Las Vegas Valley businesses, from restaurant chains to small juice bars, are embracing Bitcoin payments as mainstream adoption accelerates, with companies avoiding credit card processing fees averaging 2.5% to 3.5% while tapping into a growing customer base actively seeking crypto-friendly merchants. The shift follows Square’s November 2025 decision to enable roughly 4 million U.S. merchants to accept Bitcoin payments with zero processing fees through 2026. According to Fox5Vegas, at Cane Juice Bar and ...

cryptocurrency adoption argentina cover. Photo by BeInCrypto Coinbase is severing its direct fiat ties to Argentina. The move disrupts a key gateway for locals seeking refuge in dollar-pegged stablecoins amid persistent triple-digit inflation. The US exchange informed customers that, effective January 31, it will suspend all peso-to-stablecoin conversions and local bank transfers. The firm has given its users a 30-day window to withdraw funds. Coinbase Blocks Direct Access to USDC Stablecoin for Argenti ...

Group 1 - PNC Bank has become the first major bank to offer Bitcoin trading services to eligible high-net-worth clients through its platform [1][3] - The service is created in partnership with Coinbase, which will also provide banking services to the crypto exchange [3] - PNC Bank plans to expand its cryptocurrency services to more customers in the future, indicating a potential shift towards mainstream adoption of crypto [3][9] Group 2 - Bitcoin purchased through PNC Bank will not be covered by FDIC insurance, highlighting a lack of consumer protection compared to traditional banking [4][6] - The current market cap of Bitcoin is approximately $1.7 trillion, with a price of $68,567 and a day's trading range between $87,419 and $87,943 [5][6] - PNC Bank's Bitcoin purchases are part of Coinbase's crypto-as-a-service, which includes custody services, although custody fees may apply [7]

Group 1 - Geoffrey Kendrick at Standard Chartered Bank estimates XRP will reach $8 in 2026, implying a 315% upside from the current price of $1.90, driven by increased regulatory clarity and approval of spot XRP ETFs [2] - Despite the optimistic forecast, XRP has fallen 7% year to date, suggesting a more reasonable target might be $3 in 2026, which implies about 58% upside [3] - The SEC's decision to drop its appeal against Ripple may encourage XRP adoption among investors and financial institutions, as a legal headwind has been eliminated [7] Group 2 - In 2020, the SEC filed a lawsuit against Ripple for allegedly selling XRP as an unregistered security, with a split ruling in 2023 determining that direct sales to institutional investors were illegal, but programmatic sales to retail investors were not [5] - The Trump administration's support for the cryptocurrency industry, including the signing of an executive order to create a national digital asset stockpile, may further bolster XRP's adoption [6] - XRP is designed to support fast and cheap cross-border transactions, serving as a bridge currency that addresses the inefficiencies of the SWIFT system [8]

Core Insights - Cryptocurrency adoption in Brazil is primarily driven by younger, cautious investors rather than speculative traders, with a significant focus on stablecoins and tokenized bonds for wealth protection [1][2] Group 1: Investor Demographics and Trends - The fastest-growing investor cohort in Brazil this year is individuals under 24, with participation in this age group increasing by 56% from the previous year [2] - Middle-income users are allocating up to 12% of their portfolios to stablecoins while maintaining 86% in less volatile assets, indicating a preference for lower-risk investments [5] - Lower-income investors are placing over 90% of their funds in traditional cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, likely in pursuit of higher returns despite the associated risks [6] Group 2: Product Offerings and Performance - Mercado Bitcoin's Renda Fixa Digital (RFD) products, which are tokenized slices of real-world income-generating assets, saw their volume more than double in 2025, distributing 1.8 billion reals (approximately $325 million) to users [3] - On average, RFD products delivered 132% of Brazil's "risk-free" benchmark rate, the Certificado de Depósito Interbancário (CDI) [3] Group 3: Market Activity and Regulation - Overall crypto transaction volume on Mercado Bitcoin increased by 43% year-over-year, with Mondays becoming the busiest day for new investors and trading activity, indicating a shift towards integrating cryptocurrency into regular financial routines [4] - Recent cryptocurrency regulations introduced by Brazil's central bank require crypto service providers to obtain licenses and establish specific capital requirements, which may further influence market dynamics [6]

Core Viewpoint - Nexo has agreed to acquire Buenbit, a crypto investment platform based in Argentina, to enhance its presence in Latin America and operate under local regulatory frameworks [1][2]. Group 1: Acquisition Details - The acquisition amount remains undisclosed, but it allows Nexo to leverage Buenbit's user base in Argentina and Peru [1]. - Buenbit is registered with Argentina's Comisión Nacional de Valores (CNV) and has become a significant player in the region's crypto adoption [2]. Group 2: Services and Growth Strategy - The acquisition will provide Buenbit customers with access to a wider range of services, including crypto-backed loans, high-yield savings accounts, and trading tools [3]. - Buenos Aires will become Nexo's Latin American headquarters, supporting its growth plans into Mexico and Peru as part of a multiyear strategy for long-term investments and partnerships in the region [3]. Group 3: Regulatory Context - The move coincides with Argentina's central bank drafting new rules to permit banks to offer cryptocurrency-related services, with regulatory approval expected in the first half of next year [4].

Blockstream boss and early cypherpunk Adam Back has said that we are still in the “very early stages” of adoption of the leading cryptocurrency and that all companies will become Bitcoin treasuries. Speaking to Yahoo Finance on Wednesday, the computer scientist said that Bitcoin is in the early stages of a bull run and that the cryptocurrency would continue to surge as bigger players become involved in the space. Bitcoin and digital asset treasuries are companies that buy and hold virtual coins and toke ...

For the past few years, stablecoins have been defined by a narrow reality: essentially a two-horse race between Tether's USDT and Circle's (CRCL) USDC, with most activity concentrated on crypto-native exchanges. What comes next looks materially different, Alchemy co-founder and President Joe Lau told CoinDesk in an interview. The near-term trajectory for stablecoins has lots of directions, Lau said, but one theme dominates: stablecoin adoption is “exploding.” The reason, he argued, is that stablecoins de ...

Bitcoin's (BTC-USD) biggest problem isn't regulation or even volatility — it's that most investors aren't ready to embrace the roller coaster. "What we're seeing in crypto is that it's revealing itself to still be just a primarily speculative asset," Tom Essaye, founder of Sevens Report Research, told Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid. "I think a lot of investors thought that it's maturing beyond just a speculative asset, but it's not there yet." Positive policy signals, including a pro-crypto stance from the ...

Core Insights - XRP's adoption appears strong with Ripple collaborating with over 300 banks and expanding its payment network, while regulatory conditions have improved significantly [1][2][5] - Despite the growth of RippleNet, XRP's transaction volume is declining, raising questions about the token's usage in the expanding network [2][3][6] Group 1: XRP Adoption and Market Activity - XRP's transaction volume has been decreasing even as RippleNet expands to over 300 banking partners, indicating a disconnect between network growth and token usage [3][7] - Banks utilizing RippleNet's infrastructure do not necessarily require XRP for settlement, as the token remains optional, leading to reduced on-chain activity [7][8] - The launch of three XRP ETFs in November, including those from Canary Capital, Franklin Templeton, and Grayscale, did not result in an increase in on-chain activity despite strong initial inflows [2][5] Group 2: Market Trends and Price Movements - XRP experienced a significant price surge in July, reaching $3.57, driven by trader optimism ahead of ETF launches, but subsequently fell to the mid-$2 range due to whale selling [4][5] - The three major XRP ETF launches in November saw record first-day volumes, yet XRP's price remained stable between $2.00 and $2.40, indicating a lack of immediate demand despite positive headlines [5][6]