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Morning edition · October 17, 2026

Circle reveals USDC economics as stablecoin competition mounts

Circle detailed $819 million in partner payouts for the first half of 2026 as tech firms and payment networks expand competing stablecoin initiatives.

  1. 1

    Circle discloses $819M in H1 payouts to USDC distribution partners

    Circle brought in $1.4 billion in revenue in the first half of 2026, distributing 59% of it to network partners as onchain $USDC transaction volume surpassed $36 trillion.

  2. 2

    Visa, Stripe, and OKX deploy enterprise infrastructure around OUSD

    Open Standard launched OUSD with over $1 billion in committed backing, prompting Visa to beta-test native minting tools and OKX to launch zero-fee conversions.

  3. 3

    Ethereum schedules Glamsterdam upgrade on Hoodi testnet for Oct. 26

    The deployment activates at epoch 132,352, introducing enshrined proposer-builder separation and lifting the testnet gas limit to 200M.

  4. 4

    a16z Crypto launches Aerie framework for post-quantum aggregation

    The lattice-based SNARK aggregates over 50,000 Falcon signatures per second on commodity hardware, offering proof-of-stake chains an alternative to recursive hash-based proofs.

  5. 5

    Kraken Pro introduces Unified Margin Wallet to European traders

    Clients in the European Economic Area can now aggregate spot, margin, Earn, and futures balances into a single collateral pool that accepts over 40 digital assets, USD, EUR, and gold.

  6. 6

    Jack Henry integrates Google Cloud Universal Ledger for tokenized deposits

    The partnership allows community banks and credit unions to access 24/7 programmable settlement and multilateral netting without pre-funding liquidity.

  7. 7

    Hyperscale Data tokenizes physical silver on Ault Blockchain

    The firm tokenized 5,000 troy ounces of silver and plans to offer up to $33.5 million of tokenized preferred stock to fund an AI data center in Michigan.

Numbers

Bitcoin traded at $81,550 (−0.7%), Ethereum at $2,436 (−1.1%), and total market capitalization fell to $2.70T as Fear & Greed registered 55.

Watch

Ethereum's Hoodi testnet activation at epoch 132,352 on Oct. 26 at 17:42:48 UTC. · Expansion of Visa's VSP beta testing program and monthly public reserve attestations for OUSD. · Trading launch for Hyperscale Data's tokenized silver and exchange venue announcements for its Series D preferred stock.

Full text

Circle detailed $819 million in partner payouts for the first half of 2026 as tech firms and payment networks expand competing stablecoin initiatives.

  1. Circle discloses $819M in H1 payouts to USDC distribution partners: Circle brought in $1.4 billion in revenue in the first half of 2026, distributing 59% of it to network partners as onchain $USDC transaction volume surpassed $36 trillion.
  2. Visa, Stripe, and OKX deploy enterprise infrastructure around OUSD: Open Standard launched OUSD with over $1 billion in committed backing, prompting Visa to beta-test native minting tools and OKX to launch zero-fee conversions.
  3. Ethereum schedules Glamsterdam upgrade on Hoodi testnet for Oct. 26: The deployment activates at epoch 132,352, introducing enshrined proposer-builder separation and lifting the testnet gas limit to 200M.
  4. a16z Crypto launches Aerie framework for post-quantum aggregation: The lattice-based SNARK aggregates over 50,000 Falcon signatures per second on commodity hardware, offering proof-of-stake chains an alternative to recursive hash-based proofs.
  5. Kraken Pro introduces Unified Margin Wallet to European traders: Clients in the European Economic Area can now aggregate spot, margin, Earn, and futures balances into a single collateral pool that accepts over 40 digital assets, USD, EUR, and gold.
  6. Jack Henry integrates Google Cloud Universal Ledger for tokenized deposits: The partnership allows community banks and credit unions to access 24/7 programmable settlement and multilateral netting without pre-funding liquidity.
  7. Hyperscale Data tokenizes physical silver on Ault Blockchain: The firm tokenized 5,000 troy ounces of silver and plans to offer up to $33.5 million of tokenized preferred stock to fund an AI data center in Michigan.

Numbers: Bitcoin traded at $81,550 (−0.7%), Ethereum at $2,436 (−1.1%), and total market capitalization fell to $2.70T as Fear & Greed registered 55.

Watch:

  • Ethereum's Hoodi testnet activation at epoch 132,352 on Oct. 26 at 17:42:48 UTC.
  • Expansion of Visa's VSP beta testing program and monthly public reserve attestations for OUSD.
  • Trading launch for Hyperscale Data's tokenized silver and exchange venue announcements for its Series D preferred stock.

Basis Desk Newsroom · AI-generated, source-verified. Built only from stories already verified and published on Basis Desk; market figures as of publication. Not financial advice.