Blockchain & Digital Assets

May 4, 2026 @ 8:49 am By Omar Faridi  |  

North Korea has launched a forceful denial of international accusations linking it to large-scale cryptocurrency thefts, directing its ire at what it describes as “reptile media” alongside U.S. officials and allied groups. In an official statement released through state channels, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson dismissed… Read More

May 4, 2026 @ 7:55 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Payward Inc., the company behind the well-known cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, has now wrapped up its purchase of Bitnomial. The deal equips Payward with a complete, fully licensed derivatives operation in the United States that was purpose-built from the ground up for digital assets rather than… Read More

May 4, 2026 @ 6:47 am By Tony Zerucha  |  

Loyyal, an AI-first, blockchain-powered loyalty and payments ecosystem, this week launched OfferPoint, a merchant-funded offer marketplace designed to help banks, digital wallets, and financial institutions increase card spend and customer engagement without funding the rewards themselves. OfferPoint provides financial institutions access to a continuously growing… Read More

May 4, 2026 @ 5:44 am By Tony Zerucha  |  

Bybit has expanded Bybit Pay to South Africa through an integration with  MoneyBadger, a South African crypto payments integration provider that enables QR-based transactions and settlement in rand through partnerships with major payment networks. That enables users to make everyday purchases using cryptocurrency across a… Read More

May 4, 2026 @ 1:31 am By Omar Faridi  |  

In the fast-growing web3 and cryptocurrency space, new projects frequently emerge amid waves of excitement and online buzz. Kaspa is the latest example, drawing significant attention across platforms like X and other social channels. Promoters and advocates highlight Kaspa‘s so-called innovative features, positioning it as… Read More

May 3, 2026 @ 7:42 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

Squads this week announced an $18 million strategic round led by Solana Ventures, with participation from Coinbase Ventures, Haun Ventures, L1D, Collab+Currency, Electric Capital, Placeholder, Jump Crypto, and Robot Ventures, bringing total funding to $42.9 million. This raise accelerates Altitude, a financial operating system built on… Read More

May 3, 2026 @ 6:39 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

MoonPay Korea will support the global distribution, cross-border settlement, wallet access, and currency conversion infrastructure for Korea’s emerging won-backed stablecoin market. As part of this effort, MoonPay Korea has signed its first banking MOU with Woori Bank, South Korea’s oldest commercial bank and one of… Read More

May 3, 2026 @ 6:26 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Circle (NYSE:CRCL) has officially activated its Nanopayments solution on mainnet, powered by Circle Gateway. This development creates a specialized payment infrastructure tailored for the emerging agentic economy, where autonomous software agents, APIs, and machine-driven systems handle frequent, tiny-value exchanges.  The system supports seamless USDC transfers… Read More

May 3, 2026 @ 6:16 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Fintech firm Ripple, a key player in blockchain-enabled solutions for finance, has announced a major step forward in its regional strategy with the launch of a new headquarters for the MEA in Dubai’s International Financial Centre (DIFC). This development underscores the company’s dedication to supporting… Read More

May 3, 2026 @ 12:44 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

Trading platform Liquid has closed an $18 million seed funding round. It was co-led by Neo and Left Lane Capital, with participation from Haun Ventures, K5 Global, SV Angel, AntiFund, and Sunflower Capital, in addition to existing investors Paradigm and General Catalyst. Liquid is designed… Read More

May 3, 2026 @ 11:35 am By Michael Wong  |  

Singapore-listed OxPay Financial has secured a financial services license for its Bhutan subsidiary, Oxygen7, allowing the company to move ahead with a crypto-enabled payments platform in Gelephu Mindfulness City. The license, granted by the Gelephu Financial Services Office on April 29, authorizes Oxygen7 to provide… Read More

May 2, 2026 @ 7:32 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

MoonPay has acquired Sodot, a management infrastructure company with clients including eToro, BitGo, Flow Traders, and Exodus. The acquisition forms the foundation of MoonPay Institutional, MoonPay’s new business serving financial institutions, asset managers, trading firms and exchanges entering digital asset markets. It provides a technology… Read More

May 2, 2026 @ 12:46 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Visa (NYSE: V), like most other Fintechs at this time and even tech giants like Meta to some extent, is pushing ahead with its stablecoin strategy, announcing the integration of five additional blockchains into its global settlement pilot program. The expansion gives issuers and acquirers… Read More

May 2, 2026 @ 11:19 am By Tony Zerucha  |  

Bitcoin’s struggles, Saudi Arabia, stablecoins and interest rates occupied Web3 minds this week. Bitcoin struggles to hit $80K “As markets head into a week dominated by central bank interest rate decisions, Bitcoin is struggling to break through the psychological barrier of $80,000. It is battling… Read More

May 2, 2026 @ 8:16 am By Omar Faridi  |  

ConsenSys has recently shared a detailed comment letter that was submitted this week focused on key stablecoin ecosystem developments. Blockchain infrastructure provider ConsenSys offered constructive feedback on the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s (OCC) proposed regulations for payment stablecoins under the GENIUS Act…. Read More

May 2, 2026 @ 8:01 am By Michael Wong  |  

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority has warned the public about tokens falsely claiming to be linked to licensed stablecoin issuers, as the city begins rolling out its regulated stablecoin framework. The HKMA said tokens using the tickers “HKDAP” and “HSBC” have appeared in the market,… Read More

May 2, 2026 @ 7:56 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Digital assets firm Gemini (NASDAQ:GEMI) has reached a significant regulatory milestone by obtaining a Derivatives Clearing Organization (DCO) license from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). This approval enables the platform to operate as a clearinghouse for regulated derivatives trading, with a particular emphasis… Read More

May 1, 2026 @ 7:27 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

Paystand has launched USDb, a stablecoin targeting commercial-scale enterprise finance. It is designed to work inside the accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll, and treasury workflows that run the global economy. Partners include Rootstock, a decentralized infrastructure layer built on top of the Bitcoin network, Blockstream,… Read More

May 1, 2026 @ 6:55 pm By JD Alois  |  

According to a report this afternoon, a compromise has been reached on the CLARITY Act and stablecoin yield. The CLARITY Act, or crypto market infrastructure legislation, has been held up by the banking industry, which fears competition from the digital asset sector. Banks worry that… Read More

May 1, 2026 @ 4:14 pm By JD Alois  |  

Stand with Crypto, an association supported by multiple crypto organizations, has hand-delivered a petition demanding Congress move forward with the CLARITY Act. A not-for-profit, Stand with Crypto has a mission of representing the 52+ million Americans who own crypto assets. The goal is to enact… Read More