Malta Regulator Issues Virtual Assets 10711

The Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) has now published a Virtual Financial Assets (VFA) Rulebook specifically pertaining to the regulation of Issuers of VFAs under the Virtual Financial Assets Act (VFAA). However, it seems that the publication of this rulebook has not got down very well with financial services providers who spoke to CCN. Some have lamented that it is onerous and over-cautious in several aspects and makes business slightly more complicated where cryptocurrencies and blockchain are concerned.

Joseph Borg, Partner at WH Partners said that although the publication of the rulebook was a positive step, this needs to be polished to be actually effective.

“I strongly suggest to stakeholders to participate in this consultation in order to help the MFSA come up with a well-balanced regulatory framework that is robust and attractive at the same time. It is clear that some things published in the rule book need to be polished and, in some cases, toned down. However, if sensible responses with workable solutions to the consultation paper are received, I am sure that our regulators will take them on board and fine-tune the framework accordingly”, Borg said.

“The two consultation papers relative to the first two chapters of the ‘Virtual Financial Assets Rulebook’ provide a well-defined framework for what will constitute the eventual two chapters of the Rulebook,” he stated. “There are some issues which merit further discussion with the regulator, and in fact, as interested parties in this space, we have already provided our feedback for relative amendments and clarifications within the time frame of the conclusion of the first consultation period relative to the first chapter. We are currently reviewing the second consultation paper relative to the second chapter, issued just two days ago and we will provide with our feedback to the regulator in due course.”

Other stakeholders who spoke on condition of anonymity said that the rulebook needed to be drastically revised to be effective as in it’s current state, it was a ‘no go’.

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Stablecoins New Era Begins: Inside the Next Wave of Institutional Adoption and Infrastructure Competition 217

The stablecoin market is entering a new phase of transformation. In the landmark joint report by Alchemy Pay and Gate Research, “The New Era of Stablecoins: A Comprehensive Study on Compliance, Innovation, and Adoption”, the report dives deep into how stablecoins are reshaping the global financial infrastructure, from its exponential growth and regulatory evolution to the intensifying competition at the infrastructure layer.

Exponential Growth and Institutional Momentum

As of August 2025, the total capitalization of stablecoins has exceeded USD 280 billion, representing more than a 660-fold increase since early 2019. Annual on-chain settlement volumes have surpassed USD 30 trillion, placing stablecoins on par with traditional global payment systems such as SWIFT and Visa in terms of transaction throughput.

This growth reflects both technological maturity and regulatory acceleration. The implementation of key frameworks, such as the GENIUS Act, Stablecoin Ordinance, and MiCA, has initiated what the report identifies as the “Age of Compliance.”

The report also highlights the growing participation of major financial institutions including PayPal, Visa, and Mastercard, each embedding stablecoin functionality into retail, enterprise, and cross-border payment systems. These integrations signal the ongoing convergence between TradFi and DeFi, underscoring the transition of stablecoins from speculative instruments to operational assets within global payment and settlement ecosystems.

Meanwhile, innovation within the stablecoin sector continues to accelerate. While USDT and USDC remain dominant, emerging models such as yield-bearing stablecoins are rapidly gaining market share. The study identifies a structural evolution from single-purpose payment tools to a “Three-in-One Model”—Peg + Yield + Application—that extends stablecoin utility into yield generation, real-world asset integration, and enterprise use cases such as supply chain finance and payroll settlement.

From Tokens to Infrastructure: The New Battlefield

The narrative of competition is shifting. It’s no longer about which stablecoin dominates, it’s about who controls the rails. The report calls this the move from “token competition” to “infrastructure competition.” As stablecoins become integral to the global payments landscape, control over settlement infrastructure has emerged as the next competitive frontier. Leading players like Tether, Circle, Stripe, and Alchemy Pay are developing blockchain architectures to establish themselves as dominant settlement networks.

This strategic evolution reflects a broader recognition: in the future of digital finance, the competitive advantage will lie not merely in token issuance, but in control of the infrastructure that enables liquidity, settlement, and compliance across markets and jurisdictions.

Alchemy Chain: Building the Stablecoin Settlement Hub for Global Fiat

Within this emerging infrastructure race, the report spotlights Alchemy Chain, a Layer 1 blockchain developed by Alchemy Pay. Drawing upon years of operational experience in the fiat-crypto payment sector, Alchemy Chain represents a practice-driven approach to infrastructure design.

The blockchain’s architecture centers on a clear, efficient flow—Fiat A → Stablecoin → Fiat B—positioning stablecoins as instant settlement bridges for global cross-border transactions. Key technical innovations include:

  • FIFO (First-In-First-Out) transaction ordering, ensuring fairness and eliminating “pay-to-prioritize” congestion.
  • On-chain real-time FX rates, with validator nodes directly integrating price feeds at the consensus layer to reduce oracle latency.
  • Block-Wing hybrid storage system, combining on-chain recording of essential transaction data with decentralized off-chain storage for auxiliary files, ensuring scalability and cost efficiency.

Strategically, Alchemy Chain diverges from general-purpose blockchains. Rather than competing with ecosystems like Ethereum, it aims to redefine global settlement infrastructure, leveraging Web3 technology to rebuild payment systems traditionally represented by SWIFT. Backed by Alchemy Pay’s already built network of 3 million users across 173 countries, and supported by connections with Visa, Mastercard, local mobile wallets and global banking rails, Alchemy Chain is positioned to serve as a neutral, compliant settlement layer connecting stablecoins and fiat currencies worldwide.

The Future Trajectory: Compliance, Multipolarity, and Integration

The report concludes that stablecoins are transitioning through three structural shifts:

  • From explosive growth to compliance establishment;
  • From token-centric competition to infrastructure-centric competition;
  • From U.S. dollar dominance to regional multipolarity.

Over the next three to five years, the report predicts that the institutions capable of creating a closed-loop ecosystem, integrating compliance frameworks, proprietary infrastructure, and scalable applications, will define the next generation of the global value network.

Read the Full Report

The “New Era of Stablecoins” report offers a data-driven, forward-looking roadmap for enterprises, regulators, and developers navigating the evolving stablecoin landscape.

Read the full report to explore how compliance, infrastructure, and innovation are converging to reshape the global payments ecosystem.

About Gate Research

Gate Research is a comprehensive blockchain and cryptocurrency research platform that provides deep content for readers, including technical analysis, market insights, industry research, trend forecasting, and macroeconomic policy analysis.

About Alchemy Pay

Founded in 2017, Alchemy Pay is a payment gateway that seamlessly connects crypto with traditional fiat currencies for businesses, developers, and end users. With its offerings including On & Off-Ramp, Web3 Digital Bank, NFT Checkout and its newly launched RWA platform, Alchemy Pay supports fiat payments in 173 countries.

The Ramp is a one-stop solution to buy and sell crypto and fiat, easily integrated by platforms and dApps according to requirements. The RWA platform allows global users to invest in tokenized real-world assets using local fiat currencies, lowering entry barriers and democratizing access to traditional financial instruments. Our Web3 Digital Bank supports Web3 enterprises by providing multi-fiat accounts and instant fiat-crypto conversion capabilities. Additionally, the NFT Checkout enables direct purchases of NFTs using fiat payment methods. ACH is the Alchemy Pay network token on the Ethereum blockchain.

Zepz launches Sendwave Wallet to give customers the power of stablecoins in everyday transactions 189

  • The Sendwave Wallet is a globally accessible, stablecoin-backed peer-to-peer cross border money solution.
  • Built on trusted stablecoin infrastructure from Circle, Solana, and Portal, the wallet reduces challenges like currency devaluation and access.
  • The wallet gives Sendwave customers more control over their money, enabling them to send money in seconds within the Sendwave network.

Zepz, the global payments group behind WorldRemit and Sendwave, has announced the launch of the Sendwave Wallet, a globally accessible stablecoin-backed peer-to-peer cross border money solution. This digital wallet empowers customers to seamlessly send, store, and spend funds across Africa and more than 100 countries worldwide, leveraging stablecoin technology to provide a stable value while offering near-instant, reliable, and affordable transfers within the Sendwave ecosystem.

Changing the game for customers

With the Sendwave Wallet, customers can quickly open a digital dollar balance in the Sendwave app and send, receive, or deposit funds. Their balance is held securely in the wallet in a digital currency, designed to maintain a stable value and pegged to the US dollar, giving them flexibility and the confidence to plan, support loved ones, and build financial stability over time.

“The financial lives of cross-border communities are far more complex and personal than traditional remittance transactions,” said Mark Lenhard, CEO of Zepz. “With Sendwave Wallet, we’re giving customers throughout the Global South a trusted, intuitive way to control their money. This is about stability, choice, and dignity for the communities we serve. Today, Sendwave is moving beyond remittances to more holistically support the financial lives of our customers”.

Combining the power of stablecoins with everyday money

At the core of the Sendwave Wallet are stablecoins, providing a secure way to hold value and move money in near real-time without the typical complexities of a “crypto” wallet . This helps customers avoid the currency swings that can erode their hard-earned money.

Backed by Zepz’s decade-long global payout network, customers can withdraw USDC funds through trusted partners into fiat currency to pay for everyday basic needs. In the future, customers will be able to use their USDC balances directly through cards and QR codes, a step beyond what most wallets offer.

Zepz has combined the expertise of leading web3 players to help bring this pioneering vision to life including: Circle the company behind USDC, Solana as the high-speed, low-cost, scalable blockchain network, and Portal as the provider of borderless wallet infrastructure.

Shaping what’s next

Zepz is continuing to build its customer offering beyond traditional remittances, with plans to enable customers to earn rewards on deposits, spend their balance with payment cards globally and pay bills, giving them practical ways to use digital dollars for daily needs.

About Zepz

Zepz powers two leading global remittance brands, WorldRemit and Sendwave, to build the next generation of cross-border payments. Serving over 9 million customers across 5,000 corridors, Zepz is transforming how money moves across borders by making it faster, safer and more convenient.

Gostex Launches AI-Powered White-Label Payments Suite 173

Gostex today announced the launch of an AI-powered, white-label fintech suite designed to help financial institutions and enterprise merchants improve authorization rates, reduce fraud losses, and streamline operations. The initial release includes an AI-optimized payment gateway, a support system, and an enterprise management module. The suite focuses on smart routing, real-time risk scoring, automated reconciliation, behavioral biometrics, device fingerprinting, and policy-driven compliance to address false declines, fraud, and scaling challenges in modern payments.

“Gostex exists to make advanced fintech capabilities accessible as configurable, enterprise-grade building blocks,” said Stanislav Pak, CEO of Gostex. “The mission is to empower institutions with white-label solutions that accelerate growth, enhance customer experience, and reduce operational risk – without forcing a trade-off between speed and governance. Strategically, the focus is on measurable outcomes: higher approvals with fewer false declines, shorter onboarding cycles, and operating models that scale predictably across markets.”

“From an engineering perspective, the mandate was reliability, security, and practical integration,” said Sevak Petrosian, CTO of Gostex. “Targets include 99.9% service availability, bank-grade security controls, and APIs that integrate cleanly into real-world environments. The architecture emphasizes real-time anomaly detection, policy automation for KYC/AML workflows, and detailed telemetry, so teams can adjust routing and risk in minutes rather than months. The result is a platform designed for low latency, high throughput, and consistent performance under peak loads.”

Product Highlights

  1. Payment Gateway (AI-Optimized): Smart routing selects optimal acquirers and payment paths based on live performance signals; real-time risk scoring helps reduce false declines; automated reconciliation and enriched reporting streamline finance operations; cross-border optimization improves international authorization performance.
  2. Support System: Always-on NLP assistance for customers and operators, with configurable workflows for dispute handling and verifications; predictive analytics highlight emerging fraud patterns and operational bottlenecks; multilingual capabilities support distributed teams and global user bases.
  3. Card Management: Behavioral biometrics and device fingerprinting strengthen fraud defenses while preserving user experience; granular policy controls and automated compliance checks help standardize controls across products and geographies; real-time analytics provide portfolio-level insight for faster decision-making.

Use Cases

  1. Approval Uplift: Dynamic routing and model-driven risk scoring reduce soft declines and optimize authorization performance across acquirers and geographies.
  2. Fraud Loss Reduction: Behavioral signals and device intelligence reinforce rule-based controls, enabling earlier detection of high-risk activity with fewer false positives.
  3. Operational Efficiency: Automated reconciliation, case-management workflows, and unified analytics help finance and support teams resolve issues faster and close periods with greater accuracy.
  4. Scalable Expansion: API-first design, environment isolation, and configuration as code support rapid regional rollouts and partner integrations without disruptive refactors.

About Gostex

Gostex is a fintech software company offering white-label solutions for payments optimization, and enterprise management. The platform emphasizes reliability, bank-grade security controls, and measurable business outcomes for banks, payment service providers, and enterprise merchants across the region. Gostex solutions are delivered with clear SLAs, telemetry-rich observability, and integration patterns designed for real-world enterprise environments.

Ethereum Foundation Moves Entire $650M+ Treasury to Safe Multisig 166

EF completes full treasury migration to Safe smart accounts, joining Vitalik Buterin as key Safe user + Safe smart accounts cross 750M transactions milestone.

The Ethereum Foundation has completed the migration of its full treasury, over 160,000 ETH worth approximately $650 million to Safe{Wallet}, following months of successful DeFi testing. Safe{Wallet}, operated by Safe Labs (a fully owned subsidiary of the Safe Foundation), is the crypto industry’s trusted smart account standard for multisig wallets, securing billions of dollars in assets for institutions, DAOs, and projects.

The move follows the Foundation’s June 2025 treasury policy announcement, which committed to actively participating in Ethereum’s DeFi ecosystem. Since February, the EF had been testing Safe with a separate DeFi-focused account, dogfooding protocols including Aave, Cowswap, and Morpho as part of their strategy to support applications built on Ethereum.

After testing a 3-of-5 multisig configuration on January 20th, the Foundation has now consolidated its remaining ETH holdings into Safe, completing the transition from their previous custom-built multisig solution. This implementation enables the Ethereum Foundation to actively participate in DeFi via Safe while maintaining battle-tested security standards, marking another step toward Safe’s vision of moving the world’s GDP onchain through battle-tested self-custody infrastructure.

“Safe has proven safe and has a great user experience, and we will transfer more of our funds here over time,” the Ethereum Foundation announced, indicating this is the beginning of a deeper commitment to the Safe smart account standard.

Safe’s Momentum

The timing is notable: Safe has just crossed 750 million transactions (751,062,286 as of today) with over 57.5 million Safes created across multiple chains. The protocol has emerged as crypto’s de facto standard for multisig wallets, securing billions in institutional and DAO treasuries. Safe also counts Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin among its prominent users, who revealed in May 2024 that he stores over 90% of his personal crypto holdings in a Safe multisig wallet. Vitalik has used Safe since at least 2024 for personal security, advocating for what he calls “decentralizing your own security.”

Beyond individual users, Safe has attracted major institutional adoption. Trump-backed World Liberty Financial has processed over $3.02 billion in transaction volume through the Safe smart accounts, onchain data shows. Across this period, Liberty’s Safe accounts executed 347 transactions, reflecting consistent institutional use even amid broader market shifts. The figures position Liberty as one of the largest institutional users of Safe’s onchain infrastructure to date.

This growing pattern of major institutions choosing Safe for treasury operations reinforces its position as the leading secure infrastructure layer for digital assets.

Safe’s Milestones:

  • Ethereum Foundation: $650M+ treasury secured
  • Trump-backed World Liberty Financial has processed over $3 Billion via Safe smart accounts
  • Over $65B+ in total assets stored
  • 750M transactions executed
  • 300+ networks supported
  • 200+ ecosystem projects built on the Safe smart account standard
  • 57M accounts deployed

Part of Broader “DeFiPunk” Strategy

The migration reflects the EF’s June 2025 treasury policy, which outlined plans to actively deploy treasury assets into “battle-tested, immutable, audited, permissionless protocols” while maintaining a 2.5-year operational buffer. The policy marked a shift from the Foundation’s historically conservative approach, committing to both enhance financial sustainability and support key Ethereum applications.

The treasury policy targets spending approximately 15% of treasury funds annually, gradually reducing to a sustainable 5% baseline over five years, while prioritizing security, open-source principles, and financial sovereignty aligned with what the Foundation calls “Defipunk” values.

The migration marks a powerful alignment: Ethereum’s core steward now uses the same infrastructure it supports, dogfooding the ecosystem it helps build.

Bitcoin’s First Major L2 Since Lightning Launches After Two Years of Development 180

Arkade Brings Ark Protocol to Mainnet and Announces Native Asset Framework, Marking a Pivotal Moment in Bitcoin’s Evolution as Programmable Money.

Ark Labs today launched Arkade to public beta, introducing Bitcoin’s first scaling layer for programmable finance since Lightning Network’s debut nearly a decade ago. Alongside the mainnet launch, the company announced Arkade Assets, a native asset framework designed to bring stablecoins and other tokens to Bitcoin’s execution layer, with planned Tether USDT support.

Two years after the Ark protocol announcement captured developers’ imagination, the launch represents a milestone in Bitcoin scaling innovation. While numerous layer-2 proposals emerged in recent years, most remain in research and development phases. Arkade, built on Ark’s foundation, becomes the first major initiative from this wave to deliver working mainnet infrastructure without security tradeoffs.

“The Bitcoin L2 landscape has been full of promises but light on shipping,” said Marco Argentieri, CEO of Ark Labs. “Today’s release marks the beginning of Bitcoin’s evolution as programmable money.”

Introducing Arkade Assets: Bringing Stablecoins Home to Bitcoin

In a significant expansion of Arkade’s capabilities, Ark Labs today unveiled Arkade Assets, a framework that extends Arkade’s virtualization architecture to support multiple asset types.

Arkade Assets represents an important milestone for Bitcoin’s evolution as a programmable financial platform. While stablecoins have become essential infrastructure for digital finance, with over $200 billion in circulation, most activity has migrated to alternative chains due to Bitcoin’s limited programmability. Ark Lab intends to reverse this trend.

“Tether pioneered stablecoins on Bitcoin over a decade ago, but the ecosystem lacked the infrastructure to support the sophisticated applications users demand,” said Argentieri. “Arkade finally provides that foundation. We’re building the rails to bring stablecoins back to the world’s most secure blockchain, where they belong.”

From Lightning Alternative to Application Platform

Originally positioned as an alternative to popular Bitcoin scaling solution Lightning, Ark’s virtualization approach revealed potential beyond simple offchain payments. Arkade, the protocol’s first implementation, shows how this architecture can unlock advanced financial applications with no changes to Bitcoin.

“We realized we weren’t just building another payment rail,” explained Alex Bergeron, Ecosystem Lead. “Arkade supports lending protocols, trading platforms, and smart wallets directly on Bitcoin. These are applications that were previously impossible without wrapped tokens or custodial compromises.”

Virtualizing Bitcoin to Unlock Programmable Money

Bitcoin’s $2 trillion market cap cements its status as digital gold, yet its financial services potential remains untapped. Inherent constraints at the base layer have limited the asset to a narrow set of use cases and left the financial application market open to Ethereum and other competitors.

“Arkade unlocks Bitcoin’s full potential without compromising what makes it valuable” said Argentieri. “By virtualizing Bitcoin’s transaction layer, we’re enabling developers to build directly on Bitcoin, not around it.”

Instead of changing Bitcoin’s consensus rules or creating separate chains, Arkade abstracts its fundamental building block, the UTXO, into a virtual environment where it retains Bitcoin’s security properties but gains new capabilities. All user assets are secured by presigned transactions allowing control of their funds at all times and removing the need for risky bridge infrastructure. Developers can build sophisticated financial primitives in a modern development environment: structured yield products, credit markets, and advanced derivatives systems.

Roadmap

Arkade’s public beta delivers core protocol functionality. Virtual Transaction Outputs (VTXOs) enable instant offchain execution while maintaining unilateral exit paths to Bitcoin. Batch settlement compresses thousands of operations into single Bitcoin transactions, dramatically reducing costs. Lightning Network integration through Boltz enables seamless swaps between Arkade and Lightning liquidity.

Launch partners include Breez, BTCPayServer, Boltz, BullBitcoin, Lendasat and LayerZ Wallet.

The public beta represents the beginning of a broader rollout. Ark Labs will expand Arkade’s capabilities over the coming months, adding enhanced scripting environments, additional security mechanisms, and support for more complex financial primitives.

“We’re not just launching a product. We’re establishing infrastructure for the next decade of Bitcoin development,” said Bergeron. “Every major financial application needs a programmable foundation. That’s what we’re building.”

Developers can explore Arkade at arkadeos.com and access integration documentation at docs.arkadeos.com.

About Arkade

Arkade, developed by Ark Labs, is a Bitcoin-native operating system designed to unlock trillions in idle capital and enable Bitcoin as a programmable financial platform. Combining off-chain speed with on-chain security, Arkade allows developers to build decentralized applications for payments, trading, and capital markets—such as Bitcoin-backed loans, margin trading, and derivatives like options and structured products—while preserving Bitcoin’s core principles of decentralization and user control. By eliminating the need for bridges, wrapped tokens, or custodial risks, Arkade provides instant, low-cost tools to power diverse financial interactions with native Bitcoin liquidity. Backed by investors including Draper Associates, Axiom, Fulgur Ventures, and top angel investors, Ark Labs is positioning Arkade as the decentralized backend for institutional liquidity, enabling Bitcoin to power diverse financial interactions.

ANOME Unveils AnoMEME: A Meme Token Card LaunchPad Built on ERC-404: Where Meme Tokens Become Meme Cards 151

ANOME, the Web3 ecosystem uniting NFTs, GameFi, and DeFi, today announced the upcoming launch of AnoMEME, a core subsystem within the ANOME ecosystem that redefines how meme tokens are created, used, and experienced on-chain.

In the fast-moving world of crypto, speed and creativity determine who shapes the narrative. ANOME’s AnoMEME platform is a bold answer to that challenge — a first-of-its-kind LaunchPad where meme tokens are born as playable, ownable Meme Cards, powered by the innovative ERC-404 standard that merges fungible and non-fungible functionality into a single asset class.

From Token Launches to Cultural Creation

Traditional meme-token platforms end the journey the moment a contract is deployed. AnoMEME marks the beginning of a new one.

With just a few clicks, creators can connect their wallet, name their meme, upload artwork, and deploy a fully functional ERC-404 token, instantly creating a Meme Card: a tradeable, on-chain representation of their idea that evolves as the community grows. As a fully on-chain LaunchPad,

AnoMEME lowers the barrier between token issuance and cultural participation, enabling anyone to launch a meme token in minutes, no coding required, and instantly transform it into a playable asset within the ANOME ecosystem.

Every Meme Card minted on AnoMEME is not only a token but also a game-ready asset. It can battle other Meme Cards, serve as the foundation for NFT collections, and power future gameplay mechanics: all while existing transparently and verifiably on-chain.

This is where meme creation transcends speculation: when issuing a token is no longer just issuing a token, but the beginning of creating a new world.

A New Layer of Utility, Culture, and Engagement

To maintain balance, Meme Cards will operate in a dedicated battle system separate from ANOME’s official cards. This allows creators and communities to experiment, compete, and build their own ecosystems, without impacting the core gameplay economy.

The result is a new paradigm for meme tokens: assets that are functional, interactive, and culture-driven. By combining the virality of meme tokens with on-chain utility and community-driven storytelling, AnoMEME fosters deeper user engagement, stronger liquidity potential, and continuous cultural co-creation, positioning itself at the center of the next wave of meme innovation.

Launching Soon

AnoMEME — Where Meme Tokens Become Meme Cards — is set to launch on the BNB Smart Chain in the coming weeks.

Follow @Anome_Official and visit anome.xyz to join the next evolution of the meme economy.