integration

According to CoinDesk, Kraken's parent company Payward is laying off about 150 employees. This move is part of the company's optimization adjustments in preparation for its IPO, according to two insiders. A Kraken spokesperson stated in a statement: "We continuously evaluate and adjust our organizational structure to ensure we have the right structure and talent to achieve growth objectives and better serve our customers."Meanwhile, Payward is seeking a new round of financing at a valuation of $20 billion to support its pre-IPO expansion strategy. Recently, the company completed a $600 million acquisition of stablecoin payment company Reap and a $550 million acquisition of digital asset derivatives platform Bitnomial. The previous largest acquisition occurred in 2025, when Payward acquired the U.S. retail futures platform NinjaTrader for $1.5 billion, which also holds a CFTC futures broker license.Payward submitted a confidential S-1 registration statement draft to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on November 19, 2025, taking the initial steps toward going public. In March of this year, CoinDesk reported that the company had postponed its IPO plans due to a sluggish market environment, but insiders indicated that the company still plans to move forward with the IPO once market conditions improve. At the Consensus Miami conference, Payward and Kraken co-CEO Arjun Sethi stated that the exchange's IPO preparations are "80%" complete.

According to Fortune, OpenAI is considering legal action against Apple due to dissatisfaction with the use and commercialization of ChatGPT after its integration into Siri. They believe that the collaboration has not effectively driven user conversion to ChatGPT's paid subscription, which may involve a breach of contractual expectations.Reports indicate that the two parties initially reached an agreement about two years ago, with Apple enhancing Siri's ability to handle complex questions by integrating ChatGPT, while OpenAI expanded user reach through Apple's ecosystem. However, OpenAI has expressed "disappointment" with the current presentation and traffic-driving effect of ChatGPT within Siri.It is reported that OpenAI's legal team has collaborated with external law firms to evaluate various response options, including potential litigation. Meanwhile, the relationship has become strained, and Apple is exploring further collaboration possibilities with OpenAI's competitors.Analysts believe that the core of the dispute lies in the commercial ownership and traffic distribution issues after AI capabilities are embedded in the platform, specifically whether "functionality is embedded but does not lead to subscription conversion" constitutes a substantial breach of commercial terms. Currently, neither party has publicly responded to the litigation matters.

According to Fortune, the stablecoin infrastructure startup Rain is currently valued at $1.95 billion and has announced a partnership with payment giant Mastercard to issue credit and prepaid cards, as well as explore pathways for using stablecoins for payment settlements.Previously, Rain primarily relied on the Visa network to issue card products, and this collaboration with Mastercard signifies its entry into the "dual card network" layout phase, further expanding its institutional client market. Rain stated that this partnership will focus on serving large institutional clients that are deeply bound to a single payment network, enabling them to introduce stablecoin settlement capabilities without changing their existing payment systems.Meanwhile, the application of stablecoins continues to expand at the industry level, with institutions such as Stripe and Coinbase promoting the integration of stablecoin payments and settlements, indicating that the fusion of traditional finance and crypto payment infrastructure is accelerating. Analysts believe that as the regulatory framework becomes clearer, stablecoins are rapidly shifting from trading tools to enterprise payment and cross-border settlement infrastructure.

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino posted on the X platform that Tether may need to advance integration between WDK and QVAC in the future to support the development of features related to Agent Cards. Analysts believe that this direction will help improve the connection layer between AI agents and cryptocurrency payment infrastructure, providing more efficient underlying support for automated application scenarios.

Binance has now completed the integration of USDC (USDC) on the Starknet network and World Liberty Financial USD (USD1) on the AB chain, and has opened deposit and withdrawal services. Users can obtain their exclusive token deposit address through this page.

The new crypto bank and non-custodial financial application Tria announced the official integration of the decentralized perpetual contract exchange Decibel on April 21.Through this integration, Tria users can directly access Decibel's full-chain central limit order book (CLOB) for perpetual contract trading within a single self-custodial account, without the need for asset cross-chain transfers or switching between multiple wallets. The official statement indicated that this move aims to reduce friction in DeFi operations, seamlessly unifying functions such as derivatives trading, yield aggregation, and cross-chain payments within the same interface.It is reported that Decibel is built on the Aptos network and will launch its mainnet in February 2026. During its testnet period, it recorded over 650,000 independent accounts and an average of over 1 million transactions per day. Tria currently serves over 500,000 users in 150 countries worldwide, with investors including Polychain Capital and the Ethereum Foundation.

The UK Treasury announced a regulatory scheme during London Fintech Week, planning to incorporate stablecoins and tokenized deposits into a unified regulatory framework with traditional payment services.The scheme aims to regulate stablecoins used for payments under the upcoming issuance regime, while expanding the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) regulatory scope over open banking, and exploring regulatory adjustments for payment activities executed by AI agents. The proposal also suggests reducing administrative requirements for businesses providing stablecoin payment services through new legislation.The UK Treasury also announced the appointment of EY partner and former interim CEO of the FCA, Chris Woolard CBE, as the wholesale digital market champion, responsible for advancing the development of a tokenized wholesale financial system, and committed to providing £1 million (approximately $1.35 million) in funding support to the Centre for Financial Innovation and Technology starting in April. Minister for Cities Lucy Rigby stated that the scheme aims to build a secure, competitive payment ecosystem that can seize opportunities from technological changes. The UK government recognizes the transformative potential of digital assets and blockchain technology, believing they can reshape the way consumers and businesses interact with financial services.

At the 13th anniversary gala "GATE GALA 13" held at the Rosewood Hotel in Hong Kong, Gate founder and CEO Dr. Han delivered a keynote speech titled "How We Grow Together in the Crypto Industry," providing a systematic sharing on the future development path of the crypto industry. The event attracted over 300 institutional representatives, partners, and industry guests from around the world.In his speech, Dr. Han pointed out that the crypto industry is gradually moving from early breakthroughs to a new stage of multi-ecosystem collaborative development. Among them, the integration of CEX, DEX, and TradFi will become an important direction for the evolution of infrastructure, while the introduction of RWA, multi-asset allocation, and AI technology is reshaping the application boundaries and efficiency models of the industry.He further stated that future industry competition will no longer be limited to single products or tracks, but will depend on the platform's comprehensive capabilities in multi-asset integration, technological collaboration, and global resource connectivity. As institutional participation continues to rise, the industry as a whole will accelerate towards a more mature and systematic direction.

Dr. Han, the founder and CEO of Gate, has been invited to give a keynote speech at the main campus of the University of Hong Kong on the evening of April 21, and to participate in a fireside chat and open Q&A session.The event is titled "Web3 Dialogues @ HKU - Academia x Industry," supported by the School of Computing and Data Science at HKU in collaboration with the HKU Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre and the Core Curriculum Office, and organized by Blockchain@HKU. It is primarily open to students interested in Web3, blockchain, digital finance, and emerging technologies. As a collaborative academic event, such activities are rare at HKU.The event will focus on core topics such as the evolution of Web3 technology, the integration of AI and digital assets, and industry regulatory trends, exploring these issues in depth from both academic research and industry practice perspectives. In addition to the keynote speech, Dr. Han will engage in a fireside chat with HKU professors and discuss topics such as industry development paths, technological transformation, and career planning with the attending students.As Web3 and artificial intelligence technologies continue to intersect, the interaction between academia and industry is becoming an important aspect of talent development and cognitive renewal. Such exchanges not only provide students with opportunities to gain firsthand industry experience but also help expand their understanding of technological application scenarios and future career directions, further promoting the connection between academia and industry.

ChainCatcher reported live that Ru Haiyang, CEO of HashKey Exchange Group, delivered a keynote speech at the 2026 Hong Kong Web3 Carnival, focusing on three key themes: RWA, payments, and Asian connectivity. He announced that HashKey Exchange officially launched Hong Kong's first physical gold ETF that day, fully compliant with trading and custody regulations in Hong Kong. He also revealed that HashKey has received approval from the Hong Kong Monetary Authority to jointly issue Asia's first true co-branded credit card with Shanghai Commercial Bank.Regarding industry trends, he pointed out that DTCC has received a no-action letter from the U.S. SEC to intervene in the custody and settlement of tokenized assets, Kraken has become the first cryptocurrency institution to connect to the Federal Reserve's FedWire, and Mastercard has acquired the UK blockchain payment company BVNK at an $1.8 billion valuation, indicating that traditional payment institutions have recognized the irreversible trend.In terms of expansion in Asia, he announced that HashKey officially announced its investment in the Vietnamese market on April 10, planning to jointly invest in VPBank, one of Vietnam's largest commercial banks, to help it become one of the first licensed exchanges. HashKey has also signed memorandums of understanding with leading Asian institutions such as Coins.ph in the Philippines, Indodex in Indonesia, Hata in Malaysia, and Bitazza in Thailand to explore cooperation in liquidity integration, cross-border payments, stablecoins, and asset tokenization distribution.

At the "Crypto 2026: From Cryptocurrency to Smart Economy" forum held in Hong Kong, Arda Senoz, the head of the Alchemy Pay ecosystem, delivered a keynote speech titled "Bridging the Fiat and Crypto Global Economies."Arda Senoz highlighted the recently launched Alchemy Chain, whose core value lies in connecting the settlement links between wallets, merchants, and payment partners. The ACH token serves three main functions on the chain: covering Gas fees, incentives, and governance. According to the technical roadmap, the core payment and ACH fee settlement will be implemented in Q4 2025, liquidity and interoperability will be advanced in Q1 2026, and the issuance of the Alchemy Chain stablecoin and the establishment of payment channels are planned for Q2 2026.Arda emphasized that Alchemy Pay always adheres to a compliant and secure product approach, promoting the mainstream adoption of digital assets through innovative solutions such as RWA integration, truly achieving a seamless connection between fiat currency and the crypto economy.

The "Crypto 2026: From Cryptocurrency to Smart Economy" themed forum, sponsored by Monera Digital and co-hosted by ChainCatcher and RootData, will be held today, April 19, from 14:00 to 18:00 (GMT+8) in Hong Kong. This forum has received joint support from partners including Tencent Cloud, HashKey Chain, Alchemy Pay, Kite AI, Sentient, Sign, Predict.fun, Monad, Brevis, UXLINK, OneBullEx, SVP Chain, OmenX, TurboFlow, LOTUS, Mentis, NeoSoul, Swap315, Electric Soul, and others.As an important peripheral event of the "Hong Kong Web3 Carnival," this forum will focus on the paradigm shift under the deep integration of AI technology and the crypto network, engaging in in-depth discussions on cutting-edge tracks such as AI Agent economy, smart payments, RWA, and crypto infrastructure.Event registration: https://luma.com/18v6vwpf

According to official news, on April 18 at 20:00, AINFT under Bai B.AI will jointly hold a special cooperation seminar on "Payment Systems under the AI Economy" with the PKUBlockchain Association of Peking University. This seminar is based on the emerging context of Web 4.0 and aims to explore in depth how payment, as a key infrastructure, drives the paradigm shift of AI from "content generation" to "transaction decision-making." Both parties will collaboratively delve into the innovative practices in the AI economic ecosystem and financial transaction system through a deep dissection of the intersectional narrative of AI and PayFi, reshaping the boundaries of future intelligent finance.

The themed forum "Crypto 2026: From Cryptocurrency to Smart Economy", sponsored by Monera Digital and co-hosted by ChainCatcher and RootData, is now in the final 5-day countdown. This forum has received joint support from partners such as Tencent Cloud, HashKey Chain, Alchemy Pay, Kite AI, Sentient, Sign, Predict.fun, Monad, Brevis, UXLINK, OneBullEx, SVP Chain, OmenX, TurboFlow, LOTUS, Mentis, NeoSoul, Swap315, and is scheduled to be held on April 19 from 14:00 to 18:00 (GMT+8) in Hong Kong.As one of the important peripheral activities of the "Hong Kong Web3 Carnival", this forum will focus on the paradigm shift under the deep integration of AI technology and cryptocurrency networks, engaging in in-depth discussions on cutting-edge tracks such as AI Agent economy, smart payments, RWA, and cryptocurrency infrastructure. At the intersection of technological leap and economic form reconstruction, this themed forum is not only an insight into the current state of the industry but also a forward-looking reflection on the future intelligent economic system.Event registration: https://luma.com/18v6vwpf

According to CoinDesk, based on data from Arkham Intelligence and The Information, SpaceX currently holds 8,285 bitcoins in its Coinbase Prime custody account, valued at approximately $603 million, while the company is projected to incur nearly $5 billion in losses for the full year of 2025.Financially, SpaceX's revenue is expected to increase to $18.5 billion in 2025, but due to the acquisition and integration of Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI in February this year, costs have exceeded revenue, leading to a significant reversal from a profit of about $8 billion in 2024 to a loss of nearly $5 billion.Despite recording substantial losses, SpaceX's bitcoin holdings have remained unchanged since mid-2024, showing no signs of reduction. CoinDesk's on-chain transfer records indicate that the last significant asset movement occurred about four months ago, involving a rebalancing operation of 614 and 1,021 bitcoins between SpaceX's internal wallets. The value of the holdings peaked at over $1.6 billion during the historical high of bitcoin in October 2025.In terms of corporate bitcoin holdings, SpaceX is currently the fourth largest known corporate holder, following Strategy, Marathon Digital, and Riot Platforms.

The Web3 asset data platform RootData has outlined Kraken's Web3 business partners. This "vertical cooperation network" has been deeply embedded in Kraken's product system, forming a product-centric Web3 capability integration model: * On the wallet and user entry side, Kraken Wallet integrates on-chain asset management capabilities. * In the comprehensive service layer, products like Kraken 360 further integrate various Web3 services, enhancing the one-stop experience for users. * In yield scenarios, through products like DeFi Earn, protocols such as Ethena, Veda, and Chaos are introduced, encapsulating on-chain yield capabilities as functions within the platform. Additionally, Kraken has gradually internalized trading, OTC, and institutional service capabilities through acquisitions of institutions like Bit Trade and Circle Trade in its early years. A notable case includes Kraken's acquisition of Backed, which highly integrated its xStocks, presenting it as a core product on the official page, App, and Pro trading platform. Related collection: [Kraken Web3 Partner Network Collection (continuously updated)](https://cn.rootdata.com/Archives/detail/Kraken%20Crypto%20Business%20Partner?k=NDcwODEw) Therefore, Kraken's strategy is closer to directly turning external capabilities into its own product functions and providing a complete distribution system, giving it stronger depth and extensibility. Cryptocurrency projects actively showcasing their partner networks have become a key way to enhance transparency and market trust. It is reported that RootData welcomes Web3 project parties to [claim data](https://www.rootdata.com/Projects/submit?ft=claimApply) and continues to track and open more project business relationship disclosure channels. The platform has continuously released multiple editions of the cryptocurrency project ecosystem map, nominating Web3 ecosystem partners for upstream clients such as Visa, Stripe, and Coinbase. **If you wish to nominate your project in future ecosystem maps, please fill out the [RootData 2026 Industry Ecosystem Mapping](https://forms.gle/tWArmXcpSfZJkh1r8) form to supplement your important clients and partners.**

WeChat Pay officially launched the AI native access toolbox, providing low-threshold payment integration solutions for merchants and developers, supporting the rapid generation of payment function code through natural language commands.The toolbox consists of Skill packages, AI-friendly documentation, and APIs, supporting one-click calls in mainstream AI development environments. Among them, the "verbal code generation" feature can compress a development process that originally took days into minutes, enabling quick access to more than 20 functions such as mini-program payments, H5 payments, refunds, and revenue sharing.At the same time, the toolbox has built-in AI diagnostic capabilities that can automatically identify code logic issues and provide repair suggestions, reducing financial and system risks during the integration process. For developers with existing systems, it also supports interface debugging and old code upgrades. This upgrade further promotes the standardization and AI integration of payment capabilities, lowering the digital operation threshold for small and medium-sized merchants.