Decentralized finance: lending, DEXs, stablecoins, yield, and liquidity. 353 stories curated by CryptoCatalyst.
Coinbase has filed with the CFTC to offer perpetual futures on individual US stocks like Apple, Tesla, and Nvidia, allowing 24/5 leveraged trading without ownership. The filing follows Coinbase's earlier launch of pre-IPO perpetual futures starting with SpaceX.
Bastion Platforms National Trust Company has received conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) for a national trust bank charter. This allows them to offer stablecoin custody, wallets, and payment infrastructure under federal regulation. The approval is a significant step in integrating crypto services with traditional banking.
World Money, a new self-custodial app, is now available in over 150 countries. It offers stablecoin payments, digital asset rewards, and trading. The app integrates with Stripe, Kalshi, and Morpho, and offers boosted rewards for users who verify with World ID.
WisdomTree and MoonPay are collaborating to expand access to WisdomTree's $1.2 billion tokenized money market fund, WTGXX, for US investors. MoonPay will also use the fund as part of its stablecoin reserves.
Circle has launched its Arc mainnet, making USDC the native gas token for transaction fees. The network supports more than 20 fiat stablecoins and connects to over 20 blockchains. Circle has also minted 10 billion ARC tokens, though a public launch is still undecided. Major institutions including BlackRock, DTCC, and Visa serve as validators on the permissioned network.
Kamino, a DeFi lender on the Solana blockchain, has appointed Michael Weisz, co-founder of Yieldstreet, as its new CEO. Weisz will lead Kamino's expansion into tokenized assets from its new New York headquarters. This move signals Kamino's ambition to tap into the growing market for tokenized real-world assets (RWAs).
Ethena has navigated recent crypto market downturns by using foundation treasury funds to buy back tens of millions of dollars in tokens from early investors. The protocol is now expanding its yield mechanisms into real-world asset perpetuals and launching a consumer neo-banking app on Avalanche.
Standard Chartered Bank has initiated coverage of Sky, dubbing it 'DeFi's federal bank' and predicting its token (SKY) will reach $0.325 by the end of 2028. The bank highlights Sky's role in simplifying decentralized finance (DeFi) for users and institutions alike.
Circle has acquired Tazapay for $400 million to expand the reach of its USDC stablecoin in emerging markets. This move is seen as a strategic push to compete with Tether, which has a strong foothold in these regions.
Traders on Robinhood Chain are exchanging healthcare stocks for the BONER memecoin, a trend driven by DeFi degens. This unusual swap highlights the growing intersection of traditional finance and meme-driven crypto assets.
MoneyGram has introduced its first stablecoin-backed Visa card in collaboration with Rain, initially available in Colombia. This card allows users to spend stablecoins for daily transactions, marking a significant step in mainstream crypto adoption. The card is designed to simplify crypto payments and bridge the gap between digital assets and traditional finance.
Anchorage Digital, a US federally chartered crypto bank, has added support for Frgmnt’s fUSD stablecoin. Institutional clients can now hold, mint, redeem, and stake fUSD through Anchorage’s custody platform. This move is part of a broader trend of institutional adoption of stablecoins.
Coinbase and Moov are partnering to integrate stablecoin payment infrastructure into community banks and credit unions. This will allow these institutions to offer stablecoin-based transactions using Coinbase's Payments API and custodial wallets.
Uniswap Labs has launched StablePair Hook, a Uniswap v4 tool that uses dynamic fees for stablecoin pairs such as USDC/USDT, helping liquidity providers capture more trading value.
Coinbase and Moov have partnered to provide stablecoin infrastructure to over 1,000 US community banks and credit unions. This includes stablecoin acceptance, settlement, and real-time funding capabilities. The move aims to modernize banking services with blockchain technology.
MoneyGram has launched a Visa card that allows customers to hold and spend US dollars via a stablecoin-backed balance. This move aims to integrate digital dollars into everyday spending, making it easier for users to transact with stablecoins. The card is part of a broader trend of financial institutions adopting stablecoin technology for mainstream use.
Tether, the issuer of the USDT stablecoin, has partnered with Fasanara to create a $400 million private credit fund. Tether will source lending opportunities and provide stablecoin payment infrastructure. This marks a significant move into traditional finance for the stablecoin giant.
Curve's lending platform tracked 704 soft-liquidation instances, showing DeFi loans can survive for weeks after entering the 'danger zone.' This model helps borrowers recover without immediate liquidation. The median duration was 14.5 days, highlighting the flexibility of soft liquidation in DeFi.
Circle has agreed to acquire Tazapay, a cross-border payments firm, for $400 million. This deal aims to bridge stablecoins like USDC with traditional banking systems, potentially improving last-mile infrastructure. The acquisition is expected to enhance Circle's ability to facilitate seamless cross-border transactions using stablecoins.
Uzbekistan's Humo Digital has launched a pilot program for HUMO stablecoin payments, backed by government bonds. The test involves over 20 merchants and is conducted under a sandbox jointly overseen by the National Agency of Project Management (NAPP) and Uzbekistan's central bank.
Visa's stablecoin settlement volume has surged to a $20 billion annualized run rate, up 15x year over year. The company is now sharing VisaNet settlement data with blockchain lenders to help them extend working capital to stablecoin card issuers, addressing a key funding gap for fintechs in the crypto space.
Bradydonut's X post has ignited a discussion about the future of AI in the crypto space. The post emphasizes the potential for AI to revolutionize blockchain technology and decentralized finance.
Router Protocol, a blockchain infrastructure project backed by Coinbase, is shutting down and will burn 303 million of its ROUTE tokens. The move comes after unsuccessful attempts to commercialize or sell its technology.
A Hacken security report warns that Tether's USDT stablecoin, worth $91 billion, could be at risk if hackers gain control of two critical security keys. The report combines Wall Street financial auditing with Web3 code reviews to evaluate both off-chain reserves and on-chain security.