Visa partnered with Aquanow on November 28, 2025, to bring USDC stablecoin settlement services to financial institutions across Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The collaboration enables banks in the region to access near-instant, year-round settlements through Visa's payment infrastructure and Aquanow's blockchain liquidity solutions. Visa's global stablecoin settlement activity currently runs at a $2.5 billion annualized rate.

Europe's largest asset manager Amundi has launched a tokenized share of its money market fund, AMUNDI FUNDS CASH EUR, on the Ethereum blockchain. The first transaction was recorded on November 4. CACEIS is providing the tokenization infrastructure and digital platform for subscriptions and redemptions.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin donated 128 ETH to Session, a privacy-focused encrypted messaging platform, on November 26, 2025. The contribution, valued at approximately $390,000, supports development of permissionless account creation and metadata privacy features. Session Technology Foundation President Alex Linton explained how the platform's decentralized architecture addresses privacy vulnerabilities without requiring phone numbers or centralized approval systems.

Visa has deployed USDC-based settlement infrastructure across Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, partnering with crypto infrastructure provider Aquanow. The system enables approved financial institutions to execute 24/7 cross-border settlements outside traditional banking hours, bypassing correspondent banking networks.

Stani Kulechov, CEO of Aave, welcomed the UK tax authority's consultation outcome on DeFi activities published November 27, 2025. The proposal introduces a 'no gain, no loss' framework for cryptoasset deposits into lending protocols, meaning users would not face capital gains tax when depositing collateral. Kulechov described the approach as a significant benefit for UK DeFi users who borrow stablecoins against crypto holdings.

Visa has partnered with crypto infrastructure provider Aquanow to enable stablecoin-based transaction settlements across Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa. The collaboration will allow financial institutions to settle payments using approved stablecoins including USDC, targeting cost reduction and faster settlement times. The system aims to support continuous operations while addressing friction points in cross-border transactions.

The Bank for International Settlements has warned that tokenized money-market funds pose potential systemic risks after expanding from $770 million to nearly $9 billion in under a year. The organization cited concerns that instant on-chain settlement could outpace traditional asset liquidation during redemption surges, potentially creating liquidity mismatches. BIS also noted that some tokenized funds now serve as collateral for leveraged positions, which could enable rapid contagion across crypto sectors during periods of stress.

Web3 investment firm DWF Labs unveiled a $75 million fund on November 26 to back next-generation decentralized finance infrastructure. The capital will support teams building perpetual decentralized exchanges, money markets, and yield protocols on Ethereum, BNB Chain, Solana, and Base. The firm will prioritize projects with functional products addressing liquidity provisioning, settlement systems, and on-chain risk management.