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Firelight’s first major exchange integration brings programmatic onchain cover to a Kraken USDC vault.

Firelight, an onchain cover-enablement protocol for DeFi,  today announced its integration with Kraken Protected Strategies USDC on Kraken DeFi Earn, bringing built-in protection to one of the largest onchain earn programmes in the industry. The integration is Firelight’s first with a major crypto platform and comes as Kraken Earn passes $800 million in deposits, with USDC accounting for close to half of the capital in curated DeFi vaults across the market. The vault is enabled with cover against defined failures, including smart contract exploits, oracle failures and redemption failures, under terms registered onchain before cover is effectuated.

Onchain yield strategies can involve multiple interconnected protocols, introducing risks that extend beyond any individual platform or vault. As these strategies become more sophisticated, additional safeguards are increasingly important. Firelight is designed to address these risks by providing an added layer of protection against defined failure events, with transparent coverage terms and independent validation.

Firelight cover enablement is now live on Kraken Protected Strategies USDC (formerly Boosted USDC) on Kraken DeFi Earn, which runs on Veda‘s infrastructure and is curated by Sentora across established DeFi venues such as Tydro. Rather than leaving the vault exposed to every protocol it touches, Firelight enables cover of the vault itself, with validated payouts released directly to it. The terms of that cover are registered onchain, where anyone can verify them.

The fundamentals of the vault cover rest on three core principles:

Adaptive Terms: Coverage scope, capacity, and risk pricing are registered onchain and reset with each 30-day epoch (i.e., coverage period) against the vault’s live composition and risk profile. Defined Scope: Protection applies strictly to pre-defined technical and economic failure events published transparently onchain prior to coverage activation. Active Risk Management: Continuous monitoring through Hypernative and Sentora’s institutional risk infrastructure tracks risk exposure in real time. “Every mature financial system has a way to absorb failure, and onchain yield has reached a point where protection needs to be built into the product, not treated as an afterthought. Audits reduce risk, but they don’t make users whole when something breaks. Since going live on October 6, Firelight has shown that cover with clear terms and independent review can sit underneath a product without changing how it operates. Bringing that to Kraken, one of the industry’s largest platforms, is the natural next step,” said Connor Sullivan, Chief Strategy Officer at Firelight.

“Since the launch of Kraken vaults in January, depositors have allocated more than $800 million. We appreciate Sentora’s continuing efforts to enhance the vaults they curate, including enrolling this USDC vault with Firelight. It’s a step toward giving DeFi users clearer options around onchain risk, an area that’s increasingly top of mind across the space,” said Marcel Ohngemach, Product Lead, DeFi at Kraken.

The capital supporting Firelight’s cover sits outside the protocols it protects, so a failure in one of them doesn’t hit the money meant to pay out. Firelight also doesn’t decide its own claims. When an exploit happens, ZeroShadow, Firelight’s security partner, publishes a report on what went wrong. The Firelight Risk Consortium, five independent security and risk firms made up of GFX Labs, Hypernative, Credora, Native and Cyfrin, then checks the event against the published terms, confirms the existence of a loss and records the result onchain. The same process has protected Sentora’s USD Protected Vault and Protected RWA Vaults since October 6, and Kraken now brings it to one of the largest onchain earn programs in the industry.

With today’s integration, Kraken Protected Strategies USDC vault is enabled with protection that is clear, verifiable and independently reviewed, setting a template for how platforms can handle onchain risk. And because the cover enablement runs through Veda’s infrastructure, other exchanges, fintechs and vault operators building on Veda can switch on protection for their own products.

About FirelightFirelight is an onchain cover protocol that establishes a protection layer for the infrastructure behind digital asset products. Platforms enable cover on transparent, verifiable terms registered onchain, while stakers back that cover through non-custodial vaults using bonded XRP on the Flare Network to earn protocol emissions generated by the protocol’s operations and the coverage fees it captures. 

Every cover event is validated by the Firelight Risk Consortium, an independent panel of security and risk firms. Firelight’s contracts are audited by OpenZeppelin, Coinspect, and 0xMacro, with a competitive audit hosted on Immunefi. Firelight was incubated by Sentora and receives technical support services from Sentinel Labs, which just raised an $8 million seed round led by Gumi Cryptos Capital. Learn more.

About Kraken

Founded in 2011, Kraken is one of the world’s longest-standing and most secure crypto platforms globally. Kraken clients trade more than 600 digital assets, traditional assets such as U.S. futures and U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs, and 6 different national currencies, including GBP, EUR, USD, CAD, CHF, and AUD. Trusted by millions of institutions, professional traders and consumers, Kraken is one of the fastest, most liquid and performant trading platforms available.

Kraken’s suite of products and services includes the Kraken App, Kraken Pro, the Krak App, Kraken Institutional, Kraken’s onchain offerings and the Ninja Trader retail trading platform. Across these offerings, clients can buy, sell, stake, earn rewards, send and receive assets, custody holdings, and access advanced trading, derivatives, and portfolio management tools.

Kraken has set the industry standard for transparency and client trust, and it was the first crypto platform to conduct Proof of Reserves. It complies with regulations and laws applicable to its business, while actively protecting client privacy and maintaining the highest security standards.

For more information about Kraken, please visit www.kraken.com.

About SentoraSentora is the platform fintechs, neobanks, and exchanges use to build onchain products, providing the infrastructure enablingto make every app to earn. Its Earn OS combines onchain yield strategies, risk management, protection, and distribution in one platform, powering solutions from embedded earn features to stablecoin and tokenized asset growth programs. Sentora’s solutions deploy billions in capital across leading onchain venues, supporting enterprise clients, asset managers and protocols with the infrastructure and expertise to manage it at scale. It curates the vaults behind the Kraken Protected Strategies USDC program, which passed $800 million in deposits within 9 months, and its strategies support platforms including PayPal, EtherFi, Ripple and Aave.

AdvertorialAdvertorial is the universal author name for all sponsored content provided by BeInCrypto partners. Therefore, these articles, created by third parties for promotional purposes, may not reflect the views or opinions of BeInCrypto. Although we make efforts to verify the credibility of the projects presented, this content is for advertising purposes and should not be considered as financial advice. Readers are advised to do their own research (DYOR) and act with caution. Decisions based on this content are the responsibility of the reader.

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This third-party press release is published substantially as received and does not reflect BeInCrypto's editorial views. BeInCrypto has not independently verified its claims or assessed the suitability, legality or appropriateness of any referenced asset, product or service; publication is not an endorsement. The content is general information, not investment research, financial, investment, legal or tax advice, a personal recommendation, offer or solicitation. Verify all information and seek professional advice where appropriate before acting. Crypto-assets may result in total loss.

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Mutsamudu, Comoros, October 16, 2026 – MEXC, a pioneer in 0-fee digital asset trading, has released its October 2026 Proof of Reserves (PoR) report. Independently audited by Hacken, the report confirms that the platform’s reserves continue to fully cover user holdings across all major reserve assets. As part of its commitment to putting users first, MEXC publishes monthly reserve data that users can independently verify, reinforcing user trust through transparency.

According to the audit report, MEXC’s reserve ratios stand at 294% for BTC, 122% for USDT, 115% for USDC and 111% for ETH. All four reserve ratios exceed the 100% benchmark, with BTC showing the largest margin above the benchmark.

MEXC’s PoR framework combines user-level verification, on-chain transparency, and independent third-party audits. Through Merkle Tree technology, users can independently verify that their account balances are included in the platform’s reported liabilities while preserving the privacy and confidentiality of user account information. MEXC also publicly discloses its custodial wallet addresses, enabling independent verification of its on-chain holdings. To further strengthen transparency and external oversight, MEXC partners with Hacken, an independent blockchain security and auditing firm, to conduct monthly Proof of Reserves audits covering Proof of Liabilities, Proof of Ownership, Reserves Calculation, and a Merkle-tree verification.

Beyond regular PoR reporting, MEXC continues to strengthen its multi-layered security framework to protect user assets. The platform employs cold and hot wallet management, supported by multi-signature authorization and layered risk controls. The MEXC Futures Insurance Fund helps cover losses that exceed a user’s margin following liquidation, providing a risk buffer during extreme market conditions. The Guardian Fund is designed to protect users facing serious security incidents, including large-scale exploits, targeted attacks, and unforeseen system vulnerabilities. Recent attacks across the digital asset industry have again demonstrated that security threats are not static. Against this backdrop, MEXC continues to invest in capital reserves, technology, and risk-management infrastructure to strengthen user protection. In September, MEXC added another 1,000 BTC to the fund, marking its second major BTC allocation this year following the initial allocation in May. The fund now holds over 100 million USDT and 2,000 BTC, and MEXC aims to expand it to $500 million within two years.

To view the latest Proof of Reserves snapshot and audit report, please visit the MEXC Proof of Reserves page.

About MEXC

Founded in 2018, MEXC is a leading global multi-asset trading platform built as your 0-fee gateway to infinite opportunities. Serving users across 170+ markets, MEXC provides simple and efficient access to crypto, stocks, tokenized assets, derivatives, and a growing range of TradFi-linked opportunities through one account and one gateway.

With 0 trading fees, deep liquidity, broad asset coverage, and a high-performance trading experience, MEXC is designed for retail users who want to discover earlier, act faster, and trade with fewer barriers. As crypto and traditional finance continue to converge, MEXC is committed to making global opportunities more accessible, helping users trade freely and MEXCmize every opportunity.

MEXC Official Website｜ X ｜ Telegram ｜How to Sign Up on MEXC

For media inquiries, please contact MEXC PR team: [email protected]

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

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Bonk Guy's Portfolio Surges $1M+ in 24H, Maintains #FOMO Leaderboard Lead

As the market rebounds, Bonk Guy(@theunipcs)'s portfolio has grown by $1M+ in the past 24 hours. He remains No. 1 on both #FOMO's 24H and All-Time leaderboards.

3 minutes ago

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) aims to transition to T+1 settlement in the second half of 2028.

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) has published a consultation summary document on shortening the settlement cycle of Hong Kong’s spot stock market, which shows widespread market support for implementing a T+1 settlement cycle in Hong Kong’s securities market. Based on feedback from various stakeholders, HKEX plans to complete the relevant transition in the second half of 2028, provided the market is ready and regulatory approval is obtained. The consultation received a total of 109 non-duplicate responses from market stakeholders including brokers, custodians, investment managers, industry associations, technology vendors, and investors. Respondents supported Hong Kong’s adoption of a T+1 settlement cycle, agreeing that this move will help enhance market efficiency, reduce settlement risks, improve capital efficiency, and consolidate Hong Kong’s competitiveness as an international financial center.

3 minutes ago

Microsoft completes pre-training of a 2.8-trillion-parameter model, outperforming the GPT-5.6 base model with only one-quarter of the computing power.

Beating AI News: Microsoft announces completion of pre-training for its new self-developed model MAI-Base-2. The model has a total of 2.8 trillion parameters, adopts a Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) architecture, and activates only 80 billion parameters per forward pass. Between August and September this year, Microsoft used 16,000 NVIDIA GB200 GPUs for 38 days of training, processing approximately 50 trillion tokens. The new model also introduces native visual pre-training for the first time, with visual data accounting for 18% of its training data. Internal tests released by Microsoft show that MAI-Base-2 outperforms models including DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Base, Kimi K3, and Qwen3.8 on text prediction benchmarks for code, question answering, mathematics, and science and engineering disciplines. Microsoft also claims that training a model of equivalent performance to DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Base would require only 1/4 to 1/12 of the computing power using its approach. However, Microsoft has invested additional computing power to build a larger, more capable model; MAI-Base-2’s actual training computing power consumption is still higher than that of DeepSeek. Microsoft AI head Mustafa Suleyman stated at an internal meeting on October 15 that MAI-Base-2’s pre-training base is already stronger than the OpenAI model supporting GPT-5.6 Sol, while requiring only one-fourth the training computing power. Microsoft improved MoE expert scheduling, Muon optimizer, and data filtering methods to reduce GPU memory waste and enhance the stability of large-scale training. The company also emphasized that all training data is processed in-house, and the model’s capabilities were not obtained through distillation of other firms’ models. MAI-Base-2 is currently in the post-training phase. Microsoft plans to first deploy it for its own products, then license the model weights to enterprise partners via Foundry.

3 minutes ago

Lily Liu responds to the Solana Shanghai event: Overwhelming sign-ups have led to excess attendance, so the event will be postponed to make adequate preparations.

Solana Foundation Chair Lily Liu posted that the large-scale light display on the entire exterior wall of Citigroup Building in Shanghai’s Lujiazui area on the evening of October 14 was meant to showcase Solana’s deep affection for the Chinese community and express gratitude for the warm welcome extended by the community. Due to promotion efforts, registrations for the "Solana Shanghai Event" quadrupled overnight, far exceeding the maximum number declared to local authorities. Officials were unable to prevent the excessive influx of attendees. To comply with local regulations, the event will be postponed, pending a time when it can better accommodate the community’s scale and reach. We extend our apologies to all friends who traveled near and far to join the Shanghai Solana event.

3 minutes ago

Lightning Labs unveils LayerTree, a Bitcoin scaling solution that allows up to around 1 million users to share a single UTXO.

Lightning Labs has proposed a Bitcoin scaling solution called LayerTree, a non-custodial architecture that allows up to around 1 million users to share a single UTXO and connect to the Lightning Network. Balances are recorded in an off-chain Merkle-sum tree, with the shared output committing to the tree’s root, enabling users to exit unilaterally via a single transaction. The scheme depends on as-yet-unactivated Bitcoin consensus layer changes—such as covenant-related opcodes—and cannot be directly deployed on the mainnet at this time. The project team states that LayerTree is a design and reference implementation, and the opcodes it uses remain proposals rather than active consensus rules.

3 minutes ago

Vercel Adds Background Persistence to Its Agents: Tasks Continue Processing, Files Are Not Lost Even When Sandboxes Are Destroyed

Beating AI Express News: Vercel launched Daemons at its Ship 2026 Developer Conference, enabling developers to directly deploy long-running background processes. These processes can continuously pull tasks from message queues or databases, process one after another, and automatically restart if they crash. Previously, Vercel primarily executed code on a request basis, so developers needing to run long-running tasks often had to deploy separate background services. Daemons is now in public beta. Another update is the official launch of Drives, which provides persistent file storage for AI Agents. Previously, files inside temporary sandboxes would disappear once the sandbox was shut down. Now, Agents can save code, data, and work products in independent storage for reuse when a new sandbox is launched next time. Developers can also duplicate workspaces, allowing multiple Agents to start from the same set of files, process different tasks in parallel, and avoid overwriting each other’s modifications. Vercel also added MCP Events to Connect, enabling Agents to subscribe to events from external systems. For example, when a new GitHub Issue is created or a document receives a new comment, compatible MCP services can proactively send notifications, triggering Agents to process them without repeated polling for new tasks. This feature is also in public beta and requires external services to support event subscriptions. These updates expand Vercel’s business scope. Developers who previously used the platform mainly for website deployment can now host long-running background tasks, Agent workspaces, and event integrations all on Vercel, reducing the need to build and maintain separate infrastructure.

3 minutes ago

Spout Finance has secured $2 million in funding to develop its interest-free USDC lending initiative for tokenized equities.
The platform’s margin loans are set at a 50% loan-to-value, can be stretched to multiple years, and users get to retain the ownership and subsequent income accrued on their stock.

Lender yield is funded by systematic covered call premium written against that collateral rather than by a rate spread charged to the borrower.

Spout beta is currently running on Solana devnet at beta.spout.finance, and interested users can sign up for access to the upcoming private beta launch.

Spout Finance has raised $2 million in a fundraising campaign to democratize prime brokerage with zero-interest lending against tokenized equities. 

Participants in the round included Draper Dragon, Anchorage Digital, Flow Traders, Taisu Ventures, Vessel Capital, Solayer, 2Square Capital, and Bering Waters Ventures, with strategic backing from Solana Labs.

Why Spot Finance is loaning tokenized equities 
In the current traditional financial system, a share-collateralized loan attracts punitive interest rates. For instance, at Charles Schwab, the base interest rate is 10.25%. Meanwhile, the interest rate for borrowing against your shares in the company, or even those in Fidelity Investments, is 12.075% for a margin under $25,000. Vanguard Group’s rate is higher at 12.25%, while E*TRADE Financial Holdings charges even more at 12.70%. 

On top of that, these rates are tiered such that higher loans attract lower interest rates and smaller debts pay the highest rates. With the Federal Funds Rate placed at just 3.88%, these institutions benefit highly from the huge difference between those figures.

Additional profits for these institutions comes from securities lending programs, which allow brokerages to loan out your shares to other market players. Interactive Brokers retains 50% of the gross revenue generated from this model, while Robinhood retains a massive 85%. 

Historically, private banks have offered friendlier interest rates on securities-backed lending but with certain stringent conditions. Private bank customers have to achieve a relationship minimum of $5 million or more in assets under management (AUM) to enjoy a leaner 4-6% loan interest rate. This feat proves hard for most people to achieve, pushing them outside of the relationship bracket where they accrue even harsher tax interest rates of 12%.

What Spout Finance does differently 
This is where Spout Finance comes in. Contrary to the above institutions, Spout lets users collateralize their digital US equities to borrow USDC at a 50% loan-to-value (LTV). 

Best of all is the 0% interest rates, which applies for as long as the loan exists. The reason behind this incredibly low interest rate is that Spout’s lenders earn from the premiums resulting from the weekly far out-of-the-money (OTM) covered calls made on the collateral. Meanwhile, users enjoy friendly loans and get to keep any income that their shares may generate.

More importantly, Spout enables multi-year loans without interest rates crippling users’ portfolios. Current equities-backed lending is only useful in the short term because over a long time the daily charges become too expensive for long-term debtors to cover. Spout not only serves both kinds of users interest-free, it also enables them to retain ownership of their stakes rather than dispose of them for cash.

As Chris Giancarlo, former Chairman of the CFTC and an angel investor in Spout explained, “Spout lets individuals put up tokenized shares of stock as collateral for margin loans without paying interest. Spout covers its costs in a different way: by selling options contracts tied to the pledged shares, and the fees it collects from selling those options pay for the loan instead of the borrower. That is prime brokerage economics made available to individuals. It is why I have invested in the company and serve as a strategic advisor.”

Samiz Bayan, partner at Draper Dragon, added, “Tokenizing a stock is only the first step. What gives it value is what you can do with it afterward. Spout offers holders the kind of borrowing that used to sit behind private bank minimums, and funds it from the portfolio itself.”

At the moment, Spout is running in beta on Solana devnet at beta.spout.finance. Those interested can sign up for access to the upcoming private beta launch by messaging @0xmryan or @SpoutFi on X.

Notably, capital raised in the latest round will be allocated to expanding the Spout team. Funds will also be channeled towards developing a credit layer that connects issuers, exchanges, and wallets.

Investors and advisers 
Other than the investing entities listed above, Spout is proud to have received the critical backing and strategic support of a stellar group of angel investors including Solana Labs co-founders Anatoly Yakovenko and Raj Gokal. 

Another is J. Christopher Giancarlo, the 13th Chairman of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and Spout’s regulatory and policy advisor. Giancarlo is also a board member of Nomura, Paxos, and Digital Asset Holdings, the chair of Polymarket’s advisory board, and a senior adviser to Jefferies. He is also the co-founder and Chairman of the Digital Dollar Project.

Additional investors are Eric Chen, the co-founder and CEO of Injective; Dean Swennumson the co-founder and Head of Operations at Superstate (formerly Compound Labs), and Anna Yuan the founder of Perena and former Stablecoin lead at the Solana Foundation. 

Others are Paul Taylor – America’s most active crypto angel investor in 2024 and a former member of BlackRock Private Equity, and also Saiprasad Raut a former Chief Technology Advisor for Crypto at Worldpay (FIS), former co-chair of the Hedera Council’s Technical Steering and Product Committee, and Spout’s product advisor.

More are Shane Qiu the founder and CEO of Bitway, James Parillo a former General Partner at Figment Capital, Stefano Glauser a partner at Polymorphic Capital, Whales Lee a co-founder of CollegeDAO and the former Head of Product at Solayer, Steve Schoonebeek the Business Development Executive at Triton One and Riley Wild the M&A and corporate development at Figment.

A final advisor is Neil Amhis, who is a quantitative strategy advisor with a PhD from UCL, a former quantitative analyst at BNP Paribas and Natixis, and now the Lead Researcher at Zann Capital.

Visa Direct takes USDC prefunding live, with Inyo Global first in line

Mastercard has introduced the Global Money Platform, a new service designed to help businesses integrate stablecoin payments into traditional banking and card systems. This launch marks a significant milestone as it allows companies to access digital currency services without the need to build their own payment infrastructure.

Platform details and partnershipsThe Global Money Platform is Mastercard’s first significant collaboration with BVNK, following the company’s acquisition of BVNK in August. By leveraging this platform, businesses are now able to hold and convert between fiat currencies and stablecoins. Additionally, the system enables firms to issue stablecoin-linked cards and make payments directly from stablecoin balances to local bank accounts.

The platform is fully integrated with Mastercard Move, the company’s global money transfer network. Mastercard Move can deliver payments to over 17 billion endpoints, covering both bank accounts and cards worldwide. The integration links stablecoin assets to Mastercard’s extensive merchant network, making it possible for customers to spend their stablecoins at traditional merchants using payment cards.

Nuvei, Marqeta, and a selection of other leading financial technology companies have been named among the platform’s early integration partners.

Strategic impact and industry competitionThis initiative extends Mastercard’s presence in the digital asset sector, moving beyond simple payment processing to offering essential infrastructure for financial institutions. Companies can now develop and distribute stablecoin services using their own brands while relying on Mastercard’s underlying technology.

Through this move, Mastercard positions itself in direct competition with Visa, which launched a similar platform in July. Visa’s offering allows financial institutions to hold, mint, and transfer stablecoins, intensifying the rivalry between the payment industry giants.

Stablecoin market trendsRecent research by Standard Chartered indicates a rise in stablecoin transaction volumes, even though the overall circulating supply of the largest tokens, including USDt and USDC, has shown little growth over the year.

Standard Chartered reports a surge in stablecoin transaction activity, despite USDt and USDC maintaining relatively stable circulating supplies throughout the year.

As the stablecoin landscape evolves rapidly, technical developments such as streamlined payment routes and on-chain-to-bank account transfers are gaining relevance. In a market where a single Fed decision or a sudden altcoin listing can change everything in seconds, jumping between different apps for charts, news, and portfolio tracking is costing investors money. Smart traders are now utilizing privacy-first tools like CryptoAppsy to consolidate everything. Without even the hassle of creating an account, you get real-time charts, smart price alerts, coin-specific news, and critical macro data all on one screen.

Table of contents

Visa moved its stablecoin payment capabilities from pilot programs into commercial production on October 15, 2026, letting businesses prefund cross-border payouts through Visa Direct using USDC in near real time. Payments infrastructure provider Inyo Global is the first enabler of the offering, according to Visa’s announcement.

The shift takes Visa’s stablecoin strategy from testing into live commercial operations, giving money transmitters, fintechs, banks and payment businesses a new way to fund international payouts outside traditional banking funding windows. It also marks the first time Visa has moved a stablecoin product into live commercial use on the Visa Direct rail.

From Pilot to Production Visa introduced two stablecoin pilot programs through Visa Direct in 2025: a prefunding pilot and a payout pilot. The prefunding test explored letting clients supply USDC to back their own Visa Direct activity, while the payout test explored settling funds to recipients on stablecoin rails. Both demonstrated how the assets could support cross-border funding, liquidity management and global money movement.

Those pilots now move into real-world commercial operations, with Inyo Global integrating the prefunding capability into its platform as the first enabler. Through a single connection, Inyo’s platform lets businesses onboard users, manage fraud and compliance, accept payments, and send domestic and international payouts across more than 180 countries, powered by Visa Direct. Clients can now prefund those payouts with USDC around the clock instead of relying only on traditional funding windows.

What Visa’s Stablecoin Payments Actually Do The new capability targets the way businesses fund cross-border payouts. Rather than waiting for traditional banking funding windows, an Inyo client can move USDC to prefund a Visa Direct payout in near real time, then settle in local currency on the receiving end. Visa frames this as a liquidity and money-movement tool for payment businesses, not a consumer product.

“The next chapter for stablecoins is adoption,” said Vira Platonova, Global Head of Visa Direct, adding that years of partner pilots are now translating into live implementations. Visa’s earlier stablecoin work includes adding settlement partners to its Visa Direct stablecoin network and connecting onchain lending to stablecoin card financing.

What It Means for Stablecoin Adoption The production launch is a step in Visa’s broader push to make stablecoins usable in everyday payment infrastructure, moving the assets from experimental pilots toward a standard way to fund cross-border payouts. Inyo Global co-founder Robson Dantas said the integration gives money transmitters and fintechs “a new way to fund their payouts, one that is available around the clock” through the same Inyo APIs they already use.

Visa said it is working with clients and partners to bring stablecoin-enabled capabilities to additional money-movement use cases around the world, signaling that more enablers beyond Inyo Global are likely to follow. The rollout gives the stablecoin sector a concrete production use case from a major payment network, a sign that dollar-backed tokens are shifting from speculation toward operational settlement infrastructure. The announcement does not state how much volume is expected to move through the new channel or when additional partners will go live.

Frequently Asked Questions What did Visa announce about stablecoins? Visa moved its Visa Direct stablecoin capabilities from pilot to commercial production on October 15, 2026, with payments infrastructure provider Inyo Global as the first enabler.

What can businesses do with Visa’s stablecoin payments? They can prefund cross-border payouts through Visa Direct using USDC in near real time, instead of relying only on traditional banking funding windows.

Who is Inyo Global? Inyo Global is a payments infrastructure provider serving money transmitters, fintechs, banks and payment businesses; its platform handles onboarding, fraud and compliance, and payouts across more than 180 countries.

Does this change how consumers pay? The announcement focuses on business-to-business money movement for companies that run cross-border payouts through Visa Direct, and does not introduce a consumer-facing product.

Will more partners join? Visa said it is working with clients and partners to bring stablecoin-enabled capabilities to more use cases, but did not name additional enablers or a timeline.

AUTHOR

Blockchain analyst specializing in the regulatory impact of government policies on the crypto industry. Known for his thorough research and clear, engaging writing, Emmanuel provides insightful analysis on the latest trends, market shifts, and emerging crypto innovations. His work aims to educate and inform both novice and experienced readers, offering expert perspectives on the fast-evolving world of digital assets. With a passion for staying ahead of the curve, Ogwu is a trusted voice in the cryptocurrency and blockchain space.

Jupiter launches YOLO, a high-leverage trading product modeled after PaperTrade, supporting up to 1000x leverage.

Jupiter co-founder SIONG announced in a post that Jupiter Labs has launched an experimental high-leverage trading product called YOLO, which offers leverage ranging from 500x to 1000x. The product adopts the JLP model framework, simulating positions based on real market prices, with actual realized profits and losses—no need to execute corresponding leverage positions in the open market. YOLO’s profits are disbursed from a dedicated fund pool. If the fund pool lacks sufficient liquidity to settle profit positions, payouts may be queued instead of processed instantly. SIONG emphasized that this model differs from traditional perpetual contracts, carrying its own unique risks and limitations. He stated that launching YOLO under Jupiter Labs is to provide a testing ground for such new financial products and trading experiences, without the need to adapt to existing offerings. Currently, YOLO remains in the early stage of development, with room for further improvement. The launch was inspired by PaperTrade, he added.

3 minutes ago

Final implementation rules for the GENIUS Act are expected to be released by the end of October.

Crypto journalist Eleanor Terrett reported that Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) Director Jonathan Gould said the final rules for the OCC’s implementation of the GENIUS Act are expected to be released soon, by the end of October. Gould made the remarks at the "Building the New Digital Economy" event hosted by the Milken Institute, which was held concurrently with DC FinTech Week.

3 minutes ago

The three major U.S. stock indices opened lower but climbed higher, with the S&P 500 index turning positive.

According to market data from BIT (bit.com), the three major U.S. stock indexes opened lower and moved higher: the S&P 500 turned positive, the Nasdaq’s decline narrowed to 0.4%, and the Dow Jones rose nearly 1%. Among component stocks, Micron Technology neared a positive turn after falling more than 6% earlier; Microsoft, Apple, and Google gained 0.5% each, while SanDisk and SpaceX fell 3%.

3 minutes ago

Bitcoin briefly surpassed $82,000

According to HTX market data, Bitcoin briefly broke through the $82,000 mark, with a 0.02% increase in the past 24 hours.

3 minutes ago

Ethereum breaks through $2,400

According to HTX market data, Ethereum has broken through $2,400, with a 1.19% decline in the past 24 hours.

3 minutes ago

DeFi Development raised the annual dividend rate of CHAD preferred stock to 14%, and plans to use proceeds from future issuances to expand its SOL treasury.

Solana treasury firm DeFi Development Corp. (DFDV) has raised the annual dividend rate of its CHAD preferred stock from 13% to 14%, effective November 2. At CHAD’s $10 par value per share, the annual dividend will rise from $1.30 to $1.40 per share. Dividends are subject to declaration by the company’s board of directors and paid on business days. The company said it plans to use proceeds from future CHAD issuances to expand its SOL treasury.

3 minutes ago

Bitcoin may surpass $175,000 over the next few quarters, according to Brian Vieten, senior research analyst at Siebert Financial, a diversified financial services firm. Vieten shared this forecast during comments made on October 14, attributing his bullish outlook to the maturing structure of the market and new institutional developments.

Shift in Market StructureVieten explained that bitcoin’s resilience has improved significantly since the crypto lending failures in 2022. Broader ownership and increased access to financing options now underpin the market’s foundation, he stated.

Vieten emphasized, “The market structure has fundamentally shifted,” noting stronger institutional involvement and reduced selling pressure as key factors in the digital asset’s changing landscape.

His valuation model for bitcoin incorporates three main factors: overall money supply growth, the rate of digital wallet adoption, and demand trends for the cryptocurrency.

Institutional Exposure and Bank LendingVieten regards exchange-traded funds (ETFs) as an increasingly vital source of long-term investment in bitcoin. He cited recent improvements in market sentiment and described a reduction in selling pressure across investment groups, with miners increasingly diversifying into sectors such as artificial intelligence and high-performance computing. These strategies, he says, help miners secure alternative capital streams.

Companies holding bitcoin in their reserves generally exhibit low debt levels and conservative spending habits, which Vieten sees as positive for price stability. He also pointed to expanding transparency through on-chain trading platforms, which now offer more direct insight into market movements.

Vieten highlighted growing involvement from major banking institutions. For example, JPMorgan has started accepting shares of BlackRock’s IBIT—an exchange-traded fund tracking bitcoin—as loan collateral, allowing businesses to secure funding without selling their bitcoin ETF shares. JPMorgan first outlined plans to accept bitcoin ETFs as collateral in June 2025.

MicroStrategy Executive Chairman Michael Saylor has offered similar perspectives, anticipating continued advancements in banking custody and lending options for digital assets even as broader crypto legislation faces delays.

Vieten does not view the upcoming November midterm elections as a significant risk factor for digital asset policy directions.

Mini dictionary: Siebert Financial is a US-based diversified financial services company, offering brokerage, investment banking, and advisory services to retail and institutional clients.

Stablecoin Expansion and Consumer AdoptionVieten believes that growth in stablecoins, such as USDC, could act as the next major driver for bitcoin’s price. Stablecoins are designed to maintain a consistent value by being backed one-to-one with assets like cash, bank deposits, or short-term US Treasuries. He expects rising adoption of blockchain payments to bring new participants and liquidity into the crypto ecosystem, indirectly benefiting bitcoin demand.

He stated that, “That’s what takes us to $175k and beyond in the next few quarters,” referencing the increasing role of stablecoins in supporting short-term Treasury demand and the broader crypto ecosystem.

A new regulatory framework, known as the GENIUS Act, will require stablecoins to be fully backed by eligible assets. This act is scheduled to take effect on January 18, 2027, and aims to strengthen confidence in major stablecoins.

Meanwhile, consumer access to digital dollars continues to expand. Samsung announced that starting in the last week of October, USDC payments will be integrated into Samsung Wallet. The rollout is set to reach 82 million Galaxy devices across the US, enabling users to conduct eligible bank transfers to more than 60 countries through their mobile wallets.

The EBA will assume direct oversight of USDC’s reserves, liquidity, and redemption plans from Nov. 12, while France’s ACPR retains responsibility for governance and other areas.

The European Banking Authority said Wednesday that it has classified USDC as a "significant" e-money token under the Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation, making it the first of the 45 EMTs notified in the bloc to meet that threshold.

According to an official statement, the EBA will now take direct responsibility for supervising USDC’s own funds, reserve assets, liquidity requirements, and recovery and redemption plans from Nov. 12. These areas are currently overseen by France’s Autorité de Contrôle Prudentiel et de Résolution (ACPR), but the regulator will still handle governance, qualifying holdings, fit and proper assessment, and conflicts of interest after the EBA takes over. 

The EBA also said it signed a memorandum of understanding with the New York State Department of Financial Services, which oversees Circle's New York-regulated operations. The MoU will facilitate cross-border oversight and information exchanges between the two authorities. 

USDC is the world’s second-largest stablecoin, with a supply of nearly $73 billion, according to The Block’s data dashboard. Tether’s USDT leads the market with $184 billion in circulation, against a total supply of $294 billion for dollar-pegged stablecoins.

USDC supply by blockchain. Image: The Block.Circle has expanded USDC’s commercial reach this year. In September, Binance purchased $100 million of Circle shares and agreed to a five-year arrangement to promote USDC on its platform. Circle also signed a sponsorship deal with Chelsea FC in August, making USDC a prominent feature on the club’s shirts for the 2026/27 season.

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

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

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Jupiter launches YOLO, a high-leverage trading product modeled after PaperTrade, supporting up to 1000x leverage.

Jupiter co-founder SIONG announced in a post that Jupiter Labs has launched an experimental high-leverage trading product called YOLO, which offers leverage ranging from 500x to 1000x. The product adopts the JLP model framework, simulating positions based on real market prices, with actual realized profits and losses—no need to execute corresponding leverage positions in the open market. YOLO’s profits are disbursed from a dedicated fund pool. If the fund pool lacks sufficient liquidity to settle profit positions, payouts may be queued instead of processed instantly. SIONG emphasized that this model differs from traditional perpetual contracts, carrying its own unique risks and limitations. He stated that launching YOLO under Jupiter Labs is to provide a testing ground for such new financial products and trading experiences, without the need to adapt to existing offerings. Currently, YOLO remains in the early stage of development, with room for further improvement. The launch was inspired by PaperTrade, he added.

3 minutes ago

Final implementation rules for the GENIUS Act are expected to be released by the end of October.

Crypto journalist Eleanor Terrett reported that Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) Director Jonathan Gould said the final rules for the OCC’s implementation of the GENIUS Act are expected to be released soon, by the end of October. Gould made the remarks at the "Building the New Digital Economy" event hosted by the Milken Institute, which was held concurrently with DC FinTech Week.

3 minutes ago

The three major U.S. stock indices opened lower but climbed higher, with the S&P 500 index turning positive.

According to market data from BIT (bit.com), the three major U.S. stock indexes opened lower and moved higher: the S&P 500 turned positive, the Nasdaq’s decline narrowed to 0.4%, and the Dow Jones rose nearly 1%. Among component stocks, Micron Technology neared a positive turn after falling more than 6% earlier; Microsoft, Apple, and Google gained 0.5% each, while SanDisk and SpaceX fell 3%.

3 minutes ago

Bitcoin briefly surpassed $82,000

According to HTX market data, Bitcoin briefly broke through the $82,000 mark, with a 0.02% increase in the past 24 hours.

3 minutes ago

Ethereum breaks through $2,400

According to HTX market data, Ethereum has broken through $2,400, with a 1.19% decline in the past 24 hours.

3 minutes ago

DeFi Development raised the annual dividend rate of CHAD preferred stock to 14%, and plans to use proceeds from future issuances to expand its SOL treasury.

Solana treasury firm DeFi Development Corp. (DFDV) has raised the annual dividend rate of its CHAD preferred stock from 13% to 14%, effective November 2. At CHAD’s $10 par value per share, the annual dividend will rise from $1.30 to $1.40 per share. Dividends are subject to declaration by the company’s board of directors and paid on business days. The company said it plans to use proceeds from future CHAD issuances to expand its SOL treasury.

3 minutes ago

2 hours ago

According to HTX market data, XPL surged more than 6% in a short period following news of Stripe and Plasma’s partnership to launch a multi-currency stablecoin card, and is now trading at $0.08223. Earlier reports noted that Stripe announced a collaboration with Plasma to develop the multi-currency stablecoin card, designed to allow individuals and businesses to spend using currencies already held in their accounts, reducing unnecessary currency conversions and foreign exchange costs. Plasma will serve as a design partner, integrating with Stripe’s stablecoin card infrastructure to enable customers to use their account balances for payments via the multi-currency card. The expanded infrastructure will support fiat currencies including the U.S. dollar, Brazilian real, euro, Mexican peso, and Colombian peso; stablecoins include USDC, OUSD, and eligible stablecoins compliant with the GENIUS Act. Stripe’s stablecoin card service currently covers over 30 countries, with plans to expand to more than 100 countries by 2027.

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Crypto.com launches Predict Pro, a prediction market product, for US users.

Crypto.com Exchange has announced the launch of Predict Pro, a prediction market feature for US users, offering real-time order books, probability charts, risk management, and portfolio trading tools. The feature is provided by Foris DAX, an NFA-registered introducing broker, with trading products being CFTC-regulated prediction contracts supplied by OG.com Markets. Predict Pro supports market, limit, stop-market, stop-limit, and post-only orders, and allows users to combine 2 to 6 predictions into a single position, including same-event parlays, cross-event parlays, and in-play trading. Tradable events cover elections, sports, cryptocurrency prices, Federal Reserve decisions, climate, and cultural events, among others.

7 minutes ago

Driven by news of Stripe and Plasma's partnership to launch a multi-currency stablecoin card, XPL surged more than 6% in the short term.

According to HTX market data, XPL surged more than 6% in a short period following news of Stripe and Plasma’s partnership to launch a multi-currency stablecoin card, and is now trading at $0.08223. Earlier reports noted that Stripe announced a collaboration with Plasma to develop the multi-currency stablecoin card, designed to allow individuals and businesses to spend using currencies already held in their accounts, reducing unnecessary currency conversions and foreign exchange costs. Plasma will serve as a design partner, integrating with Stripe’s stablecoin card infrastructure to enable customers to use their account balances for payments via the multi-currency card. The expanded infrastructure will support fiat currencies including the U.S. dollar, Brazilian real, euro, Mexican peso, and Colombian peso; stablecoins include USDC, OUSD, and eligible stablecoins compliant with the GENIUS Act. Stripe’s stablecoin card service currently covers over 30 countries, with plans to expand to more than 100 countries by 2027.

7 minutes ago

Elon Musk: Maybe I should launch a company to compete with Amazon.

Elon Musk responded on X to a post alleging Amazon was blocking Grok bots from placing orders and urging him to launch X Shop, saying, "Maybe we should start a company to compete with Amazon."

7 minutes ago

Helius CEO Joins NEAR Foundation Board to Contribute to Product Strategy and Governance

NEAR Foundation announced that Mert Mumtaz, CEO of Solana infrastructure firm Helius, has joined the foundation’s board of directors. He will assist in advancing product strategy, ecosystem growth and governance, while supporting NEAR’s expansion into the privacy-focused on-chain market. The board is responsible for overseeing the foundation and its major decisions. Mumtaz will also serve as a judge for the NEAR Hackathon held from November 1 to 14. Helius offers RPC nodes, data feeds, transaction relaying and validator services, with its infrastructure used by teams including Phantom, Jupiter, Coinbase and Bitwise. An early user of NEAR Intents, Mumtaz once referred to the protocol as a "market of markets". According to the NEAR Foundation, NEAR Intents has accumulated over $33 billion in total trading volume, with its privacy-focused total value locked (TVL) exceeding $160 million. Other board members include NEAR co-founder Illia Polosukhin, Anchorage Digital co-founder Diogo Mónica, former NEAR Foundation COO Chris Donovan and NEAR One founder Bowen Wang.

7 minutes ago

Stripe partners with Plasma to develop a multi-currency stablecoin card, aiming to lower cross-border foreign exchange costs.

Stripe announced a partnership with Plasma to develop multi-currency stablecoin cards, designed to enable individuals and businesses to spend using currencies already held in their accounts, reducing unnecessary currency conversions and foreign exchange costs. Plasma will serve as a design partner, integrating with Stripe’s stablecoin card infrastructure to allow customers to use their account balances for payments via multi-currency cards. The expanded infrastructure will support the U.S. dollar, Brazilian real, euro, Mexican peso, and Colombian peso; stablecoins include USDC, OUSD, and eligible stablecoins compliant with the GENIUS Act. Stripe’s stablecoin card service currently covers more than 30 countries, with plans to expand to over 100 countries by 2027. For example, users holding euros will soon be able to spend directly in euros without first converting to U.S. dollars; businesses can issue cards denominated in currencies aligned with their specific spending needs. Stripe also plans to support cardholders in spending from multiple account balances, automatically selecting the appropriate currency at the time of purchase.

7 minutes ago

Following the release of September’s U.S. PPI and retail sales data, U.S. Treasury yields declined across the board.

Following the release of U.S. September PPI and retail sales data, U.S. Treasury yields fell across the board, with long-dated yields posting the steepest declines. The 20-year U.S. Treasury yield traded at 5.434%, down 14.6 basis points (bps) on the day; the 30-year yield stood at 5.385%, down 14.1 bps; the 10-year yield was at 5.054%, down 13.6 bps; and the 5-year yield dropped 11.5 bps.

7 minutes ago

Circle’s USDC faces enhanced reserve requirements and independent audits every six months under MiCA’s significant-token framework. USDC and EURC share a European issuer but now have different regulatory classifications. Existing redemption rights remain intact, although Circle’s procedures allow temporary adjustments during cross-border liquidity stress. Circle’s USDC has become the first stablecoin to receive the European Union’s significant e-money token designation, placing the company’s cross-border issuance structure under a new level of regulatory scrutiny.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) announced the decision on October 14, selecting USDC from 45 e-money tokens notified under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA).

Starting November 12, supervision of USDC’s financial safeguards will be shared between the EBA and France’s banking regulator, the Autorité de Contrôle Prudentiel et de Résolution (ACPR).

The designation is not a new authorization to issue or distribute USDC. Circle already operates through a licensed European entity. The change introduces additional prudential requirements and places responsibility for supervising them at the EU level.

Circle Enters a Two-Regulator Supervisory Framework Circle Internet Financial Europe SAS has operated under French electronic money authorization since 2024, enabling it to issue USDC and the euro-denominated EURC within the European Economic Area.

USDC’s new classification changes how the French entity’s activities relating to that token are supervised.

MiCA · SIGNIFICANT E-MONEY TOKEN
Who Supervises USDC? Authority Supervisory responsibilities EBA
European Union Own funds, reserve assets, liquidity requirements, recovery plans and redemption plans. ACPR
France Governance, qualifying holdings, management suitability, outsourcing and conflicts of interest. Effective November 12, 2026. Source:
European Banking Authority. The arrangement follows Article 117 of MiCA, which assigns specific responsibilities for significant e-money tokens to the EBA while preserving national supervision of other institutional matters.

Circle must also comply with additional requirements under Article 58.

One notable obligation is an independent audit of reserve assets every six months, mandated from the significance classification decision.

Circle already publishes monthly reserve attestations, but those disclosures should not be confused with the independent audits required by MiCA. The regulatory audit examines compliance with applicable reserve requirements rather than merely confirming reported balances.

The framework also imposes enhanced standards for reserve management, custody, liquidity and financial resources.

For Circle, the immediate consequence is a more demanding compliance structure, not a change to USDC’s dollar peg.

Why USDC Qualifies While EURC Does Not The distinction between Circle’s two European stablecoins provides an important insight into how MiCA works.

USDC and EURC are issued by the same French entity, yet only USDC has received the significant designation.

Under Article 56, an e-money token qualifies as significant when it meets at least three of seven regulatory criteria.

The assessment considers factors such as the number of holders, market capitalization, transaction activity, international reach and connections to the wider financial system.

For example, the underlying criteria include a market capitalization or reserve threshold exceeding €5 billion and more than 10 million holders. Meeting one threshold alone is insufficient.

The EBA has confirmed USDC’s classification but has not publicly identified the precise combination of criteria behind its decision.

EURC’s different status illustrates that significance is assessed at the token level, rather than automatically extending to every product issued by the same institution.

That distinction could become relevant for other companies operating multiple stablecoins under a single European license.

It also means that the absence of a significant designation should not be interpreted as regulatory noncompliance. Both significant and non-significant e-money tokens remain subject to MiCA’s underlying requirements.

One Stablecoin, Two Legal Issuers USDC’s international structure presents a more complicated supervisory question.

Within the EEA, the token is issued by Circle Internet Financial Europe SAS. Outside the region, Circle Internet Financial, LLC serves as the US issuer.

According to Circle’s European USDC white paper, tokens issued by the two entities are fully fungible, while reserve arrangements are maintained separately for EEA and non-EEA holders.

This allows USDC to circulate as a single digital asset even though different legal entities are responsible for its issuance and redemption.

It also creates a dependency between jurisdictions.

During periods of elevated redemption demand, Circle may need to rebalance reserves between its European and American entities. Difficulties completing those transfers could affect how quickly redemption requests are processed.

Circle’s published redemption policy explicitly addresses this possibility through provisions for cross-border liquidity stress.

The EBA has already established a channel for regulatory coordination. In June, it signed a memorandum of understanding with the New York State Department of Financial Services.

The agreement covers information exchange, supervisory cooperation and coordination during emergencies involving international stablecoin activities.

It does not give European regulators direct authority over Circle’s American issuer.

Instead, it provides a mechanism for supervisors in different jurisdictions to exchange information about activities connected to the same stablecoin.

What Changes for Exchanges and USDC Holders? USDC’s new classification primarily affects Circle’s regulatory obligations rather than how the stablecoin can be used. The immediate implications differ across market participants:

Crypto exchanges: No new listing restrictions or mandatory trading changes arise directly from the designation. Compliance documentation should reflect USDC’s updated regulatory status. DeFi protocols: Existing smart contracts do not require automatic modifications, although exposure to Circle’s reserve and redemption arrangements remains relevant. USDC holders: Redemption rights under MiCA remain unchanged, including the right to redeem at par value. The practical details of redemption are outlined in Circle’s September 2026 policy. Eligible retail holders in the European Economic Area can submit requests directly to Circle France after completing identity verification and transaction checks. They must also provide an EEA bank account capable of receiving U.S. dollars.

Circle normally processes eligible retail redemptions within five business days after the required checks. However, its policy permits temporary processing adjustments during defined liquidity stress events, including deferrals and restrictions affecting certain crypto-asset service providers.

The additional oversight does not turn USDC into an insured deposit. Circle’s white paper confirms that holders are not protected by EU deposit guarantee or investor compensation schemes.

The Next Test Is Supervisory Coordination The classification also creates a practical documentation issue.

Circle’s USDC white paper, last amended on September 15, still describes the token as non-significant, reflecting its status before the EBA’s decision.

Compliance teams reviewing the issuer’s disclosures therefore need to distinguish the document’s publication date from USDC’s updated regulatory classification.

The EBA’s supervisory transition will bring the reserve, liquidity and recovery arrangements of a globally circulating stablecoin under direct European scrutiny.

The authority will reassess significant-token classifications annually, while its cooperation agreement with New York regulators provides a channel for addressing international supervisory concerns.

USDC’s designation establishes the first live application of this model to a significant e-money token. Its effectiveness will depend on how well the authorities coordinate oversight of an asset that circulates globally but is backed and redeemed through separate legal entities.

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.

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Ark Invest co-founder Cathie Wood said Wednesday that tokenization could fundamentally change how investors take part in private and public financial markets.

Wood Highlights Ark’s ConvictionIn an X post, Wood highlighted the recent tokenization of ARK Venture Fund (ARKVX), an actively managed closed-end interval fund that invests across private and public companies tied to disruptive innovation, through Securitize Corp. (NYSE: SECZ).

“Tokenizing the ARK Venture Fund puts our conviction in the evolution, if not revolution, of capital markets into practice,” the veteran investor said.

Wood noted that tokenization “has the potential” to reshape how investors “access and participate” in private and public markets.

She added that the initiative is a “natural extension” of Ark’s core mission to “democratize” access to technological innovation.

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More About Tokenized ARKVXThe fund’s portfolio includes exposure to some of the biggest names in private technology, including OpenAI, Anthropic and Kalshi, though its biggest holding is Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ:SPCX).

Earn 8% APY on a Real Estate-Backed Note from $5,000

EquityMultiple's Alpine Notes have distributed $478M+ with no missed payments. Accredited investors can start with $5,000 at a fixed 8% APY for 6 months.

Through Securitize, eligible investors will gain exposure to the ARKVX portfolio using blockchain infrastructure.

Tokenization has emerged as one of the dominant financial narratives in recent years, with the total market value nearing $349 billion, according to Token Terminal. Stablecoins, including Tether (CRYPTO: USDT) and USDC (CRYPTO: USDC), account for more than 88% of the value.

Price Action: Securitize shares fell 2.56% in after-hours trading. The stock closed 5.72% lower at $10.55, according to Benzinga Pro. 

SECZ maintains a stronger price trend over the short, medium, and long terms, according to Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings

Photo Courtesy: Ira Lichi On Shutterstock.com

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

The NBA’s official Instagram account was hacked early this morning, and the attacker posted information about a suspicious token.

According to multiple reports, the NBA’s official Instagram account was hacked early this morning. The attackers exploited the breach to promote a suspicious token on Solana. However, the crypto community is already familiar with such social media attacks, and the related content failed to spark significant buying activity. The hackers immediately pulled a rug on the token when it hit the $40,000 mark.

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SK Hynix’s decline widened to over 12%, with its stock price hitting a new low since April 27.

According to Bitget market data, SK Hynix's decline has widened to over 12%, hitting its lowest share price since April 27.

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South Korea's KOSPI index decline widens to 9%

According to Bitget market data, South Korea’s KOSPI index fell 9%, Samsung dropped 11.64%, and SK Hynix declined 11.85%. Southern’s twice-leveraged bull product for Samsung slid 23.6%, while its twice-leveraged bull product for Hynix fell 24.59%.

4 minutes ago

Abraxas' two hedge accounts have earned over $331 million in profits and hold $1.45 billion in short positions.

According to Lookonchain's monitoring, Abraxas Capital's two hedge accounts on Hyperliquid have collectively generated over $331 million in profits, and the firm currently holds short positions worth more than $1.45 billion.

4 minutes ago

Circle’s USDC has become the first stablecoin to receive the European Union’s “significant” e-money token classification under MiCA, bringing the dollar-backed cryptocurrency under direct European Banking Authority supervision beginning November 12, 2026.

Summary

Circle’s USDC became the first significant e-money token among 45 notified under European Union regulations. November 12 begins joint supervision by the European Banking Authority and France’s financial regulator, ACPR. The EBA will oversee reserve assets, liquidity, capital requirements, recovery procedures, and token redemption plans. France’s ACPR retains responsibility for governance, outsourcing, ownership assessments, management suitability, and potential conflicts of interest. The EBA signed an information sharing agreement with New York regulators covering cross border stablecoin supervision. The European Banking Authority (EBA) announced the decision on October 14 after assessing USDC against the criteria established by the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). Of the 45 e-money tokens currently notified under the framework, USDC is the first to receive the designation. The new classification will divide oversight between the EBA and France’s banking regulator, the Autorité de Contrôle Prudentiel et de Résolution (ACPR).

Circle’s USDC becomes the first major token under MiCA oversight The EBA’s decision places USDC under the supervisory framework established for significant e-money tokens. MiCA uses the term to identify certain digital assets linked to a single official currency that meet regulatory criteria concerning their size, use and financial activity.

USDC is pegged to the U.S. dollar and ranks as the world’s second-largest stablecoin by market capitalization. Circle issues the token through separate companies in Europe and the United States.

Circle's USDC Becomes EU's First "Significant" E-Money Token Under MiCA

The European Banking Authority (EBA) has classified Circle's USDC as the EU's first "significant" e-money token (EMT) under MiCA, making it the first of 45 notified EMTs to receive the designation. USDC is… pic.twitter.com/BV3TLKyBiY

— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) October 15, 2026 In the European Union, Circle Internet Financial Europe SAS serves as the issuer. Circle Internet Financial, LLC performs that role in the United States, according to the EBA’s announcement.

The designation follows an assessment carried out under Article 56 of MiCA. The regulation requires the EBA to classify an e-money token as significant when it meets at least three of the criteria established under Article 43.

The criteria cover measures including the number of holders, transaction activity, token value and other indicators of how extensively an asset is used. However, the October 14 announcement did not identify which individual criteria USDC satisfied.

The EBA’s decision does not introduce USDC to the European market for the first time. Circle has been issuing the stablecoin through its French entity under MiCA since 2024.

Previously, the company announced that it had obtained an electronic money institution license from the ACPR in July 2024. The authorization allowed Circle to issue USDC and its euro-backed stablecoin EURC in accordance with the European framework.

Circle’s earlier European stablecoin license under MiCA established France as the company’s regulatory base for EU issuance.

The latest classification concerns the additional supervisory requirements applicable to USDC as a significant token.

EBA takes responsibility for USDC reserves in November Beginning November 12, the EBA will take direct responsibility for supervising several financial safeguards associated with USDC.

The regulator will oversee Circle’s compliance with applicable own-funds requirements, reserve assets, liquidity rules, and recovery and redemption plans for the token.

Own funds refer to financial resources the issuer must maintain to meet applicable regulatory obligations. Reserve assets concern the assets held to support the stablecoin’s value and meet redemption requests.

Liquidity requirements address the availability of assets that can be used to meet financial obligations when required. Recovery plans establish procedures for responding to financial difficulties, while redemption plans address how tokenholders can recover their funds under the applicable rules.

France’s ACPR will continue supervising other parts of Circle’s European business.

Its remaining responsibilities include corporate governance, qualifying ownership interests, assessments of senior management, outsourcing arrangements and conflicts of interest.

The EBA explained that the two regulators would cooperate during the transfer of responsibilities to maintain continuity in supervision.

Article 117 of MiCA establishes this division for significant e-money tokens. The EBA handles specified financial safeguards, while national authorities retain responsibilities over other regulated activities.

The European Securities and Markets Authority’s official rulebook specifies the powers transferred to the EBA when an e-money token receives significant status.

The classification does not remove the ACPR from Circle’s supervision or transfer every regulatory responsibility to the European authority.

The EBA will work with the French regulator on the areas where their responsibilities intersect.

Circle has questioned parts of Europe’s stablecoin rules The classification follows recent requests from Circle for changes to parts of MiCA’s stablecoin requirements.

In early October, the company urged EU policymakers to reconsider rules governing the reserve assets that stablecoin issuers must hold.

Circle argued that mandatory commercial bank deposit requirements could expose issuers to financial risks arising from their banking partners.

Current MiCA requirements provide for a minimum share of reserve assets to be held as deposits with credit institutions. For certain significant issuers, the applicable proportion increases.

The company’s recent proposal to revise MiCA’s bank deposit rules called for replacing fixed deposit thresholds with requirements tied more closely to reserve liquidity.

Circle cited its experience during the 2023 collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, when approximately $3.3 billion of USDC reserves became temporarily inaccessible.

Its policy recommendations included changes to the treatment of cross-border stablecoin issuance and recognition of regulated issuers operating outside Europe.

Another report on Circle’s proposed MiCA changes detailed the company’s argument that only three of the world’s 30 largest stablecoins complied with the European framework at the beginning of October.

Circle identified USDC, EURC and USDG among the compliant tokens in that assessment.

The EBA’s October 14 classification does not announce changes to the existing MiCA requirements. It applies the current legal framework to USDC and establishes the supervisory arrangements scheduled to begin in November.

EU and U.S. regulators agree to cooperate on stablecoins Alongside the new classification, the EBA confirmed an agreement with the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS).

The two authorities signed a memorandum of understanding covering cooperation and information exchanges related to cross-border stablecoin activities.

According to the EBA, the arrangement will support its supervision of stablecoins issued through entities operating in different jurisdictions.

USDC is issued through Circle’s European subsidiary and its U.S. entity, placing the token within separate regulatory systems.

The EBA said the agreement would allow the European and New York authorities to exchange information as part of their supervisory cooperation.

The memorandum does not replace the respective legal responsibilities of either authority, and the October 14 announcement did not disclose further operational arrangements.

The cooperation agreement comes as international regulators continue examining the risks associated with global stablecoin operations.

On October 12, the Financial Stability Board published a report examining cross-border vulnerabilities and financial stability monitoring for global stablecoins.

The international body identified stablecoin arrangements as activities that can operate across national borders and financial sectors, creating supervisory challenges for regulators.

For significant tokens, MiCA requires the EBA to establish and chair supervisory colleges involving relevant financial authorities. Article 119 provides for these groups to exchange information and issue opinions on specified supervisory matters.

The European regulator is responsible for reviewing whether e-money tokens continue to satisfy the significance criteria. Article 56 establishes the classification process, while the EBA’s published supervisory framework provides for regular assessments.

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1506 supplies indicators used in the significance assessment, alongside the criteria already established in MiCA.

Under the timetable announced on October 14, the EBA will assume its specified responsibilities for USDC’s reserves, liquidity, own funds, and recovery and redemption arrangements on November 12. The ACPR will retain supervision of Circle’s governance, ownership assessments, outsourcing and conflicts of interest.

Samsung is putting a stablecoin in the same app where people keep their boarding passes. On October 7, 2026, Samsung Electronics said its Wallet and Pay apps will support USDC transfers on the Solana blockchain for eligible US users.

The rollout is scheduled for the last week of October. It covers 82 million compatible Galaxy devices.

How the Samsung Wallet USDC feature works
USDC is a stablecoin, a digital token designed to track the US dollar one for one.

Inside Samsung Wallet, eligible users will be able to send USDC to external wallets that accept it. They can also convert it into local currency and deposit it into bank accounts in more than 60 countries.

Samsung says it will not charge a fee for sending USDC to external wallets. That is not the same as free, though. Network fees or fees on the recipient’s side may still apply.

Access comes with guardrails. The service is limited to US residents who are 18 or older. Users must pass identity verification and confirm transactions with biometric authentication.

The feature requires a compatible device running Android 13 or later.

The partners behind the curtain
Samsung is not building the plumbing alone. Solana provides the blockchain infrastructure that moves the tokens, while Bastion supplies a licensed stablecoin framework for the payment service.

Coinbase serves as sub-custodian of the USDC. A custodian is the party that actually holds the assets, so Coinbase handles safekeeping while Samsung owns the front end.

Sui is also listed as a supporting blockchain partner. Solana, however, is the chain named for the USDC transfers at launch.

Solana’s stablecoin numbers
The deal lands as Solana’s stablecoin business has been expanding. Stablecoin supply on the network grew by nearly 20% year over year.

Solana processed more than $5.25 trillion in stablecoin transaction volume in 2026. Its stablecoin supply also hit a record $17.51 billion in September 2026.

The announcement did not come out of nowhere. In July 2026, Samsung teased that stablecoin features were coming but did not reveal which blockchain or which issuer it would use.

That left about three months of speculation. The October reveal answered both questions: USDC as the stablecoin and Solana as the rails.

The news has also fed bullish commentary. A Motley Fool contributor pointed to the integration in a piece titled “Here’s Why I’m Buying Solana Right Now.”

What this means for Solana, USDC, and payments
The most important number here is 82 million. Crypto companies have spent years trying to coax consumers into downloading new apps and opening new accounts. Samsung is skipping that step by putting stablecoin transfers into software already installed on its phones.

Cross-border transfers look like the clearest use case. The ability to cash out into local bank accounts in more than 60 countries targets that pain point directly.

The service is US-only at launch, and expansion to other markets depends on local regulations.

The eligibility rules will also narrow the audience. Not all 82 million device owners will be adults who pass identity checks, run Android 13 or later, and actually want to send stablecoins.

Samsung waiving its own charge is helpful, but users may still see network or recipient-side costs.

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

The share-backed tokens would trade on HyperCore against USDC, with US persons excluded under EQX’s eligibility rules.

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Financial supervision shifts to the EBA on Nov. 12, while France’s ACPR keeps responsibility for governance and other corporate matters.

Financial supervision shifts to the EBA on Nov. 12, while France’s ACPR keeps responsibility for governance and other corporate matters.

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