1+ week, 4+ day ago (429+ words) Written byDirk van Haaster Arthur Firstov is the Chief Business Officer at Mercuryo, a global leader in crypto payments infrastructure. With over seven years of experience in fintech, B2B partnerships, and digital assets, Arthur has helped Mercuryo scale past $50 million in annual revenue and secure partnerships with more than 300 companies " including Circle, Coinbase, Mastercard, Revolut, and Polymarket. He has become a recognized voice and expert on stablecoins, digital banking, and the convergence of Web3 and traditional finance. Q1: You've been in crypto payments since 2017 " before it was fashionable, and long before "tokenized Treasuries' were a headline. Looking back at 2025 so far " how would you describe the industry's trajectory? Q2: Many experts call tokenization "crypto's killer app.' What's different this time? Q3: Let's talk about payments. Stablecoins processed around $46 trillion this year. What does "mainstream' actually look like? Arthur Firstov: It looks invisible. Stablecoins will stop…...

1+ week, 2+ day ago (261+ words) Written & Edited byIva Belamaric 2025 marks the inaugural year of The BeInCrypto 100 Awards, a global recognition program honoring the people, products and projects shaping the next era of Web3. In partnership with Binance Square, the awards will culminate in a virtual ceremony on December 10, 2025, at 12 PM UTC, uniting the global crypto community to honor excellence." The judge panel features leading figures such as Geoffrey Kendrick (Global Head of Digital Assets Research, Standard Chartered), Michael Walsh (INED & Chair, Zodia Markets and Kraken), Samantha Yap (Founder & CEO, YAP Global), James Butterfill (Head of Research, CoinShares), Rauan Khassan (CCO, TradingView), and other top industry leaders across global, LATAM and APAC regions." "As a journalist, I've watched crypto grow from fringe forums to global headlines," shared Brian McGleenon, Global Head of News at BeInCrypto." "The industry has matured beyond speculation into one driven by accountability, transparency,…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago (422+ words) With stablecoin utility becoming a priority across the industry, EMCD now joins the ranks of leading companies bringing seamless crypto payments to everyday users through its global Payment Card. Yet, EMCD's launch of its global USDT Payment Card, in partnership with KazeFi, represents a crucial step in dissolving the friction between digital assets and the analog economy. It's a pragmatic bridge built not for traders, but for the everyday crypto holders who want to spend their stablecoins without the bureaucratic hurdle of constant off-ramping. For years, the crypto community has championed the vision of a decentralized future, but the reality for most has been a tedious process: moving assets from a wallet to an exchange, selling for fiat, waiting for the bank transfer, and then finally buying a coffee. This is where products like the EMCD Payment card enter the…...

2+ week, 5+ day ago (227+ words) Paystand, a B2B payments platform processing $20 billion annually, has acquired Bitwage, a crypto payroll service that has handled over $400 million in digital wages across 200 countries since 2014. The acquisition integrates USDC and USDT salary payment capabilities into enterprise workflows, as 2025 stablecoin transfer volume reached $9 trillion'nearly half of Visa's annual throughput. Chainalysis data shows stablecoin transfers grew 87% year-over-year to $9 trillion in 2025, with USDC clearing $2.3 trillion in Q3. EY's CFO survey indicates that 87% view stablecoins as providing a competitive advantage, up from 61% in 2024. BlackRock's BUIDL fund and Mastercard's USDC settlement programs have introduced on-chain dollar transactions to institutional operations. The acquisition occurs amid regulatory developments in the United States. The Trump administration has expressed support for cryptocurrency initiatives, while the SEC has provided guidance on stablecoin custody requirements. Visa completed a $1 billion acquisition of Bridge, a stablecoin platform, earlier this year. Companies can transfer USDC…...

3+ day, 15+ hour ago (372+ words) Bithumb, South Korea's second-largest crypto exchange, is closing its USDT market and order-book-sharing with Australia's Stellar Exchange after only two months, amid regulators' scrutiny of anti-money laundering controls. The shutdown took effect at 11:00 AM on Friday, impacting 10 cryptocurrencies traded in the USDT market. The Travel Rule is a global requirement that forces Virtual Asset Service Providers to collect and share sender and recipient details for certain crypto transactions. South Korean regulators feared that Bithumb's partnership with Stellar Exchange could allow users to circumvent these rules through cross-border trades. Industry sources say this investigation lasted much longer than usual. The extended review intensified operational pressure on Bithumb. On September 22, 2025, Bithumb announced its USDT market beta, collaborating with Stellar Exchange to boost liquidity by sharing order books. This arrangement pooled trading volume, giving users deeper market access. But concerns arose quickly. During…...

2+ week, 5+ day ago (388+ words) Bitcoin's price surged after the US Senate passed a bill to reopen the government, but the rally quickly stalled near a critical resistance level at $108,000. Analysts attribute the sluggish upward momentum to ongoing selling pressure from Long-Term Holders (LTHs), who have liquidated over 370,000 BTC since July. Bitcoin's price spiked by $2,000 around 1:30 am UTC on Tuesday, reaching approximately $107,500 after the US Senate passed the government shutdown resolution. This marked the highest price level in a week, since November 4. However, the surge was unsustainable, lasting less than five minutes before the price retreated to the pre-spike level of $105,500 by 2:00 pm. Analysts believe Bitcoin will face significant difficulty breaking the strong resistance zone near $108,000 in the near term. On-chain data platform Glassnode identified this technical hurdle: "The next key level is the 85th percentile cost basis (~$108.5K); a zone that has historically served as resistance…...

1+ week, 5+ day ago (403+ words) Written & Edited byOihyun Kim Founded during the CryptoKitties boom, DappRadar became essential for millions of users and thousands of developers seeking blockchain insights. The company will address matters regarding its DAO and RADAR token separately, as stated in its closure notice. The closure of DappRadar marks the end of an influential era for blockchain data analytics. Starting in 2018, DappRadar capitalized on the momentum of CryptoKitties, showcasing the versatility of blockchain applications. At its peak, it delivered analytics for hundreds of blockchains, covering key data points such as transaction volumes, trades, and user activity. The platform became a go-to resource for developers, investors, and analysts. DappRadar aggregated real-time data across more than 50 blockchains, spanning decentralized finance, gaming, and NFTs. Its analytics empowered users to track trends and assess the performance of blockchain networks. The European Central Bank reported a drop in…...

3+ week, 4+ day ago (309+ words) Zohran Mamdani's decisive victory in New York City's mayoral race marks a potential turning point for the crypto industry. The 34-year-old democratic socialist defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo, whom President Donald Trump reluctantly endorsed over his "communist" rival. Meanwhile, crypto prediction markets correctly predicted Mamdani's win with 92% accuracy. However, his victory signals tighter regulation ahead for the sector. Mamdani's legislative history suggests NYC's crypto policy will prioritize consumer protection over market growth. In 2023, he said, "When crypto companies collapse, it isn't the rich who suffer; it's small investors who disproportionately come from low-income and communities of color." His platform supports higher taxes on wealthy individuals and corporations. This aligns with New York's proposed crypto transaction tax, which is expected to generate $158 million annually. Once he takes office on January 1, Mamdani is expected to emphasize compliance, transparency, and consumer protection over…...

3+ week, 5+ day ago (296+ words) Bitcoin mining companies are experiencing unprecedented stock rallies as they pivot to AI infrastructure, with IREN securing a $9.7 billion data center agreement with Microsoft. The shift comes as the US government blocked Nvidia's advanced chip exports to China, creating a bifurcated market where domestic crypto miners leverage existing power infrastructure to meet surging AI demand. The transformation reflects broader market dynamics. AI workloads create unprecedented demand for computing resources and electrical power. Bitcoin miners are uniquely positioned to meet this demand. The convergence stems from AI companies' urgent need for computational capacity amid supply constraints. Moreover, traditional data center development timelines cannot match the accelerated pace of AI model deployment. The US government's decision to block Nvidia's Blackwell AI chip exports to China creates asymmetric advantages for domestic operators. The announcement came just before the Trump-Xi summit in Busan last…...

6+ day, 21+ hour ago (463+ words) The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been dissolved, according to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), despite its mandate being scheduled to continue through July 2026. Despite the news, the meme coin associated with the Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy-led initiative is up by double digits. DOGE began by executive order on Trump's first day following reelection. Its mission was to dramatically streamline bureaucracy and cut $6.5 trillion in federal spending. The launch sparked immediate attention, driving Dogecoin prices up over 10% on the announcement and leading to expectations of more crypto use in government. OPM director Scott Kupor confirmed the dissolution, noting that DOGE doesn't exist as a centralized entity. The department's roles have shifted into OPM, while Trump now refers to DOGE in the past tense at public events. Good editing by @reuters " spliced my full comments across paragraphs 2/3 to…...