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Visa Launches USDC Stablecoin Settlement for U.S. Banks Using Solana

By
Paul Ugbede Godwin
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0

Visa announced the launch of stablecoin settlement capabilities in the United States, allowing U.S. issuers, acquirers, banks, and fintechs to settle obligations on the Visa network using Circle’s USDC stablecoin.

This marks the domestic expansion of a program that has already processed a $3.5 billion annualized run rate in stablecoin settlements as of November 2025.

The initial rollout leverages the Solana blockchain for its high speed, low costs, and scalability, enabling near-instant, 24/7 settlements. Cross River Bank and Lead Bank backed by a16z are the first to go live, already settling transactions with Visa in USDC over Solana.

Provides seven-day settlement windows including weekends, improved liquidity management, faster treasury operations, and greater automation—without impacting the end-consumer card experience. Broader U.S. availability throughout 2026.

Visa is also a design partner for Circle’s upcoming Arc Layer 1 blockchain and plans to use it for USDC settlements while running a validator node. This builds on Visa’s earlier experiments and international pilots, where it first integrated Solana for USDC in 2023.

The move reflects growing institutional demand for programmable, blockchain-based settlement tools that integrate with traditional finance. Visa’s Rubail Birwadker: “Financial institutions are looking for faster, programmable settlement options… This improves treasury efficiency while maintaining security and compliance.”

Circle’s Nikhil Chandhok: “A milestone for internet-native money moving at the speed of software.” This development bridges traditional payments with blockchain rails, highlighting Solana’s role in institutional finance alongside networks like Ethereum.

This move expands Visa’s stablecoin pilots—already processing a $3.5B annualized run rate globally—into the U.S. market, starting with banks like Cross River and Lead Bank settling in USDC over Solana.

Visa, a cornerstone of global payments, is integrating public blockchain rails directly into its settlement infrastructure. Enables 24/7, near-instant settlements vs. traditional banking hours, improved liquidity management, automated treasury operations, and weekend/holiday resilience—without changing the consumer card experience.

Signals institutional confidence in blockchain for production-scale finance, accelerating the convergence of TradFi and DeFi. Visa explicitly chose Solana for the initial U.S. rollout due to its high throughput, low costs, and scalability—outperforming alternatives like Ethereum in this use case.

Reinforces Solana’s position as a preferred chain for institutional payments building on prior pilots since 2023. Highlights Solana’s growing role in real-world finance alongside tokenized assets like JPMorgan, BlackRock experiments on Solana.

Community reaction on X is overwhelmingly bullish, with posts calling it a “game-changer” and proof Solana is becoming a global settlement layer. Validates USDC as the go-to compliant stablecoin for regulated institutions fully reserved, dollar-backed.

Positions Circle as a key bridge between crypto and TradFi; Visa is also a design partner for Circle’s upcoming Arc L1 blockchain with plans to run a validator node. Likely increases USDC demand and circulation as more banks/fintechs adopt it for settlements.

Could reduce cross-border payment costs/friction, enable new use cases like real-time payroll, micro-payments. Encourages competitors and other networks to accelerate blockchain integrations. Demonstrates stablecoins’ maturity: From experimental to bank-ready tools modernizing trillion-dollar payment flows.

SOL price: ~$127–$128 USD, down ~2–4% in the last 24 hours—likely influenced by overall market conditions rather than an immediate pump. Similar 2023 Visa-Solana news caused short-term SOL spikes but long-term impact was more sustained adoption.

Overall, this is a milestone for mainstream blockchain adoption. It substantiates programmable, high-speed rails like Solana in core financial systems, potentially unlocking trillions in efficiency gains while maintaining compliance. Long-term bullish for Solana ecosystem growth and stablecoin utility.

Bitcoin Slips Below $88,000 as Macro Jitters And Year-End Liquidity Weigh on Markets

By
Ojukwu Emmanuel
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0

Bitcoin failed to build enough momentum to break above the $90,000 and $90,500 resistance levels, triggering a fresh decline that pushed the price below the $88,500 support zone.

Selling pressure intensified briefly, with BTC dipping under $87,000. The crypto asset has recorded a slight retracement, as it trades at $87,091, at the time of this report. The price is currently holding below the 23.6% Fibonacci retracement level of the downward move from the $93,560 swing high to the $85,151 low.

At the time of observation, Bitcoin remains below $88,000 and under the 100-hourly simple moving average, signaling continued near-term weakness.

Rick Maeda, research associate at Presto Research, explained that there was no clear crypto-specific catalyst behind the sell-off. Instead, the move largely coincided with the opening of U.S. equity markets, where stocks opened lower and dragged risk assets down with them. Maeda added that thinning liquidity toward year-end tends to exaggerate price movements, particularly during U.S. trading hours.

Despite the slight pullback, bullish participants remain active. If buyers regain control, Bitcoin could attempt another upward move. Immediate resistance is seen near $87,150, with the first key resistance level around $87,500.

Vincent Liu, Chief Investment Officer at Kronos Research, noted that a rapid return of “risk-off” sentiment, combined with thin liquidity, turned modest dips into a broader decline. According to Liu, traders rotated into safer assets as macroeconomic concerns resurfaced. He added that the Federal Reserve’s recent rate cut had limited impact, as leverage unwound and year-end liquidity constraints amplified selling pressure.

Last week, the U.S. Federal Reserve announced a 25 basis point interest rate cut, marking its third reduction this year. The decision prompted analysts to reassess its broader implications for risk assets, including cryptocurrencies.

On-chain dynamics also point to distribution pressure. Whales holding more than 10,000 BTC have emerged as major drivers of selling over the past two months, with buying activity from smaller large holders proving insufficient to offset the supply.

Charles Edwards, founder of Capriole Investments, noted that while institutional buying on Coinbase has reached historically high levels, it is being absorbed by long-term holders and early investors selling at rates not seen in years. He suggested that Bitcoin’s price appreciation could remain capped until this heavy distribution eases.

Meanwhile, longtime Bitcoin critic and gold advocate Peter Schiff criticized financial media coverage, arguing that outlets have focused heavily on Bitcoin despite its decline to around $86,000, while overlooking strong gains in precious metals.

Schiff pointed out that gold rose more than $40 to over $4,300 per ounce, while silver climbed nearly $2 to around $63.90 per ounce, yet received little attention. He attributed this imbalance to limited understanding of precious metals and the influence of cryptocurrency advertisers.

In a follow-up comment, Schiff reiterated his bullish stance on gold and silver, citing continued after-hours gains, while urging investors to sell Bitcoin in favor of precious metals.

From a technical perspective, with BTC currently trading above the $87,000 zone, immediate support lies near $85,500, with a key support level at $85,000. A break below this area could open the door to $83,500 and potentially $82,500. The major support level remains at $80,000, and a decisive move below it could accelerate losses in the near term.

Stripe Launches Agentic Commerce Suite to Power AI-Driven Buying

By
Ojukwu Emmanuel
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0
Beautiful young asian woman holding a credit card and shopping online with using laptop computer at cafe on blue tone, girl payment on internet, business ecommerce icon concept.

Stripe, a financial infrastructure platform for businesses, has announced the launch of its Agentic Commerce Suite, a new solution designed to help businesses become “agent-ready” as AI agents increasingly mediate online purchasing.

The suite enables companies to sell through AI agents more easily by improving product discoverability, simplifying checkout, and supporting agentic payments through a single integration.

To get started, businesses connect their product catalog to Stripe and select, via the Stripe Dashboard, which AI agents they want to sell through. Stripe then manages discovery, checkout, payments, and fraud detection, while sending order events back to merchants so they can continue using their existing commerce and fulfillment systems. Each component of the Agentic Commerce Suite is modular, allowing businesses to adopt only the features that best fit their needs.

Several leading brands have already begun onboarding to the suite, including URBN (Anthropologie, Free People, and Urban Outfitters), Etsy, Ashley Furniture, Coach, Kate Spade, Nectar, Revolve, Halara, and Abt Electronics.

As agentic channels emerge, businesses are seeking new ways to be discovered without having to build and maintain custom integrations for every AI agent, manage multiple catalogs and APIs, or constantly adapt to evolving standards. Stripe addresses this challenge by providing a dedicated hosted ACP endpoint that shares near real-time product, pricing, and availability data with AI agents, requiring minimal changes to existing systems.

Merchants can upload their product catalogs directly to Stripe or connect existing catalogs from leading product syndicators. Stripe then syndicates this information to supported AI agents, enabling businesses to start accepting payments across agentic platforms with a single click.

Beyond discovery, the suite helps ensure that existing commerce stacks can support taxes, shipping calculations, order management, and fulfillment for agent-driven transactions. Powered by Stripe’s Checkout Sessions API, the Agentic Commerce Suite handles key checkout elements such as shipping and taxes. Businesses can choose to rely on Stripe’s built-in products, including Stripe Tax, or integrate their own systems to manage tax codes, inventory checks, and dynamic shipping rates.

Post-purchase, merchants continue to use their existing order and fulfillment workflows. As the merchant of record, they retain full control over customer relationships, including refunds and dispute management.

Notably, the rise of agentic commerce also introduces new fraud challenges. Traditional fraud detection systems, optimized for human behavior, may misclassify AI agent activity as fraudulent, while new attack vectors may emerge as bad actors attempt to manipulate agents. To address this, the Agentic Commerce Suite introduces Shared Payment Tokens (SPTs), a new payment primitive built for agentic commerce.

SPTs allow AI agents to initiate payments using a buyer’s saved payment method without exposing sensitive payment credentials. Each token is scoped to a specific seller, limited by time and amount, and observable throughout its lifecycle to reduce unauthorized activity and disputes.

When used with Stripe, SPTs can also leverage Stripe Radar, which provides advanced risk signals such as the likelihood of fraudulent disputes, card testing, or issuer declines to distinguish trusted AI agents from low-trust automated bots.

With the Agentic Commerce Suite, Stripe aims to help businesses safely and efficiently participate in the next evolution of digital commerce, where AI agents play an increasingly central role in how customers discover and purchase products.

Analyzing Crypto Tepid Response to Fed Rate Changes

By
TI Partners
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0

The Federal Reserve of the United States reduced its primary interest rate by 25 basis points on October 29, 2025, lowering the target range to 3.75%-4.00%. It also announced that quantitative tightening (QT) will be terminated on December 1.

The majority of market observers expected it to mark the end of the downturn and the beginning of a new bullish phase for risk assets, including cryptocurrencies.

However, instead of a sharp rally or a total collapse, the cryptocurrency markets only moved slightly, as reflected in the crypto heatmap. What made Bitcoin and Ethereum so comparatively restrained?

The market’s advanced pricing: the “no surprise” effect

One of the main reasons is that the Federal Reserve’s cut was anticipated by market participants. Analysts, traders, and automated trading systems had already factored the 25-basis-point rate cut into their calculations through futures curves, forward rates, and risk asset valuations.

In fact, Bitcoin price fell by about 2.5% after the announcement, which was a cautious reaction rather than a wave of liquidations. The mild decline suggests that most of the policy shift had already been priced into investors’ sentiment.

Rate cuts and the end of quantitative tightening (QT) typically result in increased liquidity in the financial market, which reduces returns on safe assets and diverts capital towards high-risk areas.

By that logic, crypto should benefit the most, as it is often viewed as an “on-risk” asset class. In fact, some analysts argue that by quitting QT, the Fed is releasing liquidity that would otherwise be locked in the banking system, potentially directing the flows towards crypto, DeFi, or even tech start-ups.

Yet this liquidity boost unfolds gradually and does not directly convert into aggressive short-term bids. Often, market participants wait for confirmation before allocating capital.

The Constraint of Speech — The Tone of Powell is Important

The Fed’s verbal signals are as important as the figures. Chairman Jerome Powell’s remarks revealed disagreements within the committee concerning the future interest rate cuts and signaled caution about inflation risks.

That uncertainty lessened the enthusiasm: the cut happened, however the route remained unclear. In crypto trading, where sentiment and forward guidance are predominant factors, such a stance can even suppress the potential upside.

Crypto traders were cautious with their interpretation of Powell’s words. If investors thought that further cuts were not guaranteed, they would refrain from making bullish bets.

Crypto markets are increasingly relying on their own fundamentals — such as on-chain metrics, adoption, and network usage — rather than relying solely on pure macroeconomic factors. This allows crypto markets to behave somewhat independently of traditional macroeconomic shocks, especially when these shocks are anticipated.

Several studies of past interest rate cuts suggest that the relationship between rates and crypto returns, although historically negative, is not far from perfect. During this cycle, the response has been muted in more mature markets, with prices changing substantially only when regulatory, technological, or institutional catalysts prevail over resistance.

Even in favorable macroeconomic environments, traders may prefer to take profits rather than open new positions until the announcements are made. This type of profit-taking could slow the pace of rapid price movements.

Moreover, capital-flow restraints in the crypto market — including exchange liquidity, stablecoin supply, and capital controls — slow reactions in both speed and magnitude.

In short, limited price movement is a result of several overlapping forces: the announcement was anticipated, liquidity effects are slow, the Fed’s communication was cautious, crypto now reacts less to macroeconomic factors alone, and traders remained circumspect.

Top 9 Best Apps for Staking Crypto in 2026

By
TI Partners
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0

Crypto staking is entering one of its strongest phases ever. As the crypto market matures and proof-of-stake (PoS) networks continue scaling, staking has become a mainstream way for investors to earn predictable, low-effort passive income. In 2026, the competition among the best crypto staking platforms will be fierce but will also create excellent opportunities for anyone looking to earn stable, daily staking rewards.

Whether your goal is Ethereum staking, diversified PoS staking, or high-yield structured plans, this guide breaks down the Top 9 Best Apps for Staking Crypto in 2026, starting with the platform that has been sending shockwaves for the better part of 2025.

  1. GeekStake — Best Overall App for Staking Crypto in 2026

GeekStake continues to dominate the staking ecosystem with a user-first approach, instant rewards, advanced automation, and transparent returns. It offers a rare combination of high APY staking, institutional-grade security, customized plans, and one of the smoothest investor experiences in the market.

Why GeekStake Leads the Market in 2026

  • $100 free trial stake for new users
  • Daily crypto staking rewards are paid every 24 hours
  • Zero smart-contract risk. Rewards come directly from blockchain validators
  • Beginner-friendly mobile app for iOS and Android
  • AI-enhanced automated liquidity staking
  • Over $130 million in assets staked globally
  • Lifetime 5% referral rewards
  • Instant withdrawal of rewards anytime
  • Wide range of staking plans with predictable outcomes

These features make GeekStake one of the best crypto staking platforms for 2026, especially for users who want stable returns without the complexity of validator nodes or the technical risk of smart-contract staking.

GeekStake Recommended Staking Plans for 2026

Geek Growth SOL Stake

  • Price: $1,600
  • Daily Rewards: $20.32
  • Total Rewards: $60.96
  • Duration: 3 Days
  • Referral Bonus: $16.00

Geek Premium STX Stake

  • Price: $10,000
  • Daily Rewards: $187.00
  • Total Rewards: $1,870.00
  • Duration: 10 Days
  • Referral Bonus: $180.00

These plans offer predictable, fast-cycle earnings ideal for both beginners and seasoned stakers.

How to Get Started on GeekStake

  1. Download the GeekStake App for iOS or Android available on the website by scanning the QR code.
  2. Create your account with your email, username, password, and an optional referral code.
  3. Deposit your preferred asset like ETH, SOL, TRX, AVAX, and more
  4. Choose a staking plan based on your budget and reward goals
  5. Start earning daily staking rewards instantly.

Within minutes, new users can start earning passive income from staking crypto. With the GeekStake app, you can easily track your earnings on the go

  1. Binance Earn

Binance is one of the best global exchanges, offering a wide range of staking products, from locked staking and ETH staking to DeFi staking pools. While returns vary with market conditions, Binance offers competitive yields on major assets.

Best for: Multi-asset staking, flexible products, easy onboarding
Top Feature: One of the safest large-scale ecosystems for PoS rewards

  1. Coinbase Staking

Coinbase is the most beginner-friendly staking platform for US and global users who want simple, regulated access to major PoS networks.

Key features of Coinbase include:

  • High global trust and security
  • Very easy to use dashboard
  • Staking options for ETH, ADA, ATOM, and more.

Best for: New stakers and conservative investors

  1. Kraken Staking

Kraken is known for reliable yields, fast reward cycles, and transparent performance. It offers both on-chain staking and off-chain staking, depending on user needs.

Key features of Kraken include:

  • Excellent customer service
  • Wide variety of PoS assets
  • Competitive APYs

Best for: Users who value stability and institutional-level security

  1. OKX Earn

OKX has rapidly expanded its staking products, supporting flexible and fixed staking across various networks.

Key advantages of OKX include:

  • Good staking yields
  • Supports multiple PoS assets
  • In-app yield calculator

Best for: Global users seeking diversified staking options

  1. Bybit Staking

Bybit has become popular for its highest APY crypto staking opportunities through promotions, locked staking, and liquidity-based pools.

Key features of Bybit staking include:

  • High periodic promotional APYs
  • Wide selection of PoS assets
  • Smooth user interface

Best for: Investors hunting for periodic high-yield opportunities

  1. Bitget Earn

Bitget offers a clean UI, moderate APYs, and staking for mainstream assets. It has grown very fast among Asian and African markets.

Key advantages include:

  • Competitive staking yields
  • Various yield-enhanced products
  • Ideal for mid-level investors

Best for: Users who want flexible staking options

  1. KuCoin Earn

KuCoin offers a mix of soft staking, fixed staking, and promotional high-reward events that attract yield maximizers.

Key advantages include:

  • Large selection of stakable tokens
  • Soft staking, where you earn without locking
  • Wide global usage

Best for: Investors who want flexibility without long lockups

  1. Ledger Live

For users who want full self-custody with staking, Ledger Live is a top pick. It supports ETH, ADA, ATOM, DOT, and more.

Key advantages include:

  • Maximum asset security
  • Native on-chain staking
  • No centralized custodial risk

Best for: Long-term holders and security-focused investors

Conclusion

As we move into 2026, the staking landscape is rapidly maturing, giving investors more opportunities to earn passive income through secure, high-yield PoS networks.

While many platforms provide excellent staking features, GeekStake stands out as the top choice due to:

  • Predictable high returns
  • AI-enhanced automated staking
  • $100 trial bonus
  • Fast reward settlements
  • Zero contract risk
  • Beginner-friendly design

For users looking to scale their crypto earnings while minimizing risk, GeekStake is the best app for staking crypto in 2026. Sign up now and get a free $100 staking bonus.

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