Citi and Western Union lead Wall Street’s stablecoin charge as Bitcoin miners and lenders shake up the post-halving crypto landscape. The race to develop stablecoin infrastructure is heating up across Wall Street and corporate America. Citigroup is moving ahead with plans to expand its stablecoin payment capabilities, amid growing speculation that major financial institutions are exploring stablecoin initiatives following the passage of the US GENIUS Act — comprehensive legislation expected to take effect in early 2027. The momentum extends beyond banks. Western Union announced plans to build a stablecoin payment network on Solana, underscoring how traditional payment providers are embracing blockchain for faster and cheaper cross-border transactions. Meanwhile, the Bitcoin (BTC) mining landscape is becoming increasingly competitive, with smaller operators rapidly closing the gap on industry leaders. And in digital lending, Ledn reported more than $1 billion in Bitcoin-backed loan originations this year — evi...
Citi and Western Union lead Wall Street’s stablecoin charge as Bitcoin miners and lenders shake up the post-halving crypto landscape. The race to develop stablecoin infrastructure is heating up across Wall Street and corporate America. Citigroup is moving ahead with plans to expand its stablecoin payment capabilities, amid growing speculation that major financial institutions are exploring stablecoin initiatives following the passage of the US GENIUS Act — comprehensive legislation expected to take effect in early 2027. The momentum extends beyond banks. Western Union announced plans to build a stablecoin payment network on Solana, underscoring how traditional payment providers are embracing blockchain for faster and cheaper cross-border transactions. Meanwhile, the Bitcoin (BTC) mining landscape is becoming increasingly competitive, with smaller operators rapidly closing the gap on industry leaders. And in digital lending, Ledn reported more than $1 billion in Bitcoin-backed loan originations this year — evi...
A trademark filing by Western Union for “WUUSD” suggests the company is looking into building crypto wallet, crypto trading and even crypto lending services. Major financial services company Western Union has filed for a trademark covering multiple crypto services just a day after sharing it would launch a stablecoin system on Solana early next year. Western Union Holdings, Inc. filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office to trademark “WUUSD” on Wednesday, covering a range of crypto services related to stablecoins. The filing notes that the agency has accepted it, but it has yet to be assigned to an examiner. The filing states that the WUUSD trademark could be used for a crypto wallet, crypto trading and stablecoin payment processing, among other things. Read more
Western Union has selected Solana for its Digital Asset Network and USDPT stablecoin, which it expects to be rolled out in the first half of 2026. Financial services company Western Union has said its forthcoming stablecoin settlement system will use the Solana blockchain. Announced during the company’s third-quarter earnings call last week, the stablecoin system will consist of the US Dollar Payment Token (USDPT) and the Digital Asset Network, which will be built in partnership with Anchorage Digital Bank, Western Union said on Tuesday. The company expects that USDPT will launch in the first half of 2026, providing customer access through partner exchanges to broaden accessibility, similar to how the PayPal USD (PYUSD) stablecoin is listed on Binance and other exchanges. Read more
Western Union CEO said there are “significant opportunities” to utilize stablecoins for sending and receiving money across borders. Financial services company Western Union is set to pilot a stablecoin-based settlement system to modernize its remittance operations for its more than 150 million customers. During Western Union’s third-quarter earnings call on Thursday, CEO Devin McGranahan said the pilot is “focused on leveraging onchain settlement rails to reduce dependency on legacy correspondent banking systems, shorten settlement windows, and improve capital efficiency.” Western Union processes around 70 million transfers each quarter. Blockchain technology could offer significant advantages over traditional remittance rails and could benefit its customers located in more than 200 countries. Read more
Western Union is exploring stablecoin integration for cross-border transfers, conversions and digital wallets, positioning it as an innovation opportunity. Western Union is exploring ways to integrate stablecoins into its services as the firm seeks to modernize cross-border payments. During a Monday interview with Bloomberg, Western Union CEO Devin McGranahan said that the company views stablecoins as an opportunity. He also said it is exploring partnerships with major crypto industry players to offer stablecoin on-ramp and off-ramp services, as well as a digital wallet. “We see stablecoin really as an opportunity, not as a threat. […] We’re 175 years old, and we’ve been innovative across [those] 175 years. And stablecoin is just yet one more opportunity to innovate,” McGranahan said. Read more