Core Viewpoint - Western Union is exploring the launch of its own dollar-backed stablecoin to remain competitive in the remittance market, particularly in non-U.S. markets [2][4]. Group 1: Market Context - The remittance company is facing increasing competition from cryptocurrency-centered money movement operations [2]. - The passage of the GENIUS Act has encouraged several companies to capitalize on digital assets, aiming to provide a more cost-effective way to send money globally [3]. - Western Union's core business involves overseas money transfers that can take days, highlighting the need for innovation in this area [3]. Group 2: Strategic Initiatives - The potential stablecoin could serve as a savings account in U.S. dollars for customers in countries where regulators allow such activities [2]. - The company aims to leverage stablecoin technology to reduce friction in cross-border transfers, facilitate crypto-fiat conversions, and decrease reliance on intermediaries [6]. - The introduction of stablecoins could help Western Union adapt to the evolving financial landscape and compete with companies like PayPal in the cross-border transfer market [4][6]. Group 3: Financial Implications - Western Union's stock has declined due to heightened competition, prompting analysts to suggest that the company could become a target for acquisition by a cryptocurrency firm [4]. - The CEO indicated that the company would consider acquisition offers that reflect its perceived value [5]. - The ability to convert stablecoins into fiat currencies presents a significant opportunity for the company, especially in markets with harder-to-convert currencies [7].

COINBASE LAUNCHES NEW STABLECOIN BOOTSTRAP FUND TO BOOST STABLECOIN LIQUIDITY IN DEFI- @Coinbase has announced the launch of its second Stablecoin Bootstrap Fund, aimed at deepening stablecoin liquidity in decentralized finance (DeFi) capital markets.- Managed by Coinbase Asset Management (CBAM), the fund is set to provide reliable rates and stronger liquidity across a wide range of onchain protocols.Key Details:- The initiative kicks off with strategic placements on Aave, Morpho, Kamino, and Jupiter, with ...

circle has abandoned multichain for arc l1 with usdc gas for the first time since defi summer and in direct competition with stripe's tempo. every major stablecoin issuer is bound by payment monopoly logic to fragment infrastructure and must destroy composability. ...

Circle’s Arc now challenges Coinbase’s Base.Circle and Coinbase were a perfect match:Circle ran the stablecoin. Coinbase handled distribution.Now Arc steps into Base’s lane: payments, remittances, even FX trading.Remember that Base just rebranded its app with clear priorities:- Social + content tokenization- Payments via Base PayArc does confidential transfers (hidden amounts) and compliance better. Base can still update its payment stack or L2.Maybe Base stays retail, Arc goes institutional?In any case wat ...

CIRCLE MAKES PUBLIC ITS PLAN TO LAUNCH "ARC," A LAYER-1 PAYMENTS BLOCKCHAIN- USDC issuer @Circle has announced plans to launch its own Layer-1 (L1) blockchain, Arc, later this year, marking a significant expansion in the company’s role within the stablecoin ecosystem.- The announcement comes alongside Circle’s Q2 2025 financial results, which showed strong year-over-year growth.Key Details:- The new blockchain is designed to be compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) and will serve as an enterpri ...

AVNU for spot trading aggregationExtended for Perp tradingEkubo for liquidity providingVesu for lending/borrowingEndur for liquid stakingOpus for minting Starknet’s native stablecoinUnrug for shitcoin launchpadDeFi foundations on Starknet are looking gud fr now ...

RT BlockJain (@Sanket_Jain_)Today we are proud to introduce @Arc, a new blockchain network purpose-built for stablecoin finance.Arc is a step toward something I’ve been working on for years: building a real-world financial system that’s programmable, transparent, and global. One where the benefits of blockchains—openness, speed, and accessibility—can finally show up in everyday financial life.But to understand why Arc feels so important to me, I want to share a bit of how I got here.I studied finance at Cor ...

TL;DR - Circle's Arc"Arc aims to be a top platform for tokenized, yield-bearing assets."Centralization & TPS:- Permissioned Validators: Regulated institutions (sic!) running a Tendermint-based PoA consensus (Malachite).- ~ 3,000 TPS with a finality under 350 ms using 20 validators- With four validators: 10,000 TPS, and finality is under 100 msIn comparison, Solana pushes 4k-5k tps with 400-500 ms finality but SOL is more decentralized.Privacy:- Opt in Privacy: Confidential transfers (hidden amounts, visible ...

Spark is betting that Bitcoin can be fast, cheap, and stablecoin-friendly—without bridging, wrapping, or smart contracts.Using Statechains, it moves BTC-native assets offchain fast and cheap, bypassing bridges and complex contracts.Here’s how the project's design could change Bitcoin’s L2 landscape.👇~~ Analysis by @wmpeaster ~~@spark isn’t a typical L2. It’s a distributed ledger built as a shared signing protocol. Moving funds means temporarily delegating signing rights, while assets remain as Bitcoin UTXOs ...

Circle Internet Group (CRCL) Q2 2025 Earnings Call August 12, 2025 08:00 AM ET Company ParticipantsJohn Andrews - Head - Capital Markets & IRJeremy Allaire - Chairman, CEO & Co-FounderJeremy Fox-Geen - CFOJoseph Vafi - MD - Equity ResearchPeter Christiansen - DirectorOwen Lau - Executive DirectorJames Yaro - VP - Equity ResearchBrian Bedell - DirectorConference Call ParticipantsKen Worthington - Financial AnalystJohn Todaro - Senior AnalystJeff Cantwell - Senior Equity Analyst - FintechOperatorHello, and th ...