Track market-moving stories before they get noisy

Hyperliquid has cumulatively burned 47.27 million HYPE tokens, accounting for 4.73% of its maximum supply.

According to monitoring by Onchain Lens, Hyperliquid generated approximately $1.4 million in fees over the past 24 hours, burning 20,640 HYPE tokens valued at around $1.2 million. To date, Hyperliquid has cumulatively burned 47.27 million HYPE tokens, worth roughly $2.76 billion, accounting for 4.73% of its maximum total supply of 1 billion HYPE.

19 minutes ago

Chairman of SK Group: South Korea Needs to Transform into an "AI-Native" Country

SK Group Chairman Choi Tae-won stated that South Korea must become an "AI-native country," adding, "The goal is to ensure every person has at least one AI agent." He noted that if this goal is achieved, South Korea will become a global AI testbed where various AI technologies can be tested and deployed. Choi added that SK Group will provide more opportunities for AI development through continuous R&D investment. He also emphasized that reducing AI costs is critical, saying, "Currently, AI costs are too high. We must cut costs through various means so that more people around the world can benefit from AI." Choi further stated that South Korea can lower AI costs by expanding its memory chip production capacity and building more AI data centers, while establishing a global AI data center hub connecting the U.S., Europe, and Asia. (Source: Jinshi)

19 minutes ago

Prominent Trader: Bitcoin’s supply held by long-term holders in loss has exceeded levels recorded during the FTX collapse

Renowned trader Killa posted that roughly 80% of cycle top indicators never triggered during the last Bitcoin bull run, and a similar situation could occur with bottom indicators in the future, meaning market bottoms cannot be judged by mechanically relying on historical signals. He noted that the supply of long-term holders currently in a loss state has exceeded levels seen during the FTX collapse and is approaching those of the 2018 bear market. Bitcoin’s realized price is currently around $50,000; in every past cycle, the price has tested the realized price of long-term holders, so a return to this region remains possible. However, Killa said it should not be assumed that Bitcoin will definitely drop back to this level. Many top indicators failed to trigger in the last cycle, and some bottom indicators may also become invalid in the future. Regardless, the current level of market loss is already comparable to that during the FTX incident and the 2018 bear market.

19 minutes ago

Poll: Democrats have a chance to flip the House, Republicans face pressure.

The latest Emerson College poll shows that Democrats hold an 11-point lead over Republicans in midterm election preferences, with 53% to 42%—marking the Democrats’ largest lead in the poll series. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump’s approval rating stands at 39%, while his disapproval rating is 57%. The poll indicates that the Democrats’ advantage stems largely from female voters, among whom they lead Republicans by 27 points. Newsweek, analyzing via its Uniform Swing Model, stated that if this national advantage translates evenly to House districts, roughly 36 Republican-held seats could flip to Democrats, resulting in a hypothetical 251-184 seat split favoring the Democrats. However, the article emphasizes that this is only a model stress test based on national polls, not an election prediction, and the actual outcome will still be influenced by factors such as candidate performance, local issues, voter turnout, and district mapping. (Jinshi)

19 minutes ago

CZ: Long-term investors can adopt the dollar-cost averaging strategy to buy in batches.

In a post addressing the question of when the best entry point is for long-term holders during bull or bear markets, CZ stated that investors should adopt the dollar-cost averaging (DCA) strategy. DCA is a strategy of continuously buying the same asset at fixed intervals with a fixed amount each time, which smooths costs by diversifying entry timings and reduces the risk of buying at a high point in a single transaction, though it does not guarantee profits.

19 minutes ago

Lee Jae-myung strongly invites U.S. capital to invest in South Korea's tech sector.

According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung stated that South Korea and the U.S. should expand their cooperation beyond their long-standing security alliance, covering also sectors of technology, innovation, and startups. He emphasized that combining the U.S.’s world-class venture capital capabilities and global networks with South Korea’s advanced technological strength and manufacturing competitiveness will foster a new batch of global innovative enterprises. Lee also called on U.S. venture capital firms to step up cooperation and expand investments in South Korea, while pledging to build one of the world’s most attractive investment and startup ecosystems. He noted that South Korea will reform its visa system to better attract overseas entrepreneurial talent, and lay the groundwork for establishing a cooperation framework between domestic and foreign enterprises, research institutions, and investors. He also committed to helping South Korean startups grow into globally competitive firms by connecting privately and publicly managed funds.

19 minutes ago

Yapay zeka ve yüksek performanslı bilgi işlem (HPC) alanındaki talebin hızla artması, merkeziyetsiz bulut çözümlerine olan ilgiyi de beraberinde getiriyor. Özellikle yapay zeka modellerinin eğitimi, büyük veri analizi ve GPU gerektiren uygulamaların yaygınlaşması, daha esnek ve uygun maliyetli bilgi işlem altyapılarına olan ihtiyacı artırıyor. Bu alanda öne çıkan projelerden biri olan CapIX Protocol (CPX), dünyanın farklı bölgelerindeki kullanılmayan işlem gücünü tek bir ağ altında bir araya getirerek daha düşük maliyetli, ölçeklenebilir ve verimli bir bulut altyapısı sunmayı hedefliyor. Akıllı yönlendirme sistemi sayesinde en uygun işlem kapasitesini otomatik olarak seçen platform, hem bireysel geliştiricilere hem de kurumsal kullanıcılara hitap eden merkeziyetsiz bir bilgi işlem ekosistemi oluşturmayı amaçlıyor. Peki CapIX Protocol (CPX) nedir, nasıl çalışır ve CPX token ne işe yarar?

CapIX Protocol, farklı altyapı sağlayıcılarının sunduğu işlem gücünü tek bir platform üzerinden yöneten merkeziyetsiz bir bilgi işlem ağıdır. Proje, kullanılmayan CPU ve GPU kaynaklarını değerlendirerek kullanıcıların ihtiyaç duyduğu işlem kapasitesini en uygun maliyetle sunmayı amaçlar. Platformun merkezinde yer alan CapIX OS, ağa bağlı sağlayıcıları anlık olarak tarayarak fiyat, performans ve kullanılabilirlik kriterlerine göre en uygun işlem gücünü seçer. Böylece kullanıcılar tek bir sağlayıcıya bağlı kalmadan küresel ölçekte dağıtılmış bilgi işlem altyapısından yararlanabilir. CapIX ekosistemi özellikle yapay zeka modelleri, bulut sunucuları, GPU kiralama ve merkeziyetsiz uygulamalar için geliştirildi.

CapIX Nasıl Çalışıyor? CapIX’in çalışma mantığı, farklı sağlayıcılardan gelen işlem gücünü tek bir akıllı yönlendirme sistemi altında toplamaya dayanıyor.

Süreç şu şekilde ilerliyor:

Kullanıcı Solana uyumlu cüzdanını platforma bağlıyor. SOL veya USDC yatırarak bakiyesini oluşturuyor. Çalıştırmak istediği uygulama veya sunucu türünü seçiyor. CapIX OS, ağdaki tüm aktif sağlayıcıları tarıyor. En düşük maliyetli ve uygun donanıma sahip düğüm otomatik olarak seçiliyor. İş yükü ilgili node üzerinde çalıştırılıyor ve kullanım süresine göre ücretlendiriliyor. Bu yapı sayesinde kullanıcılar manuel olarak sunucu aramak yerine sistemin en uygun seçeneği otomatik belirlemesinden faydalanabiliyor.

CapIX’in Sunduğu Hizmetler CapIX yalnızca bir bulut platformu değil, aynı zamanda yapay zeka geliştiricileri ve kurumsal kullanıcılar için farklı hizmetler sunan kapsamlı bir ekosistem oluşturuyor.

Başlıca ürünleri şunlar:

CapIX Cloud: Dağıtık sanal sunucu ve GPU kiralama platformu. AI Inference: OpenAI uyumlu API üzerinden 250’den fazla yapay zeka modeline erişim. AI Labs: Kuantum bilgi işlem ve deneysel yapay zeka uygulamaları. Serverless Jobs: Kullanıldığı kadar ödeme modeliyle çalışan işlem altyapısı. Private AI Models: Kullanıcılara özel yapay zeka modellerini API üzerinden çalıştırma imkânı. Bu hizmetlerin tamamı aynı altyapı ve yönlendirme sistemi üzerinden çalışıyor.

Smart Router Teknolojisi Nedir? CapIX’in en dikkat çeken bileşeni Smart Router (Akıllı Yönlendirici) sistemi olarak öne çıkıyor.

Bu teknoloji;

Ağdaki tüm işlem kapasitesini gerçek zamanlı tarıyor. Fiyat, donanım gücü ve gecikme sürelerini karşılaştırıyor. En uygun maliyetli sağlayıcıyı otomatik seçiyor. Gerektiğinde iş yükünü birden fazla node arasında dağıtabiliyor. Bu sayede kullanıcılar büyük bulut sağlayıcılarının uyguladığı yüksek fiyat marjlarından kaçınabiliyor.

CPX Token Ne İşe Yarar? CPX, CapIX Protocol ekosisteminin yerel tokenidir ve Solana Token-2022 standardı üzerinde geliştirilmiştir. Platformda kullanıcılar bugün için doğrudan SOL ve USDC ile ödeme yapabiliyor. Ancak CPX token, gelecekte devreye alınacak zincir üstü uzlaşma (on-chain settlement) katmanının temel varlığı olarak tasarlandı.

CPX’in kullanım alanları arasında şunlar bulunuyor:

Ağ üzerindeki uzlaşma işlemleri, Protokol ücretlerinin yönetimi, Yakım (burn) mekanizması, Hazine fonunun desteklenmesi, Ekosistem teşvikleri. Proje, CPX token bulundurmayı zorunlu kılmadan ağın kullanılabilmesini hedefliyor.

CapIX’in Avantajları CapIX Protocol, geleneksel bulut hizmetlerine alternatif oluşturabilecek çeşitli avantajlar sunuyor.

Öne çıkan özellikleri şunlardır:

Merkeziyetsiz işlem gücü ağı Kullanılmayan GPU ve CPU kaynaklarının değerlendirilmesi Gerçek zamanlı fiyat karşılaştırması Solana tabanlı ödeme sistemi OpenAI uyumlu AI API desteği GPU kiralama hizmeti SSH erişimli bulut sunucuları Kullanıldığı kadar ödeme modeli API entegrasyonu Geliştiricilere yönelik kapsamlı araçlar Güvenlik ve Yol Haritası CapIX, güvenlik tarafında sıfır güven (Zero Trust) yaklaşımını benimseyen bir mimari kullanıyor. Platformda konteyner izolasyonu, tek kullanımlık SSH anahtarları, HMAC tabanlı kimlik doğrulama, işlem tekrarını önleyen güvenlik mekanizmaları ve Solana üzerinde doğrulanabilir ödeme kayıtları bulunuyor.

Projenin yol haritasında ise şu teknolojiler yer alıyor:

Gizli bilgi işlem (Confidential Computing) AMD SEV-SNP ve Intel TDX desteği NVIDIA Confidential GPU teknolojileri zkVM doğrulama sistemi Zincir üstü uzlaşma altyapısı eBPF tabanlı ağ izolasyonu Bu özelliklerin ilerleyen dönemlerde kademeli olarak kullanıma sunulması planlanıyor.

CapIX Protocol (CPX), merkeziyetsiz bulut bilişim ve yapay zeka altyapısını tek platform altında birleştirmeyi amaçlayan yenilikçi projeler arasında yer alıyor. Akıllı yönlendirme sistemi, küresel GPU ağı ve OpenAI uyumlu yapay zeka servisleriyle hem geliştiricilere hem de kurumsal kullanıcılara düşük maliyetli bilgi işlem imkânı sunmayı hedefliyor. CPX token ise gelecekte devreye alınacak zincir üstü uzlaşma mekanizmasının merkezinde yer alacak. Merkeziyetsiz AI ve bulut bilişim sektörünün büyümesiyle birlikte CapIX’in geliştirdiği teknolojilerin yakından takip edilmesi bekleniyor.

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Changxin's pre-IPO price drops to $6, corresponding to an RMB share price of 40.62 yuan on its first day of listing.

According to Hyperinsight’s monitoring, the Pre-IPO contract price of CXMT (Changxin Memory Technologies, whose listed entity is Changxin Technology) on Hyperliquid has fallen to $6, with a more than 5.7% drop in 24 hours. The corresponding RMB share price stands at 40.62 yuan. Calculated based on the post-issue total share count of 66.881 billion shares, the on-chain implied market capitalization is approximately $400 billion, equivalent to around 2.7 trillion yuan. At this valuation, the subscription cost per lot of 500 shares for retail investors who win the online application is 4,330 yuan. The estimated market value of 500 shares on the first day of listing is 20,310 yuan, translating to a profit of roughly 16,000 yuan per lot.

1 hours ago

The latest draft of the CLARITY Act includes an incentive clause for white hat hackers, proposing to offer rewards to individuals who identify security vulnerabilities.

The latest draft of the U.S. Senate’s Cryptocurrency Market Structure Act (the CLARITY Act) includes provisions encouraging white hat hackers to responsibly disclose cybersecurity vulnerabilities, proposing to authorize rewards for individuals who identify and report such flaws to bolster protection for digital asset infrastructure before they are maliciously exploited. The provision incorporates the views of former CFTC Chairman J. Christopher Giancarlo, a long-time advocate for digital asset innovation.

1 hours ago

US tech giants have cut nearly 140,000 jobs this year, with the four leading players' AI capital expenditure totaling $725 billion.

According to statistics from the Financial Times in partnership with Challenger, Gray & Christmas, U.S. tech industry layoffs since 2026 have accounted for more than one-third of all announced layoffs nationwide. Amazon, Oracle, Meta and Microsoft alone have cut nearly 50,000 jobs, roughly 6% of their total workforce. In sharp contrast, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta and Microsoft are projected to invest a combined $725 billion in AI infrastructure such as data centers this year. After laying off staff in March, Oracle’s total headcount dropped by 21,000 for the full year; this month, S&P downgraded its credit rating, citing weak cash flow and uncertain AI returns. Microsoft cut 4,800 jobs this month, mainly in its Xbox gaming division, essentially a full reset of its $75 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard three years ago. The narrative that "AI causes layoffs" is met with skepticism in academic circles. Enrico Moretti, an economics professor at the University of California, Berkeley, notes that AI-related layoffs are more of an excuse for management to correct over-hiring during the pandemic. "Claiming AI-driven efficiency gains is easier than admitting to over-hiring back then," he said. Market pricing also contradicts this narrative: within 30 trading days of announcing layoffs, companies that attributed cuts to AI saw their stock prices underperform the Nasdaq by nearly 10%, while companies laying off for other reasons lagged by only around 4%. Amazon and Microsoft have explicitly stated that AI adoption is not a decisive factor in their layoffs. In contrast to the tech giants’ non-core business contractions, AI-native startups like Anthropic and OpenAI are still rapidly expanding their workforce, driving fast growth in AI sector employment. "What is being cut is merely all other non-core business segments."

1 hours ago

Layer1 project Vanar will begin migrating its infrastructure to Base next Tuesday.

Layer 1 blockchain project Vanar announced that its infrastructure migration to Base will kick off next Tuesday. Users currently staking VANRY must first unstake, wait for the cooldown period to elapse before claiming their tokens. Earlier, Vanar stated that existing VANRY token holders can complete the migration at a 1:1 ratio, with their holding amounts remaining unchanged. Additionally, VANRY’s total supply will rise from 2.4 billion to 10 billion tokens, approximately 62% of which will stay locked during the migration. Once the migration is complete, staking for Vanarchain validators will be halted.

1 hours ago

2035年数据中心将占美国电力消耗的约20%，成为下一个AI瓶颈

U.S. data center power demand is projected to surge by 253% from 2026 levels, reaching a record 194 gigawatts by 2035 — with 1 gigawatt roughly matching the capacity of a traditional nuclear reactor. Currently, data centers consume 6% of the U.S.’s annual electricity; that share is estimated to climb to around 12% by 2030, and will account for roughly 20% of total U.S. electricity consumption by 2035. Most of the growth in U.S. power demand is concentrated in a handful of grid regions, such as the PJM Interconnection, which serves Washington, D.C. and 13 states including Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio. Power will be the next AI bottleneck.

1 hours ago

Robinhood Chain's 24-hour network fee revenue reached $350,000, ranking fourth among all blockchains.

According to DeFiLlama data, Robinhood EVM Chain generated $350,000 in 24-hour network fee revenue, ranking fourth among all blockchains, trailing only Canton, Tron, and Solana. Launched on July 1, the Robinhood EVM Chain has seen its total value locked (TVL) quickly rise to $315 million. Though originally designed for on-chain stocks and ETFs, it has emerged as a major hub for meme coin activity.

1 hours ago

Changxin's pre-IPO price drops to $6, corresponding to an RMB share price of 40.62 yuan on its first day of listing.

According to Hyperinsight’s monitoring, the Pre-IPO contract price of CXMT (Changxin Memory Technologies, whose listed entity is Changxin Technology) on Hyperliquid has fallen to $6, with a more than 5.7% drop in 24 hours. The corresponding RMB share price stands at 40.62 yuan. Calculated based on the post-issue total share count of 66.881 billion shares, the on-chain implied market capitalization is approximately $400 billion, equivalent to around 2.7 trillion yuan. At this valuation, the subscription cost per lot of 500 shares for retail investors who win the online application is 4,330 yuan. The estimated market value of 500 shares on the first day of listing is 20,310 yuan, translating to a profit of roughly 16,000 yuan per lot.

36 minutes ago

The latest draft of the CLARITY Act includes an incentive clause for white hat hackers, proposing to offer rewards to individuals who identify security vulnerabilities.

The latest draft of the U.S. Senate’s Cryptocurrency Market Structure Act (the CLARITY Act) includes provisions encouraging white hat hackers to responsibly disclose cybersecurity vulnerabilities, proposing to authorize rewards for individuals who identify and report such flaws to bolster protection for digital asset infrastructure before they are maliciously exploited. The provision incorporates the views of former CFTC Chairman J. Christopher Giancarlo, a long-time advocate for digital asset innovation.

36 minutes ago

US tech giants have cut nearly 140,000 jobs this year, with the four leading players' AI capital expenditure totaling $725 billion.

According to statistics from the Financial Times in partnership with Challenger, Gray & Christmas, U.S. tech industry layoffs since 2026 have accounted for more than one-third of all announced layoffs nationwide. Amazon, Oracle, Meta and Microsoft alone have cut nearly 50,000 jobs, roughly 6% of their total workforce. In sharp contrast, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta and Microsoft are projected to invest a combined $725 billion in AI infrastructure such as data centers this year. After laying off staff in March, Oracle’s total headcount dropped by 21,000 for the full year; this month, S&P downgraded its credit rating, citing weak cash flow and uncertain AI returns. Microsoft cut 4,800 jobs this month, mainly in its Xbox gaming division, essentially a full reset of its $75 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard three years ago. The narrative that "AI causes layoffs" is met with skepticism in academic circles. Enrico Moretti, an economics professor at the University of California, Berkeley, notes that AI-related layoffs are more of an excuse for management to correct over-hiring during the pandemic. "Claiming AI-driven efficiency gains is easier than admitting to over-hiring back then," he said. Market pricing also contradicts this narrative: within 30 trading days of announcing layoffs, companies that attributed cuts to AI saw their stock prices underperform the Nasdaq by nearly 10%, while companies laying off for other reasons lagged by only around 4%. Amazon and Microsoft have explicitly stated that AI adoption is not a decisive factor in their layoffs. In contrast to the tech giants’ non-core business contractions, AI-native startups like Anthropic and OpenAI are still rapidly expanding their workforce, driving fast growth in AI sector employment. "What is being cut is merely all other non-core business segments."

36 minutes ago

Layer1 project Vanar will begin migrating its infrastructure to Base next Tuesday.

Layer 1 blockchain project Vanar announced that its infrastructure migration to Base will kick off next Tuesday. Users currently staking VANRY must first unstake, wait for the cooldown period to elapse before claiming their tokens. Earlier, Vanar stated that existing VANRY token holders can complete the migration at a 1:1 ratio, with their holding amounts remaining unchanged. Additionally, VANRY’s total supply will rise from 2.4 billion to 10 billion tokens, approximately 62% of which will stay locked during the migration. Once the migration is complete, staking for Vanarchain validators will be halted.

36 minutes ago

2035年数据中心将占美国电力消耗的约20%，成为下一个AI瓶颈

U.S. data center power demand is projected to surge by 253% from 2026 levels, reaching a record 194 gigawatts by 2035 — with 1 gigawatt roughly matching the capacity of a traditional nuclear reactor. Currently, data centers consume 6% of the U.S.’s annual electricity; that share is estimated to climb to around 12% by 2030, and will account for roughly 20% of total U.S. electricity consumption by 2035. Most of the growth in U.S. power demand is concentrated in a handful of grid regions, such as the PJM Interconnection, which serves Washington, D.C. and 13 states including Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio. Power will be the next AI bottleneck.

36 minutes ago

Robinhood Chain's 24-hour network fee revenue reached $350,000, ranking fourth among all blockchains.

According to DeFiLlama data, Robinhood EVM Chain generated $350,000 in 24-hour network fee revenue, ranking fourth among all blockchains, trailing only Canton, Tron, and Solana. Launched on July 1, the Robinhood EVM Chain has seen its total value locked (TVL) quickly rise to $315 million. Though originally designed for on-chain stocks and ETFs, it has emerged as a major hub for meme coin activity.

36 minutes ago

Changxin's pre-IPO price drops to $6, corresponding to an RMB share price of 40.62 yuan on its first day of listing.

According to Hyperinsight’s monitoring, the Pre-IPO contract price of CXMT (Changxin Memory Technologies, whose listed entity is Changxin Technology) on Hyperliquid has fallen to $6, with a more than 5.7% drop in 24 hours. The corresponding RMB share price stands at 40.62 yuan. Calculated based on the post-issue total share count of 66.881 billion shares, the on-chain implied market capitalization is approximately $400 billion, equivalent to around 2.7 trillion yuan. At this valuation, the subscription cost per lot of 500 shares for retail investors who win the online application is 4,330 yuan. The estimated market value of 500 shares on the first day of listing is 20,310 yuan, translating to a profit of roughly 16,000 yuan per lot.

16 minutes ago

The latest draft of the CLARITY Act includes an incentive clause for white hat hackers, proposing to offer rewards to individuals who identify security vulnerabilities.

The latest draft of the U.S. Senate’s Cryptocurrency Market Structure Act (the CLARITY Act) includes provisions encouraging white hat hackers to responsibly disclose cybersecurity vulnerabilities, proposing to authorize rewards for individuals who identify and report such flaws to bolster protection for digital asset infrastructure before they are maliciously exploited. The provision incorporates the views of former CFTC Chairman J. Christopher Giancarlo, a long-time advocate for digital asset innovation.

16 minutes ago

US tech giants have cut nearly 140,000 jobs this year, with the four leading players' AI capital expenditure totaling $725 billion.

According to statistics from the Financial Times in partnership with Challenger, Gray & Christmas, U.S. tech industry layoffs since 2026 have accounted for more than one-third of all announced layoffs nationwide. Amazon, Oracle, Meta and Microsoft alone have cut nearly 50,000 jobs, roughly 6% of their total workforce. In sharp contrast, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta and Microsoft are projected to invest a combined $725 billion in AI infrastructure such as data centers this year. After laying off staff in March, Oracle’s total headcount dropped by 21,000 for the full year; this month, S&P downgraded its credit rating, citing weak cash flow and uncertain AI returns. Microsoft cut 4,800 jobs this month, mainly in its Xbox gaming division, essentially a full reset of its $75 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard three years ago. The narrative that "AI causes layoffs" is met with skepticism in academic circles. Enrico Moretti, an economics professor at the University of California, Berkeley, notes that AI-related layoffs are more of an excuse for management to correct over-hiring during the pandemic. "Claiming AI-driven efficiency gains is easier than admitting to over-hiring back then," he said. Market pricing also contradicts this narrative: within 30 trading days of announcing layoffs, companies that attributed cuts to AI saw their stock prices underperform the Nasdaq by nearly 10%, while companies laying off for other reasons lagged by only around 4%. Amazon and Microsoft have explicitly stated that AI adoption is not a decisive factor in their layoffs. In contrast to the tech giants’ non-core business contractions, AI-native startups like Anthropic and OpenAI are still rapidly expanding their workforce, driving fast growth in AI sector employment. "What is being cut is merely all other non-core business segments."

16 minutes ago

Layer1 project Vanar will begin migrating its infrastructure to Base next Tuesday.

Layer 1 blockchain project Vanar announced that its infrastructure migration to Base will kick off next Tuesday. Users currently staking VANRY must first unstake, wait for the cooldown period to elapse before claiming their tokens. Earlier, Vanar stated that existing VANRY token holders can complete the migration at a 1:1 ratio, with their holding amounts remaining unchanged. Additionally, VANRY’s total supply will rise from 2.4 billion to 10 billion tokens, approximately 62% of which will stay locked during the migration. Once the migration is complete, staking for Vanarchain validators will be halted.

16 minutes ago

2035年数据中心将占美国电力消耗的约20%，成为下一个AI瓶颈

U.S. data center power demand is projected to surge by 253% from 2026 levels, reaching a record 194 gigawatts by 2035 — with 1 gigawatt roughly matching the capacity of a traditional nuclear reactor. Currently, data centers consume 6% of the U.S.’s annual electricity; that share is estimated to climb to around 12% by 2030, and will account for roughly 20% of total U.S. electricity consumption by 2035. Most of the growth in U.S. power demand is concentrated in a handful of grid regions, such as the PJM Interconnection, which serves Washington, D.C. and 13 states including Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio. Power will be the next AI bottleneck.

16 minutes ago

Robinhood Chain's 24-hour network fee revenue reached $350,000, ranking fourth among all blockchains.

According to DeFiLlama data, Robinhood EVM Chain generated $350,000 in 24-hour network fee revenue, ranking fourth among all blockchains, trailing only Canton, Tron, and Solana. Launched on July 1, the Robinhood EVM Chain has seen its total value locked (TVL) quickly rise to $315 million. Though originally designed for on-chain stocks and ETFs, it has emerged as a major hub for meme coin activity.

16 minutes ago

Coinbase has launched support for USDC payments managed by autonomous artificial intelligence agents through its business-focused platform, aiming to streamline automated financial transactions. The exchange introduced the upgrade on July 23, 2026, alongside new agent trading commands and a software developer kit for integrating x402-enabled payments into digital services.

Coinbase targets automated payment flowsThis week, businesses using Coinbase can begin to receive USDC directly from AI agents. Under the new setup, each transaction is processed through Coinbase’s payment infrastructure, with the addition of x402 simplifying pay-per-use use cases on the internet.

Firms now have the ability to receive, track, reconcile, and withdraw these agent-managed payments via a single, centralized account. The platform’s business dashboard specifies that eligible USDC balances can earn rewards, with a listed annual rate of 3.35%. This rate may fluctuate depending on user region and platform updates.

Shift in web traffic prompts changeCoinbase developed these features in response to growing automation on the web. In June, the amount of automated visits to pages related to Base, a Coinbase-developed layer 2 blockchain, surpassed human visits for the first time. The company observed that traditional payment workflows rely heavily on human input, which poses challenges for autonomous AI services.

With this upgrade, agent-initiated transactions can now be managed together with regular business payments. The firm noted that USDC payments through agents have no chargeback risk within this structure. Coinbase does not directly intervene in transfers between businesses and their customers; access is based on product, user location, and system requirements.

Features for developers and autonomous agentsCoinbase’s latest update includes new real-time tools for the Agents product, such as market feeds and conditional triggers. AI agents can stream and analyze orders, monitor order books, asset prices, and volume fluctuations, and execute buy, sell, or cancellation requests based on pre-set rules.

Developers can add agent payment capabilities to their APIs, Model Context Protocol servers, or web services via the Coinbase Developer Platform’s new CDP x402 software kit. The package includes key infrastructure and extensions, which eliminates extra setup for payment middleware.

The x402 protocol uses the HTTP 402 Payment Required status code to facilitate payments. This setup allows online services to trigger payment requests whenever an AI agent attempts to use resources or services.

The agent confirms payment with USDC and resends the service request along with payment proof, completing the transaction without additional human oversight.

Mini dictionary: x402 protocol, an open technical standard for integrating on-chain payments with internet services using the HTTP 402 response code, designed to let APIs and AI agents handle stablecoin payments automatically during resource requests.

Coinbase initially launched the x402 standard in May 2025 to support payment operations for APIs, applications, and autonomous agents. The standard is designed to combine payment requests, USDC authorization, and confirmation of settlement into a seamless process.

Amazon adopted the x402 protocol in May 2026 by adding it to Bedrock Agent Core Payments, enabling compatible AI agents to pay for services using USDC tokens. According to Coinbase, these advancements mark further progress in machine-based and automated payment solutions.

The company has not disclosed anticipated payment volumes or values for its new business feature but emphasized that these enhancements benefit companies receiving funds, individual users managing AI agents, and developers building agent-driven platforms or tools.

Each improvement is aimed at supporting a unique participant in the growing automated online economy, whether handling funds, developing new features, or overseeing autonomous agents acting on users’ behalf.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.

In brief Samsung said Samsung Wallet will add native stablecoin support at Galaxy Unpacked in London on July 22, showing a mockup with Circle's USDC. The move builds on a 2019 Knox-based crypto wallet, 2021 hardware wallet support, and an October 2025 Coinbase integration that reached 75 million U.S. Galaxy owners. It landed alongside the Galaxy Card, Samsung's first credit card with Barclays and Visa, as the global stablecoin supply sits near $310 billion under the year-old GENIUS Act. Samsung wants stablecoins living next to your boarding pass. At Galaxy Unpacked in London on July 22, the company said Samsung Wallet—the app that already stores payment cards, IDs, and hotel keys—will add native support for stablecoins. Samsung didn't name a launch date, an issuer, or which blockchain the tokens would run on.

"Samsung Wallet will expand beyond cash and savings. It will embrace New forms of digital value, including stablecoins," said Lee Dinham, Samsung's product manager, on stage, adding that the move would make the company one of the first major smartphone brands to offer native stablecoins.

“This will make Samsung one of the first major mobile brands to bring native stablecoins to a Smartphone, enabling fast and trusted digital value transfers,” Dinham said.

Stablecoins are tokens designed to hold a steady value, usually $1, by being backed one-to-one with cash or short-term government debt. Samsung showed a wallet mockup holding Circle's USDC, the second-largest stablecoin by market value, without confirming Circle as a partner in the endeavor.

Samsung hasn't said whether the feature will be custodial, meaning Samsung or some other third party holds users' funds, or non-custodial, where users alone control the private keys that unlock their own money.

Samsung's long crypto résuméNone of this is new territory for Samsung. The company built crypto storage into Galaxy phones back in 2019 through Knox, a hardware-isolated vault unlocked only by PIN or fingerprint, and later added support for Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tron, and Stellar. In 2021, Samsung let Galaxy owners link hardware wallets like the Ledger Nano S directly to that vault.

Last October, Samsung expanded a deal with Coinbase that put crypto purchases directly inside Samsung Wallet for 75 million U.S. Galaxy owners. "Samsung Wallet is a trusted tool to millions of Galaxy users," Drew Blackard, the company's senior vice president of mobile product management, said of that deal.

The stablecoin plan landed alongside the Galaxy Card, Samsung's first credit card in the United States, issued by Barclays on the Visa network with 5% cash back on Samsung purchases and 3% on Samsung Wallet transactions. Visa's Kirk Stuart said the card reflects how "consumers expect payments to be embedded into the digital experiences they use every day." Samsung framed the wider effort as a "secured payments and rewards experience."

Daily Debrief NewsletterStart every day with the top news stories right now, plus original features, a podcast, videos and more.

@SamsungMobile used its Galaxy Unpacked event on July 22 to reveal that Samsung Wallet will add native stablecoin support, marking one of the most significant moves by a mainstream consumer electronics brand into digital-dollar payments. Samsung Wallet product manager Lee Dinham told the audience the app would "embrace new forms of digital value, including stablecoins," positioning the company as one of the first major mobile brands to bring native stablecoin support to a smartphone.

The on-stage presentation showed a mockup of the Wallet holding @circle's $USDC, though Samsung did not name USDC or other stablecoins as formal partners for the launch. No launch date, supported stablecoin list, or specific technical rollout plan has been disclosed.

A broader push into financial servicesThe stablecoin announcement did not stand alone. It came alongside the Samsung Galaxy Card, a credit card issued by Barclays on the Visa network that launched in the United States on July 22. Samsung Electronics America described the Galaxy Card as a way to earn cash rewards on everyday purchases, including elevated rates on Samsung products directly. It is Samsung's first ever credit card, issued by Barclays US Consumer Bank on the Visa network.

The stablecoin move builds on a 2025 partnership with Coinbase that gave millions of US Galaxy users access to cryptocurrency services directly through their devices, effectively graduating Samsung Wallet from a basic crypto access point into something closer to a full-featured digital asset platform. Together, the Galaxy Card and stablecoin plan signal Samsung's intent to turn its Wallet into a unified hub for payments, rewards, and digital assets.

Scale is the storyWhat separates this announcement from typical crypto integrations is the distribution behind it. Samsung Wallet's stablecoin support was announced at Galaxy Unpacked 2026 on July 22, a move that would place digital dollars alongside tap-to-pay, boarding passes, and loyalty cards in the pockets of hundreds of millions of Galaxy device owners. The original copy notes the wallet already reaches 75 million US Galaxy owners through the existing Coinbase integration alone.

For stablecoins, the implications are significant. The announcement comes as stablecoins are experiencing substantial growth in digital payments, with total market capitalisation exceeding $315 billion in 2026. When a phone maker of Samsung's scale puts stablecoins next to boarding passes and hotel keys, digital dollars stop being a crypto product and start becoming a default phone feature.

Sources:
Samsung Newsroom: Introducing Samsung Galaxy Card
PR Newswire: Samsung launches its first credit card in the U.S.
Crypto Briefing: Samsung Wallet to support stablecoins, including USDC

The Verus Ethereum Bridge has been targeted by a major security breach for the second time in just over two months, resulting in the theft of approximately $7.54 million in various crypto assets. The incident occurred on July 23 when attackers exploited a vulnerability, once again raising concerns about the security of cross-chain protocols in decentralized finance (DeFi).

Attacker Drains Bridge’s Ethereum ReservesThe breach allowed the attacker to abuse the bridge’s submitImports function, which triggered Ethereum-side payouts without equivalent assets being locked on the Verus blockchain. This vulnerability enabled the unauthorized extraction of funds from the bridge’s reserves.

Blockchain security firm Blockaid and independent researcher exvulsec both confirmed and investigated the exploit. According to on-chain data, roughly 1,137 ETH, as well as tBTC, USDC, USDT, EURC, MKR, and scrvUSD, were drained from the bridge reserves at around 03:45 UTC. The stolen assets were quickly swapped through decentralized exchanges, then consolidated into nearly 3,916 ETH before parts of the funds were routed through Tornado Cash.

Mini dictionary: Tornado Cash, a decentralized non-custodial privacy solution on Ethereum, is designed to break the on-chain link between source and destination addresses, making transaction tracing more difficult.

AssetAmount stolenEstimated valueETH1,137Included in $7.54M totaltBTCUnknownUSDCUnknownUSDTUnknownEURCUnknownMKRUnknownscrvUSDUnknown Investigators noted that by exploiting the same contract, function entry point, and vulnerability as a previous May breach, the attacker bypassed standard cross-chain verification and triggered unbacked payouts, draining several digital assets from Verus’ Ethereum bridge reserves.

Recurring Security Flaws and Recent HistoryThe latest breach revived scrutiny over Verus’ handling of a previous exploit in May, which resulted in an $11.58 million loss. Experts stated that this attack exploited the exact vulnerability from the earlier incident, indicating that core issues may have remained unaddressed. Blockaid observed that while this latest event involved a different attacker wallet, the method and targeted contract remained unchanged.

Following the May attack, the same attacker returned 4,052 ETH—about 75% of the stolen funds—after reaching an agreement with Verus. Despite that partial restitution, the repetition of the exploit has heightened doubts regarding the bridge’s security remediation process.

Experts pointed out that the repeated vulnerability likely resulted from an incomplete technical fix after the earlier breach, leaving Verus exposed to additional attacks. There is growing pressure for the protocol team to publish a thorough incident report and technical breakdown.

Ongoing Investigations and Broader RisksThe Verus incident is one of several recent DeFi bridge attacks highlighted by on-chain monitoring services. Lookonchain reported that combined losses from incidents involving Verus, AFX Trade, and B² Network have climbed to approximately $35.55 million.

Mini dictionary: Lookonchain is an on-chain analytics platform known for monitoring blockchain transactions and identifying patterns related to hacks, large movements, and abnormal activities.

Security analysts explained that bridge protocols are increasingly targeted due to logical flaws in cross-chain messaging mechanisms, which, if exploited, can allow fund withdrawals without equivalent collateralization.

Next Steps for Verus and UsersAmid the investigation, Verus halted all bridge operations but has not announced a compensation plan or released a detailed technical report. The absence of a clear official explanation has drawn criticism from the user community.

Observers expect the Verus team to prioritize closing the technical vulnerability, improve their validation process, and offer a roadmap to locate and potentially recover missing assets. Until these steps are made public, scrutiny around trust and transparency in the protocol will likely continue.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.

Circle is facing criminal charges in Wisconsin because, in relation to some investment fraud, "Circle Internet Financial LLC has declined to repatriate the corresponding fiat reserves" and "Circle has not complied with a Circuit Court Judge’s seizure warrant."

Law enforcement secured a seizure warrant which Circle will not enforce. Circle claims they cannot enforce it. The government is charging Circle for declining to enforce it. Whatever is going on: everyone agrees Circle is not currently enforcing it.

This column has a long history of pulling entertaining and contradictory bits out of company public statements and (usually much later) legal settlements where those companies got caught doing something they were not supposed to do. Much of the time the company in question made explicit statements that it would not do the conduct it eventually admitted doing. And much of the time those public statements were contemporaneous with the bad conduct. But we only found out they were lying years later.

Here we have the rare opportunity to work through seemingly-false statements made by a company during a public dispute with law enforcement in real time. So that is what we are going to do. Some of this was covered by the ICIJ but we think their narrative is too generous towards Circle.

Some BackgroundTether routinely seizes funds for law enforcement. Tether has the power to transfer USDT out of your address and burn them without your knowledge or consent. So to seize funds Tether just burns tokens from anywhere and then issues fresh replacement USDT to whatever address law enforcement wants. In theory Tether could also take the funds back from law enforcement — the same process can be used for any address — though that has not yet happened. Tether has had these powers for many years. Nothing is this paragraph is new or controversial.

Circle is a little bit different. Circle does not currently have a seize function in their tokens. Both Tether and Circle can freeze funds – immobilizing them in an address – but Circle's current smart contracts do not support seizure. Circle routinely freezes tokens but it does not seize them. This is presumably what Circle was referring to when it told the Walworth County Circuit Court:

Beyond the ability to blocklist wallets, however, Circle has no control of USDC held in third-party wallets and has no ability to invalidate and reissue such USDC or to transfer them.The key words here are "has no control" and "has no ability." Circle uses the conjunction "and" meaning Circle believes both of those claims to be independently true. If Circle has any way to wrangle invalidation then Circle made a false statement to the court. Given invalidation we know reissuance is possible because once you invalidate the "bad" tokens the reissuance is just issuance. Which happens all the time. So the threshold question here is whether Circle can "invalidate" USDC in an address specifed by law enforcement.

Circle's PowersCircle cannot currently invalidate USDC and seize funds. But Circle can upgrade USDC to have whatever functionality it desires. So it cannot follow this roadmap to comply with a seizure order:

Seize the fundsBut absolutely it can comply with this roadmap:

Upgrade USDC to allow seizureSeize the fundsIn a strange turn, Circle told the government the required process to seize the funds was as follows. And bear in mind we are quoting Circle's own court filing here so this is presumably a generous phrasing from Circle's perspective:

Circle also communicated to Detective Kuchta that (1) the address was not held at Circle; (2) Circle did not have the private keys for the address; (3) Circle could not, therefore, transfer USDC from the wallet; and (4) to recover the USDC for the victim law enforcement would need to locate the private keys for the address. By telling the police to go find the private keys Circle is being, well, let's call it intransigent. Actually, no, let us be a bit more direct (with apologies to Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake). Circle looks to prefer these steps:

Get charged for no function to seizeMoan how it sucks to seizePut in a function to seizeThat’s the way they do it. Circle is being a...go watch the video in that last link.

It is hardly a secret Circle can upgrade the USDC contracts so it looks pretty likely this capability will eventually come up in court and the judge will sort Circle out. Circle's terms also provide the company with incredibly broad discretion to deny anyone access at any time and in any manner at all for pretty much any reason. This text is in the Acceptable Use Policy describing a list of things you are not allowed to do with USDC and which might lead Circle to cut you off:

For clarity, the following lists are not exhaustive and we may, at our sole discretion, modify them without notice.So Circle can decide anything it likes is out of bounds. And that document covers:

services provided by Circle Internet Financial, LLC, Circle Payments, LLC, Circle UK TradingLimited and/or Circle International Bermuda Limited (together, “Circle”), inclusive of, but not limited to, Circle Mint account,Application Programming Interface products, card processing, and the Circle Yield offering (together and separately, the “Services”), The "but not limited to" would seem to provide sufficient cover to enforce a court order by including whatever corners of Circle's operation are needed to effect the required upgrades. Remember: in this case a court is telling Circle to do something and Circle is not doing it. Maybe you think reading that clause in such a broad manner is squirrely. Sure, maybe. But that is a problem when a strained reading is used to evade a court or the clear intent of a contract or some other agreement. In the present case not reading these powers broadly led to criminal charges and is, in a real and on-going sense, blocking enforcement of a court order. Using this ambiguity to comply with the court is not going to anger the court. Certainly not any more than the current behaviour will.

Circle's Terms vs. ActionsIn Circle's documentation the company anticipates that court orders may come in to request asset freezes. There is an Access Denial Policy which sets out the freeze framework. And there is even a section entitled "Blocked Addresses & Forfeited Funds" in the USDC Terms. That later section includes this text:

Circle may also be required to freeze USDC and/or surrender associated USD held in Segregated Accounts in the event it receives a legal order from a valid government authority requiring it to do so.This anticipates the idea that a court order may mandate sending USD somewhere the court directs. The word "forfeited" appears in a section heading. And if we look at the government's description in Wisconsin we find something very much on point:

The Court’s Warrant ordered Circle to “facilitate the seizure” of Victim #1’s USDC and invalidate that USDC so that it had no value. The Warrant then ordered Circle to issue approximately $381,000 in new USDC to compensate Victim #1 and transfer that new USDC to a digital wallet owned by the Walworth County Sheriff’s Department. This procedure is known as “burn and reissue”."Facilitate the seizure" is a broad directive. The court is not telling Circle precisely how to satisfy the court's desires. The court is simply saying "find a way to do this." And Circle's on-the-record response is weird. Above we quoted Circle's broad claim of "no ability." The government's narrative gives a bit more colour there too:

In subsequent discussions, Circle’s representatives have explained that the company holds approximately $381,000 in US Currency in reserve to cover the value of Victim #1’s USDC, even though that USDC cannot be redeemed by anyone for US Currency because Circle froze it. Circle protested that if it issued $381,000 worth of new USDC, it would also have to hold an additional $381,000 in US Currency to cover the new USDC. Circle objected that it would be unfair for the company to have to set aside that much US Currency in reserve. Circle also stated that by the terms of its own contracts, it will not “burn and reissue” USDC.This is some twisted logic. Circle seems to believe it is required to maintain backing for all USDC, frozen or not, and that because it currently cannot burn and reissue USDC this would require holding double reserves for the recovered amount and that – the double reserving Circle just imposed on itself – is unfair.

We will immediately concede that double reserving here is unreasonable and dumb. But the double reserving is only "required" if we accept Circle's claim it cannot do the burn and reissue. This is a strained attempt for Circle to look like the victim. Possibly so that Circle can continue to collect interest on the US$381,000 in reserves it holds against the frozen tokens

Said another way: Circle's protest assumes Circle will not use its power to upgrade the USDC to allow seizures. We know this is Circle's thinking because, again quoting the Wisconsin government:

Circle also stated that by the terms of its own contracts, it will not “burn and reissue” USDC.This is weird. The word "reissue" does not appear on circle.com, as of this writing, per a number of searches. And the USDC Risk Factors also include a section entitled "Blocked Addresses & Forfeited Funds" so this is puzzling. If we read the reference to "its own contracts" in that last quote from Circle as pertaining to the USDC smart contracts it is again true in a literal-and-useless sense. By the terms of the currently deployed smart contracts there is no reissue power. But by the terms of those same contracts Circle can simply change the contracts.

Circle looks to be playing games so it can collect interest on frozen USDC forever. Holding frozen scam-related funds forever and keeping the interest is an interesting business model.

ContractsIf you have ever entered into any sort of commercial agreement you have probably seen clauses that allow someone to modify the terms under extreme circumstances and maybe also in a "commercially reasonable manner" if the need arises. Most contracts contemplate the idea that things can change and some amount of flexibility is required. For example, a company may change its office address. Or it may change where it banks. Or any number of other things. If you enter into a contract which includes bank details and the other party changes where it banks that does not mean you automatically can stop paying. If the company tells you where to send the money instead you cannot just decide to terminate the contract (unless it is a very strange contract indeed).

Similarly, you might enter into a contract based on some published reference price – think oil or gold or a commercial property index or some interest rate benchmark – and the name of that thing might change. Or where or how it is published might change. Someone is supposed to keep things up to date in a commercially reasonable manner. There is standard verbiage for this in many industries and if you end up in court the judge will make you do the sensible thing. Yes there are corner cases. But the Circle mess is really quite simple. Circle's term look to allow for enforcement here. And there is a simple sequence of steps Circle can follow to do the enforcement. None of this makes much sense.

Circle looks to be trying to interpret things in an incredibly narrow and self-serving way to manufacture an injury Circle would suffer if it complied. And then to moan that imagined injury is unfair. If we go back to Circle's own words to the court this is clearly exactly what they are doing:

The Complaint’s sole allegation regarding Circle’s intentional disobedience is that “Circle...refused to invalidate the stolen USDC or issue new USDC,” Compl. ¶ 9. But the Complaint clearly misrepresents the content of the relevant communication. Circle did not “refuse” to invalidate the stolen USDC; it stated that it “does not hold the private keys to the address.” Compare Compl. ¶ 9 with Ex. 6. That is an accurate statement that Circle lacked the tools required to “invalidate” the USDC held in the Blocklisted Wallet, not an intentional refusal to comply with the terms of the Second Warrant.Circle was directed to "facilitate the seizure" of the funds. And then Circle asserts it did not refuse to invalidate the USDC in question – its just that Circle has no button labelled "seize" to press. But Circle did refuse to upgrade the USDC contracts to add a seize button.

Circle also presented the total non-sequitur that it "does not hold the private keys to the address" of the fraud-linked funds. This is also arguable. It is true in the sense that Circle does not hold the fraudster's private keys. But the term "private keys" is not being used in a technically precise sense here because there are two sets of private keys that can move the funds. The term "private keys" as used here connotes control over funds. And so long as Circle has the private keys to upgrade USDC it has one set of private keys that can facilitate a seizure out of the addresses in question. Remember: USDC and USDT are not true bearer assets. The issuers retain a lot of control over "your" funds.

Maybe you think we are giving the authorities too much credit and we should interpret the claim in narrow technical terms? Under that reading, you may be thinking, it is not Circle's problem the government asked for the wrong thing. We have sympathy for this sentiment. But there is a bigger problem. If we interpret everything in these documents in narrow technical terms Circle is wrong that it has "no ability to invalidate and reissue such USDC or to transfer them." It has the ability to do this by upgrading the contract to give itself the ability. This falsity then gives rise to a litany of other false claims including:

Circle "would also have to hold an additional $381,000 in US Currency to cover the new USDC": false because once Circle has burn power there is no need to double reserve. And that is if we accept the need in the first place as Circle can simply declare the address outlaw and ignore it.Circle also stated that by the terms of its own contracts, it will not “burn and reissue” USDC: this is at most a policy Circle can revise in its sole discretion. And having a policy to defy court orders is pretty much exactly what Circle is charged with here.Circle has no control of USDC held in third-party wallets: false because in a technical sense Circle has more than "no" control via contract upgradability. It has, and we apologize for the technobabble here, "some" control.Circle...has no ability to invalidate: false via upgradability.Circle...has no ability to...reissue such USDC or to transfer them: false via upgradability.If we read the claims in the dispute broadly: Circle is not being candid. If we read the claims narrowly: Circle is not being honest. Unless Circle has somehow lost the ability to upgrade USDC – which would be a far larger problem if kept hidden for so long – we just cannot see a way they are telling the truth here. Maybe there is one but there is certainly no hint of such an explanation in the court filings to date.

Circle's Principled ResistanceWhat makes this even stranger: Circle's terms also contemplate circumstances in which the company will resist court orders. But that too does not fit what is happening here. Again from the Access Denial document:

Circle reserves all rights to object to an access denial order that presents a threat to Circle Stablecoin or that Circle determines is objectionable.USDC holders do not have any rights or derive any value from this. But it presumably empowers the company to do what it is doing in Wisconsin now without worrying about shareholders suing anyone for resisting court orders. The US legal system is adversarial and Circle is 100% entitled to resist government requests and to challenge orders. Within the US system. Telling law enforcement to go pound sand after the judge rules is not something Circle is entitled to.

It is certainly possibly Circle views anything that reduce's Circle's interest income as objectionable. There is a logical, if wacky, corporate theory here: "We prefer to hold frozen assets indefinitely to maximize shareholder value. We view this as part of our fiduciary responsibility to shareholders. Victims are not shareholders sorry." Probably no company wants to come out and say that. But it is true that public companies have a responsibility to shareholders and not victims. They also have a responsibility to judges and to shareholders to not egregiously defy judges. So it is all kind of mixed together there.

Now notice the seizure warrant requests Circle is fighting here date back to August 2025. Multiple seizure warrants have been issued. And Circle has been communicating false claims to Wisconsin officials for many months now. Criminal charges were filed in April 2026. Circle moved beyond objecting to an access denial order to simply refusing to follow one after multiple rounds of back and forth. This happened over many months.

We accept it is possible to read these most recent actions as part of resisting the order. And maybe law enforcement jumped the gun with criminal charges. But it is kind of hard to credit Circle here and think ongoing negotiations without criminal charges would go anywhere. Circle has stated clearly that it cannot comply for technical reasons. Circle claims it is impossible to do what the court wants. But those claims are plainly false (or Circle is covering up something worse). For negotiations to go anywhere Circle would need to concede it was wrong or the police would need to stop asking for seizure. That looks like a stalled negotiation to us.

If Wisconsin officials were demanding Circle seize USDT then we would certainly feel for Circle. Circle is not omnipotent. There are plenty of web3 things Circle cannot do. And, obviously, it is possible for law enforcement to order someone to do something that is technically impossible for them to do. This is true of anyone and any law enforcement unit anywhere in the world. Try this one: a court could issue an order for a witness to not die before a trial. That would not have the effect of conveying immortality on the witness. Law enforcement can be wrong. But here, today, Circle is wrong.

The court wants Circle to do something that Circle can do. So we are going to make two predictions. First, Circle will eventually comply. And second, Circle will blame confusion between the legal and engineering teams for the false statements. The court should not accept that explanation. We kind of hope Circle tries the shareholder value line too. If someone says "victims are not shareholders and our fiduciary responsibility is to shareholders" that will just be too amazing for words. As odd as that outcome seems remember a listed US company is currently engaged in a dispute with law enforcement in Wisconsin in which the listed US company is just straight-up lying. This is all incredibly odd.

We have long predicted the lawyers would need to throw the engineers under the bus at some point. Honk honk.

Licensed to Shill: Retail Barely Touches Stablecoins – Treasury & Remittance Are the Real Adoption (Jeannie Lim, Xweave)

At Xweave, Jeannie Lim says her team moved $1 million for an e-commerce client in under three minutes, cutting settlement costs 30% against a Tier 2 bank’s SWIFT rate.

BlockheadBlockhead

Samsung just made stablecoins a default feature of its mobile wallet. At Galaxy Unpacked 2026 on July 22, the company announced that Samsung Wallet will integrate native stablecoin support, with USDC among the expected options. The move effectively puts digital dollars alongside tap-to-pay, boarding passes, and loyalty cards in the pockets of hundreds of millions of Galaxy device owners.

What Samsung actually announced The stablecoin integration was revealed as part of a broader push to make Samsung Wallet a unified hub for payments, rewards, and digital assets. Samsung framed it as a “secured payments and rewards experience.”

The company hasn’t confirmed a specific launch date for the stablecoin feature. It also hasn’t officially locked in which stablecoins will be supported beyond the strong signals pointing toward USDC, Circle’s regulated dollar-pegged token.

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The announcement didn’t happen in isolation. Samsung simultaneously unveiled the Galaxy Card, a credit card issued by Barclays and running on the Visa network, targeting US users with tiered cash-back rewards.

In 2025, the company partnered with Coinbase to give millions of US Galaxy users access to cryptocurrency services directly through their devices. That collaboration laid the groundwork for what’s coming next, essentially graduating Samsung Wallet from a non-custodial blockchain wallet with basic crypto access into something closer to a full-featured digital asset platform.

What this means for investors For Circle, the company behind USDC, this partnership could strengthen its position ahead of any potential IPO or public market activity.

There are risks worth noting. Regulatory frameworks for stablecoins remain a work in progress in many jurisdictions. Samsung will need to navigate varying compliance requirements across its global markets, which could limit the feature’s availability to certain regions initially. The US market, where the Galaxy Card is launching alongside the Barclays partnership, is the likely first target.

The 2025 Coinbase partnership gave Samsung a foundation in crypto services, but stablecoin integration represents a fundamentally different proposition. Offering users the ability to buy Bitcoin through a partner app is one thing. Embedding dollar-equivalent digital currency into the core wallet experience is another.

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

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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Circle Pushes a MiCA Fix That Could Bring Tether Back to Europe

Coinbase has rolled out direct USDC-BRL trading and conversion for users in Brazil, giving the country’s crypto-curious population a cleaner on-ramp between the Brazilian real and the world’s second-largest stablecoin.

The feature is live on Coinbase’s dedicated Brazilian platform at coinbase.com/en-br, where users can access real-time conversion tools, trade USDC against BRL, and, in some cases, earn yield on their holdings. Promotional rewards of up to 7% annually on USDC are part of the offering.

Why Brazil, why now USDC, issued by Circle, is pegged one-to-one to the US dollar. As of late July 2026, one USDC converts to approximately R$5.08-5.10. For Brazilian users, holding USDC is functionally like holding digital dollars, without needing a US bank account or dealing with traditional forex friction.

Coinbase launched its dedicated Brazilian platform on January 23, 2026, laying the groundwork for this kind of localized feature set. Earlier reports from 2025 had flagged limitations in BRL transaction support on the exchange, so the USDC-BRL integration represents a clear upgrade from where things stood just 18 months ago.

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Direct fiat-to-stablecoin conversion eliminates a step that previously required users to either buy Bitcoin or Ethereum first and then swap into USDC, or use a third-party service to bridge the gap.

The stablecoin playbook in emerging markets For Coinbase specifically, Brazil represents one of only a handful of regions where the exchange has explicitly built out USDC trading and conversion infrastructure.

Brazil’s regulatory landscape passed its landmark crypto regulatory framework in 2023, and the central bank has been actively developing its own digital currency, the Drex.

The 7% annual yield promotion on USDC is worth pausing on. A dollar-denominated yield product adds a layer of currency diversification on top of the return itself, providing both yield and a hedge against real depreciation simultaneously.

What this means for investors and the competitive landscape Coinbase isn’t operating in a vacuum here. Binance, Mercado Bitcoin, and other exchanges have been aggressively courting Brazilian users for years. Binance in particular has built deep roots in the country, with BRL payment integrations and localized support that predates Coinbase’s dedicated Brazilian platform launched January 23, 2026.

Brazil’s crypto framework is still relatively young, and the central bank’s Drex project could eventually introduce a government-backed digital alternative that competes directly with private stablecoins like USDC.

The 7% promotional rate on USDC is tied to what Circle can earn on the reserves backing the stablecoin. If global interest rates decline, so do the yields that make these products compelling.

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

https://www.circle.com/multi-chain-usdc

Circle has minted an additional 250 million USDC on the Solana blockchain, increasing the total issuance on the network to approximately $72.01 billion. This marks the fourth such mint in two days, indicating significant activity within the Solana ecosystem. The cumulative issuance figure reflects the total amount minted, not the circulating supply on the network. The recent minting activity suggests an uptick in liquidity and usage of Solana, which might influence market dynamics and investor sentiment.

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The market’s response to this development appears mixed. In the prediction market for Solana reaching $90 by August 1, 2026, the odds remain low, with a 2% YES probability. This suggests that while the increased USDC issuance could indicate higher network activity, it has not yet translated into strong confidence in a substantial price rise for Solana in the short term. Market participants continue to weigh the potential impact of increased liquidity against broader market conditions and regulatory environment.

Key Takeaways Recent USDC minting activity appears consistent with increased liquidity on Solana, potentially impacting network activity. Market pricing suggests limited confidence in a near-term price surge for Solana, with low odds of reaching $90 by August 1. The aggregate issuance of USDC on Solana does not equate to circulating supply, indicating complex underlying market dynamics. What to Watch Observers should monitor whether continued USDC issuance on Solana leads to significant shifts in network activity or market sentiment. Key indicators include any changes in the prediction market’s pricing for Solana’s price targets and broader adoption of USDC on Solana for transactions. Additionally, developments in regulatory policies and technological upgrades on Solana may further influence market perceptions and pricing.

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Term Structure

Contract Odds Δ since publish Volume 24h August 1 2026 2.5% — — View market → August 1 2026 0.1% — — View market → August 1 2026 0.1% — — View market → August 1 2026 0.9% — — View market → August 1 2026 0.5% — — View market → August 1 2026 0.4% — — View market → August 1 2026 1.4% — — View market → August 1 2026 0.3% — — View market → August 1 2026 1.9% — — View market → August 1 2026 0.1% — — View market → August 1 2026 0.6% — — View market → August 1 2026 0.1% — — View market → August 1 2026 28% — — View market → August 1 2026 0.1% — — View market → August 1 2026 0.1% — — View market →

Duan Yongping has sold SpaceX put options with a strike price of $92.

Renowned investor Duan Yongping stated yesterday in response to a community user's question that he has started selling put options on SpaceX. This is his typical "potential acquisition" strategy. According to the live trading records of the SpaceX put options Duan shared, his quoted price was around 23.20, with actual execution at 23.26 (1,000 contracts), earning him a premium of approximately $2.32 million. Calculated over a 5-month term, the yield is roughly 25.35%, with an annualized return of about 60%. He noted, "I want to support Elon Musk's dream."

6 minutes ago

The United States and the United Kingdom plan to discuss forming an international alliance to protect maritime shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

According to AXIOS: European diplomats say the U.S. and the U.K. are discussing holding a high-level meeting in London next week, with the meeting focusing on a potential plan to establish an international coalition to protect maritime shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

6 minutes ago

A prominent trader says Bitcoin’s cycle is accelerating, and firmly believes this cycle will still hit a new high before the halving.

Renowned trader Killa (@KillaXBT) stated in a post that Bitcoin’s cycle is accelerating. The previous cycle took just 476 days to rise from its bottom to a new all-time high (ATH), far faster than the two prior cycles. He forecasts this cycle will also hit a new high ahead of the next halving. Killa, a BTC-focused quantitative trader, accurately predicted the peak of the current bull market in May 2025 and boasts over 200,000 followers on X. In mid-April, he shorted Bitcoin at $74,688 before switching to long positions during the broad market sell-off on June 5.

6 minutes ago

Qualcomm notifies its customers it can no longer absorb price hikes, and will raise prices by double-digit percentages.

Bloomberg cited a letter reporting that Qualcomm has informed its clients it can no longer absorb price hikes and will implement double-digit percentage price increases. Following the news, BIT (bit.com) market data shows Qualcomm’s decline narrowed, while Nvidia climbed 1.2% to hit a new daily high.

6 minutes ago

OpenAI CEO: Hopes the U.S. wins in the open-source AI sector, and is "pleased to see" Jensen Huang's remarks.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said he hopes the U.S. will lead in both open-source AI and proprietary AI models, adding that he "welcomes" the statement Nvidia’s CEO made on social media regarding the open letter jointly issued by over 20 U.S. tech companies.

6 minutes ago

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

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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Semiconductor stocks were mixed in U.S. pre-market trading, with Intel rising nearly 5% while most storage and optical communication stocks declined.

According to BIT (bit.com) market data, ahead of Friday’s US pre-market trading, semiconductor stocks were mixed: Intel (INTC) rose 4.76%, Arm (ARM) gained 0.96%, and AMD (AMD) increased 0.41%; SK Hynix (SKHY) fell 2.93%, Micron Technology (MU) dropped 2.16%, Marvell Technology (MRVL) decreased 1.41%, and NVIDIA (NVDA) declined 0.72%. The storage sector saw broad declines: SK Hynix (SKHY) fell 2.93%, SanDisk (SNDK) dropped 2.19%, Micron Technology (MU) decreased 2.16%, Western Digital (WDC) declined 1.68%, and Seagate Technology (STX) fell 1.24%. Most optical communication concept stocks retreated: Nokia (NOK) dropped 2.15%, Astera Labs (ALAB) fell 1.99%, Credo (CRDO) decreased 1.86%, Ciena (CIEN) declined 1.14%, and Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) fell 0.62%.

20 minutes ago

Suspected a16z address has staked 2.785 million HYPE tokens, worth approximately $164 million.

According to Mlm monitoring, a HYPE whale staked 2.785 million HYPE tokens via 20 wallets over the past 11 hours, worth roughly $164 million. The whale had previously accumulated 2.94 million HYPE tokens between September and October last year, currently valued at approximately $172 million, and ranks among HYPE’s largest holders. The whale may be linked to a16z, though this association has not been confirmed.

20 minutes ago

Intel's pre-market trading rose nearly 5% on the back of strong Q2 performance and Q3 guidance that exceeded expectations.

According to market data from BIT (bit.com), Intel (INTC) is up nearly 5% in pre-market trading, as its Q2 results were strong and Q3 guidance exceeded expectations.

20 minutes ago

Jiang Zhuoer: The CLARITY Act has only a 10% to 20% chance of passing, with major disagreements on ethical provisions persisting between the two parties.

Jiang Zhuoer, founder of BTC.TOP, stated in a post that the Clarity Act has only a 10% to 20% chance of passing, with major disagreements persisting solely on its ethics provisions. The proposal agreed by Trump only restricts the president and their spouse from engaging in crypto asset issuance, while Democrats demand including other family members and family entities in the restrictions. The two sides also failed to reach an agreement on law enforcement authority: Trump supports the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) being responsible for prosecuting violations, but Democrats argue the Attorney General is appointed by the president and demand granting state attorneys general the right to prosecute as well. Jiang believes that fully accepting the Democrats’ proposed restrictions would leave Trump with little incentive to sign the bill. Apart from the ethics provisions, multiple disagreements also exist in other parts of the legislation. The U.S. Congress will adjourn on August 7, with only around 10 working days remaining, leaving the procedural timeline extremely tight and making it difficult to bridge major divides before adjournment. He added that Congress’s session from September 14 to October 5 falls near the midterm elections, and lawmakers must also handle budget and appropriations agendas, with even a potential government shutdown risk. Democrats also lack the political incentive to push the bill through before the elections.

20 minutes ago

Bitget has completed dividend distributions for 63 stocks including Micron Technology and TSMC.

According to an official announcement, Bitget has completed the dividend distribution for 63 US stocks and ETFs, including rMU (Micron Technology), rQQQ (Nasdaq 100 Index ETF), and rTSM (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, TSMC). The platform has settled USDT dividends proportionally for users who held the relevant assets at the snapshot time, with the entire process automated—no user action is required. This distribution covers multiple asset categories including technology, semiconductors, communications, and index ETFs. Users can check specific details via: in the App, navigate to "Assets" → "Financial Records" → "Spot" → "Other" → "Dividends"; or on the Web, go to "Asset Overview" → "Spot Orders" → "Fund Flow" → "Other" → "Dividends". The final credited amount and timing shall be subject to the platform’s actual credit and page display.

20 minutes ago

Ethereum breaks through $1,900

According to HTX market data, Ethereum has broken through the $1900 level, with a 0.92% decline in the past 24 hours.

20 minutes ago

Coinbase is allowing businesses to accept USDC payments from autonomous AI agents as part of a wider expansion of its agent-focused financial tools. 

Summary

Coinbase Business will accept USDC payments initiated by AI agents through its native x402 support. Coinbase for Agents adds live market views and conditional actions controlled by user-defined trading guardrails. Developers can add agent payment acceptance to online services using Coinbase’s streamlined CDP x402 SDK. The exchange announced the rollout on July 23, 2026, alongside new trading commands for users and a developer kit for adding x402 payments to online services.

Coinbase said software-generated traffic exceeded human traffic on its Base documentation pages for the first time in June. The company argued that most online payment systems still assume “a human clicking the button,” leaving businesses and developers without a simple way to serve autonomous software.

Coinbase Business adds agent payments Beginning this week, Coinbase Business users can accept USDC payments sent by AI agents. Coinbase Payments powers the feature, while native x402 support handles internet-based, pay-per-use transactions. Businesses can receive, track, reconcile and cash out agent payments from the same account used for other payment activity.

Coinbase Business also offers rewards on eligible idle USDC balances. Its current business page lists a 3.35% annual reward rate, although Coinbase says rates can vary by region and may change. The company also states that USDC payments do not carry chargeback risk because Coinbase does not act as a party to transactions between businesses and their customers.

New commands expand Coinbase for Agents Coinbase also added real-time market views and conditional actions to Coinbase for Agents. The new commands let an agent stream open orders, view an asset’s order book and watch live price and volume data. Users can set a condition that triggers a planned action, including a buy, sale or order cancellation.

The company presented examples such as selling assets when Bitcoin falls below a set level or cancelling an order after a fixed period. Users define those instructions and related guardrails.Coinbase for Agents already allowed authorised AI tools to trade, manage portfolios and complete financial workflows through linked Coinbase accounts.

CDP x402 SDK targets developers Coinbase Developer Platform introduced a new CDP x402 SDK that lets developers add agent payments to an API, Model Context Protocol server or web service with a small code setup. Coinbase said the kit arrives preconfigured with its preferred infrastructure and extensions, reducing the manual work previously required to choose payment middleware and service providers.

The x402 standard uses the HTTP 402 “Payment Required” response to send payment instructions directly between an online service and a client. An AI agent can receive the request, sign a stablecoin payment and retry access with proof of payment. Coinbase launched the open standard in May 2025 for APIs, applications and autonomous agents.
The latest products extend a series of agent-payment releases from Coinbase. As previously reported, Amazon added Coinbase x402 to Bedrock AgentCore Payments in May, allowing agents to pay for services in USDC. Coinbase-backed x402 also launched Agentic.market in April to help agents discover and purchase compatible online services.

The company has not disclosed payment volumes expected from the feature.Coinbase said the three updates cover businesses receiving payments, people directing financial agents and developers building agent services. The rollout remains tied to user-set controls, supported regions and product availability. Coinbase Business currently operates in the U.S. and Singapore, while individual features and USDC reward rates may differ by market.

Key Highlights Businesses using Coinbase can now receive USDC payments directly from AI agents through x402 protocol integration The x402 framework debuted in May 2025, designed to facilitate stablecoin transactions via HTTP Automated trading features allow users to set market conditions and execute transactions through AI monitoring Developers gain access to an x402 SDK enabling payment integration with minimal code implementation AI agent activity on Coinbase’s Base documentation exceeded human visits for the first time recently In a significant expansion of its business services, Coinbase has introduced functionality enabling commercial entities to receive cryptocurrency payments from autonomous AI agents. The platform now supports USDC stablecoin transactions through its Business tier, marking a shift toward automated digital commerce.

The infrastructure relies on x402, a payment protocol developed by Coinbase and unveiled in May 2025. This framework enables stablecoin transfers to occur via HTTP requests, effectively allowing AI systems to execute financial transactions similar to how consumers use digital payment methods for online purchases.

According to Sid Coelho-Prabhu, who leads Coinbase Business operations, the development represents creating a payment gateway tailored for an economy driven by autonomous agents. These AI systems can establish wallets independently, access necessary technical documentation, and begin conducting transactions without requiring merchants to implement specialized infrastructure.

Transaction processing occurs through Coinbase Payments infrastructure with settlements completed in USDC. Merchants can accept these automated payments without developing custom integration solutions.

Automated Trading Features Debut Alongside the business payment tools, Coinbase has activated AI-powered trading capabilities for individual users. These features enable traders to establish parameters using conversational language—for instance, “purchase ETH when price drops 5%”—with an AI agent continuously monitoring market conditions and executing trades when criteria are met.

The interface provides real-time visibility into all agent-managed orders, displaying current status, pricing information, and transaction volumes. Behind the scenes, the system leverages WebSocket market feeds identical to those utilized by professional trading operations.

This democratizes sophisticated market surveillance capabilities that traditionally required either technical expertise or specialized software to implement effectively.

SDK Release Simplifies Development On the developer front, Coinbase has made available an x402 software development kit via its Developer Platform. The toolkit enables programmers to integrate x402 payment capabilities into APIs, MCP servers, or web applications with minimal coding effort—reportedly just three lines of implementation code.

This streamlined approach reduces technical barriers for developers building applications designed to interact with AI agents conducting financial operations.

The company highlighted increasing adoption signals, revealing that automated agent traffic surpassed human visitors on Base network documentation resources last month. Coinbase emphasized that existing internet payment systems were architected with the assumption of human interaction—a premise that no longer reflects current usage patterns.

This launch aligns with broader industry momentum, as multiple payment processors and cryptocurrency platforms work to establish stablecoins as the foundational payment layer for AI-driven online commerce.

Specific pricing structures for these new business capabilities have not been disclosed, though they operate within Coinbase’s existing Payments framework.

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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TLDR Table of Contents

TLDRCircle Forges Strategic Alliances with Kakao and Toss BankCircle Leverages Previous Korean Collaborations for Stablecoin GrowthSouth Korea Presents Prime Opportunities for Circle’s Payment Expansion Circle partners with Kakao Group to develop blockchain-based payment systems in South Korea. Toss Bank collaboration focuses on exploring stablecoin integration for payment services. New partnerships build upon existing relationships with Upbit, Bithumb, and Hana Bank. Kakao alliance extends Circle’s influence throughout Korea’s expansive digital ecosystem. Circle pursues compliant USDC payment expansion within South Korea’s regulatory framework. The stablecoin issuer Circle has strengthened its South Korean operations by establishing strategic partnerships with Kakao Group and Toss Bank. These collaborations emphasize developing blockchain-enabled payment systems and exploring stablecoin integration opportunities. Circle continues reinforcing its regional position by securing partnerships with prominent technology and financial sector players.

Circle Forges Strategic Alliances with Kakao and Toss Bank Circle formalized a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Kakao Group to investigate blockchain-powered payment solutions throughout South Korea. This collaboration centers on digital transaction systems and wider blockchain technology implementations. Neither organization has disclosed specific product launches or deployment schedules.

Kakao commands one of South Korea’s most extensive digital platforms, encompassing messaging applications, payment processing, banking operations, and financial technology services. This alliance provides Circle with potential access to an ecosystem reaching millions of active users. The partners intend to evaluate blockchain innovations that could enhance future payment offerings.

Circle simultaneously initiated cooperation with Toss Bank to explore stablecoin-based payment solutions. The digital-only banking institution has recently intensified its blockchain engagement. Toss Bank previously established a partnership with the Solana Foundation to advance blockchain-powered financial infrastructure for international users.

Circle maintains its focus on cultivating partnerships with licensed financial entities throughout South Korea. The company prioritizes expanding real-world payment applications rather than developing a Korean won-denominated stablecoin. These recent agreements reinforce its broader regional expansion blueprint.

Circle Leverages Previous Korean Collaborations for Stablecoin Growth Circle established its South Korean presence through multiple strategic partnerships preceding these latest announcements. During April, the firm secured collaborative agreements with cryptocurrency exchanges Upbit and Bithumb. These platforms collectively dominate the nation’s cryptocurrency trading volume.

Subsequently, Circle finalized another memorandum of understanding with Hana Bank in May 2025. This relationship later broadened to encompass Hana Card. The collaborating entities focused on international remittance services and corporate treasury solutions utilizing USDC.

Circle has consistently stated it has no plans to introduce a Korean won-backed stablecoin. The company instead advocates for USDC as a dollar-denominated payment instrument. This approach contrasts with domestic stablecoin development initiatives.

KakaoBank progressed its won-backed stablecoin development efforts throughout late 2025. The two organizations may pursue independent stablecoin initiatives within the Korean market. Their partnership emphasizes payment infrastructure development rather than collaborative digital currency issuance.

South Korea Presents Prime Opportunities for Circle’s Payment Expansion South Korea represents a critical marketplace for blockchain payment innovation and regulated digital asset infrastructure. The nation features sophisticated digital banking systems alongside widespread mobile payment utilization. These factors position Circle to capitalize on stablecoin-powered financial service opportunities.

Kakao launched its blockchain initiatives with Klaytn in 2019. The platform subsequently integrated into the Kaia blockchain throughout 2024. This evolution produced a high-throughput Layer-1 blockchain capable of supporting diverse blockchain applications.

Circle garnered significant interest from South Korean retail investors following its public market debut in 2025. The organization simultaneously advanced partnership development across financial institutions and technology enterprises. Its territorial strategy emphasizes compliant payment infrastructure and streamlined cross-border transaction capabilities.

South Korea enforces rigorous digital asset regulations while simultaneously promoting blockchain technological advancement. The government prohibited initial coin offerings in 2017 and established mandatory exchange registration protocols. Circle nevertheless continues forging partnerships aligned with the nation’s regulated financial ecosystem.

Oliver Dale

Editor-in-Chief of Blockonomi and founder of Kooc Media, A UK-Based Online Media Company. Believer in Open-Source Software, Blockchain Technology & a Free and Fair Internet for all. His writing has been quoted by Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Investopedia, The New Yorker, Forbes, Techcrunch & More. Contact [email protected]

Changpeng Zhao Ignored This One Market, Now It Is Worth Over $311 Billion

Coinbase is expanding its push into AI-powered finance, enabling businesses to accept USDC payments from autonomous AI agents as part of a broader expansion of its payment, trading and developer tools.

According to a Thursday X post, Coinbase Business users will be able to accept USDC (USDC) payments from AI agents through the x402 payment standard, which Coinbase first introduced in May 2025 to enable stablecoin payments over HTTP for AI agents, applications and APIs.

The post also announced AI trading tools that let users monitor orders, access live market data, and execute actions based on predefined conditions, as well as a software development kit for developers building agent-powered applications.

Coinbase said the products are designed to support the “agentic economy,” where AI agents can make payments, manage finances and complete other tasks on behalf of users.

The company said adoption of AI agents is accelerating, noting that agent-generated traffic surpassed human traffic on its Base documentation pages for the first time last month. However, it added that the internet’s financial infrastructure was built with “one assumption: a human clicking the button,” which has left businesses, developers and users without tools designed for AI agents.

The rollout comes as companies increasingly position stablecoins and blockchain-based payments as infrastructure for AI agents, an emerging use case that several exchanges and payment companies are targeting.

Magazine: Here’s why the CLARITY Act’s ethics deal may be so hard to reach

Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.

Coinbase has announced a major expansion into AI-powered financial services, introducing USDC payment acceptance for businesses via autonomous AI agents. This initiative forms part of a wider effort to enhance the company’s suite of payment, trading, and developer solutions.

AI-driven payments and new standardsCoinbase stated that firms using its business platform can now accept USDC transactions from AI agents, leveraging the x402 payment standard. First launched in May 2025, x402 enables automated stablecoin payments over HTTP for AI agents, applications, and APIs. This new system targets the growing demand for seamless financial transactions carried out by artificial intelligence on behalf of users and institutions.

Mini dictionary: x402 payment standard, a protocol developed by Coinbase that enables AI agents and applications to send and receive stablecoin payments autonomously over HTTP, facilitating financial transactions without direct human input.

USDC is a widely used stablecoin issued by Circle and maintained at a 1:1 peg with the US dollar, designed for secure and efficient digital transactions. Coinbase’s integration of USDC payments aims to simplify financial processes in the evolving area of AI-powered commerce.

New trading tools for businessesCoinbase’s update also introduces advanced AI trading tools, giving users the ability to monitor order books, access real-time market data, and automate trading based on preset conditions. These functions can help businesses respond quickly to market fluctuations and execute strategies using AI capabilities.

The company revealed that it had released a software development kit to support developers in creating agent-driven applications, broadening access to these AI-powered tools. By enabling both businesses and independent developers to deploy AI agents for finance, Coinbase seeks to support a new wave of innovation across sectors.

Underlying trends in the agentic economyCoinbase said these product launches are intended to support the emergence of an “agentic economy,” where AI agents independently manage payments, financial planning, and other administrative tasks. The company observed a recent surge in usage by AI agents, with agent-driven traffic surpassing human traffic for the first time last month on its Base documentation pages.

Despite this rapid adoption, Coinbase emphasized that most web-based financial infrastructure still assumes human interaction, such as pressing a button to approve a payment. This gap, the company argued, leaves businesses and developers without appropriate systems tailored for AI agents, slowing down the adoption of automated financial workflows.

Coinbase underscored the accelerating pace of AI adoption in finance, stating that, “For the first time last month, agent-generated traffic outnumbered human traffic on our Base documentation pages.”

The company continues to develop tools and protocols specifically designed for non-human actors, aiming to ensure that financial systems are equipped for future needs driven by advanced AI technology.

Stablecoins gain momentum in AI and blockchain integrationThe move by Coinbase aligns with broader industry trends, as more payments and exchange companies position blockchain-based stablecoins, like USDC, as essential infrastructure for AI agents. This collaboration between AI and digital assets is seen as key for the next generation of automated commerce and decentralized applications.

Coinbase, established in 2012, is a leading US-based cryptocurrency exchange and fintech company, known for its role in popularizing crypto assets among both retail and institutional investors.

As the use of autonomous agents in finance expands, companies like Coinbase are investing in tools that allow seamless interaction between AI and blockchain systems, advancing the “agentic economy” and transforming how businesses manage digital payments.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.