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SoFi is launching a 24/7 banking hub that blends traditional cash with crypto

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SoFi is launching a 24/7 banking hub that blends traditional cash with crypto

SoFi said Thursday it is launching a new business banking platform designed to let companies handle both traditional money and crypto in one place, as it pushes deeper into digital assets.

The service, called SoFi Big Business Banking, allows firms to hold U.S. dollars, convert them into stablecoins and move funds around the clock, all within SoFi’s regulated bank.

Today, companies operating in crypto often rely on a patchwork of providers: a bank for cash, a separate firm for stablecoins and another for custody. Moving money between them can take hours or days. SoFi said it is trying to simplify that.

“To be competitive, businesses today must operate… 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” SoFi CEO Anthony Noto said in a press release, contrasting the platform with traditional banking hours.

Under the new system, a trading firm could deposit dollars at SoFi, convert them into a digital token like SoFiUSD and deploy that capital instantly into markets, without waiting for bank wires to clear. Funds can also move back into dollars just as quickly.

The platform includes large crypto firms as early partners, including Cumberland, Wintermute, Galaxy (GLXY), BitGo (BTGO) and CoinDesk parent company Bullish (BLSH). These companies, which handle trading, liquidity and asset custody, are expected to use the system to move money and settle transactions more efficiently.

A central piece of the offering is SoFiUSD, a stablecoin that can be created and redeemed inside the bank. Unlike many stablecoins issued outside the U.S. banking system, SoFi’s version is tied directly to a regulated balance sheet, with reserves held internally.

The platform will also use blockchain networks, including Solana (SOL), to process transactions.

The launch reflects a broader shift in finance, as banks and crypto firms move closer together.

Instead of operating as separate systems, companies are increasingly trying to merge traditional banking with blockchain-based infrastructure. If successful, SoFi’s approach could reduce the need for multiple intermediaries and make it easier for large firms to move money globally.

Crypto’s Future Depends on Payments

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Crypto’s Future Depends on Payments

For most of its life, crypto has been sold through movement. Prices surged, prices crashed, and each cycle promised that mass adoption was finally close. Maksym Sakharov, Group CEO of WeFi, argues that this obsession with speculation brought attention, but also kept the industry looking in the wrong direction for too long.

Maksym believes the next stage will be decided somewhere less glamorous but far more useful: payments. That view lines up with the size of the market itself. Payments revenue could reach $3 trillion by 2029, and the average cost of sending remittances globally is still 6.49% of the amount sent.

The market has spent too long chasing noise

Sakharov says the sector spent years chasing institutional money from Wall Street and Silicon Valley. Though his point is not that institutional interest was a mistake. It is that the pursuit of ETFs, regulated custody, and high-net-worth capital pulled focus away from the places where crypto was already being used to solve real problems.

That reading is also closer to what gave birth to crypto in the first place. Bitcoin presented the idea as a peer-to-peer electronic cash system, built so online payments could move directly from one party to another without a financial institution in the middle. Sakharov’s view is that the industry drifted away from that foundation when volatility and trading became the dominant story.

That argument carries more weight today because adoption is not a purely Western story anymore. Researchers track countries with distinct use cases taking hold, highlighting markets such as India, Nigeria, Vietnam, and Ukraine. Drivers there include remittances, savings, commerce, and investment.

Maksym Sakharov’s view is that the most meaningful growth is happening where people need money to move cleanly across borders, or need a more stable place to hold value. He points to freelancers, small merchants, and households using digital assets for remittances, payments, and savings in unstable economies. And he frames that activity as a sign of maturity.

Payments are where utility shows up

That is why Sakharov puts cross-border payments at the center of the conversation. In his recent interview, he said traditional transfers can take three to six business days and may cost upwards of 5% to 10% once several intermediary banks are involved. Stablecoin-based transfers, he argued, can cut both the delay and the cost sharply.

The institutions are moving in the same direction, saying stablecoins have real potential to make international payments faster and cheaper, especially for cross-border transfers and remittances. However policymakers still need to manage risks around capital flows, transparency, and financial stability.

Sakharov’s version is more grounded in daily behavior. He says people should not need to understand blockchain to benefit from it. If money arrives faster, costs less to send, and can be spent without friction, the technology has done its job.

That is a useful way to think about crypto in 2026. For years, the industry asked people to believe first and use later. Payments invert that logic. People do not need a theory of digital assets to send money home, pay a contractor abroad, or protect savings from a weak local currency.

Familiar rails matter more than crypto slang

WeFi’s pitch is built around that idea. On its website, the company describes its product as a deobanking platform that combines global payments, yield, ATM withdrawals, and non-custodial control. Sakharov says the interface should feel cleaner than a modern banking app, with the technical complexity kept behind the scenes.

Maksym also says the model depends on stablecoin on- and off-ramps, distributed custody, and compliance designed into the platform from the start. That last point is central to his argument. He doesn’t see compliance as a brake on adoption, but as part of the product itself, because users trust systems that feel both simple and safe.

The company has reinforced that payments focus with senior talent. In November 2025, WeFi hired former Visa executive Michael Batuev as global head of payments to help expand its infrastructure across Europe and Asia–Pacific. Batuev’s background in mobile, contactless, and peer-to-peer payments gives that move a clear strategic logic.

Adoption arrives through ordinary transactions

Sakharov makes a point that many crypto executives still resist. Mainstream adoption, in his view, will not come from crypto-native spending alone. It will come when digital assets are used for bills, payroll, subscriptions, and other routine financial tasks that people barely think about once they work.

That helps explain why he describes WeFi’s own growth in practical terms. In January, the platform had passed 150,000 users across more than 80 countries. Maksym linked that traction to demand for borderless tools for payments, savings, and day-to-day money management. People signed up because the tools solved daily problems.

Market attention has followed, even if that is not the heart of the story. As of the time of publication, WFI’s live market cap was at about $190 million. The number will move with the market, but the more important point is that product usage and token economics are still tightly linked in crypto businesses.

Sakharov’s larger claim is that crypto has already spent enough time proving it can attract attention. The harder task now is proving it can behave like money. That means settlement that works, interfaces people trust, and compliance built in.

If that shift happens, the industry will not need to keep selling a future that always seems one cycle away. It will have something better: a financial tool people use because it helps them move, save, and spend money with less friction. Payments may sound mundane next to crypto’s louder narratives, but that is exactly why they matter.

Scribble Rethinking Distribution and AI-Driven Discovery in Web3

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Scribble Rethinking Distribution and AI-Driven Discovery in Web3

As the Web3 ecosystem continues to evolve, one of the biggest challenges faced by blockchain projects is not innovation, but distribution. While protocols continue to improve in terms of scalability, infrastructure, and security, many still struggle to reach the right audience and communicate their value effectively.

Traditional marketing methods such as paid advertisements, influencer promotions, and short-term campaigns often create temporary spikes in visibility but fail to build long-term awareness. This results in a recurring problem where projects continuously spend on marketing without creating lasting impact.

Scribble emerges in this context as a platform designed to solve the distribution problem in Web3 by leveraging creators and structured campaigns. More recently, ScribbleAI builds on top of this foundation to address a second major shift: how discovery itself is changing in the age of artificial intelligence.

Scribble: Solving Distribution Through Creator-Led Grants

At its core, Scribble is a Web3-native platform that helps projects distribute their message through creator-driven campaigns. Instead of relying on centralized marketing teams or one-off influencer posts, Scribble enables projects to launch structured grant programs that incentivize creators to produce content.

Creators produce content across multiple platforms such as Reddit, X (formerly Twitter), Medium, Blogs, and forums.

This model shifts marketing from being top-down to community-driven. Instead of passive consumption, users actively participate in explaining, analyzing, and promoting a project.

A key aspect of Scribble’s approach is its focus on quality and structure. Content is not rewarded purely based on reach, but on clarity, depth, and engagement. This encourages creators to genuinely understand the project before writing about it, leading to more meaningful and informative content.

Scribble has already worked with over 100 Web3 projects and distributed $450k in rewards to creators, indicating strong demand for this model.

Why Distribution in Web3 Is Still Broken

Despite the presence of various marketing tools, most Web3 projects face similar challenges:

  • Short-lived visibility: Paid campaigns and influencer posts lose traction quickly
  • Fragmented content: Information is spread across platforms without structure
  • Low retention of knowledge: Content disappears into timelines and feeds
  • Lack of depth: Many campaigns prioritize reach over understanding

The result is a system where projects are constantly reintroducing themselves to new users instead of building a cumulative knowledge base.

This is where Scribble provides a significant advantage. By organizing campaigns and incentivizing meaningful content, it creates a growing repository of information that extends beyond the duration of a single campaign.

However, while Scribble solves distribution among humans, a new challenge has emerged in AI-driven discovery systems.

The Shift in Discovery: From Search to AI

The way users discover information online is changing rapidly. Traditional search engines present multiple links based on keywords, allowing users to explore different sources. However, AI tools such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google Gemini are shifting this behavior.
Instead of searching, users now ask questions and receive a single, synthesized response.

In this environment:

  • Only a few sources are cited
  • Visibility depends on what AI systems can read and trust
  • Content must be structured and accessible

This creates a new bottleneck. Even if a project has strong content, it may not be included in AI-generated answers if that content is not properly indexed or structured.

ScribbleAI: Turning Content Into AI-Searchable Infrastructure

ScribbleAI is introduced as an extension of Scribble’s core model, designed specifically for this new discovery layer.

While Scribble focuses on generating content through creator campaigns, ScribbleAI ensures that this content is transformed into structured, machine-readable assets that can be discovered and cited by AI systems.

The process works as follows:

  1. A project runs a creator campaign on Scribble
  2. Hundreds of creators produce content across platforms
  3. ScribbleAI aggregates, structures and indexes this content
  4. The output is organized into AI-friendly formats

Why ScribbleAI Matters

The introduction of ScribbleAI addresses a key limitation in modern marketing: the lack of persistence and structure.

Most marketing efforts today are temporary. Campaigns end, posts fade, and visibility declines. ScribbleAI changes this by converting content into long-term digital assets.

This has several important implications:

  1. Long-Term Visibility: Content continues to exist and be referenced long after the campaign ends.
  2. Compounding Authority: Each campaign adds to a project’s overall presence, increasing its chances of being discovered.
  3. AI Citation Potential: Structured content improves the probability of being included in AI-generated answers.
  4. Reduced Reliance on Ads: Instead of continuously spending on marketing, projects build a sustainable content layer.

In simple terms, ScribbleAI shifts marketing from spending to asset creation.

Impact on Creators and Consumers

For creators, Scribble provides a consistent and transparent way to earn through content. Instead of relying on fragmented opportunities, creators can participate in structured campaigns and build credibility over time.

With ScribbleAI, their content gains additional value:

  • It becomes indexed
  • It can be cited by AI systems
  • It remains relevant beyond initial posting

For consumers, this leads to:

  • Better access to educational content
  • More reliable and diverse information
  • Easier understanding of complex Web3 projects

In that sense, Scribble addresses one of the most critical challenges in Web3—distribution—by enabling creator-led marketing through structured grant campaigns. It transforms users into contributors and builds a scalable, authentic content layer for projects.

ScribbleAI builds on this foundation by adapting to the evolving landscape of AI-driven discovery. By structuring and indexing content, it ensures that projects are not only visible to humans but also discoverable by AI systems that increasingly shape how information is consumed.

Together, Scribble and ScribbleAI represent a shift from short-term marketing tactics to long-term infrastructure. As the Web3 ecosystem continues to grow and AI becomes a primary interface for discovery, platforms that combine distribution with structured visibility are likely to play a significant role in defining the future of growth.

Follow the links below for more information and latest updates about the Scribble project.

Website: https://scribble.network
Twitter (X): https://x.com/scribble_dao
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/0xscribble/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/0xscribble/
Discord: https://discord.com/invite/cf3pYuePED

The article “Scribble: Rethinking Distribution and AI-Driven Discovery in Web3” was first published on AlexaBlockchain. Read the complete article here: https://alexablockchain.com/scribble-distribution-ai-driven-discovery-in-web3/

Read Also: MoneyGram, Pairpoint and eToro Back Midnight’s Privacy Blockchain Before Mainnet

Disclaimer: The information provided on AlexaBlockchain is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Read complete disclaimer here.

Image Credits: Scribble, Shutterstock, Canva, Wiki Commons

Metaplanet Buys 5,075 BTC in Q1 to Become 3rd Largest Treasury

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Metaplanet Buys 5,075 BTC in Q1 to Become 3rd Largest Treasury

Metaplanet said it acquired 5,075 Bitcoin during the first quarter of 2026 for around $405 million or about $79,898 per coin, making the company the third-largest publicly-listed Bitcoin treasury, according to Bitcoin Treasuries data.

The Tokyo-listed company now holds a total of 40,177 Bitcoin (BTC) on its balance sheet, with an aggregate cost basis of roughly $4.18 billion and an average cost of $104,106 per coin, according to investor materials shared by chief executive Simon Gerovich.

Metaplanet also reported a year-to-date BTC Yield of 2.8% for 2026, a company metric that tracks growth in Bitcoin holdings on a per-share basis rather than income generated across the treasury.

The company separately announced first-quarter fiscal 2026 operating revenue of 2.97 billion Japanese yen (about $18.6 million) from its Bitcoin Income Generation business, which uses collateral-secured Bitcoin option strategies within a dedicated portfolio that is segregated from its long-term BTC stash.

That compares with full-year fiscal 2025 revenue of roughly $53.7 million from the same segment, taking trailing 12-month revenue to around $71.5 million, according to an April 2 filing.

The filings show Metaplanet is pursuing a two-track Bitcoin strategy by expanding its long-term treasury while using a ring-fenced options business to generate revenue that can later be recycled into additional Bitcoin purchases.

Metaplanet BTC purchase. Source: Simon Gerovich

Capital strategy and market reaction

Capital from the income generation can be rolled into long-term Bitcoin holdings after option cycles conclude, allowing Metaplanet to convert derivatives revenue into additional BTC over time, the filing states. 

Related: Twenty One Capital now 2nd-largest publicly traded BTC holder after MARA sale

The company left its consolidated revenue and operating profit forecast for the year ending Dec. 31, 2026, unchanged from guidance issued on Jan. 26, 2026. Metaplanet shares traded lower on Thursday, at $302 per share, down 1.95% from $308 at yesterday’s close, even after the announcement, according to data from Yahoo! Finance.

Metaplanet share price. Source: Yahoo! Finance

In the broader Bitcoin treasury space, fellow holding company Nakamoto disclosed Wednesday that it sold 284 BTC for $20 million in March and exited a large part of its Metaplanet stake at a loss in the first quarter, reflecting how listed Bitcoin vehicles remain highly sensitive to price swings and capital market conditions.

Magazine: Bitcoin may take 7 years to upgrade to post-quantum — BIP-360 co-author