Affirm, the payment network known for its “honest financial products,” has partnered with Virgin Media O2 to provide flexible financing options for the telecom giant’s UK customer base.
The collaboration marks a significant expansion for Affirm just one year after its entry into the UK market. The partnership will see Affirm’s payment technology integrated into Virgin Media O2’s sales channels, offering consumers transparency and choice when purchasing mobile phones, headphones, games consoles, and other hardware.
Flexible financing without the hidden fees
Chris Bournes, commercial director at Virgin Media O2
Under the new agreement, both new and existing O2 customers will be able to access a range of monthly payment plans. Affirm emphasizes that its model differs from traditional credit cards by eliminating compound interest and ensuring customers are never charged late or hidden fees.
At checkout, approved customers will be presented with clear pay-over-time options, displaying the total cost upfront. This approach aims to align with the financial needs of modern consumers who increasingly demand predictability in their outgoings.
Chris Bournes, commercial director at Virgin Media O2, commented on the customer-centric focus of the deal: “Providing our customers with choice and flexibility is at the core of Virgin Media O2’s offering. We want to help our customers access the devices they want with an affordable, clear, and convenient payment option that truly works for them. Through our partnership with Affirm, we’ll do just that – empowering our customers by giving them even more choice to pay for their handset via a flexible service they can trust.”
Expanding the SIM-free market
Ruth Spratt, UK country manager at Affirm
For Virgin Media O2, the partnership provides a strategic opportunity to expand its offering in the SIM-free market, complementing its existing portfolio of Pay Monthly Handset Bundles and SIM Only options.
Ruth Spratt, UK country manager at Affirm, highlighted the scale of the opportunity: “Virgin Media O2 plays a central role in the daily lives of millions of people across the UK. We’re proud to partner with them to bring our honest, flexible and longer pay-over-time options to more customers. As more businesses look to improve the way people pay, Affirm provides a solution that puts transparency, trust and convenience at the centre of the experience.”
The service is expected to become available to Virgin Media O2 customers later this summer, subject to regulatory approval.
The announcement was included in Affirm’s latest earnings report, signaling a robust first year of operations in the UK. Since launching, the US-headquartered fintech has sought to disrupt the local credit market by offering a transparent alternative to traditional revolving credit products.
Affirm is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK.
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Even as Bitcoin (BTC) struggles with weak price performance and heightened volatility over the past month, Brazil’s House of Representatives is signaling a markedly different long‑term outlook. Lawmakers are once again exploring the creation of a national Bitcoin reserve that could eventually hold as many as 1 million BTC.
Brazil’s Bitcoin Reserve Proposal
The renewed push comes through Bill No. 4,501 of 2024, which lays out the framework for establishing what would be called the Sovereign Strategic Reserve of Bitcoins, or RESBit.
The proposal seeks to formally integrate Bitcoin into Brazil’s broader financial strategy, positioning the cryptocurrency as a component of the country’s national reserves. The initiative is associated with Federal Deputy Luiz Gastão, while the bill itself is authored by Federal Deputy Eros Biondini.
Lawmakers argue that holding BTC could help shield Brazil’s international reserves from currency volatility and geopolitical risks. In addition, the reserve would support the development and credibility of Brazil’s central bank digital currency (CBDC), the Digital Real—also known as Drex—by providing an additional layer of backing.
The proposal sets a clear limit on the scale of the initiative. RESBit would be capped at up to 5% of Brazil’s international reserves, and any purchases would be carried out gradually under a structured acquisition plan.
The bill emphasizes that the program must adhere strictly to the country’s Fiscal Responsibility Law, ensuring that Bitcoin purchases do not jeopardize public accounts or fiscal stability.
Broader Blockchain Strategy
The Bitcoin bill also proposes the formation of a specialized advisory committee composed of experts in digital economy, blockchain technology, and cybersecurity. It also allows for the creation of inter‑institutional working groups to coordinate implementation and oversight.
But beyond reserve management, the proposal outlines broader measures designed to strengthen Brazil’s digital asset ecosystem. The text envisions educational initiatives and workforce training programs focused on blockchain and digital security, including the training of public servants.
It also encourages the development of startups in the crypto and blockchain sectors and calls for investment in robust technological infrastructure to support innovation and secure operations.
Supporters of the bill argue that the concept draws on international precedents. The author cites examples such as El Salvador, the United States, China, Dubai, and the European Union, where governments have incorporated cryptocurrencies or blockchain technology into public policy in varying ways.
According to the proposal’s rationale, integrating digital assets into national strategies can promote financial inclusion, attract investment, strengthen technological capabilities, and offer additional protection against exchange‑rate shocks.
The bill’s backers also point to Brazil’s strong domestic adoption of cryptocurrencies as a foundation for leadership in the region. They contend that a strategic Bitcoin reserve could position the country at the forefront of digital finance in Latin America.
The 1-D chart shows BTC’s recovery on Friday toward $69,000. Source: BTCUSDT on TradingView.com
As of this writing, BTC has surged to the upper limit of its consolidation range, reaching $69,000. It has registered gains of 5% within the last 24 hours.
Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com
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Bitcoin investors are being forced to rethink why they hold the asset as inflation data cools, according to Bitcoin entrepreneur Anthony Pompliano.
“I think the challenge for Bitcoin investors, can you hold an asset when there is not high inflation in your face on a day-to-day basis?” Pompliano said during an interview with Fox Business on Thursday. “Can you still believe in what Bitcoin’s value proposition is, which is that it’s a finite-supply asset. If they print money, Bitcoin is going higher,” he said.
“Bitcoin and gold are great long-term things,” he said. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) fell to 2.4% in January from 2.7% in December, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, Mark Zandi, Moody’s chief economist, recently told CNBC that inflation “looks better on paper than in reality.”
Anthony Pompliano spoke to Charles Payne on Fox Business on Thursday. Source: Fox Business
Bitcoin (BTC) is typically seen as a hedge against inflation because only 21 million coins will ever exist. When central banks increase the money supply and the value of fiat currencies declines, investors often turn to perceived riskier assets, such as Bitcoin, to protect their purchasing power.
Bitcoin sentiment has reached multi-year lows
It comes as sentiment for Bitcoin has reached multi-year lows not seen since June 2022, with the Crypto Fear & Greed Index, which measures overall crypto market sentiment, posting an “Extreme Fear” score of 9 in its Saturday update.
Bitcoin is down 28.14% over the past 30 days. Source: CoinMarketCap
Bitcoin is trading at $68,850 at the time of publication, down 28.62% over the past 30 days, according to CoinMarketCap.
US dollar devaluation will be covered up by “monetary slingshot”
Pompliano said the macro environment could create short-term volatility for Bitcoin before it resumes its upward trajectory.
“We’re going get deflationary-type forces in the short term, people are going to ask to print money and to drop interest rates,” he said.
He explained that this will lead to the devaluation of the US dollar, though the effect won’t be immediately visible.
Related: Bitcoin ETFs bleed $410M as Standard Chartered slashes BTC target
“The currency is going to be devalued at a time where deflation covers up the impact, so I call it a monetary slingshot,” Pompiano said.
Pompliano forecasted that the Federal Reserve will continue to expand the money supply to “deal with inflation,” but as the dollar faces further devaluation, he expects Bitcoin to become “more valuable than ever.”
The US dollar index, which tracks the dollar’s strength against a basket of major currencies, is down 2.32% over the past 30 days and is trading at $96.88, according to TradingView.
Magazine: Bitcoin’s ‘biggest bull catalyst’ would be Saylor’s liquidation: Santiment founder
Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently. Read our Editorial Policy https://cointelegraph.com/editorial-policy
The payments represent an 85% year-over-year increase, according to the report.
Cryptocurrency payments tied to suspected human trafficking services rose 85% in 2025, reaching hundreds of millions of dollars, according to a new report from Chainalysis.
Much of the activity is linked to groups operating in Southeast Asia, the report said, adding that nearly half of transactions from Telegram-based “international escort” services were for over $10,000.
Researchers also found that most payments in these networks were made using stablecoins, while other categories, such as CSAM vendors, used more Bitcoin or privacy coins (specifically Monero) for laundering. “Instant exchangers, which provide rapid and anonymous cryptocurrency swapping without KYC requirements, play a crucial role in this process,” the report reads.
The findings underscore how trafficking networks (and illicit actors in general) are increasingly relying on cryptocurrency to move funds faster and operate around the world.
Chainalysis looked at several types of activity, including escort services, recruitment agents tied to forced labor, prostitution, and vendors selling child pornography. The firm also found payments spanning the Americas, Europe, and Australia.
Still, despite the rise in activity, the firm said cryptocurrency use could also help investigators because of its transparency, making it easier for authorities to trace funds and identify both suspicious and known patterns in pricing. “Standardized pricing models create identifiable transaction patterns that investigators and compliance teams can use to detect suspicious activity at scale,” the report reads.
Looking ahead, Chainalysis said trafficking networks will likely keep evolving their tactics, but better pattern-recognition tools and efficient cooperation between crypto companies and authorities could help detect and disrupt these operations.
Ripple pushes the Federal Reserve to modernize payment account rules to support stablecoin issuers, arguing targeted reforms could strengthen dollar dominance, reduce systemic risk and accelerate compliant digital asset integration into U.S. financial infrastructure. Ripple Urges Fed to Modify Payment Account Framework for Stablecoin Issuers Regulatory engagement around digital assets continues to expand as companies […]
Lightning Labs has released a new open-source toolkit designed to allow AI agents to operate directly on the Bitcoin Lightning Network, providing autonomous systems with a native way to make payments and access services.
The company says the tools address a key gap in the emerging AI economy: enabling agents to transact without human intervention.
Michael Levin, Lightning Labs’ Head of Product Growth, explained that the toolkit allows AI systems to run a Lightning node, pay for services, and host paid endpoints without needing identity verification, API keys, or traditional registration.
The repository includes seven modular features, covering tasks such as node management, key isolation, scoped credentials, L402-based payments, paid endpoint hosting, and querying the state of a node.
‘Inget’ — your bitcoin payments agent
A central feature of the release is lnget, a command-line HTTP client that works with the L402 payment standard. L402 is based on the internet’s HTTP 402 “Payment Required” status code. Instead of requiring a login or API key, an L402-enabled server responds to a request with a Lightning invoice.
lnget automatically reads the invoice, pays it through a connected Lightning backend, and retrieves cryptographic proof of payment. The agent can then access the requested resource, and subsequent requests reuse cached credentials.
The tools support several Lightning backends. Users can connect directly to a local lnd node via gRPC, use Lightning Node Connect for encrypted tunnel access, or experiment with an embedded Neutrino light wallet.
This flexibility allows developers to experiment without running a full Lightning node, while maintaining compatibility with production setups.
Lightning Labs frames the launch as a step toward a “machine-payable web.” Traditional financial systems such as credit cards or bank accounts do not work well for autonomous agents, which need instant, programmatic payments often at very small values.
The combination of lnget on the client side and Lightning Labs’ Aperture reverse proxy on the server side enables a full commerce loop: one agent can host a paid service, and another can consume it, with Lightning handling the payment behind the scenes.
Private key security
The toolkit emphasizes security. Lightning Labs recommends using LND remote signer architecture, which separates private key storage from node operations. The agent can interact with the node without ever directly accessing private keys.
Developers can also use scoped credentials called macaroons, which grant limited permissions such as pay-only, invoice-only, or read-only, reducing risk while allowing agents to transact safely.
Lightning Labs’ release comes as broader efforts to enable AI payments gain traction.
Coinbase recently unveiled Agentic Wallets, allowing agents to hold funds, make payments, and trade tokens using the x402 protocol, while Stripe has previewed machine payments for USDC.
Brazilian lawmakers have reintroduced a bill to create a national Strategic Sovereign Bitcoin Reserve, known as RESBit, proposing the gradual acquisition of one million bitcoins over five years.
The bill, presented by Federal Deputy Luiz Gastão (PSD/CE), outlines a comprehensive framework to integrate Bitcoin into the country’s financial strategy and diversify national reserves.
The proposed legislation establishes several guidelines for RESBit. First, the plan calls for a gradual accumulation of at least 1,000,000 BTC over five years. It prohibits the sale of bitcoins seized by Brazilian judicial authorities, ensuring that these assets remain within public control.
The bill also allows for the collection of Brazil’s federal taxes in Bitcoin and offers incentives for public companies to engage in Bitcoin mining and storage.
Transparency is a central feature of the proposal. The bill mandates public disclosure of RESBit’s bitcoin holdings through internet-based platforms, enabling auditing by the public.
It emphasizes secure storage of digital assets using technologies such as cold wallets, multisignature wallets, and other internationally recognized mechanisms.
In addition, the legislation permits temporary holdings of spot ETFs backed by bitcoin in the reserve portfolio, subject to urgent and limited circumstances.
If approved, Brazil could join a small group of countries actively holding Bitcoin at a national level, potentially surpassing major holders like the United States and China.
JUS T IN: Brazil’s Congress reintroduces bill to create a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, allowing the country to acquire up to 1 million 🚀 pic.twitter.com/jjsaSwy1jZ
Other countries like Brazil exploring Bitcoin reserves
Quite famously, El Salvador holds the mantle as the ‘world’s first country’ with a strategic Bitcoin reserve, reporting over 7,560 Bitcoin under President Nayib Bukele’s program.
Despite scaling back mandatory Bitcoin acceptance under IMF agreements, the government has maintained regular purchases, citing long-term financial sovereignty and reserve diversification. The National Bitcoin Office now splits holdings across multiple addresses to bolster security and transparency.
The Central American nation’s approach has inspired policymakers worldwide. In the United States, the BITCOIN Act of 2025 proposed somewhat of a federal strategic Bitcoin reserve, while several states, including New Hampshire and Arizona, have passed or proposed laws allowing portions of public funds to be invested in digital assets.
President Trump’s March 2025 executive order further directed federal agencies to explore Bitcoin accumulation from seized assets without new taxpayer costs.
In Europe, the Czech National Bank has a similar allocation in bitcoin, while Switzerland sees a citizen-led initiative proposing a constitutional mandate for Bitcoin holdings.
Hong Kong, Ukraine, and Pakistan are also exploring frameworks to hold Bitcoin at the national level, with Pakistan pledging never to sell its future reserves.
Crypto companies and platforms that provide stablecoin rewards have become a major point of contention in the CLARITY crypto market structure bill.
The banking industry should not be threatened by crypto companies offering stablecoin yield to customers, and both sides must compromise on the issue, according to White House crypto adviser Patrick Witt.
Witt said it was “unfortunate” that the issue of stablecoin yield has become a major point of contention between the crypto industry and banks, adding that crypto service providers sharing yield with customers does not threaten the banking industry’s business model or market share. He told Yahoo Finance:
“They can also offer stablecoin products to their customers, just the same as crypto. This is not an unfair advantage in either way, and many banks are now applying for OCC bank charters themselves to start offering bank-like products to their customers.
White House crypto adviser Patrick Witt provides an update on the CLARITY bill negotiations. Source: Yahoo Finance
In the future, I don’t think this is going to be an issue,” he continued, adding, “I think they’re going to find opportunities to use these products and leverage them and offer new products to their customers and expand their businesses.”
The ability of crypto service providers and platforms to offer rewards to customers who hold stablecoins has emerged as one of the most significant pain points for the industry, contributing to delays in passing the CLARITY market structure bill.
Related: White House crypto bill talks ‘productive,’ but no deal yet
Time is running out on passing the CLARITY Act, Witt and others warn
The proposed CLARITY Act establishes clear regulatory jurisdiction over crypto markets between the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and also creates an asset taxonomy for cryptocurrencies.
However, government officials and industry executives have warned that the looming 2026 US midterm elections could derail efforts to pass it into law and threaten to roll back crypto regulations established by the administration of US President Donald Trump.
“I think if the Democrats were to take the House, which is far from my best case, then the prospects of getting a deal done will just fall apart,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Friday.
“There’s a window here. The window is still open, but it is rapidly closing,” Witt said, adding that the White House Crypto Council is aiming to have the CLARITY Act signed into law before the midterms “take all of the oxygen out of the room.”
Magazine: How crypto laws changed in 2025 — and how they’ll change in 2026
Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently. Read our Editorial Policy https://cointelegraph.com/editorial-policy
U.S. markets saw a rotation into risk assets today and crypto-linked stocks, like Coinbase and Strategy, led some of the brightest gains of the day’s session. Even as broader indexes such as the Dow and S&P 500 traded mixed on inflation and economic data, digital-asset exposure helped certain high-beta names outperform.
Coinbase (COIN) was among the standout performers. COIN surged more than 18% on the day, finishing well ahead of most traditional technology stocks as traders “bought the dip” in crypto exposure.
The daily gain came despite a difficult earnings backdrop: Coinbase reported a $666.7 million Q4 2025 loss, its first in several quarters, driven by lower trading revenue as crypto volumes sagged.
Long-term revenue lines like subscription and services — particularly stablecoin revenue — showed strength, helping cushion sentiment.
Over the last couple of months, Coinbase shares have slid as the broader crypto market weakened and analysts grew more cautious.
Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded $COIN from buy to neutral, setting a $120 price target and warning of downside risk tied to softer market conditions.
The stock has struggled in early 2026, falling roughly 34% year-to-date as Bitcoin dropped about 30% in the past month and altcoins posted even steeper losses. Lower crypto prices have reduced trading volumes, squeezing one of Coinbase’s main revenue drivers.
Meanwhile, CEO Brian Armstrong sold more than 1.5 million shares worth about $545 million, calling it a diversification move.
Strategy’s (MSTR) strong day
Strategy (MSTR) also posted notable upside on the day, with shares rising around 10% in line with a rebound in Bitcoin prices. Strategy shares have swung dramatically alongside bitcoin’s price, falling hard during the broader crypto sell-off before rebounding later into the week as markets stabilized.
Despite the turbulence, Strategy is staying committed to adding to its bitcoin treasury. The firm disclosed another purchase of more than 1,100 BTC this week, spending roughly $90 million at an average price near the high-$70,000 range.
Strategy also announced its latest earnings results, which reflected the risks of its bitcoin-heavy balance sheet.
The company posted a multi-billion dollar quarterly loss, largely tied to mark-to-market declines on its bitcoin holdings, underscoring how price downturns can heavily impact reported financial performance even as the firm maintains a long-term holding posture.
Executive Chairman Michael Saylor continued to publicly defend the strategy, reiterating that the company does not intend to sell bitcoin through downturns and arguing that Strategy is positioned to withstand extended volatility in Bitcoin’s price.
Other crypto-related stocks saw gains as well today, with Circle (CRCL) climbing roughly 7% and Galaxy Digital (GLXY) rising 6.5%, continuing the sector’s upward momentum.
BlackRock made its first formal move into decentralized finance this week, listing its tokenized Treasury fund on Uniswap, with Bitcoin and Ether staging only modest rebounds amid heavy ETF outflows.
Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) each rose about 2.5% during the past week but were unable to cross key psychological levels due to mixed exchange-traded fund (ETF) flows and crypto investor sentiment sinking to record lows.
Bitcoin ETFs started the week with two consecutive days of inflows, but they quickly reversed with $276 million in outflows on Wednesday and $410 million on Thursday.
Ether ETFs saw similar flows, with two modest days of inflows, followed by $129 million in outflows on Wednesday and $113 million on Thursday, according to Farside Investors data.
In a silver lining to the correction, Bitcoin’s sharp drawdown to $59,930 may have marked a critical “halfway point” in the current bear market, as markets are now sitting at a critical inflection point that will determine the relevance of the four-year cycle theory, according to Kaiko Research.
Despite sliding crypto valuations, large institutions continue exploring cryptocurrency adoption, including the world’s largest asset manager, BlackRock, which announced its first foray into decentralized finance (DeFi) on Wednesday.
Bitcoin ETF inflows, in USD million. Source: Farside Investors
BlackRock enters DeFi, taps Uniswap for institutional token trading
Asset management giant BlackRock is making its first formal move into decentralized finance by bringing its tokenized US Treasury fund to Uniswap, marking a milestone moment for institutional adoption of DeFi.
According to a Wednesday announcement, BlackRock’s USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL) will be listed on the Uniswap decentralized exchange, allowing institutional investors to buy and sell the tokenized security.
As part of the arrangement, BlackRock is also purchasing an undisclosed amount of Uniswap’s native governance token, UNI, the announcement said.
The collaboration is being facilitated by tokenization company Securitize, which partnered with the world’s biggest asset manager on the launch of BUIDL.
According to Fortune, trading will initially be limited to a select group of eligible institutional investors and market makers before expanding more broadly.
“For the first time, institutions and whitelisted investors can access technology from a leader in the decentralized finance space to trade tokenized real-world assets like BUIDL with self-custody,” said Securitize CEO Carlos Domingo.
Source: Securitize
BUIDL is the biggest tokenized money market fund, with more than $2.18 billion in total assets, according to data compiled by RWA.xyz. The fund is issued across multiple blockchains, including Ethereum, Solana, BNB Chain, Aptos and Avalanche.
In December, BUIDL reached a key milestone, surpassing $100 million in cumulative distributions from its Treasury holdings.
BlackRock’s BUIDL metrics. Source: RWA.xyz
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Trump family’s WLFI plans FX and remittance platform: Report
World Liberty Financial (WLFI), a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform backed by the family of US President Donald Trump, announced on Thursday that it will launch foreign currency exchange (FX) and remittance services for its users.
The planned foreign exchange and remittance platform, called World Swap, seeks to challenge traditional remittance and FX service providers with lower fees and a simplified user interface, according to Reuters.
Daily global FX trading volume surpassed $9.6 trillion in April 2025, according to a report from the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), and the personal remittances market topped $892 billion in annual volume in 2024, according to data from the World Bank.
Annual remittances volume from 1970 to 2024. Source: World Bank
No exact timeline was given for the rollout. Cointelegraph reached out to World Liberty Financial but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
The expansion into FX and remittances follows WLFI’s application for a national trust bank charter in January and the launch of World Liberty Markets, a lending platform, as WLFI continues to grow while attracting scrutiny from Democratic lawmakers in the US.
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Uniswap scores early win as US judge dismisses Bancor patent suit
A New York federal judge dismissed a patent infringement lawsuit brought by Bancor-affiliated entities against Uniswap, ruling that the asserted patents claim abstract ideas and are not eligible for protection under US patent law.
In a memorandum opinion and order on Tuesday, Judge John G. Koeltl of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York granted the defendant’s motion to dismiss the complaint filed by Bprotocol Foundation and LocalCoin Ltd. against Universal Navigation Inc. and the Uniswap Foundation.
The court found that the patents are directed to the abstract idea of calculating crypto exchange rates and therefore fail the two-step test for patent eligibility established by the US Supreme Court.
The ruling marks a procedural win for Uniswap, but it is not final. The case was dismissed without prejudice, giving the plaintiffs 21 days to file an amended complaint. If no amended complaint is filed, the dismissal will convert to one with prejudice.
Shortly after the ruling, Uniswap founder Hayden Adams wrote on X, “A lawyer just told me we won.”
“Uniswap Labs has always been proud to build in public — it’s a core value of DeFi,” a Uniswap Labs spokesperson told Cointelegraph. “We’re pleased that the court recognized that this lawsuit was meritless.”
Source: Hayden Adams
Cointelegraph reached out to representatives of Bprotocol Foundation for comment but had not received a response by publication.
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Binance completes $1 billion Bitcoin conversion for SAFU emergency fund
Binance completed the $1 billion Bitcoin conversion for its emergency fund, committing to holding Bitcoin as its core reserve asset.
Binance purchased another $304 million worth of Bitcoin (BTC) on Thursday, completing the conversion of $1 billion in Bitcoin for its Secure Asset Fund for Users (SAFU) wallet, according to Arkham data.
The fund now holds 15,000 Bitcoin, worth over $1 billion, acquired at an average aggregate cost basis of $67,000 per coin, Binance said in a Thursday X post.
“With SAFU Fund now fully in Bitcoin, we reinforce our belief in BTC as the premier long-term reserve asset.”
The last tranche of BTC came three days after Binance’s previous $300 million acquisition on Monday.
Binance SAFU Fund wallet. Source: Arkham
The exchange first announced it would convert its $1 billion user protection fund into Bitcoin on Jan. 30, initially pledging a 30-day window for the acquisitions, which were completed in less than two weeks.
The exchange said it would rebalance the fund if volatility pushes its value below $800 million.
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Vitalik draws line between “real DeFi” and centralized yield stablecoins
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin drew a clear boundary around what he considers “real” decentralized finance (DeFi), pushing back against yield-driven stablecoin strategies that he says fail to meaningfully transform risk.
In a discussion on X, Buterin said that DeFi derives its value from changing how risk is allocated and managed, not simply from generating yield on centralized assets.
Buterin’s comments come amid renewed scrutiny over DeFi’s dominant use cases, particularly in lending markets built around fiat-backed stablecoins like USDC (USDC).
While he did not name specific protocols, Buterin took aim at what he described as “USDC yield” products, saying they depend heavily on centralized issuers while offering little reduction in issuer or counterparty risk.
Source: Vitalik Buterin
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DeFi market overview
According to data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView, most of the 100 largest cryptocurrencies by market capitalization ended the week in the green.
The Pippin (PIPPIN) token rose 195% as the week’s biggest gainer in the top 100, followed by the Humanity Protocol (H) token, up 57% during the past week.
Total value locked in DeFi. Source: DefiLlama
Thanks for reading our summary of this week’s most impactful DeFi developments. Join us next Friday for more stories, insights and education regarding this dynamically advancing space.
