Tag: Stablecoin

Citrea rolls out ctUSD stablecoin as native liquidity layer for Bitcoin ecosystem

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Key Takeaways Citrea debuts ctUSD to address fragmented liquidity and bridge risk in the Bitcoin ecosystem, with native issuance and M0-powered infrastructure. MoonPay handles compliant issuance, enabling ctUSD access across 160+ countries and integration with major payment methods. Share this article Citrea, a Bitcoin application layer, has launched ctUSD, a 1:1 dollar-backed stablecoin fully backed by T-bills and cash. Issued by MoonPay and powered by M0, ctUSD serves as Bitcoin’s native, compliant liquidity layer. The launch addresses Bitcoin’s lack of unified, secure, and compliant stablecoin rails. Rather than relying on…

What the GENIUS Act Was Meant to Stop—and the Stablecoin Loophole Banks See

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Key takeaways The GENIUS Act was designed to keep stablecoins as payment tools rather than savings products. As a result, it bans issuers from paying interest or yield to stablecoin holders. Community banks argue that a loophole exists because exchanges and affiliated partners can still offer rewards on stablecoin balances, even if the issuer itself does not pay yield. Smaller banks are more concerned than large banks because they rely heavily on local deposits. Any outflow of deposits could directly reduce lending to small businesses and households. Banks also note…

Trump-backed World Liberty signs MoU with Pakistan to study stablecoin use in cross-border payments

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Key Takeaways Pakistan is working with SC Financial Technologies, a firm affiliated with World Liberty Financial, to examine integrating the USD1 stablecoin into its regulated digital payments framework. The MoU formalizes discussions, knowledge sharing, and technical collaboration, allowing regulators and policymakers to assess feasibility, risks, and compliance requirements before any implementation. Share this article Pakistan has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with SC Financial Technologies, an affiliate of World Liberty Financial (WLFI), following a meeting between Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and a WLFI delegation led by CEO Zachary…

Revolut Stablecoin Payment Volumes Increased 156% Last Year

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Stablecoin adoption on fintech Revolut’s banking platform showed “exponential growth” in 2025, with stablecoin payment volumes increasing 156% to $10.5 billion as stablecoins carve out their place in global payments. While Revolut hasn’t published official payment volume data for 2025, crypto researcher Alex Obchakevich estimated that the share of stablecoin volume on Revolut relative to total payment volumes has nearly doubled to 0.583% compared with 2024. “Despite the small absolute share, the dynamics are impressive,” Obchakevich said, citing data from Dune Analytics. Revolut’s stablecoin payment volume and estimated total payment…

Industry Reacts to Market Structure Provisions on Stablecoin Rewards

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As US senators prepare to mark up a major crypto market structure bill this week, industry leaders are weighing in on proposed changes that could shape whether stablecoin holders can earn interest and rewards. According to an amended draft of the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act released on Monday, the bill states that “a digital asset service provider may not pay any form of interest or yield […] solely in connection with the holding of a payment stablecoin,” effectively barring passive, deposit-like returns on stablecoin balances. The draft leaves room…

Polygon Labs buys Coinme, Sequence for $250M to advance stablecoin payments

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Key Takeaways Polygon Labs has acquired Coinme and Sequence to enhance its capabilities in regulated stablecoin payments. Coinme provides an extensive fiat on- and off-ramp network across 48 states, with over a million users and a presence in 50,000 retail locations. Share this article Polygon Labs, the development company behind the Ethereum layer 2 scaling network, announced today it has entered into agreements to acquire Coinme and Sequence for $250 million. Under the agreements, Coinme and Sequence will be integrated into Polygon Labs’ payments strategy, forming the foundation of an…

Franklin Templeton Retrofits Money Market Funds for US Stablecoin Regime

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Franklin Templeton has amended two Western Asset institutional money market funds (MMFs) to plug directly into the emerging US stablecoin regime and tokenized cash infrastructure rather than launching new crypto native products. According to a release shared with Cointelegraph, Franklin Templeton is adapting the two long‑running Western Asset institutional funds so they can be used more directly in US GENIUS‑aligned stablecoin reserve structures and blockchain‑enabled distribution channels, without changing their status as Securities and Exchange Commission‑registered 2a‑7 MMFs. The changes are designed to allow the funds to serve as regulated,…

New Senate Crypto Draft Allows Activity-Based Stablecoin Rewards

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A new US Senate CLARITY Act draft allows crypto companies to offer activity-based rewards to stablecoin users. The proposal, titled the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, reveals that certain rewards and incentives tied to the use of stablecoins would be permitted. Still, the provision notes that offering rewards does not cause a stablecoin to be treated as a security or a bank-like product. “Families and small businesses benefit from clear rules of the road,” Senate Banking Chair Tim Scott, who released the amended draft, said in a statement shared with…

Five Stablecoin Myths Debunked By Columbia Professor

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The US banking industry has been pushing “myths” about stablecoin yields to protect itself, and Congress should prioritize consumers rather than highly profitable banks, argues crypto lecturer and author Omid Malekan.  “I am disappointed that market structure legislation seems to be held up by the stablecoin yield issue. Most of the concerns bouncing around Washington are based on unsubstantiated myths,” Malekan, an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School, posted to X on Monday.  He stated that the passage of crypto market structure legislation in Washington “now seems to partially depend…

Bakkt Stock Surges 20% after Move on Stablecoin Payments Strategy

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With Bakkt’s share price surging following the announcement, the stock deal could be worth about $178 million. Cryptocurrency infrastructure platform Bakkt Holdings announced an agreement to purchase Distributed Technologies Research, a stablecoin and fiat payments infrastructure provider. In a Monday notice, Bakkt said the agreement will have the company issue more than nine million shares of its Class A common stock to Distributed Technologies Research shareholders. At the time of publication, the price of shares of Bakkt Holdings (BKKT) on the New York Stock Exchange was $19.54, having surged more…