Core Insights - Polygon Labs is acquiring Coinme and Sequence to enhance its stablecoin payment capabilities, supporting its Open Money Stack framework set to launch in 2026 [1][6] Group 1: Acquisition Details - Coinme operates a regulated digital currency payments business, allowing users to convert cash into cryptocurrency, and holds money-transmitter licenses in 48 US states [2] - Coinme manages over 50,000 locations for cash-to-crypto exchanges and serves over one million users through its consumer payments app [2] - Sequence provides technology to simplify crypto transfers across multiple blockchains, complementing Polygon's interoperability efforts [3][4] Group 2: Technology and Infrastructure - Sequence's offerings include enterprise-grade smart wallets and a 1-click cross-chain routing engine called Trails, which simplifies the user experience by hiding blockchain complexities [4] - Sequence's infrastructure is already utilized across various blockchain ecosystems, including Polygon, Immutable, and newer networks like SKALE and Etherlink [5] - Once integrated, Sequence and Trails will function as an orchestration layer, facilitating seamless money transfers across different chains without user intervention [6]

Group 1: Ingenico and WalletConnect Integration - Ingenico has launched an integration with WalletConnect Pay to enable merchants to accept stablecoin payments directly at checkout [2] - The integration allows customers to pay with supported stablecoins at millions of Ingenico point-of-sale terminals across various sectors including retail, hospitality, and transportation [2] - Ingenico aims to provide a secure and seamless payment method for merchants, addressing the growing interest in stablecoin payments without requiring extra hardware or digital currency balances [4] Group 2: Polygon Labs Acquisitions - Polygon Labs announced the acquisition of cryptocurrency exchange Coinme and crypto wallet infrastructure provider Sequence for over $250 million to enhance its stablecoin payments business [5] - The acquisitions are intended to deliver key components of the Polygon Open Money Stack, including cash and digital fiat on- and off-ramps, wallet infrastructure, and cross-chain orchestration [6] - Polygon Labs emphasizes the need for improved infrastructure around stablecoins, aiming to build an open payments business leveraging regulated access to U.S. payment rails and cross-chain capabilities [7]

Core Insights - Bakkt Holdings has agreed to acquire Distributed Technologies Research (DTR) in an all-stock transaction to enhance its programmable payments strategy [1] Group 1: Acquisition Details - The acquisition involves Bakkt issuing Class A common shares equal to 31.5% of the "Bakkt Share Number," which translates to approximately 9.1 million shares for DTR's existing shareholders [2] - The final number of shares to be issued will be determined based on a methodology in the cooperation agreement and may change before the deal closes [3] - The acquisition aims to integrate DTR's stablecoin settlement infrastructure into Bakkt, accelerating the rollout of stablecoin services and reducing reliance on external providers [4] Group 2: Strategic Implications - The CEO of Bakkt, Akshay Naheta, emphasized that the acquisition will transform the company into a unified global financial infrastructure platform, enhancing capabilities for merchants, financial institutions, and end users [3][4] - The deal has been approved by a special committee of Bakkt's board and is subject to regulatory clearances and shareholder approval, with Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) agreeing to vote in favor of the transaction [5] Group 3: Corporate Changes - Bakkt will change its corporate name to "Bakkt, Inc." effective from 22 January 2026, while continuing to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "BKKT" [5][6] - An investor day is planned for 17 March 2026 at the New York Stock Exchange, with further details to be provided later [6]

Core Insights - Polygon Labs has signed agreements to acquire Coinme and Sequence for over $250 million to enhance its role in stablecoin-based payments and onchain money movement [1][2] Group 1: Acquisition Details - The acquisitions are part of Polygon's strategy to develop its Open Money Stack, aimed at supporting stablecoin payments and facilitating cross-border transactions [3][6] - Coinme, a bitcoin ATM provider, will provide regulated fiat on and off-ramps to the Polygon ecosystem, with the deal valued between $100 million and $125 million [4] - Sequence will contribute smart wallet technology and cross-chain infrastructure to simplify crypto payment flows across multiple blockchains [5] Group 2: Strategic Vision - The Open Money Stack is expected to launch in 2026 and will operate across multiple blockchains, reflecting the industry's shift towards revenue-generating financial services [2][7] - Polygon's CEO emphasized that the focus on payments has been a year-long effort, indicating a long-term strategic direction [3] - Coinme and Sequence will maintain distinct roles but will be presented as a unified payments platform to customers, enhancing operational efficiency [8]

Core Insights - Trip.com has begun allowing overseas users to pay for prepaid hotel and flight bookings using stablecoins USDT and USDC, indicating a growing acceptance of these dollar-pegged tokens [1][5] - This development occurs despite the Chinese government's strict stance on cryptocurrency activities [2][5] Group 1: Company Actions - The stablecoin payment option was enabled on October 9, and is available to users in specific regions when booking through Trip.com's international platform [1] - A Foresight reporter successfully booked a hotel and flight using USDT in Vietnam, noting that these bookings were cheaper than those on Trip.com's mainland China app [3] Group 2: Market Context - The People's Bank of China stated that stablecoins do not meet the mainland's anti-money-laundering requirements, which may limit their use in certain markets [4] - Trip.com does not offer stablecoin payments to users in mainland China and some other regions, with the availability of the option determined by the user's IP address [5] - In August, over US$10 billion worth of stablecoins were used for payments, more than double the US$4.3 billion from the previous year, with business-to-business transfers making up most of this total [6] Group 3: Industry Trends - Several Chinese tech firms, including Ant Group and JD.com, are exploring stablecoin initiatives in Hong Kong, which is establishing a licensing regime for stablecoin issuers to become a digital asset hub [7]

Core Insights - Exodus Movement (EXOD) and CleanSpark (CLSK) are significant players in the cryptocurrency market, with EXOD focusing on self-custodial wallets and Web3 financial services, while CLSK is primarily a Bitcoin miner [1][2] Exodus Movement (EXOD) - EXOD has a market cap of over $3 trillion in cryptocurrency and has entered the stablecoin market, achieving $26 trillion in stablecoin transaction volume [3][4] - Revenues for EXOD increased by 51% year-over-year due to rising digital asset prices throughout 2025 [3] - The company experienced an 82% year-over-year growth in swap volume in Q3 2025, with 28% of this volume coming from B2B swaps [5] - EXOD has a robust balance sheet with $315 million in digital and liquid assets and no debt, leading to optimistic earnings growth projections [6] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for EXOD's 2025 earnings has been revised upward in the past 60 days [6] CleanSpark (CLSK) - CLSK is transitioning from a Bitcoin mining company to a diversified digital infrastructure model, focusing on opportunities in the AI and high-performance computing (HPC) markets [8][9] - The company has a significant electricity and land portfolio of 1.3 gigawatts across the U.S. to support this transition [8] - CLSK has acquired a 285 MW site in Texas for an AI campus and identified a 250 MW site in Georgia for AI development [10] - Despite the transition, CLSK faces intense competition from other crypto mining companies and hyperscalers, which may constrain its bottom line [11] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CLSK's fiscal 2026 earnings has been revised downward in the past 30 days [11] Price Performance and Valuation - Over the past six months, EXOD shares have decreased by 53.8%, while CLSK shares have increased by 14.6% [12] - In terms of valuation, EXOD trades at a forward 12-month price-to-sales (P/S) multiple of 3.58X, compared to CLSK's 3.49X [13] Conclusion - EXOD is currently performing better in the crypto market, focusing on self-custodial wallets and stablecoin payments, while CLSK is pivoting towards AI and HPC infrastructure amidst competition and costs [15]

RT Yogita Khatri (@Yogita_Khatri5)Stablecoin payments are scaling fast.Unicorn @RedotPay has raised $107M in a Series B, saying it now processes over $10B in annualized volume and generates more than $150M in annualized revenue while already profitable, with backing from @PanteraCapital, @blockchaincap, @circle Ventures and others.CEO Michael Gao said RedotPay has “meaningful users” across the Middle East and North Africa and plans to use the fresh capital to expand into new markets and grow its regulatory ...

Core Insights - RedotPay, a Hong Kong-based payments fintech, has raised $107 million in a Series B funding round to expand its stablecoin-powered payment services across over 100 countries, aiming to compete with traditional cross-border finance [1] - The company has now raised a total of $194 million in 2025, with the latest round being oversubscribed and led by Goodwater Capital, alongside participation from Pantera Capital, Blockchain Capital, and Circle Ventures [1] Company Performance - RedotPay serves more than 6 million users globally and processes over $10 billion in annualized payment volume, generating more than $150 million in annualized revenue as stablecoin adoption increases in payments and remittances [2] - The company achieved unicorn status earlier in 2025 after closing a $47 million funding round with support from Coinbase Ventures, Galaxy, and Vertex [2] Product Offering - Founded in 2023, RedotPay provides stablecoin-based cards, wallets, and payout services designed to reduce costs and settlement times for cross-border payments, particularly in emerging markets [3] - Payment volume has nearly tripled year-on-year in 2025, with over 3 million new users joining the platform through November [3] Market Dynamics - The funding comes amid increasing competition among stablecoin issuers and payment firms targeting remittances and everyday spending [4] - RedotPay plans to use part of the funding to expand its geographical coverage and has recently enabled crypto-to-fiat transfers directly to users' bank accounts in Brazil, converting stablecoins into local currency and bypassing traditional banking systems [4]

Core Insights - Tempo, a payments-focused blockchain backed by Stripe and Paradigm, has launched its public testnet to facilitate stablecoin payments for mainstream use [1][2] - The network has added new partners including Klarna, Kalshi, Mastercard, and UBS, joining existing partners like Deutsche Bank, Visa, Shopify, OpenAI, and Nubank [1] - The initiative aligns with the growing trend of stablecoin adoption, which is currently a $300 billion asset class, expected to enhance cross-border payment systems [3] Company Developments - Tempo is designed for high-volume financial transactions with low fees, instant finality, and native stablecoin support [2] - The testnet allows developers and corporate partners to experiment with real-world on-chain payments [2] - The network charges approximately one-tenth of a cent per transaction, payable in U.S. dollar-denominated stablecoins, addressing issues like network congestion and volatile fees [4] Industry Trends - The rise of stablecoins is projected to significantly impact business-to-business (B2B), peer-to-peer (P2P), and card payments, driving growth in the sector [3] - The launch of Tempo's testnet comes alongside Stripe's Bridge initiative, which is assisting Klarna in issuing its own digital dollar next year [4]

Core Insights - Exodus Movement (EXOD) is experiencing rapid growth as a self-custodial wallet and Web3 financial services provider, with revenues increasing by 51% year-over-year due to rising digital asset prices in 2025 [1] - The company reported an 82% year-over-year growth in swap volume in Q3 2025, with 28% of this volume coming from B2B swaps [1] Revenue and Growth - The increase in trading activity, user engagement, and strong partner traction has significantly contributed to EXOD's growth [2] - EXOD's partner strategy, which provides access to multi-chain liquidity without the need for partners to build their own infrastructure, is expanding rapidly, adding 16 new partners in Q3 2025, with 10 already paying [2] Market Expansion - EXOD's acquisition of Grateful allows it to enter the high-growth Stablecoin payments market, enabling instant merchant settlements and lower transaction fees, while also planning to expand into the Argentinian and Uruguayan markets [3] - The company currently holds $315 million in digital and liquid assets, providing a robust balance sheet with no debt [3] Market Potential - With a cryptocurrency market cap exceeding $3 trillion and stablecoin transaction volumes at $26 trillion, EXOD is positioned to benefit from this substantial total addressable market [4] Competitive Landscape - EXOD faces competition from digital asset exchanges and FinTech companies like Coinbase, Robinhood, and PayPal, which offer self-custodial wallet solutions and crypto trading services [5][6] Financial Performance - EXOD shares have declined by 48.4% over the past year, underperforming the Zacks Internet – Software industry, which grew by 0.6% [7] - The company trades at a price-to-book ratio of 1.41X, which is lower than the industry average of 5.92X, indicating potential undervaluation [8][9] Earnings Estimates - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for EXOD's 2025 earnings suggests a year-over-year growth of 3.5%, with recent upward revisions in estimates over the past 30 days [10]