Stripe’s new payments-focused blockchain, Tempo, secured $500 million in Series A funding led by Thrive Capital and Greenoaks, valuing the Layer-1 network at $5 billion, according to Fortune. The raise comes less than two months after Stripe unveiled Tempo in partnership with Paradigm, positioning it as a “payments-oriented L1” optimized for high-scale, real-world financial applications like stablecoin payments and cross-border settlements.

SWIFT has reportedly selected Linea—Consensys’ Ethereum Layer-2 (zkEVM/zk-rollup)—for a multi-month pilot to migrate parts of its interbank messaging system on-chain, involving more than a dozen global banks like BNP Paribas and BNY Mellon. The trial explores blockchain-based interbank messaging, interoperability, and a potential stablecoin-like settlement token to modernize cross-border payments.

South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party (DP) has officially launched a crypto policy task force, signaling a more proactive stance toward shaping the country’s digital asset industry. The task force is tasked with drafting policies aimed at fostering innovation and promoting growth in blockchain, cryptocurrency, and fintech sectors.

Circle, the issuer of the USDC stablecoin, has partnered with crypto infrastructure provider Crossmint to expand USDC usage across multiple blockchain rails. The collaboration integrates Crossmint Wallets and APIs for onramps, payments, and orchestration, enabling both humans and AI agents to transact seamlessly with digital dollars. Circle highlighted that this partnership lays the groundwork for a “new era of finance” where money moves instantly and globally.

Forward Industries, a major player in the Solana ecosystem, has announced plans to tokenize $1.65 billion worth of stock using Superstate’s Opening Bell platform, further advancing the growing trend of real-world asset tokenization (RWA). The move follows recent developments by firms like Galaxy Digital, which have also embraced tokenization as a way to bridge traditional finance with blockchain-powered markets.

PayPal’s stablecoin PYUSD (PayPal USD) is undergoing a major upgrade that could reshape its role in the crypto economy. Through its integration with LayerZero’s Stargate Hydra, PYUSD will now function as a true cross-chain stablecoin by expanding to nine additional blockchains, including Avalanche (AVAX), Aptos (APT), Sei (SEI), and Tron (TRX).

Solana (SOL) continues to capture Wall Street’s attention as infrastructure firm Helius successfully raised $500 million to fuel Solana-focused development and large-scale token acquisitions. The capital injection—backed by major institutional investors—signals increasing confidence in Solana’s blockchain ecosystem and its ability to compete directly with Ethereum in areas like DeFi, NFTs, and scalable dApps.

Japan’s third-largest credit card company, Credit Saison, has announced the launch of a $50 million blockchain venture fund aimed at supporting early-stage startups in the U.S. and helping them expand into Asia. The fund, named Onigiri Capital, has already raised $35 million and will focus on innovative projects in stablecoins, tokenization platforms, decentralized finance (DeFi), and digital payment infrastructure.

Japan is preparing a sweeping overhaul of its cryptocurrency tax rules, shifting from one of the world’s harshest regimes to a more investor-friendly framework. Currently, crypto gains are taxed progressively at rates up to 55%, far higher than the flat 20% rate applied to equities. Under the new proposal, starting in fiscal year 2026, crypto trading profits would be taxed at a uniform 20% rate, aligning digital assets more closely with traditional investments like stocks.

The long-anticipated GOP crypto bill has run into political headwinds after Senator John Kennedy (R-La.) warned that lawmakers are “not ready” to move forward. The bill, designed to establish a regulatory framework for digital assets in the U.S., aimed to clarify oversight between the SEC and CFTC, while also providing guidelines around stablecoins and consumer protections.

Japan-based digital entertainment and blockchain investment firm Gumi has committed $17 million to XRP as part of its strategy to expand into global payment and remittance networks. The company sees Ripple’s XRP Ledger and its underlying token as crucial infrastructure for enabling cross-border payments at scale, particularly given XRP’s established liquidity and presence in financial ecosystems.

Tether has reversed its earlier decision to freeze USDT circulating on older, less active networks. Instead, these blockchains—including Omni, Bitcoin Cash SLP, and Kusama—will now be classified as “unsupported.” This means that while no new USDT will be issued or redeemed on these platforms, existing tokens won’t be frozen, allowing holders to retain use of them on secondary markets.

Global financial watchdogs, including the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), and the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE), have urged the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to take a tougher stance on tokenized stocks. In a joint letter to the SEC’s Crypto Task Force, they argued that tokenized equities are marketed as equivalent to real stocks but lack the investor protections of regul

SBI Holdings, a major Japanese financial group, and Startale Group, a Singapore‑based blockchain infrastructure firm, announced a strategic joint venture to build an on‑chain trading platform for tokenized stocks and real‑world assets (RWAs).

Circle plans to launch its new Arc layer-1 blockchain with “day one” institutional access through Fireblocks, the custody and tokenization platform used by over 2,400 banks, asset managers, and fintechs. Arc is positioned as an enterprise-focused chain for “stablecoin finance,” aiming to provide predictable fees, compliance-ready features, and institutional-grade tooling.

Ronin, the gaming-focused blockchain created by the Axie Infinity team, will migrate back to the Ethereum ecosystem as a layer-2 network, targeting a full transition by Q2 2026. Originally spun off from Ethereum in 2021 to achieve faster, cheaper transactions for Axie Infinity, Ronin now says Ethereum’s performance improvements—and its growing institutional credibility—make it the right base again.

Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and the DeFi Education Fund (DEF) jointly urged the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to establish a “safe harbor” for certain blockchain applications, particularly DeFi and NFT apps, so their developers aren’t automatically treated as broker-dealers under the Exchange Act.

Chainlink’s LINK has reclaimed the $24 level for the first time since early February, extending a strong August run. The token posted a 35% weekly surge to kick off the month and is up about 42% month-to-date, outpacing Ethereum’s gains.

CrediX, a decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol, recently recovered $4.5 million in stolen cryptocurrency after reaching a private settlement with the hacker responsible for the exploit. The breach occurred when attackers gained unauthorized access to CrediX’s multisig admin and bridge wallets, allowing them to mint collateral tokens, borrow against the protocol, and drain its liquidity.

PancakeSwap, a leading decentralized exchange on the BNB Chain, has launched tokenized stock futures for major U.S. tech companies—Apple, Tesla, and Amazon—allowing users to trade synthetic versions of these stocks directly on the blockchain. This new feature, live since August 5, 2025, enables crypto users to open leveraged long or short positions with up to 25x leverage, all through a self-custodied wallet.