Payments
Every Payments read CryptoBloggers has picked: 130 so far, 112 in the last 30 days, strongest first under “Start here” and newest first below.
Payments picks in the 6:30 email
The day’s five best crypto reads, plus AI agents doing real things on-chain. Free, every morning at 6:30 a.m. Central.
Every Payments card
newest first · page 3 of 5- 1
Malaysia and Thailand Join Singapore’s BLOOM Digital-Money Initiative
Malaysia and Thailand join Singapore's BLOOM digital money initiative, with Visa, Mastercard and World Bank participating on cross-border settlement.
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An AI Agent's Honest Field Log: Hunting Real USDC Work on the Open Web
An AI agent with a human operator in Dubai tried to find paid USDC bounties on Taskmarket and other EVM platforms in one night; it registered, submitted two entries, and found only about $14 in open tasks.
- 3
SoFi launches tokenized deposits for consumers with 4.2% interest as debate over stablecoins rages on
SoFi is offering tokenized deposits to consumers, a notable bank-to-chain product move amid the stablecoin debate.
- 4
Crypto card spending hit $1.5B a month in late 2025, but most of it settled on fiat rails
Artemis report finds most crypto card spending settles on fiat rails, with about $1.5B a month in late 2025 volume.
- 5
A real Bitcoin TXID is not a confirmed payment: 0 confirmations and RBF explained
A clear explainer on why a 0-confirmation Bitcoin TXID does not mean payment, covering RBF and mempool risk.
- 6
Underdog taps zerohash to bring crypto deposits to prediction markets
Underdog will let users deposit crypto into its prediction markets via zerohash, launching later this year. A partnership announcement.
- 7
SoFi unveils bank-issued tokenized deposit for yield-bearing crypto funds
SoFi Bank launched a tokenized deposit paying 4.40% APY with FDIC coverage, convertible to stablecoins 24/7.
- 8
SoFi Launches Tokenized Deposit That Earns 4.4% and Converts to a Stablecoin
SoFi's SOFIE token is a tokenized $1 bank deposit paying 4.40% APY with FDIC insurance, convertible to a stablecoin.
- 9
Mastercard Crypto Credential, KYC, Travel Rule and Screening Compared
Comparison of Mastercard crypto credential, KYC, Travel Rule and screening tools, clarifying what each check does and who decides on payments.
- 10
Fireblocks Executive Says Its Dynamic Wallets Likely Help Power Bank Transfers on Fiserv
A Fireblocks executive says its wallets likely power Fiserv bank transfers, but Fiserv has not confirmed the partnership.
- 11
Trends from Money20/20 2026: The rise of “hidden” financial services
Stripe's Money20/20 takeaways on stablecoins, agents and always-on money as financial infrastructure fades into the background.
- 12
Securitize Cuts Out Stablecoin Middlemen in Deal With Anchorage Digital Bank
Securitize will create and redeem stablecoins directly at Anchorage Digital Bank, which also handles custody and settlement.
- 13
Vantage and Rio Bank Use Tokenized Deposits for Loan Payment on Ethereum
Vantage and Rio Bank settled a loan payment using tokenized deposits on Ethereum, with principal and interest reaching the bank's wallet in under three minutes, per Participate.
- 14
Japanese visitors may be able to pay with yen stablecoins in South Korea under Shinhan-SBI pact
Shinhan and SBI plan to explore yen stablecoin payments for Japanese visitors in South Korea, still at exploration stage.
- 15
Western Union Picks Noah to Settle Receiver Redirect Payouts in USDPT
Western Union's Noah unit will settle remittance payouts in USDPT, a Solana stablecoin issued by Anchorage Digital Bank, across 200+ countries.
- 16
Dogecoin wallet, app teams unite in push to give DOGE more everyday uses
Dogecoin Labs will combine MyDoge, DogeOS and merchant payment tools to push DOGE into everyday uses.
- 17
UK Banks Hit With 10,000 Complaints Over Blocked Crypto Transfers in 90 Days: Report
A Stand With Crypto report counts 10,000 UK bank complaints over blocked crypto transfers in 90 days, with Lloyds drawing the most.
- 18
Shinhan, SBI make Japan-Korea tourist spending a test case for yen stablecoins
Shinhan and SBI will test whether yen stablecoins can ease Japan-Korea tourist spending and trade settlement.
- 19
Tether leads $15 million funding round for AI-focused payment startup Mural
Tether led a $15M Series A for Mural, an AI-focused payments startup, bringing its total funding to $28M.
- 20
MoonPay, Upbit parent Dunamu explore collaboration on stablecoin payments, GIWA expansion
MoonPay and Upbit parent Dunamu plan to explore stablecoin payments collaboration and wider access to the GIWA Ethereum L2; an exploratory partnership with no concrete terms.
- 21
Check who your x402 agent is paying, before it signs
A pay guard for x402 agents checks payTo addresses against OFAC and seller track records; the post demonstrates it blocking a Lazarus wallet payTo.
- 22
Mastercard Opens Up AI Agent Payments With Early Access and Live Demo
Mastercard demoed an AI agent running a sample ad campaign with nine payments to two merchants on one approved budget.
- 23
Mastercard opens early access to AI agent payments following pilots with Coinbase, Base and Cloudflare
Mastercard opened early access to Agent Pay for Machines after pilots with Coinbase, Base and Cloudflare.
- 24
1inch Winds Down Card, Urges Balance Withdrawals by Dec. 18
1inch is winding down its card product and asks users to withdraw balances by December 18; the issuer controls card shutdown timing.
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How We'll Measure the Agent Economy
A practitioner argues x402 transaction counts overstate agentic commerce and proposes a funnel-based measurement stack.
- 26
Mesh Signs Visa Deal to Turn Wallet Crypto and Stablecoin Balances Into Card-Free Payments
Mesh and Visa announced a deal to let wallet crypto and stablecoin balances pay at cards without a physical card, with no start date.
- 27
The Always-On Dollar: Money for an Economy that Doesn’t Close
Coinbase essay on stablecoin-style money designed for an economy that never closes.
- 28
Now Accepting Bitcoin: Gyros, Cocas, and 219 Arizona Bitcoin Merchants
Bitcoin Magazine's first-hand test of spending bitcoin via Lightning across Scottsdale-area merchants, a light but practical look at real-world acceptance.
- 29
Mastercard launches stablecoin risk screening for banks and payment providers
Mastercard's new service screens stablecoin transactions for banks using payment data and blockchain analytics before settlement.
- 30
I built MCP tools for AI agents, and the agents got good enough that they don't need them
A solo developer ran a pay-per-call x402 API on Base for four months; no agent ever paid for a call, so the tools failed to find demand.