Circle Internet Group, Inc.CRCL
▲ PositiveDemandrelevance
USDC transactions up 209% YoY and volume up 101% in H1, showing strong adoption.
Impact on assets 3
Digital Finance & Tokenization
Circle Internet Group, Inc.Others
USD CoinUSDC-USD
▲ PositiveDemandrelevance
USDC transaction activity and volume surged, indicating increased usage.
TetherUSDT-USD
▼ NegativeCompetitionrelevance
USDT transaction activity declined as USDC gains momentum, though still market leader.
Theme Impact 2
Off-coverage companies 1
TetherPrivate▼ Negative
Competitionrelevance
USDT transaction activity declined as USDC gains momentum, though still market leader.
Related news
United States
Iran
Israel
Lebanon▼4
US Senate Report: Over $34.6 Million in USDT Flowed Out of Iran-Linked Wallets
Democratic staff of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) of the US Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee published a report on September 28 examining Iran-linked funding networks. According to the report, of 39 wallets that Israel's National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing (NBCTF) designated for seizure in June 2023 as being tied to a figure involved in Hezbollah money laundering, Tether, the issuer of USDT, failed to freeze 34 of them until March 2024, and more than $34.6 million in crypto assets flowed out during that period. The investigation analyzed 846 wallets that US and Israeli authorities had identified as linked to the Iranian government or its proxy forces, and found that 84 percent of them transacted solely or almost solely in USDT. The report noted that relying only on freezes after designation cannot adequately prevent the outflow of funds, and called on stablecoin issuers to continuously monitor high-risk transactions by counterparties and their customers.
About megatrends
Digital Finance & Tokenization › Stablecoin Issuers & Distribution ▼Regulation
Digital Finance & Tokenization › Stablecoin Issuers ▼Regulation
Digital Finance & Tokenization › Crypto Exchanges, Custody & Digital-Asset Infrastructure ▼Regulation
USDT · Regulation · Negative US Senate PSI report says Tether failed to freeze 34 of 39 Israel-designated Iran/Hezbollah-linked wallets, letting over $34.6M in USDT flow out, and calls for stricter stablecoin monitoring.
Tether · Regulation · Negative US Senate PSI report says Tether failed to freeze 34 of 39 Israel-designated Iran/Hezbollah-linked wallets, letting over $34.6M in USDT flow out, and calls for stricter stablecoin monitoring.
United Statesimpact 4
SoFi Migrates US$25 Billion Card Portfolio to Bank-Issued Stablecoin SoFiUSD
SoFi Technologies and Mastercard announced that stablecoin settlement went live across SoFi Bank, N.A.'s debit and credit card program, migrating its entire US$25.00 billion card portfolio to SoFiUSD. SoFiUSD is the first stablecoin issued by a nationally chartered bank on Mastercard's global network, positioning bank-issued stablecoins as an operational bridge between traditional payment rails and blockchain infrastructure. The move connects to SoFi's April 2026 launch of Big Business Banking, which lets enterprises manage fiat and crypto, mint and burn SoFiUSD, and access real time payments in a single bank interface. SoFi's narrative projects $7.7 billion revenue and $1.6 billion earnings by 2029, requiring 21.6% yearly revenue growth and an earnings increase of about $1.0 billion from $636.3 million today, while the most pessimistic analysts saw SoFi reaching only about US$6.0 billion revenue and US$1.0 billion earnings by 2029.
About megatrends
Digital Finance & Tokenization › Digital Banking & Neobanks Technology
Digital Finance & Tokenization › Payments Modernization & Rails ▲Technology
Digital Finance & Tokenization › Stablecoin Issuers & Distribution ▲Technology
Digital Finance & Tokenization › Stablecoin Issuers Technology
Digital Finance & Tokenization › Digital Lending & Alt-Credit Platforms Technology
SOFI · Technology · Positive SoFi migrated its entire $25B card portfolio to its own bank-issued stablecoin SoFiUSD, an operational blockchain-payments development tied to its Big Business Banking platform.
MA · Demand · Positive Mastercard's global network now carries the first bank-issued stablecoin, with SoFi's entire $25B card portfolio settling on it, expanding Mastercard's payment volume.
GlobalUnited States▲2
Tether-backed Utexo to issue USDT on Bitcoin in October
CoinDesk reported on October 2 that Tether-backed Utexo plans to issue the US dollar-pegged stablecoin USDT on the Bitcoin network within October. The company's co-founder told CoinDesk that it has obtained a commercial license covering the issuance of USDT and the use of Tether's trademark. USDT was born on Bitcoin in 2014, but its main circulation base has since shifted to Ethereum and Tron, and this plan marks an effort to expand its use on Bitcoin again after more than a decade. Utexo is building a mechanism that allows USDT to be sent without disclosing transaction details, and plans to support direct exchange between Bitcoin and USDT as well as loans collateralized by Bitcoin, enabling exchanges, wallets, and payment providers to handle USDT on Bitcoin. The technology underpinning this mechanism is RGB, which handles assets on Bitcoin; it transmits and receives without placing transaction details on a public ledger, with the parties involved verifying them, which differs from Ethereum and Tron, where balance changes and transaction contents are recorded on a public ledger. Its approach to illicit use also differs from USDT on Ethereum: the co-founder explained that freezing assets in the same way is technically impossible, so the company will blacklist assets linked to sanctioned entities or illegal activity and share that information with exchanges and others, and blacklisted assets cannot be withdrawn as USDT to Ethereum or Tron. After issuance, the company plans to move forward with support for the Lightning Network.
About megatrends
Digital Finance & Tokenization › Stablecoin Issuers & Distribution ▲Technology
Digital Finance & Tokenization › Stablecoin Issuers ▲Technology
Utexo · Regulation · Positive Utexo obtained a commercial license covering USDT issuance and Tether trademark use, enabling its planned October launch.
USDT · Demand · Positive Tether-backed Utexo will issue USDT on Bitcoin, expanding USDT's circulation and adoption to a new network.
Tether · Technology · Positive Utexo is building RGB-based private USDT transactions on Bitcoin with blacklisting for illicit assets, advancing Tether's USDT technology footprint.
BTC · Technology · Positive Utexo plans to issue USDT on Bitcoin and support BTC-USDT exchange, loans collateralized by Bitcoin, and Lightning Network support, expanding Bitcoin's utility.
United States2
Fiserv Launches Roughrider Stablecoin on Solana for North Dakota Bank Settlement
Fiserv has launched the Roughrider stablecoin, a bank-to-bank settlement token built on Solana. Versa Bank issues the bank-only token, which serves a North Dakota network of more than 90 banks and credit unions. The coin is designed for interbank settlement among those institutions rather than for consumer retail use, replacing legacy systems such as Swift and ACH with near-instant, near-zero-fee transfers. The North Dakota effort is separate from a national network of regional and community banks that is launching its own bank stablecoin network. Because the token runs on Solana, its growth could drive demand for the network's gas fees.
About megatrends
Digital Finance & Tokenization › Payments Modernization & Rails ▲Technology
Digital Finance & Tokenization › Stablecoin Issuers & Distribution ▲Technology
Digital Finance & Tokenization › Stablecoin Issuers Technology
FISV · Technology · Positive Fiserv launched the Roughrider stablecoin for bank-to-bank settlement, a new product development.
VBNK · Technology · Positive VersaBank issues the bank-only Roughrider stablecoin, giving it a role in the new settlement token.
SOL · Demand · Positive The token runs on Solana, so its growth could drive demand for the network's gas fees.
GlobalUnited States▲2
Ripple Adds $765 Million to Stablecoin Market Cap in Q3, Trailing Only Circle
Ripple added $765 million to the stablecoin market cap in the recently concluded Q3 2026, trailing only Circle among issuers. The RWA Foundation X account shared information on the growth of the stablecoin market cap in the recently concluded Q3 2026. Ripple's gain placed it second, behind Circle, in the quarter's stablecoin market cap expansion.
About megatrends
Digital Finance & Tokenization › Stablecoin Issuers & Distribution ▲Capital
Digital Finance & Tokenization › Stablecoin Issuers ▲Capital
Digital Finance & Tokenization › Payments Modernization & Rails ▲Capital
RLUSD · Demand · Positive Ripple USD added $765 million to stablecoin market cap in Q3, second only to Circle.
Ripple Labs Inc. · Demand · Positive Ripple Labs' stablecoin added $765 million in market cap in Q3, trailing only Circle.
CRCL · Competition · Positive Circle led all stablecoin issuers in Q3 market-cap expansion, ahead of Ripple's $765M gain.
GlobalUnited StatesWeak US Jobs Data and Stablecoin Shift Shape Crypto Market
The crypto market entered Friday evening, October 2, 2026, in a phase of powerful strategic accumulation, with the industry's total market capitalization standing in the $2.94–$3.03 trillion range. U.S. labor market data came in weak, as Non-Farm Payrolls rose by just 29,000 against expectations of $84,000–$90,000, while the unemployment rate climbed to 4.2%. The headline also points to the biggest USD stablecoin returning to Bitcoin after 12 years.
About megatrends
Digital Finance & Tokenization › Stablecoin Issuers & Distribution Capital
Digital Finance & Tokenization › Stablecoin Issuers Capital
BTC · Monetary · Positive Weak US Non-Farm Payrolls (29k vs 84k-90k expected) and rising unemployment raise expectations of Fed easing, a macro-money tailwind for Bitcoin.