Crypto World
Tether targets $11T payroll market with major USAT expansion push
Tether has expanded its push into the US financial system by leading a $7 million funding round for Pact Labs to bring its USAT stablecoin into a payroll market that processes more than $11 trillion in annual payments.
Summary
- Tether has led a $7 million Series A round in Pact Labs to expand USAT into US payroll systems.
- The partnership targets the $11 trillion US payroll market with blockchain-based, real-time wage payments.
- The expansion comes as Tether grows outside Europe while US lawmakers continue debating stablecoin regulation.
According to a press release from Tether, the company led Pact Labs’ $7 million Series A funding round alongside Blockchange Ventures and Lasagna. The investment is intended to strengthen Pact Labs’ payroll and payment infrastructure while supporting enterprise adoption of USAT, Tether’s US-focused dollar-backed stablecoin.
Instead of concentrating on crypto trading activity, the partnership centers on integrating stablecoins into everyday wage payments used by businesses across the United States.
Payroll integration brings USAT into enterprise payments
Through the partnership, Pact Labs plans to embed USAT into payroll platforms used by employers, allowing companies to process wages using blockchain-based payment rails rather than conventional banking infrastructure. The company also intends to expand embedded digital wallets and other financial services that operate through blockchain networks.
Tether believes payroll is one of the strongest practical applications for stablecoins because wage payments occur on a predictable schedule and involve large transaction volumes.
According to Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino, the company’s transaction data has consistently indicated demand for dollar-backed digital assets as a settlement tool for salary payments. While Ardoino pointed to internal payment activity as evidence of that demand, he did not present it as an industry-wide conclusion.
The opportunity is significant because the US payroll system handles more than $11 trillion each year. Despite that scale, much of the infrastructure continues to rely on legacy banking systems and batch settlement cycles.
According to Tether, those processes can delay employee payments by several days, increasing the risk of overdraft fees, short-term borrowing, and other financial pressures for workers waiting to access earned wages.
Using blockchain infrastructure, employers could process payroll continuously instead of being limited by traditional banking hours. Tether says USAT is designed to support around-the-clock settlement, potentially reducing payment delays associated with existing payroll systems.
Global expansion continues as US regulation evolves
The payroll initiative arrives as Tether continues expanding its international footprint. According to recent reports, Bolivia is evaluating the use of Tether’s USDT alongside the US dollar and the boliviano within parts of its national payments framework, adding another potential use case for the company’s stablecoin infrastructure.
The US expansion also follows Tether’s withdrawal from parts of the European market after the implementation of the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework, which introduced new compliance requirements for stablecoin issuers operating within the European Union. As a result, the company has increasingly concentrated on jurisdictions where it sees stronger opportunities for adoption.
Meanwhile, stablecoin regulation has remained a central topic in Washington as lawmakers continue debating the CLARITY Act. Banking industry groups recently warned that the proposed legislation could leave regulatory gaps for stablecoin issuers, adding fresh uncertainty to the policy debate. Those concerns also coincided with weakness in shares of Circle, whose stock declined as investors reacted to questions surrounding the bill.
Against that backdrop, Tether’s latest investment places attention on practical payment infrastructure rather than digital asset trading. By backing payroll technology that serves mainstream businesses, the company is positioning USAT for use in one of the largest recurring payment markets in the United States while policymakers continue shaping the country’s stablecoin regulatory framework.
Crypto World
Dogecoin price rallies against the trend as $1.2B exits Binance memecoins
Dogecoin price has climbed more than 2% after softer US inflation boosted risk appetite, even as Binance traders have offloaded $1.2 billion in memecoins since October.
Summary
- Dogecoin price rose over 2% after US inflation eased to 3.5%, boosting demand for risk assets.
- CryptoQuant says Binance traders have sold $1.2 billion in memecoins since October 2025, weighing on DOGE.
- Technical charts show improving short-term momentum, but key resistance near $0.0755 still needs to break.
According to CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost, traders have reduced memecoin exposure because they consider these assets the riskiest part of the crypto market. Although Dogecoin has joined the latest recovery in risk assets, Darkfost warned that the rebound may fade unless buyers return with sustained demand.
Dogecoin (DOGE) was trading near $0.074 at the time of writing, up about 4.4% over the past 24 hours. The move followed a decline in US inflation to 3.5%, which lowered pressure on the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates and improved demand for speculative assets.
Even after the daily gain, Dogecoin remains below its major exponential moving averages. TradingView data shows that the token is still moving within a long-running downtrend, leaving the latest advance vulnerable to renewed selling.
Binance selling has kept Dogecoin under pressure
CryptoQuant’s figures show that about $1.2 billion in memecoin value has left Binance since October 2025. Darkfost attributed the outflows to investors cutting exposure to high-risk tokens while market conditions remained weak.
Dogecoin has fallen from about $0.26 in October 2025 to close to $0.07 in July, a decline of roughly 73% over eight months. Bitcoin, by comparison, has dropped about 50% during the same period, according to the figures cited in the report.
The size of the decline shows that Dogecoin has underperformed Bitcoin during the selloff, though Darkfost’s analysis ties the weakness to the risk profile of memecoins rather than to a Dogecoin-specific event.
Interest in newer meme tokens has not disappeared completely. Since Robinhood Chain launched on July 1, tokens issued on the network have drawn fresh speculative activity, with CASHCAT reaching a market value of about $138 million.
While that activity has brought attention back to the memecoin sector, CryptoQuant’s data still points to persistent selling on Binance. Darkfost maintains that Dogecoin’s long-term outlook will remain bearish unless buying pressure becomes consistent.
DOGE is testing a key breakout area
TradingView’s daily chart shows Dogecoin trading near the upper boundary of a descending triangle, with support clustered around $0.070 to $0.071. The pattern keeps the larger trend bearish until price closes above the falling resistance line.

The daily Relative Strength Index has recovered to about 42, but it remains below the neutral 50 level. Aroon data also favors sellers, with Aroon Down at 100 and Aroon Up near 28, according to the chart.
On the 4-hour timeframe, the setup appears stronger. TradingView data shows a possible double-bottom pattern near $0.071, while the MACD has produced a bullish crossover and the Chaikin Money Flow reading has climbed to about 0.21.

A break above the neckline near $0.0755 could open a move toward $0.080 to $0.081 based on the pattern’s measured target. Failure to clear that level could send DOGE back toward support around $0.072 or $0.071.
CoinGlass data places a dense group of short-liquidation levels between about $0.075 and $0.078. Another liquidity cluster sits near $0.070 to $0.071, leaving Dogecoin between two heavily traded zones as buyers attempt to extend the inflation-led rebound.

Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.
Crypto World
US, UK Treasuries to Align Transatlantic Rules on Tokenization and Stablecoins
The US Department of the Treasury and HM Treasury released a set of recommendations as part of the Transatlantic Taskforce for the Markets of the Future, which included stablecoin activity and tokenized finance.
In a joint statement on Tuesday, the two treasury entities issued four recommendations focused on digital assets as part of bilateral cooperation between the two countries on financial markets. The task force recommended that authorities consider a private-sector-led group focused on “testing of cross-border use cases for tokenized assets” and that financial agencies in the US and the Bank of England identify shared approaches on the regulation of tokenized assets.
On stablecoins, the US and UK released a joint statement aimed at regulatory alignment and establishing a “dynamic stablecoin market across borders.”
“Each government intends to tailor its requirements to seek comparable outcomes for comparable risks and activities, seeking to advance financial stability while avoiding market distortions or disincentivizing cross-border competition,” said the statement.
The Treasury statement did not explicitly mention the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act, signed into law last year and waiting for regulations to be approved before its effective date in January 2027. However, the US-UK recommendations said stablecoins “should be fully backed, on at least a one-to-one basis, by high-quality, liquid assets,” aligning with the US law.
Related: UK government defers capital gains on certain crypto with ‘no gain, no loss’ approach
Report signals tokenization could add $44 billion to UK economic output
The US-UK statement followed a report that the United Kingdom could add up to $44 billion to its annual economic output by 2035, “provided the UK is one of the leading jurisdictions for tokenization, tokenization scales globally, and UK domestic adoption increases in line with major peers.“
The report, from a UK government-backed industry task force, called on the country to issue tokenized bonds by the first quarter of 2027 and plans to test financial transactions on the blockchain.
Magazine: Crypto’s CLARITY Act faces partisan fight over ethics on Senate floor
Crypto World
Coinbase targets China users with easier signup as COIN stock gains
Coinbase Global stock has climbed more than 2% after the crypto exchange reportedly simplified its account registration process for users in mainland China.
Summary
- Coinbase has eased account registration for mainland Chinese users, according to Wu Blockchain.
- COIN stock gained over 2% as investors welcomed the onboarding update and improving crypto sentiment.
- Leadership changes and rising competition from Robinhood continue to weigh on Coinbase’s long-term outlook.
According to a report shared by Wu Blockchain, Coinbase now allows users in mainland China to complete identity verification using a Chinese national identity card and a mainland residential address, replacing the previous requirement that asked users to submit a Chinese passport together with a Hong Kong address. Wu Blockchain reported that Coinbase representatives confirmed the change.
The revised onboarding process has drawn attention because it lowers the barriers for mainland Chinese users who want to create accounts on the platform. Although the update does not indicate that Coinbase has officially re-entered the Chinese market, market participants have interpreted it as a step that could improve the exchange’s accessibility in the region.
China registration changes support investor optimism
Following the reported policy update, Coinbase shares rose more than 2% to trade above $160 during the session. The gain came as the crypto market also recovered after softer-than-expected U.S. inflation data improved investor sentiment toward digital assets.

Meanwhile, the easier registration process has fueled expectations that Coinbase could attract more users outside its core markets if similar onboarding changes continue elsewhere.
While the company has not announced a broader expansion strategy for mainland China, the adjustment comes at a time when crypto exchanges are competing to add new customers across international markets.
The registration update also arrives as digital asset adoption continues to grow globally, increasing competition among major exchanges. Against that backdrop, any reduction in account-opening requirements is being closely watched by investors looking for signs of future user growth.
Leadership changes and competition remain key risks
Despite Tuesday’s rally, Coinbase stock remains under pressure over a longer period. The shares have fallen nearly 38% over the past six months, showing that investors continue to weigh several challenges facing the company.
Adding to those concerns, Coinbase Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal recently announced that he will leave the company after six years. His departure comes during a period when the exchange is facing increasing competition across both trading services and blockchain infrastructure.
Analysts have also maintained a cautious stance on Coinbase following the recent launch of Robinhood Chain. Market commentators have argued that Robinhood’s blockchain platform could strengthen its position in digital assets and increase competitive pressure on Coinbase if user adoption continues to grow.
Robinhood introduced its Layer-2 blockchain earlier this month and has since reported strong early activity, including rising transaction volumes and growing total value locked, developments that several market observers have cited as evidence of increasing competition in the sector.
Still, Coinbase’s latest onboarding changes have shifted attention back to its international user base. If crypto market conditions continue improving after the latest U.S. consumer price inflation data, investors may watch whether higher trading activity and easier account access can provide additional support for Coinbase’s business and its stock performance, though the company has not linked the registration changes to any future expansion plans.
Crypto World
2 New Deals Make Ripple Productive Capital, but XRP Stays in Free Fall
Ripple and XRP landed two institutional wins in 24 hours: a Japanese partnership between Doppler Finance and SBI Digital Finance, and a premier seat at the new x402 Foundation.
Neither headline lifted the token, which keeps sliding and widening the gap between real utility and market price.
Japan Opens an Institutional Path for XRP
Doppler Finance and SBI Digital Finance formalized their agreement through an official statement, without revealing launch dates or technical specifications. Doppler builds infrastructure for markets where instruments such as bonds and loans are issued directly on blockchain rails.
SBI Digital Finance, for its part, runs crypto lending services within the SBI Group, including the HashHub Lending platform. The partnership is limited for now to a shared roadmap, with concrete products still pending.
The plan centers on giving XRP concrete financial functions. Those include collateral management, institutional lending, and tokenized asset operations under Japanese regulation. Rox, Doppler’s Head of Institutions, described the objective as converting digital assets into productive capital.
Japan makes sense as the testing ground. Clear regulation, one of the world’s largest XRP communities, and a long Ripple relationship with SBI-linked entities give the initiative solid foundations, even if institutional demand remains unproven.
Ripple Joins the x402 Foundation for AI Agent Payments
The second announcement points to a different frontier. Ripple became a premier member of the x402 Foundation, an initiative hosted by the Linux Foundation and focused on payments between AI agents.
The x402 standard establishes how autonomous programs can pay each other natively across the internet. As software agents handle more of the transaction lifecycle, they will need settlement rails as reliable as their data channels.
Ripple has been preparing for that scenario on the XRP Ledger, where it already supports x402 for agentic payments. The company said it will participate in the foundation’s technical and governance work around open standards.
The Foundation describes itself as a neutral, industry-led home for the protocol. It remains in formation, with a governing board expected within the next few weeks.
Why Does the XRP Price Keep Falling Despite the News
XRP trades near $1.10, soaring 2.93% over the past 24 hours, according to BeInCrypto data. However, the token has lost 6% over the past 30 days, a decline that no announcement has managed to reverse.
The disconnect is not unusual. Fundamental progress rarely produces immediate rallies, because short-term prices respond to trading volume, liquidity, and global risk appetite.
The muted reaction follows a well-known market pattern. Institutional and fundamental advances rarely move prices immediately, since trading volume, global risk appetite, and competing headlines dominate short-term action. History shows that utility milestones tend to compound slowly rather than ignite instant repricing.
Macroeconomic conditions currently weigh more than regional partnerships. Broader crypto sentiment remains cautious, keeping Ripple’s token anchored despite a market capitalization above $66 billion and a spot among the top cryptocurrencies. That scale means only large capital flows shift the price meaningfully.
The coming months will test whether these alliances generate measurable adoption. Until implementation details or fresh capital arrive, XRP holders face the same old equation: growing utility, falling price.
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The post 2 New Deals Make Ripple Productive Capital, but XRP Stays in Free Fall appeared first on BeInCrypto.
Crypto World
Lucid Stock Crashes 50% on Alleged False Report
Lucid Group (LCID) shares crashed nearly 50% on Tuesday after a report raised bankruptcy fears. The stock fell so fast that exchanges paused trading three times.
The report claimed the electric vehicle (EV) maker may go private or file for bankruptcy. Lucid quickly denied it, yet the panic erased about half of its market value in one day.
Why the Lucid Stock Crash Ran So Deep
The panic started with a report from industry outlet EV. It said turnaround firm AlixPartners will soon present options to Lucid’s board. Two of those options reportedly stand out.
- The first is going private, meaning Lucid would leave the stock market.
- The second is Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a legal process that lets a company keep operating while it reworks its debts.
The adviser also reportedly wants Lucid to pause its push into Europe and pour its energy into the Gravity SUV. That vehicle has struggled with quality problems since production began in late 2024.
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The market reaction was brutal. Shares sank as much as 55% and hit a record low of $2.37. At that price, Lucid’s 330 million shares were worth under $800 million.
In November 2021, the company was valued near $90 billion, briefly more than Ford. Nerves were already raw after the SpaceX stock crash.
Lucid Pushes Back as August 4 Earnings Loom
Lucid called the rumors completely false. It said AlixPartners is helping the company run more efficiently, not preparing a court filing.
“AlixPartners is assisting us in that and nothing else and has not recommended bankruptcy to management or the Board. We undertake no duty to update our comments on this matter,” Nick Twork, Chief Communications Officer at Lucid Motors, said in a statement on Tuesday.
He added it has enough cash to last well into next year. BeInCrypto could not independently verify this claim.
Neither Lucid nor Twork immediately responded to BeInCrypto’s request for comment.
Notwithstanding, the clarification likely explains the ongoing LCID stock recovery.
However, the fear has roots in Lucid’s own numbers. The company lost $2.7 billion in 2025, per its filings. It lost another $1.03 billion in the first quarter of 2026, nearly triple the year before. That quarter, building cars cost $594 million against $282 million in sales.
That gap explains the constant need for fresh money. Lucid raised about $1.05 billion in April, including $200 million from robotaxi partner Uber. In July, it reportedly borrowed $800 million more from an affiliate of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, its majority owner.
“So u are working with AlixPartners, one of the largest chapter 11 advisors but have had no reorganization talks??,” one user challenged.
Silvio Napoli, the former Schindler boss who became CEO on June 1, has been cutting costs and jobs since.
The next big test comes on August 4, when Lucid reports first-half results. Investors will watch closely, alongside Tesla’s bullish chart setup and July’s US stocks to watch.
The post Lucid Stock Crashes 50% on Alleged False Report appeared first on BeInCrypto.
Crypto World
Bitcoin Trader Warns of ‘Lower High’ as $64,000 Returns on US CPI Drop
Bitcoin (BTC) spiked past $64,000 into Tuesday’s Wall Street open as US inflation saw a surprise sudden downturn.
Key points:
- Bitcoin returns to near the top of its local trading range on US inflation data.
- The biggest drop in CPI since April 2020 boosts crypto and risk assets.
- Traders remain in wait-and-see mode over whether local resistance will break.
US CPI ignores Iran pressure with snap drop
Data from TradingView showed BTC/USD gaining more than 2% on the day as the June print of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) came in below expectations.

BTC/USD one-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView
At 3.5% versus the anticipated 3.8%, CPI posted its largest monthly decline since April 2020, per data from US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Energy led the drop despite headwinds from the US-Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz oil route.
“The index for energy fell 5.7 percent in June after rising 3.9 percent in May, 3.8 percent in April, and 10.9 percent in March,” an official news release stated.
“The energy index was the largest contributor to the monthly all items decrease, more than offsetting increases in other indexes including those for shelter and food.”

US CPI 12-month % change. Source: BLS
Risk assets reacted positively, with US stocks in the green and crypto showing particular relief.
Market expectations of future Federal Reserve financial policy changes also turned dovish, with the odds of interest-rate hikes dropping sharply. The latest data from CME Group’s FedWatch Tool nonetheless maintained consensus for a 0.25% hike at the Fed’s September meeting.

Fed target rate probabilities (screenshot). Source: CME Group
“This print should help temper what had become an excessively hawkish market tilt to the monetary policy outlook,” economist Mohamed El-Erian wrote in a response on X.
Trader warns of BTC price rejection
Bitcoin traders remained cautious with local resistance above $64,000 still in place.
Related: Bitcoin bear market will bottom when two-month RSI metric hits zero, trader predicts
In ongoing market analysis, X commentator Exitpump noted short positions getting “squeezed” as a result of the CPI print.
“Sellers haven’t been able to push price lower because of strong passive demand and now seeing shorts closing out slowly forcing price to grind up,” it summarized.
“Still a range trading environment.”

BTC/USD one-day chart. Source: Exitpump/X
The latest data from CoinGlass put 24-hour crypto short liquidations at just over $220 million.

BTC/USD vs. crypto liquidations (screenshot). Source: CoinGlass
Continuing, trader Killa said that they would eye “signs of exhaustion” should the BTC price take out the local highs.
“There’s still a liquidity pool sitting above 64.8K, but right now we’re testing the weekly open. If we can’t reclaim and hold the weekly open, this is likely just a lower high before we move down to test the $60K region,” an X post read.
Crypto World
Some U.S. Senate Democrats come out against Clarity Act, calling it a ‘corrupt’ bill
The Clarity Act will need to be sold to a large number of Democrats in the coming days, if it’s going to advance from the Senate before Congress’ summer break and the focus on this fall’s midterm elections. Though a new and potentially final draft is set to emerge as soon as Tuesday, it’s still absent a resolution on what may be the last and most important sticking point: a section that bans senior government officials — including the president — from personally engaging in the crypto industry.
That ethics provision remains at the forefront of the debate, and many Democrats have said they can’t vote for a Clarity Act that doesn’t have it. Those vows also came from the Democrats who have been at the negotiating table and voted yes on the bill when it was approved by the Senate Banking Committee.
“If this system does not stop Trump’s corruption of the entire industry, this bill is worthless,” said Murphy, who hasn’t been among Democrats at the negotiating table with Republicans. “If it protects Trump’s dominance over an industry that he will have more control to regulate, in fact, the bill is, in and of itself, a fundamental corruption if it gives Trump’s corruption the protection of law.”
Crypto World
FLEOA Backs Digital Asset CLARITY Act With Four DeFi Accountability Demands
The Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) endorsed the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act on July 10, coming just weeks before what many see as a make-or-break legislative deadline before the Senate’s August recess, and doing so with four specific demands to strengthen DeFi accountability language before the Senate votes.
The Senate’s August 8 recess acts as the de facto deadline for advancing the bill this legislative session. Industry insiders have framed the recess as a critical milestone for whether the bill moves this year.
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FLEOA Endorses, But Wants DeFi Provisions Tightened
In its July 10 statement to the Senate Banking Committee, the FLEOA said the current CLARITY Act text “represents meaningful progress toward balancing technological innovation with public safety.” The association commended the committee’s efforts to establish a regulatory framework that preserves criminal, anti-money-laundering, counterterrorism-financing, sanctions-enforcement, and investigative authorities.
The endorsement is conditional in practice. The FLEOA urged lawmakers to narrow the bill’s DeFi protections, make it clearer who is accountable in decentralized finance (DeFi) systems, stop firms from avoiding regulation by claiming to be decentralized, revise “specific intent” language to make it easier to establish liability, and explicitly affirm the bill does not curtail existing federal investigative powers.
Those demands directly address the fault lines that have defined law enforcement’s relationship with the bill. In June, four organizations, the National District Attorneys Association, the National Association of Assistant United States Attorneys, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the National Sheriffs’ Association, sent concerns to the White House about Section 604, which seeks to protect developers from liability for illicit activity carried out by users on their decentralized platforms.
The opposition prompted the White House to invite law enforcement organizations objecting to the language of the bill to a meeting in late June.
Around the same time, the Major County Sheriffs of America shifted from opposition to neutral, and FLEOA moved to active support with conditions.
Discover: The Best Crypto to Diversify Your Portfolio
Second Endorsement in Nine Days Reframes the Law Enforcement Narrative
FLEOA’s statement came nine days after the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) backed the bill, giving proponents back-to-back institutional cover on the law enforcement front.
The sequential endorsements are being used to counter the argument that the CLARITY Act would weaken the government’s ability to police crypto crime.
Ji Kim, CEO of the Crypto Council, said the group was expressing support for CLARITY and that the bill is strong on consumer protection and law enforcement.
The August Deadline Is Structural, Not Rhetorical
Senator Cynthia Lummis, on July 8, framed the stakes as generational: “This is likely our last chance to get real legislation for digital assets on the books before 2030.
If we fail to pass the Clarity Act, we are ensuring another country will write the rules for digital assets, and we spend the next decade catching up.” The statement is a lobbying argument as much as a forecast, but the structural point is accurate. The letter comes less than four weeks before the Aug. 8 Senate recess.
For traders, the CLARITY Act’s passage would aim to strengthen the bill’s regulatory framework for digital assets, including enhancing DeFi accountability and preserving investigators’ existing powers. The ethics provision hurdle and Senate vote timing remain the next procedural test, with the Banking and Agriculture Committee versions still requiring reconciliation before a floor vote can proceed.
The FLEOA’s requested language changes, including calls to narrow DeFi protections, clarify accountability in DeFi systems, revise “specific intent” language, and affirm existing federal investigative authority, are central points in ongoing negotiations as lawmakers approach the Aug. 8 recess. The question of how the DeFi liability language is handled remains a focus of scrutiny.
Don’t Miss Out on Our $1,000 USDT Airdrop on ByBit
The post FLEOA Backs Digital Asset CLARITY Act With Four DeFi Accountability Demands appeared first on Cryptonews.
Crypto World
JCB Partners With Circle to Pilot Stablecoin Payments in Japan
Japan’s largest domestic card and payments network, JCB, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Circle to explore the use of USDC in cross-border payments and merchant transactions. The agreement focuses first on technical trials for internal fund transfers, while also testing whether stablecoin payments can work at retail locations for international visitors.
JCB and Circle said the initial work will include a proof of concept for using USDC for JCB’s internal cross-border movement of funds. They will also evaluate stablecoin checkout options for merchants in Japan and examine technical approaches aimed at enabling interoperability across multiple blockchain networks. The partners did not outline a timeline for any commercial rollout.
Key takeaways
- JCB and Circle will begin with a proof of concept for using USDC for JCB’s internal cross-border fund transfers.
- The memorandum also targets merchant payments in Japan for international visitors, alongside research into blockchain interoperability.
- JCB’s stablecoin push follows an earlier January initiative with Digital Garage and Resona Holdings focused on domestic store payments.
- Stablecoin payment experimentation in Japan is expanding alongside the country’s broader regulatory reforms that began taking shape in 2023.
From internal transfers to merchant payments
The memorandum of understanding is structured around two near-term lines of inquiry. First, JCB and Circle plan to test how USDC could support cross-border settlement for JCB’s own operational needs—initially framed as internal transfers. In practical terms, this kind of trial is aimed at reducing friction in cross-border movement by using a stablecoin designed to maintain a link to the US dollar.
Second, the partners intend to assess whether stablecoins can be used at the point of sale. The emphasis on merchants in Japan—specifically for international visitors—suggests the project is not only about settlement infrastructure, but also about the customer-facing experience and the operational steps required for merchants to accept payments.
Alongside these payment use cases, JCB and Circle said they will evaluate interoperability-related technologies across multiple blockchain networks. That focus matters because stablecoin liquidity and settlement paths can differ depending on the chain and infrastructure used. Interoperability research, if it bears fruit, could lower the cost and complexity of connecting payment flows to different token and network ecosystems.
Building on Japan’s earlier stablecoin experiments
This new Circle partnership builds on momentum that JCB already set earlier this year. In January, JCB launched a separate stablecoin payment test with Digital Garage and Resona Holdings, aimed at trialing stablecoin payments at physical stores in Japan. That earlier initiative was described as an effort to identify technical and operational challenges of enabling stablecoin payments for domestic merchants.
What changes with the Circle memorandum is the scope and framing. While the January work centered on domestic store payment trials and problem discovery, the USDC-focused agreement adds a cross-border dimension and introduces a broader look at interoperability and potential infrastructure applications beyond the first proof of concept.
Importantly, both JCB and Circle stopped short of providing a timeline for commercial deployment. For investors and builders, that signals the project may still be in the validation stage—useful for gauging feasibility, but not yet a commitment to near-term production systems.
Why USDC is a natural candidate for cross-border trials
Circle’s USDC is among the most widely used dollar-backed stablecoins. According to DefiLlama data cited in the original reporting, USDC is the world’s second-largest stablecoin by market capitalization, with a circulating supply of about $73 billion—behind Tether’s USDT at roughly $184 billion.
That market footprint matters for payments pilots because it can support the practical goal of ensuring that stablecoins used for settlement have sufficient liquidity and infrastructure connectivity. While JCB and Circle did not specify which blockchain networks would be involved in the initial cross-border proof of concept, they did indicate they would evaluate technologies for interoperable settlement across networks—an area where USDC’s ecosystem presence may be a key advantage.
Japan’s stablecoin payment push and the regulatory backdrop
The JCB–Circle memorandum arrives as Japan continues to expand stablecoin-related payment experimentation. Earlier this year, reporting indicated that Circle and Nomura were working on a stablecoin-based foreign exchange settlement service for Japanese companies. The concept described in that coverage focused on enabling businesses to convert yen into USDC for cross-border transactions and aiming for near-instant settlement.
Other projects in Japan also point to a broader industry effort to test stablecoin rails across different commercial settings. On Monday, convenience store operator Lawson announced plans to pilot yen-denominated stablecoin payments at a Tokyo location starting in August. Separately, Netstars launched a merchant payment service supporting USDC, USDT, and JPYC, with availability across Solana and Polygon.
Behind these trials is Japan’s legal and policy direction. Japan was among the first major economies to build a stablecoin framework: amendments to the Payment Services Act took effect in 2023, allowing banks, trust companies, and licensed money transfer providers to issue fiat-backed tokens. That regulatory foundation is a key reason pilots can progress from experimental concepts toward implementations that involve regulated participants.
Japan is also moving through wider digital asset reforms. In June, the Lower House passed a bill that would classify crypto assets as financial instruments, a change that could set the stage for additional oversight and market-structure reforms, including bringing more of the sector under stricter rules. While that legislation is not itself a stablecoin payment initiative, it forms part of the same macro trend: regulators seeking clearer definitions and guardrails for token-based finance.
What to watch next
For now, JCB and Circle are positioning their agreement around proofs of concept—internal cross-border fund transfers and merchant acceptance trials—without committing to a launch date. The most important signals to follow are technical: whether interoperability work reduces friction across networks and whether merchant pilots demonstrate operational readiness for real-world payments beyond internal settlement.
Crypto World
Anchorage Expands TRON Support with Institutional TRX Staking
Digital asset custodian Anchorage Digital has added native TRX staking for institutional clients, expanding its support for the Tron blockchain as demand for regulated access to staking services grows.
The launch expands Anchorage’s support for Tron after introducing institutional custody for TRX, the network’s native token, earlier this year. Clients can now stake TRX directly from the company’s custody platform or Porto self-custody wallet, allowing them to earn protocol rewards for helping secure the blockchain without moving assets outside their existing custody environment.
Anchorage said the expansion reflects growing institutional interest in the Tron ecosystem, one of the largest networks for USDt (USDT) settlement. According to the company, Tron processed roughly $2 trillion in USDT transfers during the first quarter of 2026 while averaging 10.9 million daily transactions and 3.2 million active addresses. Tether’s transparency data shows nearly $90 billion of USDT currently circulates on the network.
The Tron rollout follows Anchorage’s broader expansion of institutional staking services. In November, the company partnered with Figment to add HYPE staking, extending custody-integrated staking support to the Hyperliquid ecosystem.
Related: Ethereum’s much-hated staking ‘tax’ may already be obsolete
Institutional platforms expand beyond custody
Institutional crypto infrastructure providers have increasingly expanded beyond custody, adding staking capabilities as investors seek regulated ways to earn returns on digital assets.
In October 2025, Coinbase and Figment expanded their institutional staking partnership, allowing Coinbase Prime clients to stake proof-of-stake assets including Solana (SOL), Avalanche (AVAX), Sui (SUI) and Aptos (APT) directly from custody. Four months later, Ripple integrated Figment and Securosys into its institutional custody platform, enabling banks and custodians to offer staking without having to operate their own validator infrastructure.
Asset managers have also sought integrated custody and staking services. In February, BitGo expanded its partnership with 21shares to provide regulated custody and staking for the firm’s US exchange-traded funds and global exchange-traded products through its regulated US and European entities.
Corporate crypto treasuries have joined the trend as well. Bitmine launched its MAVAN staking platform in March, having initially built the validator infrastructure for its own Ether treasury and later opening it to external institutions and custodians.
On Monday, Bitmine said it holds 5.77 million ETH, representing about 4.8% of Ether’s total supply, and has staked 4.92 million ETH through MAVAN.

Top Ethereum treasury companies. Source: CoinGecko
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