Author: Tristan Lodenberg

Activity on the XRP Ledger has surged significantly in recent months, even as the price of XRP continues to lag behind its previous highs. Network data shows daily successful payments exceeding 2.7 million, a sharp increase from roughly 1 million recorded in late 2025. The ledger now processes between 2 million and 2.8 million transactions per day, averaging about 20 to 26 transactions per second. Automated market maker pools on the network have also expanded rapidly, reaching nearly 27,000 active pools that support more than 16,000 unique tokens. At the same time, the value of tokenized real-world assets on the…

The Bitcoin Policy Institute is urging lawmakers to move quickly on a proposed de minimis tax exemption for small Bitcoin transactions, identifying a legislative window between March and August 2026 to pass the measure through Congress. The advocacy group said it has engaged with 19 congressional offices across both the House and Senate over the past three months to promote the proposal. The initiative aims to remove capital gains reporting requirements for small Bitcoin payments. Under current rules enforced by the Internal Revenue Service, using Bitcoin to purchase goods or services triggers a taxable event, which many supporters argue discourages…

A US federal appeals court has rejected the final attempt by Custodia Bank to challenge the authority of the Federal Reserve over granting master accounts, bringing a five-year legal dispute to a close. The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit declined to hear Custodia’s final appeal in a 7–3 vote, effectively ending the bank’s effort to obtain direct access to the central bank’s payment infrastructure. Custodia first applied for a master account in October 2020. Such accounts allow financial institutions to hold reserves directly with the Federal Reserve and access its payment systems, enabling transactions to be…

The Ethereum Foundation has released a formal mandate outlining its role in the long-term development of the Ethereum network, describing itself as “one of many stewards” rather than a central authority. The document functions as a hybrid of a constitution, manifesto, and internal guideline intended to clarify the organization’s responsibilities as the ecosystem continues to expand. According to the mandate, Ethereum’s long-term direction must remain anchored in four core principles summarized as “CROPS”: censorship resistance, open source development, privacy, and security. The foundation states that these characteristics are essential to preserving user self-sovereignty, allowing individuals to control their digital assets,…

Crypto exchange KuCoin has introduced equity-linked perpetual futures that track the price performance of major public companies, including Tesla and Strategy. The new contracts, listed as TSLAUSDT and MSTRUSDT, allow traders to speculate on stock price movements through USDt-settled derivatives without owning the underlying shares. These synthetic instruments have no expiration date and can be traded continuously, mirroring the round-the-clock nature of crypto markets. According to the exchange, traders can open positions with as little as 1 Tether, lowering the barrier for those seeking exposure to equity price movements via digital asset platforms. Tokenized Equity Market Continues Rapid Expansion The…

New research indicates that USD Coin has overtaken Tether in adjusted transaction volume so far in 2026, marking a notable shift in stablecoin usage trends. Data shows USDC accounting for roughly 64% of adjusted transfer volume compared with USDT, reversing a long-standing pattern in which USDT dominated activity between 2019 and 2025. Adjusted volume focuses on transfers likely linked to real economic activity rather than automated or high-frequency trading. Analysts measured transactions involving addresses associated with centralized exchanges, decentralized platforms, and other entities that do not exceed 1,000 transactions or $10 million in volume within a 30-day period. Stablecoin Market…

Hong Kong Prepares First Stablecoin Licenses HSBC Holdings and a joint venture led by Standard Chartered are reportedly among a very small group of institutions likely to receive the first stablecoin issuer licenses in Hong Kong. The move comes as part of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s (HKMA) broader plan to establish the city as a leading hub for regulated digital assets. The HKMA has emphasized that initial licenses will likely go to banks already authorized to issue banknotes in Hong Kong. HSBC, Standard Chartered, and the Bank of China hold such authorizations, positioning them as prime candidates for the…

A dormant crypto wallet reactivated after five months of inactivity to purchase more than $7 million worth of TRUMP tokens, triggering a sharp rally in the politically themed memecoin.Arkham Intelligence On chain tracking data indicates the wallet accumulated around 2.2 million tokens through several transactions, beginning with a small test purchase before executing larger buys totaling roughly $6.23 million and an additional 200,000-token order worth about $742,000. The purchases occurred shortly after an announcement that top holders of the token would be invited to an exclusive gala event at Mar-a-Lago, the Florida estate associated with Donald Trump. The event, scheduled…

Yield bearing stablecoins are expanding significantly faster than the broader stablecoin sector as demand rises for blockchain based dollar assets that generate returns. Research data shows this category has grown about 15 times faster than the overall stablecoin market over the past six months. Several major tokens drove the surge. The market capitalization of Circle USYC increased by 198%, while Paxos Global Dollar climbed 169%. Meanwhile, Decentralized USD linked to the Tron ecosystem rose 114%, and Ondo US Dollar Yield gained 91% in value. The total value of yield-bearing stablecoins has reached about $22.7 billion after an 11% increase over…

XRP climbed around 4% after breaking above a key resistance level near $1.43, marking the first clear move beyond a descending trendline that had defined the token’s price action since early 2026. During the 24-hour period, XRP rose from roughly $1.37 to about $1.43. Trading activity also accelerated significantly, with volume reaching approximately 205 million tokens, more than three times the recent average. XRP Ledger Activity and ETF Flows Provide Mixed Signals Despite the price breakout, U.S.-listed XRP exchange-traded funds recorded about $3.9 million in outflows during the same period. Meanwhile, activity on the XRP Ledger continued to increase, with…