Stablecoin issuers, reserves, bank settlement, payments and regulation, with reporting on USDT, USDC and other digital currencies.
Pakistan is exploring the use of a Trump-linked stablecoin for regulated payments and remittances, marking a rare sovereign-level engagement with a politically connected crypto venture. The move underscores Islamabad’s ambition to become a global crypto hub while testing stablecoins as part of its evolving digital finance strategy.
The latest Senate CLARITY Act draft would allow stablecoin rewards tied to usage, such as payments, wallets and staking, while banning yield paid simply for holding tokens. The proposal reflects a compromise between fostering crypto innovation and addressing banking sector concerns over deposit-like products.
Visa-linked crypto card spending jumped 525% in 2025, driven largely by stablecoin usage and strong demand from DeFi-native platforms. The data suggests crypto payments are moving beyond experimentation and into everyday use, with Visa positioning itself at the center of that transition.
Whales have moved over $2.4 billion in Bitcoin and Ether onto Binance, but buyer demand has yet to follow. With stablecoin inflows flat and long-term accumulation slowing, analysts warn that rising supply without fresh liquidity could weigh on crypto prices in the near term.
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong says Bitcoin indirectly supports the US dollar by acting as a market check on inflation and excessive spending. While Bitcoin offers a pressure valve during economic stress, stablecoins may play an even more direct role in extending dollar dominance worldwide.
Coinbax has raised $4.2M in seed funding to build a programmable trust layer for stablecoin payments, targeting banks and institutions adopting onchain settlement. The platform adds policy controls, escrow logic, and compliance-ready workflows on top of stablecoins.
Northern Data has sold its Bitcoin mining unit, Peak Mining, to companies linked to senior Tether executives, according to the Financial Times. The deal highlights Tether’s expanding role across mining, data centers, and digital infrastructure beyond stablecoins.
Brazil’s crypto activity rose 43% in 2025 as average investment per user crossed $1,000, signaling a more mature market. Investors increasingly favored diversification and lower-risk crypto products, including stablecoins.
A crypto user lost nearly $50M in USDT after copying a poisoned wallet address from transaction history. The incident highlights how address spoofing scams exploit habit and speed, not technical flaws.
StraitsX plans to bring its Singapore dollar and US dollar stablecoins to Solana by early 2026, targeting payments, DeFi and AI-driven use cases. The move reflects growing demand for regulated, high-speed stablecoin infrastructure as real-world adoption accelerates across Asia.
Ripple is piloting its RLUSD stablecoin on Ethereum layer 2s including Optimism and Base using native crosschain transfers. The move signals a broader multichain push as Ripple positions RLUSD as a regulated, scalable stablecoin for both DeFi and institutional use.
Visa’s December 15 announcement added consulting on stablecoin strategy and implementation. Its $3.5 billion figure was an annualized run rate.
UK FCA will fast-track pound stablecoin payments in 2026 with a new sandbox for issuers, as the region accelerates efforts to stay ahead in global stablecoin regulation.
Polygon’s Madhugiri hard fork increases throughput, reduces consensus time to one second, and adds new Fusaka EIPs to improve efficiency. The upgrade strengthens Polygon’s foundation for stablecoin and RWA growth, following recent major improvements and a brief network outage.
Quick Take: Circle has received approval to operate as a Money Services Provider in Abu Dhabi, aligning with the UAE’s broader push to expand its crypto and DeFi regulatory framework. The move positions USDC for wider adoption across the region as the UAE continues to establish itself as a leading global hub for digital assets.
President Trump defended pardoning Binance’s CZ, claiming no personal connection and calling the case politically motivated. He dismissed reports linking Binance to a $2B stablecoin deal tied to Trump’s WLFI platform, emphasizing his focus on “making crypto great for America.” The move underscores his pro-crypto stance — and reignites debate over political influence in digital asset regulation.
AllUnity’s euro-backed stablecoin EURAU, backed by Deutsche Bank and DWS, is going multichain using Chainlink’s CCIP. The MiCA-regulated stablecoin will connect to Ethereum, Polygon, Solana, and other major networks, marking a key step toward building Europe’s interoperable and regulated tokenized finance ecosystem.
Circle’s Arc blockchain is gaining momentum as BDACS prepares to launch South Korea’s first won-backed stablecoin, KRW1, connecting Korean fintech to global crypto infrastructure. The move comes amid debate over whether banks should control stablecoin issuance — highlighting Korea’s balancing act between regulation and innovation.