payment

According to The Block, Western Union announced the launch of its stablecoin USDPT. At the same time, Western Union will also launch a network that connects digital wallets with its existing retail infrastructure and plans to introduce a stablecoin payment card called Stable Card for global consumers.

KuCoin announced the launch of KuCard in Australia, allowing users to use cryptocurrency assets for daily consumption at merchants worldwide that accept Mastercard, with payment options through Apple Pay and Google Pay. The service initially supports 37 USDC trading pairs, covering mainstream digital assets such as BTC, ETH, and USDT, with real-time conversion to fiat currency during the settlement process. KuCoin stated that this move is an important step in enhancing compliance and transparency in the cryptocurrency payment experience, and it is the latest progress in promoting the real-world application of cryptocurrency assets after completing its registration with AUSTRAC as a digital currency exchange (DCE).

DogPay announced a strategic partnership with DeCard to jointly launch the DogPay physical payment card, aimed at further bridging stablecoin assets with the global traditional payment network.It is reported that this payment card combines DeCard's regulated card issuance and settlement infrastructure with DogPay's modular digital financial platform. Eligible users can transact at over 150 million Visa-supported merchants worldwide, supporting real-world application scenarios such as offline POS machine consumption, retail shopping, and ATM withdrawals, thereby directly converting stablecoin balances into everyday purchasing power.DogPay officials stated that the launch of the physical payment card aims to meet the growing market demand for compliant and globally accepted digital asset payment tools, further promoting the deep integration of digital assets with regulated financial infrastructure.

The cryptocurrency payment network MoonPay announced that its Iron platform has officially launched virtual account services in New York State, supporting fintech companies, cryptocurrency platforms, neobanks, and financial institutions to integrate compliant fiat-to-stablecoin infrastructure.This launch is based on MoonPay's acquisition of the enterprise-grade stablecoin infrastructure platform Iron in 2025, allowing users to receive payments through channels such as ACH, wire transfer, and SWIFT, and automatically convert them into stablecoins, settling to non-custodial wallets. MoonPay has also obtained a BitLicense, money transmission license, and limited purpose trust license from the New York State Department of Financial Services in the same year.

AI Smart Routing and Infrastructure Network DGrid AI officially announces the launch of its AI inference API integrated with the x402 payment protocol. This API seamlessly merges payment logic with AI model invocation for the first time, allowing developers and AI Agents to complete authorization, inference, and payment within a single API request lifecycle without managing cumbersome API Keys or requiring centralized account pre-funding.It is reported that this API currently supports BNB Chain (BSC) as the underlying settlement network. With the micropayment features of the x402 protocol, the system can achieve extremely low-friction on-chain real-time settlement while ensuring that invocation costs remain absolutely controllable. Additionally, this API supports streaming responses and real-time usage feedback while being compatible with mainstream AI invocation methods, making it suitable for various application scenarios, including model selection for AI Agents, inference billing, intelligent agents, and multi-task execution.DGrid states that this initiative aims to completely break the prepaid barriers of traditional large model invocation and provide a programmable underlying payment infrastructure for building a fully automated AI Agent economy (machine-to-machine transactions).

Chief Economist Fu Peng of New Fire Group delivered a speech at the 2026 Hong Kong Institutional Digital Wealth Management Summit, stating that the integration of traditional financial institutions and the cryptocurrency market will herald the arrival of a new era in the market. The participants who will truly succeed in the future are those who can quickly complete their transformation at critical turning points.Fu Peng cited the Cold War, oil crisis, and the simultaneous rise of computer and semiconductor technology in the 1970s and 1980s as examples, pointing out that technological advancements and global order turmoil often go hand in hand, with risks and opportunities always accompanying each other. He believes that AI and data computing power are now widely recognized as the core productive forces of the next era, indicating that the first half of the cryptocurrency industry has essentially ended, and the industry is at a critical stage of reconstruction and rebirth.Looking ahead, Fu Peng predicts that stablecoins will take on payment functions, Bitcoin will evolve into a core asset with both value storage and financial transaction attributes, and a brand new chapter of the era is about to begin.

According to market news, at the "9th BCCC Collaborative Day" held on April 21, 2026, Shigeru Shimizu, the head of the Risk Analysis Division of the Financial Services Agency (FSA) of Japan, delivered a special speech revealing significant progress in cryptocurrency regulation. The FSA has submitted a bill to the extraordinary Diet, proposing to transition cryptocurrencies from the Payment Services Act to the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, mainly involving four core aspects: regulations on information disclosure, the establishment of new classifications for independent operators, strengthening penalties for unregistered operators, and preparing regulations against insider trading.At the same time, the FSA is advancing three "Payment Innovation Projects (PIP)" empirical experiments: first, a cross-border payment trial using yen stablecoins involving three major banks; second, on-chain settlement of securities such as government bonds, corporate bonds, and stocks based on blockchain, aiming for 24/7 continuous trading; third, an interbank tokenized deposit transfer experiment that just received support on April 3 of this month, which will be promoted in conjunction with the Bank of Japan's central bank digital currency tokenization sandbox project. Mr. Shimizu stated that blockchain has great potential in enhancing the convenience of financial services and diversifying products, and the FSA will continue to promote institutional development and practical support.

According to CoinDesk, Kraken stated that it has submitted 56 million cryptocurrency transaction tax forms to the IRS for the 2025 tax year, of which approximately 18.5 million correspond to amounts below $1, 74% are below $50, and only 8.5% exceed $600.Kraken pointed out that the lack of a minimum amount tax exemption rule for cryptocurrency payments, as well as the taxation of staking rewards as ordinary income at the time of receipt, is placing a heavy reporting burden on investors. Kraken is calling on the U.S. Congress to promote a broader minimum amount tax exemption policy linked to inflation and to allow taxpayers to choose to be taxed on staking rewards at the time of receipt or sale.

According to Cointelegraph, bipartisan lawmakers in the United States jointly announced the "PACE Act," which aims to create a unified national payment license for fintech companies and cryptocurrency companies, to be regulated by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).

According to market news, U.S. Congressman proposed the PACE Act, aimed at modernizing the U.S. payment system.The bill intends to allow qualified companies to directly access the Federal Reserve payment rails to reduce payment delays, lower transaction fees, and accelerate the transfer speed for consumers and businesses. Reports indicate that the proposal has received support from fintech and cryptocurrency groups, with the goal of making the payment system faster, lower-cost, and more competitive.

According to market news, Ramp, supported by top Silicon Valley investor Peter Thiel, will allow payments and consumption through Plasma using stablecoin channels.

The UK Treasury announced a regulatory scheme during London Fintech Week, planning to incorporate stablecoins and tokenized deposits into a unified regulatory framework with traditional payment services.The scheme aims to regulate stablecoins used for payments under the upcoming issuance regime, while expanding the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) regulatory scope over open banking, and exploring regulatory adjustments for payment activities executed by AI agents. The proposal also suggests reducing administrative requirements for businesses providing stablecoin payment services through new legislation.The UK Treasury also announced the appointment of EY partner and former interim CEO of the FCA, Chris Woolard CBE, as the wholesale digital market champion, responsible for advancing the development of a tokenized wholesale financial system, and committed to providing £1 million (approximately $1.35 million) in funding support to the Centre for Financial Innovation and Technology starting in April. Minister for Cities Lucy Rigby stated that the scheme aims to build a secure, competitive payment ecosystem that can seize opportunities from technological changes. The UK government recognizes the transformative potential of digital assets and blockchain technology, believing they can reshape the way consumers and businesses interact with financial services.

ChainCatcher reported live that HashKey Group Chairman Xiao Feng shared a keynote speech titled "Innovation of Economic Models for Intelligent Agents—The Fusion Revolution of AI Tokens, Blockchain Tokens, and Fully Homomorphic Encryption" at this year's 2026 Hong Kong Web3 Carnival. He pointed out that the two major business characteristics of blockchain technology are trustlessness and permissionlessness, but public transparency leads to data exposure, making it difficult for compliant institutions like banks to directly go on-chain. With fully homomorphic encryption chips expected to be launched in the second half of this year, achieving performance of about 1000 transactions per second, privacy computing technology is about to reach commercial thresholds.He proposed that the fusion of AI Tokens, blockchain Tokens, zero-knowledge proofs, and fully homomorphic encryption technology is the ultimate form of the intelligent agent economy. He used hospitals as an example: medical data, after being fully homomorphically encrypted, becomes Tokens, and anyone can call the data for computation through the blockchain in a permissionless manner, but cannot access personal privacy information, thus turning hospitals into "Token factories." Individuals can also put their encrypted health check data on-chain, issuing demands to global insurance companies, which can calculate and provide personalized optimal insurance plans in an encrypted state using their actuarial models, eliminating the need for insurance brokers and intermediaries.He specifically corrected a common misunderstanding: AI Tokens are not the currency unit of the intelligent agent economy, but rather the means of production, encompassing everything from electricity, chip computing power, to large models, algorithms, and applications, depicting the production process of intelligent agents. The currency of the intelligent agent economy must be programmable, divisible, and capable of real-time settlement, because when AI Agents call APIs, they may only need a few cents each time, and the costs of existing banking payment systems cannot support such small payments. Digital currency is the "blood" of the intelligent agent economy, and a brand new financial service system designed for machines rather than humans will definitely emerge in the future.

ChainCatcher reported live that KGA Managing Partner Kevin M. Goldstein, Binance Co-CEO Richard Teng, Stable CEO Brian Mehler, JPMorgan Asia Pacific (Payments) Fintech Industry Head Akhil Devmurari, and Bitstamp by Robinhood President Leonard Hoh jointly attended the 2026 Hong Kong Web3 Carnival roundtable discussion, focusing on "The Present and Future of Cross-Border Payments and Asset Digitization."Richard Teng pointed out that the existing financial infrastructure is extremely outdated, with bank transfers taking two to three days and high fees, while cross-border remittance rates can be as high as 11%. In contrast, stablecoin transfers are instant and cost very little. He revealed that with the passage of the U.S. Genius Act, stablecoin transaction volume has increased by over 70% year-on-year, surpassing Visa's transaction volume, and its market capitalization has grown by over 50% year-on-year. He also mentioned that Binance started trading precious metals in January this year, and within three months, its trading volume has exceeded that of many traditional commodity exchanges. Additionally, it has launched products such as petrochemical products, stock tokens, and Pre-IPO offerings, aiming to create a multi-jurisdictional, multi-asset trading platform serving over 310 million users. Regarding AI, he believes that stablecoins will become the native currency of AI, with the payment ecosystem for intelligent agents built around blockchain and AI.Akhil Devmurari pointed out from JPMorgan's perspective that the Asia-Pacific region has a population of 4.8 billion and over 90% fintech adoption rate, with cross-border payments being the biggest pain point. Digital currencies present a significant opportunity as an alternative payment track. He stated that JPMorgan's payment platform processes $12 trillion daily, focusing on tokenized deposits and tokenized assets, and applying blockchain technology to fund flows to reduce friction. He emphasized that the current market capitalization of digital currencies accounts for only about 1% of total payment volume, with 99% still in fiat currency, indicating huge growth potential, but compliance is a key link in ecological development. He defined the relationship between traditional finance and crypto as "co-opetition," stating that banks need to collaborate with the industry to drive ecological growth.Leonard Hoh stated that Bitstamp, as an exchange and infrastructure provider, has observed that trading and payment counterparties are adopting a "stablecoin-first" strategy, whether for prepayments, settlements, or credit collateral, with both traditional finance and crypto-native institutions feeling secure about this technology. He pointed out that the industry currently faces growing pains from excessive fragmentation—there is an oversupply of stablecoin issuers, Layer 1 solutions, and regulatory frameworks relative to market size, and exchanges need to address interoperability challenges across chains and borders. He believes that the key to unlocking the next stage lies in the development of non-U.S. dollar stablecoins and on-chain foreign exchange markets.Brian Mehler pointed out from the perspective of Layer 1 public chains that the technology itself is already functioning normally, with traditional cross-border payments charging about 6.5% fees for a $200 transaction, while on-chain it only requires 1% or even less. The real issue lies in the fragmentation of compliance, as regulatory frameworks in different countries operate independently. Therefore, compliance elements such as whitelist, blacklist, and travel rules must be embedded in the infrastructure layer of the chain to achieve true global interoperability. He also mentioned that PayPal has introduced PYUSD to the Stable chain, and traditional financial institutions are actively seeking to establish a presence on-chain, with Layer 1 not aiming to replace banks but to become a settlement layer.

ChainCatcher reported live that HashKey Capital CEO Deng Chao and Sharplink CEO Joseph Chalom jointly attended the 2026 Hong Kong Web3 Carnival roundtable discussion, exploring "From Finance to Strategy: How Public Companies Are Positioning Themselves Based on Digital Assets."Chalom, who worked at BlackRock for 20 years, began leading BlackRock's blockchain and digital assets team six years ago, during which he launched Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs, raising about $100 billion at its peak. He stated that the choice to establish a digital asset treasury with Ethereum rather than Bitcoin is because Ethereum is a "native productive asset," which can earn nearly 3% returns through staking, while Bitcoin can only be held in anticipation of appreciation. Sharplink has been listed on Nasdaq and has raised billions of dollars to purchase Ethereum since launching its digital asset treasury strategy last June, currently holding approximately 770,000 ETH and earning about 17,000 ETH and over $35 million in rewards for investors through staking.Regarding industry trends, he pointed out that Ethereum is dominating three major use cases: stablecoins (over 60% occur on Ethereum), asset tokenization, and decentralized finance. He specifically warned that currently over 95% of stablecoins are denominated in US dollars, and if stablecoins are to become the payment rail for trillions of transactions in the AI economy, Asian regulators should not allow them to be dominated by the US dollar and US Treasury bonds, as this will trigger a geopolitical competition to advance local stablecoin legislation.Discussing market cycles, he noted that the crypto market has experienced significant pullbacks since last October, with short-term prices being unpredictable, but in the long term, the current risk-reward ratio is at its best level in a long time. He emphasized that digital asset treasuries are not passive investments; Ethereum is a high-volatility asset, and volatility is a characteristic of capital appreciation rather than a defect.

ChainCatcher reported live that Ru Haiyang, CEO of HashKey Exchange Group, delivered a keynote speech at the 2026 Hong Kong Web3 Carnival, focusing on three key themes: RWA, payments, and Asian connectivity. He announced that HashKey Exchange officially launched Hong Kong's first physical gold ETF that day, fully compliant with trading and custody regulations in Hong Kong. He also revealed that HashKey has received approval from the Hong Kong Monetary Authority to jointly issue Asia's first true co-branded credit card with Shanghai Commercial Bank.Regarding industry trends, he pointed out that DTCC has received a no-action letter from the U.S. SEC to intervene in the custody and settlement of tokenized assets, Kraken has become the first cryptocurrency institution to connect to the Federal Reserve's FedWire, and Mastercard has acquired the UK blockchain payment company BVNK at an $1.8 billion valuation, indicating that traditional payment institutions have recognized the irreversible trend.In terms of expansion in Asia, he announced that HashKey officially announced its investment in the Vietnamese market on April 10, planning to jointly invest in VPBank, one of Vietnam's largest commercial banks, to help it become one of the first licensed exchanges. HashKey has also signed memorandums of understanding with leading Asian institutions such as Coins.ph in the Philippines, Indodex in Indonesia, Hata in Malaysia, and Bitazza in Thailand to explore cooperation in liquidity integration, cross-border payments, stablecoins, and asset tokenization distribution.

According to DL News, a South Korean forgery gang is selling fake official documents to users via Telegram, prioritizing payments in cryptocurrency or digital gift cards. Among them, a counterfeit Yonsei University diploma is priced at about $200, a certificate of enrollment is quoted at about $100, and a fake diploma from overseas universities is priced at about $341.The report points out that the gang also offers forged materials such as driver's licenses, proof of relationship, certificates of no criminal record, and bank loan documents. South Korean police stated that the number of arrests for forgery cases nearly doubled from 2021 to 2023.

At the "Crypto 2026: From Cryptocurrency to Smart Economy" themed forum held in Hong Kong, guests including Sign partner Sarah, HashKey Chain Senior Business Development YuYi, Monad Greater China Ecosystem Head Harvey Chen, OmenX Chief Marketing Officer Gisele, and SVP Chain Market Head Celest engaged in a roundtable discussion on "The Revaluation of Crypto and the New Cycle."Regarding why they remain firmly invested in Crypto amid the AI boom, Sarah pointed out that the hotter AI gets, the more use cases there are for Crypto assets, and future transactions between AI Agents will rely on digital assets. YuYi believes that the bear market is precisely when the wheat is separated from the chaff, with compliant RWA (such as Hong Kong's first physical silver token) being implemented, speculative assets being eliminated, and the era of on-chain infrastructure arriving. Harvey Chen stated that high-performance public chains are the foundation for supporting large-scale applications, and Monad is committed to this. Gisele noted that Crypto addresses fairness and value transfer, complementing AI's focus on efficiency. Celest emphasized that AI lacks a native value system and increasingly requires Crypto to provide value authentication and decentralized trust.On the changing understanding of Crypto's value, the guests unanimously agreed that the industry is shifting from "issuing tokens for the sake of issuing tokens" to pursuing sustainable business models, with greater focus on capital efficiency, low costs, and 24-hour settlement as practical values. The value of public chains should be assessed based on real business scenarios and user transaction volumes, rather than narratives and financing.Regarding future growth engines and entrepreneurial advice, the guests generally expressed optimism about compliant RWA, AI payments, and sovereign blockchain directions, advising entrepreneurs to focus on real application scenarios, avoid empty concepts, and maintain a long-term construction mindset.

According to The Block, Strategy proposed to update its STRC preferred stock dividend payment plan from once a month to twice a month.According to the statement, Strategy will hold its annual shareholder meeting on June 8, at which time the voting on the Stretch update proposal will conclude. If approved, the first record date for the new semi-monthly payment plan will be June 30, with the first payment expected to be made on July 15.The company stated that this change could "reduce reinvestment lag, improve liquidity, enhance market efficiency, and strengthen price stability."