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Eliminating archaic payments systems with stablecoins
Stablecoins break down key barriers in cross-border payments, empowering small businesses and enabling financial inclusion.
Opinion by: Simon McLoughlin, CEO at Uphold
2021 witnessed a fintech investment boom, with startups raising approximately $229 billion globally. Higher interest rates and tighter economic circumstances have since tempered that exuberance, but funds continue to pile into the sector. Indeed, the global fintech sector is expected to see a rebound in investment activity throughout 2025.
Why are investors continuing to bet big on this sector? The answer is simple. The current international finance system is in urgent need of modernization. Built for a pre-internet age, it relies on outdated processes, chains of intermediaries and a patchwork of non-standard regulations.
An aging and expensive system:
Take SWIFT as a case in point. Founded in 1973, SWIFT remains the backbone of cross-border payments. SWIFT is nothing more than a messaging system that enables banks to communicate around transactions. It was never designed to manage funds or process transactions. As a result, a “make do and mend” approach has grown around international payments, characterized by a proliferation of intermediaries and local payment rails.
This antiquated, fragmented system creates significant friction in cross-border transactions, leading to delays, high costs and limited choice for individuals and businesses outside major economic blocs. Fees for international payments currently average 1.5% for businesses and all the way up to 6.3% for remittances. Payments can take up to several days to reach recipients.
This system hinders global commerce and exacerbates financial exclusion, particularly in the global south, where volatile local currencies and limited access to traditional banking services are common.
Many of these friction points could be resolved by stablecoins, making transferring money across borders as easy as sending an email. Indeed, the blockchain-based currency has the potential to revolutionize global finance. Read More
BTCFi explained: How Elastos uses Bitcoin’s security to power DeFi
Cointelegraph Research explores how Elastos leverages Bitcoin’s security to support decentralized finance through trustless crosschain solutions.
The decentralized finance (DeFi) landscape continues to evolve, and Bitcoin-centric solutions are gaining momentum. BTCFi is an emerging sector that transforms Bitcoin from a passive store of value into an actively utilized asset in DeFi.
A new report by Cointelegraph Research and Elastos delves into how Bitcoin’s security helps to create trustless, scalable financial ecosystems.
Bitcoin’s expanding role in DeFi:
DeFi has traditionally been dominated by Ethereum, which accounts for over 50% of the sector’s total $175 billion total value locked (TVL). However, Bitcoin’s strong security and liquidity make it an attractive foundation for DeFi innovation.
Despite its strengths, Bitcoin’s lack of native smart contract functionality has historically limited its role in decentralized finance. The emergence of Bitcoin-centric DeFi solutions aims to bridge this gap and enable Bitcoin holders to participate in lending, stablecoin issuance and crosschain interoperability without custodial risks. Read More
Coinbase Introduces KYC-Verified Liquidity Pools for DeFi Swaps and Trades
Crypto exchange Coinbase announced on Tuesday the launch of Verified Pools, a new service it claims reduces counterparty risk for decentralized finance (DeFi) participants.
Verified Pools are liquidity pools—collections of funds that facilitate digital asset trades—only available to users who complete Coinbase’s identity verification process.
The service is designed for institutional and retail traders, offering KYC-verified liquidity pools to maintain what Coinbase is positioning as the openness and efficiency of on-chain markets, according to a statement.
Verified Pools is powered by Coinbase's Ethereum-centric Layer 2 network, Base, and utilizes the Uniswap v4 protocol. The exchange has also partnered with Gauntlet, a risk management firm, to shore up liquidity.
The pools are non-custodial, meaning users maintain control over their assets.
The KYC element is part of Coinbase's broader efforts to remain compliant as it seeks to scale back access to some offerings, particularly in New York. Read More
Cardano’s ADA lands spot in US Digital Asset Stockpile — Will it generate value?
ADA is set to be a key part of the US digital asset stockpile. Cointelegraph takes a dive into the blockchain’s fundamentals.
On March 2, President Donald Trump mentioned Cardano’s ADA token among the cryptocurrencies to be included in the US strategic crypto reserve. Trump’s March 6 executive order clarified that altcoins would be part of the Digital Asset Stockpile (DAS) under the “responsible stewardship” of the Treasury.
ADA’s potential inclusion in a government-managed portfolio sparked industry-wide surprise and, at times, harsh criticism. Although it has loyal investors who have supported it for years, many in the crypto community questioned why the token was included in the digital asset stockpile.
Let’s analyze the blockchain to see if ADA’s fundamentals and utility support its place in the US Digital Asset Stockpile.
The case for ADA in the US Digital Asset Stockpile:
Launched in 2017 via an ICO, Cardano is one of the oldest smart contract platforms. It differs from others through its research-driven design approach and its use of a delegated proof-of-stake mechanism combined with an extended UTXO accounting model.
Cardano’s ambition as a smart contract platform is well captured by X ‘Cardano_whale,’ who outlined the blockchain’s “non-negligible fees, voting power, decentralized consensus, all native token trading paired with it.” Read More
Crypto companies seeking bank charters under Trump admin — Report
Bank charter approvals have fallen since 2008, but crypto companies see opportunity under the welcoming new administration.
Cryptocurrency and fintech companies are increasingly seeking bank charters in an attempt to grow their businesses under the Trump administration, according to a report from Reuters, which talked to more than half a dozen industry executives.
The moves come as the administration is seen as more industry-friendly and there are opportunities to gain the licenses that regulators under previous administrations may have been slow to approve.
While discussions about pursuing bank charters are on the rise, it is unknown how many companies will ultimately follow through. It can cost tens of millions of dollars to start up a bank, but there are benefits such as increased credibility with the general public.
According to Reuters, 144 bank charter applications were approved every year between 2000 and 2007, but that number shrank to only five approved per year between 2010 and 2023. 2008 marked the year of the great financial crisis and subsequently increased scrutiny on banks.
The Trump administration has signaled openness to innovation in the finance sector, especially in the cryptocurrency industry. Since his January inauguration, President Trump has created a crypto working group, signed an executive order to create a national strategic Bitcoin reserve, and hosted the first White House crypto summit. Read More
The Markethive R² Principle Explained. Reach and Returns: Subscriptions vs Qualifications
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Markethive is a hybrid platform comprising social media, inbound marketing, and digital broadcasting within a cryptocurrency ecosystem, with many strings to its bow. Markethive operates on a fundamental principle that can be summarized as "Reach and Returns," represented as R².
This dual focus highlights the platform's commitment to providing both extensive marketing and broadcasting capabilities and effective tools and systems for cultivating a strong customer base. This principle is at the core of Markethive's operations, emphasizing the platform's focus on both reaching a broad audience and delivering significant returns on your investment, time, and qualifications.
"Reach" refers to Markethive's capacity to disseminate your message, products, or services to a broad audience. This is achieved through features and strategies designed to maximize visibility and engagement. For instance, our social media integration allows you to reach potential customers across various platforms, and our targeted advertising tools ensure your message is seen by the right audience. All these are made possible through the Markethive a-la-carte subscriptions.
"Returns," on the other hand, signifies the platform's emphasis on generating tangible results from your efforts. By providing tools to attract, nurture, and convert leads into customers and clients, Markethive aims to deliver a substantial return on your investment of time, skills, and resources through the Markethive KEY qualification.
This dual approach ensures that your marketing efforts are far-reaching and impactful, ultimately leading to significant growth and success for your business. Whether you're looking to expand your brand awareness, generate leads, or drive sales, Markethive's R² principle provides a comprehensive framework for achieving your marketing goals and return on investment within the Markethive Ecosystem. Read More
EOS Network rebrands to Vaulta in shift to Web3 banking
The EOS Network, a blockchain that launched in 2018 amid the initial coin offering boom, has rebranded to Vaulta and will pivot to focusing on Web3 banking.
The switch to Vaulta is tentatively scheduled for the end of May and will include a new token and the establishment of an advisory group known as the Vaulta Banking Advisory Council to help with the firm’s new direction, the company said in a March 18 statement.
In a separate statement, the firm said the network’s EOS token will transition to the Vaulta Token, which will be available on the nearly 140 exchanges where EOS trades and through a swap portal available in May. It added that the token’s ticker and technical details will be revealed at a later date.
Vaulta will also inherit EOS Network’s underlying infrastructure, including integration with the Bitcoin digital banking solution, exSat, which complements Vaulta’s BankingOS system, offering a suite of financial services through partnerships with Ceffu, Spirit Blockchain and Blockchain Insurance Inc.
EOS Network’s rebranding to Vaulta marks a significant course correction for the blockchain. Block.one, which now isn’t affiliated with the network, launched the blockchain to great fanfare in June 2018 off the back of a year-long and largest-ever $4.1 billion ICO.
EOS was a top 10 project by market cap for several years following its launch, but its value has been in steady decline and is now just inside the top 100, sitting at 95, according to CoinGecko.
There’s a range of opinions about where EOS went wrong. Some who volunteered to assist in developing the network say there was a lack of support and direction from Block.one. Read More
Move is now primed to grow DeFi
Move is now the best programming language for verifying the absence of bugs and checking for modifications and leaks, which is how most blockchains get hacked.
Opinion by: Alex Nguyen, CEO at VibrantX
The Move programming language’s origin is not super cypherpunk. Facebook (now Meta) created Move after the Libra/Diem team compared major smart contract languages (Bitcoin Script, Ethereum Virtual Machine bytecode languages) and decided their formidable in-house tech talent could make a new language built on years of private and public sector research.
The original team, including founders Mo Shaikh, Avery Ching, and their engineering team, left Facebook to continue as a fully independent, open-source project headed up by Aptos Labs and supported by the Aptos Foundation.
Importantly, Meta’s failed Libra experiment left us with a programming language specifically designed for crypto finance. Move on Aptos is now open-source, and the Aptos Foundation is a commercially driven organization that welcomes builders from all backgrounds.
Move is now the best programming language for verifying the absence of bugs and checking for modifications and leaks, which is how most blockchains get hacked.
This verification relies on two key features of Move on Aptos: (1) “backward compatibility” and (2) the concept of an “auditor at runtime.” Read More
New BITCOIN Act would allow US reserve to exceed 1M: Law Decoded
Senator Cynthia Lummis’ BITCOIN Act would allow the US to hold more than 1 million BTC in its crypto reserves.
The newly reintroduced Boosting Innovation, Technology, and Competitiveness through Optimized Investment Nationwide (BITCOIN) Act of 2025 by Senator Cynthia Lummis would allow the United States to potentially hold over 1 million Bitcoin in its crypto reserves.
The bill directs the government to buy 200,000 BTC annually over five years, to be paid for with existing funds within the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department.
If signed into law, the act would allow the US to hold more than 1 million BTC as long as the assets are acquired through lawful means other than direct purchases, including criminal or civil forfeitures, gifts, or transfers from federal agencies. Read More
Microsoft warns of new remote access trojan targeting crypto wallets
Tech giant Microsoft has discovered a new remote access trojan (RAT) that targets crypto held in 20 cryptocurrency wallet extensions for the Google Chrome browser.
Microsoft’s Incident Response Team said in a March 17 blog post that it first discovered the malware StilachiRAT last November and found it can steal information such as credentials stored in the browser, digital wallet information and data stored in the clipboard.
After deployment, the bad actors can use StilachiRAT to siphon crypto wallet data by scanning device settings to see if any of the 20 crypto wallet extensions are installed, including Coinbase Wallet, Trust Wallet, MetaMask and OKX Wallet.
“Analysis of the StilachiRAT’s WWStartupCtrl64.dll module that contains the RAT capabilities revealed the use of various methods to steal information from the target system,” Microsoft said.
Among its other capabilities, the malware can extract credentials saved in the Google Chrome local state file and monitor clipboard activity for sensitive information like passwords and crypto keys.
It can also use detection evasion and anti-forensics features, like the ability to clear event logs and check for signs it’s running in a sandbox to block analysis attempts, according to Microsoft.
At the moment, the tech giant says it can’t pinpoint who is behind the malware but hopes that publicly sharing information will lower the number of people who might be snared. Read More
Ethereum-Compatible Chain Converge Aims to Rethink Crypto Economics for Wall Street
Ethena Labs and Securitize have announced Converge, a new Ethereum-compatible blockchain that will use stablecoins instead of native crypto assets for transaction fees.
The new chain seeks to become the "first purpose-built settlement layer where TradFi will merge with DeFi, centered on USDe & USDtb and secured by ENA," Ethena claimed Monday.
Converge will help ensure "compliant access to on-chain financial markets," Securitize said in a separate statement.
Scheduled to launch in the second quarter of this year, the new chain will allow users to pay gas fees with USDe and USDtb, the dollar-pegged stablecoins from Ethena Labs.
But this is not the first time that the idea of using stablecoins for gas fees and settlement was done.
While Lens Chain (using Aave's GHO) and Hela Chain (using its own HLUSD) have implemented stablecoins as gas tokens, Converge represents the first attempt to scale this model for institutional finance.
More so, the initiative comes amid increased institutional interest in decentralized finance and tokenized assets, even while some players remain hesitant to adopt systems with volatile fee structures. Read More
Disclaimer: These articles are provided for informational purposes only. They are not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or any other advice.
Featured Image Source: Pixabay
