Visa, Mastercard, Coinbase and over 140 businesses launched Open Standard to issue Open USD, a US dollar-tied stablecoin expected later in 2026. The move follows the GENIUS Act signed into law on July 18, 2025, which created a new regulatory framework and aims to expand stablecoin use beyond crypto trading.
Research has indicated that existing stablecoins are still primarily used for trading crypto assets rather than everyday purchases.
Stablecoins remain relatively safe amid broader crypto volatility.
Tap a lens to see what this story means for you.
Liked this? The Brief brings you the whole day in tech, verified, every morning.
Two minutes, free forever. What's in The Brief →
See what’s happening right now
The Feed runs all day — short, verified briefs the moment they break.
Open the FeedFollow @thecircuitry_
Every story we publish, as it happens. No noise between.
Reader-supported
The Circuitry is a passion project I've always wanted to build, and I love the work behind it.
Running it costs real money. APIs, hosting, time. To keep improving the site and growing this into something useful for everyone, those costs have to be covered.
Any contribution is appreciated. If not, no pressure. Thanks for reading.
SoFi has begun settling its card program with Mastercard using SoFiUSD, targeting more than $25 billion in expected annualized volume after migration. The change provides faster onchain settlement while leaving consumer cards and merchant systems unchanged.
APAC nations hold nine of the top 20 spots in the 2026 crypto adoption ranking while Bitget revised its breach figure to about $387.5 million from an initial $351.6 million. Regional banks are also testing 24-hour settlement and blockchain bond issuance.
Visa announced it will acquire Israeli fraud-detection startup BioCatch for $2.4 billion in cash from Permira and other investors. The purchase centers on behavioral biometrics technology and expands the payments company’s fast-growing value-added services business as global fraud losses surpass $1 trillion a year.
Stripe and Advent International have reportedly jointly offered $53 billion to acquire PayPal at $60.50 per share, representing a 28% premium with about $50 billion in committed financing. The approach underscores both firms' deepening involvement in stablecoins while PayPal contends with competitive pressures.
Robinhood Chain has posted more than $1 billion in first-week DEX volume while its TVL soared millions of percent on memecoin momentum; Circle obtained a national trust bank charter and crypto legislation inches forward with a possible Clarity Act draft next week.
