Decentralized finance: lending, DEXs, stablecoins, yield, and liquidity. 437 stories curated by CryptoCatalyst.
Circle, the issuer of the stablecoin USDC, has received approval to operate as a trust bank in the U.S., adding to a growing list of crypto firms seeking federal banking licenses as the industry moves into the regulated financial system.
Aave has introduced Stable Vaults, allowing fintech companies to offer yield on stablecoin deposits. This move aims to attract financial services like wallets and payment apps to the DeFi ecosystem.
Crypto hacks hit a record 207 incidents in the first half of 2026, but total losses fell to $972 million, a significant drop from previous years. DeFi exploits, in particular, saw a 74% decrease in damage compared to 2022, according to Immunefi.
Toss, a popular mobile app in South Korea, is teaming up with blockchain platform Optimism and Sunnyside Labs to test a stablecoin pegged to the Korean won. This could make crypto payments more accessible for everyday transactions in South Korea.
Stablecoin-settled trading for traditional finance (TradFi) perpetuals surpassed $1.1 trillion in 2026, according to Binance Research. This highlights the growing role of stablecoins in tokenized financial markets, payments, and savings.
Stablecoin giant Tether has invested $20 million in Mercado Bitcoin, a major Brazilian exchange expanding into regulated digital financial services. This move highlights the growing interest in tokenizing real-world assets across Latin America.
Vanguard is hiring a digital assets leader to explore tokenization, stablecoins, and blockchain. This move signals the investment giant's growing interest in crypto technologies. The new role would oversee tokenization, stablecoins and blockchain initiatives as Vanguard reassesses digital assets.
Circle's USDC stablecoin has overtaken Tether in trading volume, driven by a 63% spike in activity as Wall Street banks adopt digital currencies for faster settlements. This shift highlights the growing preference for regulated stablecoins in financial transactions.
Stablecoin transaction volume surged to a new high of $1.79 trillion in June, signaling growing adoption. Analysts suggest this trend will continue as the market evolves, positioning stablecoins for broader use.
Summer.fi has paused its Lazy Summer vaults following a $6 million exploit, causing its SUMR token to drop over 18%. The DeFi protocol is investigating the incident and has not yet provided details on the cause or recovery efforts.
Kraken now lets eligible users use select tokenized stocks and ETFs as collateral for futures and margin trades, without needing to sell their holdings. This move bridges traditional finance and crypto trading.
Aave’s new Monad market reached $100 million in deposits just two days after launch, while Aave V4 crossed $250 million in deposits on Saturday, a new all-time high. This rapid growth highlights the strong demand for decentralized lending platforms.
Crypto markets ended the week stronger after weak U.S. jobs data lowered the chances of a Federal Reserve interest rate hike. Uniswap also gained following a partnership with Robinhood.
A Labour MP has accused Nigel Farage of lobbying the Bank of England for policies that could benefit his largest donor, a major investor in Tether. This raises concerns about potential conflicts of interest in crypto regulation.
Revolut will delist Tether (USDT) by the end of August, converting remaining holdings to users' base currency. This move follows growing regulatory scrutiny and risk concerns around stablecoins.
A7A5 claims crypto data providers understate its trading activity, while blockchain analytics firms say the ruble-backed token's volumes have fallen sharply this year. The discrepancy highlights ongoing tensions between sanctioned entities and independent data providers.
eToro is investing in Extended, an onchain derivatives platform, to bring perpetual futures to its Zengo wallet and expand DeFi products. This move comes as traditional brokers like Robinhood also push into decentralized finance.
Aave has launched its V3 lending protocol on the Monad network, supporting 12 assets. Monad is committing $15 million in incentives over the first year to boost liquidity and adoption.
Standard Chartered is the first Global Systemically Important Bank authorized to let institutions mint and redeem Circle's USDC stablecoin directly, marking a major step in bridging traditional finance with digital assets.
Robinhood Chain, a Layer 2 blockchain built on Arbitrum's tech stack, has launched on mainnet. It offers 24/7 tokenized stocks, lighter perpetual contracts, and plans for AI-driven agentic trading, with Uniswap as a day-one partner.
Circle's CEO emphasized USDC's robust network as a new stablecoin, OUSD, emerges as a potential challenger. Questions remain about OUSD's governance and revenue-sharing models.
Symbiotic has officially launched Core V2, pivoting to shared collateral infrastructure that can support multiple DeFi use cases like insurance, credit, and real-world assets (RWAs). The platform aims to streamline collateral management across various financial applications.
French banking giant Crédit Agricole, through its asset servicing arm CACEIS, has launched a euro-pegged stablecoin called EURXT on Ethereum. The initial issuance includes 20.02 million tokens, aiming to facilitate institutional investments and tokenized fund access.
Aave, a popular DeFi lending protocol, added 1,806 new wallets in a single day, the most since October 2021. The AAVE token has risen about 20% in a week, even as the broader crypto market slides.