Stablecoins

China is preparing to introduce interest within its commercial banks, allowing investors to earn interest for their digital yuan (e-CNY) starting Jan 1, 2026. This marks a decisive shift for E-CNY, as it is no longer just a digital substitute for cash but a deposit-like monetary instrument embedded in the formal banking system.

Kyrgyzstan has taken another step toward embedding digital assets into its financial system after cryptocurrency exchange Binance listed the country’s first som-pegged stablecoin, a move that signals growing state-level confidence in blockchain-based payments and infrastructure.

Ethena’s synthetic stablecoin USDe has suffered a sharp contraction since the Oct. 10 market crash, with roughly $8.3 billion exiting the protocol as investors reassessed the risks tied to leveraged and synthetic-backed designs.

The Marshall Islands have begun testing a crypto-based universal income system, distributing payments to citizens through a yield-generating digital token built on the Stellar blockchain.

Brazil's only stock exchange is aiming to bridge traditional finance and blockchain through tokenized asset offerings and its own settlement stablecoin.

Visa has launched a Stablecoins Advisory Practice within its consulting unit. The service will advise banks and businesses on using stablecoins for payments and operations.

PayPal is partnering with USD.AI to offer PYUSD stablecoin loans to AI companies, helping them fund GPUs, data centres, and other infrastructure. The programme also includes a one-year incentive offering 4.5% yield to attract institutional investors and support the growth of AI projects.

Capital A, the parent company of AirAsia, and Standard Chartered Malaysia signed a letter of intent to develop a ringgit-backed stablecoin. The project will be piloted under Bank Negara Malaysia’s oversight, with Standard Chartered as issuer and Capital A testing wholesale use cases.

The stablecoin market has reached a historic milestone, crossing $310 billion in total capitalization for the first time. This surge underscores the growing importance of fiat-backed digital assets in the crypto ecosystem and signals increasing trust from both retail and institutional investors amid market volatility.

YouTube is taking a bold step toward integrating crypto into their ecosystem, now allowing U.S.-based creators to receive earnings in PayPal’s dollar-backed stablecoin, PYUSD, according to Fortune.