Amid this week’s crypto market correction, Ark Invest’s CEO and CIO, Catie Wood, has slashed her 2030 bullish forecast for Bitcoin (BTC), highlighting the global momentum of the stablecoin sector. Related Reading: Web3 Verifiable Settlement Protocol To Bring ‘Internet-Speed’ Payments With New Upgrade Stablecoins Overtake Part Of BTC’s Role On Thursday, Ark Invest’s CEO, Cathie Wood, joined CNBC’s “Squawk Box” to discuss Bitcoin’s price, her thoughts on stablecoins’ growth, and how her previous bullish forecast for the flagship crypto has evolved over the past year. In the interview, Wood underscored that the rapid rise of stablecoins is taking on a role she thought BTC would handle, leading to a 20% reduction of her $1.5 million prediction by 2030. It’s worth noting that the investment management firm has previously affirmed that the leading cryptocurrency could serve as a store of value and a global settlement system. “Stablecoins are usurping part of the role that we thought bitcoin would play,” Wood affirmed on Thursday morning. “Given what’s happening to stablecoins, which are serving emerging markets in a way that we thought bitcoin would, I think we could take maybe $300,000 off of that bullish case just for stablecoins.” “Emerging markets are huge in this regard,” she said, adding that “we’re starting to see institutions in the United States focused on new payment rails, with stablecoins at the core. So very interesting movement.” Notably, the sector has seen rapid adoption following the enactment of the GENIUS Act in the US, with other leading jurisdictions, including the UK and South Korea, pushing to establish their own regulatory framework in the coming months. Similarly, multiple leading companies in the traditional payment system are preparing strategic moves into the stablecoin sector. Last week, the global financial services company Western Union announced its plan to launch the US Dollar Payment Token (USDPT) on the Solana blockchain. To Wood, “Stablecoins are scaling here much faster than anyone would have expected,” making it a space to watch in the future. Wood Is Still Bullish On Bitcoin Despite recalibrating her 2030 bull case, Ark Invest’s CEO emphasized that she remains bullish on Bitcoin, noting that growing institutional adoption will be a powerful driver for long-term value. Currently, the flagship cryptocurrency has declined 20% from its October 6 all-time high (ATH) of $126,000, briefly falling below the $100,000 mark earlier this week. Nonetheless, most market analysts and investors remain bullish on BTC’s long-term performance. Related Reading: Bitcoin Eyes ‘Moment Of Truth’ As Price Retests $100,000 Support – Is The Rally Over? Wood highlighted that “Bitcoin is a global monetary system, it is the lead in a new asset class, and it’s a technology, all wrapped in one.” She added that institutional participation in the sector has only begun, stating, “Institutions really have just dipped their toes into this space. We have just started, so we have a long way to go.” The CEO closed her observations by affirming that the broader crypto ecosystem is expanding, not contracting. “I think the whole space gets bigger,” she concluded. Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com
As the stablecoin sector sees global momentum grow, white label event management infrastructure provider Rhuna has raised $2 million in seed funding to expand stablecoin payments in the entertainment industry. Related Reading: BNB Chain Memecoin Season? 70% Of Investors In Profit As Four.Meme Surpasses Pump.Fun Rhuna Raises $2 Million In Seed Round On Thursday, Romania-based infrastructure platform Rhuna announced the completion of a $2 million seed round, led by Aptos Labs, to continue providing on-chain payments, access, identity, and rewards infrastructure for the entertainment industry. The seed round saw the participation of Acc Ventures, X Ventures, NewTribe Capital, Keyrock, CoinarketCap Labs, FunFair, Lémanique, and other investors. Notably, Rhuna provides event organizers with a single, programmable layer for wallet-native checkout and POS, ticketing, access control, and real-time stablecoin settlement, acting as a “universal entertainment pass” at different events, powered by stablecoin settlement and on-chain identity. “Organizers can use Rhuna to issue tickets, verify access, run loyalty, accept wallet-native payments, and settle value through a secure, composable layer that feels familiar to users and verifies on-chain,” the platform explained. According to the statement, the new funding aims to strengthen Rhuna’s payments and settlement rails, expand organizer tooling and integration, and accelerate the launch of the platform’s consumer app, designed to “bring discovery, access, and wallet-native checkout into one seamless experience.” Aptos Labs co-founder and CEO, Avery Ching, affirmed that Rhuna is “bridging the gap between digital innovation and real-world experiences.” “We’re proud to support Rhuna in making on-chain payments, access, and rewards seamless and accessible for millions of users across the global entertainment economy,” he added. A Bridge For Stablecoin Payments Rhuna has already supported over 2 million users across its pilot deployments, bridging fiat payments and stablecoin settlement, and reportedly processing over $90 million in volume. Moreover, the platform’s infrastructure has powered over 165 events and major festivals, including UNTOLD, Neversea, and Kapital. The platform highlighted that more than 450,000 attendees of UNTOLD, one of the world’s top music festivals, held in Romania, used Rhuna-powered payments and access systems across the festival grounds. Sveatoslav Vizitiu, Rhuna’s co-founder and CEO, considers that “Entertainment runs on transactions and trust,” affirming that the platform aims to make every step, from the venue gate to the ride home, “verifiable, programmable, and portable so that operators run smarter businesses and fans actually own their experience.” Related Reading: Ethereum 23% Rally Pushes BitMine’s ETH Treasury Holdings To $13.4 Billion The announcement added that the platform has also expanded across continents to power Dubai’s first mega festival, UNTOLD Dubai, which will take place in early November, and to “further validate its scalability across global entertainment ecosystems.” Vizitiu stated that the platform is entering a new phase with the expansion. “With global events like UNTOLD Dubai, we’re bringing more of the entertainment experience on-chain,” he continued, “from Buy Now, Pay Later and our upcoming consumer app, where users can create their own events, to innovative tools for organizers covering payments, mobility, ticketing, and more.” Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com
Inflows into crypto exchange-traded funds are a key driver of price performance, the asset manager said.
The United States Treasury Department is taking an interest in stablecoins and tokenization.
Trading platforms and regulators are increasingly embracing cryptocurrency as collateral for trades.
Increased stablecoin usage could be a sign of growing crypto adoption for a maturing industry.