Author: Leah Starr Villalobos

Ethereum Foundation AI Agent Research Shows Where Smart Contracts May Be Heading Next is the kind of crypto story that looks simple at headline level but becomes more useful once you place it inside the wider market backdrop. The important point is not that AI agents will suddenly take over Ethereum tomorrow; it is that developers are already designing the verification layers they would need. The reason it deserves attention today is not that one announcement or filing magically changes the whole market. It is that the update adds another data point to a sector still trying to work out…

Tom Lee has reaffirmed that Ethereum will play the central role as traditional finance and cryptocurrency converge into a single market. Summary Tom Lee says traditional finance and crypto will eventually merge into one market, with Ethereum at the center. His comments come as Bitmine’s Ethereum treasury has grown to 5.74 million ETH, equal to 4.8% of the total supply. Lee also links Ethereum’s outlook to the CLARITY Act and expanding layer-2 payment activity involving Visa and Shopify. According to a post published by Bitmine chairman Tom Lee on X, he believes the line separating traditional financial markets and digital…

Match2Pay on Crypto Payments, Stablecoins & Faster Broker Integrations Match2Pay on Crypto Payments, Stablecoins & Faster Broker Integrations Match2Pay on Crypto Payments, Stablecoins & Faster Broker Integrations Match2Pay on Crypto Payments, Stablecoins & Faster Broker Integrations Match2Pay on Crypto Payments, Stablecoins & Faster Broker Integrations Match2Pay on Crypto Payments, Stablecoins & Faster Broker Integrations Are crypto payments really risky for brokers, or is the industry working with outdated assumptions? In this exclusive Finance Magnates interview from iFX Expo International 2026, Adonis Adoni, News Editor at Finance Magnates, speaks with Andrey Kalashnikov, Head of Match2Pay, about how brokers can improve payment…

Circle Internet Group secured final approval from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency today, to establish a national trust bank, a milestone that sent the stablecoin issuer’s shares higher and deepened its ties to the federal banking system. The regulator cleared Circle to charter First National Digital Currency Bank, N.A., which will operate under the name Circle National Trust.  The company, which trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker CRCL, said the charter places the new entity under direct federal oversight by the OCC, the primary supervisor for national banks and national trust banks.…

Bitcoin Tests $59,000 as Traders Look For A Cleaner Rebound After Supply Pressure is the kind of crypto story that looks simple at headline level but becomes more useful once you place it inside the wider market backdrop. Bitcoin’s rebound attempt is really a test of market depth after several weeks dominated by government wallets, ETF flows, and shaky risk appetite. The reason it deserves attention today is not that one announcement or filing magically changes the whole market. It is that the update adds another data point to a sector still trying to work out where capital, users, and…

Backpack has launched 24/7 trading for tokenized U.S. stocks across more than 150 countries, giving eligible investors direct ownership of selected equities with instant settlement. Summary Backpack has launched 24/7 trading for tokenized U.S. stocks with direct ownership and instant settlement. The exchange now offers tokenized shares of companies including SpaceX, Micron and SanDisk across 150+ markets. RWA.xyz data shows the tokenized stock market has grown to $1.85 billion as crypto and traditional firms expand offerings. Backpack announced on Thursday that users outside the United States can now trade a group of tokenized U.S. equities around the clock, including shares…

Circle has received final approval from the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to establish a national trust bank, allowing the USDC issuer to expand its regulated digital asset custody operations in the United States.The company announced today (Friday) that the new institution will operate as Circle National Trust, formally established as First National Digital Currency Bank. The approval follows Circle’s application for a national trust charter in June 2025.The decision also marks the first approval among a recent wave of applications from major stablecoin issuers seeking federal trust bank charters. Ripple applied to establish Ripple National Trust…

Rep. French Hill wants a deadline.  One year after the House passed the Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act, the Arkansas Republican who chairs the House Financial Services Committee used a Fox Business interview with anchor Maria Bartiromo to press Senate leaders for a floor vote before the August recess. “I’ve encouraged Senate leadership to put it on the floor,” Hill said. “I think if you schedule a floor date here in the month of July, that will cause these final meetings, these final discussions to take place. You’ve got to have a deadline in Congress to get people to move…

Circle’s EURC launch on Base is a small but important stablecoin infrastructure move. It brings a native euro-denominated token to one of the most watched Ethereum layer-2 networks at a time when European regulation is becoming much more concrete. That combination matters. Base needs more native liquidity tools, and Circle needs to show that its MiCA-compliant strategy can translate into useful distribution across active networks. For more details, visit the official Circle platform. TL;DR Circle launched native EURC on Base.The rollout gives the Ethereum layer-2 a euro-denominated stablecoin aligned with Circle’s MiCA strategy.It adds another liquidity building block for Base…

Metaplanet has started a joint study into Bitcoin-backed digital credit products with stablecoin issuer JPYC, tokenization company Progmat and its securities arm in Japan. Summary Metaplanet will study Bitcoin-backed credit using JPYC settlement and Progmat’s security token infrastructure in Japan. No product has launched, while issuance timing, yields, terms, and distribution methods remain undecided. Project Nova seeks to turn Metaplanet’s Bitcoin treasury into collateral for regulated digital credit products. The study will assess whether Bitcoin can support digital corporate bonds and other credit products as collateral or a credit-enhancement asset. However, the companies said they have not decided to issue…