Author: John Smith

Better Home & Finance and Coinbase are preparing a new mortgage product tied to Fannie Mae-backed loans, according to a Wall Street Journal report published on March 26.  Summary Better and Coinbase plan a mortgage product that lets homebuyers use crypto holdings as collateral. The reported structure would combine a standard mortgage with a separate loan backed by crypto. Current Fannie Mae rules require crypto conversion to dollars, making this product a policy shift. The product would let some homebuyers use crypto as collateral instead of selling those holdings before closing. The report said the new offer would allow buyers…

Circle has reversed part of its recent USDC enforcement action after one of the 16 frozen wallets regained access to funds.  Summary Circle restored access to one frozen wallet, easing pressure after criticism over its broader freeze. ZachXBT said the unfrozen address linked to Goated.com held about 130,966 USDC after restoration. The partial reversal kept attention on Circle’s process as transparency concerns around the case persisted. The move has shifted attention from the initial freeze to Circle’s review process, as public questions continue over how the company handled the case. On-chain investigator ZachXBT said Circle unfroze the wallet address “0x61f…e543,”…

Swan Bitcoin has asked a New York court for permission to subpoena Cantor Fitzgerald and its former chief executive, Howard Lutnick, as part of a legal fight over a failed Bitcoin mining venture.  Summary Swan asked a New York court to approve subpoenas for Cantor Fitzgerald and Howard Lutnick. The filing seeks documents tied to Swan’s failed mining venture with Tether and former staff. Former Swan employees deny wrongdoing and dispute ownership claims involving Proton Management and 2040 Energy. The request links the dispute to Swan’s claims that former employees left the company, took internal material, and later worked with…

Bitcoin price fell below the $70,000 mark as traders prepared for a massive Bitcoin options expiry set to occur later today. Summary Bitcoin price slipped to $69,990 ahead of a $18.6 billion crypto options expiry on Deribit, with BTC options accounting for over $14.1 billion in open interest. The $75,000 max pain level remains a key magnet as market makers may attempt to steer prices higher to minimize payout obligations. Technical indicators remain supportive, but $71,000 resistance and $69,000 support will likely dictate short-term price direction. According to data from crypto.news, Bitcoin (BTC) price fell roughly 2.5% to $69,990 last…

Interactive Brokers now lets clients transfer supported crypto from external wallets into IBKR accounts without selling first, extending its low-fee, multi-asset platform push. Summary Interactive Brokers (NASDAQ: IBKR) announced on March 25 that clients can transfer supported cryptocurrencies from external wallets directly into their IBKR-linked crypto accounts without first liquidating their positions. The feature covers Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and other supported assets, with custody handled through Paxos or zerohash, and commissions ranging from 0.12% to 0.18% of trade value — significantly below the industry norm of up to 2.00%. The move follows IBKR’s January launch of 24/7 stablecoin account funding…

Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only. Stablecoins gain ground as global payment tools bridging blockchain and traditional finance. Summary Stablecoins power faster payments, but infrastructure providers bridge fiat, compliance, and blockchain access for users. Fintech apps rely on stablecoin APIs to enable fast, compliant payments without building complex global infrastructure. Stablecoin adoption grows as providers handle fiat conversion, KYC, and payments behind the scenes for apps. Stablecoins are quickly becoming part of the global payments stack. Fintech apps use them to settle transactions faster. Remittance…

Franklin Templeton and Ondo are launching tokenized ETFs that trade 24/7 directly in crypto wallets, giving non-U.S. investors round-the-clock access to U.S. stocks, bonds and gold. Summary Franklin Templeton and Ondo Finance announced tokenized ETFs on March 25 that can be traded directly inside crypto wallets around the clock, bypassing traditional brokerage accounts. The product suite spans U.S. equities, fixed income, and gold, with an initial rollout across Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Latin America. A U.S. launch remains contingent on regulatory clarity around on-chain distribution of registered funds. Franklin Templeton is partnering with Ondo Finance to offer tokenized versions of…

The CFTC’s first no-action letter for a self-custodial wallet and a joint SEC-CFTC move classifying XRP as a digital commodity give non-custodial XRP infrastructure a clearer path into regulated derivatives. Summary The CFTC issued its first-ever no-action letter for a self-custodial crypto wallet provider on March 17, granting Phantom Technologies regulatory relief without requiring broker registration. XRP treasury firm Evernorth flagged the move as a pivotal moment for XRP, noting the ruling’s core principle — that non-custodial platforms are not financial intermediaries — aligns directly with XRP’s design architecture. XRP was simultaneously classified as a “digital commodity” in a joint…

Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan says Circle’s 22% post-CLARITY Act selloff is “excessive,” arguing USDC’s payments moat and a $1.9t stablecoin market by 2030 justify a $75b valuation target. Summary Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan called Circle’s post-regulatory selloff “excessive,” projecting the stablecoin issuer could be worth $75 billion by 2030. Hougan cited Citigroup’s revised forecast that the global stablecoin market could reach $1.9 trillion by 2030, arguing the fundamental growth thesis remains intact. William Blair analysts added that Circle’s cross-border B2B payments utility is undiminished, even as regulatory uncertainty persists around profit-sharing rules. Bitwise Asset Management pushed back Wednesday against the…

Payy raised $6m led by FirstMark to build a zero-knowledge L2 and wallet that make USDC payments private by default, targeting enterprise stablecoin flows that avoid fully transparent chains. Summary Payy, a New York-based stablecoin startup, closed a $6 million seed round led by FirstMark Capital in December 2025, bringing its total funding to $8 million. The company is building a privacy-focused payments network using zero-knowledge proofs, arguing that public blockchain transparency is a fundamental blocker to enterprise stablecoin adoption. Payy already has 100,000+ users across 120 countries and processes around $130 million in annualized transaction volume, with a mainnet…