Stablecoin

The IRS's new Form 1099-DA introduces standardized reporting for digital asset sales, emphasizing gross proceeds for 2025 activity. Many cost basis fields may remain blank, leaving taxpayers to reconstruct acquisition records across wallets and venues. The rollout is reshaping filing behavior and raising concerns about confusion and potential overpayment as people import forms into tax software.

Ether.fi said in a Wednesday announcement it will migrate its non-custodial ether.fi Cash card product from Scroll to OP Mainnet. Over the coming months, the team plans to move ~70,000 active cards, ~300,000 accounts and millions in user TVL, citing OP Mainnet's liquidity, broader asset access and the ability to cover gas fees.

On February 18, 2026, The Hyper Foundation said it will fund the Hyperliquid Policy Center in Washington, D.C. with 1 million HYPE tokens, valued at about $29 million, with the tokens to be unstaked later today. Jake Chervinsky will serve as founding CEO, and the nonprofit will advocate for clear rules for perpetual derivatives and on-chain market infrastructure in the U.S.

Coinbase expanded its onchain, Morpho-powered loan product by accepting XRP, Dogecoin, Cardano and Litecoin as collateral. The exchange said eligible U.S. customers outside New York can borrow up to $100,000 in USDC without selling those tokens. The program, launched last year with bitcoin and ether, has recorded more than $1.9 billion in originations, according to company data.

Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon disclosed he owns a small amount of bitcoin while speaking at the first day of World Liberty Forum 2026 in Mar-a-Lago. He has supported blockchain but described crypto as speculative, and in July 2024 said bitcoin might have a "store of value" case. In January 2025, he reiterated Goldman's restrictions on direct crypto involvement.

Societe Generale's SG-FORGE has deployed its euro-denominated stablecoin, EUR CoinVertible, on the XRP Ledger, marking its third public blockchain, according to a Wednesday announcement. Ripple's custody support may enable future integration into Ripple products, and about 70.51 million tokens are currently in circulation. The asset is backed 1:1 by bank cash deposits or high-quality securities.

Modern Treasury, a U.S.-based payments operations software provider, has introduced an integrated PSP service that supports stablecoin settlement alongside ACH transfers, wire payments and real-time payment networks. The platform currently works with Global Dollar (USDG), Pax Dollar (USDP) and USDC, with plans to add USDt later, and incorporates these assets into a single compliance framework so clients can process fiat and crypto payments through the same infrastructure.

The European Central Bank plans to begin selecting EU-licensed payment service providers in the first quarter of 2026 for a limited digital euro pilot. Executive Board member Piero Cipollone said the 12-month test is slated for the second half of 2027 and will include a small group of PSPs, merchants, and Eurosystem staff.

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde is reportedly considering stepping down before her term ends in October 2027, just as the EU prepares key decisions on the digital euro and stablecoin oversight. Potential successors share a cautious view on crypto, while the ECB is planning a 12‑month digital euro pilot from the second half of 2027 and aims to be ready for a possible first issuance in 2029, subject to EU lawmakers' approval.

Binance's stablecoin reserves have climbed to about $47.5 billion, giving it roughly 65% of the stablecoin balances held on centralized exchanges. Flows have been choppy but keep returning, and the stack is led by USDT with smaller USDC shares. Pending U.S. rules and growing ERC20 supply add to the liquidity backdrop.