United States Dollar Catの‌価格USDC

THORWallet is preparing to launch their own card program designed to offer greater flexibility, transparency, and global accessibility for crypto users. The upcoming THORWallet Card represents a significant evolution of the platforms card infrastructure, enabling faster activation, simplified and free top-ups, and expanded card functionality. The new program introduces both physical and virtual cards with instant activation from day one. All cards are USD-denominated and support fee-free top-ups using USDC, with no additional top-up charges applied. A Pro card tier will also be available, offering zero FX markup, zero ATM markup, higher spending limits, and a cashback mechanism linked to TITN staking. This tier is designed for users seeking a streamlined and cost-efficient payment experience. The updated card infrastructure allows for future expansion, including additional card denominations such as EUR or CHF, as well as premium features like airport lounge access, travel insurance, and upgraded card materials. The Next-Gen THORWallet Card will be available in 174 countries worldwide, including the United States, and will operate alongside the existing Swiss IBAN card program, complementing current payment solutions. The new card program aims to bridge decentralized finance with traditional payment systems, offering users a flexible and scalable crypto-to-card experience. Users can now join the whitelist ahead of the official launch: 👉 https://whitelist.thorwallet.org Read the article at BeInCrypto

The team and proprietary intellectual properties behind Axelar Network have been acquired, as per a recent announcement. This acquisition by Circle, the company supporting the second-largest stablecoin, USDC, is not commonly seen in the crypto space. Rise of AXS Coin Following the announcement, AXS Coin surged by 9%, yet Axelar Network, Foundation, and AXL will continue to be managed by the community. Interop Labs was the founder of this initiative, but they are now departing from Axelar Network. So, who will take their place? With the completion of the agreement, Common Prefix will replace the old team, bringing extensive experience to the table. They have previously made significant contributions to a range of cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin $88,948.65, Sui, XRP Ledger, and Zano. Nikolaos Kamarinakis, CTO of Common Prefix, remarked on the development. “This marks the beginning of a new development phase for the Axelar project, with which we have worked closely for a long time. Interoperability is a critical component of onchain finance and must, therefore, be supported by open-source developer communities like Axelar.” Georgios Vlachos, co-founder of Axelar and director of the Axelar Foundation, also expressed satisfaction with the situation. “Interop Labs has made tremendous contributions to Axelar Network, and Circle’s process of acquiring the team and proprietary intellectual property confirms Axelar’s leadership in interoperability technology. Axelar is where it should be: open-source, composable, and non-custodial, making it a critical infrastructure for many teams, from DeFi to Institutional Onchain Finance. As a foundation, we congratulate the Interop Labs team and eagerly anticipate advancing to the next phase with Common Prefix and the entire Axelar developer ecosystem.”

In brief The Marshall Islands used Stellar for universal basic income disbursements last month. It sent citizens USDM1 as a savings and payments vehicle. The island nation is currently reliant on physical cash. Decrypt’s Art, Fashion, and Entertainment Hub. Discover SCENE Access to financial services is shifting in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), as the island nation begins using digital assets to support its citizens. Late last month, some Marshallese accepted paper checks under ENRA, the RMI’s universal basic income program, while others saw a token called USDM1 appear in Lomalo, a Stellar-based “digital citizen wallet” developed by enterprise blockchain platform Crossmint. As a fully collateralized sovereign bond, the token generates yield and is designed to serve as a medium of exchange for the Marshall Islands’ 40,000 population, according to Paul Wong, director of special projects at the Stellar Development Fund (SDF). amp;amp;lt;span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="width:0px;overflow:hidden;line-height:0" class="mce_SELRES_start"amp;amp;gt;amp;amp;lt;/spanamp;amp;gt; “Unlike a stablecoin, where the issuer is actually earning yield, in this case, the asset holder is earning yield,” he told Decrypt, describing USDM1 as effectively a money market fund. The distinction between a stablecoin and sovereign bond may be somewhat trivial to Lomalo’s users, but USDM1 shows how governments can offer digital assets that serve dual purposes, while avoiding issues that may arise, for example, if a stablecoin were to lose its peg. “All they care about is whether there’s money in their account,” Crossmint co-founder Rodri Fernandez Touza told Decrypt, noting that Lomalo was built for simplicity. Touza characterized features that crypto users have grown accustomed to, such as seed phrases and “weird popups,” as unworkable for the general public. As a result, those features aren’t present in Lomalo, where Crossmint generates and manages user credentials. USDM1 disbursements are made quarterly to eligible citizens in the RMI. That provides “an opportunity to digitize the economy,” Wong said, for a country that is already dollarized and serviced by the U.S. Postal Service. Shipping containers In the Marshall Islands, physical cash is king, but not necessarily by choice. A white paper tied to USDM1’s debut describes how the Marshall Islands became increasingly reliant on physical cash after several banks withdrew from the country following the 2008 global financial crisis. As subsequent reforms altered risk-return profiles, many concluded that corresponding banking relationships with the Marshall Islands weren’t worth it. Today, the Marshall Islands has only one correspondent bank that provides services such as domestic wire transfers, with a few domestic branches across the nation’s islands. It is not uncommon for citizens to travel far distances just to cash a check, the white paper states. “If they were to lose that correspondent bank, it would be disconnected from the global financial system,” Wong said. “This instrument provides an alternative.” Although the Marshall Islands are vast, covering an area comparable to Mexico, the whitepaper notes that SpaceX’s Starlink has made internet access widely available. Still, the country relies on physical cash, often arriving via shipping containers. “Even if you want to make it work with cash, there are many times where constraints in the economy prevent people from having access to money,” Touza said, explaining that some citizens travel large distances by water, only to discover an empty ATM. The RMI’s adoption of USDM1 continues the SDF’s efforts to broaden access to financial services in hard-to-reach areas, including those affected by geopolitical conflict. The development of USDM1 was funded with a multi-million-dollar grant by the SDF. Wong said the SDF is currently working with the German government to support payroll services for healthcare workers in the Middle East. The SDF is also working with the United Nations Development Programme on several cash-disbursement projects, he added. Collaborating with a United Nations agency dedicated to refugees, the SDF helped establish an aid distribution system in Ukraine supporting Circle’s USDC stablecoin. The SDF partnered with the Ukrainian government in 2021, resulting in the creation of a payments system. Wong said that work has influenced the SDF’s approach to USDM1, including the notion that individuals are treated as the sole beneficiary of their digital funds. In practice, that could affect longstanding social dynamics for marginalized groups, he said. “That risk of physical threat is much lower,” Wong said. “When you distribute universal basic income to a woman, it’s not going to some joint account where, historically, a man has used it for purposes other than the family.”

In this week’s edition of the weekly recap, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed settlement agreements for Sam Bankman-Fried’s former associates whose testimony secured his conviction. Summary SEC proposed settlements for former FTX executives who testified against Sam Bankman-Fried. South Korean police busted a fake currency ring targeting crypto traders in in-person deals. Poland’s parliament revived comprehensive crypto legislation after an earlier rejection. Additionally, law enforcement in South Korea dismantled a criminal operation using counterfeit currency to defraud cryptocurrency traders and Poland’s parliament revived comprehensive industry legislation. SEC offers settlements to FTX cooperating witnesses The Securities and Exchange Commission proposed Friday settlement agreements for key members of Sam Bankman-Fried’s inner circle whose testimony proved critical during his criminal trial proceedings. These proposed resolutions address regulatory charges against individuals who cooperated with prosecutors in building the case against the former FTX CEO. South Korean police dismantle counterfeit currency scheme Authorities in South Chungcheong province are prosecuting a criminal group that manufactured fake Korean won bills to defraud cryptocurrency traders during in-person exchanges. Police discovered 9,188 counterfeit 50,000-won notes valued at approximately 459.4 million won ($330,000) in the suspects’ possession last year according to Chosun Ilbo reporting. Polish parliament advances cryptocurrency regulation The Sejm passed Thursday comprehensive crypto industry legislation by 241-vote approval. The Crypto-Asset Market Act remains unchanged from the version rejected earlier this month according to the Sejm’s press office confirmation. Coinbase challenges state prediction market restrictions The cryptocurrency exchange filed federal lawsuits in Connecticut, Michigan, and Illinois challenging state attempts to prohibit prediction markets under gaming regulations. Legal complaints seek declaratory and injunctive relief arguing that prediction markets fall exclusively under Commodity Futures Trading Commission jurisdiction rather than state gaming boards. Ethereum developers name 2026 upgrade roadmap Core development teams officially designated the network’s next upgrade as “Hegota,” defining the 2026 development cycle within the blockchain’s twice-yearly release schedule. The name blends the execution layer’s “Bogota” upgrade, following Devcon host city naming traditions, with the consensus layer’s “Heze” star designation. Bybit returns to UK market operations The exchange announced Thursday it resumed United Kingdom services including spot trading on 100 currency pairs, two years after stricter promotional and marketing regulations forced its departure. The platform serving approximately 80 million users worldwide restarted operations under updated compliance frameworks addressing UK regulatory requirements. Terraform Labs liquidator sues Jump Trading Court-appointed plan administrator Todd Snyder filed suit seeking $4 billion in damages from Jump Trading, co-founder William DiSomma, and former president Kanav Kariya for the firm’s 2022 multibillion-dollar collapse. The Wall Street Journal reported the legal action targets Jump Trading’s role in the Terra ecosystem failure, with the company confirming the lawsuit through social media communications. Annual cryptocurrency theft exceeds $3.4 billion Blockchain intelligence firm Chainalysis reported that cryptocurrency theft totaled over $3.41 billion from January through early December. The $1.5 billion Bybit exchange hack accounted for approximately 44% of the annual total, with the top three incidents representing 69% of all service losses. Indian regulators approve Coinbase-CoinDCX investment The Competition Commission of India approved Tuesday Coinbase Global’s proposed minority stake acquisition in DCX Global Limited, the parent company of local exchange CoinDCX. The approval follows CoinDCX’s recovery from a $44 million security breach that required substantial user compensation efforts. Coinbase unveils comprehensive platform expansion The exchange revealed Wednesday during a livestreamed event that U.S. customers will gain access to traditional stock trading alongside over a dozen new and updated products. Platform enhancements span prediction markets, Solana-based decentralized finance integration, and end-to-end infrastructure for creating real-world asset digital representations. Visa extends stablecoin settlement to United States The payments giant expanded its stablecoin pilot to include U.S. settlements using Circle’s USDC on the Solana (SOL) blockchain. Initial banking partners Cross River Bank and Lead Bank will enable U.S. acquirer and issuer partners to settle in USDC, with broader rollout expected throughout 2026. Strategy maintains billion-dollar Bitcoin purchases Strategy announced its second consecutive week of nearly $1 billion Bitcoin (BTC) acquisitions, adding 10,645 BTC for $980.3 million at an average price of $92,098 per coin.