Bloomingbit Newsroom

Bitcoin reclaims $76,000 for the first time in six weeks Spot ETFs attract $970 million in fresh inflows in a week June 17–18 FOMC…focus on ‘Powell’s mouth’ Many expect rate cuts to be delayed Bitcoin, which has been trending higher since the outbreak of the Iran war, rose above $76,000 on the 17th, setting a new six-week high. This stands in contrast to weakness over the same period in gold and the Nasdaq index. However, as concerns grow that high oil prices could fuel inflation, some warn that Bitcoin’s rally could falter if the Federal Reserve delays its first rate cut this year or raises rates. According to the USDT market on global crypto exchange Binance, Bitcoin touched $76,000 intraday for the first time since Feb. 4. It later gave back part of the gain and was trading around $74,300 as of 4:48 p.m. Bitcoin, which had slipped to the $60,000 level last month, is up about 8% since the war began. Over the same period, the Nasdaq (-2%), S&P 500 (-3%) and gold (-5%) fell. The move is seen as the result of investors rotating preemptively into risk assets such as Bitcoin on expectations that war risks will ease. Institutional inflows are also increasing. According to Sosovalue, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs posted net inflows for six straight sessions from the 9th through the 16th. Total inflows over the period reached $968.94 million (about 1.4456 trillion won). ETF inflows are now acting not only as downside support for Bitcoin but also as an upside catalyst. BTC Markets analyst Rachel Lucas said, “In particular, BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF (IBIT) accounted for about 78% of the net inflows,” adding, “It appears to be buying driven by institutional conviction.” The variable is ‘Powell’s mouth’…rate direction in focus, too Markets are watching the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting on June 17–18 (local time) and Chair Powell’s remarks. While a hold is widely expected, risk assets such as Bitcoin could take a hit if Powell delivers hawkish comments. Another key will be how FOMC participants signal the future path of the policy rate via the dot plot. Goldman Sachs on the 12th pushed back its expected timing of rate cuts from June and September to September and December, respectively. Morgan Stanley also shared the same view. Market pricing is even more conservative. In the fed funds futures market, the probability of a September cut is effectively not priced in, and only one cut in December is currently reflected. Any additional cuts are pushed back to the second half of 2027 or later. Some are also raising concerns about a rate hike. Matthew Luzzetti, chief economist at Deutsche Bank, said, “The possibility of a Fed rate hike—something that would have been hard to imagine just two weeks ago—is being discussed,” adding, “While the actual likelihood is limited, some Fed officials have begun to consider the rate-hike option.” Hwang Doo-hyun, Bloomingbit reporter cow5361@bloomingbit.io

Chiliz (CHZ), a global sports and entertainment blockchain company, said on the 16th that it will participate as the main sponsor of the 'DC Blockchain Summit 2026 (DC Blockchain Summit 2026),' to be held in Washington, D.C., from the 17th to the 18th. The DC Blockchain Summit is hosted by The Digital Chamber, a U.S. digital chamber of commerce. U.S. policymakers and representatives from global companies will gather to discuss blockchain industry policy and the direction of technological development. Chiliz will also take part as a speaker in a panel session at the event. In the session, Chiliz plans to present blockchain use cases related to tokenization in the sports industry. More than 30 regulators will attend, including SEC Chair Paul Atkins, CFTC Chair Michael Selik, and U.S. Republican Senator Cynthia Lummis. In addition, more than 1,100 people from around 600 companies worldwide are expected to attend. Alexandre Dreyfus, CEO of Chiliz, said, "I am proud to participate as the main sponsor of this summit," adding, "It will serve as a forum for communication toward establishing a fan token regulatory body in the U.S. and as an opportunity to raise awareness of sports tokenization across the broader virtual asset (cryptocurrency) industry."

Korbit, a South Korean crypto exchange, said on the 16th that it has completed the industry’s first dual-redundant system for Korean won (KRW) deposits and withdrawals. The core of the project was diversifying the intermediary firm-banking network that links Shinhan Bank—Korbit’s partner bank for issuing real-name verified deposit/withdrawal accounts—with Korbit. Specifically, Korbit added an additional integration with the system of Dozn, a financial information technology (IT) solutions provider, alongside the Hecto Financial system it had been using. A Korbit official said it has completed a robust and stable KRW deposit/withdrawal infrastructure spanning “Korbit–Hecto Financial–Dozn–Shinhan Bank.” Previously, the industry faced a limitation whereby KRW deposits and withdrawals could be temporarily restricted even if bank networks were functioning normally, when a specific firm-banking solution provider conducted system maintenance or experienced a temporary outage. Korbit said that with the new redundancy in place, even if one firm-banking network runs into issues or undergoes maintenance, it can immediately support KRW deposit and withdrawal services through the other firm-banking network. Korbit expects the buildout to provide users with a more stable environment for KRW deposits and withdrawals. Lee Jung-woo, Korbit’s chief technology officer (CTO), said, “Building redundancy into the KRW deposit and withdrawal system is a proactive measure to minimize user inconvenience and provide a stable investment environment even in unexpected outage situations,” adding, “We will continue technological innovation to protect investors and strengthen system stability.”

World will run a three-day pop-up event, “World Chat Pocha,” from the 13th to the 15th at “World Space Seoul” in Ikseon-dong, Seoul. The event—combining its human-verification technology, “Proof of Human,” with an offline dining experience—marks the third hands-on World event to be held in South Korea. Visitors can enter the dining area by scanning their World ID at a QR code installed at the first-floor entrance. Those who have not been verified can receive Orb verification on the spot. The Orb is a spherical special-camera device that scans images of both irises and the face to generate a World ID. When a user stands in front of the Orb, the device scans both irises and facial images. The collected images are converted into encrypted data consisting of numbers and letters and recorded on the blockchain, while the original images are deleted immediately. Each person can have only one ID, and if the app is deleted without a backup, there is no way to recover the ID. In one corner of the first floor, a “pocha dining course” is offered. Reservations must be made via Catch Table, and visitors must present their World ID before entry. A fine-dining street-food course overseen by Chef Yang Ju-young will be provided to 200 World ID-verified participants. The basement will operate as an always-on space for World community members. It is a community lounge where users who have verified their World ID can drop by at any time—even outside the event period—to have coffee or spend time freely. On the day, the basement also hosted a “Logo Museum” introducing the history of World’s technology along with hands-on game content, and provided information on benefits that allow World ID-verified users to use rewards at six partner stores near Ikseon-dong. In particular, the event introduces “World Chat,” a chat feature recently added to the World app. World Chat allows users to see directly within the chat window whether the other party is World ID-verified. The aim is to filter out voice-phishing, spam, and messages sent by AI bots at the source. A wallet function is also provided. World app users can send and receive Worldcoin (WLD) with one another without fees regardless of country. Users who verify their World ID on-site will receive an invite code; each person can invite up to 10 others, and additional Worldcoin worth about KRW 60,000 is paid out per invite. Park Sang-wook, Korea country manager at Tools for Humanity, said, “We wanted to demonstrate the value of human-verification technology through a space where people can meet and communicate in person,” adding, “In an environment where bots attempt mass bookings, World ID can help users avoid missing out on the restaurant reservation opportunities they want.”

Selanet, a decentralized web access infrastructure dedicated to artificial intelligence (AI) agents, said on the 12th that it has launched a new version of its infrastructure that converts existing DePIN nodes into ‘Agent-Nodes’. Agent-Nodes are decentralized infrastructure optimized for large-scale, simultaneous web requests from AI agents. Specifically, they provide a separate browser environment for each AI agent, allowing multiple agents to carry out different web tasks at the same time. Whereas conventional DePIN nodes were limited to relaying traffic, Agent-Nodes understand and manage agents’ units of work, Selanet said. They also feature automatic node assignment. Agent-Nodes automatically select the optimal node by considering factors such as geographic proximity to the target website, node capacity, and reputation scores. According to Selanet, Agent-Node assignment throughput exceeds 30,000 cases per day, with a task success rate of about 89%. Selanet stressed that “Agent-Nodes are AI agents in and of themselves.” As a result, node operators can provide infrastructure to the network while also using Agent-Node AI agent functions such as social automation and task delegation. A Selanet official said, “Thanks to these features, Agent-Nodes are recording a 28% daily active node ratio,” adding, “That is a relatively high operator retention rate given that general DePIN networks that only provide token rewards have a daily active node ratio of less than 5%.” Selanet plans to integrate the x402 protocol—developed by U.S. crypto exchange Coinbase—into Agent-Nodes in the second quarter of this year. x402 is a protocol specialized for AI agent payments; since Coinbase launched it in May last year, it has processed more than 100 million payments to date. Once x402 integration is complete, AI agents will be able to pay web access fees directly in Circle (USDC) and use services autonomously without separate authentication or contracts. Selanet’s goal is to build infrastructure that serves as a bridge between Web2 and Web3 via Agent-Nodes and related components. Selanet said it is already linking Web2 and Web3 through a structure in which it provides APIs and SDKs to Web2 companies, while awarding points to node operators on the Monad (MON) chain. A Selanet official said, “With x402-based Circle payments added, the structure will be completed in which service fees paid by Web2 companies are settled directly in Circle to Agent-Node operators,” adding, “It is a model where Web2 web access demand flows into the Web3 infrastructure economy.” Meanwhile, Selanet currently operates more than 2,800 nodes across more than 90 regions. Daily active nodes stand at around 770. Hong Sung-in, CEO of Selanet, said, “In an era when AI agents send hundreds of thousands of web requests a day, centralized proxies create bottlenecks,” adding, “Agent-Nodes handle such traffic across a globally distributed network and are creating an economic structure in which Web2 companies’ payments are linked directly to node operators via x402.”

▶︎ 9 (Mon): △US daylight saving time begins (local time: Sunday the 8th) △China Feb Consumer Price Index (CPI) (local time 09:30, Korea time 10:30), △China Feb Producer Price Index (PPI) (local time 09:30, Korea time 10:30) ▶︎ 10 (Tue): △South Korea Q4 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (08:00) △Japan Q4 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (local time 08:50, Korea time 08:50), △US Feb Existing Home Sales (local time 10:00, Korea time 23:00) ▶︎ 11 (Wed): △US Feb Consumer Price Index (CPI) (local time 08:30, Korea time 21:30) △US FOMC Governor Bowman speech △US Crude Oil Inventories (EIA) (local time , Korea time 23:30) ▶︎ 12 (Thu): △US Jan Trade Balance (local time 08:30, Korea time 21:30) △US Initial Jobless Claims (local time 08:30, Korea time 21:30) ▶︎ 13 (Fri): △US Q4 GDP (local time 08:30, Korea time 21:30) △US Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Price Index (local time 08:30, Korea time 21:30) △US Department of Labor JOLTS (Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey) (local time 10:00, Korea time 23:00) △University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index (Mar) (local time 10:00, Korea time 23:00) <Key Crypto Calendar for Next Week> ▶︎ 9 (Mon): ▶︎ 10 (Tue): ▶︎ 11 (Wed): △MultiversX (EGLD) 'Battle of Nodes' Supernova upgrade public stress test begins ▶︎ 12 (Thu): △Aptos (APT) unlock of about 11.31 million tokens ▶︎ 13 (Fri):

Centrifuge and Pharos are moving to build on-chain distribution infrastructure for real-world assets (RWA). The two companies said on the 5th that, through the partnership, they will push ahead with building infrastructure that expands on-chain accessibility and usability of institutional-grade tokenized assets. The collaboration focuses on building a framework in which institutional-grade assets such as tokenized U.S. Treasuries (JTRSY) and AAA-rated structured credit products (JAAA) do not remain at the issuance stage, but can be accessed, allocated and reused in an on-chain environment. The plan is to establish distribution and operating structures so that assets can be put to practical use in on-chain financial environments even after issuance. Real-world assets (RWA) are a segment that enables traditional financial assets—such as U.S. Treasuries, structured credit products, private credit and cash-equivalent assets—to be issued more efficiently and held, transferred and used on blockchain-based rails, and it has recently drawn market attention. However, as the market expands, the perception is also growing that simple asset tokenization alone makes it difficult to secure real-world utility. Even if tokenized assets exist on-chain, actual usage may be limited if access channels, distribution routes, execution infrastructure and liquidity conditions are lacking. Accordingly, the center of competition is also shifting from sheer issuance volume to how effectively market participants can provide asset distribution structures, accessibility, executability and long-term utility. The two companies stressed that "this partnership is an attempt to address these real-world usage issues." They added that "a wide range of participants—such as tokenization platforms, regulation-friendly networks, institutional custody services, on-chain credit protocols, and liquidity and distribution infrastructure providers—are rapidly emerging in the RWA market." The ultimate goal of the partnership is to build an environment in which tokenized assets, even after issuance, can be accessed, allocated and utilized on top of on-chain financial infrastructure. The two companies said, "As the RWA market matures, building infrastructure that enables assets to be used in practice will become more important than asset tokenization itself," adding, "Through this partnership, we will expand the on-chain usage environment for institutional-grade assets." Meanwhile, Upbit, South Korea’s largest exchange, recently began supporting trading for CFG, Centrifuge’s governance token. Centrifuge plans to use this as a basis to expand access and awareness for RWA infrastructure-related projects in the Korean market.

Sahara AI (SAHARA) said on the 5th that it has unveiled a 2026 roadmap reflecting the growing importance of “AI agents.” Sahara AI is a decentralized AI infrastructure project that builds the protocols, infrastructure and applications that enable AI agents to operate in real-world environments. Unlike large language models (LLMs) that simply answer questions, AI agents autonomously use a range of tools, data and services to carry out tasks. “We believe AI agents will become the core of the AI industry,” Sahara AI said, adding that it has “focused on building the related infrastructure.” Sahara AI highlighted key requirements for the AI-agent era, including: ▲a verifiable execution framework, ▲clear attribution of data contributions, and ▲an automated reward system. SaharaAI said, “To enable a verifiable execution framework, Sahara AI is building a system that verifies operations using trusted execution environments and cryptographic proof technologies. We also introduced a structure in which AI assets such as data and models are registered on-chain to record contribution, and rewards are automatically distributed to contributors when those assets are used.” It also stressed that it has been advancing these technologies in real-world settings. Sahara AI has carried out data-driven AI projects in partnership with Microsoft, Amazon, MIT and Snap, and previously built an AI copilot with automotive parts maker Motherson. 2026 Roadmap Building on this experience and technology, Sahara AI plans to roll out a phased expansion of an agent-centric AI ecosystem throughout 2026. In the first quarter of this year, it plans to launch “Sorin,” a personal investment AI agent. Sorin is designed to analyze a range of markets including equities, digital assets and commodities, and to support portfolio management and trade execution. Also slated for a first-quarter release are a “Crypto Agent Evaluation and Benchmark Framework” to assess agents’ reasoning capabilities and execution reliability, as well as “ClawApp,” an application that makes it easy to install and operate OpenClaw-based AI agents. In the second quarter, the company plans to introduce a data platform that enables AI agents to conduct comprehensive market analysis. The platform will provide real-time market data, on-chain activity, project-related information, news and social data. In the third quarter, Sahara AI will introduce a multi-agent system in which AI agents collaborate. By enabling agents to autonomously divide up complex tasks, the company aims to deliver full workflow automation. An “agent marketplace,” where developers can create and monetize agents, will also be expanded in the third quarter. Finally, by year-end, Sahara AI plans to launch its blockchain mainnet. Once live, the mainnet is expected to provide a structure for registering AI-related assets—such as datasets, models and agents—on the mainnet and receiving distributed rewards. An official at Sahara AI said, “The AI industry is increasingly evolving toward an agent-centric architecture,” adding, “We will continue building an open AI ecosystem in which data, models and agents interact.”

Threshold Network, a decentralized blockchain protocol, said on the 4th that it has updated its DApp and launched an "All-in-One Bitcoin Liquidity App." The Threshold app is designed to let users transfer Bitcoin to major blockchain networks and put liquidity to work through a single interface. Specifically, users can carry out minting, redemption, bridging, trade tracking and native Bitcoin swaps—all within the app. According to Threshold, the app focuses on simplifying Bitcoin’s entry into DeFi and the process of moving across chains. Even when a transaction requires multiple steps such as swaps and bridging, the app automatically provides an optimized execution route based on cost, speed and reliability. A Threshold official said, "Users can move Bitcoin into various blockchain ecosystems through a single interface without having to use multiple DeFi protocols separately." Previously, converting Bitcoin into Threshold-wrapped Bitcoin (tBTC) and moving it to other blockchains required multiple steps—for example, minting in one app, transferring assets via another bridge protocol, and then swapping on a separate exchange. Threshold said the existing approach increased costs as well as UX complexity and risk. Threshold said the all-in-one liquidity app can address these issues. "We compressed a multi-step transaction process into a single flow, lowering the barrier to entry for users to utilize Bitcoin across different ecosystems," the company said, adding that the app currently supports major networks including Ethereum (ETH), Arbitrum (ARB), Sui (SUI) and Starknet (STRK). The launch is also expected to expand the utility of Threshold’s token, T. The app automatically recognizes staked T tokens via connected wallets and offers fee waivers for minting and redemption. Users can also use a gasless minting feature. Threshold said accessibility to Bitcoin liquidity within the DeFi ecosystem has improved because other Bitcoin derivative assets such as wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) can be converted directly into tBTC. MacLane Wilkison, co-founder of Threshold Network, said, "Capital should be able to move efficiently across chains without users having to manage infrastructure-related decisions themselves," adding, "By orchestrating liquidity sourcing and settlement through the all-in-one liquidity app, Bitcoin can be used more efficiently across multiple ecosystems."

Bitplanet, a South Korean crypto-asset (cryptocurrency) treasury firm, said on the 27th that it purchased 35 bitcoins (BTC) through a phased buying strategy over 26 days from the 23rd, bringing its total holdings to 300. In the latest purchase, Bitplanet transferred tether (USDT) that had been held with its existing custodian to the South Korean crypto exchange Upbit, and then bought bitcoin. The company said this marks the first case of a domestically listed company purchasing spot bitcoin via Upbit. With holdings now at 300, Bitplanet plans to further refine its crypto-asset-based treasury strategy while accelerating its shift toward an energy-based investment platform. Lee Seong-hoon, CEO of Bitplanet, said, “Bitcoin is an asset with energy-intensive characteristics,” adding, “Going forward, we will focus on expanding new energy-based businesses so that we can grow into a platform that converts energy into digital capital.”

The global Web3 conference Unchained Summit will also be held in Vietnam this year. Aeternum Consulting, the organizer of Unchained Summit, said on the 25th (local time) that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Da Nang’s Innovation Startup Support Center to strengthen cooperation related to digital assets. The signing ceremony took place at the Da Nang City Administrative Center in Da Nang. Ho Quang Buu, vice chairman of the Da Nang People’s Committee, also attended the event. With the agreement as a springboard, Aeternum Consulting will host the “Unchained Summit Vietnam Edition” in Vietnam this year in partnership with Da Nang. The event will be held from May 28 to 29 at the Furama Resort Da Nang. Aeternum Consulting sees Vietnam’s digital-asset ecosystem as being at an inflection point. Crypto adoption is high in Vietnam, with more than 20 million people estimated to hold digital assets. Local authorities are also putting in place frameworks to support the blockchain and digital-asset industry. An Aeternum Consulting official said, “(The Vietnam Edition) will be held at a time when the direction of local policy is taking clearer shape and institutional investors’ interest is growing,” adding, “The event’s core goal is to connect the global blockchain and digital-asset community with investors, policymakers and others driving Vietnam’s digital economy.” More than 50 speakers will take part in the Vietnam Edition. They include Jacob Robert Steeves, chief executive officer (CEO) of Bittensor; Kevin Lee, chief business officer (CBO) of Gate; Daryl Lim, general partner at Trive; and Justin Kim, head of Asia at Ava Labs. The speaker lineup will be announced sequentially. Meanwhile, Aeternum Consulting also signed MOUs with local crypto-related organizations such as the Vietnam Blockchain Association and Open Campus. The company plans to deepen cooperation with the organizations it has signed MOUs with on Vietnam’s digital-asset framework and ecosystem. Ho Quang Buu, vice chairman of the Da Nang People’s Committee, said, “Vietnam is not waiting for the Web3 revolution—it is leading it,” adding, “Signing an MOU with Aeternum Consulting reflects our resolve to make Da Nang Southeast Asia’s capital of innovation and technology.” He said, “We welcome world-class talent in blockchain, digital finance and decentralized technology.” Sharath Kumar, founder and CEO of Aeternum Consulting, said, “This May will be an important milestone in setting the direction of Unchained Summit,” adding, “We will invite the global digital-asset community to Da Nang and connect them directly with Vietnam’s policymakers and companies.”

Axelar (AXL), a global blockchain interoperability network, said on the 25th that it has integrated its network with the layer-1 network Hedera (HBAR). Hedera is a blockchain that runs a council-based governance model backed by global companies including Google, IBM, LG Electronics, Shinhan Bank and Nomura. With the integration, the Hedera network has been connected to Axelar’s interchain infrastructure. As a result, Hedera-based assets can now be issued, moved and utilized in a multichain environment. Specifically, Axelar will serve to link Hedera to dozens of blockchains through its interoperability infrastructure. Hedera developers and institutional participants will be able to use Axelar’s interchain messaging and token transfer capabilities. The company said cross-chain asset transfers and smart-contract calls are supported, expanding utility within a multichain environment. Hedera-based decentralized exchange SaucerSwap and cross-chain routing protocol Squid, among others, are reported to be applying related features to connect external chain assets to the Hedera ecosystem.

DSRV, a South Korean blockchain infrastructure company, said on the 24th that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Japan’s SBI Ripple Asia to conduct joint research on blockchain-based remittance and payments infrastructure. SBI Ripple Asia is a joint venture between Japan’s SBI Holdings and Ripple, the issuer of XRP. With the MOU, DSRV plans to study a cross-border payments model optimized for the regulatory environments of South Korea and Japan. The joint research will focus on linking existing financial infrastructure with blockchain technology and developing business models tailored to the two countries’ regulations and institutional frameworks. The two companies aim to advance the cross-border payments model to a level that can be applied in real-world financial operations. The technology underpinning the research is Ripple’s proprietary blockchain, the XRP Ledger (XRPL). A DSRV official said, “The XRP Ledger has already proven its value in global financial markets,” adding, “We will refer to global cases to explore the feasibility of building remittance and payments infrastructure optimized for the institutional characteristics of both South Korea and Japan.” SBI Ripple Asia said, “Through the joint research, we will examine the practical applicability of blockchain-based remittances and payments in the South Korea-Japan market,” and added that it will “create an executable financial services model encompassing institutional, operational and technological aspects.” Seo Byung-yoon, co-CEO of DSRV, said, “As institutional foundations for building blockchain-based financial systems are being put in place in both South Korea and Japan, we will create a new order in the Asian economic ecosystem across diverse areas, including trade and tourist payments.”

Axelar (AXL), a blockchain interoperability project, said on the 23rd that it has completed a network integration with layer-1 blockchain Stellar (XLM). With the integration, the Stellar network will be connected to Axelar’s interchain infrastructure. Axelar plans to support Stellar-based assets so they can be utilized across multiple chains. Following the network integration, Stellar developers and institutional participants can now use Axelar’s interchain messaging and token transfer capabilities. This has smoothed the process of moving assets issued on Stellar to other networks and enabled cross-chain application connectivity. SOLV Protocol (SOLV), Stronghold, and Squid, among others, are reportedly already implementing structures to enable cross-chain use of Stellar-based assets.

Alea Research, a research firm specializing in virtual assets (cryptocurrencies), said on the 23rd that it has published an analysis report on the Aleo (ALEO)-based stablecoin 'USDCx' titled "Aleo—Privacy Stablecoin’s Entry into the Regulated Mainstream." Aleo is a Layer 1 blockchain designed with both regulatory compliance and privacy protection in mind. USDCx was issued on Aleo’s own mainnet last month in collaboration with Circle. Its value is pegged to Circle’s dollar stablecoin, USDC. The report assessed USDCx as a "privacy stablecoin that complies with regulations while protecting corporate information." Specifically, the report said the "Selective Disclosure" feature applied to USDCx is intended to address the limitation on public blockchains where transaction amounts and recipient addresses are exposed as-is, adding that "all USDCx transaction records are encrypted, and users can disclose details only to authorized institutions through 'View Keys.'" Unlike general privacy coins, it said, USDCx is designed so that institutions that need to verify information—such as tax authorities or law enforcement agencies—can be provided proof of transaction history. Aleo’s zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) technology is central to USDCx. The report noted that "USDCx is structured to submit only a mathematical proof of the user’s transaction to the blockchain," and that it was "designed to allow verification of transaction validity without disclosing sensitive information such as the sender, recipient, or transaction amount." Fast transaction finality enabled by Aleo network’s proprietary consensus algorithm 'AleoBFT' was also cited as an advantage of USDCx. The report said, "Thanks to AleoBFT, USDCx can deliver efficient performance even in large-scale payment environments," adding that "commercial use cases such as inter-company settlement and payroll disbursements could expand." Alea Research further praised USDCx for clarifying its reserve-backed structure and establishing an issuance framework that meets regulatory requirements. The report explained, "USDCx is issued via Circle’s new non-custodial smart contract infrastructure, 'xReserve,'" adding, "When users deposit USDC on a blockchain such as Ethereum (ETH), an equivalent amount is issued against it as collateral." It continued, "xReserve is integrated with Circle’s Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP), enabling exchanges with USDC on other chains without a separate bridge," adding that "this can reduce security risks such as bridge hacks." An Aleo official said, "USDCx is not intended to circumvent regulations, but rather to protect information that must not be exposed, such as companies’ trade secrets," adding, "We will further expand USDCx partners from the publication of this report."

Tiger Research, a Web3-focused research firm, said on the 20th that it has released an analytical report on the blockchain platform “IoTeX.” The report said IoTeX is transitioning, on the back of the DePIN infrastructure it has built over the past eight years, into an integrated infrastructure that supplies real-world data to artificial intelligence (AI). According to the report, while AI is delivering results across most areas, it fails to function properly the moment it depends on fragmented, unverifiable external data. Take autonomous driving as an example: it can work with only onboard sensors, but completeness improves markedly when thousands of external data sources—such as traffic signals, crosswalk sensors and weather stations—are connected in real time. The problem is that these data are operated by different organizations, come in disparate formats and lack even a common standard for verifying provenance. The report said IoTeX has built an integrated infrastructure over eight years to close this gap. According to the report, IoTeX converts signals from the physical world into data that AI can use immediately through a three-layer AI technology stack of verification, indexing and perception. The first verification layer, “ioID,” assigns blockchain-based digital IDs to physical devices such as sensors and robots, ensuring data provenance and integrity. The second indexing layer, “Quicksilver,” collects sensor data scattered across hundreds of networks, processes it into a machine-readable format and delivers it. The third perception layer, “Realms,” adds industry-specific contextual knowledge on top of processed data, enabling AI to make judgments beyond simple figures. The structural monetization challenge typical of middleware was addressed with the commercial product “Trio.” Trio is a multimodal, stream-based agentic AI product that analyzes video streams in real time. When connected to a live video feed, AI analyzes what is happening on screen and returns answers in natural language. Users can receive immediate assessments in response to questions about the footage without having to monitor CCTV directly. The report assessed Trio as strategically meaningful in that it moves beyond low middleware fees to generate tangible revenue. There is also a push to expand the ecosystem. According to the report, in September 2025 IoTeX launched the “Real-World AI Foundry,” a platform where multiple companies pool infrastructure, data and computing resources to jointly develop AI models. Participants include Vodafone and Filecoin, and IoTeX takes on an intermediary layer that verifies and connects resources. The goal is to develop “Real-World Models (RWMs)” that train AI on data generated in real time from sensors and devices. Yoon Seung-sik, head of research at Tiger Research and the report’s author, said, “IoTeX is transitioning into an AI platform based on the DePIN infrastructure it has built over eight years,” adding, “Trio’s enterprise customer contract performance and the Foundry’s level of model commercialization will be at the core of the 2026 investment thesis.”