A major U.S. crypto market structure bill, known as the CLARITY Act, is heading into a critical Senate Banking Committee markup session this week. At the center of the debate is whether stablecoin issuers should be barred from offering rewards through crypto exchanges and other platforms. According to reports, Coinbase is signaling that it may …
For years, stablecoins have been crypto’s most useful invention and its most awkward dinner guest. Useful because they turn blockchains into 24/7 dollar rails, and awkward because while the promise is simple, securing trust rarely is. A digital token worth exactly a dollar sounds reassuring to non-crypto folk right up until someone asks where the […]
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The era of the hooded hacker hoarding Bitcoin in a dark web wallet is over. In 2025, the center of gravity in the illicit cryptocurrency economy shifted decisively away from the volatility of the original cryptocurrency and toward a dense, dollar-linked shadow system. According to new Chainalysis data shared with CryptoSlate, stablecoins accounted for 84% […]
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On Jan. 7, Donald Trump’s World Liberty Financial (WLFI) formally applied for a national banking charter to establish the “World Liberty Trust Company.” This is a proposed national trust bank specifically designed to handle USD1 stablecoin issuance, custody, redemption, and reserve management. USD1 is WLFI's flagship product, with more than $3.3 billion in supply across […]
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The system will bring together various elements of the payment stack, including liquidity, orchestration, and regulatory controls.
Comments from Galaxy Digital’s leadership have looked into what ultimately sustains value in the crypto market. In a recent YouTube discussion centered on 2026 expectations for Bitcoin, crypto, and artificial intelligence, Galaxy Digital CEO Mike Novogratz and Head of Research Alex Thorn singled out XRP and Cardano, questioning whether even the strongest communities can survive if real usage fails to expand when users have a vast number of alternatives to choose from. Galaxy Digital Leadership Raises Questions About Community Versus Utility During the YouTube discussion, Mike Novogratz presented the utility debate through the lens of capital allocation. He explained that the real question is what an investor chooses when presented with many viable options. If capital can flow into something like SpaceX, then crypto assets must compete on similar grounds. Related Reading: Charles Hoskinson Reveals What XRP And Cardano Are Already Doing 100x Better He acknowledged that XRP and Cardano both have deeply committed communities, but questioned whether that loyalty can be sustained if users do not see any real utility with those ecosystems. “Can Ripple hold it together? Can Cardano hold it together?” Novogratz said. In drawing comparisons, Novogratz referenced Charles Hoskinson, noting his success in maintaining Cardano’s community over time despite it being a “blockchain that people don’t really use a lot.” He made similar observations about XRP’s following, which has a strong community. However, he posed a direct question about sustainability: “Can you keep it together when there are more and more options?” Recent crypto market dynamics have caused capital flows to become more selective. Developers and teams behind blockchain ecosystems all know this, and this is why there has been a race to demonstrate usage, revenue models, or clear value flows tied directly to their tokens. According to Novogratz, that doesn’t happen overnight. It’s probably a year-long process, not a one to three-month process. Cardano And XRP Proving Real-World Relevance The questions raised during the Galaxy Digital discussion arrive at a time when both Cardano and XRP are actively trying to strengthen their utility narratives. Recent events have seen Cardano attempting to reinforce its practical relevance through initiatives like the Midnight sidechain. Midnight is a privacy-focused Cardano sidechain network designed to support confidential smart contracts and selective data disclosure. Related Reading: Flare Launches New Way For XRP Investors To Earn Midnight is intended as a way to attract enterprise and institutional use cases that require compliance-friendly privacy, an area where public blockchains have traditionally struggled. XRP, on the other hand, is taking a different path through Ripple’s hard work to increase the utility of the XRP Ledger. Ripple has been expanding utility around Ripple USD (RLUSD), its US dollar-backed stablecoin, including broader deployment across multiple Layer-2 networks. Ripple has also been on a partnership spree this year in moves to strengthen the utility of the XRP ecosystem, with about $4 billion spent on major acquisitions in 2025. The company also recently partnered with Doppler Finance to explore collaboration in XRP-based yield infrastructure and real-world asset (RWA) tokenization on the XRP Ledger, which is another added utility. Featured image from Pxfuel, chart from Tradingview.com
World Liberty Financial has put forward a proposal to tap a portion of its token treasury to grow USD1, the dollar-pegged stablecoin linked with the project. The plan would free up about $120 million to back listings, liquidity programs and partner incentives. Related Reading: UK Crypto Ownership Takes Biggest Hit Since 2021, Regulator Says Treasury Move Could Add Firepower To USD1 Based on reports, WLFI’s proposal would unlock roughly 5% of its unlocked treasury — a fund slice drawn from a multi-billion dollar reserve — for strategic use to expand USD1’s reach. The move has split the community, with some holders supporting rapid expansion and others warning about tokenomics and governance risks. According to the stablecoin’s custodial partners, USD1 is backed by short-term US government treasuries, US dollar deposits and other cash equivalents and is redeemable at one-for-one for US dollars. Independent pages from the custodian outline monthly attestation reporting and a conservative reserve mix. Reports have disclosed that USD1 has grown quickly since launch and sits among the larger USD-pegged tokens, with circulating supply and market cap figures showing meaningful traction on trading platforms. Exchange listings and deeper integrations have raised visibility, and some market trackers put USD1’s market cap in the multi-billion dollar range. Political Links Add A Layer Of Scrutiny World Liberty Financial is widely described in news reporting as a project backed by the Trump family, and that political link has drawn extra attention from regulators, lawmakers and media. Coverage has noted how the family’s involvement makes governance decisions more visible and politically sensitive. The proposal is now subject to a WLFI governance vote. Supporters argue the $120 million allocation could accelerate integrations with both centralized exchanges and decentralized finance venues, improving liquidity and on-ramp options for users. Opponents point to the size of the spend and question whether deploying a large treasury sum for adoption incentives could push short-term token price moves that do not reflect long-term utility. Related Reading: Russia Rejects Crypto As Legal Tender, Finance Official Confirms What To Watch Next Observers will track the governance tally, any formal rollout plans for the funds, and reserve attestations tied to USD1. Market metrics such as circulating supply and exchange flows will also offer clues about how the push affects liquidity and peg stability. Recent exchange pages already show USD1 circulating supply figures and listing details that analysts use to measure adoption. In short, the proposal could widen USD1’s footprint quickly if approved. But it raises clear governance and market questions that WLFI holders and outside watchers now want answered before any large sums are moved. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
Welcome to The Block’s 2026 Digital Assets Outlook Report, a comprehensive analysis of the past year’s developments in the cryptocurrency and blockchain space. This report leverages insights from our research team and is designed to provide insights to stakeholders across the digital asset ecosystem, from institutional investors and developers to policymakers and enthusiasts. To access […]
The new protocol offers instant swaps between tokenized money market funds and stablecoins as regulators scrutinize yield-bearing stablecoin models.
The banking regulator began its formal rulemaking process to set up the procedures by which depository institutions can start stablecoin subsidiaries.
Sanctions, capital controls and Russia’s improvised financial plumbing helped create A7A5, a ruble stablecoin built on a currency rarely used in global commerce, allowing it to appear legally at major events even as its presence leaves compliance teams panicked.
Young sparked a new category of digital assets, yieldcoins, that sits at the intersection of DeFi rails and TradFi basis trades.
Singapore’s regulated crypto ecosystem is preparing for another major step forward. StraitsX, a Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS)-licensed stablecoin issuer, has announced plans to bring its Singapore dollar-backed XSGD and U.S. dollar-backed XUSD stablecoins to the Solana blockchain by early 2026. The move signals growing confidence in high-performance blockchains as demand for real-world, regulated stablecoin …
The debut will enable instant swaps between SGD and USD on Solana, facilitating digital forex trading.
Ripple said it's testing its U.S. dollar stablecoin on Optimism, Base, Ink and Unichain with more blockchains to be added next year pending regulatory review.
The firm has begun offering stablecoin account funding for U.S. retail clients, joining a growing list of brokerages racing to keep pace with crypto-native rivals.
Do Kwon, the South Korean co-founder of Terraform Labs, was sentenced to 15 years in prison on December 11, 2025 in a Manhattan federal court after pleading guilty to fraud tied to the collapse of the TerraUSD stablecoin and its sister token, Luna. Related Reading: Is Dogecoin Waking Up? Critical On-Chain Metric Explodes Higher According to court documents and news reports, the judge described the scheme as a massive fraud that left thousands of investors facing heavy losses. Sentence And Court Ruling Judge Paul A. Engelmayer handed down the 15-year term after prosecutors urged for a sentence of up to 12 years and the defense asked for a much lighter term. Do Kwon pleaded guilty in August 2025 to conspiracy to defraud and wire fraud, and as part of the plea he agreed to forfeit roughly $19 million. The US Attorney’s office says the guilty plea admits he misled investors about how the stablecoin kept its $1 peg. Scale Of The Losses Reports have placed the market fallout from the Terra collapse at about $40 billion in erased value. Many ordinary investors lost life savings and some victims gave emotional testimony at sentencing, describing real financial ruin. News outlets and court filings tie the crash in May 2022 to a sudden loss of confidence that cascaded through markets and hurt other crypto firms. Civil Penalties And Settlements Before the criminal case reached this point, Kwon and Terraform faced a major civil action from the US Securities and Exchange Commission. According to the SEC, Terraform Labs and Kwon agreed to pay more than $4.5 billion in disgorgement, interest and penalties, while Kwon personally faced an $80 million civil fine and a ban from crypto trading. That civil judgment was filed in 2024 and has been used by regulators as part of the overall effort to make investors whole. International Arrest And Extradition Kwon was arrested in Montenegro in March 2023 after leaving Singapore; authorities say he was using forged travel documents when detained. He fought extradition in Montenegrin courts but was eventually transferred to the US late in 2024 to face federal charges. Reports outline a long legal fight across borders that ended with his return to New York to answer criminal counts. Related Reading: American Bitcoin Makes Big Buy, Adds 416 BTC To Its Stack What The Sentence Means Legal analysts say a 15-year term signals the court’s view that the fraud caused wide damage and that punishment should deter similar schemes. Victims’ statements at sentencing appear to have weighed heavily. Kwon still faces separate probes and possible charges in other countries, and the civil judgment means substantial sums are earmarked for recovery efforts tied to Terraform’s bankruptcy. Featured image from Getty Images, chart from TradingView
YouTube’s recent move highlights a bigger trend: mainstream platforms are choosing stablecoins, not Bitcoin or Ethereum, for real-world payments. When money actually needs to move, volatility isn’t an option—speed and predictability are. Stablecoins, which were once backend tools for traders, now process trillions and increasingly power creator payouts, gig work and cross-border commerce. YouTube isn’t …
A cross-party coalition of U.K. lawmakers is urging Chancellor Rachel Reeves to step in and reshape the Bank of England’s proposed stablecoin framework, warning that the current approach threatens to undermine Britain’s fintech leadership and drive capital out of the country. In a joint letter dated Dec. 11, 2025, MPs and peers, including Sir Gavin …
The group calls for a forward-looking framework to maintain the U.K.'s fintech leadership and attract international investment.
The exchange is adding new USD1 trading pairs and replaces BUSD collateral with the token.
The USDGO token will be issued under U.S. federal oversight and backed 1:1 by U.S. dollar assets.
The team behind the Celo-based app is joining Stripe, while the intellectual property is returned to cLabs.
Tempo, built by Stripe and Paradigm, has started testing payment-focused blockchain and has onboard a slew of institutional partners.
The new fiat-pegged token arrives as Asia leads global stablecoin use, with over 50% of institutions in the region already on board.
One possible solution is a new kind of stablecoin whose value is pegged to a real-world, physical stockpile of gold, argues Algoz’ Stephen Wundke.
The online banking arm of Sony Financial Group envisages the stablecoin being used to pay for games and anime.
Sony Bank is planning to launch its own U.S.-dollar-pegged stablecoin by 2026. The token will be used across Sony’s entire entertainment ecosystem, including PlayStation, streaming services, and anime platforms, to offer faster, cheaper, and borderless digital payments. Right now, Sony depends heavily on credit-card networks, which charge high fees on in-game purchases and subscription payments. …
Crypto analyst ChartNerd has predicted that the XRP price could rally 10x if a specific trend repeats. The analyst also revealed what needs to happen for the altcoin to invalidate this potential parabolic rally. XRP Price Could Rally 10x If This 2017 Pattern Plays Out In an X post, ChartNerd predicted that the XRP price could rally 1,000% if a bullish pattern from the 2017 bull cycle plays out. The analyst noted that during the 2017 euphoric run, the altcoin had a 3-month cool-off period where it successfully dropped towards its 3-month 20-EMA for a retest before a 25x move to the upside. Related Reading: Analyst Says Get Ready For XRP Price Above $4 This Cycle ChartNerd revealed that the XRP price has now witnessed the exact same set-up in this 2025 bull cycle. The altcoin recorded a huge breakout last year and is now seeing a 3-month cool-off period towards a 3-month 20-EMA retest. The analyst stated that if history is set to repeat, XRP could see a 10x upside move, signaling a blow-off top. The analyst also alluded to the 2021 lower high, which he noted ties up with both the monthly candle close highs from 2017 and also the SEC lawsuit, which is believed to have suppressed the XRP price during the 2021 cycle. ChartNerd added that to invalidate this potential rally, XRP will need to close below its 3-month 20-EMA at $1.20. Until then, he noted that the bulls remain in control. Meanwhile, ChartNerd outlined $8, $13, and $27 as the potential top-out points for the XRP price. Notably, a rally to any of these price targets will mark a new all-time high (ATH) for the altcoin. Crypto analyst Egrag Crypto had also previously predicted that XRP could reach $27 in this bull run if it mirrors the 2017 price action. XRP Could Be The Next Crypto To Record A Major Run Market commentator Milk Road suggested in an X post that the XRP price could soon record a major run. The platform cited bullish fundamentals for the altcoin, including the fact that RLUSD crossed $1 billion in market cap in record time. The run to this milestone is said to be faster than almost any stablecoin Ripple has ever pushed. Related Reading: Analyst Predicts XRP Price Will Hit $100 Before Bitcoin Hits $1 Million Furthermore, Milk Road noted that Abu Dhabi’s ADGM has opened the door for institutions to use RLUSD as real collateral, which is also bullish for the XRP price. The market commentator stated that global liquidity with regulated on-ramps could mean the kind of flows that crypto hasn’t seen in months. It is also worth noting that XRP is seeing significant flows into its ecosystem through the U.S. spot ETFs. At the time of writing, the XRP price is trading at around $2.18, down in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured image from Adobe Stock, chart from Tradingview.com
Bolivia has moved to bring stablecoins into its formal banking system, a shift that could change how people save and pay for things in the country. Banks will be allowed to offer accounts, custody and payment services tied to stablecoins such as USDT, government statements and local reports disclosed. The move follows a sharp rise in crypto use as people seek ways to hold dollar-pegged value amid currency pressure. Related Reading: Bitcoin Faces More Downside After Recent Crash, Data Shows Banks To Offer USDT Accounts Reports have disclosed that Economy Minister Jose Gabriel Espinoza announced the change, and at least one lender, Banco Bisa, has already begun offering custody and transfer services for USDT. Based on reports, crypto transactions in Bolivia jumped dramatically last year, with some counts showing growth of more than 500% and figures putting crypto activity at $294 million in the first half of 2025. Those numbers have pushed regulators and banks to respond more directly. ???? BREAKING: ???????? Bolivia to integrate Bitcoin and crypto into its financial system, starting with stablecoins pic.twitter.com/Qb0Tj7pern — Bitcoin Archive (@BitcoinArchive) November 26, 2025 Everyday Payments And Savings People and businesses are reportedly testing USDT for real payments. Some shops and service providers have shown prices in USDT, and certain sectors — such as car dealers and firms handling imports — are said to be accepting stablecoin payments for some transactions. According to market observers, the change is partly a response to shortages of physical US dollars and to rising costs that make the local currency less stable for saving. Banks will be able to create savings products denominated in stablecoins, and may offer loans or payment options tied to them. Cross-Border Transfers And Remittances Based on reports, one obvious use will be cross-border transfers. Stablecoins can offer a dollar-pegged option when access to actual US dollars is limited. That could help businesses that buy fuel or other imports and families that receive money from abroad. Still, practical hurdles remain: many people are unbanked or lack easy internet access, and broad adoption will take infrastructure, training and clear consumer protections. Regulatory Limits And Risks According to analysts, the government’s plan does not make stablecoins legal tender in place of the boliviano. Rather, it lets regulated banks provide crypto-linked services under the financial system. That means accepting USDT will likely stay voluntary for merchants. There are also risks to watch: stablecoin liquidity, custody safety, and how well banks manage anti-money-laundering rules. Consumer education and stronger oversight will be needed to protect ordinary users. What Comes Next Several months of rollout and pilot programs are expected, and observers will be watching transaction volumes and how many banks and businesses sign on. If the system grows, Bolivia could become an example for neighboring countries facing similar currency stress. But the deeper economic problems that pushed people to crypto — inflation and limited dollar access — will still need government solutions beyond new payment rails. Related Reading: Bitcoin Whale Reenters ETH Market, Fires Off A $44-M Long Based on current reports, the change is a clear policy shift toward regulated crypto use in everyday finance. It is small steps now, but they may matter a lot to people trying to keep their savings stable and move money across borders. Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView