Singapore payment company dtcpay completed its $25 million Series A funding round, led by Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India in April, and now further anchored by Japanese financial conglomerate SBI Group.

The round also drew participation from Genedant Capital and existing investor Kwee Liong Tek.

The investment reflects institutional confidence in dtcpay ‘s vision of making stablecoins as seamless and accessible as traditional financial services, it said on Friday.

“We did not raise this round to sustain what we have built. We raised it to fundamentally change how money moves across borders,” said Alice Liu, founder and CEO of dtcpay.

Dtcpay made a series of early moves in the stablecoin payments space, and now the dtcpay Visa card enables spending across both fiat and stablecoins at more than 150 million merchant locations worldwide.

Payment system for in-store and online transactions

Cointelegraph reported in 2023 that dtcpay had launched a payment system using fiat and cryptocurrencies for in-store and online payments. It followed up in 2024 by reporting that dtcpay phased out support for cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin in favor of stablecoin-only transactions.

The completion of the Series A brings together a diverse group of investors that can contribute expertise as well as funds to drive the company’s growth.

Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India, part of Vertex Holdings, a wholly owned subsidiary of Temasek Holdings, led the initial tranche of the round. Vertex brings extensive experience scaling technology companies.

Related: Fragmented regulations limit stablecoin adoption in international finance: WTO head

SBI Group operates across banking, securities, insurance, asset management and digital assets.

Genedant Capital is a Singapore-based fund management firm licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore with over $2 billion in assets under management and advisory.

Dtcpay is licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore and also holds an Electronic Money Institution license in Luxembourg.

The company is authorized to deliver regulated payment services across the European Economic Area and also holds licenses and registrations in Hong Kong, Australia, the United States and Canada.

 Magazine: 10 of the greatest unsolved crypto mysteries

U.S. spot crypto exchange-traded products recorded about $70.7 million in combined net outflows during the Sep. 14–18 trading week, as withdrawals from Ether funds outweighed demand for Bitcoin, Solana, and Hyperliquid products.

According to data from Farside Investors, the four U.S. crypto ETF categories tracked by the firm diverged sharply during the week. Bitcoin products recovered from $746.3 million of combined withdrawals on Tuesday and Wednesday, while Ether ETFs failed to erase their midweek losses.

Solana funds drew fresh capital in four of the five sessions, including their strongest day of the week on Friday. Hyperliquid products also finished positive, although their $3.1 million weekly gain remained small compared with flows into the larger crypto funds.

Bitcoin ETFs erase most weekly losses with $433M Friday inflow

U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs posted a net inflow of $6.1 million for the week after two large redemption days nearly pushed the group to a steep weekly loss.

The funds began with a $159.9 million inflow on Monday before losing $450.4 million on Tuesday and $295.9 million on Wednesday. Investors returned on Thursday with $159.5 million, followed by $433 million on Friday, the largest daily inflow of the week.

BlackRock’s IBIT led the weekly rankings with $120.6 million in net inflows. Fidelity’s FBTC followed with $79.9 million after drawing $310.7 million on Friday, the biggest single-fund inflow recorded that day.

Morgan Stanley’s MSBT added $13.2 million, while Franklin Templeton’s EZBC received $4.6 million. The gains were partly offset by $141.9 million in withdrawals from ARK 21Shares’ ARKB and $62.3 million from Grayscale’s GBTC. Bitwise’s BITB lost $2.7 million, and VanEck’s HODL shed $5.3 million.

The late reversal coincided with Bitcoin’s return above $80,000 on Friday. The asset had come under pressure earlier in the week as the Federal Reserve raised its target rate by 25 basis points to 3.75%–4.00%, its first increase in more than three years. Bitcoin later rallied as oil prices eased and crypto-linked stocks recovered.

Ether ETFs post $140.6M weekly outflow

U.S. spot Ether ETFs recorded approximately $140.6 million in net withdrawals, making Ether the weakest of the four crypto ETF categories covered by Farside.

The group attracted $121.1 million on Monday but lost $142 million on Tuesday, $224.1 million on Wednesday and $39.3 million on Thursday. A $143.7 million Friday inflow reduced the weekly deficit without fully reversing it.

BlackRock’s ETHA accounted for a net weekly outflow of $56.1 million despite taking in $114.3 million on Friday. Fidelity’s FETH lost $25.9 million, while Bitwise’s ETHW shed $33.1 million.

Grayscale’s ETHE posted $31.4 million in withdrawals. VanEck’s ETHV lost $10.3 million, 21Shares’ TETH shed $1.9 million, and Invesco’s QETH recorded a $5.4 million outflow.

BlackRock’s ETHB and Grayscale’s lower-fee ETH fund moved in the opposite direction, taking in $7 million and $16.2 million, respectively. Farside’s daily totals contain rounded fund-level figures, which can produce small differences when individual entries are added.

Ether’s negative weekly result widened the gap with Bitcoin products. Bitcoin ETFs recovered nearly all of their midweek redemptions, while the Friday demand for Ether funds covered only part of the $405.4 million withdrawn across the prior three sessions.

Solana ETFs draw $60.7M as BSOL leads Friday demand

Farside’s Solana ETF data showed $60.7 million in net inflows for the week, the strongest total among the four tracked crypto assets.

Solana funds received $11 million on Monday, $1.3 million on Tuesday and $800,000 on Wednesday. Thursday ended with no net movement before Friday’s inflow reached $47.6 million.

Bitwise’s BSOL generated $58.7 million of the weekly total. Grayscale’s GSOL contributed a net $2 million after a $3.9 million Monday inflow was partly offset by a $1.9 million withdrawal on Wednesday.

The remaining Solana products reported no net flows during the week. Friday’s $47.6 million allocation went entirely to BSOL, giving the Bitwise fund almost 97% of the category’s weekly net intake.

Hyperliquid ETFs add $3.1M during mixed week

Hyperliquid ETFs ended the week with $3.1 million in net inflows. The products recorded no movement on Monday, followed by a $3.9 million outflow from Bitwise’s BHYP on Tuesday.

Flows turned positive during the rest of the week. 21Shares’ HYPG received $1.7 million on Wednesday, while Thursday brought $1.9 million into BHYP and $2.4 million into 21Shares’ THYP. BHYP added another $1 million on Friday.

The combined weekly data left Bitcoin funds close to flat, Ether products in net redemptions and the two smaller altcoin categories positive. Across all four categories, approximately $70.7 million exited on a net basis, with the $140.6 million Ether outflow exceeding the combined inflows into Bitcoin, Solana and Hyperliquid funds.

Global NFT sales volume fell 15.28% to $37.54 million over the latest seven-day period, even as the number of buyer and seller addresses more than doubled.

According to data from CryptoSlam, captured on Sep. 19 with the “7 Days” setting selected, NFT sales declined while participation measures moved sharply higher.

Buyer addresses increased 174.04% to 114,977, while seller addresses rose 151.72% to 108,037. Those figures represent blockchain addresses rather than confirmed individual users.

The number of NFT transactions moved in the opposite direction, falling 9.08% to 808,432. The combination of more active addresses and fewer transactions showed that activity was spread across a larger pool of wallets, though CryptoSlam’s figures alone do not show whether those addresses belonged to new market participants.

The NFT decline occurred alongside a rebound in the wider crypto market. Bitcoin traded near $81,311, and Ethereum changed hands at approximately $2,647 when the market data was checked. The total cryptocurrency market capitalization stood near $2.79 trillion, according to CoinGecko.

The NFT and cryptocurrency market moves were concurrent, but the available data did not establish a direct causal relationship between them.

Ethereum leads NFT sales with $15.3 million

Ethereum remained the leading blockchain for organic NFT sales, generating $15.32 million during the seven-day period. Sales decreased 2.66%, while buyer addresses climbed 63.82% to 13,546.

The network also recorded $443,802 in wash-trading volume, down 52.41%. Including that activity, Ethereum’s total volume reached $15.76 million, a 5.44% decline.

Polygon ranked second by organic sales with $7.09 million, down 4.88%. The blockchain recorded 26,588 buyer addresses, up 91.47%.

Wash trading played a much larger role in Polygon’s figures. CryptoSlam identified $18.07 million in wash volume, lifting the network’s combined total to $25.15 million. Organic sales and wash trading are separate measures and should not be added when assessing ordinary NFT purchases.

Bitcoin placed third with $4.33 million in sales, representing a 53.99% weekly drop. Buyer addresses nevertheless climbed 141.29% to 5,441. The contrast showed that more Bitcoin addresses interacted with NFTs even as the dollar value of recorded sales fell.

BNB Chain followed with $2.58 million, down 36.26%. Its buyer count rose 384.73% to 10,732, the largest percentage increase among the six leading blockchains.

Base was the only top-five network to record higher organic sales. Volume increased 4.06% to $2.16 million, while buyer addresses surged 253.04% to 2,323. CryptoSlam also recorded $4.8 million in wash volume on Base, up 79.91%.

Solana ranked sixth with $1.89 million in sales, down 11.08%. Its 25,301 buyer addresses represented a 164.90% increase.

Together, the six leading networks generated approximately $33.36 million in organic sales, accounting for nearly 89% of the global total.

Courtyard tops weekly NFT collection sales

Courtyard on Polygon remained the leading NFT collection with $6.3 million in sales, down 0.93%. The tokenized collectibles marketplace recorded 123,504 transactions, up 21.52%, involving 18,459 buyer addresses and 14,921 seller addresses.

Ethereum-based Argonauts ranked second with $2.74 million, following a 36.91% decline. Transactions dropped 48.15% to 1,204, while buyer and seller addresses fell to 422 and 490, respectively.

Alchemix V3 Transmuter placed third after sales jumped 622.03% to $1.83 million. Almost all that volume came from eight transactions involving four buyer and three seller addresses.

The concentration matters because Alchemix V3 Transmuter tokens appear to be linked to positions within a decentralized finance protocol rather than conventional artwork or profile-picture collectibles. CryptoSlam classified the transfers as NFT sales, but the dashboard did not independently establish the economic purpose of each transaction.

Guild of Guardians Heroes on Immutable-Zk generated $986,168, up 3.5%. Its 689 transactions involved 390 buyer addresses and 399 seller addresses.

Panini America ranked fifth with $893,356 in weekly sales, an increase of 19.27%. The sports collectibles collection recorded 13,469 transactions, although buyer addresses declined 24.18% to 762. The collection provided a direct link to the U.S. sports card segment within the week’s NFT rankings.

Bitcoin-based $ATMC BRC-20 NFTs followed with $716,730, down 20.32%. CryptoPunks placed seventh with $706,667 after sales declined 37.39%, with nine transactions involving eight buyers and nine sellers.

Alchemix leads high-value NFT sales

Alchemix V3 Transmuter tokens accounted for four of the five largest individual transactions recorded during the seven-day period.

Alchemix V3 Transmuter #219 led the list at $770,985.44. The Ethereum-based token changed hands for 297.4017 WETH about 15 hours before the dashboard snapshot.

Alchemix V3 Transmuter #214 ranked second with a $715,216 sale settled in 284.8951 WETH five days earlier. The two leading tokens were sold by and transferred to the same respective blockchain addresses.

The third-largest sale came from Bitcoin. A $X@AI BRC-20 NFT sold for $402,534.35, or 5.19 BTC, five days before the snapshot.

Alchemix V3 Transmuter #216 followed with a $196,748.70 transaction involving 79.98 WETH two days earlier.

Alchemix V3 Transmuter #208 completed the top five after selling for $126,695.23, or 49.8681 WETH, seven days earlier. Together, the four Alchemix transactions generated approximately $1.81 million, accounting for nearly all the collection’s reported weekly sales.

In this week’s edition of the weekly recap, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the first time since 2023, the CLARITY Act stalled in the Senate, and the SEC opened a five-year pathway for tokenized U.S. stock trading.

Fed raises rates for first time since 2023

• The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to a range of 3.75%–4% on Sep. 16. All 12 voting Federal Open Market Committee members supported the decision, while 16 of 18 officials projected at least one more increase before the end of 2026.
• Bitcoin briefly approached $76,000 after the announcement but remained under pressure from higher Treasury yields and a stronger dollar. More than $540 million in bullish crypto positions had been liquidated over 24 hours, while U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded over $450 million in net outflows on Sep. 15.

CLARITY Act falls short in Senate vote

• The Senate failed to advance the CLARITY Act after a cloture motion received 50 votes to 49, falling 10 votes short of the threshold needed to begin debate. The bill sought to divide digital-asset oversight between the SEC and CFTC.
• Negotiations had stalled over government ethics rules, stablecoin rewards, protections for software developers and the treatment of event contracts. Polymarket’s probability of the bill becoming law in 2026 fell from 31% to 7% after the vote, although Senate leaders could attempt another procedural vote.

SEC opens five-year tokenized stock pathway

• The SEC granted conditional relief allowing eligible venues to trade tokenized National Market System stocks through permissioned automated market makers and liquidity pools for five years.
• Platforms must ensure token holders receive the same rights and privileges as traditional shareholders. The framework also includes trading limits, public smart contracts and coordinated trading halts, while the SEC has requested public comments on possible changes.

House panel advances first federal crypto tax framework

• The House Ways and Means Committee approved the Digital Asset Tax Certainty Act in a 38–5 vote. The proposal would provide a tax exception for qualifying crypto network and transaction fees of up to $10.
• The bill also covers stablecoins, wash sales, digital-asset lending, mining, staking and broker reporting. Committee approval makes the proposal eligible for a full House vote, but both chambers would need to pass identical legislation before it could reach the president.

Bitcoin reserve bill clears House committee

• The House Financial Services Committee advanced legislation that would establish the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile in federal law. The amended proposal passed by 28 votes to 21.
• Bitcoin deposited into the proposed reserve would carry a minimum 20-year holding period. The Treasury and Commerce departments would also study budget-neutral purchases that do not require borrowing, new taxes or deficit spending.

CFTC sends crypto framework to White House

• The CFTC submitted a proposed crypto-market framework to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on Sep. 17, two days after the CLARITY Act vote failed.
• Details remain undisclosed, but CFTC Chair Michael Selig had instructed staff to prepare rules under the agency’s existing authority. The proposal must return to the commission for a vote before publication and public comment.

Circle launches Arc mainnet with USDC gas

• Circle launched the Arc public mainnet with USDC as its gas asset and settlement times of under one second. The network supports 22 fiat stablecoins and tokenized funds, including BUIDL, USYC, JAAA and JTRSY.
• Initial validators include BlackRock, DTCC, Visa, Mastercard and Standard Chartered. Circle said the testnet processed more than 700 million transactions before the mainnet launch.

Coinbase infrastructure reaches thousands of U.S. banks

• Coinbase partnered with Stablecore to let U.S. banks offer crypto trading, custody, staking and stablecoin payments through their existing systems.
• Stablecore’s integrations reach technology used by more than 3,000 banks and credit unions, although the figure does not mean all have signed with Coinbase. Amarillo National Bank is among the institutions already participating.

S&P Global agrees to acquire OpenZeppelin

• S&P Global agreed to acquire blockchain-security company OpenZeppelin for an undisclosed amount. OpenZeppelin will remain a separate business unit and continue maintaining its open-source contracts library.
• OpenZeppelin has completed more than 900 security engagements, while contracts using its software have supported over $37 trillion in transfers. The agreement followed S&P Global’s participation in Kaiko’s $110 million financing round earlier in the week.

Deutsche Bank plans institutional crypto custody

• Deutsche Bank confirmed plans to launch digital-asset custody later in 2026, subject to regulatory and internal approvals. Initial support is planned for Bitcoin, Ether, USDC, EURC and EURAU.
• The service will initially focus on institutional and corporate clients in Germany, including asset managers, hedge funds, brokers and sovereign institutions. Deutsche Bank will manage customer wallets and private keys through warm and cold storage systems.

Fake AI trading tutorials steal 274.6 ETH

• Fake YouTube tutorials promoting AI-powered arbitrage bots stole 274.6 ETH, worth about $517,000, from 224 victims, according to TRM Labs.
• Nine videos directed viewers to compromised compilers that replaced displayed code with malicious smart contracts. Victims deployed 234 contracts and transferred funds through transactions they approved, with the median loss reaching 1 ETH.

Bitmine’s Ethereum holdings approach 6 million ETH

• Bitmine Immersion Technologies bought another 27,180 ETH, lifting its holdings to 5,956,378 ETH as of Sep. 13. The company valued the position at nearly $15 billion.
• Bitmine’s treasury represented about 4.9% of Ethereum’s reported 122 million-token supply, placing it close to its 5% target. The company had staked 5.07 million ETH, equal to roughly 85% of its holdings.