Crypto World
House Passes Housing Bill to Block CBDCs Until 2030, Awaits Trump
The U.S. House of Representatives has approved sweeping housing legislation that also contains a temporary prohibition on central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), delivering a significant policy victory for lawmakers who have sought to limit central-bank involvement in tokenized money. The measure now moves to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign the bill into law.
According to the official House roll call, the chamber passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act by a wide margin of 358–32 on Tuesday, following a similarly large vote in the Senate the day before. The bill is designed primarily to address housing affordability, but its CBDC provision—and its stablecoin carve-out—has become the most closely monitored part for the crypto and financial-services sector.
Key takeaways
- The House passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, with a CBDC restriction aimed at preventing the Federal Reserve from issuing or creating a CBDC or substantially similar digital asset until Dec. 31, 2030.
- The ban is not absolute across all crypto activity: the legislation includes a carve-out for certain dollar-denominated stablecoins described as open, permissionless, and private.
- Congressional leaders reached agreement on the bill only after earlier disagreements, indicating that the CBDC language remained a negotiable but preserved feature.
- The legislation now goes to the president for final approval, potentially shaping how financial institutions and crypto firms prepare for compliance over the 2020s.
What the bill does: a time-limited CBDC prohibition
The CBDC clause included in the housing act would bar the Federal Reserve from, “directly or indirectly,” issuing or creating a central bank digital currency—or any digital asset “substantially similar” to a CBDC—until Dec. 31, 2030. While the language is time-bound, it is intended to constrain central-bank experimentation or deployment of a tokenized central-bank form of money during the remainder of the decade.
In practice, such a restriction can influence institutional planning in several ways. Banks and other regulated financial intermediaries typically rely on clear regulatory signals for product development and risk management. By limiting the Federal Reserve’s ability to pursue a CBDC initiative through direct issuance or creation, the statute aims to reduce uncertainty for firms that view CBDCs as a shift toward centrally controlled settlement rails.
At the same time, the clause’s “substantially similar” formulation may raise interpretive questions about what qualifies as prohibited activity. Institutions subject to supervision may need to evaluate not only explicit CBDC proposals, but also any related digital-asset products that could arguably be characterized as CBDC-like. That creates compliance demand even without a CBDC being launched.
Stablecoin carve-out: narrowing the scope of the restriction
The act also incorporates a carve-out for crypto stablecoins, permitting “dollar-denominated currency” that is described as open, permissionless, and private. This drafting choice signals a legislative intent to avoid an outright ban on stablecoin functionality while still constraining the central-bank issuance of a tokenized form of fiat.
From a policy perspective, the carve-out may be read as an attempt to separate the stablecoin market—particularly private-sector dollar-linked tokens—from central-bank-issued digital currencies. For compliance teams, this distinction matters because it suggests that the bill focuses on the Federal Reserve’s role rather than imposing a blanket prohibition on stablecoin issuance or use.
However, the carve-out’s descriptors—open, permissionless, and private—could require further interpretation depending on how regulators treat access, governance, and transaction privacy. Regulated firms generally maintain compliance controls around transparency, recordkeeping, and supervisory reporting; “private” systems may require additional legal and operational review to ensure they do not undermine auditability or AML obligations.
Legislative momentum and the path to law
The bill’s rapid movement reflects a last-minute agreement among House and Senate leadership on the broader housing measure. According to reporting by Cointelegraph, the House passage followed a prior Senate vote, with the CBDC language carried through negotiations and preserved from earlier versions.
Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott praised the outcome, framing it as a victory for families while emphasizing that Congress had delivered on a long-standing policy objective. The inclusion of the CBDC prohibition has been repeatedly pursued by Republican lawmakers for years, including through earlier legislation that did not advance to enactment.
One notable precursor was a CBDC-focused proposal from Representative Tom Emmer, the Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act, introduced in June 2025 and passed by the House in July. Despite clearing the House, it did not move forward in the Senate. The housing bill therefore represents a different legislative route—embedding the CBDC restriction within a must-pass or priority bill—suggesting lawmakers may be using vehicle legislation to achieve digital-asset policy goals when standalone bills stall.
Broader compliance and regulatory implications
For regulated entities, the immediate compliance relevance is the signal the statute sends about congressional boundaries around central-bank digital money. Although the restriction targets the Federal Reserve directly, its presence can affect how other regulators interpret the policy environment in which they supervise payments, tokenized assets, and stablecoins.
Institutions also face a multi-jurisdiction landscape. While the U.S. action is domestic, firms with global operations must continue planning for foreign frameworks such as the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regime. Differences in approach—particularly around token classification, issuer obligations, and stablecoin rules—mean the U.S. CBDC ban may not harmonize with European requirements for reserve management, authorization, and ongoing disclosures.
On enforcement and risk, the bill does not replace existing AML/KYC expectations or consumer-protection rules for crypto and financial intermediaries. Rather, it modifies one dimension of the policy map: the ability of the Federal Reserve to issue or create a CBDC-like digital asset. Compliance programs must therefore remain focused on counterparty due diligence, transaction monitoring, sanctions screening, and recordkeeping, while also tracking whether any new regulatory guidance emerges to clarify how “substantially similar” assets will be treated.
What to watch next
The measure’s next milestone is presidential approval. After the bill becomes law, market participants and supervised entities will likely focus on interpretive clarity around the “substantially similar” standard and the stablecoin carve-out descriptors, as well as any downstream guidance from regulators. The longer-term uncertainty is how these constraints interact with future legislative efforts in U.S. crypto market structure—areas where Congress is still debating rules for trading, custody, and market conduct.
SecondFi, a Cardano (ADA) project, suffered a significant security breach tied to a flaw in its own wallet generation software. Damage estimates range from 16 million ADA to more than 129 million ADA and additional tokens across compromised wallets.
ADA trades at $0.150237 as of June 24, down 3.00% over the past 24 hours. At that price, SlowMist’s upper estimate of 129 million ADA translates to roughly $19.4 million. SlowMist founder Yu Xian, known by the handle Cos, placed total losses above $20 million. Non-ADA tokens held in the compromised wallets pushed that figure beyond SecondFi’s own estimate.
How the SecondFi Exploit Unfolded
SecondFi’s team traced the breach to a vulnerability in its proprietary wallet generation software. That flaw gave attackers access to funds across multiple user wallets. Critically, Cardano’s base protocol was not the entry point. The project completed an on-chain analysis to map the scope of affected addresses.
SecondFi is now working with an independent blockchain security firm on a technical review.
The project’s internal estimate puts losses at around 16 million ADA. However, SlowMist’s analysis of hacker fund flows and wallet activity points to a larger impact. Yu Xian said more than 129 million ADA and other tokens may have moved through addresses linked to the attacker.
That discrepancy suggests the final figure will depend heavily on the outcome of the independent review.
The incident fits a pattern of infrastructure-layer attacks that gained momentum in 2026. Earlier this month, Humanity Protocol’s private key breach wiped 88% off its token’s value in 24 hours.
An attacker gained control through compromised key material. Similarly, the Syscoin bridge exploit showed how software-layer flaws often evade standard security audits. In both cases, the vulnerability came from tooling built above the base chain, not from the underlying protocol.
ADA Under Pressure After the SecondFi Exploit
ADA already trades near five-year lows. Charles Hoskinson recently proposed a Cardano rescue plan, though ADA holders remained broadly skeptical. The breach adds another headwind to an ecosystem already under strain.
Hoskinson responded to the SecondFi incident, noting that while the losses may appear small relative to other crypto exploits, they offer no comfort to those affected. He stressed that some users may have lost their entire ADA holdings, describing it as an unfortunate reality of the industry.
The exploit surfaced just one day after Cardano launched the Leios Musashi Dojo testnet. Early Cardano network activity data showed few signs of a meaningful on-chain uptick. Therefore, the breach may complicate efforts to attract new developers and liquidity to the network.
SecondFi has not disclosed a reimbursement timeline or recovery plan. The ongoing technical review will determine whether any funds remain recoverable. It will also establish what changes the project must make to its wallet infrastructure before safely resuming operations.
The post Cardano Project SecondFi Hit by Major Exploit, Losses Could Top $20 Million appeared first on BeInCrypto.
Crypto World
Micron Stock Goes On-Chain 48 Hours Before Earnings as Backpack Securities Lists $MU on Solana
Sunrise and Backpack Securities brought tokenized Micron Technology stock to Solana on Monday, listing $MU on-chain exactly 48 hours before Micron reports its fiscal third-quarter earnings after the closing bell on June 24. Each token is backed 1:1 by a real Micron share held in custody by Backpack… Read the full story at The Defiant
The Alliance to End Human Trafficking, a faith-based nationwide network, delivered a letter signed by 82 Catholic leaders to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday, urging both parties to oppose Section 604 of the CLARITY Act, the provision that would exempt non-custodial DeFi developers from criminal prosecution and AML compliance obligations.
The bill cleared the Senate Banking Committee 15–9 on May 14, 2026, but still needs a full Senate floor vote, and Polymarket currently prices Trump signing it into law this year at roughly 42%. A coalition letter targeting the bill’s most industry-critical provision, arriving from an unexpected moral quarter, does not improve those odds.
Section 604 codifies the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act (BRCA), language that has circulated in various legislative forms since at least 2018.
Its operative effect: persons who cannot unilaterally execute or prevent a transaction on behalf of another user, developers publishing open-source code, node operators, and unhosted wallet providers are not classified as money transmitters under the Bank Secrecy Act. That carve-out removes them from Bank Secrecy Act registration and reporting requirements.
For DeFi protocol operators and open-source developers, BRCA is the bill’s existential provision; industry groups have stated flatly they will not support the CLARITY Act without it. The Trump DOJ’s imprisonment of multiple crypto software developers over the past year for building privacy-enabling tools is precisely the prosecutorial risk BRCA is designed to eliminate.
The AML Loophole Argument: What AEHT Is Actually Charging
The Alliance to End Human Trafficking’s letter does not object to crypto regulation broadly; it objects to a specific legal mechanism. The coalition argued that BRCA “may make it more difficult to responsibly monitor illicit financial activity tied to trafficking, organized crime, child exploitation, sanctions evasion, and other forms of abuse.”
The structural claim is precise: by removing non-custodial developers from the money-transmitter classification, Section 604 strips away the transaction-monitoring and suspicious-activity-reporting obligations that AML frameworks depend on, leaving a compliance gap that transnational criminal organizations can exploit.
This is not a novel critique. The Bank Policy Institute issued a brief in June 2026 calling the Senate CLARITY bill “illicit finance-friendly” rather than innovation-friendly, warning that DeFi platforms and unhosted wallets would fall outside standard AML and sanctions rules entirely.
Transparency International U.S. made a parallel argument after the Senate Banking Committee markup, flagging the absence of clear obligations for non-custodial services as a structural weakness that would “hamper law enforcement’s ability to trace and interdict illicit finance.” What AEHT adds is not a new legal theory – it is a new political constituency delivering that theory.
The Catholic leaders framed their opposition in the language of Catholic social teaching: “The test of any financial system is not simply whether it generates wealth or innovation, but whether it safeguards human life and dignity,” the letter stated. That framing matters because it is not primarily a technical objection to market structure design – it is a moral claim about legislative complicity, and moral claims have different political mechanics than regulatory-policy objections from the banking lobby or the CFTC.
Senate Math: Why Faith-Based Opposition Is Harder to Neutralize Than Partisan Opposition
The CLARITY Act’s floor-vote problem is arithmetical. Reaching the 60-vote cloture threshold requires picking up five to seven Democratic senators beyond the two who crossed over at the May 14 committee vote.
Those crossover votes are most plausible from Democrats in competitive states or those who have staked a position on crypto-friendly economic development, senators who need a defensible justification for breaking with a caucus that includes Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Jack Reed, both of whom filed amendments during the markup aimed at extending AML obligations to DeFi platforms and smart contracts.
The AEHT letter complicates that justification directly. A Democratic senator considering a yes vote can deflect industry-lobby opposition as special-interest pressure.
Deflecting a faith-based anti-trafficking coalition that invokes Catholic social teaching on solidarity and human dignity – in writing, to Senate leadership – is a materially different political task. It hands opponents a ready-made floor-speech frame: a vote for BRCA is a vote against the tools that catch traffickers. That framing does not have to be legally accurate to be politically effective.
The CLARITY Act is already absorbing opposition from Wall Street over stablecoin yield language, from Native American tribes over prediction market sports-wagering provisions, and from a Democratic faction insisting the bill restrict President Donald Trump’s personal crypto ventures.
Each opposition bloc targets a different provision, which means resolving one does not resolve another. The AEHT letter specifically targets BRCA, which industry groups have designated a red line – meaning any Senate concession on Section 604 to address the trafficking-finance argument would likely require a House-Senate conference, consuming time the bill does not have.
Don’t Miss Out on Our $1,000 USDT Airdrop on ByBit
The post Here’s How the Catholic Church Could Kill CLARITY Act Over Human Trafficking appeared first on Cryptonews.
South Korea’s financial regulator folded token securities infrastructure into a broader overhaul of the country’s capital markets, alongside plans for faster settlement, longer trading hours and greater use of artificial intelligence.
On Tuesday, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) said it had launched a capital market infrastructure review meeting to coordinate reforms across government agencies and market operators. According to the FSC, plans for token securities will be further discussed separately through a public-private council before being linked to the wider initiative.
The initiative includes a roadmap for shortening the securities settlement cycle, expected by October, and a Korea Securities Depository (KSD) system for settling over-the-counter trades in unlisted shares and fractional investment products by the end of 2026.
The move places tokenized securities within the country’s broader effort to modernize traditional financial markets, potentially bringing blockchain-based investment products closer to systems used for mainstream securities settlement and trading.
FSC Vice Chairman Kwon Dae-young said the initiative would build on broader efforts to improve the capital market, guided by four policy priorities: trust, shareholder protection, innovation and market access.
South Korea prepares token securities framework for 2027
South Korea’s token securities initiative predates the latest capital-market review. In January, the National Assembly approved amendments recognizing blockchain-based distributed ledgers as valid securities registries and permitting the issuance and circulation of token securities.
According to the FSC, the framework is scheduled to take effect in February 2027, after regulators complete subordinate rules and supporting infrastructure. At the second meeting of its public-private token securities council in May, the FSC said it was targeting July for the release of proposed subordinate regulations and guidelines.
Related: South Korea reviews Hana Bank’s Dunamu stake under banking rules: Report
Technical infrastructure is also under development. Samsung SDS said in May that it had won a KSD contract to build a token securities management platform that connects the depository’s existing electronic securities account system to blockchain-based data. The company aims to complete the platform by February 2027, when the new framework is scheduled to take effect.
According to the FSC, detailed token securities plans will continue to be discussed by the public-private council before being linked to the broader review, part of South Korea’s preparations for a real-time, continuously accessible and integrated digital market.
Magazine: Japanese pension fund tips 1% in crypto, G7 urges action on NK hackers: Asia Express
The investment bolsters concerns about foreign influence, originally stemming from a major investment by MGX, a UAE state-backed investment company, that boosted the market capitalization of the Trump family’s stablecoin by almost $2 billion overnight.
Here’s where it gets interesting. Within months of the deal, the Trump Administration took policy decisions that benefited the UAE, according to the letter. In May 2025, it approved a $1.4 billion arms sale to the country, despite congressional concerns about weapons flowing to armed groups in Sudan where more than 150,000 people have died.
In the same month, Treasury created a “Known Investor Pilot” program to streamline investment approvals through CFIUS, a fast-track process that the UAE had lobbied for.
The Department of Commerce also rescinded Biden-era chip export restrictions, allowing the UAE to receive up to triple or quadruple the number of advanced chips it previously could have imported. It authorized G42, a UAE AI company chaired by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to receive 35,000 Nvidia Blackwell chips. The deal was worth over a billion dollars.
But U.S. intelligence officials reportedly caught G42 providing U.S. technology that was used to enhance China’s missile capabilities. Though G42 allegedly committed to divesting its Chinese holdings, reports suggest the firm attempted to obfuscate its ties to Beijing by moving its business holdings in China to a new investment firm.
The primary cryptocurrency, which suffered another price decline yesterday (June 23), attempted to reclaim some lost ground, but the recovery was far from convincing.
While numerous altcoins remain in red territory, the lesser-known Audiera (BEAT) has defied the prevailing bearish environment by posting a 40% daily increase.
BTC Fails to Recover
The asset started the business week on the right foot, rising to almost $66,000. However, that pump was short-lived and followed by a pullback to as low as $61,900.
Over the past 24 hours, the bulls tried to step in, briefly lifting the price to nearly $63,000, but the sellers remained active, preventing a more substantial rebound. As of this writing, BTC trades at around $62,600, representing a mere 0.5% increase on a daily scale and a 4.5% plunge for the last week.
It is important to note that the asset’s unsatisfactory performance coincides with the crisis in traditional finance. As CryptoPotato reported, the popular indexes Nasdaq, S&P 500, and South Korean tech stocks headed south after a global sell-off in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) sector.
Meanwhile, the constant outflows from spot BTC exchange-traded funds (ETFs) signal waning interest from institutional investors, which could further weigh on the asset’s short-term performance.
Bitcoin’s market capitalization currently stands at around $1.25 trillion, while its dominance over altcoins remains unchanged at approximately 56.3%.
How are the Alts Doing?
While today’s (June 24) altcoin landscape isn’t the same bloodbath seen 24 hours ago, plenty of tokens are still suffering steep losses. Worldcoin (WLD) has tumbled by 7%, Kaspa (KAS) has plunged by 5%, whereas Litecoin (LTC) is down 3%.
Audiera (BEAT) is on the opposite corner and stands out as the best-performing cryptocurrency (at least from the top 100 list). Its price has exploded by 40% and now trades at around $2.40. Other notable gainers include JUP (+6%), AVAX (+5%), XMR (+4%), and SUI (+3%).
The total crypto market capitalization has risen by 0.5% over the last day and is currently hovering at roughly $2.34 trillion.
The post Bitcoin’s Price Rejected at $63K as This Altcoin Explodes by 40%: Market Watch appeared first on CryptoPotato.
Ripple has received a preliminary Crypto Asset Service Provider license from Luxembourg's financial regulator, a gate-opening step toward offering its payments platform across all 30 European Economic Area countries once final conditions are met. The approval, described as a "Green Light Letter,"… Read the full story at The Defiant
The world’s largest asset manager, BlackRock, has reiterated that bitcoin’s role in investment portfolios is evolving, describing the asset as a viable complementary diversifier for long-term strategies.
The firm outlined that 1% to 2% Bitcoin allocation can be a reasonable range for investors who believe adoption will continue while still accounting for the cryptocurrency’s volatility. The latter, by the way, has been dwindling lately.
The view builds on BlackRock’s broader push into the digital asset industry. As CryptoPotato reported earlier this month, the firm launched the iShares Bitcoin Premium Income ETF, which expanded its BTC-linked product lineup. It’s also a testament to the growing demand for covered-call strategies oriented toward BTC.
At the same time, major institutions are also paying closer attention to blockchain infrastructure. BlackRock’s BUIDL fund is playing a major role in tokenization.
A Small Bitcoin Allocation With Outsized Risk Impact
BlackRock’s portfolio-sizing strategy focuses more on adoption and volatility. In a traditional 60/40 stock-and-bond portfolio, the firm said a 1% to 2% Bitcoin position could contribute a risk share comparable to large technology stocks.
Bitcoin’s role in portfolios is evolving, and it could be considered a complementary diversifier.
We believe a modest allocation (typically ~1–2%) could impact return potential in a portfolio while maintaining appropriate risk tolerance.
Hear more from Michael Gates on how… pic.twitter.com/oOIRfq6F4D
— BlackRock (@BlackRock) June 23, 2026
The key point here is that the allocation remains small by design. According to the asset manager, moving beyond that range could sharply increase Bitcoin’s contribution to overall portfolio risk, especially because the asset remains prone to steep drawdowns and rapid shifts in sentiment.
Institutional Demand Continues to Expand
BlackRock’s latest commentary comes just as Bitcoin exposure through regulated financial products continues to expand. The launch of the iShares Bitcoin Premium Income ETF added yet another layer to the market, targeting investors who are interested in BTC-oriented income strategies, rather than simple spot exposure.
Moreover, the institutional backdrop is also moving beyond Bitcoin. In a recent interview with CryptoPotato, Aptos Labs Chief Business Officer Solomon Tesfaye discussed why firms such as BlackRock are watching blockchain rails tied to tokenized assets, settlement efficiency, and institutional-grade financial activity.
That said, BlackRock’s own language remains cautious. The firm continues highlighting the asset’s volatility, uncertain path of adoption, as well as the need for regular portfolio review.
The post BlackRock Says Bitcoin’s Portfolio Role Is Changing: Why 1-2% Matters appeared first on CryptoPotato.
Key Takeaways
- SanDisk (SNDK) shares reached a 52-week peak of $2,354.39 on June 22 before retreating, maintaining a remarkable 700%+ gain in 2026.
- The decline coincided with a major selloff in South Korea’s Kospi index and mounting uncertainty over AI memory spending sustainability.
- According to Morgan Stanley, SanDisk views AI as “fundamentally changing” NAND dynamics, fueled by inference workloads and expanded LLM context windows.
- Third quarter FY2026 revenue exploded 251% versus prior year to $5.95 billion, crushing Wall Street’s $4.55 billion forecast.
- Fourth quarter outlook projects revenue between $7.75B and $8.25B, with non-GAAP EPS guidance of $30 to $33.
SanDisk (SNDK) shares have delivered one of 2026’s most impressive performances. Following a year-to-date surge exceeding 700%, the stock peaked at $2,354.39 on June 22 before encountering turbulence.
The memory chip maker experienced a steep decline alongside sector peers, pressured by a significant downturn in South Korea’s Kospi benchmark and emerging concerns regarding the durability of AI-fueled memory demand. SNDK has retreated approximately 13.6% in the recent selloff and is down roughly 5.75% across the past five sessions. Trading data shows the stock hovering around $1,963.60.
Despite this correction, shares remain elevated 32.8% over the trailing 30-day period. This perspective is crucial — the current volatility represents the first significant challenge to the AI memory narrative since SanDisk separated from Western Digital in early 2025.
AI’s Transformative Impact on Memory Markets
Morgan Stanley’s Joseph Moore highlighted that SanDisk sees AI as “fundamentally changing” NAND dynamics. The primary catalyst is inference workload requirements. With large language models demanding expanded key-value caches and broader context windows, DRAM capacity alone proves insufficient — positioning NAND to occupy a higher tier in the memory architecture.
Cloud infrastructure is projected to emerge as NAND’s dominant end market before year-end. This transition is already visible in SanDisk’s financials, with data center revenue skyrocketing 233.4% sequentially to reach $1.47 billion during Q3 FY2026.
The third quarter results, announced April 30, exceeded expectations dramatically. Revenue totaled $5.95 billion, representing a 251% year-over-year increase and substantially outpacing the $4.55 billion analyst consensus. Non-GAAP EPS delivered $23.41 compared to the $14.36 estimate. Non-GAAP gross profit surged 1,111.9% annually to $4.7 billion. Additionally, the company achieved debt-free status, closing the quarter with $3.7 billion in cash reserves.
Shares climbed 3.04% on the earnings announcement and continued upward with an 8.25% gain in the subsequent trading session.
Forward Outlook and Valuation
For Q4 FY2026, management projects revenue ranging from $7.75 billion to $8.25 billion, with non-GAAP EPS between $30 and $33. Wall Street analysts forecast Q4 EPS of $31.81, representing a staggering 158,950% year-over-year increase.
QLC Stargate products — which have undergone hyperscaler qualification testing for over twelve months — are anticipated to commence revenue-generating shipments in Q4, supplementing existing TLC product momentum.
Notwithstanding the impressive rally, SanDisk commands a forward adjusted P/E ratio of 34.13 and a price-to-sales multiple of 17.17, both exceeding industry benchmarks. Its trailing P/E of 64.5 surpasses the industry norm of 44.5. Current pricing also sits approximately 12% above the consensus analyst target of $1,863.06.
Among 21 analysts tracking SNDK, 18 assign a “Strong Buy” rating, one recommends “Moderate Buy,” and two rate it “Hold.” Morgan Stanley holds an “Overweight” stance with a $1,750 price objective. The highest Street target stands at $3,250.
Crypto World
INFINIOS and Circle Partner to Expand Digital Finance Infrastructure Across the Middle East
TLDR:
- INFINIOS will integrate USDC, EURC, and Circle’s API-enabled payment rails into its platform.
- The deal targets cross-border payments, treasury management, and embedded finance use cases.
- Both firms align on KYC, AML/CFT, and data protection standards for regional compliance needs.
- Circle’s Middle East expansion accelerates as demand for internet-native financial infrastructure grows.
INFINIOS Circle’s new strategic agreement marks a significant move in the region’s financial technology landscape.
Announced on June 24, 2026, in Manama, Bahrain, the deal links INFINIOS, a Bahraini fintech company, with Circle Internet Financial.
Together, they plan to expand digital payment and treasury infrastructure across the Middle East and beyond, targeting businesses and financial institutions seeking faster, more connected financial solutions.
Stablecoin Integration at the Core of the Agreement
Under the agreement, INFINIOS will integrate Circle’s financial infrastructure into its platform. This includes USDC, EURC, and API-enabled onchain payment capabilities for payouts and treasury operations. The integration gives INFINIOS access to globally recognized stablecoin rails designed for institutional use.
The arrangement covers a broad range of enterprise and institutional use cases. These include cross-border payments, treasury and liquidity management, merchant settlement, and platform payouts. Tokenized financial services and embedded finance solutions are also part of the scope.
Both companies have emphasized a shared commitment to regulatory compliance throughout the collaboration. The agreement aligns with KYC, AML/CFT, and data protection standards relevant to financial operations in the region. This focus on compliance positions the partnership as a trust-based infrastructure initiative.
INFINIOS CEO Sherif Abdelsalam framed the deal as a turning point for regional digital finance. He said the partnership combines INFINIOS’s market expertise with Circle’s technology to unlock real-time, global financial connectivity.
He added that the goal is to build infrastructure that enables seamless, compliant, and scalable financial innovation globally.
INFINIOS Eyes Broader Regional and Global Connectivity
Circle’s Managing Director for the Middle East and Africa, Dr. Saeeda Jaffar, pointed to accelerating demand for modern financial infrastructure across the region.
She noted that businesses and financial institutions are actively seeking faster, more connected ways to move value globally.
The collaboration with INFINIOS, she said, is designed to expand access to Circle’s stablecoin infrastructure across key markets.
Dr. Jaffar also stated that the partnership aims to enable new payment, treasury, and embedded finance use cases across the region.
She described the joint effort as advancing trusted, internet-native financial infrastructure built for greater interoperability, efficiency, and global connectivity. Her remarks reflect Circle’s broader strategy of deepening its footprint in emerging fintech markets.
Circle Internet Group trades on the NYSE under the ticker CRCL and operates as a leading global financial platform company.
Its subsidiary, Circle Internet Financial, brings established stablecoin infrastructure to the partnership. This gives INFINIOS a globally recognized technology backbone for its regional expansion plans.
The collaboration between INFINIOS and Circle reflects a broader trend of traditional and digital finance converging in the Middle East.
As the region’s fintech ecosystem matures, partnerships of this kind are becoming increasingly common. The agreement sets a framework for interoperable, efficient digital finance infrastructure built to scale globally.
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