Following a highly successful Q2, Circle has announced that BlackRock, Mastercard and Visa will be launch partners for its new blockchain network, Arc Mainnet, with the platform set to go live on 16 September, 2026.
This week’s blockchain bulletin explored a number of updates from the finance and payments world.
Tether, which also posted Q2 results, reported net operating profit of $1.5bn for the quarter, up from $1.04bn in Q1. USDT circulation grew by $446m, and the firm continues to hold $115bn in US Treasury bills. However, Tether’s excess reserve buffer — the cushion held above what’s needed to fully back USDT — fell sharply, from a record $8.23bn in Q1 to $4.11bn, a decline of roughly $4.1bn.
Robinhood meanwhile became an approved UK crypto asset provider after clearing Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) anti-money laundering checks.
BNY (formerly Bank of New York Mellon) announced a partnership with Galaxy, allowing the financial services company to bring crypto staking to its digital asset custody clients, allowing users to earn staking rewards directly within the BNY custody platform.
Western Union meanwhile launched a dedicated stablecoin card and digital wallet in partnership with Rain.
Watch the full video here.
