
The U.S. Treasury's OFAC has sanctioned seven TRON addresses linked to ATM jackpotting operations by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. According to TRM Labs, these addresses received about $6.1 million since March 2022 and are all hosted on centralized exchanges, making it easier to identify the actual account holders. U.S. officials say the gang has carried out over 1,500 ATM attacks as of August 2025, causing roughly $40.73 million in losses. Some funds were also moved to addresses tied to another money laundering network, involving about $35 million.
2026-10-01

Lloyds Banking Group completed a seven-day stablecoin settlement pilot with Visa, using USDC to settle a $750,000 cross-border payment obligation. Funds reached Visa in under an hour, including over the weekend. Lloyds bought USDC through UK-regulated exchange Archax and ran its own node on the Canton Network, while Visa supported settlement on a separate public blockchain. The pilot aimed to test whether stablecoins can enable round-the-clock settlement and improve visibility into fund arrival, rather than change how customers make payments.
2026-10-01

Tether announced on September 28 that it has helped freeze roughly $550 million in Iran-linked USDT in 2026. In April, it froze over $344 million across two addresses based on information from the U.S. Treasury's OFAC, and in July it froze more than $130 million in four TRON wallets. OFAC later added the addresses to its sanctions list tied to Iran's central bank, the IRGC, and Hezbollah. Tether says its total frozen funds from global law enforcement cooperation now exceed $4.9 billion, with its CEO stressing that USDT is no safe haven for sanctioned actors.
2026-09-28

Circle Internet Group announced two executive changes: co-founder P. Sean Neville has resigned from the board effective immediately, reducing board membership from eight to seven, while CFO Jeremy Fox-Geen plans to leave by the end of 2026, with the company already engaging a search firm for his successor. According to an 8-K filing dated September 25, both stated their departures were not due to any disagreement over company operations, policies, or practices. Fox-Geen will remain CFO through December 31 and will receive $1.05 million under a post-departure agreement. Following the news, Circle's stock (CRCL) fell in after-hours trading.
2026-09-28

Circle has landed a $100 million investment from Binance and signed a five-year commercial deal to expand USDC distribution, intensifying its rivalry with Tether in the stablecoin market. Binance bought about 1.24 million Circle Class A shares at $80.84 each and agreed to a two-year lockup on selling or hedging. The deal also includes monthly incentives from Circle tied to USDC balances. Data shows USDC spot markets on Binance grew from 140 to 329, with monthly trading volume jumping from roughly $20–40 billion to over $80 billion.
2026-09-27

Tether has confirmed it holds assets with offshore banking partner EQIBank but says the exposure amounts to less than 0.034% of its total assets. U.S. prosecutors are seeking to forfeit roughly $84.2 million in accounts and crypto assets tied to Capstone, while EQIBank says the approximately $89 million seized represents about 80% of its monetary assets. A federal judge has denied EQIBank's motion to recover the funds. Tether says it was unaware of Capstone's alleged conduct, and its June reserves report showed total assets of $187.75 billion with $4.11 billion in excess reserves.
2026-09-25

Chainalysis's 2026 Global Crypto Adoption Index shows cross-border stablecoin flows hit $220.3 billion in the year to June 30, 2026, up 77.5% year-over-year, with monthly volumes doubling from $11 billion to $24 billion and an average transfer of about $3,000—signaling commercial trade rather than speculation. The growth came even as total crypto market cap fell 37%, while overall on-chain activity contracted just 1.6%. The top 25% of corridors account for 96.1% of transaction value, raising systemic risk concerns. Brazil topped the adoption index, underscoring how emerging markets are embracing stablecoins for practical needs amid capital controls and currency devaluation.
2026-09-25

Solana-based stablecoins can now be used to book flights with more than 300 airlines worldwide through crypto travel platform Nomadz, which previously supported hotel bookings. Payments are settled primarily in USDC via Solana Pay infrastructure. Nomadz acts as a crypto-friendly booking layer between travelers and airlines, with users paying in stablecoins while the actual tickets remain standard bookings. The platform is offering zero fees for the first 30 days. This follows similar integrations from Cryptorefills and Emirates' direct Crypto.com Pay support, expanding Solana's real-world payment use cases.
2026-09-24

TRON-based MeshWallet has closed a $10 million private funding round backed by individual investors and small family offices. The self-custodial wallet lets users send TRC20 USDT without holding TRX, with fees settled in USDT. The funds will go toward product development and growing its user base, targeting both individual senders and businesses that rely on frequent stablecoin payments. TRON has become one of the largest USDT settlement networks, processing $2.1 trillion in USDT transfers in Q2 2026.
2026-09-24

Binance acquired 1.24 million Class A common shares of Circle at $80.84 per share through a private placement worth roughly $100 million, with the deal closing on September 17. The two companies also signed a five-year commercial agreement under which Circle will pay Binance monthly incentives based on USDC balances held on its platform and modular smart contract wallets, while Binance will promote USDC across its platform. Binance is barred from selling, transferring, or hedging the shares for two years but retains voting rights. The new agreement replaces earlier arrangements from November 2024 and August 2025.
2026-09-22