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Open Campus, a decentralized education initiative backed by Animoca Brands and Binance Labs, has launched EDU Chain, a layer 3 blockchain on Arbitrum Orbit, designed to power educational applications and cultivate a thriving dApp ecosystem, the team shared on Friday.

Introducing @educhain_xyz — the L3 for education.

Bringing the $5 trillion education industry and 1.4 billion students and educators worldwide onchain.

Our mainnet is now live❕

Learn how you can join the EDU Chain movement 👇 pic.twitter.com/U3Pl67TZU9

— Open Campus (@opencampus_xyz) January 17, 2025

As an EVM-compatible chain built on Orbit, the platform inherits Arbitrum One’s security and infrastructure, while also drawing on Ethereum’s security and liquidity, and operating as an independent network.

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EDU Chain features the Open Campus (OC) Achievement system (formerly Verifiable Credentials), enabling educational institutions and training centers to issue decentralized and tamper-proof academic records.

With OC Achievements, each learner has complete ownership and control over their own learning data, Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands, also a board member of the EDU Foundation, said in a statement to Cointelegraph.

More than 100 decentralized applications are currently being developed on EDU Chain, spanning trading, learning, gaming, and earning categories, the project stated.

The $EDU token serves as the utility token in the EDU Chain ecosystem. $EDU holders can bridge and stake their tokens on the mainnet to earn rewards, according to Open Campus. EDU Chain has allocated 150 million $EDU tokens, representing 15% of the total supply, for mainnet rewards distributed through EDULand NFTs over three years.

The debut follows a testnet campaign that saw impressive activity, with 86.2 million transactions and 358,684 active wallets. EDU Chain has achieved a total value locked (TVL) of $162 million, according to L2Beat.

To further expand its ecosystem, Open Campus is hosting a hackathon series with a $1 million prize pool and a 12-week OC Incubator program, offering mentorship, funding, and support to winning projects.

The platform also kicked off the “Yuzu: First Harvest” campaign, which enables mainnet users to earn rewards by interacting with EDU Chain dApps during the first season.

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

Key NotesBacked by reputable investors led by Binance Labs, Edu Campus is well-positioned to disrupt global online education via blockchain tech.The launch of the EDU Chain will entail 150M EDU tokens in reward earned through the EDULand NFTs. Open Campus (EDU), a fast-growing decentralized solution for global education systems, has announced a major milestone toward democratizing advanced models of education. After months of meticulous research and development, the Open Campus unveiled the EDU Chain, a layer three (L3) network based on the Arbitrum One (ARB) network.

As a result, the Edu Campus can guarantee the secure scalability of its network to empower content creators through the Ethereum (ETH) legacy. In a bid to commemorate the EDU Chain launch, the Open Campus team has set aside 150 million EDU tokens, which represent 15 percent of the total supply.

Notably, the Open Campus team intends to distribute the EDU tokens through the EDULand NFTs. The Open Campus introduced the Yuzu on-chain points system on the EDU Chain ecosystem to help users unlock EDU token rewards. Furthermore, EDU Chain users can stake their EDU tokens and engage with decentralized applications (Dapps) on the mainnet to earn Yuzu points.

As of this writing, the EDU Chain had more than 100 Dapps building on the mainnet to attract more users. Some of the Dapps building on the EDU Chain include BlockFlow, EduHub, ThrustPad, Blitz protocol, GainzSwap, HackQuest, Grasp Academy, and DailyWiser, among many others

Consequently, the Open Campus team is confident the success of its web2 platform will reciprocate on the EDU Chain backed by reputable investors led by Binance Labs.

5. The reputation layer – Open Campus ID

Imagine your entire learning journey — every course, every project, every award— securely recorded as onchain achievements.

Well, OC Achievements are now live on EDU Chain for 20 million learners! pic.twitter.com/twTIN8bq2f

— Open Campus (@opencampus_xyz) January 17, 2025

Market Implication of the EDU Chain Launch Following the strategic launch of the EDU Chain, the native token gained over 15 percent in the last 24 hours to trade above 62 cents on Friday, January 17, during the mid-New York session. The small-cap altcoin, with a fully diluted valuation of about $158 million and a 24-hour average traded volume of about $24 million, successfully rebounded from a crucial support level.

With the improving fundamental outlook, the EDU token is well-positioned to rally further in the coming months. Moreover, the ongoing altcoin bull rally triggered by the Bitcoin price rally above $102K has heightened the crypto cash rotation for BTC to altcoins.

Bigger Picture The Open Campus has tapped into blockchain technology to disrupt global online education. Moreover, more parents are keen on what their children consume in online spaces to secure a better future. Projections show that the education industry is worth over $5 trillion with 1.4 billion students and educators around the world.

The Edu Campus is a DAO and community-led protocol with several products already in the market. The strategic launch of the EDU Chain on the Arbitrum L2 network will enhance the liquidity of the main token and the overall connectivity of its products.

Disclaimer: Coinspeaker is committed to providing unbiased and transparent reporting. This article aims to deliver accurate and timely information but should not be taken as financial or investment advice. Since market conditions can change rapidly, we encourage you to verify information on your own and consult with a professional before making any decisions based on this content.

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Let’s talk web3, crypto, Metaverse, NFTs, CeDeFi, meme coins, and Stocks, and focus on multi-chain as the future of blockchain technology. Let us all WIN!

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Why crypto’s next breakthrough could start in the classroom — Animoca’s Yat Siu

PANews reported on August 11 that Web3 developer education platform HackQuest announced the completion of a US$4.1 million Pre-A round of financing, co-led by Animoca Brands and Open Campus. Participants included Gate Ventures, Hash Global, HashKey Capital, Bytetrade Labs, StepN, Outlier Ventures, and several angel investors including Public Works founder Scott Moore, Signum Capital partner YY, Outlier Ventures ecosystem head Riccardo, and Jambo co-founder James.

HackQuest said that this round of financing will be used to accelerate the construction of the developer platform and further expand its influence in the global developer community by acquiring high-quality platforms in the same field.

At present, HackQuest has established official developer ecosystem cooperation with 30 public chains including Solana, Mantle, Xion, Arbitrum, Consensys, Injective, Soniclabs, 0G, Flow, Moca Network, etc., and has also reached official Web3 education cooperation with universities such as Nanyang Technological University, Universiti Teknologi Malaya, University of Malaya, and University of the Philippines.

HackQuest's vision is to become the gateway for global Web3 developers and provide ecological and educational resources for Web3 developers and entrepreneurs.

Open Campus Secures $5 Million Investment from YZi Labs and Others

PANews reported on November 21 that, according to an announcement by Animoca Brands, Open Campus and Animoca Brands have entered into a strategic partnership agreement with Nasdaq-listed company ANPA (Rich Sparkle Holdings). ANPA will purchase up to $50 million worth of EDU tokens through the market and OTC transactions over the next 24 months as part of its EduFi (education finance) market strategy. Animoca Brands will provide $3 million worth of EDU tokens to support this partnership. This strategy aims to promote the institutional application and sustainable financing of blockchain in the education sector and expand the practical use cases of EDU tokens.

Rich Sparkle Holdings Limited (NASDAQ: ANPA) announced on Friday that it will purchase up to $50 million in EDU tokens under a newly established agreement with Open Campus and Animoca Brands.

The acquisition, ANPA’s first major venture into crypto, will take place over the next 24 months through a combination of open-market and over-the-counter transactions. Animoca Brands will contribute $3 million worth of EDU tokens as part of the partnership.

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The venture focuses on harnessing blockchain for education finance, aiming at transformative educational solutions via EduFi, embodied by the EDU token, which serves for staking, governance, and as the native gas token for EDU Chain.

According to Open Campus president Mohamed Ezeldin, education has not kept pace with the innovation seen across other sectors, and the collaboration with ANPA helps change that.

“Education finance deserves the same ownership, transparency, and opportunity that blockchain has already brought to other sectors,” said Ezeldin. “We’re building the financial layer for education to finally align incentives between learners, educators, and the institutions that serve them.”

“Education is the foundation of opportunity, and blockchain offers a powerful tool to enhance access and financial literacy worldwide,” said Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands.

“By advancing EduFi in partnership with ANPA and Open Campus, we are empowering learners and reshaping the future of education to be more transparent and inclusive. In the US alone, the student loan market is worth $1.8 trillion and urgently needs targeted innovation and disruption—which we believe EduFi can provide,” he added.

A provider of ESG reporting and compliance services, ANPA designs and prints financial print materials, including listing documents, financial reports, fund documents, circulars, and announcements.

ANPA will work with Open Campus and Animoca Brands on building a tokenization infrastructure that bridges traditional finance and web3.

The company is looking to accelerate institutional adoption of education finance and expand its real-world utility for the EDU token using its corporate client network of over 190 publicly listed companies across Hong Kong and the US.

“We see immense potential in blockchain to transform education finance into an accessible, transparent ecosystem,” Matthew Chan, CEO of ANPA, stated. “The partnership with Animoca Brands and Open Campus and our strategic investment in EDU tokens reflect our conviction in this vision and our commitment to supporting a next-generation Web3-powered EduFi platform.”

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

Luvia and Open Campus partner to bring verifiable credentials to Vietnamese students through initiative supported by Ministry of Education and Training

03 February 2026

Luvia mobile app integrates Open Campus ID and verifiable credentials; Luvia in‑school platform supported by the Ministry of Education and Training will pilot in Hanoi schools in early 2026‍

Hanoi, Vietnam - Luvia and Open Campus have announced a strategic partnership to provide Vietnamese learners with portable, verifiable credentials through two initiatives: a personalized learning mobile app for high school and university students, and a learning management platform for schools. The initiatives integrate Open Campus ID and its verifiable credentials with the aim to modernize school operations nationwide.

Luvia’s mobile app launched on iOS and Android in late November 2025. Luvia is initially targeting students in its partner school network, totaling approximately 200,000 students. Luvia’s new mobile app is purpose-built to make learning fun, exciting, and rewarding for high school and university students. The app brings the entire Vietnamese high-school knowledge system into one place, beautifully summarized through mindmaps and structured modules. Students can learn at their own pace with personalized practice tests and on-demand materials, while the app also strengthens the connection between teachers, schools, and parents. Educators can follow student progress, schools can adopt Luvia as a curriculum-aligned companion, and parents can gain a clearer view of their children’s learning journey.

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In early 2026, with support from the Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training (MOET), Luvia will pilot its in‑school learning management platform in selected Hanoi schools. The platform is designed to help teachers reclaim time by automating routine administrative matters, strengthen the communication loop between schools, teachers, parents, and learners, and provide students with portable, verifiable credentials that prove skills across apps, schools, and employers. By the end of 2026, Luvia plans to scale up its learning management platform across schools and universities in Vietnam to reach a potential combined population of over ten million students.

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Through seamless integration with Open Campus ID, students using Luvia gain a lifelong, portable learner passport that can be recognized across institutions and platforms in the future. As learners demonstrate mastery inside the Luvia app and in the classroom, they earn blockchain-verified credentials that contribute to a trusted digital curriculum vitae that aims to facilitate job-seeking, grants, scholarships, international study pathways, and on-chain education financing.

Hailey Nguyen, founder and CEO of Luvia (left); Jonah Lau, project lead and core contributor of Open Campus (right)Hailey Nguyen, Founder and CEO at Luvia, said: “At Luvia, we’re focused on helping every learner progress every day. By pairing a simple, high‑quality learning app with portable, verifiable credentials, students can carry their achievements wherever opportunity arises.”

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Jonah Lau, project lead and core contributor at Open Campus, said: “Open Campus ID and verifiable credentials make student records portable and privacy‑preserving. We’re excited to support Luvia and Vietnam’s education ecosystem with trusted, reusable proof of learning.” 

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Phung Thi Ly Hang, vice director of education training at the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET), said: “We welcome pilots that enhance teaching efficiency and help learners demonstrate verified progress. We look forward to reviewing pilot outcomes in Hanoi.”

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‍What it enables and what’s next‍

With Open Campus ID and verifiable credentials, learners can put their achievements to work beyond the Luvia app across a wide range of real‑world uses:

Education financing: access discounts, offers, or financing based on verified course progress and badgesDigital CVs: share skills and completions with employers in a privacy‑preserving wayUniversity and bootcamp admissions: submit verified records to partner programs to reduce document collection and fraud checksEmployer verification: share a consented, verifiable skills snapshot with employers to speed screening and reduce manual checksPartner perks marketplace: redeem partner benefits that require specific verified achievements‍

In addition, Open Campus and Luvia are discussing partnership and collaboration opportunities with other potential collaborators in Vietnam, including VietinBank, VietcomBank, and BIDV.

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Download the Luvia personalized learning app: available on iOS and Android. Visit https://luvialearning.com to learn more about Luvia.

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- END -

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‍About Luvia‍

Luvia is an AI-powered learning platform designed to help students learn independently with clarity, confidence, and motivation. The app consolidates the entire Vietnamese high-school curriculum into one place, presented through concise mindmaps, structured modules, and personalized practice tests. Luvia also connects teachers, schools, and parents through transparent progress tracking and classroom-aligned learning tools. By integrating with Open Campus ID, Luvia enables students to earn verifiable digital credentials that support future academic and career opportunities.

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‍About Open Campus‍

Open Campus is a community-led DAO that is building the blockchain-powered financial layer for education. Core contributors to the Open Campus DAO include Animoca Brands, TinyTap, NewCampus, RiseIn, and HackQuest. Together, they are working with Open Campus to enhance the education system for teachers, learners, and institutions by using innovative blockchain protocols and funding initiatives. Open Campus has launched EDU Chain, an Arbitrum Orbit blockchain designed for consumer-facing education apps and on-chain education finance (EduFi).

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‍Media contacts‍

Luvia: [email protected]

Open Campus: [email protected]

BINANCE BLOG: Binance Academy and Open Campus Launch Free Course on Decentralized Education

Published: April 23, 2024

Last Updated: April 23, 2024

Paypal research proposes economic incentives for sustainable Bitcoin mining. “Green miners” using clean energy get priority for certain transactions. Locked rewards in transactions incentivize miners to go green. PayPal’s Blockchain Research Group in collaboration with Energy Web and DMG Blockchain Solutions is proposing a novel approach to address the environmental concerns surrounding Bitcoin mining. The research uses the power of cryptocurrency’s core economic principles to incentivize miners towards sustainable practices.

Bitcoin’s robust security relies on its Proof-of-Work (PoW) consensus mechanism, but this process comes at a significant cost – immense energy consumption. This new research proposes a system that integrates seamlessly within the existing PoW structure, promoting a shift towards clean energy usage by miners.

The system identifies miners utilizing sustainable energy sources as “green miners.” These miners are assigned unique public keys, referred to as “green keys,” which act as identifiers within the network. 

Transactions with lower fees are then routed towards these green miners. However, a key element differentiates these transactions: a portion of the mining reward for these transactions is “locked” in a special multisignature payout address.

This locked reward becomes the crucial incentive for green miners. Only miners with green keys can unlock and claim this additional reward, creating a strong economic motivation to prioritize transactions that specifically support sustainable mining practices. 

The research emphasizes that this approach does not require any fundamental changes to Bitcoin’s core functionality. Instead, it builds upon the existing economic framework to influence miner behavior.

The successful implementation of this system has the potential to significantly improve the environmental footprint of Bitcoin mining. Furthermore, this research demonstrates the power of cryptoeconomic incentives to promote positive change within established blockchain networks. The researchers hope this approach can serve as a model for implementing similar sustainability-focused solutions across various industries moving forward.

Disclaimer: The information presented in this article is for informational and educational purposes only. The article does not constitute financial advice or advice of any kind. Coin Edition is not responsible for any losses incurred as a result of the utilization of content, products, or services mentioned. Readers are advised to exercise caution before taking any action related to the company.

Paypal plans to reward Bitcoin mining firms who take steps to reduce the environmental effects of their operations.

PayPal’s Blockchain Research Group, in partnership with Energy Web and DMG Blockchain Solutions, has proposed utilizing “cryptoeconomic incentives” to encourage Bitcoin miners to use low-carbon energy sources, according to a blog post from April 22.

The company expects that the experimental incentive will spark greater discussion and innovation around Bitcoin, and it is soliciting industry feedback on potential improvements.

Bitcoin mining is the process by which individuals known as “miners” solve cryptographic puzzles to generate new blocks of transactions on a cryptocurrency’s blockchain, with the fastest miners earning bitcoins for their efforts. Miners utilize big, energy-hungry computers to break through such puzzles fast.

According to the plan, “green miners” who use sustainable energy sources would be granted unique “green keys,” which are linked to their public keys.

Bitcoin transactions would be preferentially directed to environmentally friendly miners by attaching lower fees, along with an additional BTC reward locked in a multisig payout address that only these green miners can access.

“Green miners will be incentivized to mine these transactions since they will be the only ones eligible for the additional “locked” BTC reward,” the proposal explained.

This incentivizes sensible, profit-driven miners to use low-carbon energy sources in order to earn more Bitcoin. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, utilizing low-carbon mining technologies reduces carbon emissions and slows global warming.

According to the paper, the proposed solution will use Energy Web’s “Green Proofs for Bitcoin” platform to help miners obtain certification based on their clean energy and grid impact scores. Green miners can participate in the incentive scheme by registering and sharing their green keys on the platform.

“The solution outlined here aims to achieve a good degree of decentralization, ease of implementation and trust independence while distributing incentives,” the company said.

According to critics, the solution is being developed at a time when Bitcoin creation places an enormous burden on local power systems and taxpayers in the US.

Critics have attempted to prohibit Bitcoin mining, claiming that it causes air, water, and noise pollution, among other environmental hazards. According to the Rocky Mountain Institute, the process requires an estimated 127 terawatt-hours (TWh) of energy every year, which is more than Argentina’s total energy consumption.

Meanwhile, a New York Times article revealed that Bitcoin miners utilize about seven times the energy Google uses for its global operations each year.

Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure

PayPal’s Blockchain Research Group has joined Energy Web and DMG Blockchain Solutions to support “sustainable” Bitcoin mining. According to the paper, the collaboration “presents an opportunity to accelerate the clean energy transition” using crypto-economic incentives.

PayPal Research On Bitcoin Mining In a recently published paper, PayPal’s Blockchain Research Group (BRG) proposed “the possibility for a more sustainable future” in Bitcoin mining. The investigation revealed that, as of April 2, data estimates the annualized emissions to be over 85 million metric tons of carbon dioxide due to Bitcoin’s Proof-of-Work (PoW) consensus mechanism:

The reason behind this significant impact is the proof-of-work (PoW) consensus mechanism that secures the Bitcoin network. In PoW, miners engage in a competitive race to find solutions (i.e., cryptographic hashes) for Bitcoin blocks, requiring powerful computational hardware like ASIC machines.

This race and its demand for robust computational power require significant electricity. Miners’ use of carbon-based energy sources consequentially “results in the underlying greenhouse gas emissions footprint of the Bitcoin network.”

As a solution, PayPal’s BRG aims to “incentivize desired activity with crypto-economics” to improve and optimize “existing, proven strong networks.” Additionally, the firm wishes to support “more environmentally responsible” mining and encourage other miners to shift towards cleaner energy sources.”

The paper suggests routing on-chain transactions to “green miners” via low transaction fees with a BTC reward “locked” in a multisig payout address. The rewards would serve as an incentive to mine these transactions, as only green miners would be eligible to receive them.

The solution is based on identifying miners that use low-emissions energy sources. After identification, their public keys, referred to as “green keys,” would be used to reward miners with Bitcoin in a trust-independent method through a “1-of-n multisig script.” As a result, the payout address would allow the miners with green keys to claim the rewards.

Proposed solution to incentivize green Bitcoin mining. Source: PayPal's BRG Providers such as Energy Web would help to identify the green miners and onboard them to the solution. The non-profit organization offers a “Green Proofs for Bitcoin” initiative that promotes transparency and “supports alignment between Bitcoin mining and global decarbonization effort.”

Miners would apply for and share their sustainable mining certifications through the Green Proofs for Bitcoin validation platform.

Moreover, the proposed solution has been successfully tested with DMG. The firm broadcasted multiple low-fee transactions to test how effectively they would operate under different levels of on-chain transaction volumes.

Depending on the transaction volume, the low-fee ones would “either take a long time to confirm or eventually be dropped by the network.” This would increase the green miners’ chances to pick them up.

Per the paper, the trade-offs were “acceptable,” however, alternative solutions could be evaluated:

It is possible to design alternative solutions where transactions and rewards can be sent to miners via a private mechanism rather than using the public mempool.

Exploring technologies like smart contracts or the lighting network is also proposed as an alternative way to address the issues. However, they could come at the expense of “trust dependence and a more complex implementation.”

However, it is worth noting that Bitcoin mining has been controversial. While many legacy companies, such as PayPal and others, have targeted the network due to its alleged intense electrical consumption and carbon emissions, other research has pointed to the increasing use of renewable energy and the low carbon emissions the nascent industry produces, as seen in the chart below.

Bitcoin mining carbon emissions are much lower than those of other industries. Source: Cambridge Research In an article posted by Forbes, analyst Jonathan Buck pointed out:

the CCAF has determined that the bitcoin industry uses a significant amount of renewable energy, sometimes more than half, depending on the jurisdiction. This is a testament to the industry’s commitment to sustainability and its potential role in the green revolution.

BTC is trading at $65,972.43 on the one-day chart. Source: BTCUSDT on TradingView Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com

Editorial Process for bitcoinist is centered on delivering thoroughly researched, accurate, and unbiased content. We uphold strict sourcing standards, and each page undergoes diligent review by our team of top technology experts and seasoned editors. This process ensures the integrity, relevance, and value of our content for our readers.

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Energy Web, a well-known platform that powers decentralization solutions across diverse jurisdictions, has announced its latest project. As per the platform, it is conducting the open release of its official launchpad to assist software developers and enterprises in the configuration and deployment of solutions. The new development will enable the respective services for all consumers.

We’re excited to announce the public release of Launchpad by Energy Web🟣

Launchpad empowers enterprises and software developers to configure and deploy solutions across thousands of worker nodes globally 🌎

Open to all users, with flexible pricing and tailored support for… pic.twitter.com/z8d7KT5EdH

— Energy Web (@energywebx) May 1, 2024 Energy Web’s Latest Launchpad Officially Goes Live for Public In a devoted blog post on Medium, the platform disclosed its endeavor to offer flexible pricing for the launchpad. In addition to this, the company also mentioned that the project will support enterprises and developers with better experience. According to Energy Web, the products that the launchpad provides take into account 3 categories.

One of these categories is “Smartflow” which lets clients deploy and configure routine business logic. For this purpose, it utilizes decentralized networks that the worker nodes offer. Worker nodes take data coming from 3rd parties and execute app-specific computational operations on the data. Apart from that, they publish the results concerning the enterprises and/or the common masses for validation.

The function of the nodes is autonomously verifiable without the requirement of depending on a sole centralized server or entity. It additionally provides several starting templates in line with the real-world deployments within the energy zone. Moreover, it also gives rapid access to the present networks of worker nodes. They can pick up and run exclusive business logic.

The Project Supports Both Consumers and Developers The 2nd category deals with “Blockchain API” which offers new opportunities to the web3 developers. It offers them an RPC API gateway that opens for 4 blockchains in the ecosystem of Energy Web. It also includes sample code snippets parallel to several subscription plans. The 3rd category provides “Validator-as-a-service” to permit the consumers to swiftly spin up validators on the blockchains of Energy Web.

Energy Web operates as a non-profit platform that accelerates clean energy conversion with the development of open-source tech solutions. Its enterprise-scale solutions enhance coordination across complicated energy markets. Furthermore, they unlock the all-inclusive usage of the resources of distributed energy for businesses, clients, and grid operators. The Energy Web platform includes telecommunication leaders, IoT, automotive, corporate energy purchasers, grid operators, and so on.

AUTHOR

Umair Younas is a cryptocurrency-related content writer linked with this work since 2019. Here, at Blockchainreporter, he serves as a news and article writer. He is a crypto, blockchain, NFTs, DeFi, and FinTech enthusiast. He has strong command over writing authentic reviews about brokers and exchanges and he has collaborated with our education team to write educational content as well. He has a dream to raise awareness among people about digital currencies. His works are well-researched and brimmed with information hence they provide fresh insights. Stay tuned to his posts if you want to stay up-to-date with the crypto-verse.

Zug, Switzerland, October 1st, 2024, Chainwire

Energy Web’s innovative app enables EV owners to decarbonize charging sessions with renewable energy 

Energy Web is proud to announce the beta launch of AutoGreenCharge, a mobile app designed to decarbonize electric vehicle (EV) charging. With AutoGreenCharge, users can ensure that every EV charging session is powered by renewable energy. The app is accessible to owners of popular electric vehicles, including Tesla, BMW, Mercedes, and others, bringing the promise of green charging to a worldwide, mainstream audience.

Powered by the decentralized technology of Energy Web’s EnergywebX and secured by the Polkadot blockchain, AutoGreenCharge offers a simple, secure, and verifiable solution to ensure EV charging is not just electric, but 100% renewable. By integrating renewable energy certificates (RECs), the app will automatically match EV charging sessions with clean energy, providing verifiable green charging in real time. While in the beta phase, users can familiarize themselves with the app’s core features and experience the future of EV charging firsthand.

AutoGreenCharge allows EV owners to easily connect their vehicles through a partnership with Smart Car. Once connected, every charging session is automatically tracked, giving users detailed insights into their energy consumption and environmental impact. As the app evolves toward full production, users will be able to retire real renewable energy certificates with each charging session, ensuring their cars are powered by clean, sustainable energy sources. Additionally, they will have the option to specify preferences for the type and location of renewable energy, offering personalized access to solar, wind, and other clean energy sources from around the globe.

Mani Hagh Sefat, CTO of Energy Web, shared, “AutoGreenCharge represents a major step forward in the electrification and decarbonization of transportation. By providing EV owners with a seamless way to ensure their cars are charged with renewable energy, we’re empowering drivers to make more sustainable choices and actively contribute to the global energy transition.”

AutoGreenCharge’s integration with the Polkadot blockchain ensures that every transaction and certificate retirement is securely recorded and verifiable, enhancing transparency and trust in the system. This cutting-edge app is a key development in the broader mission to build a more resilient, efficient, and sustainable energy system.

With the beta version now available, EV owners are encouraged to download the AutoGreenCharge app and start participating in this transformative initiative. The app can be easily found on the testflight Apple and Google Play Stores. As the app moves towards its full production release, users will play a crucial role in refining its features and improving the future of green charging.

For more information, users can visit Energyweb.org

About Energy Web

Energy Web is driving the global energy transition through cutting-edge, open-source, decentralized software solutions. By leveraging blockchain technology, we create new market mechanisms and decentralized applications that empower energy companies, grid operators, and consumers to actively shape their energy futures. Our mission is to build a more resilient, efficient, and sustainable energy system for all.

Contact Jonathan
[email protected]

Disclaimer: This is a Press Release provided by a third party who is responsible for the content. Please conduct your own research before taking any action based on the content.

[PRESS RELEASE – Zug, Switzerland, October 1st, 2024]

Energy Web’s innovative app enables EV owners to decarbonize charging sessions with renewable energy 

Energy Web is proud to announce the beta launch of AutoGreenCharge, a mobile app designed to decarbonize electric vehicle (EV) charging. With AutoGreenCharge, users can ensure that every EV charging session is powered by renewable energy. The app is accessible to owners of popular electric vehicles, including Tesla, BMW, Mercedes, and others, bringing the promise of green charging to a worldwide, mainstream audience.

Powered by the decentralized technology of Energy Web’s EnergywebX and secured by the Polkadot blockchain, AutoGreenCharge offers a simple, secure, and verifiable solution to ensure EV charging is not just electric, but 100% renewable. By integrating renewable energy certificates (RECs), the app will automatically match EV charging sessions with clean energy, providing verifiable green charging in real time. While in the beta phase, users can familiarize themselves with the app’s core features and experience the future of EV charging firsthand.

AutoGreenCharge allows EV owners to easily connect their vehicles through a partnership with Smart Car. Once connected, every charging session is automatically tracked, giving users detailed insights into their energy consumption and environmental impact. As the app evolves toward full production, users will be able to retire real renewable energy certificates with each charging session, ensuring their cars are powered by clean, sustainable energy sources. Additionally, they will have the option to specify preferences for the type and location of renewable energy, offering personalized access to solar, wind, and other clean energy sources from around the globe.

Mani Hagh Sefat, CTO of Energy Web, shared, “AutoGreenCharge represents a major step forward in the electrification and decarbonization of transportation. By providing EV owners with a seamless way to ensure their cars are charged with renewable energy, we’re empowering drivers to make more sustainable choices and actively contribute to the global energy transition.”

AutoGreenCharge’s integration with the Polkadot blockchain ensures that every transaction and certificate retirement is securely recorded and verifiable, enhancing transparency and trust in the system. This cutting-edge app is a key development in the broader mission to build a more resilient, efficient, and sustainable energy system.

With the beta version now available, EV owners are encouraged to download the AutoGreenCharge app and start participating in this transformative initiative. The app can be easily found on the testflight Apple and Google Play Stores. As the app moves towards its full production release, users will play a crucial role in refining its features and improving the future of green charging.

For more information, users can visit Energyweb.org

About Energy Web Energy Web is driving the global energy transition through cutting-edge, open-source, decentralized software solutions. By leveraging blockchain technology, we create new market mechanisms and decentralized applications that empower energy companies, grid operators, and consumers to actively shape their energy futures. Our mission is to build a more resilient, efficient, and sustainable energy system for all.

Nick Sawinyh on 11 Mar 2026

Stablecoins are blockchain tokens pegged 1:1 to a fiat currency, usually the U.S. dollar. They give you the programmability and speed of crypto without the price swings. That simple combination has turned them into plumbing for DeFi, cross-border payments, remittances, treasury management, and on-chain settlement.

The market crossed $250 billion in total supply by mid-2025 and has continued growing. As of early 2026, total stablecoin market capitalization is above $310 billion according to DefiLlama data. Tether’s USDT sits around $183-187B (roughly 60% of the market), Circle’s USDC around $74-76B. Growth has been driven by regulatory clarity in the U.S. and EU and a wave of institutional adoption.

This article is for anyone considering issuing a stablecoin, evaluating the infrastructure to do so, or trying to map the competitive field. It covers issuance models, regulatory frameworks, technical architecture, service providers, the new “stablechains,” step-by-step launch guidance, and the risks worth planning for.

How stablecoin issuance works Issuing a stablecoin means designing, launching, and operating a token where new units are minted only when equivalent reserves or collateral are locked up. Tokens can be burned (destroyed) when someone redeems. The issuer’s job is keeping that mint-burn cycle trustworthy, transparent, and compliant.

You can either build it yourself with custom smart contracts, banking partnerships, and compliance infrastructure, or use a turnkey platform (often called “Stablecoin-as-a-Service”). Most organizations in 2026 choose the turnkey route, at least to start. But understanding both matters. Even turnkey solutions force architectural decisions that stick with you for years.

Which issuance model fits? Every stablecoin starts with a model decision. Your choice determines capital requirements, regulatory burden, revenue mechanics, and risk profile.

Fiat-backed (custodial / off-chain reserves) The dominant model, accounting for over 90% of the market. Also the one regulators prefer.

Users or institutions deposit fiat (USD cash, Treasuries, repos, money market funds, or insured bank deposits) with the issuer or a qualified custodian. The issuer mints an equivalent number of tokens on-chain. When someone redeems, the tokens get burned and the reserves are released. Reserves sit in segregated, audited accounts.

The economics: issuers earn yield on reserves, primarily from short-term Treasuries. That’s how Circle, Tether, and Paxos make money.

The trade-off is centralization. You depend on banks and custodians, you need licenses, and you’re subject to ongoing audits. But for most businesses, this is the right starting point. USDC, USDT, PayPal’s PYUSD, and newer entrants like KlarnaUSD (issued via Bridge) all use this model.

Crypto-collateralized (on-chain, over-collateralized) Users deposit volatile crypto (typically ETH) into smart contracts at 120-200% collateralization ratios. Price oracles are central to this model. They’re external data feeds (Chainlink is the most widely used) that supply real-time asset prices to on-chain contracts. If oracle data is stale, manipulated, or delayed, liquidations can misfire or fail entirely, potentially threatening the peg. Oracle risk is one of the less-discussed but more dangerous failure modes in crypto-collateralized stablecoins. If the collateral ratio drops below a threshold, automatic liquidation kicks in. Minting and burning happen entirely through smart contracts.

This model is fully transparent and doesn’t need traditional banking relationships. The downside is capital inefficiency: you lock up significantly more value than you mint. Liquidation risk during volatile markets is real. MakerDAO’s DAI is the best-known example. Ethena’s USDe is a newer hybrid.

Revenue comes from stability fees and liquidation penalties rather than reserve yield.

Algorithmic / hybrid Pure algorithmic stablecoins use smart contracts to expand and contract supply through incentive mechanisms, with little or no collateral backing. After the TerraUSD collapse in 2022, this model is largely discredited. Most regulators have banned or restricted it. The EU’s MiCA framework prohibits purely algorithmic stablecoins outright.

Hybrids like FRAX combine partial reserves with algorithmic mechanisms, but adoption remains niche. Unless you have a very specific reason, avoid this model in 2026.

Tokenized deposits / bank-integrated Tokens represent direct claims on insured bank deposits or tokenized reserves on permissioned or public chains. JPMorgan’s JPM Coin (now JPMD) is the primary example. These stablecoins integrate directly with traditional banking rails.

The advantage is deposit insurance and the trust infrastructure of established banks. The downside is ecosystem lock-in and limited multichain reach. This model works best for large financial institutions that already have a banking charter and want to extend their rails onto blockchain.

Regulatory frameworks in 2026 Regulation is simultaneously the biggest barrier and biggest enabler of stablecoin issuance. If you don’t understand the regulatory environment, the rest of this article won’t matter much.

The global picture has converged around a few core requirements: 1:1 reserves in high-quality liquid assets, licensing, redemption rights at par, regular audits, and AML/KYC compliance. Most frameworks also restrict or prohibit yield payments directly to stablecoin holders, keeping the instrument classified as a payment tool rather than a security. But the specifics vary by jurisdiction, and the debate around yield-bearing stablecoins is active (the White House held closed-door meetings on this topic as recently as February 2026).

United States: the GENIUS Act and federal/state oversight The GENIUS Act, passed in 2025, created the first comprehensive federal framework for stablecoin issuance. Only “permitted” issuers can operate: FDIC-insured banks and their subsidiaries, or federally/state-qualified non-bank issuers.

An important structural detail: oversight is split between federal and state regulators depending on issuer type and size. Non-bank issuers with under $10B in circulation can be regulated at the state level under existing money transmitter frameworks. Larger issuers and bank-affiliated issuers fall under federal oversight via banking regulators, with the OCC playing a role for non-bank issuers at the federal level. It’s not a single-regulator model.

Requirements: 1:1 reserves in cash, Treasuries, repos, and insured deposits. Monthly attestations and annual audits for large issuers. Redeemable at par. No interest payments to holders under the current framework. Foreign issuers face restrictions unless their home jurisdiction has equivalence arrangements.

European Union: MiCA The Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation took effect across 2024-2025 and creates two categories: e-money tokens (EMTs, pegged to a single currency) and asset-referenced tokens (ARTs). Issuers must be EU credit institutions or authorized electronic money institutions. Reserves must be held in high-quality liquid assets at EU banks.

Pure algorithmic stablecoins are banned. Redemption at par is mandatory, often without fees. The ECB has oversight authority for systemically important stablecoins. Full authorization is required by July 1, 2026 for all issuers operating in the EU.

Other jurisdictions The UK is building its framework through FCA and Bank of England e-money rules, with caps for systemic stablecoins. Singapore requires a MAS license and full backing. Japan restricts issuance to banks and trust companies. Hong Kong has introduced HKMA licensing for HKD-pegged stablecoins.

The pattern across all of these: convergence on reserves, redemption rights, and licensing. Differences mainly come down to issuer eligibility and acceptable reserve assets. The U.S. favors Treasuries, the EU favors bank deposits.

Technical architecture: what a modern stablecoin stack looks like Whether you build or buy, you need to understand the components.

Core smart contracts Deployed on one or more blockchains (Ethereum, Solana, Algorand, others), these handle minting, burning, and transfer logic. For 2026 compliance, your contracts need role-based access control (minter, burner, pauser, blacklister, clawback roles), pause and freeze functionality for AML and sanctions enforcement, and blacklisting and clawback for court orders.

Most teams start with audited frameworks like OpenZeppelin’s ERC-20Upgradeable combined with Pausable, AccessControl, and UUPS proxy patterns for upgradeability. Some blockchains offer built-in compliance controls at the protocol level. Algorand, for instance, has native freeze and clawback functions that make it attractive for institutional issuers without requiring custom contract logic.

Advanced standards like Tempo’s TIP-20 (on their payments-first L1) add native protocol-level features: built-in mint/burn/transfer restrictions, RBAC, transfer memos for reconciliation, and native yield distribution, all without extra contract complexity.

Issuer backend system A secure, centralized system (typically API-driven) that authorizes minting and burning events. It verifies that fiat deposits arrived before instructing the smart contract to mint, and confirms burn events before releasing fiat for redemption. This is the operational core that ties on-chain activity to off-chain banking.

Custody and reserve layer Fiat and other reserve assets sit in custody accounts at regulated banks or trust companies. Qualified custodians provide regular attestations. Typical reserve composition includes cash, short-term U.S. Treasuries, repos, money market funds, and insured bank deposits. Increasingly, reserves also include tokenized Treasuries from providers like BlackRock, WisdomTree, and Superstate, which generate yield while maintaining liquidity. As a point of reference, Tether’s Q4 2025 attestation reported $141 billion in total U.S. Treasury exposure (direct holdings plus overnight reverse repos), making it one of the largest holders of U.S. sovereign debt globally.

Compliance and identity layer KYC/AML checks and transaction monitoring tools integrate with the issuance and redemption flow. Only verified users can mint or redeem. All on-chain activity gets screened for illicit finance. Blockchain analytics providers like Chainalysis and Blockaid are standard parts of the stack.

Fiat on/off-ramps The bridges between blockchain and traditional finance. Licensed money services businesses like Coinme provide the infrastructure to move funds between bank accounts, cards, and on-chain stablecoins.

Multichain deployment Most stablecoins in 2026 operate across multiple chains. You can deploy natively on each chain, use cross-chain bridges or interoperability protocols (Axelar, LayerZero, Circle’s CCTP), or issue on specialized payment-focused L1s. The choice depends on your target users and use cases.

Security Multiple independent audits are table stakes. Beyond that: timelocks on critical contract functions, multi-sig governance, invariant checks, and HSM or MPC-based key custody. Daily reconciliation between on-chain supply and off-chain reserves is standard practice, along with monthly attestations.

Stablecoin-as-a-Service providers Most businesses in 2026 use a turnkey provider rather than building from scratch.

Paxos The most established player, operating since 2018. Paxos is the issuer behind PayPal’s PYUSD and has partnerships with Interactive Brokers and other large enterprises. They handle regulatory compliance, reserve custody, and minting/redeeming technology across multiple blockchains.

They’ve processed over $180B in activity and focus on enterprise partnerships. Expect enterprise-level pricing to match.

Circle Circle is first and foremost the issuer of USDC, the second-largest stablecoin. They don’t offer white-label issuance of fully custom-branded stablecoins the way Brale or Bridge do. What they do offer is programmable wallets, Circle Mint for institutional USDC access, and the Circle Payments Network (CPN) for connecting financial institutions. If you want to build payment products on top of an existing, highly regulated stablecoin rather than issuing your own, Circle’s stack is the natural choice.

Circle supports 20+ blockchains, offers API-based integration, and charges transaction-based fees. Their cross-chain transfer protocol (CCTP) is a real differentiator for multichain deployments. Circle also went public on the NYSE in 2025, adding another layer of transparency.

Brale A U.S.-regulated issuance platform that lets businesses create and manage their own fiat-backed stablecoins. Brale acts as the legal issuer under its money transmitter licenses, handling custody, reserve management, and compliance while providing APIs for minting and burning across 20+ blockchains.

Good option for organizations that want a custom-branded stablecoin without building the regulatory infrastructure themselves. Revenue-share pricing model.

Bridge (Stripe-acquired) Bridge offers an Open Issuance API to launch and manage a branded stablecoin with minimal code. They handle reserves, liquidity, compliance, and fiat on/off-ramps. Stripe’s acquisition gives Bridge access to an enormous merchant network.

Bridge has received preliminary approval to establish a national trust bank, which would let them offer regulated custody and reserve management under a federal framework.

Coinbase Custom Stablecoins Launched December 18, 2025, this is Coinbase’s “stablecoin-as-a-service” offering. It lets businesses create custom-branded stablecoins backed 1:1 by USDC and other USD-stablecoins, with Coinbase handling issuance, smart contracts, compliance, and custody. First partners include Flipcash, Solflare, and R2. Separately, Coinbase is also powering stablecoin-denominated institutional funding for Klarna via USDC.

Important nuance: at launch, Custom Stablecoins use USDC as the underlying collateral rather than direct fiat reserves. That means Coinbase is acting as an issuance layer on top of Circle’s stablecoin, not as a direct fiat-to-stablecoin issuer like Paxos or Brale. Coinbase has applied for an OCC national trust charter, which could eventually allow it to custody reserves directly.

Frax Finance Known for its hybrid stablecoin model, Frax now offers “GENIUS-compatible” white-label infrastructure. Per project announcements, Sonic Labs used Frax’s framework to launch a USSD stablecoin backed by tokenized Treasuries. Frax provides modular smart contract infrastructure with built-in composability through LayerZero.

The DeFi-native option, designed for teams comfortable with on-chain tooling.

Stably A primary partner for blockchain platforms like Algorand and Stacks. Stably provides a Stablecoin-as-a-Service suite including fiat on/off-ramps, multi-chain issuance, and compliance. They specialize in stablecoins pegged to various fiat currencies beyond the dollar.

M0 M0 is a programmable stablecoin issuance protocol that separates token logic from reserve custody. It lets businesses build “stablecoin extensions,” which are custom-branded tokens with their own compliance rules, yield mechanics, and access controls, all built on a shared liquidity and interoperability layer. M0 raised a $40M Series B and has over $779M in on-chain supply minted. Bridge (Stripe) uses M0’s protocol under the hood for stablecoin issuance, as confirmed when MetaMask launched mUSD. MoonPay’s PYUSDx framework also runs on M0 infrastructure.

Worth watching closely. M0’s approach of decoupling reserve management from token issuance could become the default pattern for application-specific stablecoins.

Other providers worth noting Agora offers regulated stablecoin issuance with a trust-based approach. Bastion takes a similar regulated trust posture. Anchorage Digital is primarily a federally chartered crypto bank providing qualified custody and regulated banking services. It’s not a full stablecoin issuance platform, but it plays a role in the custody and compliance layer that issuers need. Fireblocks provides infrastructure and custody tooling (MPC wallets, workflow automation, settlement) across 100+ chains. It processes roughly 15% of global stablecoin volume and is used by 300+ banks and payment providers, but it’s infrastructure plumbing, not a legal issuer of stablecoins. BitGo offers qualified custody infrastructure. Cobo provides full-suite payment operations, combining MPC custody, payment APIs, and Wallet-as-a-Service across 80+ chains. Tassat focuses on tokenized deposits and real-time settlement for institutional digital asset operations, including its Link platform for real-time collateral and settlement workflows.

The stablechains: purpose-built L1s for stablecoin payments This is probably the most interesting development in stablecoin infrastructure right now. Starting in 2025, a new category of “stablechains” appeared: Layer-1 blockchains built specifically for stablecoin payments and issuance. Instead of deploying on general-purpose chains like Ethereum or Solana, issuers can use infrastructure where stablecoins are first-class citizens rather than an afterthought.

Three projects lead this category: Tempo, Circle Arc, and Tether Plasma. All three are EVM-compatible, target sub-second finality, and aim to make stablecoin transactions competitive with Visa, ACH, and SWIFT. They differ in philosophy, ecosystem, and who they’re designed for.

A word of caution: this category is very early. As of March 2026, only Plasma has a live mainnet with real production volume. Tempo and Arc are on public testnet with mainnet launches expected later in 2026. Performance claims (TPS targets, finality times) are based on testnet data or design targets, not proven production metrics at scale. Partnership announcements reflect stated intentions and early pilots, not necessarily live integrations processing real money. That said, the backers (Stripe, Circle, Tether) have the resources and distribution to make these projects matter, which is why they’re worth tracking closely.

Tempo Incubated by Stripe and Paradigm with over $500M raised. Tempo is a payments-first L1 that takes a deliberately neutral approach. No native token. Gas fees can be paid in any stablecoin through an enshrined AMM that auto-swaps to validators. Issuers aren’t forced into any single stablecoin ecosystem.

Tempo’s native TIP-20 token standard includes built-in mint/burn restrictions, protocol-level compliance (TIP-403 Policies), delegatable RBAC with on-chain audit logs, transfer memos for off-chain reconciliation, and native yield distribution. Design targets include 100,000+ TPS and roughly 0.6-second deterministic finality (no re-orgs), though these are pre-mainnet projections, not production-verified metrics.

Other protocol primitives: a Fee AMM (pay gas in any stablecoin, creating structural demand), a native stablecoin DEX for on-chain liquidity and FX (on roadmap), dedicated payment lanes with guaranteed blockspace, and account abstraction with passkey support.

Per Tempo’s announcement materials, the ecosystem roster includes Stripe, Shopify, Nubank, Klarna, DoorDash, Deel, Revolut, Visa, Anthropic, and Deutsche Bank. These are announced partnerships, not necessarily confirmed live integrations. Klarna’s involvement is separately confirmed through its Coinbase stablecoin funding announcement.

Status: public testnet live, mainnet expected H1 2026.

Best for issuers who want maximum flexibility, multi-stablecoin support, and deep payments integration with minimal vendor lock-in. Contact: [email protected].

Circle Arc Circle’s own L1, announced August 2025. Arc makes USDC the native gas token, creating a fully dollar-denominated chain. It uses Malachite BFT consensus for sub-second finality (around 780ms) and targets over 50,000 TPS.

The defining feature is a built-in FX engine with on-chain RFQ and PvP settlement, which makes it attractive for cross-currency treasury operations. Arc deeply integrates Circle’s stack: CCTP, native mint/burn, Gateway, and on/off-ramps. It also offers opt-in privacy designed for compliance-ready institutional use.

Partners include BlackRock, Visa, Goldman Sachs, Mastercard, HSBC, AWS, Coinbase, and OpenAI.

Status: public testnet with 100+ institutional participants, strong activity since October 2025. Mainnet expected 2026.

Best for institutions already in the USDC ecosystem, or those needing on-chain FX and capital markets infrastructure.

Tether Plasma The only stablechain with a fully live mainnet as of March 2026. Plasma is Tether’s chain, built around USDT with a zero-fee transfer model using a Paymaster contract. Sub-second finality at 1,000+ TPS. Over $373M raised.

Plasma supports 25+ stablecoins but is clearly USDT-centric. Per Tether’s communications, it has attracted significant deposits and become one of the larger USDT networks by balance. It includes a native Bitcoin bridge and optional confidential transactions. The ecosystem spans 100+ DeFi partners (including Aave) per project announcements.

Best for USDT-focused use cases, retail and emerging-market payments, and anyone who wants live production volume today.

How to choose between them The decision comes down to a few questions.

What’s your primary stablecoin? USDT points to Plasma. USDC points to Arc. Multi-stablecoin or custom-branded points to Tempo.

Who are your target users? Retail and emerging-market payments: Plasma. Enterprise and institutional capital markets: Arc. Fintechs, merchants, embedded finance: Tempo.

How much execution risk can you tolerate? Plasma is live but carries heavier regulatory scrutiny as a Tether-affiliated project. Tempo and Arc have strong backers but are pre-mainnet.

Many issuers are hedging by testing or launching on multiple chains simultaneously.

End-to-end launch stacks Several providers bundle token issuance, reserve management, compliance, and payment rails into a single integrated offering.

Polygon’s Open Money Stack bundles blockchain settlement, enterprise-grade wallets, and regulated fiat on/off-ramps (via Coinme) into one API. Transactions settle in under 2 seconds at roughly $0.002 each. Institutions can move money from a bank account into a stablecoin, settle on-chain, and convert back to fiat without juggling multiple vendors.

Cobo combines MPC custody, payment APIs, and Wallet-as-a-Service for high-volume stablecoin operations. It supports 80+ chains and plugs into existing treasury systems.

Brale’s unified platform lets an enterprise launch a stablecoin and have it instantly provisioned with on/off-ramps, pricing, APIs, and reporting, all under Brale’s regulatory umbrella.

Step-by-step: how to issue a stablecoin in 2026 The practical sequence, from concept to production.

1. Define purpose and structure. What is the stablecoin for? Payments, treasury management, loyalty programs, embedded finance? Your answer determines which issuance model, platform, and chain make sense. Fiat-backed is the right choice for most use cases. Pick your platform early since switching later is expensive.

2. Secure banking and reserves. Partner with qualified custodians or banks. Set up segregated 1:1 reserve accounts holding cash, short-term Treasuries, repos, money market funds, or insured deposits. Diversify across custodians where possible. Stress-test your liquidity for redemption spikes. Turnkey providers like Brale or Paxos handle much of this, but you still need visibility into the reserve structure.

3. Develop or integrate the technology. If building custom: write and audit your smart contracts (start with OpenZeppelin frameworks), implement compliance controls (RBAC, pause, freeze, clawback), choose your target chains, and get multiple independent security audits. If using a platform: integrate via API (Bridge, Brale) or deploy using native token standards (TIP-20 on Tempo).

4. Set up issuance and redemption flows. Mint tokens when verified fiat deposits arrive. Burn tokens on redemption and release corresponding reserves. Build continuous reconciliation between on-chain supply and off-chain reserves. Publish monthly attestations.

5. Ensure compliance and transparency. Obtain the necessary licenses (or confirm your turnkey provider holds them). Implement KYC/AML for all mint and redeem operations. Set up transaction monitoring. Publish reserve reports and audit results. Under the GENIUS Act, large issuers need monthly attestations and annual audits. MiCA requires full authorization by mid-2026.

6. Launch and distribute. Deploy on your target chain(s). Get listed on exchanges and DEXs. Provide initial liquidity. Monitor the peg continuously. Integrate into real payment flows: payroll via Deel on Tempo, merchant checkout through Stripe, remittance corridors.

7. Ongoing operations. This is where most of the work lives. Regular audits, risk monitoring, smart contract upgrades, regulatory reporting, and responding to compliance events (sanctions, court orders, suspicious activity). It never stops.

Provider comparison Provider Core capability Target customers Supported chains Complexity / cost Paxos Regulated issuance, custody, proven at scale Large enterprises, fintechs Ethereum, others Medium. High cost (enterprise contracts) Circle USDC issuer, programmable wallets, CPN, high liquidity Startups to enterprises 20+ chains Low. Transaction-based fees Brale Full-stack issuance, acts as legal issuer, multi-chain Startups to enterprises 20+ chains Low. Revenue-share pricing Bridge (Stripe) Open Issuance API, fiat on/off-ramps, Stripe distribution Enterprises, fintechs Multiple chains + Tempo Low. Transaction-based fees M0 Programmable issuance protocol, shared liquidity layer Developers, fintechs, wallets Ethereum, multi-chain Low-medium. Protocol-based Coinbase Custom Stablecoins Stablecoin-as-a-service, USDC-collateralized branded tokens Enterprises, fintechs Base, Ethereum (expanding) Low. Revenue-share Frax White-label modular infrastructure, RWA backing Blockchain networks, protocols EVM-compatible via LayerZero Medium. Variable cost Polygon End-to-end “Open Money Stack” Institutions, payment companies Polygon, multi-chain via Agglayer Low. Volume-based pricing Cobo Enterprise payments, MPC custody, treasury automation High-volume institutions 80+ chains Medium. Institutional pricing Fireblocks Infrastructure/custody tooling, MPC wallets, settlement (not an issuer) Large institutions 100+ chains Medium. Institutional licensing Stablechains comparison Aspect Tempo Circle Arc Tether Plasma Backing Stripe + Paradigm ($500M+) Circle Tether/Bitfinex ($373M+) Status (March 2026) Public testnet, mainnet H1 2026 Public testnet, mainnet 2026 Mainnet live Performance 100k+ TPS target (unverified), ~0.6s finality (design) 50k+ TPS target, ~780ms finality (testnet) 1k+ TPS, sub-second finality (production) Gas model Any stablecoin (no native token) Native USDC USDT-native + Paymaster (zero-fee USDT) Stablecoin focus Issuer-agnostic, multi-stablecoin USDC-centric USDT-centric (25+ supported) Key primitives Stable DEX, payment memos, dedicated lanes, TIP-20 FX engine, opt-in privacy, CCTP integration Zero-fee USDT, Bitcoin bridge, confidential txs Target users Fintechs, merchants, embedded finance Institutions, capital markets Retail, emerging markets, DeFi Real-world examples A few cases that show how this infrastructure comes together in practice. Note: some of these are announced projects or early-stage deployments, not fully scaled production systems. Where possible, I’ve verified against public announcements and press coverage.

MetaMask USD (mUSD) on M0/Bridge. Announced August 2025 by Consensys, MetaMask’s native stablecoin is the first issued by a self-custodial wallet. It uses Bridge for issuance and reserve management with M0’s protocol for the on-chain infrastructure. Planned to launch on Ethereum and Linea, with spending via MetaMask Card at Mastercard merchants.

Klarna’s stablecoin initiatives. Klarna partnered with Coinbase in December 2025 for USDC-denominated institutional funding. Separately, Tempo’s announcement materials list Klarna as an ecosystem partner launching “KlarnaUSD” via Bridge on Tempo, but public documentation of that specific deployment is limited beyond Tempo’s own communications. Worth monitoring but not yet a confirmed live product.

Sonic Labs’ USSD via Frax. Per Frax and Sonic project communications, Sonic used Frax’s white-label infrastructure and backed USSD with tokenized Treasuries. Independent documentation is thin, but it illustrates the modular approach: a blockchain network launching a native stablecoin by composing existing infrastructure rather than building from scratch.

Stablecorp’s QCAD. A Canadian dollar stablecoin that uses VersaBank as federally regulated custodian for reserves through VersaBank’s VersaVault platform. Stablecorp manages issuance and compliance while leaning on established banking infrastructure for credibility.

Stable Sea with BitGo. A B2B infrastructure platform that partners with BitGo for regulated custody and trading. Newer platforms can assemble best-in-class services from existing providers rather than building everything internally.

Risks worth planning for Good infrastructure reduces risk. It doesn’t eliminate it. Here’s what actually goes wrong.

Depegging. Market shocks, collateral liquidation cascades, or loss of confidence can push a stablecoin off its peg. Even fiat-backed stablecoins aren’t immune. USDC briefly lost its peg in March 2023 when Silicon Valley Bank failed with a portion of Circle’s reserves held there.

Custody and banking failures. Your stablecoin is only as safe as your custodian. Diversify where possible and understand the insolvency protections (or lack thereof) for your reserve accounts.

Smart contract bugs. A vulnerability in your minting or burning logic can be catastrophic. Multiple independent audits are the minimum. Timelocks, multi-sig controls, and bug bounty programs add layers of defense.

Regulatory changes. The GENIUS Act and MiCA are still relatively new. Rules will evolve. Non-compliance carries real consequences: fines, loss of license, blocked market access. Build compliance into the product from day one, not as an afterthought.

Sanctions and illicit finance exposure. Stablecoins are tools, and bad actors use them. You need transaction monitoring and the ability to freeze or clawback assets when legally required.

Operational risk. Stablecoin operations run around the clock. Reconciliation errors, oracle failures (for crypto-collateralized models), and infrastructure outages compound quickly.

Algorithmic model risk. If you’re considering an algorithmic or lightly collateralized design, this carries the highest systemic risk. The TerraUSD collapse proved that incentive mechanisms alone can’t maintain a peg under stress.

Best practices for 2026 issuers Automate reconciliation between on-chain supply and off-chain reserves. Manual processes break at scale.

Use bankruptcy-remote structures for reserve accounts. If your company has financial trouble, the reserves should be legally protected for token holders.

Build compliance into the product. Freeze, clawback, and blacklisting capabilities aren’t just regulatory checkboxes. They’re what institutional customers and regulators look for before working with you.

Partner with blockchain analytics providers from day one. Chainalysis, Blockaid, and similar firms provide transaction monitoring that regulators expect.

Publish clear redemption policies. Specify timelines, fees (if any), minimum amounts, and the process for large redemptions. Ambiguity erodes trust.

Start with a USD peg for maximum liquidity and market access. Non-USD pegs have their place, but infrastructure, liquidity, and regulatory clarity are all strongest for dollar stablecoins.

Plan for multichain or dedicated-chain deployment from the start. Retrofitting cross-chain support later is painful.

Consider starting on a turnkey platform or specialized L1 for speed, then evaluate custom infrastructure as you scale.

Where this is heading The infrastructure to launch a compliant stablecoin in 2026 exists. You can go from concept to live product in weeks through turnkey providers and purpose-built L1s. That speed would have been absurd even two years ago.

The decisions you face: which issuance model fits (fiat-backed for almost everyone), which platform or chain to deploy on (determined by your target users and stablecoin preference), and how much infrastructure to own versus rent.

White-label platforms like Bridge, Paxos, Brale, and Coinbase, issuance protocols like M0, or payments-optimized L1s like Tempo, offer the lowest barrier for most businesses. Custom builds still make sense for large institutions that need complete control and have the engineering team to maintain it.

One thing I’d flag: the temptation to over-engineer early is strong, especially for technical teams. The businesses actually getting stablecoins into production in 2026 are the ones that started with a turnkey provider, shipped, and iterated from there. The fundamentals, robust reserves, transparent operations, and clear redemption policies, matter more than the specific technology stack underneath.

Justin Sun Offers to Negotiate With KelpDAO Hacker After $292 Million Exploit

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Axelar has integrated Solana. The integration is now live on mainnet, enabling cross-chain message passing and asset transfers between Solana and Axelar-supported chains, including Ethereum, XRP Ledger, Sui, Stellar, Hedera, and 70+ more ecosystems.

Following recent integrations with Stellar and Hedera, Solana is the next major ecosystem connected to Axelar’s interoperability infrastructure. The integration expands Axelar’s support across different execution environments and gives developers, asset issuers, and protocols a secure and reliable way to connect Solana with the broader multichain world.

What the Integration EnablesSolana is one of the most vibrant blockchain ecosystems in Web3, with a growing application layer across DeFi, payments, tokenization, and consumer use cases. With Solana connected through Axelar, applications can combine Solana’s speed, low transaction costs, and active application ecosystem with Axelar’s interoperability infrastructure. The result is new optionality for applications that want to reach broader liquidity, expand user access across chains, and build multichain products that connect Solana with the wider ecosystems.

Ecosystem Partners Expanding to SolanaThe Solana integration launches with day-one ecosystem use cases that demonstrate how Axelar can help bring assets and applications into the Solana ecosystem.

Stronghold is a payments infrastructure platform that enables access to both legacy and next-generation financial services, with $SHx serving as its native utility token. Through Axelar's integration with Solana, Stronghold can now extend SHx reach to Solana and gain access to a broader ecosystem of users, builders, and liquidity opportunities beyond the Stellar ecosystem.

SaucerSwap is a leading decentralized exchange on Hedera, providing trading and liquidity infrastructure optimized for efficient execution and low fees. With Axelar connecting Solana, SaucerSwap can support assets from Solana and other connected blockchains and bring them into Hedera-based trading and liquidity pools. The integration also opens a new path for $SAUCE to extend beyond its native environment into the Solana ecosystem.

How to Access Solana Through AxelarSolana is now connected to Axelar and can be accessed through:

Axelar’s new bridging interface: Users can move assets to and from Solana directly through Axelar’s interface.Squid: Users and developers can access Solana through Squid, a cross-chain routing and liquidity layer built on Axelar that enables seamless asset transfers across ecosystems.Moreover, developers can now start building cross-chain applications with Solana: Send & receive messages across chains | Interchain Token Transfers | Full documentation

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Cross-chain interoperability protocol Axelar has disabled its connection to Secret Network following an exploit that resulted in the loss of approximately $4.67 million in bridged assets.

In an update on June 19, Axelar said it had identified an incident affecting assets bridged over the Inter-Blockchain Communication [IBC] protocol from the Axelar chain to Secret Network. The team said the issue appears to be isolated to the Secret-side ICS-20 smart contract used in the Cosmos IBC connection between the two networks.

“Approximately $4.67M worth of tokens” were taken, according to the protocol.

Axelar shuts down affected connections Axelar said its emergency committee disabled the Secret and Secret-SNIP connections immediately after becoming aware of the incident.

The protocol also said it has contacted relevant exchanges and law enforcement agencies while investigations continue.

According to the initial assessment, the exploit is limited to assets bridged from Axelar to Secret Network through the affected IBC route. Axelar said no other IBC connections appear to be impacted and that no other Secret Network tokens have been affected.

The team further stated that Axelar’s core protocol remains unaffected.

“We’re preparing a detailed post-mortem,” the protocol said.

Investigation focuses on Secret-side contract The incident highlights the complexity of cross-chain infrastructure, where vulnerabilities can arise within specific integrations rather than the underlying bridge network.

Axelar’s statement suggests the issue originated in the Secret-side ICS-20 contract associated with the Cosmos IBC connection, rather than within Axelar’s validator network or core interoperability infrastructure.

That distinction could become an important focus of the investigation as both ecosystems work to determine the root cause of the exploit.

The latest incident adds to a growing list of bridge-related security events across the crypto sector, where interconnected networks and smart contracts continue to present attractive targets for attackers.

At the time of publication, neither Axelar nor Secret Network had released a detailed technical explanation of how the exploit occurred.

Final Summary Axelar disabled its Secret Network connections after approximately $4.67 million in bridged assets was stolen. The protocol said the issue appears isolated to a Secret-side ICS-20 contract, while Axelar’s core infrastructure remains unaffected.

Axelar has disabled its Secret Network bridge connections after a security incident resulted in the loss of roughly $4.7 million worth of bridged assets.

Summary

Axelar disabled Secret Network bridge routes after a $4.7 million exploit tied to a Secret-side ICS-20 contract. The company said the incident appears limited to Axelar-bridged assets on Secret Network, with no impact on its core protocol. Binance Research previously estimated DeFi exploits triggered $13 billion in TVL outflows and pushed leverage ratios to 2021 highs. According to Axelar, the exploit affected assets transferred from the Axelar chain to Secret Network through the Cosmos Inter-Blockchain Communication framework.

Early findings from the investigation indicate the issue is linked to the Secret-side ICS-20 smart contract used in the IBC connection between the two networks rather than Axelar’s core infrastructure.

We have identified an incident affecting assets bridged over IBC to Secret Network from the Axelar chain, with approximately $4.67M worth of tokens taken. Based on current information, the issue is isolated to the Secret-side ICS-20 smart contract of the Cosmos IBC connection…

— Axelar Network (@axelar) June 19, 2026 As part of its immediate response, Axelar said its emergency committee shut down the Secret and Secret-SNIP connections to prevent further losses. The interoperability protocol also stated that it had contacted relevant exchanges and law enforcement agencies while its investigation remains ongoing.

Secret Network operates as a privacy-focused blockchain that encrypts transaction data while allowing smart contract code to remain verifiable on-chain.

Through its integration with Axelar, developers have been able to support private cross-chain applications, including confidential decentralized finance activity, private NFT transactions, and anonymous governance functions.

Exploit appears limited to a single bridge connection Details shared by Axelar indicate that the incident is confined to assets on the Secret Network that were bridged from Axelar. The company said no evidence currently suggests that other IBC connections, Secret-native assets, or additional Axelar integrations were affected.

At the same time, Axelar emphasized that its core protocol remained operational throughout the incident. The team said the suspected vulnerability was isolated to the Secret-side contract involved in processing transfers from Axelar into the Secret ecosystem.

A full post-mortem is expected once the investigation is completed. Until then, the affected bridge routes will remain disabled as engineers continue reviewing the attack path and assessing the extent of the losses.

The incident adds to a growing list of security breaches that have disrupted crypto infrastructure projects in recent weeks. Earlier this month, Humanity Protocol disclosed recovery measures after a June 8 exploit that forced the project to retire its original H token across Ethereum, BNB Chain, and Humanity Mainnet.

According to Humanity Protocol, affected users will receive replacement H tokens through an airdrop tied to a newly deployed audited ERC-20 contract on Ethereum. The project stated that the breach resulted from stolen credentials rather than vulnerabilities in its token contracts, bridge infrastructure, or Safe setup.

Recent exploits continue to pressure crypto projects Security incidents have also had consequences beyond immediate token losses. Earlier this week, crypto payments platform Pyra announced plans to wind down operations after determining it could not recover from the financial and user impact of the Drift exploit.

Against that backdrop, Axelar’s response has focused on containing the Secret Network incident while investigators determine how the exploit occurred. The company said it will provide additional details once its review is complete and has maintained that no other parts of the Axelar network appear to be affected based on current findings.

As crypto.news reported earlier, Binance Research estimated that DeFi exploits in April alone contributed to roughly $13 billion in total value locked outflows across decentralized finance protocols, reducing available liquidity throughout the sector. The research arm also found that the on-chain leverage ratio climbed to around 38%, a level last seen in 2021, as TVL declined faster than borrowing activity.

Top 1 On-Chain Liquidation: ETH Bull Whale Hit With 4 Consecutive Forced Liquidations, $14.11 Million in Positions Liquidated

According to Hyperinsight monitoring, today’s largest liquidation on the Hyperliquid platform involved a high-leverage Ethereum (ETH) long whale. The address opened a long position yesterday when ETH was trading at roughly $1,661, and immediately incurred losses after entry. Triggered by ETH’s short-term dip below $1,600 in the early hours of today, the whale faced four consecutive liquidations, resulting in the forced closure of a total of 8,734 ETH positions valued at approximately $14.11 million. The address now holds less than $150,000 in remaining funds, with all positions fully cleared. Address: 0x1cb0b187c14a8c0fb36ca0dcbb775dcc7f02b408

2 minutes ago

A certain on-chain address opened long positions in BTC, ETH, and silver, and purchased $10.699 million worth of BTC and ETH spot.

According to on-chain analyst Ai Yi (@ai_9684xtpa)’s monitoring, address 0x960…3f0fc simultaneously went long on both futures and spot positions this early morning, opening long positions of 102.55 BTC, 954.38 ETH, and 8,790 silver units, with total position value around $8.29 million. It also purchased spot BTC and ETH worth approximately $10.699 million. Its current take-profit levels are set at $63,000 for BTC and $1,650 for ETH.

2 minutes ago

A whale that reaped over $23.77 million in profits from the Basic Attention Token (BAT) ICO has reawakened after six years of dormancy, offloading 12,600 ETH in the past two days.

According to monitoring by EmberCN, a whale address that participated in the BAT ICO in 2017 and generated approximately $23.77 million in total profits has started selling ETH recently after six years of inactivity. Over the past two days, the address has sold 12,586 ETH, receiving 20.59 million USDS in exchange, at an average selling price of roughly $1,636. The whale invested 17,789 ETH in the BAT ICO in May 2017, acquiring around 113.8 million BAT. It then sold BAT gradually over approximately two and a half years at an average price of $0.245, netting about $23.77 million in profits, with some of the BAT converted into 27,586 ETH. Since then, the ETH has remained inactive for a long time until it resumed reducing its holdings recently. Currently, the address still holds around 15,000 ETH, valued at approximately $24.29 million.

2 minutes ago

Japanese storage firm Kioxia plans to list American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) in the U.S. in April or May next year.

Market news: Japanese storage chip maker Kioxia plans to list its American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) in the U.S. in April or May next year. (Jinshi)

2 minutes ago

Micron's earnings report lifts SK Hynix's stock price 11%, trader 'yixie' expands their unrealized profit to $1.3 million.

According to Hyperinsight monitoring, Micron’s Q3 financial results exceeded all expectations, driving peer SK Hynix’s stock to rally nearly 11% from its recent low. On the Hyperliquid platform, SKHYNIX is currently trading at $1,821, up 6.2% in the past 24 hours. Prominent trader yixie (X: @yixie10) nearly doubled his principal during this rally; he is now holding a 2x long position of 2,289 SKHYNIX contracts at an average entry price of ~$1,239.9. Fueled by the rally, the position’s unrealized profit has expanded to $1.37 million, a 96% gain. As of press time, the trader boasts an 85% win rate in semiconductor storage stock trades since opening positions this year, with total historical profits of $6.68 million, including $4.25 million from Micron Technology trades. Address: 0xa65ce1d604fa901c13aa29f2126a57d9032e412b – HyperInsight Bot is now live. Add @HyperInsightBot to your Telegram group and set it as an admin (enable message sending permission) to automatically sync on-chain news.

2 minutes ago

STRC drops to near $80, marking another new all-time low.

According to Bitget market data, Strategy’s preferred stock STRC has dropped to a low of $80.26, hitting a new all-time low since its listing. Calculated based on a $100 par value, the current discount has reached 20%.

2 minutes ago

Secret Network's cross-chain bridge to Axelar has been suspended after an attacker exploited a years-old minting flaw in a CW20-ICS20 contract to drain $4.67 million in wrapped tokens over seven undetected days. The exploit ran from June 10 to June 17, drained seven Axelar-wrapped assets, and has sparked a dispute between the two teams over contract responsibility.

Secret Network's cross-chain bridge to Axelar has been suspended after an attacker exploited a years-old minting flaw to drain $4.67 million in wrapped tokens over seven undetected days.

Both teams disclosed the incident on June 19, confirming approximately $4.67 million in assets were taken from the bridge's Axelar-to-Secret IBC connection. The attack itself began on June 10 but went unnoticed for seven days until a routine cross-chain transfer failed because the bridge's escrow account had been depleted.

Minting FlawThe vulnerability lived in a modified CW20-ICS20 smart contract deployed on Secret Network for the Axelar bridge connection. Security research firm Common Prefix published a technical breakdown of the incident, finding that two critical validation checks had been commented out from the contract's packet-receive function: one that should have verified incoming token denominations against the legitimate source channel, and one that should have capped outflows to amounts genuinely held in escrow.

The flaw dates to the contract's initial deployment in March 2023 and survived a migration on March 5, 2026 that updated the bytecode for new features but preserved the missing checks. Secret Network's default transaction encryption obscured the growing shortfall from on-chain observers; the attack ran for seven days before a failed transfer surfaced it.

To exploit the gap, the attacker spun up a single-validator Cosmos SDK chain and opened a new IBC channel to Secret Network. IBC channel creation is permissionless by design, meaning any chain can initiate a connection. The attacker self-relayed forged IBC packets carrying bare denominations that matched the bridge's allow-list. With both validation checks missing, the contract minted unbacked wrapped tokens on Secret. The attacker then redeemed those minted tokens over the legitimate Axelar channel to drain the real escrowed assets on the other side.

Seven Tokens DrainedThe assets taken were seven Axelar-wrapped tokens: saUSDT, saUSDC, saDAI, saWETH, saWBTC, saWBNB, and sawstETH. According to KuCoin's reporting, Common Prefix traced the stolen assets through Osmosis and Ethereum. Both teams said they are reaching out to relevant exchanges and law enforcement agencies.

Approximately $600,000 of the drained assets had been deposited by users into Shade Protocol smart contracts. Shade did not deploy the exploited contracts. Ecosystem contributor CarterWoetzel wrote in the Shade forum that bridge-level safeguards were "the appropriate place to detect and halt this class of attack, and that did not happen here."

Disputed ResponsibilityBoth teams issued a joint disclosure and said they are engaging with exchanges and law enforcement. The Shade Protocol forum noted that fund recovery discussions are led by Secret and Axelar, as the parties that control the affected infrastructure.

Axelar stated the issue was isolated to the Secret-side ICS-20 smart contract and that no other IBC connections or Axelar integrations were affected. Axelar has separately clarified the exploited contract "was not developed, deployed, or maintained" by its team. Secret Network's disclosure placed the flaw in contracts tied to the Axelar integration. Neither party has published a full post-mortem as of June 22.

Axelar's Emergency Committee disabled the Secret and Secret-SNIP bridge connections after the disclosure. Cross-chain router Squid also removed Secret Network support from its frontend. The Common Prefix report remains the most detailed public accounting of the flaw.

SCRT PriceSecret Network's SCRT token traded at $0.0558 at the time of writing, down 33% over the prior 30 days and near its all-time low of $0.0553. Axelar's AXL traded at $0.0426, down 29% over the same period. The bridge suspension leaves SCRT with limited cross-chain liquidity routes while both teams complete their investigation.

[[chartBlock BINANCE:SCRTUSDT]]

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