News linked to both this project and an event.
Chelsea Football Club (Chelsea FC) announced a sponsorship partnership with stablecoin issuer Circle, prompting a warning from UK regulators that such collaborations constitute "suspicious transactions."
: AI anti-fraud company Socure announced the completion of a $156 million strategic growth funding round, valuing the company at $5.2 billion. The round was led by Summit Partners, with participation from Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs Alternatives (under Goldman Sachs), DocuSign, and others. In addition, the company also announced the acquisition of AI startup Fravity, aiming to leverage AI agents for fraud, risk, and compliance investigations. The specific acquisition amount has not been disclosed yet. Its anti-fraud services are currently applied to companies including crypto exchange Coinbase, stablecoin issuer Circle, digital bank Revolut, and Robinhood. (Crunchbase)
Circle Internet, the issuer of the stablecoin USDC, has become the new primary shirt sponsor for Premier League club Chelsea Football Club, with financial terms yet to be disclosed. Earlier reports indicated that Chelsea had sought a front-of-shirt sponsorship fee of £65 million (approximately $88.3 million) per year. Chelsea will debut the new jersey featuring the USDC logo in its first Premier League home match of the season. This partnership marks the first time a cryptocurrency financial services company has become a primary shirt sponsor for a Premier League club. Circle is authorized by the UK Financial Conduct Authority under an electronic money license.
Japanese crypto asset trading service provider Coincheck announced that it completed its registration for the electronic payment instrument services business on August 27, 2026, becoming the second company in Japan to secure this type of stablecoin-related license. Coincheck stated it will gradually launch operations related to stablecoins and on-chain finance, leveraging its prior collaboration with U.S.-based Circle to expand USDC use cases in Japan. The company noted that stablecoins provide price stability pegged to fiat currencies, enabling round-the-clock, fast, and low-cost transfers and payments.
Odaily News: The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas (Dallas Fed) reported that tokenized deposits could allow customers to move funds more quickly in search of higher yields, potentially undermining bank funding stability. The bank estimates that a 10% increase in deposit rate sensitivity could reduce banks' interest rate risk-bearing capacity by approximately $700 billion.The report notes that tokenized deposits differ from stablecoins like USDT and USDC, as they are regulated, interest-bearing deposits. However, instant settlement, smart contracts, and AI could lower deposit stickiness. If demand deposits become easier to transfer rapidly between institutions, banks' willingness to hold long-term fixed-rate assets may decline.The bank also stated that if the weighted average maturity of deposits shortens by 10%, the banking system's maturity transformation capacity could decrease by $580 billion. Institutions including Custodia, Vantage, Barclays, BMO, and Swift have already tested or advanced projects related to tokenized deposits and 24/7 settlement. (Decrypt)
Odaily News: Coinbase Chief Policy Officer Faryar Shirzad has written an article rebutting the American Bankers Association's concerns about stablecoin rewards, stating that existing data does not support the claim that stablecoin platforms paying rewards will lead to deposit outflows from community banks and weaken local credit. Current law already permits such rewards, and Coinbase has been paying rewards to USDC users for over four years. Faryar Shirzad noted that from June 2019 to March 2026, community bank deposits grew by 26%, an increase of approximately $482 billion; research by Charles River Associates and the Council of Economic Advisers similarly found no significant relationship between stablecoins and bank deposits. The modification the American Bankers Association is requesting does not concern technical details in the CLARITY Act. The current text prohibits users from receiving returns solely for holding idle funds, but allows rewards for genuine activity; the amendment proposed by the American Bankers Association could expand restrictions to ordinary stablecoin use cases, and leave questions such as whether merchant rebates constitute bank interest to be decided by regulators and litigation. Faryar Shirzad calls for maintaining the existing compromise and passing the CLARITY Act, stating that the bill would grant banks new authorities in custody, staking, lending, payments, clearing, and market making.
According to BeInCrypto, payment company Banxa launched Banxa Native on August 20, providing embedded fiat deposit and withdrawal infrastructure for wallets, exchanges, and fintech platforms. Partners can execute fiat purchases or sales of crypto assets within their own interfaces, while Banxa provides backend pricing, compliance verification, and settlement services, reducing the need to redirect to third-party pages or undergo repetitive KYC verifications. For example, users can directly purchase USDC via Apple Pay, Google Pay, or bank cards within the wallet; for users who have already completed identity verification, their KYC information can be passed from the partner platform to Banxa, streamlining the process for subsequent transactions. Trust Wallet CEO Felix Fan stated that this partnership helps directly embed compliant fiat-to-crypto channels into the user journey.
Odaily News - Investment manager Lawrence Lepard, author of The Big Print, stated that even if the CLARITY Act (Digital Asset Market Clarity Act) passes the Senate with 60 votes, stablecoin demand will not be sufficient to improve the current state of the U.S. Treasury market.He noted that the current stablecoin market cap stands at approximately $255 billion, primarily backed by U.S. Treasuries purchased by Circle and Tether, down from $263 billion in January. The U.S. Treasury needs to roll over more than $8 trillion in debt annually, with stablecoins covering only about 3% of that amount.In 2025, the share of U.S. debt held by foreign entities has dropped to 32%, down from 57% after the financial crisis. Coinbase Chief Policy Officer Faryar Shirzad stated that dollar-backed stablecoins could convert overseas demand for digital dollars into demand for U.S. Treasuries. (Bitcoin.com News)
Odaily News: Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire stated that the Financial Accounting Standards Board's (FASB) proposed digital asset accounting rules are expected to serve as a significant strategic catalyst for institutional adoption of digital dollars like USDC. He noted that if these rules are combined with the GENIUS Act, USDC could be widely utilized by global enterprises and financial institutions, marking a strategically crucial development.
Odaily News The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) on Friday granted initial conditional approval to World Liberty Trust Company, National Association, bringing Trump-backed World Liberty Financial one step closer to obtaining a national trust bank charter.In its letter, the OCC stated that World Liberty's charter application met certain regulatory and policy requirements, leading to the initial conditional approval. However, this does not constitute final approval, and the OCC may still rescind the approval.Earlier this year, World Liberty Financial established a new trust company with the aim of applying for a bank charter from the OCC. The company has previously stated that the charter would support its provision of services including stablecoin issuance and redemption, fiat on/off ramps, custody, and exchange. WLF currently issues the stablecoin USD1, which has a market cap of approximately $4 billion, making it the fourth-largest stablecoin after Tether and USDC.WLF CEO Zack Witkoff said on X on Friday that the company aims to build "the world's most trusted and widely used digital dollar" while strengthening the dollar's role in the global economy. Zack Witkoff is the son of Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. Overall, this approval could further strengthen WLF's position in the U.S. stablecoin and digital asset banking infrastructure, though its political ties may continue to raise regulatory and ethical concerns.
Odaily Odaily News: Bitget's staked borrowing section has added support for 25 stock tokens (rToken) as collateral assets, bringing the total supported to 128. The newly added assets include popular US stocks and ETFs such as rIVV, rKLAC, and rSMCI, covering diverse sectors such as technology, consumer, and finance. Users holding relevant stock tokens can now use them as collateral to borrow mainstream assets like USDT and USDC, as well as 100+ crypto assets, unlocking capital liquidity without selling their holdings. For specific collateral parameters, please refer to Bitget's official platform.It is reported that rTokens, identified by the letter r plus the stock ticker (e.g., rNVDA for Nvidia), are issued by Reality, a licensed RWA protocol under Bitget. Through a partnership with compliant broker Alpaca, they connect directly to global liquidity pools such as Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange. Their features include: a 1:1 reserve of underlying assets held by licensed custodians, stock dividends distributed 1:1 in token form, support for synchronized mapping of corporate actions (such as stock splits), and the ability to use holdings as joint margin for unified accounts and USDT-margined contracts—allowing users to flexibly manage funds while holding global stock assets.
Odaily News: U.S. banking giant Wells Fargo plans to launch tokenized deposits for select corporate and commercial clients in fall 2026, initially supporting USD and GBP transactions, with plans to expand to more clients and currencies in 2027. Tokenized deposits remain bank liabilities but can enable continuous transfers, programmable payments, faster settlement, and transaction visibility via blockchain. Wells Fargo is not the only bank pursuing this initiative. JPMorgan has already expanded its blockchain-based payment services for institutional clients, and other major financial institutions are developing similar products and shared networks. Meanwhile, the circulation and transaction volume of stablecoins such as USDC continue to grow, and they are already used for settlement across crypto markets, payment networks, and tokenized finance platforms. Tokenized deposits allow funds to remain within the regulated banking system while supporting time-based transfers and condition-triggered payments. Stablecoins, on the other hand, already cover trading, remittance, cross-border payments, decentralized finance, and tokenized asset settlement. Enterprise adoption of both product types will also be influenced by accounting treatment, regulatory rules, and cross-network interoperability.
Odaily News: Patrick Hansen, Senior Director of EU Strategy and Policy at Circle, stated that since the full implementation of the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), licenses have been granted to 35 electronic money tokens from 21 issuers, with local issuers making good progress in implementation. Patrick Hansen pointed out that MiCA's strict requirements have made it impossible for most major stablecoin issuers, including Tether, to meet operational requirements. Currently, only USDG, USDC, and EURC comply with the framework's requirements, leaving other stablecoins outside MiCA's regulatory scope and leaving EU users either unprotected or unable to access them. He believes that the upcoming MiCA review should address this issue and provide foreign issuers with a more pragmatic operational path. The European Commission's Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union launched a public consultation on May 20 to assess whether the current framework remains fit for purpose, with the consultation set to run until September 30.
Odaily Odaily News: Wall Street investment firm Bernstein has reaffirmed its "Outperform" rating on stablecoin issuer Circle Internet Financial, maintaining a $140 price target.Bernstein stated that Circle's second-quarter performance effectively addressed previous market concerns regarding intensifying stablecoin competition and the growth potential of reserve asset income. Analysts believe that Circle's expanding partnerships, regulatory licensing progress, and the upcoming Arc blockchain project will bring new revenue streams to the company—growth drivers that are not yet fully reflected in current market expectations.As the stablecoin market continues to expand, Circle is expected to further broaden its business model through payment infrastructure, on-chain financial services, and ecosystem collaborations, with its future growth potential still underestimated by the market. (The Block)
According to CoinDesk, the S&P 500 index has risen 3.12% this month, adding approximately $2.1 trillion in market value (equivalent to the total market cap of the entire crypto market), reaching a record high total market cap of $70.5 trillion, but Bitcoin has only risen about 2% this month, hovering near $64,600. Analysts point out that this round of stock market rise is mainly driven by AI and semiconductor individual stock narratives, rather than a broad-based recovery in risk appetite at the macro level, and Bitcoin lacks direct beneficial exposure to this. Meanwhile, the crypto market also faces multiple internal pressures: the Coldcard platform suffered a $120 million exploit, the prospects of the "Clarity Act" remain uncertain, MicroStrategy has reduced its BTC holdings for three consecutive months, and stablecoin supply continues to shrink—USDT's market cap dropped from $190 billion in April to $183 billion, and USDC's dropped from $79.5 billion to $72 billion.
According to Cryptopolitan, the U.S. Senate is scheduled to enter recess on August 7, leaving an extremely limited window for the CLARITY Act to pass before then. If voting is not completed this week, the next feasible window will be delayed until September, and if missed again, it could be postponed until after the midterm elections, meaning enactment may not occur until 2027. The main disagreement over the bill currently lies in the Democrats' insistence on adding crypto ethics clauses for senior government officials, but the consolidated draft has not yet incorporated relevant provisions. During the regulatory vacuum, large institutions such as Coinbase and Circle are better equipped to adapt to the uncertain environment due to their capital strength—ARK Invest increased its holdings in both companies this week, and Circle was approved for a federal national trust bank charter in July—while small and medium-sized crypto enterprises and DeFi projects continue to face pressure. In terms of the market, Polymarket data shows that the probability of the CLARITY Act passing within 2026 has dropped to 23%, a significant decline from Galaxy Research's prediction of 67%–75% in mid-May.
Odaily News S&P Global Ratings on Monday awarded BlackRock's new tokenized money market fund, the BlackRock Daily Reinvestment Stablecoin Reserve Vehicle (BRSRV), an "AAAm" rating, its highest principal stability fund rating. The rating is based on investment and counterparty credit quality, maturity structure, and management's ability to maintain a stable net asset value. S&P Global Ratings stated that it found no weaknesses in BlackRock Advisors' management and organization, credit research and analysis, risk management, or compliance. It also noted that the fund's tokenization framework demonstrates operational resilience, employing a permissioned architecture that restricts transactions to whitelisted wallets to mitigate network, smart contract, and blockchain network risks. BRSRV launched Monday as an open-end management investment company, aiming to make its shares eligible as qualifying reserve assets for payment stablecoin issuers under the GENIUS Act. The fund will hold cash, U.S. Treasuries with maturities of 93 days or less, and overnight repurchase agreements collateralized by Treasury instruments, maintaining a weighted average maturity of no more than 60 days and a weighted average life of no more than 120 days. In a separate stablecoin stability assessment summary published Tuesday, S&P Global Ratings stated that six of the 11 stablecoins it covers possess "sufficient" or stronger capacity to maintain their fiat peg. USDT remains at Level 5 "weak," with TUSD and USDe also at Level 5; USDC, EURC, USDG, and USDP are rated Level 2 "strong."
trade.xyz stated that compensation for the July 27 Hynix contract pricing anomaly incident has been partially distributed, and users can receive USDC without additional action. Compensation exceeding 10,000 USDC will be distributed after due diligence is completed before August 15.
Odaily News, August 1: trade.xyz has announced the completion of compensation distribution for the Hynix contract pricing anomaly event that occurred on July 27. Users will receive their corresponding USDC compensation without any additional action required.According to the announcement, compensation amounts are calculated based on a reference price of $1,115.5. Users with compensation under 10,000 USDC will receive the full amount directly; for amounts exceeding that threshold, an initial distribution of 9,999 USDC will be issued, and users must contact support to complete due diligence before August 15 to claim the remaining balance.At 23:01 UTC on July 27, the marked price of the SK Hynix token on trade.xyz briefly dropped from $1,127.9 to $917.25, triggering forced liquidations across numerous long positions.
Odaily News, July 31 — Circle announced that the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) has granted a limited purpose trust charter to its subsidiary, Circle Internet Trust Company LLC.Circle stated that this charter will further strengthen the regulatory foundation of the company and USDC, reflecting its ongoing commitment to security, transparency, and compliance standards.Circle previously became the first company to receive a BitLicense from the New York State Department of Financial Services in 2015, establishing a long-term regulatory relationship with the agency.Jeremy Allaire, co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Circle, stated that obtaining the New York trust charter has been a long-term goal for the company. The regulatory clarity brought by this charter will position USDC within a more recognized regulatory framework as the digital dollar gradually becomes an important component of the global financial system.