Visa has signed a partnership with WeFi, a self-described "blockchain bank" founded by Reeve Collins, the former CEO of Tether, The Block reported. The collaboration is designed to let users keep digital assets in self-custody wallets and pay directly across Visa's global merchant network, without parking funds on centralized exchanges. WeFi cofounder and CEO Maksym Sakharov said stablecoins are built into the underlying infrastructure, with settlement processed automatically behind the scenes to mirror the experience of traditional card payments. The rollout will begin in selected markets across Europe, Asia and Latin America. Additional expansion will depend on regulatory approvals.

ChainCatcher, citing Cointelegraph, reported that stablecoin transfer volume over the past 30 days slid 19.18% from the prior period to $8.31 trillion. Over the same window, total stablecoin market capitalization rose 2.06% to $305.29 billion, while the number of holders increased 2.32% to 246.94 million. By net inflows over the past 30 days, Tether's USDT ranked first with $3.6 billion, followed by Circle's USDC at $2 billion and MakerDAO's DAI at $1.2 billion. Ethena's USDe recorded the largest net outflow at $1.1 billion.

Visa has partnered with WeFi, a company headed by a former Tether CEO, to connect cryptocurrency activity to Visa's global payment network.

State Street, which oversees $4.7 trillion in assets under custody, plans to roll out tokenized fund servicing out of Luxembourg by the end of the year.

Core Scientific is accelerating a shift away from Bitcoin mining as it targets rising demand for AI and high-performance computing. The company said it is redirecting substantial power capacity to AI-focused infrastructure at its Texas operations. The transition is centered on its Pecos site, which Core Scientific is developing into a large-scale data center campus built for intensive AI workloads. The company plans to expand the site to as much as 1.5 gigawatts of total power capacity, with about 1 gigawatt expected to be available for lease to third-party customers seeking scalable AI compute. Core Scientific has already begun repurposing existing mining capacity to support the buildout. Roughly 300 megawatts previously dedicated to Bitcoin mining are being converted to data center operations, highlighting the company's ability to adapt installed infrastructure. Construction is progressing, with the first data hall completing foundational work and moving into vertical construction. Initial capacity is expected to come online in early 2027. Beyond Texas, Core Scientific is pursuing additional energy and real estate to support longer-term expansion. The company has secured another 300 megawatts under contract with its utility provider and is evaluating behind-the-meter power solutions aimed at improving efficiency and cost control. It has also acquired more than 200 acres of land in the region to preserve expansion flexibility as demand grows. To fund these capital-intensive projects, Core Scientific outlined plans to raise $3.3 billion through senior secured notes due in 2031, following a $1 billion credit facility arranged earlier this year. The company said the financing will support expansion across Texas, Georgia, North Carolina and Oklahoma. The pivot reflects a broader trend across the crypto mining industry. Firms including MARA, Hive, Hut 8 and TeraWulf are increasingly converting mining operations into AI-oriented data centers, adapting crypto infrastructure to advanced computing needs and diversifying revenue beyond traditional mining. Core Scientific's move underscores how mining operators are repositioning for long-term growth as demand for computing power continues to climb.

Cointelegraph spoke with OKX MENA and CIS CEO Rifad Mahasneh (@RifadM) after OKX added BlackRock's BUIDL tokenized U.S. Treasury fund to its collateral framework with Standard Chartered. Under the arrangement, eligible institutional and VIP clients can post yield-bearing BUIDL as trading collateral while the assets remain in regulated custody, underscoring the push to bring real-world assets on-chain. "More assets will definitely come onchain and be accessible for users." Full interview:

Polymarket said on X that its upgraded CLOB v2 exchange is now live. The platform has launched a $1 million liquidity incentive program, with $500,000 paid out in the first two hours and the remaining $500,000 scheduled for distribution through the rest of the day. After signing in, users will be prompted to convert their balance to pUSD and approve the new contract.

CoinDesk reports that T. Rowe Price, the $1.71 trillion asset-management group, is in the final stretch of launching an actively managed cryptocurrency ETF under the ticker TKNZ, with a 0.75% fee. The firm has filed a third amended document and confirmed the ticker. The portfolio is set to hold core tokens including Bitcoin (BTC) and Solana (SOL), and also names XRP and the memecoin Shiba Inu (SHIB). Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas said the fund could debut "soon," calling the push by active managers into crypto a "land rush." The product is designed to use a quantitative model to select 5 to 15 tokens, offering investors a packaged approach rather than a single-asset bet. The filing lands as crypto ETFs see a short-term shift to risk-off positioning. This week, spot ETF flows turned negative, with $263.2 million leaving BTC ETFs and $50.4 million exiting ETH ETFs. The pullback comes ahead of the Federal Reserve meeting and the April 30 release of Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) inflation data, where PCE is expected at 3.2%. Bitcoin is testing a key technical zone around $76,500, near the weekly Bollinger Bands midpoint and the 20-day moving average. BTC was last around $76,359, about 3% lower on the week. A weekly close above roughly $76,479 would be viewed as a successful retest, keeping the upside objective near the prior high around $96,600 in play, with the upper Bollinger Band near $95,500. Macro pressures are complicating sentiment. Tensions in the Strait of Hormuz have lifted Brent crude above $100 per barrel, reviving inflation concerns and pushing some investors toward defensive positioning. If Bitcoin breaks below $76,500, attention may shift toward support near $72,000, potentially extending consolidation into May. Dogecoin (DOGE) is also back on institutional radar. After nine days of no net inflows in spot ETF products, Grayscale Investments' GDOG fund posted its largest inflow since early March, ending a nine-day stretch of outflows. Even so, the fund remains small, with $11.83 million in AUM, about 0.08% of Dogecoin's market capitalization. DOGE is trading near $0.09913, pressing the $0.10 level. It has held above the 23-day and 50-day moving averages, while a broader recovery target sits at $0.12752, aligned with the 200-day moving average. For bulls, the key task is to flip $0.10 from resistance into support. In broader market positioning ahead of the FOMC decision, investors have been trimming exposure and raising cash as the recent streak of inflows into spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs has broken. Bitcoin is probing support near $77,000, and continued ETF outflows could accelerate long liquidations below that area. On the corporate and equity side, Block disclosed Bitcoin holdings valued at $2.2 billion in its first-quarter report. NVIDIA (NVDA) hit a new record at $212.50, underscoring strong risk appetite in AI-linked equities. The correlation between Bitcoin, the Nasdaq, and NVIDIA suggests crypto could see catch-up strength once Fed-driven volatility eases.

Binance reported close to $6 billion in stablecoin inflows across March and April. April accounted for $3.5 billion of the total.