# Cross-Border Related Articles

HTX News Center provides the latest articles and in-depth analysis on "Cross-Border", covering market trends, project updates, tech developments, and regulatory policies in the crypto industry.

Crypto Funding Halves in Q1, Why Is Stablecoin Payment Still Attracting Money Against the Trend?

Crypto venture capital funding fell roughly 50% quarter-over-quarter in Q1 2026, yet the stablecoin payments sector was a notable exception, continuing to secure significant funding rounds. This shift signals that capital is moving away from speculative "token narratives" toward companies generating real revenue, as stablecoins evolve from a trading tool into payment infrastructure. Despite the overall funding slowdown, companies like Rain, OpenFX, and RedotPay completed major raises, focusing on areas such as card issuance, cross-border payments, and banking connectivity. Investors are attracted to the sector's potential to address long-standing inefficiencies in traditional cross-border payments through 24/7 settlement and clearer revenue models like transaction fees and FX spreads. However, the momentum may be overstated. On-chain stablecoin transaction volume does not equate to real-world payments for goods and services, and funding is concentrated in a few leading firms with reported volumes and customers. Key challenges remain, including compliance, fiat on/off-ramps, local banking relationships, and the risk of core services becoming commoditized. Looking ahead, capital is likely to flow into areas like cross-border B2B payments, bank-to-stablecoin connectivity, stablecoin-linked cards, multi-chain payment orchestration, and payments for AI agents. Ultimately, the investor interest reflects a bet on the necessary infrastructure to integrate stablecoins into the traditional financial system, with future valuations hinging on demonstrable payment volume, real revenue, and profitable market expansion.

marsbit08/18 04:21

Crypto Funding Halves in Q1, Why Is Stablecoin Payment Still Attracting Money Against the Trend?

marsbit08/18 04:21

Tiger Research: How Far Can the On-Chain Foreign Exchange Settlement Layer Go?

"Tiger Research: How Far Can On-Chain FX Settlement Layers Go?" The article examines KiiChain, a startup aiming to create an on-chain foreign exchange settlement layer, focusing on its potential to address inefficiencies in cross-border payments, especially for emerging markets. The core problem is the slow, costly, and fragmented traditional FX infrastructure, where bank hours, regulations, and thin liquidity for local currencies create delays. KiiChain, founded by OTC veterans, proposes aggregating USD and local currency stablecoin liquidity on one chain to enable 24/7 settlement. The platform consists of four components: 1) The KiiChain App uses an Atomic Quote Network (RFQ-style price discovery with on-chain settlement) to tackle settlement delays, but not underlying liquidity scarcity. 2) The RWA Protocol tokenizes collateral using compliant standards (like ERC-3643), shifting trust from bank relationships to coded rules, though regulatory anchors remain. 3) Kii Oracle uses a decentralized validator network to create consensus pricing from fragmented data, improving transparency but not market depth. 4) KiiChain Pay bundles fiat on/off-ramps and swap services; only the DEX swap bypasses banking bottlenecks, while others still rely on licensed operators. The analysis concludes KiiChain doesn't eliminate intermediaries but creates a unified settlement layer where they can interact without geographic or time constraints. It streamlines the process—three of eight traditional steps are removed—by moving infrastructure on-chain, improving speed and accessibility for digital asset swaps. However, fiat entry/exit points remain subject to off-chain service limitations. Current metrics show over $500M in transaction volume. The future depends on ecosystem growth—attracting liquidity partners and users—to evolve beyond settlement into a broader financial hub. Ultimately, the on-chain structure currently solves settlement friction and time, not liquidity depth. Success will be determined by execution in building partnerships and market presence, not by architectural design alone.

marsbit08/17 13:56

Tiger Research: How Far Can the On-Chain Foreign Exchange Settlement Layer Go?

marsbit08/17 13:56

China adds eight banks to digital yuan operator list, bringing total to 30

China's central bank has added eight more banks to the digital yuan ecosystem, bringing the total number of authorized operators to 30. The new participants include Ping An Bank, Hengfeng Bank, and Bank of Shanghai, among others. This expansion aims to broaden public access to the central bank digital currency (CBDC) and meet demand for secure, convenient payments, with plans to add more operators to foster competition. The People's Bank of China (PBOC) has set the stable development of the digital yuan as a key goal in its 2026-2030 reform plan. Transaction volume reached 16.7 trillion yuan (approx. $2.3 trillion USD) by the end of 2025, involving 3.48 billion transactions and about 230 million personal wallets. Despite this scale, dominant mobile payment platforms Alipay and WeChat Pay still control over 90% of China's third-party mobile payment market. Digital yuan usage is often facilitated by government initiatives rather than being a primary consumer choice. Concurrently, China is preparing the digital yuan for cross-border use. The PBOC-controlled CBETS platform for digital yuan cross-border settlements onboarded its first 26 direct participants in June, including Standard Chartered Bank (China) and overseas branches of Chinese banks in countries like Thailand and Singapore.

cryptonews.ru08/17 13:01

China adds eight banks to digital yuan operator list, bringing total to 30

cryptonews.ru08/17 13:01

Upbit is Anxious: A Hasty Counterattack Aimed at Regaining Stablecoin Market Share

Title: Upbit's Rushed Counterattack to Reclaim Stablecoin Market Share Facing a dramatic shift in South Korea's stablecoin market, leading exchange Upbit launched a promotional campaign from July 26 to August 9, waiving the 0.05% trading fee for stablecoins paired with the Korean Won (KRW) and rapidly listing new stablecoins like RLUSD and USDG. This move is a direct response to its plummeting market share in this sector. Historically a duopoly with Bithumb, the market has been reshaped since October 2025 when Coinone permanently removed fees for USDC trading. By June 2026, Coinone led with 34.8% of stablecoin volume, followed by Bithumb (31.1%) and Upbit (30.1%). This contrasts sharply with the overall crypto market, where Upbit commands 60%. The data shows stablecoin demand is highly sensitive to fees, as users primarily buy them to transfer capital overseas for derivatives trading or forex arbitrage. South Korean exchanges have seen a net outflow of stablecoins for 18 consecutive months, totaling approximately 14.9 trillion KRW, underscoring their role as a cross-border capital conduit. Upbit's limited-time promotion initially boosted its daily stablecoin volume by 162%, but the surge was almost entirely in USDT (98.1% of volume). The newly listed stablecoins saw negligible, fleeting interest. Furthermore, the promotional effect quickly waned in the second week, with volume dropping 33% on weekdays. A concurrent weakening of the KRW also contributed to the trading spike, independent of the fee waiver. The analysis suggests that once the promotion ends, Upbit is unlikely to retain its temporary gains unless it matches Coinone's permanent zero-fee policy, forcing a choice between market share and fee revenue. Upbit's strategic push may be less about immediate profit and more about preparing for future regulatory shifts. With South Korea's *Digital Asset Basic Act* on the horizon, which will regulate KRW-backed stablecoins, and following Dunamu's (Upbit's parent) integration into Naver Financial to build a payment ecosystem, securing a dominant position in the dollar stablecoin distribution channel holds long-term strategic value. However, potential regulatory conflicts could prevent Upbit from listing a future Naver-issued KRW stablecoin, making the current fight for dollar stablecoin flow even more critical.

marsbit08/16 11:46

Upbit is Anxious: A Hasty Counterattack Aimed at Regaining Stablecoin Market Share

marsbit08/16 11:46

Analyzing the Real Use Cases of Stablecoins and Regional Opportunities

Analysis of $15.2B in identifiable cross-border stablecoin transfers reveals key usage patterns and regional opportunities. Contrary to common perception, the majority (62.6%) of this volume is domestic transfers within countries, highlighting significant use for domestic payments, trading, and dollar-denominated savings. Furthermore, 73.0% of all identifiable volume (including domestic) remains within the sender's broader geographic region. Asia-Pacific (APAC) is the dominant market, accounting for 41.0% of global sending volume and 41.6% of global domestic volume, while also showing a net inflow of funds. Key APAC corridors like Taiwan-Indonesia and Indonesia-South Korea demonstrate substantial existing bilateral demand. The data suggests the most immediate market opportunities for institutions lie in developing domestic settlement services and regional cross-border payment channels within the APAC region.

marsbit08/16 07:01

Analyzing the Real Use Cases of Stablecoins and Regional Opportunities

marsbit08/16 07:01

Actually, the Largest Use Case for Stablecoin Payments Is Not Cross-Border

Based on an analysis of $15.2 billion in identified on-chain stablecoin transfers, the data reveals that cross-border remittances represent only a portion of stablecoin demand. The dominant use case is domestic transfers, accounting for 62.6% ($9.5B) of the identified volume. Key markets include Turkey, South Korea, Mexico, Indonesia, and the US. This indicates stablecoins are widely used for domestic payments, transactions, and dollar-denominated savings within countries. Furthermore, 73.0% of all identified transaction volume (including domestic) stays within the sender's broader geographic region. The Asia-Pacific (APAC) region leads in stablecoin activity, contributing 41.0% of total sent volume and 41.6% of global domestic volume. It also shows a net inflow of funds, with Indonesia, Singapore, and South Korea being notable recipients. Major cross-border corridors already exist, such as Turkey-Indonesia and US-Mexico. Within APAC, corridors like Taiwan-Indonesia and Indonesia-South Korea show significant bilateral flows. For institutions, the key market opportunities currently lie in domestic settlement services and developing cross-border payment channels within the APAC region, which combines the largest transaction scale, high domestic usage, and positive net inflows.

marsbit08/16 05:16

Actually, the Largest Use Case for Stablecoin Payments Is Not Cross-Border

marsbit08/16 05:16

Barça Mobile Launches Digital Wallet on Stellar

Barcelona's telecom platform, Barça Mobile, will integrate a digital wallet into its mobile app, in partnership with Wirex, Crossmint, and the Stellar Development Foundation. Operated by New Era Visionary Group, the wallet will consolidate mobile services, payments, rewards, travel services, and other digital features within a single application. Wirex will provide the payment infrastructure, Crossmint the wallet infrastructure and user onboarding tools, and the Stellar blockchain will serve as the foundation for digital payments and cross-border transfers, enabling Barça Mobile to offer services globally. The wallet will not be a standalone product but will be embedded into the existing app, supporting the platform's goal of becoming a comprehensive global digital service hub.

cryptonews.ru08/13 17:26

Barça Mobile Launches Digital Wallet on Stellar

cryptonews.ru08/13 17:26

Asia is Becoming a Testing Ground for Stablecoin-Based Payment Systems

Asia is emerging as the primary testing ground for stablecoin-based payment systems, with Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan leading the regulatory charge. These jurisdictions are moving from policy consultation to practical implementation, establishing legal frameworks that permit licensed stablecoins for payments and settlements. In 2026, Singapore has authorized major firms like Circle and Coinbase under its digital payment token regime. Hong Kong enacted its Stablecoin Law in 2025, issuing its first two licenses in April 2026. Japan has amended its rules to enhance transaction transparency for crypto exchanges. This regulatory push follows significant existing activity. Hong Kong-based Reap processes about $6 billion annually, with Asia's inter-enterprise stablecoin flows surging from under $100 million monthly in early 2023 to over $3 billion by 2025. The region accounted for $12.5 trillion in stablecoin volume in 2025, with the Singapore-China corridor being the most active. A key insight from a BIS study is that stablecoin transactions are complex; about 60% involve multi-step operations like trading and borrowing, not simple peer-to-peer transfers. This challenges regulators to view stablecoins as programmable settlement tools rather than just digital cash. While progress is uneven—South Korea's legislation is delayed due to debates over issuer eligibility—Asia's advanced banking infrastructure and experience with cross-border finance position it as the natural leader in building the global infrastructure for dollar-denominated stablecoins.

cryptonews.ru08/13 12:06

Asia is Becoming a Testing Ground for Stablecoin-Based Payment Systems

cryptonews.ru08/13 12:06

Tron Network's USDT Issuance Surpasses Ethereum, Once Again Becoming the World's Largest USDT Issuance Network

According to Tether's official data, as of August 13, 2026, the supply of USDT on the TRON network has increased by another $10 billion, reaching $91.2 billion. This has once again surpassed the USDT supply on the Ethereum network ($90.3 billion), making TRON the largest USDT issuance network globally. This milestone reinforces TRON's dominant position in the stablecoin sector and highlights the sustained appeal of its low-fee, high-efficiency settlement network for global stablecoin capital. The growth of TRC20-USDT is driven by genuine, sustainable demand. By August 2026, TRC20-USDT issuance on TRON exceeded $91.2 billion, with approximately 75.47 million holding accounts. TRON consistently handles about half of all global USDT transactions. Data shows TRON dominates in retail and small-to-medium value transfers, with its main use case being direct peer-to-peer value transfers for purposes like remittances, merchant payments, and freelance settlements. In Q1 2026 alone, TRON processed approximately $2.04 trillion in USDT transfer volume. TRON is also strengthening its infrastructure through broader ecosystem access, user experience improvements like GasFree mechanisms, and enhanced security governance. A key initiative is the T3 Financial Crime Unit (T3 FCU), a collaboration between TRON, Tether, and TRM Labs. By May 2026, T3 FCU had frozen over $450 million in illicit assets across 23 jurisdictions, demonstrating how blockchain transparency combined with public-private cooperation can improve response efficiency. Simultaneously, TRON is expanding into new frontiers like AI with the launch of B.AI, positioning it as financial infrastructure for the AI Agent era. This move signals TRON's evolution from the world's largest stablecoin settlement network toward becoming foundational infrastructure for the AI and Web3 economy. TRON's USDT competitiveness is thus transitioning from "volume accumulation" to "quality enhancement," focusing on optimizing performance, security, and accessibility for global digital value transfer.

marsbit08/13 09:41

Tron Network's USDT Issuance Surpasses Ethereum, Once Again Becoming the World's Largest USDT Issuance Network

marsbit08/13 09:41

Why Are Crypto Cards Struggling to Replace Visa?

Encrypted bank cards struggle to replace Visa due to fundamental differences in payment economics. Analysis reveals Visa’s fee is only about 7-9% of the total merchant discount rate (MDR), with the largest share (70-80%) going to issuing banks as interchange fees. Most crypto debit cards, operating on prepaid stablecoins like USDC, lack the credit-based revenue model of traditional reward credit cards. This results in significantly lower interchange income. Even with higher exempt rates for small banks, the total fee pool for a $100 stablecoin debit transaction is only about $0.62, leaving minimal room for profit sharing after covering network, processor, and bank costs. Stablecoins primarily innovate in the back-end settlement layer, enabling near real-time T+0 settlements on networks like Visa and Mastercard instead of the traditional T+2 cycle. This optimizes working capital for issuers but doesn't lower costs for merchants or improve the consumer checkout experience. Card networks are actively integrating stablecoins for settlement, seeing them as a system enhancement, not a threat. While stablecoins can reduce costs in cross-border payments by eliminating intermediaries and forex layers, this logic doesn't translate to domestic card payments where the cost structure is dominated by interchange fees. The core promise of bypassing card networks to save merchants money is flawed, as removing Visa only cuts the smallest fee component.

marsbit08/13 02:18

Why Are Crypto Cards Struggling to Replace Visa?