Coinbase Sets Its Sights on Stablecoin Growth and Onchain Adoption in 2026
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong outlined the company’s strategic focus on expanding stablecoin usage and accelerating onchain adoption as core priorities for 2026. The exchange sees stablecoins as a critical bridge between traditional finance and crypto-native ecosystems, particularly for payments and cross-border transactions. Armstrong emphasized Coinbase’s push to make onchain activity more user-friendly, reducing friction for everyday users and businesses. The company is also positioning itself to benefit from clearer global regulation, which could unlock broader institutional participation. With governments and enterprises increasingly exploring tokenized money, Coinbase aims to be foundational infrastructure rather than just a trading platform. This strategy reflects a wider industry shift toward real-world utility over speculative trading.
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Mastercard’s Value-Added Services & Solutions
In recent years, Mastercard’s Value-Added Services & Solutions (VAS) segment has emerged as a key growth engine for the company. In the latest quarter (Q3 FY25), VAS net revenue reached $3.4 billion, jumping 25% year-over-year – far outpacing the 12% growth of the core payment network business. This brought total net revenue to $8.6 billion for the quarter (up 17% YoY), with VAS now contributing roughly 40% of the pie. Management highlights that these services are not new or ancillary, but rather “a critical part of the business” that differentiates Mastercard’s offerings in areas like analytics, security, and fraud prevention.
Mastercard’s strategic positioning of VAS can be understood through what CFO Sachin Mehra calls a “virtuous circle.” Every payment transaction that Mastercard processes yields data; the more transactions on the network, the more data insights the company can harness. Mastercard then leverages those insights to develop value-added services – for example, fraud scoring models or market analytics – which it sells back to banks, merchants, and other customers. These services in turn make the core payment products more valuable and stickier, attracting additional volume (and thus more data) back to the network. This feedback loop has strengthened over time, enabling Mastercard to diversify beyond traditional transaction fees. Today, roughly 60% of Mastercard’s services revenue is directly “network-linked” – tied to its payment network usage (think tools like card transaction authentication, fraud scoring, chargeback solutions) – and this portion has grown at ~17% CAGR from 2022–2024. In short, VAS is deeply interwoven with Mastercard’s core business, driving a flywheel of data and revenue.
Curated News
💳 Payments
Trip.com Experiments With Stablecoin Payments for Global Travelers
Trip.com is testing USDT and USDC payments for overseas prepaid bookings, signaling growing confidence in stablecoins for real-world commerce. The move could reduce cross-border payment costs and settlement times for international travelers.
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Currys Rolls Out Stripe Payment Terminals Across UK and Ireland
Electronics retailer Currys will install thousands of Stripe terminals across its stores to modernize in-person payments. The rollout supports faster checkouts and tighter integration between online and offline commerce.
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Pay10 and FAB Go Live With Open Finance in the UAE
Pay10 and First Abu Dhabi Bank have launched Open Finance under the Al Tareq scheme. The initiative enables secure data sharing to improve access to credit and financial products.
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🏦 Banking
Citigroup Exits Russia, Booking $1.2bn Loss
Citigroup is selling its remaining Russian operations, crystallizing a $1.2bn loss. The move marks the end of its long withdrawal from the market amid geopolitical pressure.
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Morgan Stanley Warns of 200,000 European Banking Job Cuts by 2030
Morgan Stanley forecasts significant job losses across European banks driven by automation and cost-cutting. The outlook highlights accelerating structural change in the sector.
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ICICI Bank Launches Capital Gains Account Scheme
ICICI Bank introduced a new capital gains account to help taxpayers claim exemptions while earning interest. The product targets individuals managing proceeds from asset sales.
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Hana Financial Explores Stablecoin Adoption in South Korea
Hana Financial is evaluating stablecoin use cases as Korean banks warm to digital assets. The move reflects rising institutional interest in tokenized money.
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🪙 Crypto
CARF Crypto Tax Reporting Goes Live Across 48 Countries
The OECD’s Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) has been activated in 48 jurisdictions. The regime strengthens cross-border tax transparency for digital assets.
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Tether Adds $800m in Bitcoin to Reserves
Tether has increased its bitcoin holdings to 96,000 BTC after a nearly $800m purchase. The move underscores its strategy of diversifying reserves beyond traditional assets.
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Japan and South Korea Lead Asia’s Stablecoin Push
Japan and South Korea are emerging as leaders in regulated stablecoin adoption across Asia. Regulatory clarity is encouraging banks and fintechs to experiment at scale.
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Telcoin Launches eUSD and Begins Digital Asset Banking
Telcoin has launched its eUSD stablecoin alongside digital asset banking operations. The initiative blends blockchain infrastructure with regulated financial services.
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Crypto Wallets Shift From Trading to Spending
New data from Bitget Wallet shows users increasingly using crypto wallets for payments rather than trading. The trend signals maturing consumer use cases.
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💼 Fintech
Accel Leads $23.6m Series A in India’s Knight Fintech
Knight Fintech raised $23.6m in a Series A led by Accel to scale its financial infrastructure platform. The funding highlights strong investor appetite for Indian fintech.
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Finastra Expands With New U.S. and India Offices
Finastra is opening new offices in the U.S. and India to support global growth. The expansion reflects rising demand for core banking and payments technology.
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Plum Launches ‘No Spend Challenge’ to Boost Savings
Savings app Plum has launched a January “No Spend Challenge” to help users cut discretionary expenses. The feature aims to drive engagement through behavioral finance tools.
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📜 Regulation
SEBI Develops Technology Roadmap for Market Infrastructure
India’s SEBI is working on a technology roadmap for market infrastructure institutions. The plan aims to strengthen resilience and innovation in capital markets.
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🏷️ Other
SGX Eyes Stronger IPO Momentum in 2026
Singapore Exchange expects more IPOs as market sentiment improves. Analysts stress the importance of diversity and post-listing performance.
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CBE and Afreximbank Partner on Gold Bank Programme
The Central Bank of Egypt and Afreximbank signed an MoU to establish a gold bank programme. The initiative aims to formalize gold markets and boost financial inclusion.
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JPMorgan Pushes Back on $74m Legal Fee Claim
JPMorgan is disputing a $74m legal fee claim from Frank founder Charlie Javice. The case adds another chapter to the high-profile fraud lawsuit.
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