The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has urged countries to accelerate enforcement of anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CTF) rules for the crypto industry, warning that stablecoins are increasingly becoming the preferred digital asset for illicit activity. In its July 2026 review of virtual asset regulations, the global watchdog said jurisdictions have made progress in implementing its standards for virtual asset service providers (VASPs), but enforcement remains uneven. The FATF warned that regulatory gaps continue to create opportunities […]
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The European Central Bank (ECB) has selected 36 payment service providers to participate in a year-long pilot of the digital euro marking another step toward the potential launch of the central bank digital currency (CBDC) by 2029. The 12-month pilot, scheduled to begin in the second half of 2027, will use a beta version of the digital euro to test payment functionality, operational processes and user experience across the ECB and 19 euro area national central banks. Participants will include […]
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For years, discussions around stablecoins have focused on regulation, reserves, and adoption. But as stablecoins mature into global payment infrastructure, another challenge is emerging as the industry’s biggest bottleneck: Liquidity. Tanzanian fintech, NALA, offers one of the clearest examples of why liquidity, not blockchain technology, is increasingly becoming the limiting factor in scaling stablecoin payments. The company recently secured an initial $25 million credit facility, with the option to increase it to $50 million, from private credit firm Liquidity […]
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The Bank of Tanzania (BoT) has completed a comprehensive study on cryptocurrencies and is now awaiting government guidance before moving ahead with a regulatory framework for digital assets marking the country’s latest step toward formal oversight of the sector. Speaking at the BoT pavilion during the 50th Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair (DITF), BoT Governor, Emmanuel Tutuba, said the legal framework is intended to strengthen oversight of digital assets while protecting investors from potential risks associated with the fast-evolving […]
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Japan’s financial conglomerate, SBI Holdings, has launched a lending service for its Yen-pegged stablecoin, JPYSC, offering customers a 3% annualized return as it expands regulated digital asset products in one of the world’s most developed stablecoin markets. The 12-week lending product, available through crypto exchange SBI VC Trade, allows customers to lend JPYSC to the platform in exchange for interest payments. Applications open on July 16 2026 with the advertised annual yield translating to about 0.69% over the fixed-term period […]
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Nigerian travel fintech, Timon, has expanded into Kenya after surpassing 100,000 users, alongside securing an undisclosed investment from crypto and Web3 accelerator, Alliance, as it bets on stablecoins to power cross-border travel payments across Africa. This Alliance DAO Nigerian Alumni Wants to Cut the Cost of Cross-Border Business Payments to as Little as 0.1% via Stablecoins The company said most of its growth has come through referrals and word of mouth, with Kenya emerging as one of its […]
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Reports of fintechs and financial institutions in Kenya restricting or blocking financial services among users is emerging following a recent review of the country by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) which retained Kenya on its grey-list. Restrictions from compliant stablecoin service providers have also reportedly began. HuruPay, a stablecoin service provider with roots and presence in Kenya, has reportedly told its users that it will ‘no longer support USD banking services for customers in Kenya,’ thereby restricting ‘any payments […]
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Global financial messaging network SWIFT has launched a blockchain-based shared ledger and is preparing to begin live pilots with 17 major banks marking one of the banking industry’s biggest moves toward tokenized cross-border payments. The pilot will allow participating institutions, including HSBC, Citi, BNP Paribas, UBS, Standard Chartered, DBS, ANZ, BNY, Wells Fargo and others, to move tokenized bank deposits across borders 24 hours a day, including nights and weekends, while continuing to settle transactions through existing banking infrastructure. […]
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Robinhood’s newly launched Ethereum layer-2 network has attracted more than $70 million worth of Ether bridged from Ethereum within its first week of operation, according to on-chain data, signaling strong early demand for the brokerage’s blockchain infrastructure. INTRODUCING | Leading Retail Investing Platform, Robinhood, Launches Public Blockchain, Robinhood Chain The network, which uses ETH as its native gas token, has also seen the supply of USDG stablecoins grow rapidly as users move liquidity onto the chain. Data shows […]
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Sony Bank has received preliminary approval from U.S. banking regulators to establish a national trust bank that will oversee the issuance and management of U.S. dollar-denominated stablecoins marking the latest move by a global financial institution into regulated digital assets. The approval signals Sony’s entry into regulated U.S stablecoin issuance. Sony Bank is part of the broader Sony Group, the same Japanese conglomerate behind PlayStation, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Music, Sony Electronics, and Sony Semiconductor. Electronics Giant, Sony, to […]
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MoneyGram is accelerating its stablecoin strategy with plans to roll out its newly launched MGUSD stablecoin across its global network of more than 60 million customers, marking a major shift in how one of the world’s largest remittance companies intends to move money. Speaking on The Converge podcast, MoneyGram CEO, Anthony Soohoo, said the company has spent more than five years rebuilding its payments infrastructure around blockchain technology. The effort has already resulted in over $2 billion in stablecoin settlements, […]
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Binance’s reported plan to lead a new funding round for crypto payments infrastructure provider, Mesh, underscores how the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange is looking beyond trading and deeper into the infrastructure powering stablecoin payments. According to reports, Binance is set to lead a funding round that values Mesh at up to $2 billion, roughly double the company’s $1 billion valuation following its $75 million Series C financing in January 2026. Neither Binance nor Mesh has officially confirmed the […]
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The Securities and Exchange Commission of Nigeria (SEC Nigeria) has cleared seven new entities for admission into its Accelerated Regulatory Incubation Programme (ARIP), reinforcing its commitment to fostering responsible innovation that deepens Nigeria’s capital market while safeguarding investor interests. The newly admitted entities are: Bitbarter Technologies Limited Luno Fintech Nigeria Limited GetEquity Limited Koinkoin Global Network Limited Wrapped CBDC Ltd Trovotech Ltd Blockvault Custodian Ltd These entities would receive the Commission’s Approval-in-Principle (AIP) permitting them to operate within the defined […]
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VISA is reportedly testing the use of stablecoins to settle cross-border mobile money transactions in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) marking its latest effort to expand on-chain payments across Africa as demand grows for faster and cheaper international transfers. The payments company is reportedly running the pilot with pan-African payments provider, Onafriq, using stablecoins to settle mobile money wallet top-ups behind the scenes through its VISA Pay platform without changing the customer experience. LAUNCH | VISA Pay Launches […]
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A consortium of more than 140 companies spanning payments, banking and digital assets has launched Open USD (OUSD), a new dollar-backed stablecoin network designed to let businesses issue, move and integrate digital dollars while sharing in the economic benefits traditionally reserved for stablecoin issuers. The initiative, led by the Co-Founder of stablecoin infrastructure firm, Bridge, is backed by companies including: Stripe, Coinbase, Visa, MasterCard, BlackRock, Google, Ripple, and BNY and is governed by an independent non-profit organization called Open Standard. […]
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Nigeria’s regulated Naira stablecoin, cNGN, has recorded nearly $145 millionin cumulative trading volume across approximately 350,000 transactions, as of June 2026, since its launch in early 2025, but adoption among the country’s fintech sector remains limited as firms struggle to justify the cost of integrating another settlement asset according to several Nigerian fintech leaders. INTRODUCING | Africa’s First Regulated Stablecoin, the Nigerian Naira-Pegged Stablecoin, $cNGN, Goes Live on Local Nigerian Exchanges Seun Langele, a prominent Nigerian Web3 developer […]
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Crypto custody and infrastructure provider, BitGo, has laid off nearly 15% of its workforce as the newly public company reallocates resources toward artificial intelligence, stablecoins, and institutional financial infrastructure, becoming the latest digital asset firm to cite AI as a driver of corporate restructuring. Chief Executive, Mike Belshe, described the cuts as a ‘one-time action,’ saying the company would focus investment on security, trading, settlement, stablecoins and AI-powered infrastructure as the digital asset industry evolves. Employees affected by the restructuring […]
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Asset management giant, Invesco, has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to launch a tokenized money market fund designed for the rapidly expanding stablecoin reserve market marking the firm’s latest push into on-chain finance as Wall Street intensifies efforts to capitalize on digital asset infrastructure. The proposed Invesco Stablecoin Reserves Onchain Fund would issue fund shares directly on public blockchains while investing in cash, short-term U.S. Treasuries and overnight repurchase agreements backed by Treasuries, the types of […]
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OpenPayd has secured a Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) license positioning the European banking and payments infrastructure provider to capitalize on growing institutional demand for stablecoin services across the European Union. The license allows OpenPayd to offer regulated crypto-asset services throughout the EU under MiCA’s passporting framework enabling the company to expand its stablecoin settlement, fiat on- and off-ramp, and embedded banking offerings across the bloc. The approval comes as Europe’s crypto industry faces a July 1 2026 deadline to obtain […]
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The European Parliament’s Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee has approved the long-awaited digital Euro proposal moving the European Central Bank’s central bank digital currency (CBDC) project a step closer to reality. The initiative is designed to strengthen Europe’s payment sovereignty and reduce the region’s reliance on U.S.-based payment networks such as Visa and MasterCard. Lawmakers backed legislation that would allow the digital Euro to function as a public digital form of money, available for both online and offline payments across […]
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In a landmark move for the African digital economy, this strategic investment integrates Ripple’s USD-denominated stablecoin RLUSD, Ripple’s payments network and the XRP Ledger (XRPL) into Flutterwave’s payment infrastructure, creating an unstoppable, stablecoin-native financial superhighway that positions Nigeria and the broader continent at the forefront of global digital asset adoption. Flutterwave, Africa’s leading payments infrastructure company, today announces a strategic investment from Ripple, the leading provider of blockchain-based enterprise solutions for traditional and digital finance. This partnership marks the definitive […]
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When Flutterwave announced its vision of becoming Africa’s financial operating system, one partnership stood out: Ripple. The collaboration is more than another fintech alliance. It signals how blockchain infrastructure is increasingly being woven into traditional payment networks as providers race to make cross-border money movement faster, cheaper and more reliable. For Flutterwave, payments alone are no longer the end goal. The company wants to build the infrastructure layer businesses use to collect payments, manage treasury, access banking services and move […]
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