Circle pushes USDC deeper into global payments with Mastercard, Finastra deals

    Circle has unveiled two partnerships to embed stablecoins settlement into mainstream finance. New deals with Mastercard and Finastra aim to expand USD Coin’s role to merchants and banks worldwide. Mastercard said on Wednesday that it will enable acquirers and merchants in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EEMEA) to settle transactions in USDC and Euro…

    US regulator integrates Nasdaq surveillance tool to combat market manipulation

    The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), a US financial regulator, is integrating a financial surveillance tool developed by stock exchange company Nasdaq in a bid to overhaul its 1990s infrastructure. Nasdaq’s software is focused on detecting market abuse, including insider trading activity and market manipulation in equities and crypto markets, Tony Sio, head of regulatory strategy and innovation at…

    Google outlines plans for ‘Universal Ledger’ amid race for institutional blockchains

    Google Cloud’s head of Web3 strategy used a LinkedIn post to share new details on the company’s in-development layer-1 blockchain, the Google Cloud Universal Ledger (GCUL). Rich Widmann described the blockchain as the result of “years of R&D at Google,” designed to be credibly neutral and compatible with Python-based smart contracts. According to Widmann, GCUL is meant…

    Bitcoin miner Hut 8 announces 1.5GW expansion in the US, stock rises 10%

    Bitcoin mining company Hut 8 is building four new Bitcoin mining sites in Texas, Louisiana and Illinois, adding 1.5 gigawatts of capacity as US miners tighten their grip on the global hashrate. According to a Tuesday announcement, the expansion is aimed at broadening the company’s geographic footprint and target markets where “energy demand [is] rising most…

    JPMorgan backs hedge fund Numerai with $500M, fueling crypto-AI convergence

    Numerai, an AI-driven hedge fund backed by Paul Tudor Jones, has secured a commitment of up to $500 million from JPMorgan Asset Management — a vast sum that could more than double its assets under management and highlight a growing institutional interest in crypto-friendly money managers. Numerai confirmed Tuesday that the allocation will be deployed over the…

    Binance stablecoin inflows top $1.6B, signaling traders positioning for rebound

    Users of the Binance cryptocurrency exchange deposited $1.65 billion in stablecoins, a large inflow often seen as a precursor to renewed demand for spot cryptocurrencies following the recent market sell-off. The deposit coincided with nearly $1 billion in Ether withdrawals from Binance, according to onchain analytics provider CryptoQuant. It also marked the second time this…