Author: John Smith
Visa is reportedly seeking a new stablecoin settlement and over the counter partner after Mastercard acquired BVNK, which previously filled that role. Summary Visa reportedly seeks a stablecoin settlement partner licensed across the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Singapore. The confidential request reportedly requires multiple coin swaps, settlement services and support for Open USD transactions. Mastercard completed its BVNK acquisition on August 3, absorbing Visa’s previous stablecoin infrastructure partner entirely. Visa’s separate ZeroHash agreement supports stablecoin payouts but does not cover every requested licensed market. Visa has not confirmed the RFP, identified candidates or announced a partner selection deadline publicly. The…
Interlace has opened an office in Brazil and assembled a local team as the stablecoin infrastructure company expands its payment and digital asset operations across Latin America. Summary Interlace has opened an office in Brazil and assembled a local team led by country manager Guilherme Santos. The company plans to support financial institutions, cross-border trade platforms and digital asset businesses through its payment infrastructure. Interlace recently attended Blockchain.RIO, where Santos discussed stablecoin payments, digital assets and financial infrastructure. The company will next attend the Argentina Crecimiento LATAM Digital Assets Conference from Aug. 20 to Aug. 21. Interlace said the Brazil…
Solana Policy Institute CEO Miller Whitehouse-Levine said on Aug. 18 that the CLARITY Act has only a 10% chance of becoming law before the November midterm elections. Summary Solana Policy Institute CEO Miller Whitehouse-Levine assigns the Clarity Act 10% odds before November’s midterms. Senate leaders scheduled a cloture vote on proceeding to the bill for September 15 afternoon. Polymarket currently prices 2026 passage near 20%, with trading volume exceeding $7.2 million in total. The procedural vote would begin Senate consideration and would not constitute final passage of legislation. SEC proposed separate crypto offering rules while Congress continues debating broader digital…
Bitcoin has risen above $64,600 after U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington is not holding talks with Iran, while conflicting claims over the Strait of Hormuz kept oil above $91 per barrel. Summary Bitcoin traded at $64,611 after moving between $64,005 and $64,926 during the session. Trump said no U.S.-Iran talks are underway or scheduled as the conflict enters its sixth month. Iran maintained that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until Washington meets its interim commitments. Strategy reported no Bitcoin purchases or sales last week after selling BTC for two consecutive weeks. In an Aug. 18 Truth Social…
The CFTC has opened a 45-day comment period on proposals that would double the small-pool exemption threshold to $800,000 and ease registration rules for some fund advisers. Summary The CFTC proposal would create a CPO exemption for qualifying SEC-registered investment advisers. A related change would extend registration relief to certain commodity trading advisers. The small-pool capital threshold would rise from $400,000 to $800,000. Comments will remain open for 45 days after publication in the Federal Register. CFTC proposal would reduce duplicate fund registration The Commodity Futures Trading Commission said in an Aug. 18 regulatory announcement that it had proposed amendments…
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed two registration exemptions, including a $75 million annual pathway, under its new Reg Crypto framework for certain crypto investment contracts. Summary The larger exemption would allow qualifying issuers to raise up to $75 million in 12 months. A separate pathway would permit offerings of up to $5 million across four years. The proposal includes a conditional safe harbor and disclosure requirements for participating issuers. Stakeholders will have 60 days to submit comments on the proposed framework. SEC Reg Crypto rules create two offering exemptions The SEC said in an Aug. 18 press…
Cypherpunk Technologies has acquired a 4.2 GSol/s Zcash mining fleet for $33.33 million, giving the Nasdaq-listed company about 18% of the network’s total computing power. Summary The acquired Bitmain Z15 Pro fleet produces roughly 7,800 ZEC per month. Cypherpunk paid through a pre-funded warrant covering 43.29 million common shares. The equipment operates at hosting facilities across the United States. Cypherpunk holds 323,394 ZEC, equal to about 1.92% of the circulating supply. Cypherpunk Technologies said on Aug. 18 that it had launched Cypherpunk Mining after purchasing the equipment and related hosting agreements from entities affiliated with Winklevoss Capital. The fleet consists…
Citi has unveiled its Custody+ platform and confirmed plans to launch institutional digital asset custody later in 2026, beginning with Bitcoin. Summary Citi expects its institutional Bitcoin custody service to go live later this year. Custody+ brings digital assets and traditional securities into one custody framework. More than 80% of Citi’s asset-servicing events are now processed in real time. Citi invests over $2 billion each year in its Services platform strategy. Business Wire reported on Aug. 18 that Citi Investor Services had launched Custody+, a collection of near- and real-time custody services for institutional clients operating across continuous markets and…
Bitcoin has held above its $63,200 median realized price as Bitfinex analysts identified $67,176 as the breakout level that could raise the chances of an upside volatility expansion. Summary Bitcoin’s $63,200 median realized price has provided support during the past two weeks. A move above $67,176 would return recent buyers to profit and test overhead resistance. US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $385.2 million in weekly net outflows. Stablecoin supply has fallen 4.5% from its May peak to $300.7 billion. Bitfinex analysts said thin participation could amplify relatively small buying or selling flows. Bitfinex analysts told crypto.news that Bitcoin’s prolonged defense…
Goldman Sachs has agreed to buy LCN Capital Partners for up to $410 million, adding about $3 billion in commercial real estate assets to its investment management business. Summary Goldman will pay $260 million upfront, with up to $150 million tied to future targets. About 80% of the acquisition price will be paid in Goldman Sachs stock. LCN manages sale-leaseback, build-to-suit, and triple-net lease investments across North America and Europe. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2026, subject to regulatory approval. Goldman Sachs said in an Aug. 18 announcement that the transaction will bring LCN’s investment…