On Wednesday, Visa used its annual payments forum to argue that stablecoins are becoming core plumbing for global payments while it broadens efforts in AI and tokenization. The company said it has moved billions in stablecoins via VisaNet, with an annualized run rate of $7 billion as of March 2026, and it plans to expand stablecoin settlement pilots across regions, blockchains, and currencies.

Dragonfly general partner Rob Hadick said stablecoins could grow 10x as payments adoption accelerates. He argued the next wave of value creation will shift from reserve-yield economics toward distribution, compliance, and payment rails, with USDT and USDC likely facing stronger competition from banks and fintechs.

Coinbase said it can offer US customers access to "true global" crypto perpetual futures after receiving CFTC clearance dated May 29, 2026. The company will route the product through its offshore structure tied to Deribit, which it acquired in May 2025, while collateral is held in USD or USDC with leverage up to 10x. CEO Brian Armstrong also claimed roughly half of perp volume previously came from Americans using offshore venues via VPN.

UAE-based ASK Group and U.S. blockchain firm Keeta have formed a joint venture to build a public exchange that turns commodities such as oil, gold, silver and copper into fractional tokens, with a planned launch by 2027. The project targets 1-to-1 reserve backing with audited holdings, 400-millisecond settlement, and on-chain proof of reserves, while also positioning Keeta's Layer 1 network for cross-border remittances.

Nigeria's Senate advanced a cryptocurrency regulation bill through a second reading on June 9, sending it to the Senate Committee on Capital Market for a four-week review and public hearing. The proposal would require licensing for crypto exchanges and add investor-protection measures alongside tighter oversight aimed at money laundering and terrorism financing. Lawmakers and industry voices said the lack of clear rules has increased exposure to fraud and other illicit activity.

Chainalysis says four exploits tied to smart contracts with unverified source code led to about $37 million in losses over the past six months, including a $26 million January theft from Ethereum-based Truebit. The firm argues attackers can decompile bytecode and use automated tools to identify issues such as overflows or access-control weaknesses, and it urges source-code verification and broader audit and bug-bounty coverage for contracts holding user funds.

Mastercard said in June 2026 that OKX is among the launch partners for Agent Pay for Machines, an initiative meant to let AI agents and automated systems execute payments over the Mastercard network. The program frames a shift toward agent-initiated transactions such as purchases, invoice settlement, and subscription management, while the announcement did not specify supported tokens, regions, or a consumer rollout timeline.

Ripple is taking part in Mastercard's Agent Pay for Machines program, positioning the XRP Ledger (XRPL) and its RLUSD stablecoin for AI-enabled, autonomous payments. Mastercard said on June 10 it is collaborating with more than 30 partners to support always-on machine transactions that require controls, permissions, and dependable settlement. Ripple and RippleX executives emphasized rule-based spending limits, auditability, and regulated stablecoin settlement as agent-driven commerce expands.