News linked to both this project and an event.
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.
Verus confirmed on Platform X that its Verus-Ethereum cross-chain bridge has been attacked, resulting in the theft of ETH, USDC, and tBTC from the contract on the Ethereum chain. Other bridged assets are currently unaffected. The Verus network is now suspended, with most block-producing nodes voluntarily going offline after experiencing the cascading effects of the attack. The development team is fully investigating the scope of the incident, the attack vector, and the subsequent remediation plan, and will provide updates once more information is confirmed. Verus stated that it is willing to cooperate with relevant law enforcement agencies to pursue legal accountability; however, if the attacker returns all stolen funds, the project team is willing to offer a bug bounty and will not pursue further legal action.Verus also reminds users that anyone claiming to be part of the Verus team or community in public channels, private messages, or other avenues, and offering "compensation" or "remediation plans," is a scammer. The official statement emphasizes not to interact with anyone claiming there are compensation projects or offering payouts, and to promptly report such accounts to Discord or Platform X.Previously, it was reported that the Verus-Ethereum cross-chain bridge was attacked, resulting in losses of approximately $11.58 million.
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)
that, according to on-chain analyst Ember Monitoring, following news that the CME and the New York Stock Exchange have jointly pushed US regulators to strengthen oversight of Hyperliquid, HYPE has retraced 4% from $45 to $43. An address named asssdfc transferred 8.826 million USDC to Hyperliquid 20 minutes ago after the news broke to short HYPE. It has already opened a $7 million short position on HYPE with an entry price of $43.1 and is still increasing its short position.
Turnkey, a company specializing in crypto wallets and key management infrastructure, has announced the completion of a $12.5 million strategic financing round. Archetype and Circle Ventures led the round, with participation from Sequoia Capital, Bain Capital Crypto, Lightspeed Faction, Galaxy Ventures, and Variant. The project's total funding has now exceeded $65 million.The company's primary business involves developing wallet and key management infrastructure for crypto applications. This round of financing will be used to support the development and public launch of Turnkey Verifiable Cloud, a product focused on digital asset security computing. This product aims to provide enterprises with verifiable operating environments, encompassing functionalities such as transaction visibility, policy decisions, and agent-driven wallet activities. Turnkey's current clientele includes Polymarket, World App, and Anchorage Digital.
According to The Block, Matt Hougan, Chief Investment Officer at Bitwise, noted that three enterprise-grade blockchains—Arc (by Circle), Canton Network, and Tempo (by Stripe)—have collectively raised over $1 billion in funding recently. All three funding rounds occurred after the signing of the GENIUS Act in July 2025. Hougan believes this legislation broke a prior regulatory stalemate that had discouraged institutional capital from entering the space. Hougan identified three key signals: First, all three blockchains prioritize native privacy-preserving transactions as a core design feature, addressing institutions’ need for transaction confidentiality. Second, the implementation of the GENIUS Act has significantly reduced regulatory uncertainty; the next critical variable is the pending Clarity Act, from which stablecoins and tokenization infrastructure stand to benefit. Third, these blockchains are backed by top-tier institutions—including Goldman Sachs, Citadel, BlackRock, Stripe, and Visa—marking a stark contrast to Ethereum and Solana, which emerged from grassroots origins. Hougan stated that his firm’s capital remains primarily allocated to native crypto projects, and he believes these emerging enterprise chains will raise the overall competitive bar and attract additional capital inflows.
According to Cointelegraph, the Government of Bermuda has announced plans to migrate certain payment and financial services activities onto the Stellar network as part of its initiative to build a “fully on-chain national economy.” Bermuda’s Premier, David Burt, stated that, following a completed risk assessment, the government may accept and invest in digital assets, and advance the migration of select financial services onto the blockchain to address high transaction fees. Premier Burt previously revealed that the Bermuda government has established partnerships with Circle and Coinbase. Since enacting the Digital Asset Business Act in 2018, Bermuda has consistently advanced a regulatory framework friendly to the cryptocurrency industry.
Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan stated that privacy is becoming a core infrastructure direction for the next phase of the crypto industry. Recently, three institutional-grade blockchains focused on stablecoins and asset tokenization—Arc, Canton, and Tempo—have accumulated over $1 billion in total funding, indicating a rapidly growing demand from institutions for "privacy-friendly on-chain financial systems."Among them, stablecoin issuer Circle contributed $222 million in funding for Arc, giving it a valuation of approximately $3 billion; Digital Asset’s Canton blockchain is reportedly seeking $300 million in funding at a $2 billion valuation; and Tempo, backed by Stripe and Paradigm, has previously completed $500 million in funding at a valuation of $5 billion.Hougan noted that this funding wave reflects three major trends: the gradual clarification of the U.S. regulatory framework, increased institutional demand for on-chain privacy, and intensified competition among new blockchain networks supported by large enterprises. Current public blockchains still face structural trade-offs between speed, cost, security, and privacy. However, scenarios involving stablecoins and RWA tokenization require systems that simultaneously offer high performance, compliance, and privacy, making “verifiable privacy” a critical prerequisite for institutional adoption of on-chain finance.Hougan further stated that, for enterprises, “all transactions being publicly broadcast” is not an advantage but a potential flaw. In the future, users and institutions may find it increasingly difficult to accept a fully transparent on-chain financial environment. He believes that privacy capabilities could become the “killer app” driving the crypto industry into its next phase of mainstream adoption. Additionally, following the passage of the U.S. Genius Act in 2025, regulatory certainty has significantly increased, providing a clearer policy foundation for institutional funds to enter the crypto infrastructure space. (CoinDesk)
According to CoinDesk, Denis Beau, Deputy Governor of the Bank of France, has publicly called on Europe’s public and private sectors to jointly advance the development of euro-tokenized money to counter the dominance of U.S. dollar–pegged stablecoins. This stance stands in clear contrast to that of European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde, who remains cautious toward private stablecoins—citing financial stability risks posed by USDT, USDC, and others—and favors a central bank–led digital euro initiative expected to launch in 2029. Beau outlined a “triple objective” for Europe’s development: aligning with central bank monetary services; enabling regulated institutions to issue pan-euro tokenized private money; and strengthening the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulatory framework. His position closely aligns with that of the Qivalis consortium—a group comprising 12 major European banks, including ING, BBVA, and BNP Paribas—which plans to launch a private digital euro this year. Beau also revealed that the eurosystem will roll out its first tokenized wholesale central bank money service before year-end.
BIT's official Chinese-language market analysis stated that Circle's stock price rose 16% overnight, currently approaching its March 2026 high. The market is pricing in expectations that uncertainty surrounding crypto regulation may ease.BIT indicated that this week could become a critical juncture for the advancement of the CLARITY Act, with the market generally viewing Circle as a direct beneficiary of regulatory clarity. It also noted that USDC market capitalization has maintained steady growth lately, and Circle's recent rally reflects market expectations for potential favorable policies and regulatory developments, rather than short-term fundamental improvements.BIT believes that if digital asset regulatory rules are further clarified, it could not only provide support for Bitcoin but also encourage more institutions to participate in the market.
According to Fortune, stablecoin-focused bank Augustus has received a federal banking charter from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), becoming the eighth institution to obtain such a license since 2010. Simultaneously, Augustus closed a $40 million funding round, with investors including Valar Ventures (founded by Peter Thiel), Creandum, and founders of Ramp, Deel, and Circle.
Odaily报道，美国马萨诸塞州参议员伊丽莎白·沃伦致信Meta首席执行官马克·扎克伯格，要求其就稳定币整合相关事宜作出回应。伊丽莎白·沃伦表示，鉴于Meta此前发行Libra的尝试，其在稳定币计划上缺乏透明度令人不安。她要求马克·扎克伯格在5月20日前提供稳定币试验的细节，包括推出日期、涉及的第三方稳定币及隐私保护机制。Meta已于4月向菲律宾和哥伦比亚的部分创作者推出USDC支付功能。美国参议院银行委员会目前正在审议旨在建立数字资产框架的CLARITY法案。
Odaily, Odaily Planet Daily - Coinbase CFO Alesia Haas said during this morning's earnings call: "I want to quickly remind everyone that our USDC contract (note: referring to the distribution agreement with Circle) automatically renews every three years and does so into perpetuity. This contract cannot be terminated."Coinbase Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal also stated: "Fortunately, the terms of the contracts we have signed with Circle are already established, and as Alesia Haas emphasized, these contracts automatically renew. We expect to continue our partnership with Circle under the same terms in the future."
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren has sent a letter to Mark Zuckerberg requesting that Meta provide more information regarding its latest stablecoin initiative, criticizing the company’s "concerning lack of transparency" in related operations.In the letter, Elizabeth Warren stated that given Meta’s massive global user base, any stablecoin-related business could have significant implications for market competition, user privacy, payment system integrity, and financial stability.Previously disclosed information indicates that Facebook has tested stablecoin payment features with a select group of creators in Colombia and the Philippines. The relevant solution is based on USD Coin (USDC), requiring users to link a third-party crypto wallet address. A Meta spokesperson responded by stating that the company "does not have a Meta stablecoin" and currently merely aims to allow users and merchants to utilize various payment methods on the platform, including third-party stablecoins.It is worth noting that Meta launched the stablecoin project Libra (later renamed Diem) in 2019, but ultimately terminated it in 2022 due to regulatory pressure. Warren has long been one of the toughest crypto critics in the U.S. Congress and has repeatedly raised questions about Meta's stablecoin plans. (Fortune)
SoFi Technologies has announced the expansion of its stablecoin, SoFiUSD, to the Solana network, attracted by its low costs, high throughput, and rapid settlement capabilities.Launched in 2025 as a fully reserved US dollar-pegged stablecoin, SoFiUSD was initially deployed on Ethereum, designed to provide banks, fintech companies, and enterprises with near real-time settlement infrastructure available 24/7.As the regulatory framework gradually becomes clearer, banks and financial institutions are accelerating their entry into the stablecoin赛道, competing with major issuers such as Tether and Circle.
Circle has submitted a comment letter to the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), offering recommendations on the implementing rules for the GENIUS Act and outlining six core positions.
According to Crowdfund Insider, Circle’s French subsidiary, Circle Internet Financial Europe SAS (referred to as “Circle France”), received formal authorization from the French Financial Markets Authority (AMF) on April 20 to provide custody and transfer services for its stablecoins USDC and EURC across the entire European Economic Area (EEA). Under Article 60(4) of the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), this authorization enables Circle France to operate via the “passporting mechanism,” allowing customers in all EEA member states to access these services without requiring additional local licenses. Circle is the largest compliant issuer of electronic money tokens (EMTs) under MiCA regulation in the EU. The authorized custody services cover secure storage and management of clients’ crypto assets, while the transfer functionality supports seamless asset movement. Dante Disparte, Circle’s Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Global Policy and Operations, stated that this milestone reflects Circle’s commitment to operating within Europe’s regulatory framework and supporting the development of trusted digital financial infrastructure in France and across the EU. This authorization builds upon Circle’s prior authorization as an electronic money institution in France.
But Bin’s analysis points out that the core catalyst for this rally is the U.S. Clarity Act making critical progress: the Senate has reached a compromise on stablecoin regulatory provisions, resolving the key分歧 hindering the bill’s advancement and opening up long-term growth potential for compliant stablecoin leaders such as Circle.
According to Financialit, stablecoin financial services platform UnblockPay has announced the completion of a $4.5 million seed funding round, led by Prelude, with participation from Plug and Play, Wintermute, Reverie, Signature Ventures, Triaxis Capital, Crescera Capital, and a group of angel investors. The new capital will support the development of regulated financial products, enabling businesses to integrate stablecoins into their day-to-day financial operations and facilitating seamless conversions between fiat currencies and major stablecoins such as USDC and USDT for enterprise users.
AethirClaw has officially launched CARA (Pre-configured Crypto AI Agent), running on Aethir's decentralized GPU infrastructure. Equipped with over 50 skills, it covers core crypto scenarios such as real-time market monitoring, whale wallet tracking, on-chain analysis, social media sentiment monitoring, and project due diligence, and users can use it out-of-the-box without any technical configuration.The platform supports payments via credit card as well as USDT, USDC, and ATH tokens. Aethir also disclosed that it will soon launch a Model-as-a-Service (MaaS) layer, running mainstream open-source large models on Aethir's decentralized GPU infrastructure, and expand multimodal capabilities including text-to-image and video generation.