Mastercard said Wednesday it received a BitLicense from the New York State Department of Financial Services, clearing the way to expand crypto payment activity in the state. The approval lets the company clear and settle crypto and tokenized assets without relying on third parties, as it continues building infrastructure involving stablecoins and tokenized deposits.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called on Congress to move rapidly on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, arguing the U.S. should become a global center for digital assets. The bill passed the House with bipartisan backing in July 2025, but has since slowed in the Senate despite a 15-9 Senate Banking Committee vote on its version. Polymarket pricing put the odds of the measure being signed into law at 56% at the time of writing.

On May 28, 2026, Trezor rolled out native stablecoin yield for USDC and USDT inside Trezor Suite v26.5.2, allowing users to deposit, withdraw, and claim rewards without leaving the app. The feature uses Morpho Vaults (USDC Prime and USDT Prime) curated by Steakhouse, with rates that vary based on borrowing demand and no lockup period. Trezor said the update is available on desktop now and targets more than 2 million users, while full mobile support is expected later in 2026.

Aave Labs said on May 28 that its UK subsidiaries, Push Labs Ltd. and Push Virtual Assets Ltd., were registered by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to operate as cryptoasset exchange providers. The registration also permits electronic money issuance under the Electronic Money Regulations 2011, and Aave said the approvals support regulated payments infrastructure including stablecoin on- and off-ramps. Despite the update, AAVE was down about 5% over 24 hours to around $81 at the time of writing.

Crypto card monthly volume climbed to about $660 million in April 2026, rising from near zero in March 2023. TRON accounted for the largest share of volume across the period, followed by BSC and then Ethereum. Recent months also show growing contributions from Solana and several L2 networks as multi-chain card rails expand.

Stablecoin payment apps often apply per-transaction, daily/weekly, and velocity limits that can slow payroll, vendor payouts, and cross-border transfers even when the token itself has no on-chain ceiling. The article outlines why providers set caps for AML/CTF, fraud, sanctions, consumer protection, and liquidity management, and describes practical ways to plan transfers, complete higher KYC tiers, and use alternative rails when needed.

South Korea's Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office arrested five suspects on May 11, 2026, and indicted them on May 27, 2026, in what it described as the country's first criminal rug-pull case tied to a decentralized exchange. Prosecutors allege the group manipulated CATFI on a Solana-based DEX, draining liquidity and causing 256 investors to lose a combined 900 million won ($600,000) while the organizers made about 400 million won ($260,000).

Qivalis said it expanded to 37 member banks across 15 European countries on May 20, 2026, after adding 25 institutions, including Intesa Sanpaolo and BPER Banca. The consortium is aiming for an end-2026 launch of a 1:1 euro-pegged stablecoin designed for institutional use and cross-border payments, ahead of the ECB's digital euro timeline.