Visa has expanded its stablecoin settlement pilot into the United States, allowing select U.S. issuer and acquirer partners to settle VisaNet obligations using Circle’s USDC rather than only fiat currency — a step the card network framed as a milestone in upgrading the “settlement layer underpinning global commerce.” … [Read more...] about Visa brings USDC settlement to U.S. banks in push to modernize card-network plumbing
Tether’s all‑cash bid for Juventus rebuffed as crypto firm pushes into sports ownership
Tether, the issuer of the widely used USDT stablecoin, made a high‑profile play to take control of Italian football club Juventus, only to have its offer firmly rejected by the team’s long‑standing owners, according to regulatory filings and market reports. … [Read more...] about Tether’s all‑cash bid for Juventus rebuffed as crypto firm pushes into sports ownership
Texas becomes first U.S. state to purchase bitcoin for strategic reserve
Texas has officially become the first U.S. state to acquire Bitcoin for a government strategic reserve, purchasing $5 million worth of the digital asset on November 20 at roughly $87,000 per BTC. The move was confirmed by Lee Bratcher, president of the Texas Blockchain Council, who said the initial allocation was executed through BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) while … [Read more...] about Texas becomes first U.S. state to purchase bitcoin for strategic reserve
AI becomes the control layer for payments and risk management at Singapore FinTech Festival 2025
Artificial intelligence was broadly discussed at Singapore FinTech Festival 2025, where banks, payment companies, and infrastructure providers showcased a new generation of AI-driven systems reshaping financial operations. Across panels and exhibitor booths, AI was positioned as the emerging “control layer” for risk management, compliance, and large-scale transaction flows. … [Read more...] about AI becomes the control layer for payments and risk management at Singapore FinTech Festival 2025
Tokenisation moves from theory to deployment at Singapore FinTech Festival 2025
Tokenization was the central theme at this year’s Singapore FinTech Festival, where regulators and global financial institutions signalled that programmable finance is moving out of the lab and into selective production environments. What began as a multi-year experiment under Singapore’s Project Guardian is now shaping into a cross-border framework capable of handling … [Read more...] about Tokenisation moves from theory to deployment at Singapore FinTech Festival 2025
Singapore FinTech Festival 2025: snapshot of the most defining themes at Asia’s flagship innovation event
The Singapore FinTech Festival 2025 (SFF 2025) — the industry’s largest annual event — once again brought together global financial institutions, regulators, technology firms, and digital-asset players for a week of high-level discussions and product showcases. Under the theme “Intelligence × Trust: Building the Next Financial Architecture,” the festival focused on real-world … [Read more...] about Singapore FinTech Festival 2025: snapshot of the most defining themes at Asia’s flagship innovation event
Tether in talks to lead €1B mega-round for German humanoid robotics firm Neura
Tether, the world’s largest stablecoin issuer, is in discussions to lead a €1 billion ($1.16 billion) funding round for Neura Robotics, a fast-growing German start-up building AI-enabled humanoid machines, according to a report in the Financial Times. The investment could value Neura between €8 billion and €10 billion—a dramatic jump from its last funding round in January, when … [Read more...] about Tether in talks to lead €1B mega-round for German humanoid robotics firm Neura
DeFi sector recalibrates amid shifting investor sentiment and regulatory scrutiny
The decentralized finance (DeFi) sector is undergoing a period of consolidation and caution as investor appetite tempers and developers focus on core infrastructure rather than speculative expansion. The shift comes after years of breakneck experimentation and yield-driven growth, now tempered by market volatility, regulatory scrutiny, and a more risk-averse funding … [Read more...] about DeFi sector recalibrates amid shifting investor sentiment and regulatory scrutiny