BlackRock sees a new $5 trillion AI trade emerging for stablecoins
BlackRock says AI could create a new class of stablecoin customer: machines that spend continuously without human approval. The world’s largest asset manager sees increasingly autonomous AI systems purchasing data, accessing software, and acquiring…
Circle pays millions for Binance distribution while its margins collapse
Circle is doubling down on Binance after USD Coin (USDC) stablecoin customer balances on the exchange nearly quintupled since their first agreement. On Sept. 22, the companies announced a new five-year commercial agreement alongside Binance’s $100…
Why newly granted federal approval won’t save these 3 crypto banks
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency advanced three stablecoin-focused firms toward federal trust-bank status on Sept. 18, using a recognizable regulatory perimeter across the decisions for Agora, Catena and Bastion. The decisions strengthen the…
Aave V4’s Arc market is swimming in $76 million of USDC nobody is borrowing
Aave V4 went live on the Arc Layer-1 network on Sept. 16 and attracted USDC almost immediately. By Sept. 17, point-in-time Aavescan data showed roughly $76 million supplied, less than $100,000 borrowed, and utilization near 0.1%. Suppliers quickly filled…
Circle opens Arc mainnet as it seeks an edge for USDC utility
Circle has scheduled the public launch of Arc for Sept. 16, giving USDC a network where the same dollar balance can fund both payments and transaction fees. That could remove a common obstacle to using stablecoins, giving Circle a possible way to attract…
Congress wants to make crypto easier to use and still collect $500 million more in taxes
A House crypto tax overhaul would raise an estimated $500 million while easing taxes on stablecoin payments and small fees. The House Ways and Means Committee is scheduled to consider H.R. 10357, the Digital Asset Tax Certainty Act, on Sept. 16, putting…
Tether, Binance and a $1.5 billion Iran oil network converge in new US forfeiture case
US prosecutors are seeking to seize $61 million in Tether’s USDT tied to alleged black-market Iranian oil sales. On Sept. 14, the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York filed a civil forfeiture complaint targeting approximately 61.2…
Circle’s Arc launch ties Wall Street firms to the network without making them its safety net
Circle is tying major financial institutions to its Arc blockchain as operators, investors, and future users ahead of its Sept. 16 mainnet launch. BlackRock, DTCC, Visa, Mastercard, and ICE are among 11 outside institutions Circle named as founding…
XRP holders could earn new yield, but getting out may take up to 60 days
Firelight is preparing to turn XRP-linked assets into capital that backs protection for DeFi users, offering holders a new source of yield in exchange for putting their collateral at risk. The Flare-based protocol lets holders deposit FXRP, an XRP-linked…
Aave V4 proposal would put DAO funds first in line to absorb lending losses
Aave V4 lenders who supply wrapped Ether (WETH), USDC, or USDT to its Core Liquidity Hub on Ethereum will receive a bad-debt backstop under a policy announced in a September 11 proposal from TokenLogic. The Umbrella plan would put Aave’s DAO first in…