payment

According to official news, on April 18 at 20:00, AINFT under Bai B.AI will jointly hold a special cooperation seminar on "Payment Systems under the AI Economy" with the PKUBlockchain Association of Peking University. This seminar is based on the emerging context of Web 4.0 and aims to explore in depth how payment, as a key infrastructure, drives the paradigm shift of AI from "content generation" to "transaction decision-making." Both parties will collaboratively delve into the innovative practices in the AI economic ecosystem and financial transaction system through a deep dissection of the intersectional narrative of AI and PayFi, reshaping the boundaries of future intelligent finance.

According to a report by The Block, Mizuho Bank research analysts released a report on Thursday stating that the financial feature X Money launched by Elon Musk's X platform has the potential to disrupt the U.S. payment industry, but the cryptocurrency integration plan may face regulatory obstacles.Mizuho analysts Dan Dolev and Andrew Jenkins wrote in a client report that X Money is positioned as the financial infrastructure layer of the X platform, aiming to integrate instant messaging, bank deposits, and commercial transaction functions, similar to the "super app" model of WeChat Pay or Alipay. With 500 to 600 million monthly active users on the X platform and Musk's background as a co-founder of PayPal in the payment industry, X Money has the potential to disrupt the U.S. payment industry.On the regulatory front, the analysts pointed out two major potential obstacles: first, the recent "CRYPTO Act" proposed in New York aims to criminalize unlicensed virtual currency operations in the state, which will raise the compliance threshold for X's future cryptocurrency integration plans; second, the "Clarity Act" may restrict non-bank financial platforms from offering yields to users, potentially hindering X Money's plan to provide users with an annualized yield of 6% on cash balances, with analysts stating that the timing for the launch of this yield product is "particularly sensitive."Mizuho also downgraded PayPal (PYPL) stock rating to "neutral," noting that PayPal and its Venmo app face the most direct substitution risk, as X is targeting the same peer-to-peer transfer and digital wallet entry points.This week, the X platform also launched a new feature called "Cashtags," allowing users to view financial data for stocks and cryptocurrencies directly in their timeline.

According to The Block, the Washington think tank Cato Institute published an article criticizing the current Bitcoin tax policy in the United States. Researcher Nick Anthony pointed out that the current tax framework treats Bitcoin as "property" rather than "currency," requiring users to calculate capital gains or losses for each transaction individually, even for everyday small purchases. This makes tax reporting extremely cumbersome and effectively hinders the adoption of Bitcoin as a payment tool.In response, the Cato Institute proposed several reform suggestions, including completely eliminating the capital gains tax on cryptocurrency payments and introducing a tax-free threshold for small transactions. The report also mentioned the existing "Virtual Currency Tax Fairness Act," which aims to exempt cryptocurrency transactions under $200, but Anthony believes this threshold is too low to cover the actual spending levels of consumers. Currently, the Trump administration has expressed support for establishing a small tax exemption for cryptocurrency transactions and will continue to evaluate related legislative options.

According to PaymentsJournal, stablecoin payment infrastructure provider PhotonPay announced a comprehensive upgrade to its payment capabilities, officially moving towards the new paradigm of Agentic Payments. At the core of this transformation is the shift in finance from "directive" to "intent-centric," enabling AI agents to autonomously plan and execute complex financial pathways.It is reported that PhotonPay has divided its system into three main modules: global network layer, core execution layer, and intelligent decision-making layer. AI agents can automatically complete the entire process of procurement triggers, payment path optimization, dynamic exchange rate optimization, and compliance review based on preset goals, achieving machine-to-machine (M2M) cross-border capital flow, covering over 200 countries and regions, and supporting real-time processing of financial decisions.In terms of market prospects, McKinsey predicts that by 2030, the global Agentic Commerce driven by AI agents will reach a scale of $3 trillion to $5 trillion, which also provides important market endorsement for PhotonPay's strategic layout.

According to market news, Circle has launched a new solution for high-frequency USDC payments across blockchains. Developers can use the Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP) to have local fulfillers make advance payments on the recipient's designated chain, with the platform later completing cross-chain settlement.This model can reduce the operational burden caused by individual cross-chain transfers and is suitable for platforms that handle a large number of payments daily. Compared to the traditional CCTP process of destroying and minting USDC one by one, the new solution supports batch settlement, reduces the number of destructions on the source chain, and eliminates the need for signature infrastructure on the target chain. Circle also demonstrated the process based on the Arc Testnet and Ethereum Sepolia.

According to Theblock, institutional payment giants Visa and Stripe, as well as Zodia Custody under Standard Chartered Bank, have become early validators of Tempo.It is reported that Tempo is an Ethereum-compatible Layer 1 built for high-throughput payments and stablecoin settlements. The project is incubated by Stripe and Paradigm and launched on a private testnet in September. At the same time, Tempo also launched a proxy payment protocol aimed at enabling transactions through software proxies.

Y Combinator has completed its first investment entirely in stablecoins, paying $500,000 USDC to the prediction market startup Totalis, completed through three transactions on the Solana blockchain: a $1 test payment, $124,999, and $375,000. The funds are held by the financial operations platform Ramp.Y Combinator President Garry Tan stated on X that YC will offer stablecoin payment options for any startup it invests in, not limited to crypto-related companies, and noted that the new track of financial revolution will not be built on ACH or wire transfers. YC crypto sector access partner Nemil Dalal had previously stated that stablecoin transfer costs are typically less than 1 cent, settling in less than 1 second, far superior to traditional cross-border wire transfers.

According to The Block, South Korean payment service provider NHN KCP has signed a memorandum of understanding with Ava Labs to jointly build a Layer 1 network aimed at payment scenarios based on Ava Cloud, covering three main areas: sub-second payment confirmation, on-chain transaction data encryption, and customizable merchant payment infrastructure.The two parties will also explore business opportunities such as tokenized deposit models, multi-stablecoin settlement structures, and cross-border payments. Justin Kim, head of Ava Labs Asia, stated that the launch time of the L1 mainnet will largely depend on the progress of cryptocurrency regulatory regulations in South Korea.

According to CoinDesk, researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara, the University of California, San Diego, blockchain security company Fuzzland, and World Liberty Financial have jointly published a paper warning that "LLM routers"—intermediary services located between users and AI models—have become a significant security risk for crypto assets.The researchers found that 26 LLM routers are secretly injecting malicious tool calls and stealing user credentials, with one incident leading to the emptying of a customer's crypto wallet worth $500,000.Additionally, the researchers were able to control about 400 downstream hosts within hours by "polluting" the router ecosystem. Since sensitive data such as private keys and API credentials are often transmitted in plaintext through these routers, users are effectively exposing their assets to risk without their knowledge.The researchers pointed out that as McKinsey predicts AI agents will mediate $30 trillion to $50 trillion in global consumer spending by 2030, Binance founder Changpeng Zhao also predicts that the payment volume of AI agents will be a million times that of humans. The current infrastructure security is severely lagging behind the pace of industry development, and the risk of the "weakest link" could trigger a systemic chain crisis.

The Web3 asset data platform RootData has outlined the business partners of Crypto.com. Its strategy goes beyond exchange expansion, advancing through multiple paths such as payments, custody, and brand collaborations, aiming to create a comprehensive digital asset platform covering both institutional and consumer ends.Payment Infrastructure: Crypto.com has integrated with Stripe, Mastercard, Yuno, TripleA, Lynq, etc., covering the complete link from checkout crypto payments to institutional-level real-time clearing.Institutional Trading and Custody: VerifiedX has entrusted Crypto.com with institutional custody for its $1.5 billion digital assets; CoinRoutes provides smart order routing, CryptoStruct connects high-frequency trading, and Doblox offers AI trading terminals.Corporate Crypto Treasury: Crypto.com collaborates with several Nasdaq-listed companies executing treasury strategies, including SOL Strategies, Sharps Technology, and IP Strategy.On the brand side, Crypto.com has formed deep ties with top sports IPs—renewing its partnership with F1 until 2030 and sponsoring the Miami Grand Prix, as well as UEFA Champions League, UFC, NBA Philadelphia 76ers, AFL, and South American CONMEBOL; the long-term partnership with the LeBron James Family Foundation marks an extension of its brand collaboration into the celebrity family philanthropy sector.Additionally, Crypto.com has signed collaborations in the Middle East with Dubai Islamic Bank, DMCC, e& money, Tawasal Al Khaleej super app, and Emarat gas station network, becoming an important participant in the local digital asset compliance ecosystem. Related compilation: 【Crypto.com Web3 Partner Network Compilation (Continuously Updated)】Cryptocurrency projects actively showcasing their partner networks have become a key way to enhance transparency and market trust. It is reported that RootData welcomes Web3 project parties to claim data and continues to track and open more project business relationship disclosure channels. The platform has continuously released multiple issues of the cryptocurrency project ecosystem map, nominating Web3 ecosystem partners for upstream clients such as Visa, Stripe, and Coinbase.If you wish to nominate your project in future ecosystem maps, please fill out the 【RootData 2026 Industry Ecosystem Mapping】 form to supplement your important clients and partners.

The Bank of Korea stated that after the mispayment incident at Bithumb, careful consideration should be given to introducing a "circuit breaker" mechanism in the cryptocurrency market similar to that in traditional financial markets, to address extreme market volatility and systemic risks.The Bank of Korea pointed out that as the scale of the cryptocurrency market expands and related risks increase, existing regulatory measures are insufficient to fully cover potential issues. Therefore, it is necessary to study the introduction of protective mechanisms that can automatically interrupt trading to enhance market stability and investor protection. Previously, Bithumb experienced abnormal payments of some users' assets due to a system failure, which attracted market attention.

According to Asda Finance, the Financial Secretary of Hong Kong, Paul Chan, stated that the authorities' licensing strategy is "small steps, quick progress," and will initially issue a small number of licenses. There needs to be practical application scenarios, and only after summarizing experiences post-launch will a second batch be issued.Stablecoins and digital assets are financial innovations that require encouragement for breakthroughs, but at the same time, safety must be ensured, and mechanisms must be in place to prevent money laundering, thus appropriate regulations are necessary. The benefits of stablecoins include decentralization and high efficiency, but they are merely a payment tool, not an investment tool.

Circle officially launched the CPN Managed Payments service, allowing banks, payment service providers (PSP), fintech companies, and large tech enterprises to access fiat-to-fiat and fiat-to-stablecoin payment processes without the need to build their own wallet and blockchain infrastructure.This service aims to address the core obstacles faced by institutions when accessing stablecoin payments, including digital asset custody, stablecoin minting and management, as well as the application and maintenance of compliance licenses. Through CPN Managed Payments, these processes are unified and handled by Circle, enabling financial institutions to connect directly via API and operate on the CPN network without the need to directly hold or manage digital assets. Circle stated that this launch is a significant expansion of its existing services and will leverage over a decade of experience in compliant digital currency payment infrastructure operations to accelerate the adoption of stablecoin payment solutions by global financial institutions.

WeChat Pay officially launched the AI native access toolbox, providing low-threshold payment integration solutions for merchants and developers, supporting the rapid generation of payment function code through natural language commands.The toolbox consists of Skill packages, AI-friendly documentation, and APIs, supporting one-click calls in mainstream AI development environments. Among them, the "verbal code generation" feature can compress a development process that originally took days into minutes, enabling quick access to more than 20 functions such as mini-program payments, H5 payments, refunds, and revenue sharing.At the same time, the toolbox has built-in AI diagnostic capabilities that can automatically identify code logic issues and provide repair suggestions, reducing financial and system risks during the integration process. For developers with existing systems, it also supports interface debugging and old code upgrades. This upgrade further promotes the standardization and AI integration of payment capabilities, lowering the digital operation threshold for small and medium-sized merchants.

Gobi Partners announced an investment in Transak. Founded in 2019, Transak provides fiat and digital asset exchange capabilities through a single API for financial institutions, unifying KYC, AML, risk monitoring, and local payment integration.This investment aims to support Transak in expanding into the Asian market. Transak has established its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong and plans to deepen integration with payment networks and banking partners in the ASEAN region.

According to Cointelegraph, Visa has launched the "Intelligent Commerce Connect" service, which supports AI agents to complete purchase payments on behalf of consumers in commercial scenarios worldwide.

Morph's latest report on the status of stablecoins indicates that by 2030, stablecoins are expected to account for about 10% of global cross-border payments. The current annual transaction volume of stablecoins has reached $33 trillion, surpassing the combined $25.5 trillion of Visa and Mastercard.The application of stablecoins in the real economy is continuously expanding, with approximately 60% of the capital flow driven by B2B payments, and significant growth in corporate adoption in scenarios such as cash management and procurement. Morph predicts that by 2026, the annual settlement volume of stablecoins may exceed $50 trillion, and by 2027, AI agents are expected to become the main initiators of transactions, with the market size potentially reaching $1.9 trillion by 2030.