payments
Blockchain’s Fannie Mae moment, Bitcoin treasury shakeout & AI agents that pay
On this episode of CoinDesk's Public Keys from the New York Stock Exchange, host Jennifer Sanasie sits down with Michael Tannenbaum, CEO of Figure Technology Solutions, to unpack the company's record quarter, its self-described "Rule of 150," and why it sees blockchain as a standardization engine for capital markets. Then, Lance Vitanza, Managing Director and Senior Research Analyst at TD Cowen, explains why the 2026 digital asset treasury shakeout has clarified the model rather than broken it—and what separates the companies built to last from the rest. Plus, Sid Coelho-Prabhu, Head of Coinbase Business, breaks down Coinbase's bet on AI agent payments, why stablecoins like USDC are emerging as the currency of agentic commerce, and how the x402 protocol could reshape the way businesses get paid.
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
Why is Asia the epicenter of the next digital asset supercycle?
At #ConsensusMiami, Joseph Chee, Executive Chairman of Solana Company, shared a strategic vision for the "Pacific Backbone" and the institutional road to 5 billion users. Key Takeaways: - Utility & Compliance: APAC institutions are prioritizing stable, end-to-end workflows over market speculation. - Institutional Scale: Partnerships with giants like Mirae ($800B AUM) are moving RWA tokenization from theory to massive scale across Korea, Indonesia, and Singapore. - The Talent Moat: With 10M+ annual STEM grads, the region is no longer just a consumer—it is building the next global financial layer.、 - The B2B2C Path: Navigating 21 different jurisdictions requires a regulated, partner-led strategy—the only viable way to achieve true mass adoption. Watch the interview to see how Solana Company is bridging infrastructure and institutional finance across the Pacific.
Cerebras IPO values AI chipmaker at $40B
Cerebras priced its IPO at a $40 billion valuation, nearly 5x what it was worth eight months ago. The AI capital boom is pulling investor attention and money away from crypto, with SpaceX and OpenAI listings still to come. CoinDesk's Jennifer Sanasie hosts "CoinDesk Daily."
GameStop's $55B eBay bid could liquidate its bitcoin
GameStop submitted an unsolicited $55.5 billion offer to buy eBay, and CEO Ryan Cohen hasn't ruled out selling the company's $368 million bitcoin treasury to fund it. If the deal closes, eBay's 135 million active buyers would be inside a company that holds bitcoin. CoinDesk's Jennifer Sanasie hosts "CoinDesk Daily."
Ripple looks to expand crypto and payment services in Brazil
The blockchain firm is adding custody, payments and brokerage tools for digital asset management and tokenization as it plans to apply for regulatory approval from the central bank.
AI developers may not be keen on crypto, but stablecoins are the secret to agentic finance, crypto insiders say
The brave new world of autonomous, micro-transacting AI agents is where programmable cryptocurrencies will shine, according to stablecoin experts.
Coinbase-backed AI payments protocol wants to fix micropayment but demand is just not there yet
Agentic commerce holds promise, but data shows that x402 is still in the trial phase
Stablecoin market hits $312 billion as banks, card networks embrace onchain dollars
As regulation advances and institutions adopt blockchain settlement, stablecoins are expanding beyond crypto trading into payments infrastructure.
KAST raises $80 million at $600 million valuation to expand stablecoin payments platform
Funding will support product expansion, licensing and compliance as the company scales a platform for cross-border stablecoin payments.
