Anchorage Digital has selected LayerZero as its preferred interoperability partner for bank-issued stablecoins, with the Sept. 21 announcement naming Tether’s USAT as the first token to use LayerZero’s OFT standard.

LayerZero said stablecoins issued through Anchorage Digital Bank, N.A. will use its cross-chain infrastructure as the companies develop connections spanning Ethereum, EVM-compatible networks and Solana. The partnership covers Anchorage’s issuance platform, which currently supports tokens linked to Tether, Western Union, OSL Group and Falcon Finance.

Anchorage Digital makes LayerZero its stablecoin rail

Under the arrangement, LayerZero will serve as what the companies describe as the “preferred interoperability layer” for eligible stablecoins issued by Anchorage Digital Bank. The bank remains responsible for regulated issuance, while LayerZero supplies the messaging and token infrastructure needed to connect supported blockchain deployments.

LayerZero’s OFT, or Omnichain Fungible Token, standard lets issuers maintain a unified token supply while extending an asset to multiple blockchains. LayerZero explains that issuers retain control over their token contracts and can decide which chains to support, along with the security configuration used for cross-chain messages.

The company says its infrastructure currently reaches more than 170 blockchains. In a separate September update, LayerZero reported that its OFT standard had processed $280 billion in lifetime transfers and handled 87% of cross-chain transfer volume. Both figures are LayerZero’s own network statistics.

Access to 170-plus networks does not mean each Anchorage stablecoin will immediately trade on every connected chain. OFT issuers select individual deployments and configure pathways between supported networks. LayerZero’s announcement says future Anchorage-issued assets “will be designed to move seamlessly” across leading ecosystems but does not provide a deployment schedule for each token.

USAT becomes the first Anchorage-issued OFT token

Tether’s USAT is the first stablecoin in Anchorage Digital Bank’s issuance portfolio confirmed to launch with LayerZero interoperability. Tether introduced the U.S.-regulated dollar token in January, with Anchorage Digital Bank serving as issuer under the federal stablecoin framework. Tether itself is not the legal issuer of USAT.

As previously reported, Tether’s U.S.-regulated USAT launch through Anchorage Digital created a separate domestic product from the company’s global USDT stablecoin. USAT began on Ethereum before expanding to Celo, where it became available as a native asset during the summer.

Anchorage Digital Bank publishes monthly reserve attestations for USAT. Its first January report recorded 17.5 million redeemable tokens outstanding and $17.6 million of supporting reserve assets. The report identified Ethereum contract 0x07041776f5007aca2a54844f50503a18a72a8b68 as the original USAT contract.

LayerZero has an existing relationship with Tether infrastructure outside USAT. Tether announced an investment in LayerZero Labs in February, while LayerZero’s OFT system already powers USDT0, the omnichain version of USDT. In related coverage, USDT0’s LayerZero-based cross-chain architecture uses a unified supply model instead of separate bridge liquidity pools.

USDPT, USDGO and fUSD remain part of the rollout

Western Union’s USDPT sits among the other stablecoins named in the Anchorage-LayerZero announcement. Western Union launched USDPT on Solana in May as a U.S. dollar-backed payment token issued by Anchorage Digital Bank. The payment company designed it for settlement within its global network.

As crypto.news reported, Western Union’s USDPT launch on Solana was followed by a Bybit integration in June and a USDPT-backed Stablecard product in August. Anchorage currently publishes monthly USDPT reserve attestations covering May through July.

OSL Group’s USDGO is another Anchorage-issued stablecoin included in the partnership. USDGO launched on Solana with an initial $50 million mint in February. OSL reported that circulation passed $500 million in June, while a more recent Anchorage update says the token has since exceeded $1 billion in market capitalization after roughly six months.

Earlier crypto.news coverage documented USDGO passing $500 million in circulating supply, with Anchorage acting as issuer and OSL handling branding and distribution. Anchorage says reserves are backed 1:1 by high-quality liquid assets and covered by monthly independent attestations.

Falcon Finance’s fUSD completes the group named in LayerZero’s announcement. Falcon states that fUSD is issued by Anchorage Digital Bank for institutional treasury, settlement and collateral uses, with current contracts on Ethereum and BNB Chain. Its reserve model includes cash, short-dated U.S. Treasuries and qualifying money-market exposure.

The Falcon Finance fUSD launch with Anchorage Digital Bank took place in May. Falcon operates a separate rewards program for eligible institutions, while Anchorage handles issuance and reserve management.

LayerZero has not announced exact activation dates for USDPT, USDGO or fUSD OFT routes under the Anchorage agreement.

Anchorage operates under federal bank supervision

Anchorage Digital Bank received its national trust bank charter after the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency approved its conversion from a South Dakota trust company in January 2021. The charter placed the bank under OCC supervision and came with capital, liquidity and compliance requirements.

The OCC issued a BSA/AML consent order against the bank in April 2022 after finding deficiencies in its compliance program. The regulator later terminated that order on Aug. 18, 2025, stating continued enforcement was no longer required.

Federal records show the OCC subsequently terminated Anchorage’s original 2021 operating agreement in February 2026. The bank continues to operate as Anchorage Digital Bank, National Association, and appears on the OCC’s list of nationally chartered trust banks.

LayerZero’s institutional stablecoin work extends beyond Anchorage. Earlier this month, BDACS chose its OFT system for KRW1, and crypto.news reported on the KRW1 stablecoin’s LayerZero cross-chain expansion across networks including Ethereum, Avalanche and Circle’s Arc.

For Anchorage-issued stablecoins, LayerZero has confirmed USAT as the first asset using the new interoperability arrangement. The companies have not published individual launch dates, destination-chain lists or contract addresses for planned OFT deployments involving USDPT, USDGO and fUSD.

Hana Bank has signed an agreement with Upbit Global to develop Travel Rule infrastructure for digital asset transfers, extending its work with South Korea’s crypto sector into transaction compliance and transfer technology.

DigitalToday reported on Sept. 22 that the two companies signed a memorandum of understanding at Hana Bank’s headquarters in Euljiro, Seoul, covering technical cooperation on digital asset transfers and systems designed to meet regulatory requirements.

The agreement will focus on technology needed to verify information about people sending and receiving digital assets, securely transmit the required data between service providers and connect financial institutions with virtual asset businesses in South Korea and overseas.

Upbit Global already operates Travel Rule technology through its subsidiary VerifyVASP. The system verifies sender and recipient information during virtual asset transfers while transmitting data required for compliance and protecting personal information.

Hana Bank and Upbit Global will test Travel Rule technology

Travel Rule requirements require virtual asset service providers to obtain and retain information about senders and recipients when processing covered transfers. Relevant information must then be securely passed to the service provider on the other side of a transaction.

Hana Bank and Upbit Global plan to jointly review how those requirements can be applied when digital assets move between different types of financial service providers.

Technical work will cover sender and recipient verification as well as secure information transmission. The companies intend to research and test infrastructure that could support transfers involving banks and domestic or overseas virtual asset service providers.

Regulatory information sharing forms another part of the agreement. Hana Bank and Upbit Global plan to respond jointly to changes in digital asset laws, regulations and institutional requirements while exchanging information related to compliance.

Travel Rule controls are already embedded in South Korea’s crypto transfer infrastructure. Upbit applies restrictions to deposits from exchanges that do not meet its Travel Rule requirements, while transfers involving personal wallets can require ownership verification.

The exchange has continued to apply those controls as it expands the assets available on its platform. In August, for example, its rules for incoming token transfers allowed the exchange to request evidence on the source of large deposits, while transfers from noncompliant exchanges could remain uncredited until additional checks were completed.

Hana Bank has expanded its digital asset business

The latest agreement adds another technical project to Hana Bank’s growing digital asset operations.

Hana Bank plans to use its experience in foreign exchange, payments and settlement to identify financial services that could be built around digital assets, according to DigitalToday.

The bank already has direct financial exposure to the company behind Upbit. In May, Hana agreed to acquire a 6.55% stake in Dunamu, Upbit’s operator, from Kakao Investments for roughly 1.003 trillion won, equivalent to around $670 million at the time.

Crypto.news previously reported that the Dunamu stake purchase drew scrutiny from South Korea’s Financial Services Commission over rules separating banking and commercial businesses. The planned transaction would make Hana Bank Dunamu’s fourth largest shareholder.

Hana Financial Group had separately reached a strategic agreement with Dunamu to develop a financial model connecting traditional banking and digital assets. Hana Financial TI had completed a proof of concept for a Korean won backed stablecoin using the XRP Ledger as part of the group’s blockchain work.

Digital asset custody is another area where the group has built infrastructure. Hana began working with BitGo on custody services in 2023 and later became a shareholder in BitGo Korea alongside SK Telecom.

BitGo Korea secured registration as a virtual asset service provider in August 2026. Hana holds a 25% stake in the business, with its role built around contributing financial sector experience to the custody venture. The registered custody business offers another connection between Hana’s banking operations and regulated digital asset infrastructure.

Korean banks are building stablecoin and settlement systems

Hana’s work with Upbit Global comes as South Korean financial institutions test several models for using blockchain in payments, settlement and regulated financial products.

In March, Hana Financial Group signed a memorandum of understanding with Standard Chartered Group covering digital asset initiatives. Their cooperation included potential work on stablecoins, tokenized deposits, custody and payment infrastructure, drawing on the two groups’ financial networks and technology capabilities.

Hana has separately worked with KB Financial Group and Shinhan Financial Group on infrastructure that could support Korean won pegged stablecoins and related digital payment systems. The Standard Chartered partnership expanded that work into cooperation with an international banking group.

Other South Korean financial companies are testing how blockchain assets could fit into existing settlement systems. Eugene Investment & Securities signed an agreement with blockchain company BEATOZ on Sept. 21 to test stablecoins for tokenized securities subscriptions.

The planned proof of concept will examine whether subscription, payment and settlement can be handled within one blockchain based process. Eugene built a tokenized securities platform in 2024 and is participating in Hana Financial Group’s consortium working on a won denominated stablecoin.

South Korea is preparing to bring tokenized securities into its regulated capital markets framework from February 2027. The first phase is expected to cover selected privately pooled money market funds, institutional bonds, certain unlisted shares and publicly offered fractional investment securities.

The stablecoin settlement trial will use Eugene’s existing tokenized securities issuance infrastructure to examine how stablecoins could be incorporated into that process.

South Korean authorities are still working through rules for other parts of the digital asset market. The Bank of Korea has supported a bank led structure for won denominated stablecoin issuance, while lawmakers and regulators have continued discussions over issuer requirements, reserves and supervisory responsibilities.

Hana Bank said its agreement with Upbit Global creates a cooperation model between a traditional financial institution and the virtual asset industry built around regulatory standards including anti money laundering requirements.

Australia’s Treasury has placed artificial intelligence among five transitions expected to reshape the economy through 2065–66, while digital assets are absent from the report’s five headline themes.

Treasury published the seventh Intergenerational Report on Sept. 21, covering Australia’s economic and federal budget outlook for the next 40 years. The report identifies the AI revolution, geopolitical fragmentation, the energy transition, population aging and the country’s continuing move toward a services economy as its major transitions.

The government expects Australia’s economy to more than double in size by 2065–66, while real income per person is projected to rise 55%. Average annual economic growth is expected to slow as population growth and workforce expansion lose pace, leaving productivity as a larger part of the long-run growth equation.

Australia places AI among five long-term transitions

Artificial intelligence receives a dedicated place in the latest outlook, a change from the previous 2023 Intergenerational Report. Treasurer Jim Chalmers said AI represented the most dramatic technological change since that earlier report and would become a defining influence on the economy over the coming four decades.

Treasury’s analysis covers automation, changing skill requirements and the potential for AI to alter how existing jobs are performed. The report does not assume that every productivity gain will arrive automatically, with investment, technology adoption, skills and regulatory settings remaining part of its long-term economic assumptions.

Agentic AI receives particular attention. Treasury describes newer systems as increasingly capable of acting with less direct human involvement, while AI performance has surpassed human benchmarks in several tasks. The government’s separate financial innovation work defines agentic systems as software capable of taking actions, making recommendations or performing tasks for people and businesses.

Chalmers described the “AI revolution” as the biggest economic transformation of the current era during the report’s release. Treasury retained a long-run productivity assumption of 1.2% a year, while acknowledging that AI could change productivity, investment and labor-market outcomes in ways that remain difficult to quantify decades in advance.

Crypto sits outside the report’s five headline themes

Digital assets do not appear among the five transitions Treasury selected to organize its 40-year outlook. Coinbase Australia country director John O’Loghlen criticized the omission in comments supplied to Cointelegraph, arguing that future AI agents will require financial systems capable of supporting automated economic activity.

“The Intergenerational Report makes it clear that Australia’s prosperity over the next 40 years will depend heavily on our ability to adopt new technology and lift productivity,” O’Loghlen said. He argued that the report’s AI focus leaves out the financial infrastructure autonomous agents could use when making payments or conducting transactions.

The absence of crypto from the five-transition framework does not mean the Australian government has excluded digital assets from current economic policy. Treasury released a separate Financial Innovation Strategy on Sept. 3 that explicitly addresses digital assets, stablecoins, tokenization, digital money and AI-enabled financial services. Treasury described the strategy as a framework for coordinating government, regulators and industry as financial technology develops.

The strategy states that Australia has legislated a licensing framework for digital asset platforms and tokenized custody platforms, scheduled to begin on April 9, 2027. Payment reforms are expected to regulate payment stablecoins as tokenized stored-value facilities. Regulators will continue assessing legal and operational questions involving tokenized markets as those systems move toward commercial use.

As previously reported, Australia’s new digital asset licensing framework begins in April 2027, while businesses covered by existing financial-services requirements face separate licensing obligations under current law.

Treasury links AI agents with programmable payments

The Financial Innovation Strategy makes a direct connection between AI and payment infrastructure that is not central to the Intergenerational Report. Treasury states that advances in agentic systems could increase automated and machine-to-machine transactions.

Such activity could create demand for payment and settlement systems capable of real-time execution, interoperability and programmable services, according to the strategy. Treasury cautions that fully autonomous financial agents remain largely experimental and have not reached the reliability required for most real-world financial applications.

O’Loghlen said stablecoins and tokenized markets could become part of the rails used by agentic finance, while calling for clearer rules covering tokenized stored-value facilities. His comments represent Coinbase’s policy position, not a Treasury forecast that AI agents will necessarily use crypto assets.

Work elsewhere in the payments industry provides current examples of that model. Crypto.news has covered AI agents using stablecoins for automated payments through Visa-linked testing, while separate projects have explored programmatic machine payments through blockchain infrastructure.

Australia’s own payments planning has moved in a similar technical direction. As previously reported, Australia’s payment rails are being assessed for stablecoin interoperability, including possible connections between bank money and tokenized forms of value.

RBA keeps tokenized finance on its policy agenda

The Reserve Bank of Australia has continued developing its tokenized-finance work separately from the Intergenerational Report. In May, the RBA and Digital Finance Cooperative Research Centre released the final findings from Project Acacia, which tested 20 wholesale tokenized asset use cases across issuance, trading and settlement.

Tests covered different settlement assets, including existing central-bank balances, a pilot wholesale CBDC, commercial-bank deposit tokens and stablecoins. The project found possible efficiency, functionality and resilience benefits but identified questions involving legal certainty, settlement design, infrastructure and regulation that require more work.

DFCRC research estimates that full adoption of digital finance could generate as much as A$24 billion in annual economic gains for Australia. The estimate covers tokenized real-world assets, payments and other digital-finance applications and remains a modeled economic estimate, not realized economic output.

Crypto.news previously covered Australia’s estimated A$24 billion tokenization opportunity when the RBA moved from experimental work toward discussions about market implementation.

In September, the RBA opened another consultation examining how its Reserve Bank Information and Transfer System and Fast Settlement Service could support tokenized markets. The central bank is considering settlement between traditional accounts and tokenized private money, potential stablecoin access to central-bank reserves and future designs for tokenized reserves.

The RBA set Oct. 30, 2026 as the deadline for submissions to that consultation. Regulators plan to use the responses when assessing future RITS capabilities, while the government’s Financial Innovation Strategy schedules a digital financial market infrastructure sandbox for the second half of 2027.

Billionaire venture capitalist Tim Draper has urged Apple and Meta to hold Bitcoin on their balance sheets, arguing that leaving major corporate reserves entirely outside BTC creates financial risk.

Bitcoin Magazine published the comments on Sept. 21 following a 30-minute interview in which Draper called it “irresponsible” for large technology companies to maintain no Bitcoin exposure. He tied his position to U.S. government spending and warned that the fiscal path could eventually produce either hyperinflation or interest rates high enough to create problems for banks.

Draper’s comments represent his investment view, not a company policy change at Apple or Meta. Neither company’s most recent quarterly filing discloses Bitcoin among its treasury assets.

Tim Draper wants companies to keep operating cash in Bitcoin

During the interview, Draper argued that businesses should maintain roughly four weeks of operating expenses in Bitcoin, while individuals should consider holding around six months of expenses in BTC. He said governments should maintain Bitcoin exposure as a hedge against problems in traditional monetary systems.

His argument extends beyond a conventional inflation hedge. Draper said corporate boards with no Bitcoin exposure could leave companies vulnerable if banks holding their cash fail. Bitcoin, in his view, provides an alternative asset held outside the conventional banking structure.

Draper has long promoted Bitcoin as part of a decentralized financial system. In the latest interview, he linked blockchain technology with artificial intelligence, smart contracts and software automation, arguing that technological development could reduce dependence on payment intermediaries, accountants and other centralized service providers.

His monetary forecast remains highly uncertain. No official U.S. projection says hyperinflation is inevitable, and current fiscal data do not establish such an outcome. Treasury figures do, however, show continued large federal deficits.

Data sourced from the U.S. Treasury showed a $167 billion federal deficit in August. During the first 11 months of fiscal 2026, federal outlays reached roughly $6.8 trillion against around $4.8 trillion in receipts, producing a cumulative deficit close to $2 trillion.

Those figures document current borrowing requirements but do not confirm Draper’s prediction that the fiscal path must end in hyperinflation or a banking crisis.

Apple and Meta still disclose no Bitcoin treasury holdings

Apple’s latest quarterly filing provides a clear view of the scale of the balance sheet Draper wants partly exposed to Bitcoin.

Apple reported $39.54 billion in cash and cash equivalents as of June 27, alongside $22.86 billion of current marketable securities and $84.12 billion of non-current marketable securities. Together, those categories totaled approximately $146.5 billion.

The filing lists cash, money-market funds, U.S. Treasury securities, government agency securities, corporate securities and other conventional investments. A search of the Form 10-Q produced no reference to Bitcoin.

Apple’s February 2026 annual shareholder meeting did not feature a Bitcoin treasury proposal. Its five voting items covered directors, its auditor, executive compensation, a director stock plan and a shareholder proposal concerning China.

Meta’s latest filing presents a similar picture. Meta reported $15.46 billion of cash and cash equivalents and $74.80 billion in marketable securities as of June 30, giving it approximately $90.3 billion across the two categories.

Its disclosed portfolio included money-market funds, U.S. government securities, agency debt, corporate debt and marketable equities. Meta’s latest Form 10-Q contains no reference to Bitcoin.

Meta and Microsoft shareholders previously rejected Bitcoin proposals

Meta has already faced a formal shareholder request to consider Bitcoin.

A 2025 shareholder proposal asked the board to prepare an assessment of whether adding Bitcoin to Meta’s treasury would serve shareholder interests. The company’s board recommended voting against the proposal, saying its existing treasury management process already considered multiple investable asset classes.

As crypto.news previously reported, the Meta Bitcoin treasury proposal was submitted by Ethan Peck on behalf of a family trust. The proposal argued that holding conventional cash and bonds could reduce purchasing power and asked Meta to assess Bitcoin as another reserve asset.

Shareholders rejected the proposal at Meta’s May 28, 2025 annual meeting. Meta recorded 3,916,871 votes in favor, compared with 4,980,828,562 against and 8,857,588 abstentions.

Microsoft encountered a similar campaign months earlier. Its shareholders rejected an assessment of investing in Bitcoin at the December 2024 annual meeting after the board recommended voting against the measure.

The SEC filing showed only 0.55% of votes supported the proposal, with 28.23 million shares voting for it and more than 5.14 billion voting against.

Crypto.news covered the Microsoft shareholder rejection of a Bitcoin treasury assessment after the vote. Microsoft had argued that its treasury team already evaluated a range of investment assets and did not need the requested assessment.

Draper keeps his $250,000 Bitcoin forecast

Draper used the latest interview to repeat another long-standing position: his $250,000 Bitcoin price target. Bitcoin Magazine reported that he now connects the target with future Bitcoin halvings and the resulting reduction in new supply.

The $250,000 level remains Draper’s forecast and is not supported by any guaranteed timeline. His previous Bitcoin price calls have frequently carried dates that passed before the target was reached.

Corporate adoption remains uneven. Some listed companies have built business models around holding Bitcoin, while large technology groups continue to keep most liquid reserves in cash, government securities and other traditional instruments.

The corporate Bitcoin treasury model has expanded enough to create a separate class of public companies whose valuations are closely tied to their crypto reserves. At the same time, several treasury companies have faced pressure when Bitcoin prices fell or financing costs increased.

Strategy remains the best-known corporate adopter, though its treasury strategy has changed during 2026 as it manages financing obligations and liquidity. Recent crypto.news reporting documented Strategy’s move from constant accumulation toward active Bitcoin treasury management after the company began selling portions of its holdings.

Draper did not say Apple or Meta had entered discussions to acquire Bitcoin, nor did he disclose conversations with either company about changing treasury policy. His Sept. 21 comments were an investment recommendation made during the Bitcoin Magazine interview.

The evolution of decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN) is increasingly moving beyond storage, bandwidth, and conventional computing. One emerging area is the intersection of decentralized compute, quantum computing, and post-quantum cryptography—three technologies that could significantly influence the next generation of Web3 infrastructure.

Quip Network, developed by Postquant Labs and led by co-founders Colton Dillion and Dr. Richard Carback, is designed around this intersection. Its architecture combines a decentralized compute marketplace with a security layer intended to help blockchain assets withstand future advances in quantum computing.

Rather than positioning itself simply as another blockchain or quantum-computing network, Quip takes a dual-layer approach built around the QUIP token. The objective is to create economic utility for otherwise underutilized computing resources while providing Web3 users with tools designed around a post-quantum security model.

Architectural Breakdown: A Two-Pillar Approach

Quip Network can be understood through two complementary components: a compute-consensus layer and an asset-security layer. Both are connected through the network’s token economy while serving different functions.

                    ┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
                     │              $QUIP Token                │
                     └────────────────────┬────────────────────┘
                                          │
                   ┌──────────────────────┴──────────────────────┐
                   │                                             │
                   ▼                                             ▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────┐     ┌──────────────────────────────────────┐
│       Compute-Consensus Layer        │     │             Asset Layer              │
│       (Quantum Proof of Work)        │     │     (Post-Quantum Vaults & Swaps)    │
├──────────────────────────────────────┤     ├──────────────────────────────────────┤
│ • Aggregates CPUs, GPUs & QPUs       │     │ • Uses WOTS+ signatures              │
│ • Targets useful optimization work   │     │ • Non-custodial asset protection    │
│ • Verifiable computational outputs   │     │ • Cross-chain functionality         │
└──────────────────────────────────────┘     └──────────────────────────────────────┘

1. Compute-Consensus Layer: Quantum Proof of Work

Conventional Proof-of-Work networks use computational resources primarily to perform cryptographic hashing. Quip’s approach instead focuses on useful computational workloads, with the broader concept commonly associated with Proof of Useful Work (PoUW).

The network is designed to aggregate different classes of hardware, potentially including CPUs, GPUs, and quantum processing units (QPUs). Instead of limiting computational activity to arbitrary hash calculations, workloads can involve structured optimization problems.

Potential applications include:

• Financial portfolio optimization
• Logistics and routing
• AI-related computation
• Resource allocation
• Circuit optimization and mapping
• Other computationally difficult optimization problems

A key component is the distinction between computation and verification. Some optimization problems can require substantial resources to solve while allowing a proposed result to be checked comparatively efficiently. This creates an opportunity for a decentralized network to distribute computational workloads while maintaining a verification mechanism.

The architecture is particularly interesting because it does not require every participant to operate quantum hardware. Classical computing resources can potentially contribute to computation, validation, or other network functions, creating a more heterogeneous infrastructure model.

2. Asset Layer: Preparing Web3 for the Post-Quantum Era

The second major component addresses a different problem: the long-term security of blockchain cryptography in a world with sufficiently capable quantum computers.

Many blockchain networks rely on public-key cryptography based on mathematical problems that are considered difficult for classical computers. Cryptographically relevant quantum computers could eventually threaten some of these assumptions, particularly those underlying elliptic-curve cryptography (ECC).

Quip’s asset layer is designed to provide an additional security framework rather than requiring users to immediately abandon their existing blockchain ecosystems.

Quantum-Resistant Vaults

One of the concepts associated with the network is the use of Winternitz One-Time Signatures Plus (WOTS+), a hash-based signature scheme designed to provide resistance against attacks that could threaten certain classical public-key cryptographic systems.

The proposed architecture can combine existing wallet infrastructure with additional post-quantum signing mechanisms. This creates a security model in which transactions can incorporate both conventional signatures and quantum-resistant authorization.

For Web3 users, the broader idea is significant: rather than waiting until quantum computing becomes an immediate threat, assets can potentially be placed under stronger cryptographic protection ahead of that transition.

Cross-Chain Asset Interactions

Cross-chain security represents another important part of the design.

Blockchain bridges have historically introduced additional attack surfaces because assets and messages must move between independent networks. Quip’s architecture explores mechanisms for facilitating cross-chain interactions without depending on a conventional centralized custodian.

Its proposed functionality encompasses ecosystems such as Ethereum, Solana, and Bitcoin, with time-lock mechanisms and cryptographic controls playing a role in coordinating transactions.

The long-term objective is to create a more secure framework for interacting with assets across different blockchain environments while incorporating post-quantum considerations from the beginning.

Core Strengths

1. Turning Specialized Compute Into a Productive Resource

Quantum computing infrastructure is expensive to develop, operate, and maintain. A decentralized marketplace for unused or excess computational capacity could create an additional economic model for hardware providers.

Instead of treating computing infrastructure solely as an internal resource, operators could potentially make available capacity accessible to external workloads.

This concept also extends beyond QPUs. By supporting heterogeneous hardware, the network can explore a broader decentralized-compute economy involving traditional CPUs and GPUs alongside quantum processors.

2. Making Quantum Computing More Accessible

Quantum programming traditionally requires specialized knowledge involving areas such as qubit architecture, circuit design, transpilation, and hardware-specific constraints.

A higher-level SDK abstraction could reduce some of this complexity for developers.

If successful, this type of interface would allow developers to focus more on the computational problem they are trying to solve rather than dealing directly with the underlying quantum hardware stack.

That could be particularly relevant for developers experimenting with optimization problems where quantum approaches may eventually provide practical advantages.

3. A Decoupled Architecture

Another notable characteristic is the separation between the network’s compute and asset-security functions.

A user interested primarily in post-quantum asset protection does not necessarily need to become a quantum-compute operator. Likewise, a hardware provider can participate in the compute economy without making asset-security functionality the central part of its activity.

This separation gives the architecture flexibility and potentially allows different user groups to interact with different parts of the ecosystem.

Challenges and Considerations

Despite its ambitious architecture, Quip Network operates in technically demanding areas where several challenges remain.

1. Quantum Advantage Is Still Highly Specialized

Quantum computing has made significant research progress, but practical quantum advantage remains limited to specific problem classes and experimental environments.

Optimization is one of the areas receiving substantial attention, but not every optimization problem automatically benefits from quantum hardware.

For Quip, demonstrating that its workloads produce measurable economic or computational advantages over conventional infrastructure will therefore be an important factor in assessing the network’s long-term utility.

2. WOTS+ Introduces State Management Complexity

WOTS+ is designed around one-time signatures, meaning key usage must be carefully managed.

This creates a different user experience from conventional blockchain signatures such as ECDSA. Wallet software and infrastructure must correctly track signature states and ensure that keys are not reused improperly.

For mass adoption, this complexity needs to remain largely invisible to end users through robust wallet and protocol abstractions.

3. Decentralized Verification at Scale

A heterogeneous network containing CPUs, GPUs, and QPUs presents a significant verification challenge.

Different hardware architectures can produce computational results with different performance characteristics, and a decentralized protocol must establish reliable ways to determine whether submitted work is valid.

The network therefore needs carefully designed verification rules, workload specifications, incentives, and anti-collusion mechanisms.

Scaling these systems while maintaining decentralization and economic efficiency could become one of the project’s most important technical challenges.

4. Adoption Will Depend on Real-World Utility

The combination of quantum computing and post-quantum security is technologically compelling, but infrastructure networks ultimately need sustained developer, hardware, and user participation.

For Quip, important indicators to watch include:

• Growth in active compute providers
• Actual demand for network workloads
• Developer adoption of its SDK
• Performance of supported optimization workloads
• Deployment of post-quantum asset infrastructure
• Cross-chain adoption
• Sustainability of the network’s token economics

These factors will help determine whether the architecture can progress from an ambitious technical concept into a broadly used infrastructure layer.

Final Takeaway

Quip Network sits at an unusual intersection of DePIN, decentralized computing, quantum technology, and post-quantum cryptography.

Its architecture attempts to address two problems at once: how to make specialized computational infrastructure more economically useful today, and how to prepare blockchain assets for a potential future in which current cryptographic assumptions face greater pressure from quantum computing.

The compute layer provides a framework for coordinating heterogeneous hardware around useful workloads, while the asset layer explores quantum-resistant protection and cross-chain functionality.

The concept is ambitious, and its success will ultimately depend less on the narrative surrounding quantum computing and more on measurable network utility, developer adoption, reliable verification, and practical post-quantum security implementation.

For researchers exploring decentralized compute, developers interested in optimization workloads, hardware operators looking for new infrastructure markets, and Web3 participants following the transition toward quantum-resistant cryptography, Quip Network is a project worth watching closely as its technology and ecosystem develop.

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Ripple and Absa Corporate and Investment Banking have launched Absa Digital Asset Custody in South Africa, putting Ripple’s institutional custody technology into a bank-led service nearly a year after the companies first disclosed their partnership.

Absa describes the service as a regulated environment for institutional clients to safeguard digital assets and manage the private keys that authorize blockchain transactions. The product gives institutions controls covering assets, transactions and internal approvals while using Absa’s banking governance and compliance framework.

Ripple Middle East and Africa Managing Director Reece Merrick confirmed the Sept. 21 rollout, calling it a major milestone for institutional digital assets on the continent. Merrick said Absa was using Ripple Custody to support secure and compliant digital asset management, describing the service as “bank-grade.”

Ripple custody partnership moves from plan to live service

The commercial launch follows an agreement first disclosed on Oct. 15, 2025. At the time, Ripple announced Absa as its first major custody partner in Africa, with the South African bank planning to use Ripple technology for cryptocurrencies and tokenized assets.

Absa made the same partnership public through its corporate and investment banking division, saying Ripple would provide technology supporting scalable storage and digital asset management. The original announcement did not represent a live service, making the Sept. 21 rollout the point at which the product moved into Absa’s customer offering.

Robyn Lawson, Absa CIB’s head of digital product for custody, later explained that the system combines Ripple’s blockchain transaction capabilities with Absa’s internal infrastructure. She said the bank designed the model around security, governance, recoverability and controlled authorization.

Absa says private-key protections sit inside secure hardware environments so a single point of failure cannot compromise client holdings. The system uses deterministic key derivation instead of permanently storing static private keys, according to Lawson. Cryptographic recovery procedures and layered governance are intended to maintain access during system disruptions.

Absa Digital Asset Custody targets institutional clients

Absa Digital Asset Custody is designed for corporate and institutional customers, not as a retail cryptocurrency trading venue. The bank’s product page states that its focus is safeguarding digital assets, managing keys and controlling transactions and approvals to standards similar to those used for traditional financial assets.

The bank has not publicly disclosed a full list of supported cryptocurrencies, tokenized assets, custody fees or initial customer names. Neither Absa nor Ripple has announced that the service includes cryptocurrency trading, lending or yield products.

Ripple’s current custody documentation explains that digital asset custody centers on protecting the keys that authorize blockchain transactions, since assets themselves remain recorded on their respective blockchains. Ripple notes that loss or compromise of a key can create risks that differ from those attached to conventional financial accounts.

The underlying Ripple Custody software continues to receive technical updates. Version 1.41, released Sept. 14, added validation that checks destination addresses against the selected blockchain format before an endpoint can be created or changed, reducing the risk of transactions becoming stuck because of invalid addresses. Ripple released the update one week before Absa publicized its custody launch.

Ripple’s institutional custody business extends beyond Africa. As previously reported, the company supplies technology for BBVA’s digital asset custody service in Spain, where the bank uses Ripple Custody for Bitcoin and Ethereum under Europe’s MiCA regulatory environment.

South Africa continues building crypto regulation

The service arrives while South Africa continues formalizing its rules for digital asset businesses. The Financial Sector Conduct Authority requires crypto asset service providers to obtain authorization before conducting regulated financial services involving crypto assets.

Crypto assets have been treated as financial products under South Africa’s Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act since 2022. The framework brought activities such as advice and intermediary services involving crypto under FSCA supervision, while banks remain subject to their existing prudential and financial-sector requirements.

Cross-border activity is undergoing another regulatory update. South Africa’s National Treasury and Reserve Bank invited comments in August on a draft Crypto Assets Manual that sets out proposed rules for moving digital assets between domestic providers, offshore platforms and non-custodial wallets.

The proposal would require certain crypto transfers to be identified and reported as cross-border flows. It outlines permissions for authorized crypto asset service providers and reporting obligations to the Reserve Bank’s Financial Surveillance Department. The regulator set Sept. 30, 2026, as the deadline for comments, and the framework remains subject to revision.

The Reserve Bank has stressed that the proposal does not make cryptocurrencies legal tender. It forms part of a capital-flow framework intended to operate alongside oversight from the FSCA, Financial Intelligence Centre and South African Revenue Service.

Ripple builds on earlier digital asset expansion in Africa

Custody is one part of Ripple’s growing institutional business across Africa. The company previously expanded its stablecoin distribution through Chipper Cash, VALR and Yellow Card, giving institutions in regional markets access to Ripple USD.

As previously reported, Ripple expanded RLUSD distribution across Africa through three local partners, targeting uses including cross-border payments, treasury management and trading. Ripple said institutional demand was behind the regional rollout.

Ripple’s African payments relationships extend to Chipper Cash, while Absa gives the company a bank-based custody channel. The company opened a larger Middle East and Africa headquarters in Dubai this year to support its regional payments and custody operations. Crypto.news reported on Ripple’s expansion of its Middle East and Africa operations from Dubai in April.

Custody has become a larger part of Ripple’s product stack since its acquisitions of Metaco and Palisade. The Palisade purchase brought wallet technology using multi-party computation and zero-trust architecture into Ripple’s institutional infrastructure. The Palisade acquisition expanded Ripple’s institutional custody capabilities across blockchain networks including XRP Ledger, Ethereum and Solana.

Absa, meanwhile, says its custody platform will be developed iteratively as customer requirements and regulation change. Lawson said the bank plans to start with core custody functions before adding capabilities according to institutional demand and regulatory conditions.

Neither company has announced a timetable for adding specific assets or expanding Absa Digital Asset Custody into other African markets. Institutional customers interested in the current service are being directed to Absa CIB’s custody sales team.

X has expanded its U.S. Cashtag system by linking stock, ETF and cryptocurrency pages to five outside trading platforms, giving users a shorter route from financial posts to order execution.

X announced the U.S. Cashtag Partner Program with Coinbase, Gemini, Kraken, Interactive Brokers and Moomoo, allowing users to select “Trade” after opening a supported ticker such as $BTC or $TSLA. The transaction itself takes place through the selected partner’s mobile app or website, not on X.

X Cashtags now connect market posts with trading platforms

Under the new flow, a user can search for a supported Cashtag or tap one appearing in a post. X displays a live price chart and posts linked to the asset before presenting participating trading providers. Users then choose a brokerage or exchange, sign into an existing account or create one, and complete the trade there.

The setup keeps order execution with companies already operating trading platforms. X does not describe itself as executing the transaction under the Cashtag program, and its launch instructions direct users to the partner platform for the final order. Eligibility, account opening, asset availability and trading terms therefore depend on the selected provider.

Product Engineering Lead Mridul Singhai said, “Cashtags close the gap between a ticker on the timeline and the market itself.” His statement describes X’s goal of reducing the number of steps between viewing a financial discussion and reaching a trading venue.

The program extends the U.S. Cashtag launch with Coinbase, Kraken and other trading partners, which crypto.news previously reported went live with five participating platforms and required trades to be completed outside X.

Kraken and Interactive Brokers confirm launch participation

Kraken independently confirmed that it is an official U.S. Cashtag launch partner. When a user selects Kraken from a supported ticker page, X sends the user to Kraken’s app or web interface, where account authentication and trade execution occur.

Kraken said its integration supports Cashtags covering nearly 2,500 assets across its centralized exchange and decentralized exchange offering. The figure describes Kraken’s supported asset coverage and does not mean every X Cashtag necessarily routes to every asset or trading product for every customer. Geographic restrictions and account eligibility still apply.

Interactive Brokers separately confirmed the integration for U.S. investors. Its system allows a user viewing an asset on X to continue to the IBKR platform, where the person can research the asset or submit an order. New eligible U.S. clients opening and funding qualifying accounts through the Cashtag experience can receive a $100 promotional credit under Interactive Brokers’ launch offer.

Moomoo has described itself as one of X’s first U.S.-regulated brokerage partners. Its integration sends users from supported stock Cashtags to relevant Moomoo pages containing market data, research tools and trading access.

X identified Coinbase and Gemini as the remaining launch partners in its announcement. The social platform has not published a single universal list showing which assets each provider accepts through Cashtags, meaning coverage can differ by brokerage or exchange.

X built the trade links on its Smart Cashtags rollout

The brokerage links build on Smart Cashtags, which X began rolling out earlier in 2026. The feature tied ticker symbols and crypto contract addresses to specific asset pages containing real-time charts and related conversations, reducing confusion when different tokens use similar names or ticker symbols.

Crypto.news previously covered the Smart Cashtags rollout for crypto tickers and contract addresses, which initially focused on identifying specific financial assets and displaying market information within X.

An expanded version reached iPhone users in the U.S. and Canada in April. X Head of Product Nikita Bier later said aggregated information from the trading pilot indicated the feature had driven an “estimated $1 billion” in global trading volume within several days. The number came from X and has not been independently audited, so it remains a company estimate.

The April rollout used Wealthsimple as a trading connection for Canadian users, while the September program introduces a dedicated group of U.S. partners. X has not disclosed commercial terms, referral payments or revenue-sharing arrangements between itself and the five U.S. trading companies.

Cashtag trading remains separate from X Money

The Cashtag program is separate from X Money, the platform’s payments product. Crypto.news reported earlier this year that the company had begun an X Money rollout to selected Premium+ users, including peer-to-peer payments, a digital wallet and other account features.

Nothing in the Cashtag Partner Program announcement says users can fund Coinbase, Kraken, Gemini, Interactive Brokers or Moomoo trades directly from an X Money balance. X’s documented process sends the user from the Cashtag page to the selected partner, where that company handles login, onboarding and execution.

The current U.S. rollout covers stocks, ETFs and cryptocurrencies where supported. Interactive Brokers states that the Cashtag integration is currently available to U.S.-based investors, while product access still varies according to account type, affiliate and residence.

Kraken’s announcement similarly describes the partnership as a U.S. launch. Its users can move from an X Cashtag to Kraken and complete eligible transactions through Kraken’s own infrastructure, subject to the exchange’s normal account requirements.

X has not announced a date for expanding the five-partner program beyond the United States or disclosed whether more brokerages will join. Kraken said “more to come” when describing its participation, but neither company provided a schedule or named additional trading partners.

Australia’s new 40-year Intergenerational Report—released by the Australian Treasury—spotlights artificial intelligence as one of the major forces expected to reshape the economy. Yet the document does not mention crypto or digital assets, even as separate government work in recent months has pointed toward tokenization and upgrades to financial infrastructure.

In the report published Monday, Treasury says agentic AI systems have become “significantly” more capable, more autonomous, and widely adopted, including surpassing human-level performance on some benchmarks. The Intergenerational Report frames technology adoption and productivity gains as critical to Australia’s prosperity over the next four decades, alongside four other transitions: geopolitical conflicts, an aging population, the shift to clean energy, and an industrial transformation toward services.

Key takeaways

• Australia’s Intergenerational Report names agentic AI as a core economic transition but omits crypto and digital assets entirely.
• Treasury’s related “Financial Innovation Strategy” links AI-driven machine-to-machine activity to demand for real-time, interoperable, programmable payment systems.
• Coinbase Australia’s John O’Loghlen argues the government focus on AI misses the financial “rails” that tokenized and stablecoin-based infrastructure could provide.
• The omission stands out against earlier central-bank and research discussions about tokenized finance and potential digital finance gains.

AI as the headline transition—without a digital-assets mention

The Intergenerational Report’s framing is broad and forward-looking. It portrays AI adoption—especially agentic systems that can act with a degree of autonomy—as a productivity driver that could affect how economic activity is organized across industries. Treasury’s report also stresses that Australia’s ability to incorporate new technologies will determine long-term economic outcomes.

However, the report’s silence on crypto stands in contrast to how tokenization has increasingly moved from niche experimentation toward mainstream policy discussion. The article notes that earlier Intergenerational Reports also did not address digital assets, and this new omission arrives despite other public-sector work emphasizing tokenized finance and financial infrastructure upgrades.

Why “financial rails” matter for agentic AI

Agentic AI is often described as technology that can coordinate tasks, including transactions, with reduced human involvement. Treasury’s separate publication—the “Financial Innovation Strategy,” released on Sept. 3—addresses the operational implications of this shift more directly.

That strategy report states that agentic systems could increase automated and machine-to-machine transactions, which would raise demand for real-time, interoperable, and programmable payment mechanisms. In other words, the document connects AI automation to the need for payment infrastructure that can be integrated, scaled, and updated more quickly than traditional models.

Coinbase Australia country director John O’Loghlen, responding by email to the Intergenerational Report, argued that the broader AI focus misses a central piece of the puzzle: the “financial infrastructure those agents will need.” He suggested that policies should extend beyond AI itself to the rules and frameworks that enable digital finance to function as the underlying system layer for automated agents.

Regulatory groundwork exists—but stablecoin rails are next

O’Loghlen pointed to regulatory progress already achieved in Australia, referencing the Digital Asset Platform framework as having provided the “necessary regulatory clarity.” In his view, the policy challenge now is to apply similar focus to additional infrastructure that could support digital finance at scale.

Specifically, he argued that policymakers should turn attention to the tokenized stored-value facility framework for stablecoins and to clear rules for tokenized markets. His framing suggests a sequencing problem: if agentic finance will depend on programmable, interoperable settlement and value transfer, Australia needs well-defined frameworks for stablecoins and tokenized market structures to serve as the rails for that activity.

While the Intergenerational Report itself does not go into these details, the accompanying policy direction in the Financial Innovation Strategy provides a rationale for why such frameworks could become more important as automation increases—particularly if machine-driven transaction flows require payments infrastructure designed for interoperability and programmability.

The broader context: tokenized finance is already on the policy radar

The contrast between the Intergenerational Report’s AI emphasis and its lack of crypto coverage is sharpened by other references highlighted in the source material. It notes that the Reserve Bank of Australia has increased its focus on tokenized finance and financial infrastructure upgrades earlier this year, reflecting growing attention to how tokenization could improve settlement and economic activity.

It also cites a Digital Finance Cooperative Research Centre estimate suggesting digital finance innovations could generate AU$24 billion (about $17.1 billion) in annual economic gains. Taken together, these points indicate that Australia’s policy ecosystem is already engaging with the potential economic impact of digitized financial systems—even if that engagement is not reflected in the Intergenerational Report’s technology-transition shortlist.

For investors and builders, the implication is less about whether crypto is “included” in a long-range economic narrative and more about whether regulatory and infrastructure planning is keeping pace with the transaction demands that agentic AI could accelerate. Treasury’s own mention of real-time, interoperable and programmable payment systems in the Financial Innovation Strategy suggests that the government recognizes how automation changes transaction patterns, even if it does not explicitly name digital assets in the Intergenerational Report.

As Australia moves from strategy language toward operational rules, readers should watch for whether stablecoin-related frameworks and tokenized market regulations receive the same level of prioritization that AI adoption and productivity are given in the Intergenerational outlook—especially given the growing likelihood that automated agents will intensify demand for programmable, interoperable payment “rails.”