Crypto World
USDC powers 99.3% of x402 AI agent payments
Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire identified payments between artificial intelligence agents as a major emerging opportunity for USDC during an Aug. 19 earnings webcast.
Summary
- 99.3% of x402 agent-payment volume settled in USDC during Circle’s second quarter, company figures showed.
- USDC circulation reached $73.3 billion at quarter-end, increasing 19% from the previous year, Circle reported.
- Circle recorded $14.8 trillion in quarterly USDC transaction volume, representing 151% year-over-year growth during Q2.
- Circle’s Agent Stack hosted more than 900 paid services following its May 2026 launch globally.
- Arc’s public mainnet launch remains scheduled for September 16, with programmable agent-finance tools included there.
Allaire said software agents need a reliable unit of account that supports fast, inexpensive and predictable settlement. Circle’s second-quarter figures showed that 99.3% of payment volume using the x402 agent-payment protocol settled in USDC.
USDC dominates x402 rather than every AI payment protocol
The 99.3% figure applies specifically to x402 activity measured by Circle. It should not be interpreted as USDC processing 99.3% of every payment made by AI agents across all networks and protocols.
“Over 99%” refers to x402 agent-payment volume settling in USDC, according to Circle’s published results. The company has not provided comparable data covering the entire AI-payment market.
The x402 protocol uses the internet’s HTTP 402 “Payment Required” status code. It allows an autonomous agent to receive a price, authorize a payment and access a digital service without opening a traditional account or waiting for a human to approve each transaction.
Possible applications include payments for data, computing resources, application programming interfaces and digital content. USDC gives agents a dollar-denominated settlement asset whose value is designed to remain stable.
Circle sees USDC connecting agents with paid services
Circle launched Agent Stack in May 2026. The platform supported more than 900 paid services by the end of the second quarter, according to the company’s results.
The company plans to expand its agent products during the second half of 2026. Circle said the roadmap would move beyond enabling agents to make payments by introducing tools that let them earn income.
Blockchain adoption for autonomous payments is developing across several networks. In related coverage, AI agents completed more than 1.4 million XRP Ledger transactions, while Base and Solana recorded larger volumes associated with x402 services. USDC was the main settlement asset across much of that activity.
These transaction counts demonstrate technical usage, but they do not establish the size or profitability of the broader agent economy. Many machine payments remain small, reflecting early-stage testing and low-value service purchases.
Cross-border settlement remains a larger established market
Allaire also identified cross-border transfers, capital markets and retail commerce as major USDC growth areas. Unlike autonomous-agent payments, these uses already operate within large existing markets dominated by banks, card networks and money-transfer companies.
Circle Payments Network connects regulated financial institutions using USDC for international settlement. Its partnership with Nium gives participating institutions access to local-currency payouts across more than 190 countries and 100 currencies.
Circle is also testing retail and corporate payments with established financial companies. JCB and Circle recently began testing USDC for treasury transfers and merchant payments in Japan. The proposed retail phase would examine payments at physical stores, including transactions involving international visitors.
Allaire said offline commerce is moving toward instant digital methods such as QR-code payments. However, availability will depend on merchant integration, local rules and consumer access to compliant wallets.
Circle’s September launch will test its payment strategy
Circle ended the second quarter with $73.3 billion of USDC in circulation, up 19% year over year. Quarterly onchain transaction volume rose 151% to $14.8 trillion.
Those figures include trading, transfers and other blockchain transactions rather than payments alone. Circle reported seven million meaningful wallets, defined as wallets holding more than $10 in USDC.
The next infrastructure milestone is Arc’s public mainnet launch on Sept. 16. Circle said the network will include privacy capabilities, tokenized-asset support and tools for programmable agent finance.
Arc’s launch could provide Circle with more control over the infrastructure supporting USDC payments. Adoption will depend on whether developers, financial institutions and merchants deploy live services rather than limited pilots.
Crypto World
Charles Hoskinson Says Cardano Will Win, But With Ethereum’s Help
Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson says the network will “win this fight,” as ADA rebounds 26% and criticism of the ecosystem grows louder. He also revealed that cooperation with Ethereum developers could produce a working integration within months.
The comments offer Hoskinson’s clearest answer yet to claims that Cardano is losing relevance.
Hoskinson Pushes Back Against Cardano Critics
During a recent interview on The Breakdown with David Gokhshtein, Hoskinson addressed mounting criticism of Cardano’s ecosystem directly.
That criticism has intensified following ADA’s sharp decline from previous market highs, alongside ongoing governance disputes and struggles affecting some ecosystem projects. Some observers have questioned whether Cardano can maintain its position among leading crypto networks.
“It’s 2026, and we’re still talking about Cardano. We’re still inviting Charles to conferences, treating Cardano as newsworthy, accepting its sponsorship money, and giving it airtime on podcasts. Then we wonder why this industry struggles for credibility. We deserve the reputation we have. No serious industry keeps rewarding irrelevance like this,” ARK Invest’s Lorenzo Valente previously noted on X.
Hoskinson rejected that narrative, continuing to encourage the community to focus on the network’s long-term potential rather than short-term price action. He has previously stated his ambition for ADA to eventually become the largest crypto by market cap.
“Don’t bet against me, we’re gonna win this fight,” Hoskinson said, responding to questions about the network’s ability to recover and compete going forward.
Follow us on X to get the latest news as it happens.
ADA price performance offered some support for his optimism. The altcoin gained roughly 26% over the last week, according to BeInCrypto data.
Beyond price action, Hoskinson pointed to concrete development work underway.
Ouroboros Leios aims to significantly increase Cardano’s transaction-processing capacity, while Hydra remains a key Layer-2 initiative designed to support faster, more efficient transactions as the network competes with Ethereum and Solana on scalability and adoption.
Cardano Founder Backs Collaboration With Ethereum
After years of rivalry, Hoskinson said Cardano and Ethereum developers should work together. He wants Ethereum to explore Cardano’s UTXO-based technology, which changes how transactions and smart contracts are processed.
He said the collaboration would require no funding or apologies over past disputes and could produce a working integration within months.
“… it’s not like we would just be like no we don’t want to work with you. We’d be actually that’s great for both ecosystems. This is a natural easy academic and engineering collaboration which requires no transfer of money, no apologies, just an acknowledgement and just an desire to work together,” Cardano founder noted.
For Cardano, such cooperation could give its technology a much larger stage. It would also help Cardano connect more closely with Ethereum and show that ideas developed within its ecosystem can have value beyond ADA’s price.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch leaders and journalists provide expert insights.
The post Charles Hoskinson Says Cardano Will Win, But With Ethereum’s Help appeared first on BeInCrypto.
Crypto World
3 Things to Know About Revolut’s New Euro Stablecoin
Revolut began rolling out EURR, its first euro-denominated stablecoin, on August 26. The launch starts with selected customers in Portugal, Poland and Denmark, with wider EEA availability planned later this year.
But for European users, the obvious question is why use EURR when Revolut already offers USDC — or when users can simply keep euros in their account?
Three Things We Know About Revolut’s New Stablecoin
Revolut does not actually issue EURR. Bridge Building S.A., a Luxembourg-regulated company owned by Stripe’s Bridge, issues the token. Holders can redeem EURR with Bridge at €1 per token.
Also, its clearest difference from USDC is currency exposure. USDC tracks the US dollar, so its value in euros moves with EUR/USD. EURR tracks the euro, letting users move euro-denominated value onto Ethereum or Polygon without first taking dollar exposure.
However, this is still a tiny rollout. Bridge’s reserve page showed just 374 EURR in circulation at launch, backed by €374 in cash deposits. That makes EURR closer to a controlled pilot than an established rival to USDC.
Note: Stablecoins have become the most in-demand product for banking platforms. In fact, 39 US banking groups are currently developing their own stablecoin network.
What Revolut Still Hasn’t Explained
The biggest unanswered question is why the average Revolut customer should use EURR at all.
Revolut says EURR will connect fiat, crypto, external wallets and blockchains. But it has not announced a clear pricing advantage over USDC.
Its current fee schedule already allows supported fiat-to-stablecoin conversions without transaction fees within certain plan limits.
It is also unclear whether EURR withdrawals will be cheaper than USDC, where outside liquidity will come from, or whether Revolut will add payment or rewards features.
For now, EURR solves one clear problem. It lets Europeans take euros on-chain without converting them into digital dollars.
The post 3 Things to Know About Revolut’s New Euro Stablecoin appeared first on BeInCrypto.
Crypto World
Ethereum developers propose first step to protect ETH staking from quantum attacks

A draft proposal would allow validators to deposit with quantum-resistant keys, then permanently stop accepting the format the network runs on today.
Crypto World
Dealer Hedging Puts Bitcoin $80,000 Zone in Focus
Bitcoin traders face a $6.44 billion options expiry on Deribit at 08:00 UTC this Friday, covering 81,700 BTC contracts as spot hovers near $79,000 after a rapid climb from $62,000. The size and positioning of that expiry, concentrated at the $75,000 and $80,000 strikes, puts dealer hedging flows squarely in control of short-term price action heading into settlement.

The expiry consists of 44,639 call contracts against 37,061 puts, producing a put-to-call ratio of 0.83, according to Deribit data. That skew shows calls outnumber puts by a wide margin, though the ratio alone doesn’t confirm directional conviction as some of those calls sit inside spreads or covered positions rather than outright bullish bets.
The $75,000 strike carries the largest call concentration at $236 million in notional value, with $80,000 close behind at about $157 million. Bitcoin’s rally pushed both strikes in the money, meaning holders can exercise profitably before accounting for premiums and fees.
Discover: The Best Token Presales
Gamma Hedging and the Pinning Risk at $80,000
Market makers hedge options exposure by trading spot or futures against their book, and that hedge ratio shifts fastest when the price sits near a heavily populated strike, or a dynamic known as gamma hedging. Deribit Chief Risk Officer Shaun Fernando said more than $500 million in notional value is positioned within 5% of Bitcoin’s current market price.
Fernando said that, adding that the concentration “may result in unusual pinning around key strikes or accelerate moves through them.” Which outcome dominates depends on dealers’ net positioning as information that the aggregate open-interest tape doesn’t fully reveal, so neither a pin near $80,000 nor a clean breakout above it can be treated as confirmed ahead of time.
A pinned market would see BTC hover close to $80,000 as dealers offset nearby moves; a decisive break in either direction could instead force dealers to trade with the move. That tension echoes the broader question of whether Bitcoin can clear resistance and extend toward levels discussed in recent technical coverage targeting $89,000.
Trade Bitcoin on Bybit and Get a Chance to Win Our $1,000 USDT Airdrop
Bitcoin Max Pain Near $68,000 Isn’t a Target
The expiry’s max-pain level, or the settlement price at which the largest volume of options expires worthless, sits near $68,000. It’s a $11,000 below spot. Max pain doesn’t account for hedging flows, entry prices, positions held off-exchange, or spot demand, and it has a poor track record of predicting actual settlement prices on expiries this size.
Reaching $68,000 by Friday would require a far larger reversal than a simple retreat to the $75,000 strike cluster, and nothing in current positioning suggests that move is underway. The figure is worth tracking as a reference point, not treating it as a forecast.
If Bitcoin holds within a tight band around $80,000 into the 08:00 UTC deadline, expect dealer hedging to reinforce that range rather than break it, consistent with a pinning scenario. If BTC instead pushes decisively through $80,000 or slips back under $75,000, gamma hedging could accelerate the move in whichever direction it breaks, given how much exposure is stacked at both strikes.
BTC volatility is also likely to compress once Friday’s contracts settle and near-term hedging demand rolls off, a pattern typical after large Deribit expiries.
The size of this settlement raises the odds of sharper intraday swings into Friday, but it doesn’t by itself dictate which way Bitcoin ultimately goes.
Discover: The Best Crypto to Diversify Your Portfolio
The post Dealer Hedging Puts Bitcoin $80,000 Zone in Focus appeared first on Cryptonews.
Crypto World
Holders can earn daily income through cloud mining
Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.
XRP’s price momentum has slowed, traders are facing resistance, while UE Crypto is attracting attention as investors seek cloud mining and yield mechanisms.
Summary
- XRP’s price momentum has slowed, and its price action has raised concerns about short-term market sentiment.
- Amid continued market volatility, XRP holders seeking cloud mining and yield mechanisms have shown increasing interest in UE Crypto.
- Potential liquidation concentrations around $1.55 and between $1.42 and $1.45 could influence the next market move.
At the time of writing, the current price of XRP (XRP) is $1.44, compared with an opening price of $1.0014 on August 19. The token briefly reached approximately $1.69 before sellers took profits, bringing its price down by around 12% from the weekly high, while still leaving it approximately 48% above the opening price.

After President Trump met at the White House with industry representatives, including Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, optimism surrounding U.S. cryptocurrency regulation returned to the market, supporting the latest rally. Trump called on Congress to advance the CLARITY Act, which aims to allocate digital-asset regulatory authority between the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Improved liquidity conditions also supported the broader cryptocurrency market.
XRP, the cryptocurrency created by Ripple co-founder, eliminated some of its most bearish signals last week and surged, gaining 46% over seven days, with its market capitalization exceeding $91 billion.
However, as the saying goes, excessive gains can eventually lead to a reversal. XRP’s latest upward momentum is cooling, with the token falling as much as 2% earlier today.
When an overheated rally continues for too long, problems can emerge. The latest rally surged toward $1.55 before beginning to retreat. The most recent daily close was $1.4554, compared with an opening price of $1.4818, marking the second consecutive trading day of decline. This appears more like a rally stalling near resistance rather than a full trend reversal.
Recently, XRP has underperformed other digital assets among the top ten by market capitalization. Its price has repeatedly retested previous support levels, while its upward momentum has clearly slowed. Meanwhile, the latest data from SoSoValue shows that XRP’s momentum is cooling, raising concerns about changes in short-term market capital sentiment.
Driven by the market’s tendency to buy on dips and take profits at higher levels, XRP experienced periods of increased volatility, causing its market capitalization to decline and temporarily losing its position as the world’s fourth-largest digital asset. The increase in short-term volatility has prompted some investors to reassess their future XRP investment strategies.
It is against this backdrop that UE Crypto’s cloud-mining digital-asset platform has attracted growing attention from investors seeking to use cloud mining and yield aggregation mechanisms to diversify their exposure to market volatility and potentially enhance returns.
In recent years, as the global regulatory environment has matured, Ripple has continued to build its global payments network and expand into real-world asset (RWA) tokenization, cross-border payments, and digital financial infrastructure, providing new growth drivers for the XRP ecosystem.
Although secondary-market trading activity has recently declined and retail investors remain cautious, institutional demand for long-term digital-asset allocation continues to exist, while the underlying foundation for overall market growth remains largely intact.
As XRP price volatility increases, UE Crypto cloud mining has become another option being considered by investors.
Given the recent increase in XRP price volatility, more XRP holders are beginning to pay attention to UE Crypto and explore more diversified, stable, and sustainable potential income models through cloud mining and yield aggregation mechanisms while maintaining their long-term digital-asset allocations.
Unlike highly volatile leveraged trading or investment strategies that rely solely on asset-price appreciation, UE Crypto’s cloud-mining platform provides a more convenient way to participate in digital assets. Users do not need to purchase expensive mining equipment or take on hardware deployment, maintenance, and operational costs. Instead, they can select an appropriate computing-power contract according to their individual needs and participate in related mining services.
While focusing on the long-term value and market performance of XRP, users can also further expand the application scenarios and potential sources of returns associated with their digital assets.
About UE Crypto
UE Crypto is headquartered in the United Kingdom and operates within European regulatory frameworks such as MiCA and MiFID II, continuously improving its transparency, operating standards, and user-protection mechanisms.
The platform employs a multi-layer security architecture, including:
- Annual financial and security compliance audits conducted by PwC
- Digital-asset custody insurance provided by Lloyd’s
- Enterprise-level network protection from Cloudflare and McAfee® security systems
- Bank-grade data encryption and professional security infrastructure to provide multiple layers of protection for users’ assets and accounts
Currently, UE Crypto supports a range of major digital assets, including XRP, BTC, ETH, USDT, USDC, DOGE, LTC, and SOL, providing users with a more flexible and convenient digital-asset service experience.
How to join UE Crypto and earn passive income in three steps
Step 1: Quickly register an account
Step 2: Choose a mining package
Select a suitable cloud-mining contract according to personal budget and needs, and start mining with one click.
Step 3: Start earning
Once the contract is activated, the system will automatically allocate computing power, and earnings will be settled every 24 hours. Users can withdraw their earnings at any time or continue participating according to their needs, potentially supporting long-term compound growth of their assets.
Popular UE Crypto contracts
BTC (Beginner Experience Contract)Investment: $100, Term: 2 days
Daily return: $4, Total at maturity: $100 + $8
Dogecoin (DOGE, Digital Intelligence System Contract) Investment: $500,
Term: 5 days, Daily return: $6.25, Total at maturity: $500 + $31.50
BTC (Super Computing System Contract) Investment: $1,000, Term: 10 days,
Daily return: $13.10, Total at maturity: $1,000 + $131
LTC (Algorithm-Driven System Contract)Investment: $5,000, Term: 25 days,
Daily return: $72, Total at maturity: $5,000 + $1,800
BTC (Quantitative Intelligence System Contract)Investment: $10,000,
Term: 35 days, Daily return: $158, Total at maturity: $10,000 + $5,530
For more details about the contract plans, please visit the UE Crypto official website.
Conclusion
XRP’s upward momentum has slowed, while market volatility remains elevated. As a new market cycle gradually unfolds, investors are shifting their focus from simply tracking price movements toward greater emphasis on risk management, asset allocation, and long-term returns.
This trend reflects the continued evolution of digital-asset investment strategies toward greater maturity and diversification. At the same time, UE Crypto’s cloud-mining digital-asset platform has become an area of interest for some investors exploring diversified digital-asset allocation and potential income models.
Looking to earn up to $2,000 in passive income per day, or want to learn more about UE Crypto? Visit the official website.
Disclosure: This content is provided by a third party. Neither crypto.news nor the author of this article endorses any product mentioned on this page. Users should conduct their own research before taking any action related to the company.
Crypto World
Bitcoin Enters Early Stage of New Bull Cycle, Says CryptoQuant
Bitcoin (BTC) may be entering a new bull-market phase, as several valuation, demand, and liquidity indicators have turned higher, according to CryptoQuant. The analytics firm outlined the shift in a research note published August 25, but said Bitcoin still needs further confirmation.
The assessment comes as BTC has also shown renewed price strength. The cryptocurrency climbed about 24% from August 17 and reached $80,000, its highest level since mid-May.
Bitcoin Rally Gains Broader Support
The rally came amid plans by the US Treasury to raise long-term bond buybacks to at least $4 billion per operation from September 9. It also followed comments from President Donald Trump about possible federal Bitcoin purchases.
These developments coincided with a sharp improvement in CryptoQuant’s market indicators. The firm’s Bull Score rose from 30 to 80 during the week, its strongest reading since October 6, 2025, when Bitcoin traded close to $124,000. Eight of its ten underlying indicators are now in bullish territory.
Demand conditions further supported the shift, with apparent spot demand expanding at its fastest monthly pace since late December. Spot and futures demand rose together for the first time since early October 2025, pointing to broader market participation.
Confirmation Depends on Key Level
CryptoQuant described these developments as the early stage of a new bull cycle. However, it said Bitcoin needs a daily close above its 365-day moving average for confirmation. That average currently stands near $83,000, leaving Bitcoin below an important technical threshold despite the recent move.
Despite the bullish signals, the report also identified factors that could create short-term pressure on Bitcoin’s price. Trader unrealized profit margins reached 20.5%, their highest level since June 2025. At the same time, large holders realized a record $614 million in profits on August 20.
Signs of potential selling were also visible in exchange flows. CryptoQuant observed higher Bitcoin, Ether, and XRP deposits on exchanges, which can signal that some holders are preparing to sell. The data does not guarantee a market decline, but it suggests profit-taking could become more significant if prices struggle above key resistance levels.
The post Bitcoin Enters Early Stage of New Bull Cycle, Says CryptoQuant appeared first on CryptoPotato.
Crypto World
India’s Best Employers of 2026
TIME and Statista have launched the 2026 list of Best Employers, based on independent employee surveys conducted in countries around the world. In India, Statista gathered 760,000 evaluations from employees across a wide range of sectors. These surveys asked open-ended questions about employees’ willingness to recommend their own employer and their willingness to recommend other employers in the same industry. The top 500 employers, ranked based on these results, were named India’s Best Employers 2026.
Crypto World
Warsh Jackson Hole keynote puts financial innovation first
The symposium theme is “Financial Innovation: Implications for Payments and Policy.” Warsh divested a dozen blockchain positions before taking office. He appointed Marc Andreessen to co lead the Fed’s AI task force. Friday’s speech could move crypto markets on policy content alone.
Summary
- The 2026 Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium runs August 27 to 29 with the theme “Financial Innovation: Implications for Payments and Policy,” the first time digital payments and financial technology have been the organizing center of the event.
- Fed Chair Kevin Warsh’s personal portfolio disclosed in his April 2026 ethics filing included stakes across more than a dozen blockchain protocols and DeFi ventures, all divested upon confirmation.
- Warsh appointed Marc Andreessen to co lead the Productivity and Jobs task force alongside Stanford economist Charles I. Jones and Microsoft Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, drawing attention from crypto investors despite the panel’s AI focus.
- Bitcoin broke $80,000 on August 25 as the crypto market rallied more than 20 percent for the week, with traders positioning ahead of Friday’s keynote.
- The stablecoin market has grown past $230 billion in outstanding tokens, JPMorgan is running dollar pegged deposit tokens on a public blockchain, and the GENIUS Act provides the first federal framework for payment stablecoin issuance.
Every Fed chair gets one first Jackson Hole speech. It sets the tone for their tenure, signals their priorities, and reveals how they think about the economy’s most pressing structural questions. Kevin Warsh’s first keynote arrives at a moment when the stablecoin market exceeds $230 billion, when tokenized deposits are settling real transactions on public blockchains, and when the United States is building its first comprehensive stablecoin regulatory framework under the GENIUS Act. The theme he chose tells you what he considers the structural question: “Financial Innovation: Implications for Payments and Policy.”
This is not the typical Jackson Hole speech about inflation forecasts and interest rate guidance. It is a speech about whether programmable money changes how monetary policy works. For crypto markets, the distinction matters more than the content.
Why the theme matters
Jackson Hole themes are chosen years in advance by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City in consultation with the Fed chair. The 2026 theme, “Financial Innovation: Implications for Payments and Policy,” is the first in the event’s history to place digital payments and financial technology at its organizing center. Previous themes have addressed inflation, labor markets, monetary policy frameworks, and global trade. None has centered on the mechanics of how money moves. The theme reflects a genuine central banking problem. Stablecoins, tokenized deposits, and faster payment rails have become practical tools in global finance fast enough to outrun regulatory frameworks. Central banks are still determining whether and how programmable money alters the transmission of interest rate policy. When the Fed raises rates, the traditional mechanism works through bank deposits and money market funds. If a growing share of dollar denominated value sits in stablecoins that do not pay interest, the relationship between the federal funds rate and broader financial conditions changes in ways that monetary economists are only beginning to model. The symposium is expected to draw participation from central banks working through CBDC frameworks and regulators overseeing stablecoin and tokenized asset markets globally. The academic papers presented alongside the keynote will address payment system architecture, the macroeconomic effects of instant settlement, and the regulatory challenges of cross border digital payments. For the first time, these are not fringe topics at Jackson Hole. They are the organizing principle.
Who Kevin Warsh is
Warsh took office as Fed chair on May 22, 2026, after Senate confirmation on a 58 to 42 vote. He previously served as a Federal Reserve governor from 2006 to 2011, where he was the youngest governor in the Fed’s history and gained a reputation for skepticism toward quantitative easing. After leaving the Fed, he became a fellow at the Hoover Institution and served on the boards of several technology companies. His April 2026 ethics filing revealed personal investments across more than a dozen blockchain protocols and DeFi ventures, all of which he pledged to divest upon confirmation. The filing drew immediate attention because no previous Fed chair had disclosed crypto holdings of any kind. Warsh did not discuss the positions publicly, but the disclosure confirmed that he entered office with direct experience as a crypto investor, not just as a policymaker observing the space from a distance. The experience matters because Jackson Hole speeches are not scripted by staff. The chair personally shapes the framing, the priorities, and the analytical lens. A chair who held DeFi positions understands yield farming, liquidity pools, and protocol governance in a way that a chair whose exposure was limited to policy briefings does not. Whether that understanding leads to supportive or skeptical language on Friday is the open question.
The Andreessen appointment
On July 9, Warsh announced five independent task forces to examine Fed communications, balance sheet policy, inflation frameworks, economic data, and the impact of artificial intelligence on productivity and employment. Marc Andreessen, co founder of Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), was appointed to co lead the Productivity and Jobs task force. Andreessen Horowitz is one of the largest investors in both AI companies and crypto startups. The firm’s crypto portfolio includes investments in Coinbase, Uniswap, Compound, and dozens of other protocols and infrastructure companies. None of the task force announcements mention crypto, digital assets, or stablecoins directly. The mandate is to study how AI and emerging technologies reshape economic growth and labor markets. But the appointment is being read by crypto markets as a directional signal. The reasoning: Warsh could have chosen any technology leader for the AI task force. He chose one whose firm has deployed billions into crypto infrastructure. Even if the task force never addresses digital assets, the selection reveals Warsh’s comfort level with the technology ecosystem that includes crypto as a core component. The task force will present preliminary findings to the Board of Governors in early 2027. If those findings reference digital payment infrastructure, tokenized assets, or blockchain based settlement, the crypto policy signal strengthens. If they remain narrowly focused on AI productivity effects, the appointment was about AI, not crypto, and the market read was premature. The broader composition of Warsh’s task forces also matters. Alongside Andreessen, Warsh appointed Doug McMillon, CEO of Walmart, to co lead a separate task force on communications. The combination of Silicon Valley venture capital and corporate retail in the Fed’s advisory structure signals a chair who views the economy through the lens of technology adoption and consumer facing innovation, not just banking system mechanics. This philosophical orientation may shape how Warsh frames financial innovation at Jackson Hole: as a consumer benefit driven by competition, rather than as a systemic risk requiring containment. Five task forces examining five aspects of Fed operations, none explicitly addressing digital assets, but all touching infrastructure that digital assets intersect with: communications (how the Fed signals to increasingly automated markets), balance sheet policy (how Treasury purchases interact with stablecoin reserve demand), inflation frameworks (whether digital payment efficiency is disinflationary), data (whether blockchain data should supplement traditional economic indicators), and AI productivity (whether tokenized labor markets alter employment dynamics). The crypto market is reading the subtext, and at Jackson Hole, subtext becomes text.
What Warsh might say about payments
The symposium theme constrains the keynote to financial innovation and payments. Within that frame, several topics carry crypto market implications.
Stablecoin oversight. The GENIUS Act creates a federal framework for payment stablecoins. Warsh could endorse the framework, signal that the Fed wants additional supervisory authority over stablecoin issuers, or express concern about systemic risk from a $230 billion market that operates outside the traditional banking system. Each of these positions moves markets differently.
Tokenized deposits. JPMorgan’s Kinexys platform and the Clearing House tokenized deposit network represent bank driven innovation that operates within existing regulatory perimeters. Warsh praising tokenized deposits while being cautious about stablecoins would signal a preference for bank mediated innovation over crypto native alternatives. The reverse would signal openness to non bank competition in payments.
CBDC position. Previous Fed leadership under Jerome Powell adopted a cautious “study but do not commit” approach to a digital dollar. Warsh has not publicly stated his CBDC position since taking office. A Jackson Hole speech is the natural venue to define it. Any language that explicitly deprioritizes a Fed CBDC in favor of private stablecoin innovation would be the most bullish possible signal for the crypto market.
Interest rate transmission. The most technically consequential topic is whether stablecoins alter monetary policy transmission. If a growing share of dollar value sits in non interest bearing stablecoins, rate changes have less impact on financial conditions. Warsh acknowledging this dynamic publicly would validate a thesis that crypto economists have advanced for years but that the Fed has not previously engaged with at the chair level.
How Jackson Hole has moved crypto before
Jackson Hole speeches do not typically address crypto directly. But they move crypto markets indirectly through their effect on dollar liquidity expectations, interest rate outlooks, and risk appetite. In 2024, Jerome Powell’s Jackson Hole speech signaled that rate cuts were approaching, triggering a broad risk asset rally that lifted bitcoin roughly 6 percent in the 48 hours following the speech. The mechanism was straightforward: lower rates increase the relative attractiveness of non yielding assets like bitcoin by reducing the opportunity cost of holding them. In 2022, Powell’s hawkish Jackson Hole speech crashed risk assets, with bitcoin falling approximately 10 percent as markets repriced the likelihood of aggressive rate hikes. The speech contained no mention of crypto, but the macro signal was sufficient to trigger a sell off. Warsh’s 2026 keynote has the potential to move crypto on both macro and policy channels simultaneously. If the speech signals rate flexibility (macro bullish) while endorsing stablecoin innovation (policy bullish), the combined effect would be more powerful than either signal alone. If the speech signals rate rigidity while expressing concern about stablecoin systemic risk, the reverse applies. The key difference from previous Jackson Hole speeches is that the theme itself is about financial innovation. Warsh does not need to mention crypto or stablecoins in passing; the topic is central to the entire symposium. Any language about digital payments, programmable money, or non bank payment innovation will be parsed for crypto market implications in real time.
The XRP and institutional backdrop
The timing of Warsh’s keynote coincides with a period of record institutional activity in crypto markets that directly relates to the payments innovation theme. XRP ETF trading volume hit an all time high of $125 million on August 20, the same week Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse appeared at the Wyoming Blockchain Symposium alongside SEC Chairman Paul Atkins. JPMorgan’s Kinexys platform completed a live cross border tokenized Treasury redemption on the XRP Ledger in under five seconds. These are not speculative experiments. They are live transactions settling real financial instruments on public blockchains, the exact category of financial innovation that the Jackson Hole theme addresses. If Warsh references tokenized settlement, cross border payments, or institutional adoption of blockchain rails in his keynote, the connection to this week’s market activity becomes explicit. Bitcoin spot ETFs absorbed $2.2 billion in six consecutive days of inflows, with total assets approaching $100 billion. Solana staking ETFs crossed $1 billion in cumulative inflows. The institutional infrastructure for crypto has reached a scale that central bankers can no longer characterize as experimental or marginal. Warsh’s speech arrives at a moment when the data supports either endorsement or caution, and the direction he chooses will define how the Fed engages with digital asset markets for the remainder of his tenure.
The rate question underneath the innovation theme
Jackson Hole speeches nominally focus on their stated theme, but markets always listen for rate signals embedded in the broader narrative. The federal funds rate sits at 4.75 to 5.00 percent. Core PCE inflation, the Fed’s preferred measure, has been declining but remains above the 2 percent target. GDP growth has been resilient. The labor market shows signs of cooling but has not deteriorated sharply. Warsh inherits a policy stance that many market participants consider too tight given the progress on inflation. He has not yet chaired an FOMC meeting that cut rates. A Jackson Hole speech that frames financial innovation as a source of productivity growth and disinflationary pressure would implicitly support the case for rate cuts by suggesting that technology driven efficiencies are helping bring inflation down without requiring further monetary restriction. The opposite framing is also possible. Warsh could argue that financial innovation creates new risks, that stablecoin growth introduces unmonitored leverage, and that the Fed needs to maintain its current stance until the regulatory framework catches up with market developments. This framing would be hawkish on both rates and crypto policy simultaneously. The correlation between rate expectations and crypto prices has been persistently positive in 2026. Lower rates push capital toward risk assets, increase the relative appeal of non yielding assets like bitcoin, and loosen financial conditions in ways that benefit leveraged trading. A speech that is dovish on rates and supportive of financial innovation would be a dual catalyst. A speech that is hawkish on rates and cautious on innovation would be a dual headwind.
The global central banking audience
Warsh’s keynote is not delivered in isolation. Jackson Hole brings together central bankers from dozens of countries, many of whom are further along in their digital currency strategies than the United States. The European Central Bank has advanced its digital euro to the preparation phase. The Bank of England is consulting on a digital pound. The Bank of Japan has completed technical experiments with a digital yen. China’s digital yuan has been in live circulation since 2020. For these central bankers, the question is not whether digital money exists but how it interacts with monetary policy. Warsh’s speech will be received differently by an ECB official who has committed to a CBDC than by a Singaporean regulator who has embraced private stablecoins. The diversity of the audience means that Warsh cannot simply endorse or reject digital innovation. He must articulate a position that engages with the full spectrum of approaches, from central bank issued digital currencies to purely private stablecoin networks. This global context shapes what Warsh can say about the United States approach. If he endorses private stablecoins as the preferred model for dollar denominated digital payments, he is implicitly arguing that the United States does not need a CBDC because private sector innovation has already solved the payment efficiency problem. If he signals interest in a Fed digital dollar, he is implicitly positioning the United States alongside the ECB and the Bank of England in the CBDC camp, which crypto markets would read as competitive pressure on private stablecoins.
What the market is pricing
Bitcoin broke $80,000 on August 25 after rallying more than 20 percent for the week. The crypto market added approximately $400 billion in market capitalization in seven days. Bitcoin spot ETF inflows hit $2.2 billion in six consecutive days, the strongest streak since October 2025. The rally preceded the Jackson Hole speech, not followed it. This suggests the market is positioning for a broadly favorable outcome, whether that means a dovish rate signal, a supportive payments innovation statement, or both. If Warsh delivers a speech that matches or exceeds these expectations, the rally extends. If the speech is narrowly technical without clear policy signals, the positioning may unwind as a “sell the news” event. Options markets show elevated implied volatility for bitcoin through August 29, with the at the money implied volatility for weekly options approximately 15 percent higher than the 30 day average. The skew favors calls, indicating that options traders are paying more for upside protection than downside, consistent with bullish positioning ahead of a catalyst.
What would prove this thesis wrong
Two conditions would undermine the “Jackson Hole matters for crypto” thesis. First, if Warsh delivers a purely academic speech about payment system architecture without any language that can be interpreted as policy direction, the crypto market may conclude that the Fed views financial innovation as a technical topic rather than a policy priority. Second, if the speech includes language cautioning against the systemic risks of stablecoins or explicitly endorsing a Fed CBDC, the market would reprice the Warsh era as less crypto friendly than his personal portfolio history suggested. The most likely outcome falls between the extremes. Warsh will probably acknowledge that private stablecoin innovation has outpaced regulatory frameworks, signal that the Fed prefers a supervisory role over direct issuance, and avoid specific rate guidance. This middle ground is mildly bullish for crypto but not a catalyst for a breakout move beyond what the market has already priced. The risk for traders is not a hostile speech. It is a forgettable one. If Warsh delivers technically competent remarks about payment system architecture without any language that reveals his personal views on digital assets, the market loses the information it was pricing in. A speech that signals nothing is more damaging to the current rally than a speech that signals mild caution, because it removes the catalyst without replacing it with an alternative narrative.
What to watch
Friday morning keynote timing. Warsh speaks Friday, August 28. Markets typically react within minutes of key phrases being reported by wire services. The crypto market trades 24 hours, meaning the reaction begins immediately and does not wait for equity market open.
Stablecoin language. Any mention of stablecoins, payment tokens, or private digital money in the keynote text will be the most closely parsed language. Endorsement of the GENIUS Act framework would be explicitly bullish. Calls for additional Fed oversight would be moderately bearish.
CBDC positioning. If Warsh deprioritizes a Fed digital dollar in favor of private sector innovation, stablecoin tokens and crypto broadly rally. If he revives the digital dollar discussion, the market may interpret it as competitive pressure on private stablecoins.
Rate guidance. Any signal about the September FOMC meeting embedded in the speech moves all risk assets, crypto included. The federal funds rate currently sits at 4.75 to 5.00 percent. Markets are pricing approximately 40 percent probability of a cut in September.
Post speech Q and A. Jackson Hole includes a discussion period. Unscripted comments in response to questions from other central bankers and economists often contain more directionally useful information than the prepared text.
When is Kevin Warsh’s Jackson Hole speech?
Kevin Warsh delivers his keynote address on Friday morning, August 28, 2026, at the Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. The symposium runs from August 27 to 29.
What is the 2026 Jackson Hole theme?
The theme is “Financial Innovation: Implications for Payments and Policy.” It is the first Jackson Hole theme to place digital payments and financial technology at its organizing center.
Did Kevin Warsh own crypto before becoming Fed chair?
His April 2026 ethics filing disclosed stakes across more than a dozen blockchain protocols and DeFi ventures. He pledged to divest all positions upon confirmation and took office on May 22, 2026.
Why did Warsh appoint Marc Andreessen to a Fed task force?
Warsh appointed Andreessen to co lead the Productivity and Jobs task force studying how AI and emerging technologies reshape economic growth. While the mandate does not mention crypto, Andreessen Horowitz is one of the largest investors in both AI and crypto infrastructure.
How does Jackson Hole affect crypto prices?
Jackson Hole speeches move crypto markets primarily through their effect on dollar liquidity expectations and interest rate outlooks. In 2024, Jerome Powell’s dovish signal lifted bitcoin approximately 6 percent. The 2026 speech has additional potential to move markets on payments policy content due to the financial innovation theme.
What might Warsh say about stablecoins?
The keynote could endorse the GENIUS Act framework for private stablecoin oversight, signal that the Fed wants additional supervisory authority, or express concern about systemic risk from a $230 billion stablecoin market. Each position carries different market implications.
Will Warsh talk about a digital dollar?
His CBDC position has not been publicly stated since taking office. Jackson Hole is a natural venue to define it. Any language deprioritizing a Fed CBDC in favor of private stablecoin innovation would be the most bullish possible signal for crypto markets.
Should crypto traders watch Jackson Hole this year?
The financial innovation theme makes this the most crypto relevant Jackson Hole in history. Unlike previous years where crypto implications were indirect (through rate signals), the 2026 theme places payments, stablecoins, and digital innovation at the center. The keynote text, discussion period, and academic papers will all carry potential market signals. This is educational analysis, not investment advice.
Disclaimer. This article was written on August 26, 2026. All figures reflect data available on that date and may have changed. This is educational analysis and does not constitute investment advice. Monetary policy decisions and financial innovation frameworks are subject to change.
Crypto World
The evidence doesn't support the banks' case against stablecoin rewards

The evidence doesn't support the banks' case against stablecoin rewards
Crypto World
Tokenized deposits could raise borrowing costs, Fed economists warn
Tokenized deposits could reduce U.S. banks’ capacity to hold long-term interest-rate exposure by $700 billion under one modeled scenario, according to research published Aug. 25 by Dallas Fed economists Rosie Levy and Srini Ramaswamy.
Summary
- Dallas economists estimate 10% greater rate sensitivity could reduce banks’ duration capacity by $700 billion.
- A 10% shorter deposit life could reduce maturity transformation capacity by approximately $580 billion systemwide.
- The estimates measure ten-year equivalent interest-rate exposure, not deposits predicted to leave banking institutions directly.
- Tokenization may let depositors and AI agents move funds instantly toward banks offering higher yields.
- Banks could respond with higher deposit rates, larger liquidity buffers or additional wholesale debt issuance.
The figure does not represent $700 billion of deposits expected to leave banks or an equivalent guaranteed decline in lending. It measures a possible reduction in banks’ duration risk appetite, expressed as the equivalent exposure to ten-year Treasury securities.
The authors also stated that their views should not be attributed to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas or the Federal Reserve System.
Tokenized deposits could make bank funding less stable
Tokenized deposits are ordinary commercial bank deposits represented on a blockchain or another distributed ledger. They can support automated payments, programmable transactions and around-the-clock settlement while remaining liabilities of the issuing bank.
Their speed could weaken the practical barriers that make deposits relatively stable. Customers seeking higher yields could move money between institutions faster than they can through many existing banking systems.
“Instant settlement would allow deposit holders who prioritize yield to switch banks almost instantaneously,” the economists wrote.
Smart contracts could automatically transfer balances when another institution offers a better rate. Agentic artificial intelligence could theoretically monitor yields and initiate those transfers without requiring customers to act manually.
The authors did not predict how broadly depositors would use such automation. They described large-scale adoption as uncertain and evaluated what could happen under specific assumptions.
The $700 billion estimate measures duration capacity
Banks use relatively stable deposits to finance mortgages, business loans, securities and other longer-term assets. Although customers can withdraw demand deposits at any time, aggregate balances often remain with banks for years.
This behavioral stability gives deposits an effective duration. Banks also measure deposit beta, which shows how closely the interest rates they pay customers move with market rates.
Using Federal Reserve H.8 balance-sheet data, the economists estimated that U.S. banks held approximately $7 trillion of long-term interest-rate exposure on July 15. About $5.8 trillion, or 80%, was supported by the duration characteristics of deposits other than large time deposits.
Their analysis found that a 10% increase in deposit rate sensitivity could reduce banks’ duration risk capacity by $700 billion, assuming deposits have an average life of four years.
A separate scenario found that reducing average deposit life by 10% could lower maturity transformation capacity by approximately $580 billion.
These are back-of-the-envelope estimates based on assumed durations and aggregate balance-sheet matching. They are not forecasts of actual loan losses, deposit withdrawals or bank failures.
Banks could raise rates or hold more liquid assets
Banks could respond by offering higher deposit rates, reducing the incentive for customers to switch. That approach would increase funding costs and compress lending margins.
Institutions could also hold more reserves and government securities instead of long-term loans. Another option would involve issuing additional term debt to preserve existing lending levels.
Greater reliance on expensive wholesale debt would “likely adversely impact the cost of credit,” the authors estimated.
Research using Brazil’s Pix system provides an early comparison. A Central Bank of Brazil study found that increased instant-payment usage led banks to hold more liquid assets, particularly government bonds, while reducing the share of loans on their balance sheets.
The Brazilian findings do not establish that U.S. tokenized deposits will produce identical results. Pix is an instant-payment network rather than a tokenized deposit system, and the two markets operate under different banking structures.
U.S. banks continue building tokenized networks
Large American banks are moving forward with tokenized deposit infrastructure despite the possible funding risks. The Clearing House announced a shared network supporting automated workflows, interoperability and 24/7 settlement.
Bank of America, Citi, BNY, Wells Fargo and other institutions support the project. As crypto.news reported, JPMorgan and major competitors are building shared tokenized deposit infrastructure intended to connect blockchain activity with regulated commercial bank money.
Community and regional banks are also entering the sector. Thirty-nine state banking associations recently formed BankChain Alliance, which is targeting a nationwide blockchain launch during 2027.
The design of these networks will determine how easily deposits can move between institutions. Interoperability could improve payments while also increasing competition for funding, making deposit behavior, liquidity rules and bank-size differences central issues for regulators.
-
Fashion5 days agoWeekend Open Thread: Madewell – Corporette.com
-
Business4 days agoMusk’s Tesla, SpaceX Confirm $16.8 Billion ‘Terafab’ Chip Plant as World’s Largest Building in Texas
-
Crypto World4 days agoanatomy of crypto’s biggest liquidation event since 2021
-
Crypto World2 days agoA $30 Billion AI Fund Implodes, Now the SEC Is Investigating Wall Street’s Role
-
Politics4 days ago6 months on, Irish renters crushed by effects of government housing bill
-
Crypto World15 hours agoSpaceX stock could rise 75% to $240, JPMorgan says
-
NewsBeat4 days agoThe ‘Lucky Dip Gang’ causing carnage for clicks: After five thugs were killed speeding in the wrong direction on a motorway, GUY ADAMS investigates a sick new trend… and why police aren’t even allowed to pursue them
-
Business3 days agoMystery AI Model ‘Ox Alpha’ Draws Developers With Free Access as Chinese Lab Origins Remain Debated
-
News Videos6 days agoDon’t Leave Your Financial Future To Chance | August 19, 2026
-
Business7 days agoMarvell Shares Jump 7% as Google Chip Deal Confirms Custom AI Silicon Partnership, Analysts
-
Business6 days agoFive Below: Kids Discount Retailer Reaps Rich Rewards
-
Business2 days agoModerna CEO warns China is pouring state money into mRNA technology
-
Business5 days agoUK firms in critical financial distress rise 9% to 53,756
-
Business2 days agoNVIDIA Stock Drops Nearly 2 Percent to $210 on Seventh Losing Day Ahead of Critical AI Earnings
-
Sports3 days agoDeshaun Watson fires back at Browns fans after being booed: ‘It’s a disrespectful thing’
-
Crypto World6 days agoOptimism-funded team's deciding vote shifts $49 million in OP tokens away from users
-
Entertainment7 days ago10 Most Perfect Fantasy Shows of the Last 25 Years
-
Tech6 days agoOpenAI confirms ChatGPT is down as logins and signups fail
-
Business6 days agoPayPal and Venmo now accepted for tuition at several universities
-
Crypto World3 days agoGoogle Gemini AI Predicts Ethereum Could Become the Trade Retail Misses in 2026

You must be logged in to post a comment Login