Companies in several markets are offering crypto products that act like bank accounts, and regulators have taken notice.

After posting strong year-end results, the crypto exchange warned that 2022 is off to a lackluster start amid drops in crypto market cap.

The vast majority of US banks have no plans to offer some basic cryptocurrency-related services. For even the most widely adopted service—crypto investing or trading—only 1% currently offer it, and 78% have no plans to support it.

Since Facebook rebranded itself as Meta, mobile apps have been scrambling to stake a claim in the metaverse—on paper at least. In November, the month after the rebrand, 29 apps worldwide added “metaverse” to their name or description, more than double the number in October. This trend hasn’t wavered: In the three months since Meta emerged, 86 more apps have featured the buzzword in their name or description.

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) report exploring six central bank digital currency (CBDC) case studies shows there’s no “one size fits all” that works in every market.

Twitter invested in Bitcoin payment provider OpenNode’s $20 million funding round.

Lightyear gets social, and DriveWealth adds crypto trading. Both firms are adding services to remedy falling trading volume.

In 2021, mobile finance apps reached 573.1 million downloads in the US, up nearly 19% from 481.9 million in 2020.

With a $550M raise, the crypto as a service platform quadrupled its valuation to $8B as large companies increasingly seek out opportunities in digital currencies.

A new paper by the Fed outlines how banks can adapt to the creation of a US central bank digital currency (CBDC). Bank stablecoins could complement it, but standalone issuers would face trouble.

It’s already made crypto-payments-focused partnerships, and an exec said it’s looking at crypto. Or maybe it’s more about the metaverse.

Of the small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in the US that accept cryptocurrency, 93% take payments in Bitcoin, making it the most commonly accepted crypto.

DeFi industry must do more self-policing until regulation arrives: Theft from DeFi platforms increased 1,330% in 2021—and the SEC is looking at pseudonymity and opacity as major problems to solve.

Backed by several FDIC-insured incumbents, USDF has 1:1 redemption with US dollars and runs on a public blockchain. Security and transparency will make good selling points.

Cryptocurrencies are looking like a better bet for more and more investors. Last month, 24% of US adults said they would invest in cryptos, up from just 10% in June.

PayPal confirmed it’s looking into developing a stablecoin, an asset class with unique crypto benefits that can help drive volume.

Digital assets’ recent plunge in value underscores the need for risk management and regulation. Bit by bit, the pieces are coming together.

Federally insured credit unions can team up with third-party digital asset providers and keep members who want to explore this asset class within their ecosystem.

Digital currencies are coming soon to a country near you: Mexico introducing a plan to launch a Central Bank Digital Currency is only the latest development in the fast-developing market for digital currencies.