The post Circle Freezes $12.6M in Stablecoins Linked to Zama Without Prior Notice: ZachXBT appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.
Stablecoin issuer Circle froze $12.6 million in USDC dollar-pegged tokens linked to privacy protocol Zama’s confidential USDC smart contract on Saturday, according to onchain sleuth ZachXBT. The smart contract is “publicly labeled” on block explorers and the privacy protocol’s technical documentation, ZachXBT said. The exact reason for the freeze is “unclear,” he said, adding that wallets linked to the Overnight Finance decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol deposited $12.4 million into the Zama protocol on May 11, 2026. He said: “Overnight Finance held a governance vote recently to distribute treasury funds after holders alleged the team was rug-pulling. Regardless, it’s precedent-setting to unilaterally freeze the contracts or addresses of a protocol where funds have been commingled with Zama users.” Source: ZachXBT “From my understanding, the Zama team does
The post Dash says crypto forgot its original killer app: digital cash appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.
Dash has renewed its focus on digital cash, arguing that peer-to-peer payments remain one of crypto’s most useful goals even as stablecoins, DeFi and decentralized applications take more attention. Summary Dash says digital cash remains crypto’s strongest use case as stablecoins and DeFi gain ground. The project says stablecoins carry issuer, peg and freeze risks that digital cash avoids directly. Dash links payments, savings, DeFi and DApps to one scarce base money model for users. Dash said its strategy still follows the early idea behind Bitcoin: a peer-to-peer electronic cash system. The project said that use case has lost attention in parts of the crypto market, but it remains central to its roadmap. In a post on X, Dash described digital cash as the “killer app” for blockchain because it can support direct payments, savings, finance and digital services. The project said di
The post Standard Chartered Keeps $40,000 ETH Target Despite 57% Price Decline appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.
Key Takeaways Standard Chartered kept its $40,000 ETH target despite a 57% price decline. Ethereum’s network metrics remain near record levels, according to the bank. Stablecoins and tokenized assets are central to the bullish outlook. Why Standard Chartered Still Sees Ethereum Reaching $40,000 Ethereum’s underlying network indicators continue strengthening even as ETH remains far below recent highs, according to a May 28 research note from Standard Chartered’s Global Research team. Geoff Kendrick, Global Head of Digital Assets Research at Standard Chartered Bank, wrote that transaction numbers and total value locked, measured in ETH terms, remain near record levels. ETH has still fallen roughly 57% from its August 2025 peak, while ETH- BTC is down 37%. Standard Chartered argues the market is focusing on ETH’s price decline while overlooking stronger transaction and value
The post ZachXBT Says $12.6 Million In Zama CUSDC May Have Been Frozen After Circle Blacklisting appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.
A new controversy is making the rounds in crypto after blockchain investigator ZachXBT said Circle may have blacklisted a contract tied to Zama’s confidential USDC, or cUSDC, on Ethereum, freezing around $12.6 million in user funds. According to ZachXBT, the blacklist action happened roughly seven hours before he shared the update, and it appears to have locked the contract address used for Zama’s privacy-focused stablecoin setup. If accurate, that would mean users suddenly lost access to a very large amount of funds without much warning, which is exactly the kind of thing that tends to set off alarms in the crypto world. What makes the situation even messier is the fact that the address allegedly froze after recently taking part in an Overnight Finance governance vote about treasury allocation. That detail matters because it suggests the contract wasn’t
The post Payment Interoperability Crucial As Stablecoins Expand Use appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.
Lawrence Jengar
May 29, 2026 20:59
Global payments face fragmentation issues, but stablecoins like USDC and multichain designs offer a path to seamless money movement.
Global payment systems remain deeply fragmented, despite rapid advances in digital finance. A lack of interoperability across networks and standards is slowing cross-border transactions, tying up liquidity, and forcing businesses to grapple with operational complexity. However, stablecoins like USDC and blockchain-based multichain infrastructure are emerging as potential solutions to bridge these gaps. According to a 2024 survey, 40% of companies reported losing business due to cross-border payment inefficiencies. Traditional systems like SWIFT, ACH, and SEPA operate on siloed standards and timelines, leading to settlement delays and reconciliation headaches for institutions operating across multiple
The post Banking Apps Issue Stablecoins—But Can Users Use Them? appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.
Retail customers are finally seeing stablecoins appear inside their everyday banking and payments apps. That’s a milestone—but it’s only the first step. Turning a launch into durable, habit-forming utility is the harder, more important challenge. On May 27, 2026, Block’s Cash App began a phased rollout of USDC to roughly a quarter of its nearly 60 million users, supporting Solana, Ethereum, Polygon, and Arbitrum, with daily and weekly send/receive caps; the company said it aimed to reach all users by week’s end CoinDesk. Cash App’s press release also noted 59 million monthly customers, auto-conversion of received USDC to U.S. dollars in-app, and cited adjusted stablecoin transaction volume of $13.28 trillion over the last 12 months Cash App (press release). The same day, SoFi announced SoFiUSD, a 1:1 USD-redeemable stablecoin issued by SoFi Bank, N.A., embedded directly in its consumer
Standard Chartered is maintaining its $40,000 Ethereum price target even after ETH fell 57% from its August 2025 high. The bank believes growth in stablecoins and tokenized assets could eventually help close the gap between Ethereum’s fundamentals and price. Why Standard Chartered Still Sees Ethereum Reaching $40,000 Ethereum’s underlying network indicators continue strengthening even as […]
The post GELT: A Test Case for Private Currency Issuance appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.
Local-currency stablecoins are moving from niche experiments to policy-level pilots. The newest proposal: GEL₮ (ticker: GELT), a Georgian lari–denominated token announced by Tether with the Government of Georgia. If it launches as framed, GELT could pressure-test how far private money can go when a state endorses—but does not necessarily issue—the currency. This article unpacks what GELT is, how it might operate in practice, and why its design choices could redefine the line between public fiat and privately issued digital cash. You’ll also see concrete checklists for users and businesses considering integration, plus the governance signals to watch in the first year. Quick Answer Editor’s note: In Q1–Q2 2026 I kept hearing the same theme from PSPs in Central and Eastern Europe: local-currency demand is rising on-chain, but on/off-ramps and accounting are the choke points. A few pilot programs