Crypto
crypto

Fiserv shares jump on stablecoin announcement

Payments provider and financial services technology company Frank's International announced it plans to launch a digital asset platform and a stablecoin, FIUSD, by the end of 2025, according to a press release.

Shares were up more than 6% in premarket trading.

The company said its stablecoin will be “available to Fiserv clients via Solana, one of the most trusted and used blockchains for stablecoins.”

“With our scale, reach, and technology leadership, Fiserv is uniquely positioned to advance stablecoin-powered payments and help democratize access to blockchain financial services,” Takis Georgakopoulos, Fiserv COO, said in the release.

The move comes after the Senate passed the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act last week, which aims to provide a regulatory framework for stablecoins.

The stablecoin coin market jumped 8% in the last week, reaching a $271 billion market cap, DefiLlama data shows.

Ari Redbord, VP and global head of policy and government affairs at TRM Labs, told Sherwood News that the passage of the GENIUS Act is a landmark moment for the crypto ecosystem — proof that Congress is serious about creating clear, thoughtful rules of the road for digital assets.

“While there’s still a long way to go before a stablecoin bill reaches the president’s desk, this bipartisan momentum signals that regulation and innovation are not at odds. They’re part of the same conversation,” Redbord said.

Shares were up more than 6% in premarket trading.

The company said its stablecoin will be “available to Fiserv clients via Solana, one of the most trusted and used blockchains for stablecoins.”

“With our scale, reach, and technology leadership, Fiserv is uniquely positioned to advance stablecoin-powered payments and help democratize access to blockchain financial services,” Takis Georgakopoulos, Fiserv COO, said in the release.

The move comes after the Senate passed the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act last week, which aims to provide a regulatory framework for stablecoins.

The stablecoin coin market jumped 8% in the last week, reaching a $271 billion market cap, DefiLlama data shows.

Ari Redbord, VP and global head of policy and government affairs at TRM Labs, told Sherwood News that the passage of the GENIUS Act is a landmark moment for the crypto ecosystem — proof that Congress is serious about creating clear, thoughtful rules of the road for digital assets.

“While there’s still a long way to go before a stablecoin bill reaches the president’s desk, this bipartisan momentum signals that regulation and innovation are not at odds. They’re part of the same conversation,” Redbord said.

More Crypto

See all Crypto
crypto

Payward, parent company of crypto exchange Kraken, puts plans for IPO on hold

Payward, crypto exchange Kraken’s parent company, has paused its plans for an initial public offering until market conditions improve, according to a report from CoinDesk that cited two people with knowledge of the matter. 

Since the firm announced in November its preparation for an IPO of its common stock, the total market capitalization of the crypto industry has shed around $652.2 billion, from $3.2 trillion to $2.5 trillion as of Wednesday, data from CoinGecko shows. 

The news comes two weeks after Kraken received approval for a master account from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, allowing the crypto exchange to connect to the Fed’s payment infrastructure used by traditional banks and credit unions. 

Last year, Kraken raised $800 million at a $20 billion valuation from institutional investors such as Jane Street and Citadel Securities.

The news comes two weeks after Kraken received approval for a master account from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, allowing the crypto exchange to connect to the Fed’s payment infrastructure used by traditional banks and credit unions. 

Last year, Kraken raised $800 million at a $20 billion valuation from institutional investors such as Jane Street and Citadel Securities.

crypto

SEC and CFTC issue new guidance on how securities laws apply to crypto assets

On Tuesday, the US Securities and Exchange Commission, together with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, issued an interpretation clarifying how federal securities law applies to crypto assets, a first step toward developing a clearer regulatory framework. 

The interpretive guidance introduces a token taxonomy for different types of cryptocurrencies, with SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins adding that “most crypto assets are not themselves securities.”

Examples of a digital commodity, “a crypto asset that is intrinsically linked to and derives its value from the programmatic operation of a crypto system that is ‘functional,’” include:

The guidance also includes definitions of digital collectibles (such as NFTs), stablecoins, digital tools, and digital securities (such as tokenized real-world assets and stocks).

This is a monumental step in the mainstream adoption of the industry and clears a hurdle in how crypto can operate going forward, according to David Pakman, head of venture investments at CoinFund. “This will allow new token designs with the confidence that their existence does not require registration with the SEC, etc.,” Pakman told Sherwood News.

Despite the clarification efforts from the two organizations, the market capitalization of the crypto industry has dropped about 2% in the last 24 hours as each of the tokens mentioned in the guidance are trading lower in the period, data from CoinGecko shows.

The joint agency action also complements congressional efforts to turn a crypto market structure framework into law. With the goal of providing regulations on the offer and sale of digital commodities, the CLARITY Act passed the House of Representatives last year and is now sitting in the Senate.

Latest Stories

Sherwood Media, LLC produces fresh and unique perspectives on topical financial news and is a fully owned subsidiary of Robinhood Markets, Inc., and any views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of any other Robinhood affiliate, including Robinhood Markets, Inc., Robinhood Financial LLC, Robinhood Securities, LLC, Robinhood Crypto, LLC, Robinhood Derivatives, LLC, or Robinhood Money, LLC. Futures and event contracts are offered through Robinhood Derivatives, LLC.