DeFi News page 7

Solana's tokenized equities network has reclaimed the lead with more than 1.5 million holders, reports say. Solana has reclaimed the top spot in tokenized stock holders, overtaking Robinhood Chain for the first time since July. Reports from Cryptopolitan, CoinTurk News, and The Cryptonomist all pointed to the same figure.

The companies are reportedly discussing a partnership covering stablecoin payment infrastructure and growth of the GIWA project. MoonPay and Dunamu are reportedly in talks about a potential partnership focused on stablecoin payments, according to a report from The Block. The discussions reportedly also include plans to expand GIWA, a blockchain project linked to Dunamu.

The blockchain network logged 1.10 billion transactions as its role in global stablecoin transfers continues to expand. TRON's blockchain processed approximately 1.10 billion transactions during the third quarter of 2026, according to data reported this week. Stablecoin settlement volume across the network reached $2.2126 trillion over the same period.

The address tied to the Drift Protocol exploit moved dormant funds through the sanctioned mixer after two months of inactivity. A wallet associated with the exploit of decentralized trading platform Drift Protocol has become active again. The address had shown no movement for about two months before initiating the latest transfers.

The deal aims to let consumers spend crypto and stablecoin holdings directly at Visa's global merchant network. Visa has struck a partnership with Mesh, a crypto payments infrastructure company, to allow users to spend crypto and stablecoin balances at its merchant network.

Paolo Ardoino defends the company's compliance record as it pushes back against Senate criticism over sanctions enforcement. Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino says the company has dramatically cut off stablecoin activity tied to Iran. He claims transaction volumes linked to Iranian wallets have dropped 94% since 2023.

The payments giant is building a risk-intelligence layer aimed at stablecoin transactions ahead of a planned 2027 global rollout. Mastercard has unveiled Stablecoin Security, a risk-intelligence product built specifically for the stablecoin payments market. The tool is designed to flag fraudulent activity and screen transactions against sanctions lists, according to reports on the launch.

The payments giant is building compliance tools aimed at catching illicit stablecoin transfers before they settle Mastercard has introduced fraud and sanctions screening tools designed specifically for stablecoin payments. The announcement was reported by crypto.news and UNLOCK Blockchain on October 20.

A reported surge in on-chain activity has analysts pointing to $2 as a near-term target, with some eyeing $7-$9 further out. XRP has drawn renewed attention from traders after reports of a sharp rise in activity on the XRP Ledger.

The crypto trade group supports the GENIUS Act rollout but wants Treasury to sharpen language on DeFi and foreign issuers. The Blockchain Association, a prominent crypto industry trade group, has endorsed the Treasury Department's rollout of the GENIUS Act stablecoin rule.

A working paper from the Bank for International Settlements shows stablecoin expansion slows sharply when deposit rates rise, with USDC the most affected token. Economists at the Bank for International Settlements have published research showing stablecoin growth responds sharply to tiny changes in bank deposit rates.

Ripple's chief technology officer says tokenization and artificial intelligence could reshape decentralized finance, with retail opportunities emerging on the XRP Ledger. Ripple's chief technology officer, David Schwartz, has outlined a bullish view on the future of decentralized finance. He expects the sector to undergo a major transformation by 2027.

A fix for flawed lending code on the XRP Ledger is nearing approval, keeping the feature offline until it clears review. Developers working on the XRP Ledger have identified a flaw in the code meant to power a new lending feature. The feature has not launched to users yet.

Both US spot crypto ETF categories bled cash last week, but Ethereum funds reportedly saw steeper losses than Bitcoin funds. US-listed spot Bitcoin and Ethereum exchange-traded funds both registered net outflows last week.

Visa, Mastercard and Stripe are building new rails linking stablecoins to traditional bank accounts, even as token issuance plateaus. Stablecoin supply growth has stalled, according to data reported by CoinDesk and CryptoBriefing. Yet payment volume using stablecoins rose sharply over the same period, climbing 45% to roughly $482 billion.

Stablecoin issuer Tether and investor HIVEN back AI payments startup AIsa in an extended seed round. Tether has taken a strategic stake in AIsa, a startup building payment infrastructure for autonomous AI agents. The investment closed as part of a seed extension round, according to reporting from Cointelegraph.

Bank for International Settlements economists say higher savings rates can pull users away from tokens like USDC. Economists at the Bank for International Settlements have published analysis linking commercial bank deposit rates to the pace of stablecoin adoption.

Of five stories that broke while US desks were dark, only two cleared three independent publishers, and the rest of the night is still running on two-source confidence. Of five stories that broke while US desks were dark, only two cleared three independent publishers, and the rest of the night is still running on two-source…