News linked to both this project and an event.
According to Bitcoin.com News, a collaborative project in Thailand has launched a digital wallet app called WORPT, which allows foreign tourists to exchange stablecoins such as USDT and USDC for Thai baht and make payments to local merchants via Thailand's QR Promptpay network. Launched under the Securities and Exchange Commission of Thailand’s (SEC) tourist Digipay regulatory sandbox initiative, the app is jointly developed by Waan Exchange and Wipay, in partnership with the USDT issuer, The Mall Group, and Visa. Designed within the sandbox framework, local merchants will not receive cryptocurrency directly; instead, payments are settled in Thai baht through standard payment channels. WORPT also plans to introduce physical and virtual Visa prepaid cards, allowing users to draw from a shared Thai baht balance for both QR code scans and card transactions. The project is slated to hold its official launch event in November 2026.
the Monetary Authority of Singapore has announced the expansion of the BLOOM cross-border digital currency settlement initiative, with Bank Negara Malaysia and the Bank of Thailand joining as policy-making members. BLOOM is a public-private partnership initiative covering regulated stablecoins and tokenized deposits, with participants including Mastercard, Visa, Nium, Ripple, Circle, Coinbase, Airwallex, Maybank, Monee, Shopeepay, and the World Bank Group. The initiative will study the acceptance of different forms of currency, inter-institutional contracting, settlement, and system connectivity, and will implement identity verification and sanctions screening through programmable controls, with applications spanning payments, corporate treasury, and trade finance.
Odaily reports: Polygon Labs has announced the completion of its acquisition of Coinme, a US-regulated crypto payment service provider, with plans to leverage stablecoin infrastructure to enter the payments market dominated by Visa and Stripe. Polygon Labs CEO Marc Boiron stated that the acquisition will help Polygon Labs own customer relationships and capture revenue that previously flowed to intermediaries; Polygon Labs has now become a payments-focused company that uses blockchain to move money. In January, Polygon Labs launched Open Money Stack to support stablecoin payments and cross-border transfers, and to charge fees for currency exchange and money transfers. Marc Boiron said the regulated payments business is expected to become profitable by 2027. Data shows that Visa's payment volume exceeded $12.3 trillion in fiscal year 2025, while Stripe's payment volume reached $1.9 trillion. Through the acquisition of Coinme, Polygon Labs will control more business processes in areas such as crypto asset, stablecoin, and fiat currency conversion, rather than handing customers over to third parties. Polygon Labs' unified payments platform is currently still in technical preview and not yet fully open; early users include Tazapay, Mesh, Toku, and Kira.
Odaily News: Venture investor Alex Lazarow wrote that over the past two years, Stripe, Mastercard, and Circle respectively acquired U.S. stablecoin infrastructure company Bridge, UK stablecoin infrastructure company BVNK, and Singapore-based cross-border payment platform Tazapay, with the three deals totaling over $3 billion in value. Stripe announced in 2024 that it would acquire Bridge for slightly more than $1 billion; Mastercard's acquisition of BVNK was valued at up to $1.8 billion, including $1.5 billion in base consideration and $300 million in contingent consideration; Circle agreed to acquire Tazapay for $400 million in stock, with the deal expected to close in 2027. Bridge, BVNK, and Tazapay were founded between 2020 and 2022 and had raised approximately $200 million in cumulative funding. Growing stablecoin adoption, an increasingly clear regulatory framework, and rising demand for real-time cross-border payments are the main factors driving the related M&A activity. In 2025, stablecoin adjusted transaction volume grew 91% year-over-year to $10.9 trillion, approaching Visa's $14.2 trillion; real-world payment volume more than doubled to approximately $390 billion.
Odaily reports: A survey by payment technology company Visa shows that nearly half of consumers in the Asia-Pacific region may use stablecoins within the next five years, higher than the 16% who actually used stablecoins in the past year.The survey shows that only 6% of respondents accurately understand how stablecoins work, and concerns about fraud and scams remain the primary obstacle to stablecoin adoption. Consumer interest in using stablecoins for everyday spending, travel payments, and cross-border transfers is increasing. (CoinDesk)
Odaily reports: Crypto wallet provider Tangem has announced the launch of its first physical Visa card, supporting in-store and online purchases as well as ATM withdrawals, with an initial limited release of 5,000 cards. Users can top up the card directly from their self-custodial wallet, and if the card is suspended or closed, funds can be transferred back to the wallet.More than 40% of Tangem Pay payments come from Latin America, and over 30% from the United States. Tangem stated that the physical card currently cannot be shipped to approximately 20 countries and regions, including China, Russia, North Korea, and Palestine, with these restrictions affected by KYC, sanctions, banking rules, and card issuance compliance requirements.Tangem Pay will also offer USDC cashback on eligible purchases, with 1% cashback for Basic users and 2% for Plus users. Tangem plans to showcase the first batch of physical cards during Token2049 in Singapore. (Cointelegraph)
According to The Block, New York-based stablecoin payment and tokenized asset company HIFI has announced the completion of a $37 million Series A financing round led by Left Lane Capital. Proceeds from the funding will be used to expand its tokenized capital market infrastructure and product lines. HIFI provides API infrastructure that integrates fund flows, compliance, and settlement capabilities, currently processing over $7 billion annually across 87 countries. Prior to this round, HIFI participated in a tokenized securities production trade co-hosted by DTCC, BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, and Nasdaq in July. Later this month, it partnered with Visa to extend its stablecoin settlement platform to remittance and card payment scenarios, initially supporting stablecoin settlements for more than 4 billion Visa cards globally.
Odaily News: Visa has released its "Money Travels 2026" report, based on a survey of 2,192 U.S. adults, showing that if stablecoins were equipped with bank-grade fraud protection and deposit insurance, consumer willingness to use them would rise from 36% to 56%; if offered through existing financial institutions, willingness would also increase to 45%. The survey also found that 56% of respondents had never heard of stablecoins, and 64% of respondents had greater trust in payment providers than in the technology itself. Currently, the total global supply of USD-pegged stablecoins has exceeded $295 billion, with USDT at approximately $183.4 billion and USDC at approximately $76 billion; Visa's annualized stablecoin settlement volume has surpassed $20 billion, representing more than a 15-fold increase from a year ago. (The Block)
According to The Block, Visa released its Money Travels 2026 report. Based on a survey of 2,192 U.S. adults, consumer willingness to use stablecoins would rise from 36% to 56% if they feature bank-level fraud protection and deposit insurance; if offered through existing financial institutions, willingness could also reach 45%. The survey also indicates that 56% of respondents had never heard of stablecoins, while 64% trust payment providers more than the technology itself. Currently, the global total supply of USD-pegged stablecoins exceeds $295 billion, comprising approximately $183.4 billion in USDT and around $76 billion in USDC. Visa's annualized stablecoin settlement volume has already surpassed $20 billion, representing an increase of over 15 times compared to a year ago.
Visa is closing a checkout loophole supported by crypto payment infrastructure company Crossmint. The loophole previously allowed users purchasing Meme coins with credit cards to have transactions classified under a merchant category code intended for digital media such as e-books, movies, and music.Visa has notified payment processors, including Checkout.com, that it will no longer accept that code for Meme coin transactions, giving processors a grace period to stop the practice, which is expected to end next week. Thereafter, Meme coin purchases must be processed as cryptocurrency transactions and are subject to Visa's corresponding rules.Chase had disputed a Visa transaction that was not flagged as a cryptocurrency transaction, arguing that its merchant category code was incorrect and that it should not have earned credit card rewards. The New York State Attorney General's Office is also aware of and reviewing the matter. (Decrypt)
Odaily News: Singapore-based compliant stablecoin payment company Dtcpay has announced the completion of a $25 million Series A funding round, led by Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India, with SBI participating through two Singapore investment entities. Dtcpay provides stablecoin and fiat currency acceptance, storage, and trading services.The funds from this round will be used to expand its merchant network, build infrastructure, develop enterprise portal and consumer application features, and enter more regulated markets. Dtcpay has integrated with WalletConnect and launched a Visa-linked stablecoin-to-fiat card. (Bitcoin.com News)
According to Crypto in America, the US Senate failed to advance the crypto market structure bill known as the "Clear Act" this week with a 49-50 vote, with Democrats voting as a bloc against it and Republican Senators Collins, Hawley, and Moran joining the opposition. Following the setback, the focus of crypto regulation shifted from Congress to regulatory agencies: the SEC subsequently issued innovation exemption measures, paving a limited pathway for on-chain trading of tokenized US stocks, while the CFTC adopted a no-action stance regarding passive software providers and submitted a broader proposal for crypto market rulemaking to the White House. Meanwhile, Visa announced the closure of a loophole that allowed purchasing memecoins with credit cards in exchange for standard loyalty points, with related processors granted a grace period expected to expire next week. Some Democratic senators involved in the negotiations stated that the "Clear Act" is not "dead," with efforts to restart talks still underway.
Visa has partnered with Brale to leverage the SBC stablecoin on the Canton Network for a proof of concept, exploring privacy-compliant payment and settlement solutions for institutional users.
As reported by Fortune, Grayscale CEO Peter Mintzberg authored an article stating that Bitcoin rallied nearly 20% last week, recording its strongest three-day gains since 2023 as the crypto winter slowly thaws. However, he cautioned that market participants remain overly focused on short-term price fluctuations, overlooking the long-term structural growth of digital assets. Mintzberg highlighted two key drivers: first, sustained expansion in institutional demand. In 2025, the daily average capital inflow into spot Bitcoin ETPs exceeded $500 million, roughly 12 times the daily new supply from miners. Additionally, a 2026 EY survey revealed that 73% of institutional investors plan to increase their digital asset allocations. Second, accelerated enterprise blockchain adoption. In 2025, approximately 60% of Fortune 500 executives stated that their companies are actively advancing blockchain initiatives, with major players like Fidelity, Visa, and Stripe all positioning themselves in the stablecoin sector. He also noted the complementary nature of AI and public chain technologies, adding that emerging demands such as machine-native micro-payments and cross-border instant settlements will further drive real-world blockchain adoption. As regulatory frameworks grow increasingly clear, digital assets are rapidly integrating into the mainstream financial ecosystem.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Dunamu, operator of South Korean crypto exchange Upbit, has announced a strategic partnership with global payment giant Visa. Both parties will jointly explore next-generation financial payment services leveraging stablecoins and AI. Cooperation areas include stablecoin payments and cross-border remittance services, business models for the USD stablecoin OUSD based on Open Standards, and "Agentic Commerce," which integrates AI with stablecoins to allow AI to handle the entire product search, purchase, and payment process on behalf of users. The specific service architecture has yet to be finalized, and implementation will proceed in phases in compliance with relevant regulations and regulatory requirements.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Shinhan Financial Group announced on August 26 that it has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Visa Inc. The two parties will collaborate on digital assets and next-generation financial services. Shinhan Financial plans to leverage Visa’s stablecoin platform to validate core functionalities including stablecoin issuance, transfers, and redemptions, and will jointly develop business models aligned with South Korea’s domestic financial regulatory framework and market conditions. Additionally, both sides will explore the application of stablecoins in financial services such as credit card bill settlement, advance AI-driven new payment models, and expand B2B and B2C payment services.
Odaily News: Payment company Visa is seeking settlement and over-the-counter (OTC) trading partners with cryptocurrency exchange licenses in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Singapore. The partner will also be responsible for settlement of the newly launched Open USD stablecoin project, which plans to support multiple stablecoins. (CoinDesk)
According to CoinDesk, Visa is seeking new stablecoin settlement and OTC trading partners to replace BVNK, which was previously acquired by Mastercard. Relevant product request documents indicate that Visa expects partners to hold cryptocurrency exchange licenses in the U.S., Canada, the UK, and Singapore, and to support multiple stablecoin conversion and settlement services, including handling settlement for the Open USD stablecoin project promoted by Stripe, Visa, and Mastercard.
crypto payment infrastructure company Moonpay has integrated Discover Network payments. Discover Network cardholders can now buy and sell cryptocurrencies through the Moonpay platform. Discover Network becomes the third major card brand supported by Moonpay in the United States, alongside Visa and Mastercard. Moonpay stated that this support is now available across its network of over 500 enterprise partners, including wallets, exchanges, and applications. Moonpay also supports Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Venmo, bank transfers, and regional payment channels. Founded in 2019, Moonpay serves over 30 million customers across 180 countries and holds the New York BitLicense, a New York limited purpose trust company charter, money transmitter licenses in multiple US states, and an authorization under the EU's MiCA framework.
a16z partner and head of a16z crypto, Chris Dixon, stated on the X platform that the U.S. should push for the passage of the CLARITY Act. Dixon noted that the GENIUS Act has proven that clear regulation can drive market growth, with the stablecoin market currently valued at approximately $315 billion, growing over 50% in the past year. Major institutions including BlackRock, JPMorgan, Visa, and Mastercard are deeply investing in blockchain infrastructure.He believes that while stablecoins currently represent only a part of the crypto market, the underlying blockchain networks they rely on still lack a unified regulatory framework. The CLARITY Act would establish clear rules for blockchain networks, clarify regulatory responsibilities in the digital asset market, and set unified standards to promote transparency, risk control, and market competition. The bill can also draw on traditional financial regulatory principles to reduce the risk of incidents similar to FTX.Dixon concluded that if the CLARITY Act passes, the U.S. will once again lead the future, just as it did during the commercial internet era. Without action, innovation may move to other countries and follow rules set by others there.