DeFi News page 6

The new network uses HYPE as its gas token and aims to extend Hyperliquid's on-chain infrastructure. Kinetiq has unveiled Elysium, a layer-2 network built to work alongside Hyperliquid's HyperEVM. The announcement was reported across multiple outlets in late August 2026, marking a new step in Hyperliquid's expanding technical stack.

Jeremy Allaire points to near-total stablecoin dominance in emerging AI-to-AI transaction protocol x402 Circle's chief executive Jeremy Allaire has drawn attention to USDC's near-total control of payments flowing through x402, a protocol designed to let artificial intelligence agents pay one another without human intervention.

The Japanese firm shifted roughly $79.77 million in bitcoin, with reports framing the transfer as custodial rather than a liquidation. Metaplanet, the Tokyo-listed firm known for its bitcoin treasury strategy, has transferred 1,000 BTC to Coinbase Prime.

The pilot, run under the Monetary Authority of Singapore's BLOOM initiative, tests whether stablecoins can settle payments beyond standard business days. Visa and Nium are testing stablecoin settlement that operates beyond the limits of standard business days, according to reports from Fintech News Singapore and crypto.news.

The payments firm says stablecoin-linked card usage is set for rapid growth over the next several years. RedotPay, a crypto payments company, has forecast that stablecoin card spending could climb to $50 billion a year by 2028.

The stablecoin issuer's failed South American mining venture now raises questions about its planned expansion into Brazil. Tether, the issuer of the world's largest stablecoin, poured roughly $120 million into a bitcoin mining operation in Uruguay. That bet has now unraveled following a dispute over power supply, according to reports from Bitcoin.com News and CryptoSlate.

Transaction counts surge to a yearly peak even as the average value per transfer stays pinned near four cents. Weekly payments processed by AI agents using stablecoins reached 8.7 million transfers, the highest level recorded in 2026.

A new design aims to shield validator deposits from future quantum computing threats. Ethereum developers have put forward a proposal to overhaul the network's deposit contract, aiming to make it resistant to attacks from quantum computers. The deposit contract is the smart contract validators use to lock up ETH and enter Ethereum's proof-of-stake system.

The industry group warns that broad identification requirements could otherwise sweep in nearly every stablecoin transaction. The Blockchain Association, a Washington-based crypto industry group, has called for stablecoin identification rules to carve out peer-to-peer transfers. The group argues that requiring identity checks on wallet-to-wallet transactions would extend far beyond the intent of existing anti-money-laundering frameworks.

The crypto trade group says stablecoin-specific rules would fit better than generic bank-style customer checks. The Blockchain Association, a Washington-based trade group representing crypto companies, has called on the U.S. Treasury to write know-your-customer rules tailored to stablecoin issuers. The group argues that generic, bank-modeled KYC standards do not fit how stablecoins actually operate.

The bank's move marks a milestone for regulated stablecoin distribution in Hong Kong's financial sector. Standard Chartered has taken on the role of first bank distributor for HKDAP, a stablecoin pegged to the Hong Kong dollar.

The mainnet upgrade targets cross-chain bridge vulnerabilities as BNB Chain continues hardening its infrastructure. BNB Chain has completed activation of the Pasteur hard fork on its mainnet. The upgrade is designed to strengthen the security of bridge infrastructure connecting the chain to other blockchain networks.

Daily trading in the fund reached roughly $100 million to $108 million, with fresh inflows reported near $25 million. Bitwise's Solana staking exchange-traded fund recorded its highest single-day trading volume since launch this week. CryptoBriefing reported the figure at roughly $100 million.

CEO Brian Armstrong unveiled a Slack-based tool that settles AI micropayments in about 200 milliseconds without subscriptions. Coinbase has developed a Slack bot designed to let artificial intelligence agents pay for services instantly, according to reporting on the new tool.

The company's stockpile of TRX tokens has grown past 711 million as its stock price climbs, though reports differ on the exact size of the gain. Tron Inc. has grown its corporate treasury to more than 711 million TRX, according to newly reported figures.

The crypto advocacy group widens its political footprint as digital asset policy heads into a pivotal election cycle Stand With Crypto has announced endorsements for 32 candidates seeking House seats in the 2026 midterm elections. The group framed the move as part of a broader push to influence federal crypto policy through direct political engagement.

The Animoca Brands-linked project will rely on Chainlink for data services as it builds toward the $19 billion tokenized real-world asset sector. NUVA has selected Chainlink to provide data infrastructure for its decentralized finance operations. The move was reported separately by CryptoBriefing, Coinfomania and CoinGape on August 24, 2026.

The Ethereum treasury company added to its holdings in its biggest single-week purchase in roughly seven weeks. Bitmine, the Ethereum-focused treasury company associated with Fundstrat co-founder Tom Lee, purchased approximately $81 million worth of ETH over the past week.