News linked to both this project and an event.
ARK Invest’s Head of Research, Lorenzo Valente, recently publicly refuted a16z Crypto’s assertion that “traditional finance needs blockchain, not DeFi,” arguing that financial institutions are more likely to be built on open DeFi infrastructure in the future. Public blockchains have already demonstrated their advantages over private blockchain solutions. The growth of tokenized assets on open networks like Ethereum highlights the stronger network effects and scalability potential of public blockchains.Lorenzo Valente pointed out that the builders of the next generation of financial infrastructure may not be traditional financial institutions, but rather crypto-native enterprises, such as Circle and Coinbase.Earlier, a16z Crypto presented a differing view, suggesting that traditional financial institutions are not truly embracing DeFi, but are selectively adopting blockchain technologies that meet their existing compliance, governance, and operational requirements. Banks and asset management firms will build “programmable financial infrastructure” in the future, leveraging core capabilities of blockchain like tokenization and atomic settlement, but while maintaining permissioned management and institutional control.Sentora co-founder Jesus Rodriguez also raised objections to a16z’s stance. He argued that financial institutions might eventually adopt the underlying DeFi infrastructure and layer compliance, custody, and enterprise-grade control mechanisms on top of it.With the rapid development of RWA tokenization, on-chain settlement, and institutional-grade financial applications, the debate over the future dominance of “open DeFi architecture” versus “permissioned blockchain systems” is intensifying. (Cointelegraph)
According to Visa's official website, Visa and Artemis jointly released a report that deeply analyzes the current status and trends of AI agent payments based on real-time on-chain data. The report indicates that AI agent payments are divided into two categories: one is "macro commerce" where agents replace users to complete tasks like booking tickets and subscriptions, similar to traditional e-commerce payments; the other is "micro commerce" such as high-frequency, low-value API calls between software, where single transaction amounts are typically less than 1 cent. On-chain data shows that the open protocol x402, incubated by Coinbase and Cloudflare and now hosted by the Linux Foundation, has processed approximately 109 million transactions since launching in May 2025, with an adjusted transaction volume of about $15 million, mainly active on the Base, Solana, and Polygon chains; the Machine Payment Protocol (MPP), jointly built by Stripe and Tempo with Visa's contribution, launched in mid-March 2026 and completed approximately 115,000 transactions within weeks, with a settlement amount of about $25,000. The report notes that blockchain settlement costs have dropped to extremely low levels, making small payments in the 1-cent to 1-dollar range economically feasible for the first time, but agent payments still face significant challenges at the legal and regulatory level regarding trust, liability attribution, and dispute resolution. Visa stated that its goal is to build a unified foundation that simultaneously supports card-native trust authorization and machine-native settlement
Coinbase disclosed AI has assisted in writing over 95% of code, doubling the proportion from February; the EU warns the end of the MiCA transition period may exacerbate compliance pressure.
Odaily News on July 14, Bitcoin ETFs recorded net inflows of $181 million, and Ethereum ETFs recorded net inflows of $58.34 million. No outflows were observed for either Bitcoin or Ethereum ETFs on that day. BlackRock's IBIT saw net inflows of $139 million, Fidelity's FBTC posted net inflows of $21.07 million; all net inflows into Ethereum ETFs came from BlackRock's ETHA. HYPE, XRP, and Solana ETFs had no trading activity on the day. Morgan Stanley submitted a proposed amended filing for spot Ethereum and Solana ETFs, with the document covering service providers such as Coinbase Custody and staking provisions. Japanese policymakers are advancing reforms aimed at classifying crypto assets under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act.
Velocity, a stablecoin payment infrastructure startup, announced the completion of a $38 million Series A funding round. This round was led by crypto investment firm Dragonfly, with participation from Coinbase, Capital One Ventures, Wintermute, and other institutions. Velocity CEO Eric Queathem did not disclose the latest valuation. Founded in 2025, Velocity focuses on providing stablecoin payment solutions for enterprises, payment service providers, fintech companies, and financial institutions, helping them leverage dollar-pegged tokens to optimize cross-border payments, fund settlement, and treasury management processes.Currently, Velocity has covered markets in the United States, parts of Europe, and Australia. The company plans to use the new funds to apply for licenses, expand into Africa and Latin America, while also investing in building more secure asset custody infrastructure and developing new features, including stablecoin yield products. (Fortune)
The Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs stated that it is investigating the "Network School" tech commune founded by former Coinbase Chief Technology Officer Balaji Srinivasan. The project is located in Forest City, Johor, where earlier social media allegations claimed that the commune hosted Israeli individuals who entered the country holding non-Israeli passports.
Coinbase Chief Policy Officer Faryar Shirzad responded on X on July 11 to U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren's criticism of the CLARITY Act, stating that the bill would not weaken national security but would instead bring digital asset platforms under stronger regulation. Elizabeth Warren had previously stated on July 8 that the current draft of the CLARITY Act could provide opportunities for evading sanctions. Faryar Shirzad stated that the bill would require crypto platforms to comply with stricter national security standards and allow platforms to freeze suspicious transactions upon request from law enforcement. U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis previously stated that the CLARITY Act includes 16 illicit finance safeguards and warned that the bill may represent the last major opportunity for the U.S. Congress to pass comprehensive digital asset rules before 2030. (Bitcoin.com News).
The Singapore Police Force's Anti-Scam Centre and Cybercrime Department, in a six-week joint anti-scam operation from April 16 to May 31, 2026, collaborated with Coinbase, Coinhako, Gemini, Independent Reserve, OKX, StraitsX, and Upbit. Using blockchain analysis tools from Chainalysis and TRM Labs, they identified potential scam victims and conducted over 145 targeted interventions via phone and in-person visits, preventing potential losses exceeding $4.2 million. Coinbase Singapore stated in a post on X on July 10 that it worked with the Singapore police to prevent over 145 individuals from losing a combined total of more than $4.2 million due to scams. The Singapore Police Force stated that it will continue to work with cryptocurrency exchanges and other private sector entities to combat cybercrime. (Bitcoin.com News).
According to Paul Grewal himself in a post on platform X, after serving at Coinbase for six years, Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal will officially step down at the end of this month, transitioning to an advisory role, and will continue to serve on the board of Coinbase National Trust Company. During Grewal's tenure, he led the company's listing, won lawsuits against the SEC, pushed for the company's state of incorporation to move from Delaware to Texas, and actively promoted the legislative progress of the GENIUS Act and the CLARITY Act. Regarding succession arrangements, Molly White will take office as the new General Counsel, Ryan Van Grack will serve as Vice Chair responsible for global government and partner relations, while Faryar Shirzad will continue to lead the global policy team.
Coinbase Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal is leaving the company after years of legal battles with U.S. regulators to join a startup. Coinbase announced that Molly Abraham will lead the company's legal team as General Counsel, and Ryan Van Grack will become Vice Chairman, expected to take on broader, more public-facing responsibilities. Grewal stated that he will continue to serve as an advisor to Coinbase and will be involved in the company’s trust charter work through the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Abraham has been with Coinbase since March 2021, serving as Vice President of Legal and managing multiple legal teams. (CoinDesk).
Coinbase has stated some users are temporarily unable to place trading orders on the prediction market via the web and mobile app. The team is investigating and addressing the issue, and the specific recovery time has not yet been announced.
Coinbase stated it has obtained UK investment service authorization, allowing it to offer cryptocurrency, stock, and derivative services under the same platform and login system. The authorization was granted by the UK Financial Conduct Authority under the MiFID framework, permitting regulated companies to provide investment services and trade financial instruments, including stocks and derivatives. Coinbase said that advanced traders will be able to access perpetual futures related to cryptocurrencies, stocks, and commodities, while retail investors will be able to trade stocks. Stablecoin payments, savings, lending, cryptocurrencies, derivatives, and stocks will also be available on Coinbase, and tokenized real-world assets are on its roadmap. Coinbase also holds a UK Electronic Money Institution license and a crypto asset service provider registration. (Bitcoin.com News).
Odaily Odaily News: Coinbase has announced that it has obtained a UK investment services license (MiFID), and will offer traditional financial product trading services to UK users in the future. Institutional and professional traders can trade perpetual contracts for crypto, stocks, and commodities, while retail users will be able to trade stocks on the Coinbase platform for the first time.Coinbase stated that this license, together with its existing UK e-money license and crypto asset registration, forms its regulatory framework. It represents the company's most significant expansion of product capabilities since entering the UK market and will further advance its "Everything Exchange" strategy. The platform will also gradually support services such as stablecoin payments, savings, lending, and tokenized real-world assets (RWA) in the future.
Coinbase sent an AI-generated news alert claiming the Norwegian national football team had defeated Brazil 3-2 before the World Cup match had even started. CEO Brian Armstrong has launched an investigation, and Coinbase stated that updates have been implemented to prevent future instances of inaccurate AI-generated information. The error comes as Coinbase is advancing its prediction market and "everything exchange" features, including an AI advisor and stock options. (CoinDesk).
the Brazilian Association of Crypto-Economics (ABcripto) has requested the Brazilian Central Bank to suspend a proposal that would introduce a 24-hour delay for large stablecoin transfers. The association opposes the Central Bank's previous recommendation to impose a 24-hour lockup window for stablecoin transfers exceeding $10,000, stating that the measure would impact transparent market participants using regulated entities, while illicit actors would remain unaffected. ABcripto's members include Binance, Coinbase, Crypto.com, and Tether.The Brazilian Central Bank cited Chainalysis' crypto crime report, noting that illegal transaction volumes reached an all-time high in 2025. ABcripto President Julia Rosin stated that illegal actors typically avoid regulated institutions, preferring platforms that do not require identity verification, mixers, cross-chain bridges, and other less transparent structures.ABcripto also stated that the lockup measure could undermine the near-instant settlement use case for stablecoins and push users towards unregulated service providers. Currently, the Brazilian Congress is discussing specific regulations for stablecoins, and the Brazilian Central Bank plans to classify stablecoins as electronic money, rather than under the current digital asset classification. (Bitcoin.com News).
Odaily Planet Daily reports that digital bank and fintech platform Revolut has notified some users that it will officially delist the dollar stablecoin Tether (USDT) after August 31, 2026, and will automatically convert users' remaining holdings into their base fiat currency at the exchange rate of that day.According to the official notice, Revolut will suspend USDT purchase services starting July 6, and will halt USDT deposits after July 30, at which point any incoming USDT transfers will be directly rejected.If users have not sold or withdrawn their USDT by the end of August, their holdings will be automatically converted by the system into the account's base currency. The company attributes this adjustment to "regulatory and risk-related considerations," but has not specified the exact regulatory framework triggering the move.This move reflects the trend of fintech platforms continuously tightening the scope of access to related assets amid the changing global regulatory environment for stablecoins. Previously, trading platforms including Coinbase have delisted USDT in the European market to comply with the EU's MiCA regulatory framework.Currently, Revolut has not clarified whether this policy applies to all regions, but the company has obtained an EU Crypto Asset Service Provider (CASP) license, indicating it is strengthening its compliance-oriented product structure adjustments. (Cointelegraph)
the Central Bank of Brazil stated during a hearing at the Congressional Economic Development Committee that stablecoins should be treated as electronic currency instruments, not digital assets. Fábio Araújo, an advisor to the Financial System Regulation Department of the Central Bank of Brazil, stated that digital assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum possess characteristics such as scarcity, transferability, and verifiability. Stablecoins, however, are different and should be understood as monetary instruments when they exhibit features of a means of payment. The Brazilian Congress is preparing to deliberate Bill No. 4308/2024, proposed by Congressman Aureo Ribeiro in 2024, to clarify rules for stablecoins. The Brazilian crypto economy association Abcripto opposes this classification. Its members include Binance, Coinbase, Fireblocks, Visa, Tether, OKX, and Ripio. Abcripto stated that this classification will lead to regulatory conflicts, affect stablecoin adoption among both institutional and retail users in Brazil, and hinder virtual asset service providers. The Central Bank of Brazil also recently issued a new resolution, elevating its supervision of virtual asset service providers to the same level as securities institutions. (Bitcoin.com News).
According to the latest report from investment bank Jefferies, the U.S. "Clarity Act," although having passed a bipartisan 15:9 vote in the Senate Banking Committee, still faces significant hurdles in the subsequent legislative process. Political uncertainty may exacerbate crypto market volatility in the coming weeks. The bill aims to clarify the regulatory boundary for digital assets between the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and is considered a core legislative framework for the U.S. crypto market structure. Jefferies pointed out that passage would significantly boost institutional participation, while delays would prolong regulatory uncertainty.Currently, Polymarket data shows that the probability of the bill passing before the end of 2026 has dropped to 48%, a significant decline from 70% in mid-May, primarily due to disputes over ethical clauses, anti-money-laundering reviews, and a tight Senate agenda. Analysts note that with approximately only 20 legislative days remaining before Congress adjourns in August, it must complete the reconciliation of House and Senate versions, procedural votes, and submission to the President for signature. If it fails to advance before the recess, it may be delayed until next year, or even further postponed due to changes in the election cycle.Jefferies believes that if the bill is enacted, it will drive the expansion of businesses such as tokenized assets, custody, staking, lending, and crypto ETFs, benefiting the development of markets like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH). However, if delayed, it could suppress institutional investment in on-chain infrastructure and crypto-related IPOs.Additionally, the market expects policy uncertainty to continue affecting the stock performance of crypto-related public companies such as Circle, Coinbase, and Bullish. Jefferies added that even as regulations gradually clarify, intensified competition in the stablecoin space could become a long-term source of pressure for companies like Circle. (CoinDesk)
according to market sources, several financial and crypto institutions, including Visa, Stripe, Mastercard, BlackRock, and Coinbase, are planning to jointly launch a new stablecoin named "OUSD".The report states that the stablecoin project is expected to adopt a multi-party collaboration model and share related revenue mechanisms among the participating institutions. However, the specific structure, launch timeline, and regulatory arrangements have not yet been publicly disclosed.If the news is confirmed, it would mark a further deep integration between traditional payment giants and Wall Street asset management institutions in the stablecoin sector. The parties involved have not yet officially confirmed the reports.
as the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) is set to take full effect on July 1, industry insiders anticipate a massive platform reshuffle in the European crypto market, with potentially over 10 million users needing to switch trading platforms.SwissBorg executive Alex Fazel stated that the new MiCA regulations are forcing a large number of exchanges to cease or restrict their services within the EU. The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has warned that institutions lacking a MiCA license must gradually exit the market after the deadline and assist users in migrating to compliant platforms or self-custody wallets.Data shows that as of 2024, there may be over 3,000 Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) in Europe, with approximately 80% expected to exit the market following the regulatory transition.The analysis points out that several trading platforms, including Binance, have already adjusted their European business layouts in advance. Meanwhile, platforms like Coinbase and OKX are attracting user migration through incentive measures. Against the backdrop of tightening regulations, industry competition is shifting from "subsidy-driven customer acquisition" to "competition in compliance and trust systems." (CoinDesk)