Crypto World
Visa & Stripe’s Bridge Plan Expands Stablecoin Cards to 100+ Countries
Visa is expanding its stablecoin-linked card program with Bridge, broadening its geographic reach and pushing toward onchain settlement. The latest move lifts the program from its initial Latin American rollout to 18 countries, with a plan to surpass 100 countries across Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East by year-end. The expansion builds on the program’s April 2025 debut in markets including Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Chile, and comes as the two companies test settlement directly in stablecoins through a pilot tied to Visa’s rails and Bridge’s banking partner. The broader industry context features heightened activity around stablecoins in payments, with rival initiatives in the space highlighting a competitive push toward real-time, programmable settlement.
Key takeaways
- Visa and Bridge are extending the stablecoin-linked card program to 18 countries, with a target of more than 100 countries by year-end across Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East.
- The program’s initial launch in 2025 covered Latin American markets, including Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Chile.
- Settlement is moving toward onchain processing, enabled by Bridge’s collaboration with Lead Bank, allowing transactions to be settled in stablecoins instead of fiat.
- Visa is evaluating potential support for Bridge-issued assets, which are created programmatically by businesses rather than by a traditional issuer.
- The move comes amid broader payments-industry activity around stablecoins, including Mastercard’s recent stablecoin card enablement with MetaMask in the United States.
Tickers mentioned: $USDT, $USDC
Market context: The expansion aligns with a wider shift toward crypto-enabled payments and onchain settlement rails, as major incumbents test how tokens can streamline merchant settlements and reduce counterparty risk in everyday purchases.
Market context: Linked to broader USDt and USDC usage in payments, the push also sits against a backdrop of regulatory scrutiny and ongoing experimentation with tokenized settlement in traditional rails.
Why it matters
The enhanced collaboration between Visa and Bridge underscores a strategic bet on programmable, onchain settlement as a means to speed up merchant settlements and improve transparency for card programs built on stablecoins. By enabling issuers and acquirers to settle transactions directly in stablecoins, the network could reduce latency and friction inherent in fiat conversions, especially for cross-border transactions or cross-currency purchases. The approach also signals an appetite to expand the set of tools available to fintechs and brands that want to issue their own digital dollars or stable assets tailored to their customer base, without relying solely on a third-party issuer.
Bridge’s participation remains central to the evolution of these rails. The program leverages Bridge’s infrastructure to enable onchain settlement, with Lead Bank providing the regulatory and banking framework necessary to move transactions from card networks into the onchain ecosystem. In practice, this arrangement allows card issuers to settle in stablecoins rather than converting transactions to local fiat post-authorization, aligning settlement timelines with blockchain realities and potentially improving settlement finality for merchants and consumers alike.
From a competitive standpoint, the Visa-Bridge expansion sits alongside a broader trend in the payments space: the growing willingness of major processors to experiment with crypto rails. Mastercard, for example, has recently enabled stablecoin card spending in the US through a partnership with the MetaMask wallet, illustrating how traditional payment networks are responding to consumer interest in crypto-backed payments and the desire for real-time settlement capabilities. The juxtaposition of these efforts signals a broader industry push toward integrating crypto-native settlement with fiat-backed consumer spending, while navigating the regulatory and risk considerations that come with such a transition.
Visa’s crypto leadership has been clear about meeting businesses where they operate. Cuy Sheffield, Visa’s head of crypto, has framed the expansion as part of a broader strategy to bring the speed, transparency and programmability of stablecoins into the settlement process. The company is exploring how Bridge-issued assets—stablecoins that are created programmatically by businesses on Bridge’s platform—could be supported more broadly within Visa’s network, a path that could unlock new programmable currency options for merchants and brands that want to control settlement terms or tokenized reward structures. Unlike the most widely used stablecoins issued by independent entities, Bridge-issued assets are designed to be created and managed via Bridge’s infrastructure, a model that could appeal to fintechs seeking bespoke token strategies.
Bridge has positioned the expansion as a step toward more seamless, on-chain settlement for digital-asset-enabled card programs. The practical effect is a potential reduction in the time and complexity involved in moving value from a customer’s stablecoin balance to a merchant’s local currency—an outcome that could matter for shoppers who want near-instant payments and for issuers seeking tighter control over settlement economics. The program’s onchain settlement is described as a natural extension of Bridge’s rail, with Lead Bank acting as the bridge between traditional banking and the onchain settlement layer. In a mid-February update, Bridge noted that it had received conditional approval from a regulator to become a national trust bank, a milestone that underscores the regulatory dimensions of this kind of expansion and the careful navigation required to scale such rails.
As part of the broader, ongoing stablecoin race in payments, Visa’s initiative adds to a landscape where banks and fintechs are willing to experiment with programmable money at the point of sale. The expansion’s strategic rationale rests on creating more options for merchants to accept stablecoins without abandoning familiar payment interfaces, and for consumers to transact with tokens that can be settled efficiently. By aligning with Bridge’s architecture and Lead Bank’s regulatory framework, Visa is building a more integrated model where stablecoins do not live only in wallets or exchanges but become a practical settlement instrument for everyday card purchases.
The announcement also highlights a broader industry trend: the move toward enhanced interoperability between card rails and blockchain settlement. If the onchain settlement pilot proves scalable, issuers may gain more flexibility in structuring rewards, fees and settlement terms around stablecoins, potentially broadening the appeal of crypto-enabled cards to a wider audience of merchants and cardholders. While regulatory considerations remain a constant backdrop, the practical demonstrations of speed and transparency in settlement have kept this initiative in the spotlight as a potential blueprint for future integrations across the payments ecosystem.
What to watch next
- Timeline and results of the onchain settlement pilot with Lead Bank and Bridge; potential adjustments to settlement cadence and liquidity requirements.
- Progress toward the goal of reaching 100+ countries by year-end, and which markets will be prioritized in the near term.
- Details on Visa’s potential support for Bridge-issued assets and any regulatory approvals that shape that path.
- Regulatory developments regarding Bridge’s national trust bank status and how they affect cross-border card programs.
Sources & verification
- Visa and Bridge expansion to over 100 countries: official Visa investor relations announcement.
- Original Latin American rollout: Visa and Bridge collaboration announcement outlining the April 2025 launch.
- Onchain settlement pilot and Bridge-Lead Bank collaboration: Visa press materials and Bridge announcements, including regulatory status updates.
- Industry context: Mastercard’s stablecoin card spending in the US via MetaMask—contextual reference in related coverage.
Key figures and next steps
Market reaction and key details
Why it matters
The Visa-Bridge collaboration represents a deliberate push to embed stablecoins deeper into everyday payments while testing the viability of onchain settlement for consumer card programs. If the pilot demonstrates efficiency gains and regulatory viability, issuers and merchants could gain access to more flexible settlement terms and new token-based monetization options. For users, the prospect of faster settlement and more predictable funds availability could enhance the appeal of stablecoins as a practical payments tool, particularly for cross-border purchases and commerce that spans multiple currencies.
Beyond Visa, the broader payments ecosystem is watching how these rails will coexist with existing fiat-based settlement, risk controls, and compliance regimes. The tension between innovation and regulation remains a key driver, but the ongoing experiments with stablecoins at the point of sale reflect a maturing phase in crypto-enabled payments where real-world usage and governance concerns are increasingly aligned. As more institutions participate, the competence and reliability of onchain settlement in consumer contexts will be tested under a variety of market conditions, from everyday retail transactions to cross-border remittances.
What to watch next
- End-of-year milestones for country expansion and the potential scaling of onchain settlement.
- Regulatory updates on Bridge’s national trust bank status and related compliance requirements.
- Adoption metrics from merchants and issuers participating in the program, including any changes in settlement times and cost structures.
Day-one trading volume for ETHB on Nasdaq reached over $16.5 million.
BlackRock’s iShares Staked Ethereum Trust ETF (ETHB) saw a strong debut on the Nasdaq on Thursday, March 12, drawing $43.48 million in net inflows and recording $16.54 million in trading volume on its first day, according to data from SoSoValue.
The only U.S. spot ETH ETF to outperform ETHB in net inflows on the day was Fidelity’s FETH, which pulled in just over $52 million, and saw $83.91 million in trading volume yesterday.
BlackRock’s spot-only Ethereum ETF, ETHA, saw $18.68 million in net inflows on the same day.
Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart called the debut “very, very solid for a day 1 ETF launch” in an X post on Thursday.
As The Defiant reported yesterday, ETHB is BlackRock’s third crypto ETF and its first to incorporate staking, combining spot ETH exposure with monthly staking income. Coinbase Prime handles ETH custody, per the firm’s press release.
The product carries a 0.25% sponsor fee, waived down to 0.12% for the first year on up to $2.5 billion in assets.
According to the fund’s prospectus as of March 11, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), BlackRock intends to stake between 70% and 95% of the trust’s ETH holdings “under normal market circumstances.”
BlackRock also said in its prospectus that it will stake ETH either via its ETH custodian, aka Coinbase, with one or more staking services providers, which could be Coinbase affiliates, or “other approved third-party validators.”
As The Defiant previously reported, ETHB is not the first staked ETH product in the U.S., but BlackRock’s market dominance across both Ethereum and Bitcoin ETFs in the U.S. makes ETHB’s entry a significant moment for the staked ETH market.
The launch follows key regulatory milestones that cleared the path for yield-bearing crypto ETFs. An SEC division issued staff guidance last May stating that staking is not a securities transaction — a staff-level position, not a formal rule — and the SEC formally acknowledged BlackRock’s staking filing last July.
The spot price of ETH rallied about 6% over the past 24 hours, reaching almost $2,200. ETH is now up on the weekly and monthly timeframes, 7% and 12% respectively.
This article was written with the assistance of AI workflows. All our stories are curated, edited and fact-checked by a human.
Editor’s note: This editorial previews the joint effort by AMC Robotics and HIVE to push AI-driven robotics compute infrastructure. The partners say the collaboration will use HIVE’s GPU AI Cloud resources to back AMC’s Kyro platform as it scales from lab testing toward real-world deployment, with demonstrations of autonomous navigation and heat detection highlighted in Tokyo. Beyond immediate compute needs, the companies are exploring broader cooperation in AI optimization, data processing, and scalable infrastructure to support future product initiatives.
As we continue to expand our AI-driven robotics solutions, access to reliable and scalable infrastructure is increasingly important.
Key points
- AMC Robotics and HIVE are collaborating to advance AI-driven robotics compute infrastructure.
- AMC will use HIVE’s GPU AI Cloud compute resources to support development, testing, and deployment of Kyro and related robotics solutions.
- Kyro demonstrated autonomous navigation, abnormal heat detection, and remote operation at the Tokyo Security Show 2026.
- The collaboration may expand to AI optimization, data processing, and infrastructure scalability with future arrangements subject to mutual terms.
Why this matters
The partnership signals growing demand for scalable AI compute as robotics move toward real-time edge applications. By combining Kyro’s autonomous platform with HIVE’s GPU AI Cloud, AMC and HIVE aim to improve performance, flexibility, and scalability, accelerating innovation at the AI-robotics frontier and enabling real-time video processing and navigation in challenging environments.
What to watch next
- Further collaboration across AI optimization, data processing, and infrastructure scalability as opportunities emerge.
- Progress of Kyro from lab demonstrations to real-world deployment with scalable compute resources.
- Expansion of HIVE’s BUZZ GPU AI Cloud infrastructure to support robotics workloads globally.
Disclosure: The content below is a press release provided by the company/PR representative. It is published for informational purposes.
AMC ROBOTICS AND HIVE ANNOUNCE COLLABORATION TO ADVANCE AI-DRIVEN ROBOTICS COMPUTE INFRASTRUCTURE
12 Mar 2026
AMC Robotics and HIVE Announce Collaboration to Advance AI-Driven Robotics Compute InfrastructureThis news release constitutes a “designated news release” for the purposes of the Company’s prospectus supplement dated November 25, 2025 to its short form base shelf prospectus dated October 31, 2025. San Antonio, TX, March 13, 2026 — AMC Robotics Corporation (Nasdaq: AMCI) (“AMC Robotics” or the “Company”), an AI-driven robotics solutions provider, and HIVE Digital Technologies (“HIVE”) (TSX.V: HIVE) (Nasdaq: HIVE) (FSE: YO0) (BVC: HIVECO), a global leader in sustainable digital infrastructure and AI compute, today jointly announced a strategic collaboration focused on advancing next-generation AI-driven robotics applications and scalable infrastructure capabilities.
Through this collaboration, AMC Robotics has begun utilizing HIVE’s GPU AI compute infrastructure and related services to support the Company’s expanding development, testing, and deployment needs. In parallel, the two companies are actively exploring broader areas of cooperation, including potential collaboration across AI optimization, data processing, and infrastructure scalability to support future product initiatives.
AMC Robotics recently featured its AI-powered quadruped robot Kyro™ at the Tokyo Security Show 2026, as an active demonstration of autonomous security technology. The robot serves as a mobile AI edge computing platform, capable of operating independently in complex environments and supporting real-time monitoring and inspection. During the exhibition, Kyro™ performed live demonstrations of autonomous navigation, abnormal heat detection, and remote operation, showcasing how robotics can support security and inspection tasks in challenging environments.
A video demonstration of AMC Robotics’ Kyro™ platform in action is available at https://amc-media.amcx.ai/rebotdog.mp4. Additional information on AMC’s robotic solutions can be found at https://amcx.ai/solutions/robotic-dogs/.
As AMC Robotics continues advancing AI-driven robotics applications, particularly for real-time video processing and navigation, access to scalable GPU computing infrastructure becomes increasingly critical. HIVE has been expanding its GPU AI Cloud infrastructure globally through its BUZZ HPC subsidiary, servicing growing enterprise demand across AI training, inference, and now robotics workloads, where it will provide AMC Robotics with the compute resources needed to support its growing development and deployment activities.
The collaboration reflects a shared vision between AMC Robotics and HIVE to accelerate innovation at the intersection of artificial intelligence, robotics, and intelligent infrastructure. By leveraging HIVE’s technical capabilities and AMC Robotics’ application-driven robotics platform, the parties aim to enhance performance efficiency, development flexibility, and long-term scalability.
“As we continue to expand our AI-driven robotics solutions, access to reliable and scalable infrastructure is increasingly important,” said Sean Da, CEO of AMC Robotics. “Our collaboration with HIVE supports our current operational needs while also opening the door to potential deeper collaboration as we look ahead.”
Frank Holmes, Co-Founder & Executive Chairman of HIVE, stated, “We are seeing the next turn of the AI industrial revolution with the advent of robotics, for security, for logistics, and many new novel applications in manufacturing. This is accelerating as the autonomy, stability, and accuracy of AI-enabled robots evolve. These machines will take on the dangerous, the dull, and the impossible, and the companies building the infrastructure behind them will define the next decade. We are seeing massive investment from the most valuable companies in the world into AI robotics (notably Tesla’s Optimus robots), and the HIVE and AMC Robotics strategic collaboration positions our firms right in the center of these growing markets.”
Aydin Kilic, President & CEO of HIVE, said, “We believe robotics applications may represent a growing area of demand for AI compute infrastructure. As our GPU AI Cloud platform expands globally to service growing AI demand and broad industrial use cases, we see meaningful opportunities to work with AMC Robotics as it advances intelligent robotics applications across a growing range of use cases. As innovators in our respective fields, HIVE’s BUZZ GPU AI Cloud will provide scalable and high-performance compute for AMC Robotics’ ramp from lab to real-world deployment at scale.”
The companies emphasized that the collaboration is expected to evolve over time as HIVE scales its global infrastructure and AMC Robotics moves toward production deployment. Any future arrangements would be subject to further evaluation and mutually agreed terms.
About AMC Robotics Corporation
AMC Robotics (Nasdaq: AMCI) is an AI-driven robotics company focused on developing intelligent, scalable hardware and software solutions. The Company’s quadruped robotic platform, Kyro™, enables industries to automate inspection, security, and operational tasks through autonomous mobility and AI-powered perception. For more information, please visit www.amcx.ai.
About HIVE Digital Technologies Ltd.
Founded in 2017, HIVE Digital Technologies Ltd. is the first publicly listed company to mine digital assets powered by green energy. Today, HIVE builds and operates next-generation Tier-I and Tier-III data centers across Canada, Sweden, and Paraguay, serving both Bitcoin and high-performance computing clients. HIVE’s twin-turbo engine infrastructure-driven by hashrate services and GPU-accelerated AI computing-delivers scalable, environmentally responsible solutions for the digital economy.
For more information, visit hivedigitaltech.com, or connect with us on:
X: https://x.com/HIVEDigitalTech
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HIVEDigitalTech
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hivedigitaltechnologies/
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/hiveblockchain
On Behalf of HIVE Digital Technologies Ltd.
“Frank Holmes”
Executive Chairman
For further information, please contact:
Nathan Fast, Director of Marketing and Branding
Frank Holmes, Executive Chairman
Aydin Kilic, President & CEO
Tel: (604) 664-1078
Craig Mychajluk, Managing Director – Investor Relations, Alliance Advisors IR
E: AMCRoboticsIR@allianceadvisors.com
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements
This press release may contain statements that constitute “forward-looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include information concerning the Company’s possible or assumed future results of operations, business strategies, debt levels, competitive position, industry environment, potential growth opportunities, and the effects of regulation. These forward-looking statements are based on the Company’s management’s current expectations, projections, and beliefs, as well as a number of assumptions concerning future events. When used in this communication, the words “estimates,” “projected,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “forecasts,” “plans,” “intends,” “believes,” “seeks,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “future,” “propose,” and variations of these words or similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify forward-looking statements.
These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions, or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other important factors, many of which are outside of the Company’s control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other important factors include, but are not limited to: (a) challenges in opening operations in new jurisdictions, including but not limited to compliance with local ordinances, obtaining any necessary permits and regulatory oversight; (b) the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the new operations; (c) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against the Company; (d) the ability to continue to meet the applicable stock exchange listing standards; (e) the effect of the Company’s recently completed business combination with AlphaVest Acquisition Corp (“AlphaVest”) on the Company’s business relationships, performance, and business generally and the risk that such transaction further disrupts current plans and operations of the Company or its subsidiaries; (f) the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the transaction with AlphaVest, which may be affected by, among other things, competition, the ability of the Company to grow and manage growth profitably, maintain relationships with customers and suppliers and retain its management and key employees; (g) changes in applicable laws or regulations, including legal or regulatory developments (including, without limitation, accounting considerations); (h) the possibility that AMC Robotics may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors; (i) AMC Robotics’ estimates of expenses and profitability; and (j) other risks and uncertainties indicated under “Risk Factors” contained in the definitive proxy statement/prospectus for the transaction with AlphaVest, and other documents filed or to be filed with the SEC by AMC Robotics. Copies are available on the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made.
The Company assumes no obligation and, except as required by law, does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. The Company gives no assurance that it will achieve its expectations.
US and European authorities said Thursday they had disrupted SocksEscort, a malicious proxy service used by cybercriminals to hide their identities while carrying out fraud, including cryptocurrency account takeovers.
The DOJ said the service compromised at least 369,000 routers and other internet-connected devices in 163 countries, giving cybercriminals control over proxies that hid their true IP addresses.
The platform reportedly enabled crimes, including bank fraud and cryptocurrency account takeovers, since 2020. In one case cited by prosecutors, a victim in New York lost roughly $1 million in cryptocurrency.
Authorities said they seized 34 domains, disrupted about two dozen servers across seven countries and froze about $3.5 million in cryptocurrency linked to the operation.
The network received at least $5.7 million from users
To access the proxy service, customers used a payment platform that allowed them to purchase it anonymously with cryptocurrency, according to a statement by Europol.
Investigators estimate that SocksEscort received at least 5 million euros ($5.7 million) from its users.
“Proxy services like ‘SocksEscort’ provide criminals with the digital cover they need to launch attacks, distribute illegal content and evade detection,” Europol Executive Director Catherine De Bolle said.
“Operations like this show that when investigators connect the dots internationally, the infrastructure behind cybercrime can be exposed and shut down,” she added.
The operation involved agencies from multiple countries
The takedown was part of a coordinated international effort that included law enforcement agencies from Austria, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Hungary, Romania and the US.
The FBI Sacramento Field Office, the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and IRS Criminal Investigation Oakland Field Office were among the US agencies involved. Europol and Eurojust provided investigative and operational support for the cross-border operation.
Related: Sweden probes reported leak of e-government platform source code
The DOJ also acknowledged the assistance of Black Lotus Labs, the threat intelligence unit of the US telecom company Lumen Technologies, and the nonprofit organization Shadowserver Foundation, which provided technical intelligence during the investigation.
According to The Hacker News, SocksEscort relied on malware known as AVrecon, details of which were publicly documented by Black Lotus Labs in July 2023.
Magazine: All 21 million Bitcoin is at risk from quantum computers
The Bank of England’s (BOE) position on stablecoins is evolving to a more friendly stance, but according to the bank’s deputy governor, constructive dialogue with the industry is still lacking.
The UK’s central bank launched a consultation on stablecoins in November last year. Some of the proposed requirements drew the ire of crypto industry representatives, who claimed they could stifle innovation.
Over the past few months, the bank has been working with industry groups to develop its stance on stablecoins. These include revising backing requirements and rethinking account limits.
Some industry observers believe that the bank is coming around on stablecoins, but there is still work to be done.
Bank of England open to feedback on stablecoin risk
On Nov. 10, 2025, the BOE released a document outlining its vision for a stablecoin regulatory regime. This came two years after an initial discussion paper which, according to the bank, included the perspectives of “banks, non-bank payment service providers, payment system operators, trade associations, academia, and individuals.”
At the time, industry observers told Cointelegraph that BOE was overstating the perceived risks that stablecoins pose to the UK economy. Tom Rhodes, chief legal officer at UK-based stablecoin issuer Agant, said at the time that the bank was “disproportionately cautious and restrictive.”
One of the more controversial measures was stablecoin holdings limits, namely 20,000 pounds for individuals and 10 million pounds for businesses that accept it as a form of payment.
Now, it appears that the bank is coming around. Speaking before the House of Lords Financial Services Regulation Committee on Wednesday, BOE Deputy Governor Sarah Breeden told MPs that it is open to reconsidering those limits.
Breeden said that the proposed limits were to mitigate the risk of a large migration of deposits to stablecoins, which has the potential to destabilize banks.
“We proposed holding limits as a way of managing that risk. We are open to feedback on other ways of achieving it,” she said.
However, feedback itself also seems to be an issue, at least according to Breeden. She said, “The pressure from the industry to do it in a different way is very real. What we’ve been a bit disappointed with, is nobody said, ‘Why not do it this way?’”
“I don’t think we’ve yet had constructive engagement on a different way to solve the problem that I might have hoped for. Instead, what we’ve had is ‘don’t do this,’ and ‘I understand why you want to do something’ as opposed to filling the gap.”
Rhodes told Cointelegraph on Thursday that this isn’t necessarily the case. “Over the past two years we have reviewed thousands of pages of consultations from the FCA and the Bank, attended numerous roundtable meetings, and submitted hundreds of pages of input both ourselves and as part of trade associations.”
He said that the main challenge for the industry and regulators is that they are making a “comprehensive regulatory regime for a market that has yet to develop.”
Rhodes explained:
“It’s not possible to provide concrete data in the circumstances, which is why lighter touch principles-based regimes are appropriate at this nascent stage.”
Nick Jones, the founder and CEO of UK-based digital assets platform Zumo, said, “Industry groups have been working hard, and to tight deadlines, to make tangible recommendations.”
He said the feedback could be more constructive if the bank followed the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) Spring model. These time-boxed workshops focus on practical applications of the technology to answer regulators’ questions.
The ‘multi-moneyverse’ and what’s next for stablecoins in the UK
Breeden opened her remarks with assurances that at the bank, “we do want to see tokenized money issued by non-banks.”
“We can have what I call a ‘multi-moneyverse’ with greater choice and competition today.”
Such a system, she said in a September speech, is “characterised by choice across different forms of money and payment; with technology driving faster, cheaper, and more innovative payments for the benefit of business, households, and users of financial markets; and — critically — with the whole system underpinned by trust in money itself.”
Inter-monetary competition and its purported benefits have been a core argument from the crypto industry. Rhodes said, “Stablecoins being part of a competitive multi-moneyverse represents a substantial and positive evolution in the Bank’s thinking.”
Related: UK dodges ‘US malaise’ as regulator finalizes crypto rules
However, Rhodes noted that this was in “sharp contrast” to BOE Governor Andrew Bailey’s statements, where “he doesn’t see stablecoins as a substitute for commercial bank money.”
Jones said, “Over time, we’ve seen the Bank of England’s scepticism towards digital assets start to dissipate.” It’s “encouraging” that the central bank is more receptive to competing forms of money and that pound sterling-backed stablecoins can co-exist with fiat money.
“It’s clear that different emerging types will fit different use cases — for example, large institutional capital is more comfortable with tokenised deposits while smaller retail payments companies can tap into the network effect of stablecoins,” he said.
The next step, per Rhodes, is a final policy position from the BOE, but revisions are still possible.
The industry is still pushing to remove the holding caps and scrap bank-like capital rules for issuers. Jones said that the latter “are inappropriate for fully-backed issuers, and should be replaced with oversight focused on reserve quality and transparency.”
They also want a reconsideration of reserves. So far, BOE requires issuers to hold 40% of reserve assets in unremunerated Bank of England deposits and up to 60% in high-quality, short-term UK government debt.
This is based on past runs like the Silicon Valley Bank collapse in 2023 which resulted in the USDC stablecoin losing its peg. Breeden told Reuters, “Those numbers are broadly in line with that. That’s why we’re proposing 40% rather than a smaller number.”
“Regulators should perhaps consider remunerating a portion of the 40% held at the Bank of England to help maintain commercial viability,” said Jones.
“The UK can be one of the leaders in stablecoins, but only if regulation is proportionate and competitive.”
Magazine: All 21 million Bitcoin is at risk from quantum computers
Yield-bearing stablecoins are growing faster than the broader stablecoin market, according to Messari, as Washington remains divided over how crypto-linked yield should be treated under US law.
Yield-bearing stablecoins have outpaced the growth of the broader stablecoin market 15-fold over the past six months, according to a Messari research report published on Thursday.
The increase was driven by a 198% rise in the market cap of Circle’s USYC (USYC), a 169% increase in Paxos’ Global Dollar (USDG), a 114% rise in the value of the Tron DAO-linked Decentralized USD (USDD), and a 91% rise in Ondo Finance’s Ondo US Dollar Yield (USDY). The overall stablecoin market capitalization rose 9%.
Messari said the largest yield-bearing stablecoins are starting to function more akin to money market funds or bank deposits. “The winners don’t do payments,” Messari said, adding that the largest issuers focus their offer on a single asset, rather than payment-related use cases.
Yield-bearing stablecoins started outpacing the growth of the stablecoin supply in mid October 2025, Messari said. The trend suggests rising demand for blockchain-based US dollar products that offer yield without direct exposure to broader crypto volatility.
Yield stablecoins are currently worth a cumulative $22.7 billion, after their market capitalization rose 11% over the past 30 days, according to Stablewatch data.
While this marks a two-fold increase overthe $11 billion market capitalization reached in May 2025, the $22.7 billion value of yield-bearing stablecoins only accounts for about 7.4% of the total $303 billion stablecoin market capitalization, up from 4.5% in May last year.
Among the largest yield-bearing stablecoins by value are Sky’s (sUSDS), Ethena’s (sUSDe) and Maple’s Syrup USDC, according to DefiLlama.
In terms of yield, Maple’s Syrup USDC led this week with a 4.54% annual percentage yield, followed by Maple USDT with a 4.17% APY, Sky Lending’s SUSDS with a $3.75% APY in third place and Ethena’s USDe with 3.49% APY, according to Messari.
Related: Stablecoin payments startup Kast raises $80M at $600M valuation: Report
Lawmakers at odds over stablecoin yield regulations
Despite the growing demand, US lawmakers remain at odds over the market structure bill’s provisions related to yield-bearing stablecoins.
On Thursday, US Senator Majority Leader John Thune reportedly said he doesn’t expect the chamber to move forward with the crypto market structure bill before April.
Yield-bearing stablecoins have become a key sticking point in the debate, with banking groups warning they could create a loophole that pulls deposits away from traditional banks.
The Senate Banking Committee postponed its markup in mid-January as bipartisan negotiations continued, drawing criticism from US President Donald Trump for delaying the bill.
Related: Stablecoin inflows rebound to $1.7B as Washington battles over yield rules
The Digital Asset Market Structure Clarity Act, known as the CLARITY Act, is designed to provide a clear regulatory framework for digital assets. The House of Representatives passed the measure on July 17, 2025, and it has been under debate in the Senate since.
The US’s federal stablecoin framework, the GENIUS Act, prohibits issuers from paying interest or yield for holding a payment stablecoin, but still allows third-party platforms to offer reward programs tied to stablecoin holdings. The act was signed into law on July 18, 2025.
Magazine: How crypto laws changed in 2025 — and how they’ll change in 2026
Some of the involved cryptocurrencies nosedived by over 80% after the disclosure.
The world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange announced a major delisting, following which most affected cryptocurrencies collapsed by double digits.
Prior to that, the firm temporarily suspended certain withdrawals and deposits and implemented additional amendments to its platform.
The Binance Effect
Binance Alpha (a dedicated platform inside the exchange’s ecosystem that showcases early-stage crypto projects) removed 21 altcoins, including WorldShards (SHARD), FreeStyle Classic (FST), Alliance Games (COA), BNB Card (BNB Card), MilkyWay (MILK), Hyperbot (BOT), and many more.
The company clarified that the sale of the impacted tokens will still be allowed after the removal. At the same time, it warned users to conduct proper research before trading the aforementioned coins to avoid any scams and protect their funds.
As is typically the case, many of the delisted digital assets headed south shortly after the disclosure. After all, Binance is the largest crypto exchange, and withdrawing support usually results in reduced liquidity, diminished availability, and a damaged reputation. MILK and SHARD fell by 6-7% daily, whereas FST and BNB Card nosedived by 70-80%.
A similar reaction was observed in late 2025 when Binance disallowed all services with Kadena (KDA), Flamingo (FLM), and Perpetual Protocol (PERP). Similar to FST and BNB Card, the involved altcoins crashed by double-digit percentages immediately after the news broke.
Other Recent Efforts
Earlier this week, the exchange supported an upgrade and temporarily paused withdrawals and deposits on the Ethereum network. The process was expected to take about an hour, after which operations were supposed to resume smoothly.
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This is a routine procedure that Binance has executed flawlessly many times before. Over the years, it has taken similar measures to support upgrades across various ecosystems, including Cardano, BNB Smart Chain, and others.
Prior to that, Binance issued numerous listing announcements focused on U (United Stables) – a stablecoin launched last year and pegged to the American dollar. In January, it expanded the list of trading choices offered on its Spot section with the BNB/U, ETH/U, KGST/U, and SOL/U pairs.
In February, it added XRP/U, SUI/U, ASTER/U, and PAXG/U, while earlier this month it opened trading for AVAX/U, LINK/U, LTC/U, PAXG/U, and ZEC/U.
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Key Takeaways
- Year-over-year core PCE inflation registered 3.1% in January, exceeding the Federal Reserve’s 2% objective
- On a monthly basis, core PCE increased 0.4%, matching analyst forecasts
- Overall PCE recorded 2.8% annual growth, marginally lower than the anticipated 2.9%
- Financial markets broadly anticipate the Federal Reserve will maintain interest rates between 3.5%–3.75% during the upcoming policy meeting
- These figures predate the Iran military engagement, which has elevated crude oil costs and introduces uncertainty to future inflation trends
On March 13, 2026, the Bureau of Economic Analysis published its personal consumption expenditures (PCE) report for January. This metric serves as the Federal Reserve’s primary gauge for measuring inflationary pressures.
The core PCE measure, which excludes volatile food and energy components, climbed 3.1% on an annual basis in January. This figure aligned with expert predictions but represented an acceleration from December’s 3.0% reading. Monthly core PCE advanced 0.4%, consistent with projections.
The overall PCE measurement — encompassing all consumer goods and services — expanded 2.8% annually. This result fell marginally short of the 2.9% consensus estimate and represented a deceleration from the previous month’s velocity.
On a month-to-month basis, overall PCE increased 0.3%, in line with market expectations.
The Federal Reserve maintains an inflation target of 2%. With core PCE currently positioned at 3.1%, consumer prices continue running significantly above the central bank’s desired threshold.
Markets are pricing in that the Fed will maintain its current rate range of 3.5% to 3.75% during next week’s policy deliberations. Given the stubborn inflation readings, interest rate reductions appear unlikely in the near term.
The PCE measure has been registering higher readings compared to the Labor Department’s Consumer Price Index. This divergence primarily stems from varying methodologies for weighing housing and healthcare expenditures. PCE assigns reduced importance to shelter expenses, which have been moderating, while giving greater emphasis to medical costs, which have been climbing.
February’s CPI registered 2.4% year-over-year — a considerably more subdued figure.
What These Numbers Miss
The January data captures economic circumstances from over a month in the past. It fails to incorporate consequences from the Iran military conflict, which commenced following U.S. and Israeli aerial operations in late February.
Oil prices have surged substantially since hostilities began. Elevated crude costs typically translate to higher inflation in subsequent months.
The economic landscape faces additional complexity from broad-based tariff implementations and substantial corporate capital allocation toward artificial intelligence initiatives. Both factors are already influencing economic conditions but remain challenging to measure accurately in real time.
Paul Ashworth, Chief North America Economist at Capital Economics, observed that America’s status as a net petroleum exporter may cushion the impact of rising oil valuations. He acknowledged that while increased energy expenses could initially diminish consumer purchasing capacity, any corresponding investment gains would require time to materialize throughout the economy.
Personal consumption expenditures rose 0.4% in January compared to the previous month, surpassing forecasts. Personal income expansion, conversely, experienced modest deceleration.
Looking Forward
Fourth-quarter 2025 GDP expansion underwent substantial downward revision to merely 0.7%.
Ashworth anticipates economic recovery during the first quarter of 2026, attributable in part to diminishing headwinds from a government shutdown that occurred in late 2025.
The Federal Reserve’s upcoming interest rate determination will follow a two-day policy meeting next week. Current market indicators suggest rates will remain unchanged.
CoinDesk Indices presents its daily market update, highlighting the performance of leaders and laggards in the CoinDesk 20 Index.
The CoinDesk 20 is currently trading at 2077.68, up 3.7% (+74.61) since 4 p.m. ET on Thursday.
All 20 assets are trading higher.
Leaders: SUI (+6.7%) and ADA (+5.8%).
Laggards: ICP (+0.2%) and NEAR (+0.7%).
The CoinDesk 20 is a broad-based index traded on multiple platforms in several regions globally.
The price of oil has more than doubled in just two weeks, driving crypto platforms into a speculative frenzy that saw them list leveraged oil derivatives for overnight commodities futures experts willing to risk it all on-chain.
The results were predictable.
Tokenized crude oil perpetuals on Hyperliquid, a platform that earned initial fame from hedge fund-like copytrading and a leaderboard of leveraged degeneracy, have generated multiple, billion-dollar trading days this week.
Oil has suddenly become Hyperliquid’s second-most popular market behind only bitcoin (BTC) itself.
Open interest on Hyperliquid’s CL-USDC, a West Texas Intermediate crude futures-linked contract, exceeded $169 million. Trailing 24-hour volume still exceeded $1.2 billion at time of writing.
When crude spiked more than 30% to nearly $120 a barrel on March 9, oil short-sellers on Hyperliquid, across a 12-hour period, experienced $36.9 million in liquidations relative to just $2.1 million in long liquidations.
The largest single victim held 72,178 CL shorts worth around $7.7 million. The platform liquidated every one of them.
Not that anyone should feel particularly sorry about the loss, given the choice of venue and size in the first place. Indeed, the obviously well-capitalized trader re-opened short positions almost immediately.
Two other million-figure shorts were liquidated near the very top for oil at $120 per barrel. Another trader, rather embarrassingly, started shorting when barrels were in the $70s.
When oil hit $108 on the morning of March 9, they wiped out.
Another trader decided to label their wallet “Oil Bear” on the Hyperliquid leaderboard, turning the dangerous trade into something of an identity. The account has used multiple tens of millions of dollars worth of leverage to gamble on the commodity.
Of course, in highly volatile commodities markets, it can be just as dangerous to bet on the upside as the downside, depending on the moment. On March 11, a $6 million liquidation occurred when oil fell below $87.
Read more: Bitcoin up, Dubai real estate down since Iran war began
Hyperliquid isn’t the only venue offering crypto oil. Aster, a perpetual futures exchange on BNB Chain, launched its own CL-USDT crude oil perpetuals on March 2.
The exchange, which has earned praise from Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, ran a $10,000 oil trading competition. Binance Wallet also launched its own crude oil perpetual contract, CL-USDT, on March 7 with 0% maker fees and 1.2x Aster airdrop points.
As individual traders make and lose millions, leveraged positions can suffer liquidations within minutes. Oil perpetuals didn’t exist on these platforms a few weeks ago. Yet when the Iran war created the demand, Hyperliquid, Aster, and Binance Wallet rushed to supply it.
At $95.57 per barrel, crude oil has rallied 66% year-to-date. It was at $120 per barrel as recently as Monday.
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Prediction markets have shed their experimental veneer and matured into a durable layer of crypto finance. New research shows a dramatic uptick in activity, with monthly notional volumes surpassing $13 billion by late 2025, up from under $100 million in early 2024. The growth isn’t just about more traders; it reflects broader participation across verticals and a shift in product design toward trustworthy settlement and deterministic outcomes. Even as regulators scrutinize the space, trading volume continues to rise, underscoring a persistent demand for markets that reveal information about future events. This piece examines how the industry’s next leap hinges on resolution infrastructure—how outcomes are determined, verified, and settled—as much as on liquidity or incentives. The analysis draws on a joint research effort from Dune and Keyrock that maps the trajectory of prediction markets and their evolving architecture.
Key takeaways
- Prediction-market activity has moved beyond the initial breakout phase, reaching more than $13 billion in monthly notional volume by late 2025, with diversification across sports, politics, macro indicators, and other domains.
- Trust in resolution—how an outcome is determined and settled—emerges as the central bottleneck as the market footprint expands and disputes become more common.
- Resolution architecture, including bond-based dispute mechanisms, challenge windows, and arbitration paths, is increasingly treated as infrastructure rather than a product feature.
- Industry players point to explicit, auditable resolution rules as a prerequisite for institutional participation and scalable growth.
- Despite regulatory pressure, the sector’s growth persists, indicating a mature demand for on-chain information markets backed by robust settlement guarantees.
Sentiment: Neutral
Market context: The momentum in prediction markets aligns with a broader shift toward information-centric crypto infrastructure, where reliability of resolution and governance increasingly shapes user trust and capital allocation.
Why it matters
As prediction markets scale, the quality of their resolution mechanisms becomes a practical measure of reliability. Traders buy conditional claims on future events, and the system must convert those claims into redeemable value once an outcome is determined. When resolution is slow, ambiguous, or discretionary, traders price in risk, which dampens liquidity and narrows participation to a few trusted markets. The industry is learning that resolution is not a cosmetic feature but a core component of financial infrastructure—analogous to how custody, execution, and liquidation became baseline expectations in centralized finance years ago.
The push toward explicit, auditable resolution rules has practical implications for builders and users. Platforms are redesigning governance and protocol logic to preempt disputes rather than resolve them retroactively. Bond sizes, dispute windows, and arbitration pathways are being calibrated to scale with open interest, ensuring that the cost of manipulation grows alongside demand. In this sense, resolution architecture is not just about ending a disagreement; it is about creating a predictable settlement environment that institutions can rely on and integrate into broader risk management frameworks.
These shifts echo a broader trend in crypto: moving from product features that attract early adopters to system properties that institutions expect as standard. Just as custody and execution transitioned from optional features to fundamental expectations, resolution is trending toward becoming a durable layer of the prediction-market stack. That transformation—where resolution becomes infrastructure—could unlock a wider spectrum of use cases, from hedging macro surprises to funding governance experiments with verifiable outcomes.
In this evolving landscape, the industry’s focus on resolution is underscored by concrete design choices. Optimistic oracle designs—where an answer is presumed correct unless challenged—are paired with financial incentives to deter false reporting. A fixed challenge window opens after an event, inviting disputes through post-event bonding. The more significant disputes become, the larger the bond requirement, raising the economic cost of manipulation. When disputes are unresolved, arbitration by decentralized jurors can determine the outcome and enforce it back into the oracle state. This framework, and the mechanisms that support it, are increasingly viewed as essential public goods for a robust, scalable prediction market ecosystem.
Some projects are already codifying these ideas into formal infrastructure. For example, Seer Resolution Infrastructure represents a blueprint for how resolution paths and arbitrage channels can be standardized across prediction markets. See the evolving documentation and diagrams that illustrate how resolution interacts with market creation, oracle questions, and final settlement. Such references help align market design with practical execution, reducing ambiguity at the moment of settlement and enabling more reliable capital formation around information events.
Beyond the technical specifics, the market’s appetite for reliable resolution is evident in historic patterns. The industry has observed sustained post-event activity even as high-profile regulatory actions target the space. The growth of prediction-market volumes has persisted, suggesting that traders are not simply chasing novelty but seeking durable informational endpoints and transactable risk. In parallel, classic industry players and new entrants alike are exploring standalone platforms and interoperability approaches that place resolution at the center of product strategy, rather than as an afterthought when a dispute arises.
In practical terms, the industry’s trajectory signals a shift from “product feature” to “infrastructure as a standard.” This reorientation implies a higher bar for market design: markets must be live with explicit resolution definitions, markets must scale their bonds and arbitrage paths to accommodate growing open interest, and arbitration processes should be predictable and enforceable across jurisdictions and platforms. When these properties are embedded in the protocol from day one, prediction markets begin to function more like traditional financial systems—reliable venues for price discovery and risk transfer in the realm of future events.
The broader takeaway is clear: resolution is becoming the backbone of prediction-market growth. Platforms that bake clear, verifiable rules into their core architecture are more likely to attract participants, liquidity providers, and institutional capital. The industry’s push toward resolution-focused design—from explicit outcome criteria to auditable settlement workflows—frames the next phase of growth as a maturation of financial infrastructure, rather than a series of isolated product launches.
As one senior analyst noted in the industry discourse, “Resolution is undergoing the same transition as custody and execution did years ago—no longer a differentiator but a baseline expectation.” This shift matters for anyone who uses prediction markets for information signals, hedging, or governance experiments. The promise is not merely more bets; it is more trustworthy outcomes, settled with speed and clarity that participants can rely on for financial planning and decision-making.
Analysts and builders continue to monitor the ongoing development of the resolution layer, including the interplay between optimistic finalization, bond economics, and dispute arbitrage. The goal is an ecosystem where outcomes can be deterministically converted into value in a timely, auditable manner—an essential criterion for widespread adoption and durable liquidity.
Opinion by: David Azubike, lead analyst at Blocksquare
Further reading and contextual links to ongoing research and architecture diagrams can be found in related documentation and coverage cited in the references.
What to watch next
- Publishments and updates detailing explicit resolution rules for ongoing prediction markets, including changes to bonding and challenge windows.
- Arbitration pathway enhancements and standardization across platforms to ensure enforceability of settlements.
- Governance votes or protocol upgrades that affect how final outcomes are proposed and validated by oracles.
- New platform launches and interoperability efforts that emphasize resolution as a core infrastructure layer.
- Regulatory developments and compliance guidance affecting the legality and structure of prediction-market platforms.
Sources & verification
- Data dashboards and metrics on prediction markets via Dune.
- Joint research context from Keyrock detailing market growth and architecture.
- Historical volumes and coverage related to prediction-market activity, including articles such as Prediction market trading volumes hit new high.
- Industry reference: Crypto.com’s standalone prediction market platform launch, discussed in coverage linked within the source material.
- Seer Resolution Infrastructure documentation outlining architecture and interaction with the prediction market stack.
What the article topic changes
Resolution-centric design is redefining how prediction markets communicate risk, resolve disputes, and settle funds. The shift toward auditable, enforceable outcomes promises more stable liquidity and broader inclusion of market participants, including institutions that require transparent settlement processes. The industry’s evolution suggests that prediction markets will increasingly function as information infrastructure—supporting decision-making and risk management in a way that mirrors traditional financial markets, but tailored to the unique demands of forecasting future events.
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