News linked to both this project and an event.
: Circle Internet Group's affiliate, Circle Technology Services, and Nium, a global real-time cross-border payment infrastructure provider, today announced a strategic partnership to deeply integrate Circle's USDC stablecoin settlement capabilities with Nium's global distribution network, which covers over 190 countries and 100+ local currencies.According to the agreement, Nium has officially joined the Circle Payment Network (CPN) as a global payment partner. Financial institutions within the CPN can directly access Nium's global payment infrastructure through a single integration entry point, enabling a complete closed-loop process: from USDC on-chain settlement to Nium's real-time currency exchange, and finally to local currency deposit. Funds can be directly routed to bank accounts, e-wallets, and payment cards worldwide, simplifying cross-border capital flows, reducing prepaid fund commitments and currency exchange risks for Circle. (Prnewswire)
According to The Block, Circle Technology Services, a subsidiary of Circle, has announced a partnership with Nium, a global real-time cross-border payments platform. Nium has joined the Circle Payments Network (CPN), providing financial institutions within the network with access to payment infrastructure spanning over 190 countries and more than 100 currencies—enabling fund disbursement to bank accounts, digital wallets, and debit cards. Financial institutions can complete the entire process—from USDC settlement to local-currency cash-out—via a single integration, eliminating the need to pre-fund across multiple channels.
yesterday, YC official posted on X platform that the prediction market derivative layer Totalis has officially launched. The market allows users to conduct parlay trades on any subject, combining multiple event markets (such as politics, cryptocurrency, stocks, sports, weather, and macro) into a single trade. Starting with parlay bets, it will expand to structured products.Previously, Totalis completed a $500,000 seed round in April, with Y Combinator participating. It is also the first enterprise to receive Y Combinator investment entirely in USDC, with the funds settled via the Solana network and custodied by Ramp.
According to the official announcement, the ICON network will permanently shut down on December 31, 2026. At that time, on-chain transactions will cease, and only a read-only archive will remain for historical queries. The final deadline for the ICX → SODA token migration is also December 31, 2026; no migrations will be possible after this date. Starting September 30, 2026, two-way migration will terminate, and only one-way ICX → SODA conversion will be supported. Launched in 2017, the ICON network has operated for nine years. As industry demand has shifted from cross-chain settlement to liquidity and execution efficiency, the project team has decided to concentrate all resources on SODAX. SODAX is now integrated with 18 blockchain networks and has launched cross-network trading, lending, SDK v2, and money market functionalities. It has also been accepted into the Circle Consortium and added to Kraken’s listing roadmap.
crypto asset trading platform Gate has officially announced support for USDCx deposit and withdrawal services on the Canton Network. Users can now utilize USDCx in scenarios such as trading and asset management on the platform. To coincide with the launch of this feature, Gate is rolling out multiple activities including CandyDrop, the USDCx Deposit Challenge, and the Yu Bi Bao wealth management product, with total rewards amounting to $150,000 worth of Canton ecosystem tokens, CC.According to public information, USDCx is a stablecoin natively issued on the Canton Network, backed 1:1 by USDC. Its reserves are held in the Circle xReserve smart contract and comply with the CIP-56 standard. It offers interoperability and full composability across different applications and asset scenarios, while also addressing privacy requirements.Gate's launch of USDCx, accompanied by multi-dimensional incentives, helps enhance the liquidity and user coverage of the Canton ecosystem. It also reflects the platform's ongoing commitment to integrating emerging public chain ecosystems, expanding interoperable digital asset infrastructure, and supporting the evolution of institutional-grade on-chain finance. Looking ahead, Gate will continue to expand high-quality on-chain assets and ecosystem partnerships, driving more innovative assets and application scenarios to global users.
a report released by FalconX shows that the crypto derivatives platform Hyperliquid is expanding from perpetual contracts to pre-IPO trading, prediction contracts, and tokenized real-world assets, beginning to compete with traditional exchanges and prediction market operators. The report indicates that Hyperliquid's HIP-3 market allows users to trade stocks, commodities, forex, and pre-IPO contracts 24/7, with traders already using it for pre-IPO speculation on companies such as Cerebras, Anthropic, and SpaceX. The HIP-4 outcome market allows traders to place binary bets on political, economic, and crypto events.In terms of capital inflows, the HYPE spot ETFs launched by 21Shares and Bitwise have attracted a combined $53 million in inflows within just a few trading days. Hyperliquid's USDC partnership with Coinbase and Circle is expected to generate up to $160 million in annual protocol revenue. FalconX warns that CME and ICE have expressed concerns to regulators about potential market manipulation risks on the Hyperliquid market. Nevertheless, Hyperliquid continues to lead the decentralized perpetual contract market in terms of trading volume, revenue, and total value locked. (CoinDesk)
MoonPay has launched a dedicated app on the ChatGPT Apps platform, enabling users to generate checkout links and purchase cryptocurrencies—including Bitcoin, XRP, Solana, and USDC—without leaving ChatGPT. This integration makes MoonPay one of the first apps within ChatGPT to offer direct cryptocurrency purchasing functionality. Previously, crypto-related apps in the ChatGPT App Store primarily focused on blockchain data and price queries; other such apps include Kraken, OKX, CryptoAudit, and RealOpen.
payment infrastructure company MoonPay has launched a dedicated application on ChatGPT Apps, allowing users to generate purchase links within OpenAI's chatbot for buying digital assets such as Bitcoin, XRP, Solana, and USDC. When users specify a purchase amount in ChatGPT, they receive a MoonPay checkout link and are redirected to the MoonPay website to complete KYC, checkout procedures, and connect their wallet. Users who have already completed KYC for their MoonPay account can log in directly via their existing account, use their most recent payment method, and send assets to a designated address. This application is part of MoonPay's push to advance AI-driven crypto tools. Earlier this month, MoonPay acquired AI trading startup Dawn Labs and launched Dawn CLI; the company also recently introduced the MoonAgents Card, a virtual Mastercard that allows AI agents to pay online merchants directly with stablecoins from crypto wallets. (Decrypt)
: According to official sources, Aave, MetaMask, and Mastercard are advancing the MetaMask debit card feature, allowing users to directly use yield-bearing assets on Aave, such as mUSD, USDC, wETH, USDT, and other tokens, for everyday spending.This debit card is powered by instant settlement support through Consensys' Ethereum Layer 2 network, Linea. After users deposit mUSD into Aave to receive receipt tokens, the card automatically converts the required amount of yield-bearing assets into fiat currency the moment a transaction is made. During this process, users' unspent balances continue to earn interest through Aave until the exact moment of the transaction, enabling instant spending of yield-bearing assets while maintaining continuous yield. The debit card is currently being rolled out in Europe.
According to the official announcement, Binance Earn, One-Click Buy, Instant Swap, VIP Borrowing, and Margin Trading will be launched on Genius Terminal (GENIUS) and OpenGradient (OPG) on May 22 at 20:00. Cross-margin and isolated-margin trading pairs will be expanded to include GENIUS/USDT, GENIUS/USDC, OPG/USDT, and OPG/USDC.
According to Binance’s official announcement, Binance has listed Genius Terminal (GENIUS) and OpenGradient (OPG) on May 22, 2026, at 11:00 AM UTC, enabling six spot trading pairs: GENIUS/USDT, GENIUS/USDC, GENIUS/TRY, OPG/USDT, OPG/USDC, and OPG/TRY. Withdrawals will be enabled the following day at the same time.
Bitget Wallet has announced the expansion of its QR code payment service to Latin American markets, including Argentina, Colombia, and Bolivia. As a result, Bitget Wallet's QR code payment capability now covers key markets in both the Asia-Pacific and Latin America, accelerating the global expansion of its Everyday Finance strategy.This expansion follows Bitget Wallet's integration route with Brazil's Pix, and now connects to three local payment networks: Transferencias 3.0 (Argentina), Bre-B (Colombia), and QR Simple (Bolivia). Users can directly use USDC or USDT for QR code payments within the wallet without needing to exchange currencies in advance.
Jeremy Allaire, CEO of Circle, posted on X announcing that cirBTC is即将 launched. Circle Wrapped Bitcoin (cirBTC) is a tokenized Bitcoin backed 1:1 by native Bitcoin, issued by Circle on the Ethereum mainnet and the Arc network. Each cirBTC is backed 1:1 by native Bitcoin held in custody by regulated entities within the Circle group.
Odaily Odaily News: Flipcash, an app created by Kik founder Ted Livingston, has launched a native stablecoin USDF on Solana, based on Coinbase's "Stablecoin as a Service" platform.According to reports, USDF is pegged 1:1 to the US dollar and fully backed by USDC. Coinbase handles issuance, reserves, and compliance matters. Flipcash has become the first application to use the Coinbase stablecoin-as-a-service platform.It is understood that USDF will primarily be used for cash-like payment scenarios within the Flipcash app. Flipcash is a digital payment application built on Solana, allowing users to create and trade "community currencies" with a fixed supply.Coinbase launched its stablecoin-as-a-service platform in late 2025, aiming to help enterprises issue branded stablecoins without needing to build their own infrastructure. (The Block)
According to Fortune, Catena Labs—founded by Sean Neville, co-founder of Circle—has raised $30 million in its Series A funding round, led by Acrew Capital and a16z crypto, with participation from Breyer Capital, General Catalyst, and QED. Catena Labs focuses on developing tools that enable AI agents to conduct financial transactions securely. The company has applied to the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) in New York for a national trust bank charter, seeking regulatory authorization to process payments and hold customer funds. Previously, in 2025, Catena Labs secured an initial $18 million financing round led by a16z crypto.
The Zcash Foundation released its Q1 2026 report, disclosing total liquid assets of approximately $36.7 million, including roughly $12.11 million in cash, 506,556 USDC, 85,412 ZEC (valued at ~$21.2 million), 41.8 BTC (valued at ~$2.85 million), and 12.02 ETH (valued at ~$25,000). The Zcash Foundation added that, although the first quarter of this year saw personnel changes within the Electric Coin Company’s development team and governance-related disputes, network operations remained unaffected, with transactions and block production continuing normally. On the regulatory front, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has concluded its investigation without taking any enforcement action, thereby resolving long-standing regulatory uncertainty.
Odaily Planet Daily reported that Pump.fun will launch a new token USDC pairing feature on May 21, and existing SOL-based pairings will not be affected by this change. Since its launch in January 2024, it is estimated that at least 5.07 million SOL has been locked in liquidity pools, valued at $430 million.According to on-chain data, over $382 million has been allocated for PUMP buybacks, removing 37.9% of the circulating supply from the market and offsetting 13.4% of the total supply. (solanafloor)
According to South Korean media reports, Tether, the world’s largest stablecoin issuer, has recently filed seven trademark applications in South Korea, including the “Tether” logo and Tether Gold (XAUT), a gold-backed stablecoin. This marks Tether’s first application in South Korea for its corporate name and logo trademarks; previously, it had only applied for trademarks covering stablecoin product names. Industry insiders believe this move may signal Tether’s preparation to enter the South Korean market. South Korea’s proposed Digital Asset Basic Act (Phase II Virtual Asset Act) is currently under discussion and includes a provision requiring overseas stablecoin issuers to establish local subsidiaries in South Korea before conducting circulation-related business. Tether’s trademark filings may thus represent a strategic pre-emptive move ahead of its competitor Circle. Jeremy Allaire, Circle’s founder and CEO, visited South Korea in April to discuss potential collaboration opportunities with local financial holding companies and virtual asset exchanges. He described South Korea as “the world’s most dynamic virtual asset market—and a leading candidate for the most mature stablecoin market in the future.”
According to chart analysis released by independent analyst Markus Thielen on May 19, the current market capitalization of USDT has reached $189.8 billion, while that of USDC stands at $76.9 billion—both exhibiting long-term upward trends. However, since Bitcoin entered a correction phase in October last year, the total market capitalization of stablecoins has remained largely flat, indicating relatively limited inflows of new capital into the crypto market. Thielen noted that although there is a widespread belief that stablecoins will fully replace traditional payment networks, their primary use cases remain concentrated on crypto trading and portfolio management—still far from achieving mainstream payment adoption. While U.S. policy broadly supports stablecoin development—partly because their reserve assets are often reallocated into U.S. Treasury securities—the gap between current usage and true mainstream payment application remains substantial.
Odaily. Bernstein stated in its latest research report that the newly reached compromise on stablecoin yields under the U.S. CLARITY Act is structurally beneficial for Circle and the USDC ecosystem.The report notes that the current version of the bill prohibits stablecoin issuers from paying interest to passive holders that is "economically equivalent" to bank deposits, but allows reward mechanisms tied to actual transaction, payment, and usage activities to continue. Bernstein believes this means Circle's current model, which relies on partners like Coinbase to provide USDC reward programs, will gain regulatory recognition, while also limiting the industry's ability to compete for market share through high yields.Bernstein points out that the bill effectively reinforces the positioning of stablecoins as "payment tools" rather than "deposit substitutes," helping to protect Circle's current business model that relies on reserve income. The firm maintains an "Outperform" rating for Circle with a $190 target price.Data shows that the total global supply of dollar-pegged stablecoins has surpassed $300 billion, with USDT and USDC collectively accounting for approximately 97% of the market share. Bernstein notes that USDC's share in on-chain payments and wallet transfers is steadily increasing, and its share of payments in the AI Agent payment protocol x402 has exceeded 99%.Additionally, Bernstein mentioned that Circle's ARC chain has cumulatively completed 244 million testnet transactions. The ARC token pre-sale previously raised $222 million, with investors including a16z crypto, Apollo Funds, ARK Invest, and BlackRock.However, the report also points out that the CLARITY Act still needs to complete multiple legislative procedures before it takes effect, including a 60-vote threshold in the full Senate and coordination with the House version. Polymarket currently estimates its probability of passage by 2026 at approximately 62%. (The Block)