banks

banks

Finance

Stablecoin wallets challenge traditional bank accounts as main consumer money hub

Industry leaders debate whether digital dollar wallets will dismantle traditional bank accounts or simply modernize the underlying infrastructure.

Bank accounts. ATMs. (Mika Baumeister/Unsplash)

Finance

DBS and Citi complete weekend USD payment via Swift’s Digital Ledger using tokenized deposits

The transaction is the second confirmed live use of Swift's blockchain ledger, coming as the network races to prove it can compete with digital payment rails that never close.

Citi (Joshua Lawrence/Unsplash)

Policy

U.S. banking agency gives blockchain bank OpenReserve initial OK to operate

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency granted a provisional charter to the new full-service bank, adding it to the growing mix of crypto-native institutions.

U.S. Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould

Policy

U.S. state banking associations plan to launch their own nationwide blockchain network

The "BankChain Alliance" is aiming for a 2027 launch, and would foster stablecoins, payments and tokenized deposits inside the banking system's regulatory sphere.

Kathy Kraninger, former director of the Consumer Financial Protect Bureau (Michael Kovac/Getty Images)

Policy

Zerohash back for second effort at OCC trust bank charter

The crypto infrastructure firm failed to get approval when it first sought a U.S. charter, and the company is quickly back with what it said would be a narrower effort.

Jonathan Gould (Nikhilesh De/CoinDesk)

Finance

HSBC, Standard Chartered execute first live banking transaction on Swift’s 24/7 ledger

The cross-border transaction is Swift’s first in a pilot project as it tests settlement in its push to remain relevant as stablecoins and tokenized deposits become widely used worldwide.

Swift logo on an office wall.

News Analysis

The stablecoin yield clash that won't go away has banks, crypto battling over tradition

The bankers want people kept in lower-yield deposits for the good of the financial system as it's existed for generations, and their argument is gaining ground.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. HQ in NYC (Getty Images)

Finance

The 'long bitcoin, short the bankers' era is officially over as TradFi giants embrace digital assets

Financial firms are partnering with specialists to build infrastructure, blurring lines between traditional and decentralized finance into a unified sector.

Bitwise CEO Hunter Horsley and Anchorage Digital co-founder Diogo Monica @ NEARCON 2026 (Margaux Nijkerk/ CoinDesk)

Finance

Swiss mega-bank UBS ramps up its Bitcoin exposure with a massive 24-fold surge in ETF call options

Direct holdings of IBIT also rose 12% to 407,890 shares, while put option exposure dropped roughly 53% to 143,300 underlying shares during the quarter.

UBS logo above road (Claudio Schwarz/Unsplash/Modified by CoinDesk)

Videos

The ABA's case that crypto could drain community banks

CoinDesk's The Policy Protocol hosts Rebecca Rettig and Renato Mariotti open on the stalled CLARITY Act and how crypto's newness in DC stacks up against TradFi's decades-old relationships. They also dig into two hot topics: Erebor raising $1.5 billion at a valuation near $9.5 billion, and FlightAware's short-lived trademark lawsuit against prediction market Kalshi. Then they sit down with Brooke Ybarra, Head of Innovation at the American Bankers Association, who breaks down the yield compromise on payment stablecoins, makes the ABA's case that stablecoin growth could pull deposits away from community banks and shrink local lending, and explains how banks of all sizes are already experimenting with tokenized money and tokenized deposits. Plus, Rebecca and Renato debrief on the bipartisan holdouts and name SEC Chair Paul Atkins as their Person of the Week. NOTE (Aug. 14, 09:00 ET): this episode was recorded before the SEC canceled the open meeting originally scheduled for Friday. - This episode is brought to you by RealFi, a smarter stablecoin, backed by real-world assets. Find out more at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ realfi.co⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. - To view the ABA's recommended changes to legislative text of the Clarity Act, please see their Joint State Association Letter to the Senate: https://www.aba.com/advocacy/policy-analysis/Joint-Letter-to-the-Senate-on-the-Clarity-Act

The ABA's case that crypto could drain community banks