stablecoins

According to The Block, Standard Chartered Bank's Singapore branch plans to provide custody services for specific crypto assets, stablecoins, and tokenized real-world assets to institutional investors.The bank stated that this service will expand its existing crypto asset custody business, which currently covers the UAE, Luxembourg, and Hong Kong.

Tether announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Bank of Kazakhstan (NBK) and the Almaty City Administration (ACA), where the three parties will explore cooperation opportunities in areas such as stablecoin applications, asset tokenization, and decentralized finance.

Ledger launched its self-custody lending feature Crypto Loan at the TOKEN2049 conference in Singapore, allowing eligible users to collateralize wrapped Bitcoin cbBTC or wBTC in the Ledger Wallet to borrow stablecoins USDC or USDT, without needing to transfer funds to a centralized lending platform or sell their holdings. Users can open and manage loans directly within the wallet, track loan-to-value ratios, add collateral, make repayments, or increase borrowing, with key operations requiring physical confirmation on the Ledger signing device before execution.This feature is supported by the decentralized credit network Morpho, with technology provided by Yield.xyz, which is also the supplier of Coinbase's Bitcoin collateralized loans. Ledger also announced that its signing devices can directly connect to Morpho without the need for a browser plugin or software wallet. Morpho co-founder Paul Frambot stated that this integration creates a "powerful liquidity flywheel," where stablecoins deposited through Ledger's existing Earn products can fund current loans for Bitcoin holders.This move pushes Ledger, known for its hardware wallets, further into the financial services sector. Coinbase recently launched fixed-rate Bitcoin collateralized loans after expanding to UK users, and JPMorgan is also exploring Bitcoin and Ethereum collateralized lending. Ledger claims to have protected nearly 30% of the Bitcoin held by retail investors. Crypto Loan has begun to gradually open to eligible users, with availability expanding over time.

ChainCatcher live report, at the Token2049 conference in Singapore, World Liberty Financial co-founder Eric Trump stated that the era of paying salaries with stablecoins has arrived. He revealed that his family business, as a "super employer," has tens of thousands of employees in global hotel assets and is "undoubtedly researching" salary payments in stablecoins. He pointed out that it has become common for athletes to request payment in Bitcoin for contracts, and the appreciation of underlying assets often far exceeds the contract amount; for ordinary employees, check clearing takes 24-36 hours, while people want money "immediately in their accounts."

Tokenization platform Securitize announced a memorandum of understanding with South Korean technology company LG CNS, and both parties will collaborate to develop tokenized assets and digital asset infrastructure for South Korean financial institutions, explore tokenized funds, stocks, and stablecoins, and seek relevant opportunities in the Asia-Pacific market. Following the announcement, Securitize (SECZ) saw its stock price rise nearly 8% to about $12.6 in early trading on Tuesday, before retreating. The company went public on the New York Stock Exchange in July this year after merging with special purpose acquisition company Cantor Equity Partners II.This collaboration comes as South Korea prepares new regulations for tokenized securities. The Financial Services Commission of South Korea proposed regulatory rules last week for the issuance and circulation of tokenized stocks, bonds, funds, and other securities, with the framework set to take effect in February 2027. On the same day, LG CNS also launched a blockchain infrastructure platform to help financial institutions such as banks support stablecoins and tokenized securities.Securitize has become a major player in the tokenized real-world asset market, which has grown to about $40 billion, with early growth primarily focused on interest-bearing assets such as U.S. Treasury bonds and private credit, while tokenized stocks are gradually emerging. According to RWA.xyz data, the market capitalization of tokenized stocks is approximately $3.2 billion, having increased by 10.6% in the past 30 days. Securitize CEO Carlos Domingo has stated that even with limited adoption, it could have a greater impact on the crypto market, and tokenized stocks are expected to drive the overall valuation of the crypto market to $5 trillion.

Changer+ announced the launch of its self-custodial wallet centered around stablecoins, aimed at making the holding, transferring, and using of stablecoins simpler.Changer+ currently supports mainstream stablecoins on the Ethereum, TRON, BNB Chain, and Solana networks, including USDT and USDC. As a self-custodial wallet, Changer+ allows users to always control their private keys while providing flexible Gas fee payment options, and integrates practical features such as security risk alerts, global eSIM data plans, and a lifestyle ticketing market, offering users a safer, more convenient, and enriched digital asset usage experience.To celebrate the launch, new users can receive three eligible free transactions per device on each supported chain (including Ethereum, Solana, and BNB Chain) from October 6, 2026, to November 6, 2026.Changer+ has also completed an independent security audit and VAPT conducted by Echo Pulse. It is reported that Echo Pulse is a CREST-certified, Singapore-licensed cybersecurity service provider.

Cryptocurrency trader Ansem posted that he believes correlating the current cycle with the markets of 2020, 2023, or 2024 has limited reference value. For him, the closest environment to the current one is the DeFi expansion from 2020 to 2021, when a brand new business sector brought billions of dollars into the blockchain.In this cycle, stablecoins, especially tokenized stocks, are opening new markets while attracting participation from retail investors, institutions, and developers. New fields will bring new capital flows, products, and a large amount of speculative activity, which is the framework he uses to analyze this cycle.

Economist Jim Rickards stated that gold prices may reach $10,000 faster than most analysts expect. He referred to this as "fifth-grade math": the price of gold only needs to rise 11% from $9,000 to $10,000, which is much smaller than the increase from $3,000 to $4,000. He pointed out that the ongoing purchases of gold by central banks provide a bottom support for gold prices, and the strengthening of the dollar and the decline in gold prices do not represent the implications that supporters of "currency devaluation theory" believe. Rickards expects gold prices to reach $10,000 by mid-2027.In the comparison between Bitcoin and gold, Rickards remains skeptical and explores whether Bitcoin is a safe-haven asset or a risk asset in the next crisis. He also referred to stablecoins as "the most dangerous thing in the world," believing they pose a threat to the bond market. Additionally, he discussed the 1998 bailout of Long-Term Capital Management (LTCM), yen carry trades and the leverage risks of private credit, AI risks, as well as the Federal Reserve's interest rate hike in September and its subsequent effects.

UBS Group recently recruited two heads related to digital assets in New York.Among them, the IB Digital Assets Product Manager will be responsible for promoting tokenized products, stablecoins, settlement infrastructure, custody, and other distributed ledger technology (DLT) business models, with a base salary ranging from $225,000 to $242,500.The other position, Digital Assets Distribution Manager, will be responsible for promoting the distribution of tokenized money market funds and structured products, targeting channels including fintech companies, new banks, brokerages, and digital wealth management platforms, with a base salary ranging from $164,000 to $211,000.

Circle, the issuer of USDC, submitted a proposal to the European Commission advocating for the revision of the rules regarding overseas stablecoins in the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) and the establishment of a recognition mechanism for overseas issuers. Circle suggested that overseas stablecoin issuers should primarily be regulated by their home jurisdiction's regulatory authorities, and after obtaining equivalence recognition from relevant parties and the European Banking Authority (EBA), local licensed entities in the EU would be responsible for distribution.This mechanism also allows euro stablecoins to circulate in overseas jurisdictions. Circle also requested the removal of the requirement for electronic money token issuers to hold 30% of reserve assets in commercial banks; the proportion for "significant" electronic money tokens is 60%. The company believes that this requirement increases exposure to credit risk and counterparty risk in the banking sector.

According to Cryptopolitan, the International Financial Association's Global Debt Monitor on September 23 shows that global debt has reached a historic high of 365 trillion dollars, an increase of 10 trillion dollars in six months, with emerging market debt rising by 6.5 trillion to 110 trillion dollars, with China contributing the most.The San Francisco Federal Reserve's report on September 28 pointed out that the share of U.S. Treasury bonds held by foreign investors has decreased from over 50% at the peak in the late 2000s to about 30% in early 2026. Since 2023, stablecoin issuers have been increasing their holdings of short-term U.S. Treasury bonds at a pace faster than Japan; the bank expects that by 2030, the demand for short-term U.S. Treasury bonds from stablecoins may nearly double to about 400 billion dollars.

The Illinois Department of Revenue has released the legislative draft details of a 0.2% digital asset transaction tax, clarifying that stablecoins will be considered taxable digital assets, while non-fungible tokens are not subject to taxation. The draft stipulates that DeFi transactions are generally exempt; however, fees paid by users that are deemed "valuable consideration," such as protocol fees for operating or maintaining the platform, may trigger taxation.Only network fees and exchange fees paid to liquidity providers do not trigger this tax. Cross-chain bridging conducted through digital asset brokers and paid with consideration will be regarded as taxable exchange activities. If centralized exchanges charge fees when transferring to self-custody wallets, it may also be subject to taxation. This tax law was approved in June and is set to take effect on January 1, 2027. The Illinois Department of Revenue is seeking public comments on the draft, with a deadline of October 30.

Dan Tapiero, founder and CEO of 50T Funds, stated that the core assets in the digital asset space have entered a new bull market phase. He pointed out that the real revenue growth within the industry comes from stablecoins, tokenization, and companies like Kraken, Ledger, and Polymarket, which form the underlying fundamentals supporting the current market.Tapiero mentioned that Hyperliquid has been leading this bull market. Regarding investment choices, he revealed that he had previously opted not to invest in FTX, Celsius, and BlockFi due to valuation issues; he is currently raising $500 million for the 50T Fund and has invested $42 million in MoonPay. On a macro level, he is focused on themes such as Japan's 30-year government bonds and believes that in currency devaluation trades, Bitcoin and gold will hold an advantage in the long term.

According to Bloomberg, Morgan Stanley has established a digital asset lab to test technologies such as stablecoins, tokenization, and decentralized finance (DeFi) applications. The Wall Street bank is exploring how blockchain-based systems can be applied to its various businesses.Megan Brewer, head of market innovation and labs at Morgan Stanley, stated in an interview that the initiative is part of the company's existing innovation lab network. This network provides employees with dedicated facilities to explore emerging technologies while avoiding risks to the bank's core systems.

The Salvadoran government is collaborating with Modveon to develop a government-supported application called Sivar, allowing the public to send, receive, and hold dollar-pegged stablecoins through Coinbase's Base network, and supporting remittances. The application will verify user identities through government-issued identification.

The Financial Services Agency of Japan announced that its fintech proof-of-concept center's "Payment Enhancement Project" will support the fourth case, with applicants including TradeWaltz, NTT DATA, Mizuho Bank, Mitsubishi UFJ Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, and Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation.This proof-of-concept program will commence in September 2026, verifying the practical responses to the use of stablecoins in trade transaction fund settlements and addressing related legal issues. After the experiment concludes, the Financial Services Agency of Japan will publish results and conclusions on topics such as compliance and regulatory responses, as well as interpretations of laws providing services to general users on its official website.

Martin Carrica posted on X that after four years of working on regulated stablecoin-related projects with the stablecoin issuer Mountain Protocol and the licensed crypto institution Anchorage, he will join Coinbase as the head of stablecoins, responsible for expanding the distribution and influence of stablecoins.Martin Carrica stated: Stablecoins are the most transformative financial product, and although they have achieved significant success, their current scale is still relatively small. He will focus on promoting the scalable development of this technology.