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Stripe is an online payment provider that provides solutions for institutional companies. It is one of the most highly valued unicorns in the United States.
Stripe in Talks to Acquire OpenRouter
citing sources familiar with the matter, that Stripe is in talks to acquire OpenRouter. OpenRouter is a popular startup that helps developers choose between various AI models. According to insiders, a deal could be announced soon, but there is also the possibility that negotiations could collapse or other bidders could emerge. The specific price under discussion is not yet clear, but sources suggest the company may be valued at around $10 billion in a sale. The sources added that several other major tech companies have previously explored opportunities to acquire OpenRouter. Founded in 2023, OpenRouter sells software that allows clients to easily access AI models developed by OpenAI and Anthropic, as well as "open-weight" models that anyone can download and run for free. Acquiring OpenRouter would enable Stripe to capture a hot growth area in the AI market. (Jin Shi)
PayPal Board Believes Stripe and Advent's $53 Billion Acquisition Offer Is Too Low
According to Reuters, the PayPal board believes the $53 billion acquisition offer ($60.50 per share) jointly proposed by Stripe and private equity firm Advent International undervalues the company, and has concerns regarding regulatory approval risks and financing certainty; it has not yet formally responded to the proposal. The PayPal board believes that if management successfully executes the existing transformation strategy, the company's future potential value will far exceed the current offer. Meanwhile, the acquirers have obtained approximately $50 billion in financing support from JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley, with Stripe and Advent contributing a combined $17 billion in equity. Reportedly, if the parties encounter antitrust hurdles, they may consider divesting assets such as PayPal's Braintree to Advent. Despite differences, Stripe and Advent are still regarded as the most serious potential buyers at present, and negotiations are expected to continue for some time. PayPal will release its quarterly earnings report on July 28, and the market will closely monitor the growth of its core checkout business.
Stripe and Advent Jointly Bid Over $53 Billion to Acquire PayPal
According to Reuters, payment company Stripe and private equity firm Advent International have jointly submitted an acquisition offer to PayPal Holdings (PYPL.O), bidding $60.50 per share for a total valuation exceeding $53 billion, a premium of approximately 28% over PayPal's closing price on Tuesday. The offer is supported by approximately $50 billion in committed bank financing, with both parties planning to hold 50% equity each and not break up the company. The acquisition proposal was submitted earlier this month, following initial contact between the parties in early April. No response has been received from PayPal so far, and Stripe and Advent hope to reach an agreement by the end of the month. Whether the deal will ultimately close remains uncertain.
ZeroHash, a cryptocurrency infrastructure company, is seeking new funding at a valuation of over $1.5 billion.
According to CoinDesk, crypto infrastructure firm Zerohash is seeking new funding at a valuation exceeding $1.5 billion. This comes after Mastercard abandoned its investment plans for Zerohash following its $1.8 billion acquisition of UK-based stablecoin infrastructure company BVNK. Founded in 2017, Zerohash provides APIs and embedded development tools to financial institutions and fintech companies, enabling support for cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, and tokenized products. The company now serves over 5 million users across 190 countries, with clients including Morgan Stanley, Stripe, Interactive Brokers, BlackRock’s BUIDL Fund, and Franklin Templeton. In September 2025, Zerohash closed its $104 million Series D-2 round, valuing the company at $1 billion at that time.
Bitwise CIO: The GENIUS Act Opens the Floodgates for Institutional Funding, with Three Enterprise Chains Raising Over $1 Billion Combined
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.
Bitwise CIO: Privacy Could Be the Next “Killer App,” Arc, Canton, and Tempo Exceed $1 Billion in Total Funding
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)
Mizuho: Clarity Act Could Intensify Long-Term Competition in Stablecoins, Negative Impact on Circle
Mizuho analysts stated that if the U.S. crypto market structure bill, the "Clarity Act," is passed, while it may generally benefit the digital asset industry, the long-term impact on Circle could be negative. The reason is that regulatory clarity will attract more large institutions into the stablecoin market, further accelerating stablecoin commodification and eroding the revenue potential of Circle's USDC.Mizuho believes that the primary pressure Circle faces in the near term comes from Open USD. This stablecoin project is backed by a coalition of over 140 financial, technology, and crypto companies, with members including Visa, Mastercard, Stripe, BlackRock, and Coinbase. Unlike Circle's model, which retains approximately 38% of USDC reserve yields, Open USD employs a "pass-through" model, distributing nearly all reserve yields to distribution partners while retaining only a small management fee.Analysts also noted that Coinbase, as the largest distributor of USDC, also supports Open USD. This could give Coinbase stronger bargaining power when renegotiating its revenue-sharing agreement with Circle in the future. The distribution agreement between the two parties could be up for renegotiation as early as next month.
Ansem: This Crypto Cycle May See the Largest Retail Participation in History, with Infrastructure and Narratives in Place
Ansem posted on platform X, stating that the current market remains in a stage with high growth potential. Bitcoin (BTC) and Solana (SOL) still have considerable room to rise from their all-time highs, with SOL down approximately 75% from its peak and BTC down about 50%. Compared to previous cycles, this cycle has more mature user experiences and infrastructure, including improved mobile trading experiences, lower barriers for wallet onboarding, and enhanced cross-chain capabilities, making it easier for new users without prior crypto experience to enter the market.Ansem pointed out that a growing number of high-quality developers are aligning incentives through a "token plus equity" model, offering investors exposure to a wider range of industry sectors. Meanwhile, institutional interest in Real World Assets (RWA), attention to the regulatory framework related to the US CLARITY Act, and the entry of major tech-finance companies like Stripe and Robinhood into the crypto space are all boosting market confidence. The wealth effect generated by AI stock performance in recent years, coupled with the wealth-building cases of Meme coins in previous crypto cycles, are reinforcing the market's perception of high-yield trading opportunities. While some earlier Meme coins grew from zero to tens of billions of dollars in market capitalization, the circulating market cap of current popular Meme projects like $ANSEM is still under $100 million, attracting speculative capital.This cycle features dual market drivers: institutional narratives and high-risk speculative opportunities. On one hand, mature financial applications like perpetual contracts and RWA will attract more professional capital; on the other hand, trading in Meme coins and low-market-cap tokens will continue to attract significant retail participation.Ansem stated that with more teams launching user-friendly mobile crypto applications that lower the barrier to entry, this cycle could become the one with the largest scale of retail participation in crypto history.
Circle's stock price fell from $260 to $62, and Heath Tarbert stated that the company will focus on long-term development
: In an interview this week, Circle President Heath Tarbert responded to questions about the stock price falling from $260 to $62, stating that the company is focusing on long-term development. If it can fulfill its mission of building a full-stack internet platform infrastructure, the stock price will ultimately reflect that value in the long run. Addressing the new competition posed by the Open USD Alliance, which consists of 140 companies including Visa, Stripe, Mastercard, and Google, Heath Tarbert noted that USDC, as a stablecoin natively supporting 34 blockchains, has built a network effect with a circulating supply of $73 billion that is extremely difficult to replicate. Discussing the difference in market position compared to Tether, he stated that USDC is the world's largest regulated stablecoin and boasts the highest real transaction volume.
PayPal Board Believes Stripe and Advent's $53 Billion Acquisition Offer Is Too Low
According to Reuters, the PayPal board believes the $53 billion acquisition offer ($60.50 per share) jointly proposed by Stripe and private equity firm Advent International undervalues the company, and has concerns regarding regulatory approval risks and financing certainty; it has not yet formally responded to the proposal. The PayPal board believes that if management successfully executes the existing transformation strategy, the company's future potential value will far exceed the current offer. Meanwhile, the acquirers have obtained approximately $50 billion in financing support from JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley, with Stripe and Advent contributing a combined $17 billion in equity. Reportedly, if the parties encounter antitrust hurdles, they may consider divesting assets such as PayPal's Braintree to Advent. Despite differences, Stripe and Advent are still regarded as the most serious potential buyers at present, and negotiations are expected to continue for some time. PayPal will release its quarterly earnings report on July 28, and the market will closely monitor the growth of its core checkout business.
Visa Partners with Artemis to Release On-Chain Data Report on AI Agent Payments
According to Visa's official website, Visa and Artemis jointly released a report that deeply analyzes the current status and trends of AI agent payments based on real-time on-chain data. The report indicates that AI agent payments are divided into two categories: one is "macro commerce" where agents replace users to complete tasks like booking tickets and subscriptions, similar to traditional e-commerce payments; the other is "micro commerce" such as high-frequency, low-value API calls between software, where single transaction amounts are typically less than 1 cent. On-chain data shows that the open protocol x402, incubated by Coinbase and Cloudflare and now hosted by the Linux Foundation, has processed approximately 109 million transactions since launching in May 2025, with an adjusted transaction volume of about $15 million, mainly active on the Base, Solana, and Polygon chains; the Machine Payment Protocol (MPP), jointly built by Stripe and Tempo with Visa's contribution, launched in mid-March 2026 and completed approximately 115,000 transactions within weeks, with a settlement amount of about $25,000. The report notes that blockchain settlement costs have dropped to extremely low levels, making small payments in the 1-cent to 1-dollar range economically feasible for the first time, but agent payments still face significant challenges at the legal and regulatory level regarding trust, liability attribution, and dispute resolution. Visa stated that its goal is to build a unified foundation that simultaneously supports card-native trust authorization and machine-native settlement
Swedish payment giant Klarna applies for US banking license
According to CNBC, Swedish payment giant Klarna has submitted an application to U.S. federal and state regulators to establish an FDIC-insured bank subsidiary "Klarna Bank USA" in Utah, enabling Klarna to conduct loans, deposits, and broader financial services through its own banking system. Klarna launched the stablecoin KlarnaUSD at the end of last year and is reportedly collaborating with Privy, a wallet infrastructure platform under Stripe, to co-develop a crypto wallet aimed at mainstream users.
Mizuho: Clarity Act Could Intensify Long-Term Competition in Stablecoins, Negative Impact on Circle
Mizuho analysts stated that if the U.S. crypto market structure bill, the "Clarity Act," is passed, while it may generally benefit the digital asset industry, the long-term impact on Circle could be negative. The reason is that regulatory clarity will attract more large institutions into the stablecoin market, further accelerating stablecoin commodification and eroding the revenue potential of Circle's USDC.Mizuho believes that the primary pressure Circle faces in the near term comes from Open USD. This stablecoin project is backed by a coalition of over 140 financial, technology, and crypto companies, with members including Visa, Mastercard, Stripe, BlackRock, and Coinbase. Unlike Circle's model, which retains approximately 38% of USDC reserve yields, Open USD employs a "pass-through" model, distributing nearly all reserve yields to distribution partners while retaining only a small management fee.Analysts also noted that Coinbase, as the largest distributor of USDC, also supports Open USD. This could give Coinbase stronger bargaining power when renegotiating its revenue-sharing agreement with Circle in the future. The distribution agreement between the two parties could be up for renegotiation as early as next month.
Mizuho Bank downgrades Circle rating to "Underperform", target price halved to $50
According to CoinDesk, Japanese investment bank Mizuho has downgraded stablecoin issuer Circle (CRCL) from "Neutral" to "Underperform," with the price target significantly lowered from $85 to $50. Circle's stock price subsequently fell 0.6% to $62.63. Mizuho analysts pointed out that the OpenUSD stablecoin launched by the Open Standard consortium on June 30 poses a fundamental threat to Circle's business model. Unlike the USDC model, which retains most reserve yield and then shares it with partners such as Coinbase and Binance, OpenUSD charges only a small operating fee and distributes the vast majority of reserve yield to issuers and distributors, which may force Circle's partners to demand a higher revenue share. The consortium has assembled over 140 partners, including Mastercard, Stripe, Coinbase, and BlackRock.
Open USD Launch Sends Circle Shares Down Over 16%, Analysts Say Fears Overblown
after Open Standard announced the launch of its new stablecoin, Open USD (OUSD), Circle's stock price fell over 16% on Tuesday. The stablecoin is backed by over 140 companies, including Visa, Stripe, Mastercard, BlackRock, and Coinbase, raising market concerns that it could pose competitive pressure on Circle's USDC.However, William Blair analysts believe the sell-off was an overreaction and reiterated an "Outperform" rating on Circle's stock, suggesting the decline may present a buying opportunity. The firm believes that Circle holds a competitive advantage in the stablecoin space due to its first-mover status, deep liquidity, and mature payment infrastructure, positioning it well even against high-profile competitors like OUSD.Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire stated that the company welcomes competition and will continue to expand the USDC ecosystem. Analysts also noted that the overall stablecoin market is still rapidly expanding, and new entrants may not necessarily only eat into USDC's market share but could also drive broader industry adoption.
Bitwise CIO: The GENIUS Act Opens the Floodgates for Institutional Funding, with Three Enterprise Chains Raising Over $1 Billion Combined
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.
AWS partners with Coinbase and Stripe to launch AI agent stablecoin payment functionality, enabling microtransactions using USDC
According to The Block, Amazon Web Services (AWS) has partnered with Coinbase and Stripe to launch Amazon Bedrock AgentCore Payments, enabling AI agents to conduct transactions using stablecoins. Coinbase stated that developers can build “agent-based payment” solutions using the x402 protocol, allowing AI agents to make micro-payments in USDC. This feature enables AI agents to instantly pay for web content, APIs, MCP servers, and other agents. AWS noted that developers can choose between Coinbase and Stripe wallets and fund those wallets using either stablecoins or fiat currency.
Altman: OpenAI to Operate as "Permanently Low-Profit" Company, Aiming to Follow Stripe's Model
Odaily OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated at Stripe Sessions that OpenAI aspires to become an infrastructure company that is "permanently low-profit, yet massive and fast-growing," offering products akin to "smart meters" that allow anyone to purchase them to automate businesses, develop products, or embed them into their own services. He compared OpenAI to Stripe, noting that their model is usage-based billing, and as the internet scales, both Stripe and its users benefit.Altman revealed that OpenAI has already signed 20-year contracts for electricity and land to support this goal. He acknowledged that switching costs in AI are low, and the recent massive influx of users from competing programming tools to Codex proves that the smarter AI becomes, the easier it is to switch platforms. He pointed out that while some companies might try to capture the entire industry chain, OpenAI does not plan to do so, believing that models and data centers are a whole, and other companies can build products on top of them.Altman also emphasized that businesses should not overestimate AI's impact on existing business structures. Although AI has changed many existing processes, good products will still survive in the market. He specifically mentioned that Shopify CEO Toby Lütke is the best AI adopter he has ever seen.
Open USD Announces Ethereum Launch on Day One, Over 140 Institutions Including Visa and BlackRock Participate
Ethereum Institutional (@ethereuminsti) posted that Open Standard's stablecoin project Open USD will be deployed on Ethereum on its first day of launch, having already attracted over 140 enterprises to join, including Visa, Mastercard, Stripe, BlackRock, BNY, and others. All reserve yields will flow to partners driving its growth. Open Standard stated that shared assets require neutral infrastructure, and Ethereum is the deployment platform it has chosen.
Visa CEO on Open USD Competition: Visa Is Not Just Picking Winners
Visa CEO Ryan McInerney stated during the earnings call that Visa's role in the stablecoin space is not to pick winners, but to help clients securely and scalably connect to the stablecoin ecosystem.Last month, Visa joined forces with over 140 companies, including Stripe, Mastercard, BlackRock, and Coinbase, to support Open Standard, which plans to launch the stablecoin Open USD (OUSD) later this year. Following the announcement, market speculation arose that OUSD could challenge Tether's USDT and Circle's USDC.When asked whether Visa views OUSD as a competitor to USDT and USDC, McInerney said that Visa will maintain a "multi-currency, multi-chain" strategy going forward and will not bet on a single stablecoin, network, or infrastructure.He stated that Visa's goal is to support clients in accessing the stablecoin ecosystem, regardless of which stablecoin, network, or underlying infrastructure is ultimately adopted.Ark Invest analyzed that Visa is clearly interested in Open USD, but this does not necessarily mean it views OUSD as an exclusive strategic bet. Overall, Visa appears to be keeping its participation open at the stablecoin infrastructure level, rather than directly aligning with a specific stablecoin issuer.
Stripe Stablecoin Department Head Connor Fitzgerald Announces Departure
Connor Fitzgerald, Head of Partnerships at payment company Stripe, announced on X that he has departed this week. During his tenure, Connor Fitzgerald facilitated partnerships between Stripe and Visa, among others, supporting wallet/fintech companies in issuing stablecoin-backed Visa cards.
Mizuho: Clarity Act Could Intensify Long-Term Competition in Stablecoins, Negative Impact on Circle
Mizuho analysts stated that if the U.S. crypto market structure bill, the "Clarity Act," is passed, while it may generally benefit the digital asset industry, the long-term impact on Circle could be negative. The reason is that regulatory clarity will attract more large institutions into the stablecoin market, further accelerating stablecoin commodification and eroding the revenue potential of Circle's USDC.Mizuho believes that the primary pressure Circle faces in the near term comes from Open USD. This stablecoin project is backed by a coalition of over 140 financial, technology, and crypto companies, with members including Visa, Mastercard, Stripe, BlackRock, and Coinbase. Unlike Circle's model, which retains approximately 38% of USDC reserve yields, Open USD employs a "pass-through" model, distributing nearly all reserve yields to distribution partners while retaining only a small management fee.Analysts also noted that Coinbase, as the largest distributor of USDC, also supports Open USD. This could give Coinbase stronger bargaining power when renegotiating its revenue-sharing agreement with Circle in the future. The distribution agreement between the two parties could be up for renegotiation as early as next month.
Circle's stock price fell from $260 to $62, and Heath Tarbert stated that the company will focus on long-term development
: In an interview this week, Circle President Heath Tarbert responded to questions about the stock price falling from $260 to $62, stating that the company is focusing on long-term development. If it can fulfill its mission of building a full-stack internet platform infrastructure, the stock price will ultimately reflect that value in the long run. Addressing the new competition posed by the Open USD Alliance, which consists of 140 companies including Visa, Stripe, Mastercard, and Google, Heath Tarbert noted that USDC, as a stablecoin natively supporting 34 blockchains, has built a network effect with a circulating supply of $73 billion that is extremely difficult to replicate. Discussing the difference in market position compared to Tether, he stated that USDC is the world's largest regulated stablecoin and boasts the highest real transaction volume.
PayPal Board Believes Stripe and Advent's $53 Billion Acquisition Offer Is Too Low
According to Reuters, the PayPal board believes the $53 billion acquisition offer ($60.50 per share) jointly proposed by Stripe and private equity firm Advent International undervalues the company, and has concerns regarding regulatory approval risks and financing certainty; it has not yet formally responded to the proposal. The PayPal board believes that if management successfully executes the existing transformation strategy, the company's future potential value will far exceed the current offer. Meanwhile, the acquirers have obtained approximately $50 billion in financing support from JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley, with Stripe and Advent contributing a combined $17 billion in equity. Reportedly, if the parties encounter antitrust hurdles, they may consider divesting assets such as PayPal's Braintree to Advent. Despite differences, Stripe and Advent are still regarded as the most serious potential buyers at present, and negotiations are expected to continue for some time. PayPal will release its quarterly earnings report on July 28, and the market will closely monitor the growth of its core checkout business.
Related news
Open USD Announces Ethereum Launch on Day One, Over 140 Institutions Including Visa and BlackRock Participate
Ethereum Institutional (@ethereuminsti) posted that Open Standard's stablecoin project Open USD will be deployed on Ethereum on its first day of launch, having already attracted over 140 enterprises to join, including Visa, Mastercard, Stripe, BlackRock, BNY, and others. All reserve yields will flow to partners driving its growth. Open Standard stated that shared assets require neutral infrastructure, and Ethereum is the deployment platform it has chosen.
Visa CEO on Open USD Competition: Visa Is Not Just Picking Winners
Visa CEO Ryan McInerney stated during the earnings call that Visa's role in the stablecoin space is not to pick winners, but to help clients securely and scalably connect to the stablecoin ecosystem.Last month, Visa joined forces with over 140 companies, including Stripe, Mastercard, BlackRock, and Coinbase, to support Open Standard, which plans to launch the stablecoin Open USD (OUSD) later this year. Following the announcement, market speculation arose that OUSD could challenge Tether's USDT and Circle's USDC.When asked whether Visa views OUSD as a competitor to USDT and USDC, McInerney said that Visa will maintain a "multi-currency, multi-chain" strategy going forward and will not bet on a single stablecoin, network, or infrastructure.He stated that Visa's goal is to support clients in accessing the stablecoin ecosystem, regardless of which stablecoin, network, or underlying infrastructure is ultimately adopted.Ark Invest analyzed that Visa is clearly interested in Open USD, but this does not necessarily mean it views OUSD as an exclusive strategic bet. Overall, Visa appears to be keeping its participation open at the stablecoin infrastructure level, rather than directly aligning with a specific stablecoin issuer.
Stripe Stablecoin Department Head Connor Fitzgerald Announces Departure
Connor Fitzgerald, Head of Partnerships at payment company Stripe, announced on X that he has departed this week. During his tenure, Connor Fitzgerald facilitated partnerships between Stripe and Visa, among others, supporting wallet/fintech companies in issuing stablecoin-backed Visa cards.
Stripe in Talks to Acquire OpenRouter
citing sources familiar with the matter, that Stripe is in talks to acquire OpenRouter. OpenRouter is a popular startup that helps developers choose between various AI models. According to insiders, a deal could be announced soon, but there is also the possibility that negotiations could collapse or other bidders could emerge. The specific price under discussion is not yet clear, but sources suggest the company may be valued at around $10 billion in a sale. The sources added that several other major tech companies have previously explored opportunities to acquire OpenRouter. Founded in 2023, OpenRouter sells software that allows clients to easily access AI models developed by OpenAI and Anthropic, as well as "open-weight" models that anyone can download and run for free. Acquiring OpenRouter would enable Stripe to capture a hot growth area in the AI market. (Jin Shi)
Mizuho: Clarity Act Could Intensify Long-Term Competition in Stablecoins, Negative Impact on Circle
Mizuho analysts stated that if the U.S. crypto market structure bill, the "Clarity Act," is passed, while it may generally benefit the digital asset industry, the long-term impact on Circle could be negative. The reason is that regulatory clarity will attract more large institutions into the stablecoin market, further accelerating stablecoin commodification and eroding the revenue potential of Circle's USDC.Mizuho believes that the primary pressure Circle faces in the near term comes from Open USD. This stablecoin project is backed by a coalition of over 140 financial, technology, and crypto companies, with members including Visa, Mastercard, Stripe, BlackRock, and Coinbase. Unlike Circle's model, which retains approximately 38% of USDC reserve yields, Open USD employs a "pass-through" model, distributing nearly all reserve yields to distribution partners while retaining only a small management fee.Analysts also noted that Coinbase, as the largest distributor of USDC, also supports Open USD. This could give Coinbase stronger bargaining power when renegotiating its revenue-sharing agreement with Circle in the future. The distribution agreement between the two parties could be up for renegotiation as early as next month.
Ansem: This Crypto Cycle May See the Largest Retail Participation in History, with Infrastructure and Narratives in Place
Ansem posted on platform X, stating that the current market remains in a stage with high growth potential. Bitcoin (BTC) and Solana (SOL) still have considerable room to rise from their all-time highs, with SOL down approximately 75% from its peak and BTC down about 50%. Compared to previous cycles, this cycle has more mature user experiences and infrastructure, including improved mobile trading experiences, lower barriers for wallet onboarding, and enhanced cross-chain capabilities, making it easier for new users without prior crypto experience to enter the market.Ansem pointed out that a growing number of high-quality developers are aligning incentives through a "token plus equity" model, offering investors exposure to a wider range of industry sectors. Meanwhile, institutional interest in Real World Assets (RWA), attention to the regulatory framework related to the US CLARITY Act, and the entry of major tech-finance companies like Stripe and Robinhood into the crypto space are all boosting market confidence. The wealth effect generated by AI stock performance in recent years, coupled with the wealth-building cases of Meme coins in previous crypto cycles, are reinforcing the market's perception of high-yield trading opportunities. While some earlier Meme coins grew from zero to tens of billions of dollars in market capitalization, the circulating market cap of current popular Meme projects like $ANSEM is still under $100 million, attracting speculative capital.This cycle features dual market drivers: institutional narratives and high-risk speculative opportunities. On one hand, mature financial applications like perpetual contracts and RWA will attract more professional capital; on the other hand, trading in Meme coins and low-market-cap tokens will continue to attract significant retail participation.Ansem stated that with more teams launching user-friendly mobile crypto applications that lower the barrier to entry, this cycle could become the one with the largest scale of retail participation in crypto history.