Latest FinTech & Blockchain News
European Central Bank publicly commits to blockchain integration
The ECB has announced a formal shift toward blockchain and DLT for payments and settlements, including plans for pilots like Pontes to link DLT platforms to TARGET services and support a digital euro, aiming to speed settlement and enable tokenized assets across Europe.
European Council gives provisional green light to digital euro framework
The European Council agreed positions to advance a digital euroâcomplementary to cashâwith proposed holding limits and guaranteed basic free services, targeting availability across the euro area and shaping negotiations with the European Parliament.
U.S. Federal Reserve proposes a limited-purpose âpayment accountâ for settlement
The Federal Reserve Board published a proposal for a restricted payment account for eligible institutions that would support core payment services (Fedwire, FedNow, N.S.S.) with balance limits and no discount window access, aiming to streamline settlement access while containing systemic risk.
Major crypto VC funding week: RedotPay leads with large Series B
Crypto venture funding remains strong: RedotPay led with a $107M Series B to expand compliant crypto-to-fiat payment rails, and the week saw roughly $313â335M invested across multiple startups including payments and infrastructure firms.
Pantera, Circle Ventures and others keep investing heavily in crypto startups
Investors such as Pantera Capital and Circle Ventures participated in funding rounds across 16 startups this week, bringing 2025 industry funding to about $25.4B and signaling continued investor appetite for payments and infrastructure plays.
Coinbase expands product suite to include stocks, prediction markets and custom stablecoins
Coinbase announced launches covering stock trading, prediction markets, tokenized stock ambitions, and a service to create branded stablecoinsâmoves that broaden its scope into payments, wealth and enterprise stablecoin issuance.
Bitcoin market remains volatile after October 2025 crash; analysts warn of bear risks
Bitcoin remains well below its October peak and faces fragility from leveraged positions; analysts highlight on-chain indicators and ETF outflows suggesting a potential longer bear phase and calls for tighter exchange risk controls.
Crypto hedge funds report their worst year since 2022 amid market turbulence
Crypto hedge funds experienced sharp volatility and shrinking arbitrage in 2025, making it their worst year since the 2022 crash as managers grapple with drawdowns and regulatory uncertainty.
Finloop launches FRP 2.0 RWA platform to tokenise compliant assets
Finloop unveiled FRP 2.0, an upgraded real-world-asset platform designed to tokenize compliant financial instruments and build interoperable infrastructure for institutions and Web3-native services.
GENIUS Act passage and stablecoinsâ tie-in with agentic commerce growth
The recently passed GENIUS Act (U.S. Congress) gives clearer federal support for stablecoins, boosting use-case confidence for micropayments and agentic commerce where stablecoins enable real-time, low-cost payments for autonomous agents.
Market commentary: tech stocks and fintechs buoyed despite mixed broader markets
Tech sectors showed resilience with Nasdaq gains and fintech stories like PayPal applying for bank status for small-business lendingâindicating incumbents are reshaping business models alongside crypto firms expanding services.