Stablecoin

SOL Strategies announced its Orangefin validator will provide staking services for VanEck's Solana ETF, according to a press release. The company operates ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certified validators managing over CAD$610 million in assets. Solana trades near $134 after declining more than 18% over the past week, with analysts watching the $100 support level.

Aave Labs introduced a mobile savings application on November 17, 2025, designed to compete with traditional banks and fintech platforms. The app offers annual interest rates up to 9% and insurance protection covering deposits up to $1 million. Users can fund accounts through stablecoins, bank transfers, or debit cards, with interest accruing continuously around the clock.

The global stablecoin market reached $300 billion by November 2025, marking 48% growth from January levels. The European Central Bank warned that large-scale redemptions could trigger mass Treasury sales, potentially disrupting European monetary policy and reserve management. Dollar-pegged tokens control 99.58% of market share, with major issuers holding most reserves in U.S. Treasury securities.

A European Central Bank Governing Council member has warned that rapid stablecoin expansion poses systemic risks to monetary policy. Olaf Sleijpen of the Dutch central bank noted dollar-pegged stablecoins have grown nearly 50% this year to over $300 billion. Large-scale redemptions could force reserve liquidations and destabilize bond markets, he said.

Dutch central bank governor Olaf Sleijpen has warned that the $300 billion stablecoin market may require European Central Bank monetary policy adjustments if growth continues at current rates. The market has expanded over 48% this year following new U.S. regulations. Euro-pegged stablecoins represent only 0.18% of global circulation compared to dollar tokens' 99.58% dominance, according to DefiLama data.

JPMorgan has launched its USD-denominated deposit token, JPM Coin (JPMD), on Base Layer 2 for institutional clients following a pilot program. The token enables 24/7 blockchain settlement while representing the bank's existing deposits. Major institutions including B2C2, Coinbase, and Mastercard have completed test transactions using JPMD.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority launched the pilot phase of Project Ensemble on Thursday, moving from sandbox testing to live transactions using tokenized deposits and digital assets. The pilot will run through 2026, initially focusing on tokenized money-market fund transactions and real-time treasury management. Interbank settlement will be supported by the HKD Real Time Gross Settlement system.

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission will authorize leveraged spot cryptocurrency trading on regulated domestic exchanges beginning December 2025. Acting Chair Caroline Pham disclosed that the agency is finalizing discussions with CME Group, Cboe, ICE Futures, Coinbase Derivatives, Kalshi, and Polymarket to establish margin and financing products under existing commodities regulations.

The US Department of Justice filed civil forfeiture complaints targeting over $15 million in Tether connected to North Korea's state-backed hacking group APT38. The FBI initially seized the USDT in March 2025, tracing it to four cryptocurrency platform breaches in 2023. Separately, five individuals pleaded guilty to helping North Korean IT workers infiltrate US companies through fraudulent remote work schemes.

The ETH2 Beacon Deposit Contract holds over 72.4 million Ether, representing approximately 60% of Ethereum's total supply, data show. The staking infrastructure now exceeds the combined holdings of all individual and institutional participants. Exchanges, Layer 2 bridges, and custody platforms control the remainder of circulating ETH.