national central banks also support a similar approach.
The company also objected to the rule limiting reserve exposure to a single country’s government bonds to 35 percent. Circle argues that this limit makes it difficult for a dollar-based stablecoin to hold a significant portion of its reserves in US Treasury bonds.
As part of the same review, the Hyperliquid Policy Center also requested that perpetual futures contracts on the chain be evaluated under the existing MiFID II derivatives rules instead of MiCA.
These are requests submitted by industry organizations. This does not mean that the European Commission has accepted the proposals or amended the MiCA rules. A formal assessment and potential legislative process will need to be completed before a final decision is made.
*This is not investment advice.
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Nexo umožňuje držitelům XRP půjčit si USDT nebo USDC proti XRP se 0% úrokem, bez margin callů a bez likvidace během fixní doby 5 dní až 12 měsíců. Minimální zástava je 5 000 XRP a LTV činí 30 %. Jednotlivé půjčky mohou dosáhnout až 5 milionů USD.
Nexo lets XRP holders use their tokens as collateral to borrow USDT or USDC at 0% interest, with no margin calls or liquidation during the fixed term.
XRP holders can now use their tokens as collateral to access stablecoin liquidity without paying interest or selling their position, under Nexo’s Zero-interest Credit product. The service supports XRP alongside Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana, with no margin calls or liquidation during the agreed loan term.
Borrow at 0% with your SOL or XRP.
Zero-interest Credit now accepts SOL and XRP as collateral, alongside BTC and ETH. Stay invested, access stablecoin liquidity, and settle at maturity with no liquidation during the term.
Nexo expanded the product to XRP and SOL earlier this year, broadening a lending model that initially supported BTC and ETH.
The structure allows holders to keep exposure to XRP while borrowing against it, but it operates differently from a standard open-ended crypto loan.
XRP Holders Can Borrow at 30% LTV For XRP-backed Zero-interest Credit, Nexo uses a 30% loan-to-value ratio and sets the minimum threshold at 5,000 XRP.
This means the value borrowed is substantially lower than the value of the XRP pledged as collateral. The product carries 0% annual interest and zero fees, according to Nexo.
Borrowers can receive the proceeds in USDT or USDC and choose a fixed duration ranging from five days to 12 months. Individual loans can reach as high as $5 million.
Unlike Nexo’s standard Credit Line, the zero-interest product cannot normally be repaid early. Settlement takes place at the predetermined maturity date unless the position qualifies for renewal.
No Liquidation During XRP Price Swings One of the main differences is how the product handles volatility.
Traditional crypto-backed loans can liquidate collateral when its value falls and the LTV exceeds a specified threshold. Nexo says its Zero-interest Credit has no margin calls or mid-term liquidation, even if XRP falls sharply while the loan is active.
However, this does not mean the borrower is guaranteed to retain all of the XRP.
Each position is opened with a Minimum Repayment Price and Maximum Repayment Price. If XRP finishes below the minimum level at maturity, collateral is used to settle the credit at that predefined floor. If XRP rises beyond the maximum level, collateral can be sold at the upper price to repay the loan, limiting the borrower’s participation above that level.
Users who enable stablecoin repayment may settle with USDT or USDC at maturity and retain their XRP if the price remains within the specified repayment range and enough stablecoins are available in their account.
XRP Becomes Productive Collateral Without a Spot Sale The addition gives XRP holders another way to access liquidity without initially selling their tokens.
Nexo said XRP and SOL-backed loans use the same core zero-interest structure as its BTC and ETH product. When the expansion was announced, the company reported more than $170 million in total Zero-interest Credit loan volume, with a 66% borrower renewal rate.
The product therefore creates another financial use for XRP outside trading: holders can pledge the asset as collateral and receive stablecoins while maintaining exposure during the fixed term, subject to the predefined settlement boundaries.
Absa se stala první bankou v Africe, která po schválení regulátory spustila institucionální custody službu pro digitální aktiva. Podporuje BTC, ETH, XRP Ledger a USDC.
Absa Breaks New Ground in African BankingSouth Africa's @Absa has officially launched Africa's first bank-grade digital asset custody service, securing formal regulatory approval from South African authorities before going live. The service, called Absa Digital Asset Custody, went live on September 21, 2026, and positions the banking group as the first commercial bank on the continent to offer this capability to institutional clients.
The platform provides licensed custody, asset administration, and rails for asset movement. It targets institutional customers including hedge funds, asset managers, non-bank financial institutions, and corporate treasuries, giving them a regulated banking environment in which to hold and manage digital assets.
The service currently supports $BTC, $ETH, the $XRP Ledger, and $USDC, with additional assets expected to be added as institutional demand develops. Bitcoin accounts for the largest share of assets under custody at launch.
Ripple Technology and a Growing MarketAbsa built the platform on Ripple's custody technology, the result of an 11-month partnership that began in October 2025. The platform provides private-key management, transaction and approval controls, and bank-grade governance and compliance, functioning as a secure vault rather than a trading venue.
Rob Downes, Head of Digital Assets at Absa Corporate and Investment Banking, said the bank plans to extend the service to additional client segments and, subject to regulatory approval, expand into other African markets. Ripple's Managing Director for the Middle East and Africa described the launch as "a major milestone" for bank-grade digital asset infrastructure on the continent.
The backdrop is a rapidly growing local market. According to the South African Reserve Bank, crypto assets held by the country's three largest licensed service providers, Luno, VALR and Ovex, more than doubled to R25.3 billion (approximately $1.5 billion) at the end of 2024, up from less than R10 billion at the start of 2023. Globally, the digital asset custody market is estimated at around $953.5 billion in 2026 and could reach $4.38 trillion by 2033.
With this launch, Absa joins a small group of regulated global banks to offer an institutional-grade digital asset custody proposition, and brings Africa meaningfully into that conversation for the first time.
Sources:
Engineering News: Absa Becomes First Bank in Africa to Secure Regulatory Approval for Digital Asset Custody
BusinessDay: Absa Becomes First African Bank to Offer Digital Asset Custody
Nairametrics: Absa Becomes Africa's First Bank to Offer Crypto Custody
Circle vyzvala EU ke změně pravidel MiCA, protože podle ní splňují požadavky jen 3 z 30 největších stablecoinů. Firma chce také mírnější pravidla pro rezervy a zachování multi-issuance.
Circle has called on EU policymakers to adjust certain provisions in MiCA, noting that the majority of the largest global stablecoins are not included. According to Patrick Hansen, EU strategy and policy director at Circle, only three of the world’s top 30 stablecoins are MiCA-compliant.
Circle Pushes for Wider Stablecoin Recognition According to Circle, MiCA has already established a significant regulated stablecoin ecosystem, featuring approximately 30 e-money tokens approved in Europe. However, the company believes the framework still captures only a small share of the largest global stablecoins.
Hansen said “only 3 of the top 30 are MiCA-compliant today,” referring to USDC, USDG, and EURC. Circle’s accompanying policy post used a top-25 comparison, but it identified the same three regulated stablecoins.
Circle has thus requested the EU to maintain multi-issuance, which would enable a MiCA-licensed entity to issue a token alongside an affiliate in a different jurisdiction. The company stated that limiting that model could shift the European stablecoin market to the offshore market.
Circle Calls for Changes to MiCA Reserve Rules Circle also sought regulators to review MiCA requirements for e-money token issuers regarding reserves. The rules require at least 30% of reserves in commercial bank deposits, rising to 60% for significant issuers.
The company has agreed with the European Central Bank that those thresholds are too strict and may lead to higher risk of banking counterparty exposure. Circle, on the other hand, suggested a liquidity-based rule that takes into account the quality and availability of reserve assets.
This comes on the heels of Circle’s euro-backed stablecoin, which is expanding under MiCA. As we reported, use of EURC grew in payments and settlement, and supply has more than doubled year over year to approximately €400 million. Recently, Revolut has also introduced EURR as a further euro stablecoin in Europe’s regulated market.
Hyperliquid Also Seeks Changes During MiCA Review Circle’s submission coincided with other cryptocurrency firms reacting to the European Commission’s MiCA consultation. The Hyperliquid Policy Committee concentrated its submission on the treatment of perpetual futures.
The committee recommended that perpetual futures continue to be subject to MiFID II as they are derivatives regardless of how trades are recorded. It also opposed applying bilateral CFD restrictions to transparent central limit order books.
Hyperliquid also urged regulators to acknowledge public blockchain data on its reporting obligations when data is already accessible on the chain. Circle, on the other hand, suggested an alternative approach that would extend over a longer period of time and empower recognized foreign stablecoin issuers to function through locally licensed European institutions.
Circle v září na Solaně emitovala asi 13,50 miliardy USDC, což je nejvyšší měsíční emise stablecoinu v historii sítě. Solana tak 25. září dosáhla rekordní nabídky stablecoinů kolem 17,3 miliardy dolarů.
Circle minted about 13.50 billion USDC on Solana in September. That is the largest monthly stablecoin mint the network has ever recorded.
A month of very large deposits The September total did not come from one giant event. Circle issued USDC in repeated batches throughout the month, frequently in tranches of $250 million.
On some occasions the pace climbed to $500 million within short intervals.
The busiest stretch came early in the month. Circle minted $3 billion of USDC within a single 24-hour window, according to the research compiled for this story.
Many of these transactions were flagged by Whale Alert, the on-chain tracking service known for posting large crypto transfers as they happen.
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For comparison, gross USDC minting on Solana in August came to approximately $11 billion. At the time, that was the highest monthly figure on record for the chain.
Minted is not the same as circulating The headline number deserves a footnote. Gross minting measures how much USDC Circle created, not how much new USDC is actually floating around in wallets and apps.
Many large mints first land in treasury or issuer-controlled wallets before being distributed. As a result, net growth in circulating supply tends to be milder than the gross figures suggest.
By late August, USDC supply on Solana had passed $8 billion, which represented more than 10% of all USDC globally.
Every USDC is backed 1:1 by US dollar reserves, so large mints reflect real dollars moving into Circle’s system to be represented on-chain.
Solana’s stablecoin moment By September 25, Solana’s total stablecoin supply reached an all-time high of around $17.3 billion.
That figure is driven mainly by USDC and Tether, the two largest dollar-pegged tokens.
Circle has also been busy off-chain. In September, it struck a deal with Binance that included a $100 million equity stake and a multi-year agreement to promote USDC.
What this means The gross-versus-net distinction is the key thing to watch. Record mints make for eye-catching numbers, but circulating supply is the better gauge of how much USDC is actually being used on the network.
If net supply keeps climbing alongside gross issuance, it would point to dollars settling into Solana’s ecosystem rather than passing through. If the gap stays wide, the story is more about Solana as a high-speed transit route for institutional dollar flows.
The next data points worth tracking are October’s gross mint total, Solana’s circulating USDC supply, and whether the network’s total stablecoin supply holds above the roughly $17.3 billion peak set in late September.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Kaye Quema. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Lloyds Banking Group a Visa během sedmidenního pilotního programu vypořádaly závazky za 750 000 USD v USDC, přičemž peníze dorazily za méně než hodinu, i o víkendu.
Lloyds Banking Group and Visa have completed a seven day live stablecoin pilot that settled $750,000 in cross border payment obligations, with funds reaching Visa in under an hour even during the weekend.
Summary
Lloyds and Visa settled $750,000 in live cross border payment obligations using USDC during a seven day pilot. Funds reached Visa in under an hour, including during the weekend, compared with traditional settlement that can take a day or longer outside banking hours. Lloyds bought USDC through UK regulated exchange Archax and used its own Canton node, while Visa supported settlement on a separate public blockchain. The pilot tested whether stablecoins could support round the clock settlement while improving visibility over when funds arrive. According to Lloyds Banking Group, the trial used USDC for a series of real world U.S. dollar settlements between its Corporate Markets branch in Jersey and Visa in the United States.
Lloyds purchased the USDC through Archax, a UK regulated digital asset exchange, before transferring the settlement funds to Visa. The companies focused on the settlement process between financial institutions instead of changing how customers make payments.
Transactions continued outside normal banking hours, including over the weekend. Lloyds said traditional cross border settlement can take a day or longer when transactions begin outside banking hours, while funds moved during the pilot reached Visa in less than an hour.
Lloyds and Visa test stablecoin settlement across blockchain networks The trial tested more than the time required to move the funds. Lloyds operated its own node on Canton Network, using the blockchain’s configurable privacy features, while Visa supported settlement on a separate public blockchain.
Running the transactions across different blockchain environments allowed the companies to test whether stablecoin settlement could work without requiring participating institutions to operate entirely on the same network.
Visa has been working on similar infrastructure before its latest test with Lloyds. In June, crypto.news previously reported that the payments company had tested private stablecoin settlement with Brale using the SBC dollar backed stablecoin on Canton Network.
The earlier proof of concept examined whether financial institutions could settle transactions onchain while restricting access to sensitive transaction information. Visa had previously supported USDC settlement on public blockchains, while the Brale test brought its stablecoin work into Canton’s privacy focused institutional infrastructure.
Lloyds has been testing a different form of digital money on the same network. The bank recently participated in live tokenized deposit transactions alongside Barclays and NatWest as UK banks tested blockchain based payments using commercial bank money.
Its earlier work included issuing tokenized sterling deposits on Canton and using them to buy a tokenized UK government bond from Archax. Lloyds later completed three live transactions under the Bank for International Settlements led Project Agorá involving sterling, euros and Swiss francs.
The Visa pilot took another route by using USDC instead of a token representing a commercial bank deposit.
Stablecoin pilot targets round the clock settlement Settlement timing was one of the main areas tested during the seven day trial.
Banks and companies moving funds internationally can face delays when transactions fall outside the operating hours of the institutions and payment systems involved. Lloyds and Visa tested whether stablecoins could give financial institutions another way to complete certain settlement obligations around the clock.
For treasury operations, Lloyds said the structure could provide more certainty over when funds arrive and improve visibility into their status. Faster settlement could leave less liquidity waiting for transactions to complete during weekends and holidays, according to the bank.
Peter Left, head of digital assets at Lloyds Banking Group, said moving money across different markets, currencies and financial systems can add time and complexity to cross border transactions.
“Settling $750,000 of live payment obligations between Lloyds and Visa using stablecoins has allowed us to move beyond theory and test these capabilities in a real-world setting,” Left said.
He said digital money could make international payments faster, more transparent and more flexible for businesses, while giving companies more certainty over the movement of their funds.
Visa has continued building stablecoin settlement infrastructure as financial institutions experiment with using blockchain networks behind existing payment products.
Its stablecoin card network had reached more than 160 programs by September. Some participants have used USDC to meet Visa settlement obligations seven days a week, including weekends and holidays.
Visa has pursued institutional partnerships outside the UK as well. In August, South Korea’s Shinhan Financial Group signed an agreement with Visa covering stablecoin issuance, transfers and redemption, with the companies planning tests involving stablecoins in card payment settlement.
Rob Cameron, Visa’s group country manager for the UK and Ireland, said existing money movement infrastructure has not always provided the same operating flexibility required by businesses working across borders and around the clock.
“This pilot with Lloyds shows how stablecoins can work alongside existing banking infrastructure to give financial institutions more choice over how and when they settle funds,” Cameron said.
Canton becomes part of Lloyds’ digital money tests Canton Network has become a recurring part of Lloyds’ experiments with blockchain based financial infrastructure.
The bank’s work with tokenized sterling earlier this year involved a different structure from the latest USDC transactions. Tokenized deposits represent a commercial bank deposit onchain, while USDC is issued by Circle and backed by reserves held outside the banking deposit represented by the token.
Other financial institutions have been testing both models as potential settlement assets.
JPMorgan, Citigroup, Bank of America and Wells Fargo have been working through The Clearing House on a shared settlement network designed to let corporate clients move tokenized deposits around the clock, with the project targeting the first half of 2027. Visa, meanwhile, has continued testing stablecoins across public and institution focused blockchain infrastructure.
Canton has attracted stablecoin projects alongside those bank deposit experiments. World Liberty Financial launched its USD1 stablecoin natively on the network in August, allowing the dollar backed token to be used for activities including collateral, lending, issuance, redemptions and cross border settlement.
Financial institutions in other markets are testing similar arrangements. SBI Digital Practice and South Korea’s Nodeinfra agreed in August to develop a cross border settlement network connecting Japan and South Korea through Canton, initially using yen and won test tokens before any planned use of regulated stablecoins.
Lloyds’ latest test kept the existing banking and Visa infrastructure in place while introducing USDC into the settlement process.
The $750,000 in obligations was booked through Lloyds’ Corporate Markets branch in Jersey, converted into USDC obtained through Archax and transferred to Visa in the United States.
Left said the trial gave Lloyds a live environment for examining digital money instead of limiting the work to theoretical models.
Lloyds said the initiative forms part of its ongoing work examining how digital assets and tokenized forms of money can be used to move value between businesses and financial institutions.
AI agents can now hire humans. The gig is to walk around the physical world and capture it in 3D, with payment in USDC settled on Circle’s Arc blockchain.
The use case is narrow but not trivial. Physical AI and robotics systems need accurate, current spatial data, and the most reliable way to get it is still to send a person with a camera.
How the agent-to-human pipeline works Arc is Circle’s Layer-1 blockchain. That means it is a base network with its own rules for processing transactions, not an add-on built on top of another chain. It officially launched on September 16, 2026.
Its defining design choice is that USDC does double duty. The dollar-pegged stablecoin serves as both the gas token, which pays transaction fees, and the settlement currency.
Most blockchains charge fees in a volatile native token. That makes budgeting awkward for an automated system paying out small amounts. On Arc, a dollar in fees stays a dollar, so an agent can price a job without betting on crypto markets.
One of the platforms built on this setup is VANGRID. It matches AI agents with human participants who produce 3D models of real-world locations.
The workflow looks like this:
An agent posts a request for a scan of a specific place. A human contractor captures the location. The finished model is delivered as a GLB file, a common format for 3D assets. Each scan carries cryptographic provenance and a timestamp, and it is tied to filtered location data. Payment runs through escrow. The agent’s USDC is held until the scan is accepted, and refunds are available if delivery fails.
Arc also supports agent-driven micropayments with sub-second transaction finality.
A small but growing marketplace category VANGRID is not the only example. RentAHuman is another marketplace emerging alongside Arc. It uses the network’s escrow features to handle a range of real-world tasks that agents send to people.
What this means for USDC, Circle, and physical AI For Circle, Arc is a bet that stablecoins can be infrastructure, not just a trading instrument. Using USDC as the gas token ties network activity directly to demand for the stablecoin itself.
There are open questions worth watching.
Quality control. Escrow releases funds when a scan is accepted. The key issue is who, or what, decides acceptance, and how disputes get resolved when an agent and a human disagree about whether a model is good enough.
Labor dynamics. A marketplace where software sets the terms and humans compete for tasks raises familiar gig-economy concerns about pay rates and bargaining power.
Privacy and location data. Scans tied to real places carry obvious sensitivities. The use of filtered location data suggests the platforms are aware of this.
Network concentration. Arc is Circle’s chain and USDC is Circle’s stablecoin. Builders gain a tightly integrated stack, but they also take on dependency on a single issuer for both fees and settlement.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Diego Almada Lopez. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Coinbase plánuje finanční účty pro AI systémy a autonomní agenty, navazující na agentic wallets a platební nástroje pro softwarové transakce. Firma už přes x402 zpracovala více než 100 milionů plateb, z více než 99 % v USDC.
Coinbase has unveiled plans to build financial accounts tailored for artificial intelligence (AI) systems and autonomous agents, aiming to expand its agentic finance initiative. CEO Brian Armstrong stated on X that the company is creating a financial account designed for the needs of AI, extending work already underway with agent wallets and stablecoin payment tools that support software-based trading and transactions.
Coinbase ramps up agentic wallet infrastructureCoinbase has been working to integrate digital asset management solutions for AI agents. Its Agentic Wallets, introduced in February, enable autonomous spending, earning, and trading, while incorporating security safeguards. These wallets allow software agents to make payments directly, addressing a key limitation where agents previously could only recommend actions rather than execute them independently.
Building on the infrastructure for AI systems, Coinbase for Agents was launched in June. This service lets approved AI agents connect to Coinbase user accounts and perform trades or make payments within limits set by human users. The coming expansion will see these capabilities scale up from wallets to broader AI-oriented financial accounts, following Coinbase’s ongoing product development strategy rather than introducing a completely new model.
Coinbase is building the financial account for AI, aiming to streamline how autonomous agents manage assets, make payments, and execute trades under secure, user-defined conditions.
Rise of AI agents in global paymentsAutonomous agents increasingly require the ability to purchase computing power, access APIs, and pay for various digital services directly. To address this, Coinbase developed the x402 protocol, which supports machine-to-machine payments in stablecoins like USDC. This infrastructure allows agents to transact with digital services seamlessly, reducing the need for human intervention in routine purchases.
In May, Coinbase reported processing over 100 million payments through the x402 protocol, with more than 99% settled in USDC. While not all these transactions involved AI agents, the volume underscores the scalability and adoption of its machine-oriented payments platform.
Mini dictionary: x402 protocol, a Coinbase-developed payments layer allowing autonomous machine-to-machine stablecoin transfers and designed to serve the transactional needs of digital and AI agents.
Payment protocolTotal paymentsMain stablecoin usedx402100 million+USDC (99%+)Stablecoins power autonomous agent transactionsStablecoins have played a central role in Coinbase’s approach, supporting dollar-denominated transfers across blockchain networks without relying on conventional banking or card systems. Coinbase has integrated USDC and other stablecoins within its payment platform, while its Base network serves as an Ethereum-layer-2 solution for processing these transactions efficiently.
The payments stack now supports both agent-initiated and enterprise-focused payment flows, aiming to make programmable payments accessible for software-driven activity. Expanding these capabilities enables a broader range of financial activity by autonomous agents across digital platforms.
Agentic finance becomes wider strategy for CoinbaseCoinbase is advancing its agentic finance model across trading, payments, and comprehensive financial management. Its broader vision connects autonomous agents with user accounts and introduces tools like Advisor, an AI-powered interface for retail users. Coinbase has also upgraded its business payments system to enable AI-initiated transactions at scale.
Financially, Coinbase reported a third consecutive record for quarterly crypto trading volume market share in the second quarter, reflecting a push to diversify products beyond traditional trading in response to evolving market dynamics.
Shares of Coinbase closed at $190.02 on September 29, slipping 0.92% that day. However, this decline cannot be directly linked to the agentic finance developments.
As Coinbase advances its agent-focused roadmap, the main challenge will be developing a scalable, secure financial framework for software agents. Issues such as identity verification, spending control, liability, fraud prevention, and regulatory compliance are expected to take on greater significance as autonomous agents gain more financial independence.
The company’s expansion moves from agent-specific wallets toward comprehensive accounts, aiming to form the backbone of non-human economic activity in digital finance.
Arc od Circle spustil tři nové vývojářské sady pro nákup, výnos a půjčky $USDC v aplikacích. Borrow Kit umožňuje institucím půjčit si stablecoiny jako $USDC a $EURC proti cirBTC jako zástavě.
Three kits, one stablecoin-native stack@arc, Circle's layer-1 blockchain, has shipped three new developer kits designed to give apps a ready-made toolkit for buying, earning on, and borrowing against $USDC, without requiring builders to assemble the underlying infrastructure themselves.
The three new additions extend that approach into funding, earning, and borrowing.
The Onramp Kit lets users purchase $USDC directly inside an app. The feature is initially available to eligible users in the US, UK, and EU.
The Earn Kit adds $USDC and $EURC lending through @Morpho.
Bitcoin collateral, no sale requiredThe third kit, Borrow Kit, may be the most notable for bitcoin holders. Arc has integrated @Morpho as its main lending infrastructure, allowing institutions to borrow stablecoins like $USDC and $EURC using cirBTC, a Bitcoin-backed token, as collateral.
Morpho is the first lending protocol supported by Circle for this product, with Aave planned to be added later. The service is currently available on Arc and Ethereum, but is not available to customers in New York.
The kits arrive roughly two weeks after Arc's public mainnet went live. Circle launched Arc as a layer-1 blockchain for institutional finance, with BlackRock, Mastercard, and Visa among its founding validators. $USDC has more than USD 74 billion in circulation. On launch day, deposits into Morpho markets on Arc exceeded $150 million, pointing to strong early demand.
Sources:
Arc: Onramp Kit, Earn Kit, and Borrow Kit Are Now Live on Arc
Circle: Arc Mainnet launch press release
The Paypers: Circle launches Arc mainnet for institutional finance
Coinbase rozšířila své kryptem zajištěné půjčky o $HYPE a $ZEC; oprávnění uživatelé v USA mimo New York si mohou v aplikaci půjčit až 100 000 USDC. Půjčky běží přes Morpho na Base.
@Coinbase has expanded its crypto-backed lending product, allowing eligible U.S. residents outside of New York to borrow up to $100,000 in USDC by pledging their $HYPE (Hyperliquid) or $ZEC (Zcash) tokens as collateral. Loans are processed instantly through the Coinbase app.
Liquidity Without the Tax Hit The key appeal is the tax treatment. Borrowing against crypto holdings is not considered a taxable event, meaning users can access dollar liquidity without selling their positions and without realising a capital gain. According to Crypto Briefing, the feature lets holders of Hyperliquid and Zcash tokens borrow up to $100,000 in USDC "without triggering a taxable sale."
Risk parameters for altcoin collateral on the platform are set at a maximum loan-to-value (LTV) ratio of 49%, with liquidation triggered at 62.5%. In practical terms, that means a user posting $10,000 worth of $HYPE could borrow up to roughly $4,900. There are no fixed repayment schedules, though borrowers must keep their LTV ratio within limits to avoid automatic liquidation.
Built on Morpho and Base The product is powered by the @Morpho Protocol, an on-chain lending platform, running on @Base, Coinbase's own Layer-2 network. When a user posts collateral through the Coinbase app, the mechanics are handled by Morpho's smart contracts in the background. As Coinbase's own help documentation notes, "borrowing is enabled by the Morpho onchain lending protocol on Base."
The addition of $HYPE and $ZEC continues a steady expansion of accepted collateral assets. The platform already supports borrowing against Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, XRP, Cardano, Dogecoin, and Litecoin, with the programme having launched in early 2025. The broader Morpho and Coinbase partnership has grown considerably, with onchain collateral in their shared vaults rising 133% in 2026 to approximately $3.5 billion, alongside $1.57 billion in outstanding loans across roughly 53,000 active users.
Sources:
Crypto Briefing: Coinbase expands crypto-backed loans to include HYPE and ZEC
Crypto Briefing: Base financing markets grow 133% this year, driven by Morpho and Coinbase integration
Coinbase Help: Crypto-backed loans introduction
Baillie Gifford spustila Enhanced Yield Fund (BAGEY), plně on-chain tokenizovaný dluhopisový fond na Ethereu a Solaně, který se vypořádává v USDC nebo fiat měně a cílí na výnos kolem 7 %.
Baillie Gifford, the Edinburgh-based asset manager overseeing roughly $237B to $260B in assets, has launched its Enhanced Yield Fund, ticker BAGEY, as a fully on-chain tokenized bond product. The fund is issued natively on Ethereum and Solana, settles in USDC or fiat, and targets a yield of approximately 7%.
How BAGEY actually works The fund is an actively managed short-duration bond portfolio with a roughly two-year duration and an average credit quality rating of BBB. It holds a mix of public corporate and government bonds.
Shares are minted natively on public blockchains, meaning Ethereum and Solana serve as the legal register of ownership. There’s no traditional wrapper sitting between the investor and the token.
The minimum investment sits at $100, though the fund is restricted to eligible professional investors. Settlement happens in USDC or fiat currencies.
Custody and tokenization are handled by BitGo Bank & Trust, BNY, Anchorage Digital, and Archax. The fund operates with daily net asset value calculations.
Expansion beyond the UK BAGEY launched on June 22, 2026, through Baillie Gifford’s digital assets unit, BGDA UK. By September 29, it had already expanded its availability to professional investors in Switzerland, Hong Kong, and the Cayman Islands.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Kaye Quema. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Coinbase a Citi spustily pro firmy dvě nové stablecoinové platební služby. Coinbase Virtual Accounts navíc automaticky převádějí fiat na stablecoiny a nabízejí 3,75% roční výnos na zůstatcích v USDC.
TLDR Coinbase and Citi expanded their partnership on September 28 with two new stablecoin payment services for businesses. Coinbase Virtual Accounts, powered by Citi, automatically convert incoming fiat into stablecoins. Citi clients can accept stablecoin payments through Spring by Citi and receive fiat instead. The virtual accounts pay 3.75% annual yield on USDC balances. Neither company shared customer numbers, payment volumes or pricing. Coinbase and Citi have expanded their partnership to offer new banking and stablecoin payment tools for businesses. Coinbase announced the move on September 28, 2026.
The deal combines Coinbase’s digital asset payment systems with Citi’s regulated banking network. It creates two separate paths between traditional money and stablecoins.
The partnership was first disclosed in October 2025. At that time, the companies said they would focus on fiat pay-ins and pay-outs for Coinbase’s on-ramps and off-ramps.
We're bringing stablecoins into the banking system with @Citi.
That means instant stablecoin acceptance for institutions – all on bank-grade, regulated infrastructure.
The next step for stablecoins becoming everyday money. pic.twitter.com/9ftQ50yl5y
— Coinbase 🛡️ (@coinbase) September 28, 2026
How the Two Payment Paths Work The first path centers on Coinbase Virtual Accounts. These accounts run on Citi’s Virtual Account Wallet, part of its Banking-as-a-Service offering.
The accounts give businesses features similar to a bank account. Incoming fiat is automatically converted into stablecoins, a capability Citi calls an industry first.
Coinbase Virtual Accounts also pay 3.75% annual yield on USDC balances. This means businesses can earn a return on the stablecoins they hold.
The second path works in the opposite direction. Citi’s institutional clients can accept stablecoin payments through Spring by Citi, the bank’s merchant platform.
Customers pay in stablecoins, and the merchant receives fiat. Coinbase handles the conversion while Citi settles the payment as the bank of record, so merchants do not need to hold stablecoins.
Debopama Sen, Citi’s Head of Payments, Services, said the bank aims to build payment systems that connect traditional and digital networks. Brett Tejpaul, Head of Coinbase Institutional, said the partnership helps deliver faster and cheaper cross-border payments.
What the Companies Did Not Share Coinbase described the services as available now. However, it did not name any client that has used Spring by Citi for stablecoin payments.
Neither company disclosed customer counts, payment volumes or pricing. They also did not say which currencies or stablecoins are supported for conversion.
The announcement does not confirm whether a single customer can use both payment paths. Coinbase said its infrastructure reaches an enterprise market representing more than 150 million stablecoin holders, but that figure reflects potential reach rather than confirmed users.
Citi brings a large network to the deal. The bank operates in more than 180 countries, and its 24/7 USD Clearing service serves more than 300 bank clients.
Citi Token Services has processed around $1 billion in transactions. The same week, Citi said Token Services is expanding into Japan and the UAE, bringing it to seven jurisdictions.
The yield feature arrives while rules for the GENIUS Act are still under review. The Treasury proposed its implementing regulations in August 2026, and a public comment period is ongoing.
The law takes effect in January 2027. It is not yet clear whether the 3.75% yield structure will be allowed under the final rules.
The new services are launching first in the United States. The companies said more capabilities are expected in the coming months.
Circle a Volante integrují USDC přímo do platební infrastruktury bank, kde si mohou instituce vyzkoušet minting, redemption i wallet-to-wallet platby. Zatím jde jen o testování, ne o produkční nasazení.
USDC is being introduced at the payment-orchestration layer rather than through a standalone crypto stack. Volante’s Vol360i already uses agentic AI for payment routing, exception resolution and operational monitoring. The current phase lets banks evaluate USDC workflows. It is not yet evidence of production stablecoin adoption by Volante’s major bank clients. Circle is taking USDC deeper into traditional banking infrastructure, but the important part of its latest partnership is not simply that more banks could gain access to a stablecoin.
It is where USDC is being inserted.
Volante Technologies is bringing USDC workflows into its AI-powered Payments Platform, allowing financial institutions to evaluate minting, redemption, beneficiary wallet registration, funding, notifications and wallet-to-wallet payments within the infrastructure they already use for payment operations.
That could turn stablecoin adoption from a separate digital-asset integration into something closer to a new payment-rail configuration.
Volante already serves four of the top five global corporate banks and seven of the top 10 U.S. banks, giving the collaboration access to infrastructure used by some of the world’s largest financial institutions. Those banks are Volante clients, however, not confirmed users of the new USDC workflows.
USDC Enters the Payment-Orchestration Layer Banks rarely rely on a single mechanism to move money.
Payment infrastructure has to accommodate different rails, destinations, settlement speeds and operational requirements while handling the processes surrounding each transaction.
Volante operates in that layer.
The Circle collaboration adds USDC workflows to the same environment, allowing banks to examine how stablecoin transactions could interact with their existing controls and on- and off-ramp requirements.
That is different from building a dedicated crypto system and connecting it back to the bank afterward.
Deepak Gupta, Volante’s Chief Product, Engineering and Delivery Officer, described the strategy directly:
“For banks, stablecoin adoption is not about building a separate digital asset stack.”
Instead, Gupta said the objective is to integrate a new rail into infrastructure banks already depend on.
That distinction is central to the partnership.
The technical ability to transfer USDC is only one component of an institutional payment. Banks also have to manage beneficiaries, funding, operational controls, exceptions and the conversion between traditional money and digital dollars.
Volante is positioning those functions inside an existing banking workflow rather than treating stablecoins as an isolated product.
What Vol360i’s AI Actually Does The AI component sits around the payment rather than inside USDC itself.
Volante launched Vol360i in June as an agentic AI framework embedded in its Payments Platform and Payments as a Service operations.
Its agents are organized around four functions: preventing failures, repairing exceptions, predicting payment outcomes and monitoring risks or operational problems. Volante says its clients already achieve straight-through-processing rates of 85% to 95%, with Vol360i designed to push automation further. Those are company-reported performance figures rather than independent benchmarks.
The system also uses a confidence-based model that allows banks to begin with assisted decision-making and gradually expand automation. Operator approvals and overrides remain part of the framework, while agent recommendations and actions are logged for auditability.
USDC does not become an “AI stablecoin” under this model.
Instead, it becomes a potential settlement workflow inside an infrastructure layer where AI is already being used to manage how payments are processed.
A Stablecoin Could Become a Routing Decision That creates the more interesting long-term possibility.
Volante’s payment infrastructure already operates across multiple rails. Its own materials describe support for systems including ACH, U.S. wires, instant payments and cross-border payment infrastructure. The company is also explicitly discussing multi-rail architectures that combine traditional systems with stablecoins.
Once USDC enters that environment, the question can eventually move beyond whether a bank “supports crypto.”
It becomes whether USDC is the appropriate rail for a particular payment.
Vol360i’s Predict Agents are designed to determine suitable outcomes for individual payments, while other agents handle exceptions and monitor operating conditions. Adding stablecoin functionality gives that architecture another potential method of moving value.
A mature version of the model could therefore evaluate several available routes according to bank-defined parameters and operational requirements before deciding how a transaction should proceed.
That remains a future possibility.
Circle and Volante have not announced that Vol360i is autonomously routing production bank payments into USDC. The current collaboration gives institutions an environment for evaluating stablecoin workflows alongside existing payment operations.
The distinction keeps the significance of the announcement in perspective: the infrastructure is being prepared for multi-rail stablecoin operations before large-scale bank deployment has been demonstrated.
AI Could Eventually Operate on Both Sides of the Payment Circle is approaching AI payments from another direction as well.
Its separate Agent Stack is designed to give AI applications access to programmable wallets, service discovery and USDC payments.
That addresses a different layer from Vol360i.
Circle’s agent infrastructure concerns software capable of initiating and receiving payments. Vol360i concerns intelligence embedded in the banking infrastructure responsible for processing them.
USDC could potentially connect the two.
An AI agent could originate a transaction using programmable money while AI-enabled banking infrastructure handles operational decisions surrounding how that transaction is processed.
The Volante collaboration does not establish that end-to-end architecture today. But the combination shows how two previously separate trends, agentic software and stablecoin settlement, could begin meeting inside financial infrastructure.
The Next Milestone Is Production, Not Another Partnership Volante gives Circle something particularly valuable: distribution into existing banking infrastructure.
The company says its technology already touches institutions representing 66% of U.S. commercial bank deposits, while its customers process approximately $1.4 trillion in Fedwire transactions daily. These are Volante-reported measures of its existing footprint, not USDC transaction volumes.
That distinction matters for evaluating what comes next.
The partnership does not mean those payment volumes are moving onchain. It does not establish that Volante’s largest clients have adopted USDC, and it does not show AI autonomously choosing stablecoins over conventional rails.
The next meaningful evidence would be a bank moving these workflows from evaluation into production.
Until then, Circle and Volante have moved USDC into a strategically important position without pretending the transition is already complete.
USDC is no longer being presented only as something banks can connect to. It is being positioned as a rail that the software running bank payments could eventually choose between.
Alexander Zdravkov is a crypto journalist and market analyst specializing in digital assets, blockchain technology, and the rapidly evolving cryptocurrency market. He entered the industry more than four years ago, drawn to the speed of innovation in crypto and the potential of blockchain-based financial systems to reshape traditional markets. His work focuses on understanding the forces behind crypto market movements, from Bitcoin and altcoin cycles to institutional adoption, regulation, exchange-traded products, stablecoins, DeFi, and emerging blockchain ecosystems. Rather than simply following price action, Alexander looks at liquidity, investor positioning, market structure, and macroeconomic conditions to identify developing trends and explain what they could mean for digital assets. With a degree in International Relations, he brings a broader perspective to cryptocurrency coverage by connecting developments in the sector with monetary policy, geopolitics, regulation, and global capital flows. This allows him to examine crypto not as an isolated market, but as an increasingly interconnected part of the global financial system. Over the course of more than five years in financial journalism, Alexander has written over 5,000 articles covering cryptocurrencies, blockchain, traditional markets, and the global economy. His reporting spans Bitcoin, Ethereum and altcoins, DeFi protocols, institutional crypto adoption, regulation, market infrastructure, security incidents, and major developments shaping the wider digital asset industry. His approach is centered on giving readers context behind the numbers and headlines, explaining not only what is happening in crypto markets, but why it matters and what could come next.
Coinbase získala od CFTC schválení pro Coinbase Clearing LLC jako clearinghouse s kolaterálem v USDC. Firma jej označuje za první clearinghouse nativní pro USDC.
Coinbase has received CFTC approval to register Coinbase Clearing LLC as a Derivatives Clearing Organization, completing the company’s end-to-end regulated derivatives platform. The infrastructure now spans Coinbase Financial Markets, a Futures Commission Merchant, Coinbase Derivatives, a Designated Contract Market, and Coinbase Clearing, which the company describes as the first USDC-native clearinghouse.
The clearinghouse is designed to use USDC as collateral and provide settlement around the clock. Coinbase said having its own clearing operation will allow it to directly create and settle fully collateralized contracts, potentially enabling faster product development and more efficient operations.
The company will still rely on existing partners for certain offerings, including margined derivatives and its upcoming single-stock perpetuals. Coinbase said the regulatory approval will support its efforts to expand regulated products and develop financial infrastructure for the onchain economy.
Disclosure: This article was edited by John Chen. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Franklin Templeton rozšiřuje svůj program zajištění mimo burzu na Bybit. Uživatelé tak mohou použít tokenizované fondy peněžního trhu jako zástavu pro USDT nebo USDC a dál na nich pobírat výnos.
Sandy Kaul at Consensus Miami 2026 (CoinDesk)Summary
The underlying assets will be held off-exchange through regulated custody platform, ByCustody, with the value mirrored within Bybit's trading environment.The shares are issued through the Benji Technology Platform, Franklin Templeton's proprietary blockchain-integrated record keeping and transfer agency infrastructure.Digital asset-friendly financial institution Franklin Templeton is expanding its “off-exchange collateral program" to Bybit, allowing the exchange’s users to use shares in Franklin Templeton’s tokenized money market funds for crypto trading.
The partnership allows investors and wallet holders on the exchange to pledge shares, which represent about $686 million in net assets, as collateral to borrow stablecoins USDT or USDC while earning yield on the underlying assets, according to a press release on Monday.
The key point is that users will not have to move the underlying assets to Bybit. Instead, regulated custody platform ByCustody will hold the underlying assets off-exchange, with the value mirrored in Bybit's trading environment to enable yield generation while unlocking trading liquidity, the release said.
This is not Franklin Templeton's first off-exchange collateral partnership; the firm also offers its tokenized money market funds to customers of Binance and OKX. The work continues the buildout of collateral mirroring in the crypto space and the opportunities that brings, said Sandy Kaul, Head of Digital Assets and Innovation at Franklin Templeton.
“So now I'm able to really look across the top exchanges and be able as an investor to use my collateral more optimally while earning yield on it,” Kaul said in an interview. “That to me is a critical unlock to really allow the ecosystem to grow. It's also a wonderful opportunity for us as an asset manager to be designing products specifically for this wallet-based investing channel.”
The shares are issued through the Benji Technology Platform, Franklin Templeton's proprietary blockchain-integrated record keeping and transfer agency infrastructure. Benji's currently pays a 3.7% annualized yield, based on the latest seven-day rate.
The expansion reflects a broader industry pattern. Several crypto platforms accept tokenized funds as collateral for trades. Crypto.com and Deribit, for example, allow eligible institutional and professional users to use BlackRock’s BUIDL fund to back trades, including derivatives positions.
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.
Breez SDK nově umožňuje přijímat USDT a USDC z více než 30 sítí přímo do bitcoinového nebo dolarového zůstatku. Podporuje mimo jiné Ethereum, Base, Solanu a Tron.
Breez, a Bitcoin software provider focused on payments infrastructure, has introduced a new feature in its Breez SDK that allows users to receive stablecoin payments from more than 30 different networks directly into their bitcoin or dollar balance. The update addresses common usability issues with stablecoins, which usually require separate wallets and work on various blockchains, posing challenges for both crypto newcomers and seasoned users.
New cross-chain payments capabilityThrough the enhanced Breez SDK, applications can now enable users to accept payments sent in leading stablecoins USDT and USDC, supporting networks such as Ethereum, Base, Solana, and Tron. Recipients with a bitcoin balance can select both the sender’s network and the desired payment amount. After making a selection, the SDK generates a deposit address, calculates the incoming value, and notifies the sender, who simply pays from their existing wallet.
Payments are converted in the background by Flashnet, a payment conversion platform. The resulting funds are deposited either as bitcoin or as stable, dollar-denominated balances in the recipient’s non-custodial wallet, depending on user preference.
Mini dictionary: Breez SDK is a developer toolkit that enables applications to integrate bitcoin and Lightning Network payments using minimal code, eliminating the need for developers to build and manage the payment infrastructure themselves.
The rollout of stablecoin receiving follows the June launch of the send USDT/USDC function, offering developers a unified solution for moving stablecoins in either direction across most major blockchain networks.
FeatureBefore UpdateAfter UpdateStablecoin Payment DirectionSend onlySend and receiveSupported NetworksLimited30+ networksIntegrationManual for each chainSingle unified integrationFocus on usability and securityBreez has prioritized making bitcoin-powered apps feel familiar to regular fintech users by implementing features such as passkey login in place of seed phrases, instant onboarding through Cash App, and dollar-denominated balances. The latest stablecoin integration is part of ongoing efforts to break down barriers for mainstream use of bitcoin apps.
Breez’s reference application, Glow, launched in August, showcases the SDK’s functionality and demonstrates how multiple features can be layered for an improved user experience. Users can navigate between stablecoin and bitcoin payments within a single app to support a wide variety of everyday transactions.
Collaboration with Turnkey and broader adoption goalsIn July, Breez announced a partnership with Turnkey, a security infrastructure provider. This collaboration allows developers to implement non-custodial bitcoin services, even when running application wallets from their own servers. The solution addresses custody roadblocks that have deterred major consumer platforms from integrating bitcoin payments to date.
The non-custodial approach ensures that users retain full control over their funds, a key consideration for both compliance and security-conscious projects.
Users can now receive USDT or USDC from over 30 networks, including Ethereum, Base, Solana, and Tron, directly to a single bitcoin or USD balance, with no need to integrate a new blockchain. The value is transferred seamlessly through a streamlined process that feels like a regular payment app.
These enhancements further establish Breez as an innovator in the open-source Bitcoin ecosystem, pushing for a broad adoption of bitcoin and stablecoin payments through accessible developer tools and integrated solutions.
Binance uzavřela s Circle pětiletou obchodní dohodu a investovala 100 milionů USD, což má dál rozšířit USDC a zvýšit tlak na USDT. Na Binance už objem USDC výrazně roste.
PANews reported on September 26, citing CoinDesk, that analysts said Binance's $100 million investment to purchase Circle shares and its new five-year commercial agreement with Circle will further expand USDC's reach in emerging markets and global crypto trading, while creating more competitive pressure on Tether's USDT. The agreement integrates and promotes USDC on the Binance platform while allowing Binance to directly participate in Circle's growth. Clear Street analyst Owen Lau said the move further optimizes the partnership and better aligns the interests of Binance and Circle, similar to the distributor and shareholder relationship between Circle and Coinbase.
Binance and Circle first reached a partnership in December 2024, and since then USDC trading markets and trading volume on Binance have grown significantly. Kaiko data shows that when the two sides first partnered, Binance offered 140 USDC-denominated spot trading markets, a figure that has now grown to 329; by comparison, Binance's USDC-denominated trading markets grew from 39 in 2021 to 140 by the end of 2024, a relatively slower pace of expansion. Binance's monthly USDC trading volume has also risen from a range of roughly $20 billion to $40 billion before the partnership to a level that now consistently exceeds $80 billion.
Kaiko head of research Anastasia Melachrinos said that since 2026, Binance has continued to hold the largest share of USDC spot trading activity, handling roughly $5 billion to $10 billion in daily trading volume, about 10 to 20 times that of most other trading platforms, while USDC trading volume on other major exchanges overall remains largely within its previous range. She believes Binance itself has likely driven the substantial growth in USDC trading volume, and as Binance further expands USDC's coverage in emerging markets, its advantage may continue to widen.
Circle oznámila, že CFO Jeremy Fox-Geen odejde do konce roku a spoluzakladatel P. Sean Neville rezignoval na místo v představenstvu. Počet členů představenstva klesl na sedm.
Circle Internet Group (NYSE: CRCL), the issuer of the USDC stablecoin, disclosed in a September 25 securities filing that Chief Financial Officer Jeremy Fox-Geen will step down by the end of the year and that co-founder P. Sean Neville has resigned from the board. The leadership changes were detailed in a Form 8-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and reduce the board from eight to seven directors.
CFO transition through year-end Fox-Geen notified the company on September 25 of his intention to step down but will continue as chief financial officer through December 31, 2026, or until a successor is appointed, to support the transition. Circle has begun a search for its next CFO with the help of a leading executive search firm and said his departure did not result from any disagreement over the company’s operations, policies, or practices. He will also remain eligible for company benefit plans during the transition.
Under a Post-Termination Restrictive Covenant Agreement, Fox-Geen will keep his $500,000 annualized base salary through the transition, remain eligible for a 2026 incentive award targeted at 110% of base salary, and continue vesting in outstanding equity awards. In exchange for restrictive covenants and a release, Circle will pay him $1,050,000 in equal monthly installments over 12 months, accelerate two additional months of restricted stock unit vesting, and extend by 12 months the post-termination exercise period for his outstanding non-qualified stock options. The agreement also includes a 24-month non-solicitation and non-hire covenant and a 12-month non-compete clause.
Co-founder departs the board The filing also disclosed that Neville, a co-founder who had served on the board since 2016, resigned effective September 25 for personal reasons. Circle described the move as part of an orderly process of board refreshment and said it was not due to any disagreement, leaving the board with seven directors.
A leadership reset at the stablecoin issuer The changes arrive as Circle has deepened its reach across the industry, including a $100 million strategic investment from Binance and new bitcoin-backed USDC borrowing for institutions, both announced this week. The company issued a press release the same day announcing Fox-Geen’s departure, and President Heath P. Tarbert signed the filing, which was made under Securities and Exchange Commission disclosure rules for public companies.
AUTHOR
Tokoni Uti is a Lagos-based writer with several years of experience. Her work has appeared in the Huffington Post, the Los Angeles Free Press and the San Diego Free press among others. She is a graduate of Bowen University.
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.
Binance investuje 100 milionů USD do Circle a uzavřela pětiletou dohodu na podporu adopce USDC na své globální platformě. NYSE a Blockchain.com zároveň chystají tokenizované americké akcie a ETF prostřednictvím nového ATS.
The boundaries between cryptocurrency firms and traditional financial institutions are increasingly intersecting, with new partnerships and investments signaling a shift toward integrated payment systems and tokenized assets. Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, has committed a $100 million investment in Circle, a key player in the stablecoin sector. Meanwhile, Canada’s leading banks are collaborating on new blockchain-based deposit initiatives, and the New York Stock Exchange is advancing plans to bring tokenized US securities to crypto-focused platforms.
Binance’s $100 million Circle deal expands USDC partnershipBinance strengthened its collaboration with Circle through a $100 million investment announced this week, accompanied by a five-year agreement aimed at boosting adoption of USD Coin (USDC) across Binance’s global platform.
A recent filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission revealed that Circle issued 1,237,011 shares of its Class A common stock to Binance, priced at $80.84 each, during a private placement executed on September 17. Circle’s share price climbed in response to the announcement, and the purchase price was noted as being below its prevailing market value before the deal finalized.
The partnership goes beyond a capital investment. Circle agreed to pay Binance a monthly incentive fee based on the amount of USDC managed through the exchange’s Modular Smart Contract Wallet system, a technology designed to make holding digital assets more flexible and secure.
Binance faces restrictions on selling, transferring, pledging, or otherwise disposing of the Circle shares for up to two years, though the lockup may end early if certain conditions are met. During this period, Binance will retain voting rights for its shares.
Circle and Binance deepened their relationship with a major investment and lengthy agreement to drive USDC adoption on the exchange’s network.
Circle, a US-based financial technology company, is known for developing USDC, one of the most widely used USD-backed stablecoins in global digital transactions.
Canada’s six largest banks—Bank of Montreal, CIBC, National Bank of Canada, Royal Bank of Canada, Scotiabank, and TD Bank Group—are jointly exploring the launch of tokenized Canadian dollar deposits. The project aims to enable digital representations of bank deposits to move swiftly between institutions, potentially connecting to wider digital asset networks in the future.
The initiative follows a clarification by Canada’s bank regulator, which stated that tokenized deposits are not legally distinct from traditional bank deposits, meaning their core legal status remains unchanged regardless of the technology used.
Unlike stablecoins backed by cash and issued by financial technology companies, tokenized deposits would remain recognized as liabilities of banks, allowing them to offer programmable, rapid transfer solutions within the established financial system.
Mini dictionary: Tokenized deposits, digital versions of traditional bank deposits issued on a blockchain, which let financial institutions and clients transfer value on digital rails while keeping deposits as conventional bank liabilities.
Canada’s new stablecoin rules are set to cover non-bank issuers, while regulated banks and credit unions are excluded under the current framework.
Stablecoin use grows as market contractsDespite a sharp downturn in the broader crypto market, which saw total capitalization drop 37% to $2.1 trillion, cross-border stablecoin flows jumped 78% to $220.3 billion in the year through June, according to blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis.
Chainalysis identified 4,708 new cross-border corridors handling $2.64 billion, with the largest corridors representing 96.1% of total value transferred. The typical transfer was about $3,000, indicative of activity ranging from remittances to business payments.
Tether’s chief economist Philip Gradwell described the wave of stablecoin transfers as “steady,” aligning with global business needs more than trading speculation. StraitsX CEO Tianwei Liu cited increasing demand for dollar-based assets, inflation protection, and pathways around capital restrictions outside Asia.
The rise in stablecoin payments has coincided with regulatory advancements in several major jurisdictions. The US implemented the GENIUS Act in July 2025, while the European Union’s MiCA regulation and Hong Kong’s licensing rules have expanded formal oversight across the sector.
MarketStablecoin FlowsTotal Crypto Market CapYear through June$220.3 billion (+78%)$2.1 trillion (down 37%)The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Blockchain.com have formed a partnership to provide tokenized US stocks and exchange-traded funds via a forthcoming alternative trading system (ATS). The project will allow crypto users to gain exposure to regulated equities on a blockchain infrastructure.
Both companies have signed a memorandum of understanding for this initiative, which depends on regulatory approvals. The agreement also includes a data-sharing partnership with Intercontinental Exchange’s ICE Data Services, a major provider of financial market data and the parent of NYSE.
Reid Noch, a director at TD Securities, said the collaboration targets the expanding market for retail trading and seeks to enable 24/7 market access. Talos’s Tanay Ved highlighted how digital asset platforms are evolving into multi-asset trading solutions.
According to RWA.xyz, the total value of tokenized stocks has reached $3.14 billion, with the number of holders up 72% to 3.87 million.
US regulators have introduced a five-year Innovation Exemption for selected tokenized securities trading venues, provided that these digital assets represent real shares with full economic and governance rights in line with traditional stocks.
Útočník na Bitget po průlomu za zhruba 351,6 milionu USD převedl ukradené USDC do ETH. Případ znovu vyvolal otázky, kdy Circle dokáže zmrazit prostředky spojené s útokem.
The Bitget hacker has converted stolen USDC into ETH after a breach that the exchange valued at about $351.6 million, renewing questions about when Circle freezes funds linked to an attack.
Summary
Security researcher Taylor Monahan flagged USDC transfers and swaps tied to the Bitget attacker. Bitget estimated the theft at $351.6 million and temporarily suspended withdrawals. Circle says it freezes USDC when legally compelled, while researchers have criticized its response time in past hacks. A U.S. lawsuit over the Drift exploit has raised similar questions about stolen USDC moving across chains. Security researcher Taylor Monahan flagged the attacker’s activity on X, pointing to USDC moving through wallets as stolen assets were converted into ETH. Monahan questioned why the funds remained movable despite Circle’s ability to block transfers from specific USDC addresses.
The transactions show the attacker using USDC during the conversion process, according to Monahan’s account. Her criticism concerns Circle’s response to identifiable funds, although the public account of the transfers does not establish whether Circle received a legal order concerning those addresses or when it learned their identities.
Bitget attacker moves USDC after $351.6 million breach Bitget said its security systems detected unauthorized transfers from some hot wallets at 18:31 UTC on Sep. 24. The exchange activated an emergency response, suspended customer withdrawals and estimated the affected assets at approximately $351.6 million. Deposits and trading remained available, while Bitget said account balances were accurate and its cold wallets were secure.
In its initial report on the breach, crypto.news covered Bitget CEO Gracy Chen’s account of the preliminary investigation. Chen said investigators had ruled out a leak of wallet private keys and believed the attackers had entered the exchange’s systems to move funds directly, without submitting customer withdrawal requests. Bitget was still investigating the entry point and had not released a final account of the attack.
The theft involved several assets, leaving investigators to follow more than one route for the stolen funds. On-chain tracker Lookonchain estimated the stolen portfolio at roughly $356.8 million using prices at the time of its update. Its breakdown included 102.93 million XRP worth about $157.48 million, 31,890 ETH worth about $85.75 million, and 21.05 million USDC. Lookonchain’s changing on-chain estimate and Bitget’s internal loss figure use different measurements.
Bitget said it had flagged addresses linked to the abnormal transfers and notified law enforcement and on-chain security firms. Chen said measures to prevent further outflows had been completed as engineers worked on repairs and the return of withdrawal services.
Monahan’s concern centers on the portion of the stolen assets held in USDC. Circle’s USDC terms say the issuer reserves the right to block transfers to and from certain on-chain addresses under its blocklisting policy. Once an attacker swaps USDC for ETH, however, a block on a USDC address cannot freeze the ETH received in that trade.
Circle’s freeze policy draws a response-time dispute Circle has described a narrower standard for using its technical controls than the one its critics seek during a live exploit. In an April statement on lawful intervention, published after the Drift Protocol hack, the company said it exercises its freeze ability when legally compelled by an appropriate authority. Circle argued that letting an issuer decide on its own whose assets to block could put legitimate holders’ property rights at risk.
Its USDC terms also say Circle may be required to freeze tokens after receiving a legal order from a valid government authority. The terms separately reserve the right to block certain addresses that Circle determines may be associated with illegal activity or a violation of its terms. They state that an on-chain USDC transaction cannot be reversed or recalled once initiated.
Those provisions matter to U.S. holders because Circle issues a dollar-backed stablecoin used across exchanges and decentralized applications, while its freeze decisions can affect access to tokens at a particular address. Circle’s stated policy places lawful process at the center of that decision. Monahan’s criticism focuses on the time available to intervene before a suspected attacker finishes moving or swapping the USDC.
Circle said in its April statement that tools for faster intervention exist, but legal frameworks for quicker, coordinated action while protecting users’ rights remain incomplete. The company called for clearer rules and for security measures across protocols, wallets, exchanges and stablecoin issuers.
ZachXBT documented 15 earlier USDC cases On-chain investigator ZachXBT alleged in April that Circle had taken minimal action or failed to act quickly enough in 15 cases involving more than $420 million in suspected illicit USDC flows since 2022. His list covered hacks and fraud cases in which he said stolen funds remained movable despite time to identify the activity.
As previously covered by crypto.news, ZachXBT cited about $9 million in USDC linked to the July 2025 GMX hack and said wallets involved in the Cetus hack were blocked only after the stolen USDC had been converted into ETH. He also alleged that attackers in the Drift case moved roughly $232 million over about six hours and more than 100 transactions before converting the funds.
The Drift transfers became the subject of a U.S. civil case. In April, a claimant sued Circle over transfers following the exploit, alleging that the issuer failed to stop roughly $230 million in stolen USDC routed through its Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol. The complaint, filed in a federal district court in Massachusetts, argues that earlier intervention could have reduced the losses. Those are the claimant’s allegations, rather than a court finding against Circle.
In that case, the claimant also pointed to Circle’s freeze of 16 USDC-linked wallets tied to a separate sealed U.S. civil matter as evidence that the issuer could block addresses. Circle’s April public statement, issued after the Drift attack, said freezes require lawful authority and called for legal structures that would permit faster action during future incidents.
Aave V4 na Base nově umožňuje použít tokenizované akcie Coinbase jako zástavu pro půjčky v USDC. Do kolaterálu patří sedm amerických titulů včetně Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia a Tesla.
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.
Na blockchainu Arc si institucionální dlužníci půjčili přes 90 milionů USDC proti cirBTC během prvních tří dnů. Aktivita prudce vzrostla z asi 1,37 milionu po spuštění cirBTC.
Circle’s Arc blockchain just turned three days old, and institutional borrowers have already pulled more than $90 million in USDC against deposits of cirBTC, the chain’s wrapped Bitcoin token.
The figure represents a dramatic acceleration from the chain’s earliest hours. Borrowing volumes started at roughly $1.37 million shortly after cirBTC went live on September 21, then climbed to $14.3 million within days.
How the plumbing works Arc is Circle’s EVM-compatible Layer 1, purpose-built for what the company calls stablecoin-native finance. The mainnet launched around mid-September 2026, and cirBTC followed on September 21 as the chain’s first major financial primitive.
The token is backed 1:1 by Bitcoin held at Circle National Trust, with reserves verifiable on-chain through Chainlink Proof of Reserve.
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The borrowing process works through what Circle calls Digital Asset-Backed Borrowing, or DABB. Eligible Circle Mint clients deposit BTC, mint cirBTC against it, supply that cirBTC to a lending market on Morpho Blue, and then borrow USDC that settles directly to their Mint balance.
Loan-to-value ratios are set by the lending protocol itself, not by Circle. One example market showed an 86% LTV.
One notable restriction: clients based in New York are excluded from DABB.
Who’s providing the liquidity Two names keep appearing on the supply side of these markets: Galaxy and Keyrock. Both firms have been acting as primary liquidity providers to the cirBTC/USDC lending pools on Morpho Blue, which helps explain why borrowing capacity scaled so quickly.
On launch day itself, deposits of USDC and EURC reportedly exceeded $150 million, suggesting the supply side was well-seeded before borrowers even showed up.
Why institutions want this The core value proposition is straightforward: borrow dollars without selling your Bitcoin. For institutions with large BTC positions, this solves a real problem. Selling Bitcoin to raise working capital triggers taxable events and forces them to give up upside exposure. Borrowing against it does neither.
The rapid scaling from $1.37 million to $90 million in roughly three days suggests pent-up demand among institutions that wanted Bitcoin-backed borrowing but couldn’t stomach the counterparty risk of existing DeFi options.
Whether the $90 million figure holds up under scrutiny is worth watching. Early reporting on Arc’s launch showed some discrepancies between published snapshots and actual on-chain volumes, with some figures reflecting lower borrowing activity than headline numbers suggested. The gap between deposits ($150 million-plus) and borrowing ($90 million) also indicates that a meaningful chunk of supplied capital hasn’t been matched with borrowers yet.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Payy Network po exploitu v kontraktu Ethereum rollupu zastavil celou platební platformu a přišel asi o 1,83 milionu USDC. Všechny vklady, výběry, převody i karetní platby jsou pozastavené.
Payy Network shut down its entire payments platform on September 24 after an attacker exploited a vulnerability in its Ethereum rollup contract and walked away with roughly $1.83 million in USDC. Deposits, withdrawals, transfers, and card transactions all went dark as the team scrambled to contain the damage.
The exploit hit at 04:21 UTC, buried inside a malicious verifyRollup transaction confirmed at block 26044909.
What the attacker actually did Payy is built around a privacy-first stablecoin payments model, running on an Ethereum-based rollup. The rollup contract is effectively the bridge between what happens on Payy’s network and what gets settled on Ethereum mainnet, and that bridge is where the attacker found their opening.
By crafting a transaction that passed through the verifyRollup function, the exploiter was able to extract USDC that should have remained locked in the contract.
Blockchain investigation firm Specter Investigation traced the stolen funds through the Railgun privacy protocol, where the USDC was converted into approximately 683 ETH and then fanned out across multiple addresses.
Payy confirmed the attack publicly and said all network operations were suspended while the team works with law enforcement and cybersecurity professionals. No timeline for resuming services has been announced.
This is not Payy’s first security scare in 2026 What makes this breach harder to dismiss as a fluke is that Payy already dealt with a serious vulnerability earlier this year. In June 2026, the project disclosed a critical flaw in its zk-circuit logic, the cryptographic layer responsible for generating the zero-knowledge proofs that underpin the platform’s privacy guarantees.
That flaw had allowed for the potential creation of forged burn messages, meaning an attacker could theoretically signal that tokens had been destroyed when they hadn’t been. The team patched it in version 1.3.0 before any funds were lost.
Why rollup bridges keep ending up in the headlines Payy’s case follows a familiar pattern: a project builds a sophisticated privacy architecture, the cryptographic layer holds, but the surrounding infrastructure fails. Zero-knowledge proofs are exceptionally hard to break mathematically. The contracts that wrap around them are not always written to the same standard.
What users and investors are watching now The immediate concern for Payy users is straightforward: funds are frozen, the network is dark, and the company has not given a restart date.
Payy has not indicated whether affected users will be made whole. In past DeFi exploits, outcomes have ranged from full reimbursement funded by treasury reserves to total losses for users, depending on the protocol’s financial position and governance decisions. Payy has not yet disclosed which category this incident falls into.
Security audits, which Payy had clearly invested in given the June patch, are necessary but not sufficient. The June vulnerability was found and fixed before exploitation. The September exploit suggests either a separate attack surface was missed or the fix introduced new complexity that created new risk.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
ARK Invest přesunul Venture Fund na Ethereum a umožnil kvalifikovaným investorům upsat i vybrat podíly onchain přes USDC. První tokenizovaná upsání proběhla přes Securitize.
ARK Invest has moved its Venture Fund onto the Ethereum blockchain, giving eligible investors a way to subscribe and redeem their holdings entirely onchain using USDC. The fund, listed under the ticker ARKVX as a Class D share, processed its first tokenized subscriptions through Securitize’s platform on September 24, 2026.
A $1.3 billion actively managed fund, one holding stakes in private companies like SpaceX and OpenAI, is now accessible through a crypto wallet and a stablecoin transfer.
How the mechanics actually work The subscription flow borrows from the ERC-7540 standard, which handles asynchronous vault requests. An investor submits a USDC subscription request and it gets recorded onchain right away. The actual fund tokens land in the investor’s wallet only after end-of-day net asset value calculations are complete, meaning the price you pay reflects that day’s officially calculated NAV rather than a spot market quote.
NAV stood at $60.49 per share just before the token launch on September 23, 2026. The 2% subscription fee is deducted before NAV is applied, so investors are effectively paying that fee on the gross amount sent before their share count is determined.
Each tokenized interest represents a 1:1 claim on shares of the underlying ARK Venture Fund. The actual fund shares sit at BNY Mellon as custodian, preserving the legal and regulatory structure investors would expect from a traditional interval fund.
Redemptions follow the same onchain logic. Investors submit requests through Securitize’s platform, those requests are recorded immediately, and settlement happens post-NAV. There is no secondary market planned for the tokenized assets, so liquidity remains what it was before tokenization: quarterly repurchase offers capped at 5% of outstanding shares, with the possibility of proration if demand for redemptions exceeds that limit in any given quarter.
The fund underneath the token ARKVX’s portfolio targets disruptive innovation, with concentrated exposure to sectors like artificial intelligence and aerospace. Holdings include private market names that most retail investors cannot normally access, SpaceX and OpenAI among them.
The fund reported a 20.35% return in the second quarter of 2026, outpacing the S&P 500’s 15.20% gain over the same period. Year-to-date through mid-2026, performance reached 26.71%. Assets under management stood at approximately $1.3 billion as of June 30, 2026.
Annual expenses run at approximately 3.49%. The minimum investment is $500, a deliberately low floor designed to bring in investors who would normally be priced out of private market exposure. Most interval funds and alternative vehicles aimed at accredited investors set minimums in the tens of thousands of dollars.
What this means for tokenized funds broadly ARK made a direct investment in Securitize in October 2025, so this product is partly an expression of that strategic bet paying out in product form.
Carlos Domingo, Securitize’s chief executive, framed the significance around moving established financial products onto blockchain rails rather than building new crypto-native products from scratch.
Cathie Wood described the launch as evidence of ARK’s commitment to the evolution of capital markets.
The quarterly liquidity structure is worth watching closely. Running redemption requests onchain adds transparency to the queue, since pending requests are visible on the blockchain, but it does not add liquidity. Investors who need to exit quickly in a stressed market will face the same constraints they would in a traditional interval fund structure, just with a cleaner digital record of the line they are standing in.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Bitget potvrdil útok za téměř 351 milionů USD a pozastavil výběry prostředků. CEO uvedla, že ztráty kryje User Protection Fund s více než 464 miliony USD.
Crypto exchange Bitget has been hacked for over $350 million. The hack was identified after users reported withdrawal problems. Initial on-chain data showed roughly $176 million moving from wallets labelled as belonging to the exchange.
Arkham data shows a series of large transfers taking place within around 20 minutes. The funds came from several Bitget-labelled hot wallets and at least one cold wallet.
Bitget then officially confirmed the hack was much bigger, affecting nearly $351 million in funds.
BREAKING: BITGET USERS REPORT WITHDRAWAL ISSUES
Users are reporting blocked withdrawals on Bitget, while on-chain data shows more than $100M in assets moving from a Bitget cold wallet. Something unusual appears to be happening at Bitget. pic.twitter.com/A08qVSbdWj
— BeInCrypto (@beincrypto) September 24, 2026
One address, 0x770b...63Ee, appears repeatedly as the receiver. It received ETH, AVAX, BNB, USDT, USDC, XAUT and other assets from the exchange-linked wallets.
The pattern is unusual because several wallets appear to be sending different assets into the same address within a short period. Similar rapid wallet sweeps can happen during exchange hacks, although exchanges also move funds internally during wallet maintenance or custody changes.
Bitget has confirmed that user withdrawals remain suspended as a security measure. CEO Gracy Chain confirmed that the entire affected amount falls under Bitget’s User Protection Fund.
“User funds are safe. The full amount of this loss falls within the coverage of Bitget’s User Protection Fund, which currently holds over $464 million,” wrote Bitget CEO Gracy Chen.
At 18:31 UTC on September 24, 2026, Bitget’s security systems identified unauthorized transfers involving a limited number of hot wallets.
Our security team immediately activated emergency response procedures and began a full investigation.
Based on our current assessment,… https://t.co/7xF5xW0JQ1
— Bitget (@bitget) September 24, 2026
This is a developing story.
Bezpečnostní firma Hacken upozornila na podezřelý odliv z peněženek Bitget v objemu asi 145 milionů USD, včetně ETH, USDT, USDC a tokenizovaného zlata. Pohyby odpovídají neoprávněnému přístupu, ale příčina zatím nebyla potvrzena.
Blockchain security firm @hackenclub has flagged what it describes as a significant and suspicious outflow from wallets publicly labeled as belonging to cryptocurrency exchange @bitget. The firm traced roughly $145 million in assets, including ETH, USDT, USDC, and tokenized gold, moving out of Bitget hot and cold wallets on September 24, 2026, with the pattern consistent with unauthorized access. No official cause has been confirmed.
Funds Rapidly Converted and Dispersed The on-chain trail points to a fast-moving and deliberate operation.
Activity on the Arbitrum network was among the first to draw attention.
The funds are now reported to be spread across six newly created addresses.
No Statement from Bitget, Users Report Blocked Withdrawals Meanwhile, some users are reporting that their own withdrawal requests have been blocked or placed under review, adding to concerns about the state of the exchange's operations.
The root cause of the Bitget outflows remains unverified. This article will be updated as new information becomes available.
Sources:
Crypto Briefing: Bitget faces hack concerns after $183 million in crypto moves
Bitcoin Sistemi: The Bitget Hack Is Still Ongoing, There Are New Developments
HIFI získala v rámci série A 37 milionů dolarů, vedené Left Lane Capital. Přeshraniční toky stablecoinů za 12 měsíců do června 2026 vzrostly o 77,5 % na 220,3 miliardy dolarů.
Stablecoin infrastructure provider HIFI has secured $37 million in a Series A funding round led by Left Lane Capital, as the use of stablecoins for payments and cross-border transactions accelerates despite ongoing volatility in the wider crypto market.
According to data from Chainalysis, cross-border stablecoin flows increased 77.5% to $220.3 billion in the 12 months ending June 2026, even as the overall crypto market contracted by more than a third during the same period. This trend underscores growing global interest in stablecoin-based transfers, particularly for international payments where traditional rails may pose delays and higher costs.
HIFI CEO Zach Walsh stated that this Series A round marks the company’s first priced fundraising. Although the firm did not disclose its current valuation, Walsh reported that HIFI is processing about $7 billion in annualized volume directly through its platform.
HIFI enables customers to move dollars into and out of stablecoins, facilitate payouts via US banking rails and cards, and settle dollar-denominated tokenized repo and Treasury transactions.
The demand for reliable stablecoin infrastructure has grown as more payments and financial assets shift onto blockchains, increasing the need for seamless connectivity between digital assets and the traditional banking sector.
Industry participation growsMajor financial institutions, including Visa and the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), have initiated or expanded blockchain-based financial infrastructure solutions. In July, DTCC conducted production trades using tokenized securities across several market segments, such as US Treasury and repo settlement, equity transactions, and collateral management. HIFI participated in these transactions alongside over 30 firms, including BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, and Nasdaq.
These pilot transactions utilized assets held at the Depository Trust Company, converting them into tokenized representations for delivery-versus-payment trades and other functions. DTCC has announced plans to launch its Tokenization Service in October, which is expected to further advance the adoption of tokenized financial infrastructure.
HIFI expands stablecoin payout optionsHIFI has also expanded its services to include card-based payouts in partnership with Visa Direct. Through its platform, customers can convert USDC and transfer the proceeds directly to eligible Visa debit and credit cards worldwide. This development reflects Visa’s ongoing efforts to incorporate stablecoin capabilities into its payments network.
Visa reported that during its fiscal second quarter, more than 160 stablecoin-linked card programs were active globally. Payment volume for these programs nearly tripled year over year, reflecting surging adoption of stablecoin-based solutions for retail and commercial payments.
Visa stated that its stablecoin settlement volume had surpassed a $20 billion annualized run rate, over 15 times higher than the prior year’s figure.
The increasing use of stablecoins, paired with innovative infrastructure, is attracting growing market attention. Market participants are now recognizing the importance of monitoring technical factors such as transaction volume, timing, and asset selection. In the meme token segment, internet-driven trends have shown how rapidly new tokens can capture substantial value. Data from Fomo App highlights a standout example where a $99 investment in “Niu Lai” ballooned to about $370,000. Fomo App integrates token discovery, trading, social feeds, investor rankings, and trade notifications in a unified platform, helping users stay updated on meme token opportunities alongside broader investor activity.
Trumpova administrativa zvažuje podporu širšího využití dolarových stablecoinů v zahraničí, aby přilákala více zahraničního kapitálu do amerického státního dluhu. USA už mají státní dluh přes 40 bilionů dolarů.
The Trump administration is considering a push to expand US dollar stablecoins overseas, according to Bloomberg. The idea could bring more foreign money into US government debt while making digital dollars easier to use around the world.
The timing is important as US national debt passed $40 trillion last month.
The Plan: Get More of the World Using Digital DollarsBloomberg reports that officials are discussing public-private partnerships to expand dollar-backed stablecoins abroad. Treasury, the State Department and the US International Development Finance Corporation could potentially play roles. No countries, companies or funding commitments have been announced.
The broader policy is already public. Trump ordered his administration in 2025 to promote the growth of legitimate dollar-backed stablecoins worldwide.
The logic is simple.
Someone abroad buys $1,000 of a reserve-backed stablecoin. The issuer then needs assets backing those tokens. For major stablecoins such as USDC and USDT, those reserves include US government securities and related dollar assets.
More stablecoins can therefore mean more buyers for Treasury debt.
Will This Help Americans?It would not erase America’s $40 trillion debt. But it could make that debt easier and potentially cheaper to finance.
The Richmond Fed found that wider adoption of reserve-backed stablecoins increases demand for Treasuries and can put downward pressure on interest rates. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has similarly said stablecoin growth could create a surge in Treasury demand.
Even modestly lower borrowing costs matter when Washington owes tens of trillions of dollars.
Lower government interest costs could eventually leave more fiscal room elsewhere, although there is no guaranteed or immediate saving for households.
Why the US Government Wants to Create More Demand for Dollar-Backed StablecoinsNew Opportunity For USDT and USDC Stablecoin Holders?For holders worldwide, the bigger opportunity is access.
If Washington helps build regulated stablecoin infrastructure abroad, USDC and potentially USDT could gain more banking connections, fiat on-ramps, payment integrations and merchant acceptance.
That could make digital dollars easier to use for remittances, international payments and savings in countries where accessing actual US dollars is difficult.
There is historical precedent for the broader strategy. In the 1970s, Washington encouraged Saudi oil surpluses to flow back into US government securities. US records say Saudi institutions eventually placed more than $8 billion in US government debt.
Stablecoins could create a modern version of that recycling system — except the dollars could come from millions of ordinary users around the world.
Circle has expanded its Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol beyond USDC on Arc, bringing native EURC and cirBTC transfers into the network while preparing Gateway and Bridge Kit for additional multi-asset workflows.
Summary
Circle expanded CCTP beyond USDC, enabling native transfers for EURC and cirBTC across Arc routes. EURC currently moves through CCTP across Arc, Avalanche, Base, Ethereum, and World Chain routes today. cirBTC CCTP support currently connects Arc and Ethereum, while Gateway integration remains planned for later. Gateway currently unifies USDC balances on Arc and Ethereum, with additional asset support coming later. Arc launched September 16 with USDC gas, institutional validators, and interoperability across twenty-plus blockchain networks. Arc’s Sept. 23 update said Interop on Arc is now live with CCTP, Gateway and Forwarding Service integrated into the Layer 1, giving developers separate tools for native Circle-issued assets, third-party tokens, new multichain assets and unified balances.
The latest deployment does not mean every Circle product already supports all three assets in the same way. CCTP is live for USDC, EURC and cirBTC on specific routes, while Gateway remains limited to USDC at launch. Circle says EURC and cirBTC support for Gateway is planned over time.
Circle expands CCTP beyond USDC on Arc CCTP now handles native crosschain transfers for USDC, EURC and cirBTC, extending a system that was originally built around USDC burn-and-mint transfers.
Circle’s current CCTP product page describes the protocol as infrastructure that lets supported assets move 1:1 between chains. For Circle-issued assets, CCTP burns tokens on the source network and mints native tokens on the destination, avoiding liquidity pools used by some traditional bridge designs.
EURC entered the system earlier this month. Circle said on Sept. 2 that CCTP had expanded from USDC to native EURC transfers, initially between Ethereum and Base. The Arc launch has since extended EURC coverage to Arc, Avalanche, Base, Ethereum and World Chain.
cirBTC now follows a similar route. Interop on Arc lists CCTP support between Arc and Ethereum for Circle Wrapped Bitcoin, creating a native crosschain path for the BTC-backed token across the two networks.
Circle separately brought cirBTC to Arc on Sept. 21. The company says each token is backed 1:1 by native BTC held for cirBTC holders, with reserve information available for onchain verification. The wrapped asset is issued by Circle International Bermuda Limited, which holds a Class F Digital Asset Business license from the Bermuda Monetary Authority.
Circle launched Bitcoin-backed USDC borrowing through cirBTC on Arc and Ethereum, allowing eligible Circle Mint institutions to post cirBTC to third-party lending markets and receive USDC. Morpho was the first supported lending protocol when the service went live.
EURC and cirBTC get different routes at launch The three assets do not share identical network coverage. USDC remains CCTP’s most established asset and can use all compatible routes offered through the current Arc interoperability stack. EURC supports Arc, Avalanche, Base, Ethereum and World Chain, while cirBTC currently supports Arc and Ethereum.
Circle says CCTP Fast Transfer can complete transfers in “sub-10-second” times on supported Arc routes. The company cautions in its terms that transfer times and fee estimates are not guaranteed because results depend on the selected chain, route and network conditions.
Forwarding Service handles another part of the flow. It can relay the destination-chain transaction after CCTP completes the asset movement, removing the need for users to separately hold the destination network’s gas token for supported transactions.
Circle updated CCTP earlier in September with prepaid Fast Transfer fees. CCTP now lets developers quote and collect certain crosschain fees on the source network, allowing an application to show the recipient amount before the transfer executes.
Arc routes receive preferential CCTP pricing, according to the Sept. 23 announcement, although rates depend on the asset and route. Circle has not published one universal Arc transfer fee for USDC, EURC and cirBTC.
Gateway still supports USDC before multi-asset expansion The product creates a unified balance from supported funds held across different networks, allowing applications to treat eligible crosschain liquidity as one available balance. On Arc, Gateway currently supports USDC balances on Arc and Ethereum.
EURC and cirBTC Gateway support is listed as “coming soon.” Circle has not disclosed a launch date for either asset, so CCTP support should not be confused with live Gateway balance support.
Circle’s current legal disclosures likewise describe Gateway as USDC-only. The company says Gateway is non-custodial software infrastructure and does not itself hold, control or transfer customers’ assets. It has not been reviewed or approved by the New York State Department of Financial Services or another regulator, according to the product disclosures.
The company has been building toward multi-asset interoperability for several months. In an April product roadmap, Circle said CCTP had already processed more than $140 billion in cumulative USDC transfers across more than 20 chains and that future versions would extend the same model to assets including EURC and cirBTC.
The Sept. 23 release turns part of that roadmap into production infrastructure, while Gateway’s asset expansion remains unfinished.
Arc lets third-party assets use separate crosschain models Circle’s interop stack is not limited to tokens issued by Circle. Interop on Arc supports third-party assets through wrapping and a Crosschain Token Standard, or CTS. Developers and issuers can use CTS when they require controls such as allowlists, transfer rate limits, pausing, upgrades and governance rules.
The company says it does not retain override authority over CTS or custom third-party token contracts. Issuers remain responsible for their token structures, operating rules and regulatory obligations.
For new assets, CTS provides a standardized contract structure that can be deployed across chains. Circle describes the system as an alternative to maintaining different token contracts and bridge integrations for each network.
CCTP’s updated architecture supports both burn-and-mint and lock-and-mint models. Native supported assets can move through burn-and-mint, while third-party assets can use wrapping infrastructure where appropriate.
Bridge Kit packages these flows into an SDK for application developers. Arc Studio provides a separate development environment where teams can build applications using the same interop stack without manually connecting every service.
Circle launched Arc Studio as an AI-assisted tool for building applications on Arc, with examples ranging from cross-border payments to software billing and machine-to-machine transactions.
Arc interoperability builds on September mainnet launch Arc went live publicly on Sept. 16 with USDC used for transaction fees, deterministic sub-second finality and a permissioned founding validator set.
Circle said more than 100 institutional and ecosystem builders and more than 100 applications were participating at launch. Founding validators include BlackRock, DTCC, Galaxy, ICE, Mastercard, MoneyGram, SBI Group, Standard Chartered, Sumitomo Corporation, Visa and Worldpay.
Arc mainnet launched with USDC gas and institutional validators including BlackRock and Visa. Circle said the network began with interoperability across more than 20 blockchain ecosystems through CCTP and Gateway.
Arc’s asset layer has expanded quickly since launch. cirBTC became available on Sept. 21, followed by StableFX on Sept. 22 and the integrated Interop product on Sept. 23. StableFX uses Arc for 24/7 stablecoin-based foreign-exchange settlement with request-for-quote pricing and atomic payment-versus-payment settlement.
Circle says cirBTC can already serve as collateral in Arc lending markets, including supported Aave and Morpho applications. Eligible Circle Mint customers can deposit native BTC, mint cirBTC, provide it to approved third-party lending markets and receive borrowed USDC through Circle’s Digital Asset-Backed Borrowing workflow.
The mainnet roadmap extends beyond interoperability. Circle minted a 10 billion ARC genesis supply before the network launch and is exploring a transition from its current Proof-of-Authority structure toward Proof of Stake in 2027. The company says the genesis mint does not constitute a commitment to publicly launch the ARC token.
Gateway support for EURC and cirBTC remains among the next published interoperability steps. Circle has not provided a launch date, while its Sept. 23 Arc documentation continues to list both assets as “coming soon” for unified balances.
Morpho Midnight zpřístupnil všechny trhy USDC na Morpho Blue a rozšířil tak nabídku fixně úročených půjček. Nově podporuje i zajištění v cbBTC, WBTC, wETH a tokenizovaných akciích.
Morpho Midnight just made all USDC markets on Morpho Blue available through its platform, letting users place individual and multi-market limit orders for fixed-rate lending.
The expansion means lenders and borrowers can now access USDC paired with collateral options including cbBTC, WBTC, wETH, and tokenized stocks, all through Midnight’s fixed-rate, fixed-term architecture.
Fixed rates meet DeFi flexibility Morpho Midnight launched publicly on July 21, 2026, starting on the Base blockchain with cbBTC/USDC markets. The protocol then expanded to Ethereum on September 8, adding USDC markets paired with WBTC and cbBTC.
The core mechanic works differently from most DeFi lending. Instead of pooling funds and letting an algorithm set rates, Midnight uses a peer-to-peer matching approach where users set offers at specific rates and maturities. Multi-market offers allow users to quote liquidity across multiple markets simultaneously without fragmenting their capital. Funds stay productive through callbacks until a match actually occurs.
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Variable-rate platforms like Aave and Compound adjust rates algorithmically based on utilization. Morpho Blue follows a similar variable-rate and open-term model. Midnight layers a fixed-rate option on top of it.
Scale comparison tells the real story Morpho Blue currently commands more than $5.2 billion in outstanding loans and over $16 billion in deposits across its various integrations. Morpho Midnight, as of late September 2026, has recorded approximately $30 million in deposits — roughly 0.2% of Morpho Blue’s deposit base.
Fixed-rate lending has been one of DeFi’s persistent challenges. Multiple protocols have attempted it over the years, including Notional and Yield Protocol, which shut down in 2023.
Morpho’s approach of running Midnight alongside Blue gives it a structural advantage that standalone fixed-rate protocols never had. The existing $16 billion in deposits across the Morpho ecosystem represents a potential user base already familiar with the platform’s infrastructure and smart contracts.
Why fixed rates matter more than they used to Multi-market offers allow a single pool of capital to serve as potential liquidity across several collateral types. A lender with USDC doesn’t need to decide upfront whether to lend against WBTC or wETH — they can quote rates across both markets and let whichever match comes first take the liquidity. The callback mechanism ensures capital remains productive in the meantime.
The inclusion of tokenized stocks as collateral suggests Morpho is positioning Midnight not just for crypto-native lending but for the broader tokenized asset economy.
Fixed-rate markets need density to function well — enough offers at enough maturities to create a liquid market. Whether Morpho can bootstrap that liquidity through its existing Blue user base will likely determine whether Midnight becomes a meaningful protocol or remains a niche feature.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
