23 Jun 2025, 18:55

Sequans Communications Unveils $384M Bitcoin Treasury Plan

Semiconductor and IoT module developer Sequans Communications has announced plans to raise $384 million to fund a strategic investment in Bitcoin, underscoring growing corporate interest in using the cryptocurrency as a treasury asset. The company said it would raise the funds through a combination of equity and convertible debt, with $195 million in equity issuance and $189 million in convertible debentures. Sequans is collaborating with Swan Bitcoin, a firm that specializes in Bitcoin treasury management, for the execution of this plan. “Our bitcoin treasury strategy reflects our strong conviction in bitcoin as a premier asset and a compelling long-term investment,” said Sequans CEO Georges Karam. Corporate Bitcoin Adoption Accelerates Sequans joins a growing list of companies diversifying their treasuries with Bitcoin. Over the weekend, Nakamoto Holdings raised $51.5 million for the same purpose, while Metaplanet added 1,111 BTC to its balance sheet on Monday, putting it just shy of Tesla’s Bitcoin holdings. According to BitcoinTreasuries.NET, roughly 240 companies now hold Bitcoin on their balance sheets. That figure has nearly doubled in recent weeks. Together, these firms control around 4% of the global Bitcoin supply. Market Veteran Sees Trend Shift Adam Back, CEO of Blockstream and a prominent figure in the early Bitcoin community, commented on the trend on X (formerly Twitter). “Time to dump ALTs into BTC or BTC treasuries,” Back posted, referring to an emerging pattern where institutions are shifting away from altcoins and favoring Bitcoin. He characterized the surge in Bitcoin-focused treasuries as a new kind of “alt-season.” Big Tech Stays on the Sidelines Despite the growing momentum, many major technology firms are still hesitant. Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft have refrained from adding Bitcoin to their treasuries, largely due to concerns over its price volatility and ongoing regulatory uncertainty. Unlike traditional assets, Bitcoin’s market swings can expose shareholders to risks that typical corporate treasuries are designed to avoid. Strategy Remains the Largest Holder MicroStrategy, now known as Strategy, continues to dominate corporate Bitcoin holdings. The company holds approximately 592,345 BTC, valued at about $60.2 billion at current prices. Strategy has consistently used convertible debt to acquire Bitcoin, underscoring its commitment to a long-term accumulation strategy. Growing Institutional Confidence While the debate over Bitcoin’s role in corporate finance continues, the rising number of firms entering the space suggests that institutional confidence in the cryptocurrency is growing. Sequans’ move marks another major step in the ongoing integration of Bitcoin into mainstream financial strategy.

23 Jun 2025, 18:20

Fiserv Unleashes Enterprise FIUSD Stablecoin on Solana

BitcoinWorld Fiserv Unleashes Enterprise FIUSD Stablecoin on Solana The world of finance is constantly evolving, and the lines between traditional systems and decentralized technologies are blurring faster than ever. A significant move signaling this shift comes from a major player in the payments industry. Get ready to learn about a development that could reshape how businesses handle transactions: the upcoming launch of the Fiserv FIUSD stablecoin . What is the Fiserv FIUSD Stablecoin and Why Does it Matter? Fiserv , a company that sits comfortably within the Fortune 500 and is a cornerstone of the global payments infrastructure, has announced ambitious plans to enter the stablecoin market. The company intends to launch its own fiat-backed digital currency, dubbed FIUSD stablecoin , before the end of the year. This isn’t just another crypto project; it’s a move by a titan of traditional finance, aiming to integrate blockchain technology directly into the systems that power countless banks and merchants worldwide. The significance lies in Fiserv ‘s scale and reach. They provide payment processing services, banking core systems, and various financial technologies to thousands of institutions. Introducing a payments stablecoin directly into this ecosystem has the potential for widespread impact, bringing the benefits of digital currency to a massive, established user base. The FIUSD stablecoin is described as ‘programmable money.’ This term highlights one of the core advantages of digital currencies built on blockchain: the ability to embed logic directly into the money itself. This could enable automated payments, conditional transfers, instant settlements, and other complex financial operations that are cumbersome or impossible with traditional systems. Why Solana? The Choice of Blockchain for the Fiserv Stablecoin A crucial piece of the puzzle is Fiserv ‘s choice of blockchain: Solana . Known for its high throughput, low transaction costs, and fast finality, Solana has emerged as a strong contender for enterprise-level applications requiring speed and efficiency. For a payments stablecoin designed for potentially high-volume transactions within a large financial network, these characteristics are paramount. Choosing Solana for the Fiserv stablecoin suggests a strategic decision based on performance requirements. Unlike some earlier blockchains, Solana is built to handle a massive number of transactions per second, which is essential for scaling a payment solution across Fiserv’s extensive network of clients and merchants. The lower fees associated with Solana transactions compared to, say, Ethereum, also make it more viable for frequent, smaller payments. This choice also represents a significant endorsement for the Solana ecosystem, bringing a major enterprise player onto the network. It could potentially drive further development and adoption of enterprise-grade tools and infrastructure on Solana . Leveraging Industry Leaders: Paxos and Circle Infrastructure To build and launch the FIUSD stablecoin , Fiserv is not starting from scratch. The plan involves leveraging the infrastructure provided by two established players in the stablecoin and digital asset space: Paxos and Circle. This is a smart move that provides several advantages: Regulatory Expertise: Both Paxos and Circle have significant experience navigating the complex regulatory landscape surrounding stablecoins and digital assets in the U.S. Proven Technology: They provide robust technology for stablecoin issuance, management, and redemption, which can accelerate Fiserv’s time to market and ensure reliability. Trust and Compliance: Partnering with well-known entities like Paxos and Circle adds a layer of credibility and helps ensure the FIUSD stablecoin is built on a foundation of compliance and security. This collaboration highlights a trend where traditional finance leverages the expertise and existing infrastructure of native crypto companies to enter the digital asset space, rather than building everything in-house. Boosting Efficiency: The Core Benefit of the Fiserv Stablecoin The primary stated goal for the FIUSD stablecoin is to enhance efficiency for Fiserv ‘s financial institution clients and the merchants they serve. How exactly can a stablecoin achieve this? Here are some key areas where efficiency gains are expected: Faster Settlements: Traditional payment systems often involve intermediaries and batch processing, leading to delays of days for funds to settle. A stablecoin on a fast blockchain like Solana can enable near-instantaneous settlement, freeing up capital and improving cash flow for businesses. Reduced Costs: By potentially cutting out intermediaries and streamlining processes, transaction costs could be reduced, especially for cross-border payments. Improved Reconciliation: Programmable money allows for richer data to be embedded with transactions, simplifying the reconciliation process for businesses. 24/7 Availability: Unlike traditional banking hours, blockchain networks operate around the clock, enabling payments and settlements at any time. New Business Models: The ‘programmable’ nature of the FIUSD stablecoin could unlock entirely new ways for businesses to interact financially, such as automated supply chain payments triggered by events, or instant rebates and loyalty programs. This focus on practical, tangible benefits like efficiency and cost reduction is crucial for driving enterprise adoption of blockchain technology. Market Context: U.S. Stablecoin Legislation on the Horizon The timing of Fiserv ‘s announcement is notable, coinciding with increasing momentum towards federal stablecoin legislation in the United States. Lawmakers have been actively discussing and drafting frameworks to regulate stablecoins, aiming to provide clarity and consumer protection. This legislative progress is likely a significant factor enabling large, regulated financial institutions like Fiserv to feel more comfortable entering the stablecoin market. A clear regulatory framework can reduce uncertainty, define operational requirements, and potentially pave the way for broader institutional adoption of stablecoins as a legitimate form of digital money within the existing financial system. The development of an Enterprise stablecoin like FIUSD stablecoin aligns well with the goals of regulators seeking to integrate digital assets safely into the financial ecosystem, potentially offering a compliant pathway for widespread use. Challenges and Considerations for the Fiserv Stablecoin While the potential benefits are significant, launching an enterprise stablecoin is not without its challenges: Regulatory Nuances: Even with progress, the specific rules governing stablecoins are still evolving and may impact the operational requirements for FIUSD stablecoin . Integration Complexity: Integrating a new blockchain-based payment rail into complex legacy banking and merchant systems is a massive technical undertaking. Adoption Hurdles: Convincing financial institutions and merchants, many of whom are risk-averse, to adopt a new payment method requires significant effort in education, support, and demonstrating clear value. Competition: The stablecoin market is already competitive, with established players and other potential entrants from both the crypto native and traditional finance worlds. Technological Risks: While Solana is fast, like any blockchain, it carries potential risks related to network stability, security vulnerabilities, and evolving technology standards. Successfully navigating these challenges will be key to the widespread adoption and impact of the FIUSD stablecoin . Actionable Insights: What Does This Mean for Different Players? The launch of the Fiserv FIUSD stablecoin has implications for various stakeholders: Financial Institutions & Merchants: Prepare for potential opportunities to leverage faster, cheaper, and more programmable payments. Understand the technology and how it can integrate with existing systems. Solana Ecosystem: This is a major validation. Developers and projects on Solana might see increased demand for tools and services compatible with enterprise use cases. Stablecoin Market: Increased competition and potential fragmentation, but also potential for overall market growth as a major traditional player enters. Other Enterprise Blockchains: Highlights the race to attract large financial clients and the importance of performance and regulatory compliance. Regulators: Provides a real-world example of a regulated entity attempting to integrate stablecoins, offering insights for future policy-making. The Future of Payments: Will Stablecoins Like FIUSD Lead the Way? The announcement from Fiserv is more than just news about a new digital asset; it’s a strong indicator of where the payments industry is heading. As traditional financial infrastructure meets blockchain innovation, we are likely to see a transformation in how money moves globally. The FIUSD stablecoin on Solana could be an early, significant step in this journey, paving the way for more efficient, programmable, and potentially more inclusive financial systems. While the full impact remains to be seen, the commitment from a company like Fiserv to launch an enterprise stablecoin underscores the growing recognition of digital assets’ potential to solve real-world problems in finance. Summary: A New Era for Enterprise Payments on Solana In summary, Fiserv ‘s plan to launch the FIUSD stablecoin on Solana by year-end, using Paxos and Circle infrastructure, is a landmark development. This enterprise stablecoin aims to bring the benefits of programmable money – speed, efficiency, and innovation – to Fiserv ‘s vast network of financial institutions and merchants. Set against the backdrop of evolving U.S. stablecoin regulation, this move positions Fiserv at the forefront of integrating digital assets into mainstream finance and provides a significant boost to the Solana stablecoin ecosystem. The journey ahead involves navigating technical and adoption challenges, but the potential to revolutionize payments is clear. To learn more about the latest enterprise stablecoin trends, explore our article on key developments shaping payments stablecoin institutional adoption . This post Fiserv Unleashes Enterprise FIUSD Stablecoin on Solana first appeared on BitcoinWorld and is written by Editorial Team

23 Jun 2025, 17:48

Trump Media and Technology Group Plans Share Buyback While Maintaining Bitcoin Investment Strategy

Trump Media and Technology Group, the company behind Truth Social, has announced a $400 million stock buyback while maintaining its $2.3 billion Bitcoin investment. The firm’s board emphasizes confidence in

23 Jun 2025, 17:37

Trump Media Reaffirms $2.3 Billion Bitcoin Treasury Plan Amid Share Buyback

President Trump's publicly traded Trump Media and Technology Group is buying back shares—but still plans to buy Bitcoin too.

23 Jun 2025, 16:28

European lawmakers fear a kill switch order

Donald Trump is back in charge of the most powerful nation on earth, and Europe is finally realizing what that means for its internet. The entire continent’s digital infrastructure is held together by US-owned cloud services, and Trump now holds full political control over the tech giants running them. As reported by Politico, European lawmakers, tech leaders, and industry experts are treating this as a real emergency. Europe’s internet runs mostly on Amazon , Microsoft, and Google servers. These three companies control more than two-thirds of Europe’s cloud computing market. Everything from government emails to crypto exchange data runs through these platforms. Cloud computing is what keeps the European digital economy alive, and all of it can be unplugged from Washington, and it already happened to the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor. European lawmakers fear a kill switch order After Trump returned to power earlier this year, tech executives and policymakers across Europe started warning that the White House could issue direct orders to shut down services. “It is no longer reasonable to assume that we can totally rely on our American partner,” said Matthias Ecke, a German Social Democrat in the European Parliament. He warned that European data could be seized, or infrastructure could be blocked with zero notice, seeing as Trump has the well-known tendency to be extremely petty. Alexander Windbichler, CEO of Austrian cloud firm Anexia, said the European cloud sector has failed to act politically. “I never expected that the US would be threatening to take Greenland away,” Windbichler said. “It’s crazier than shutting down the cloud.” He admitted that European firms like his focused too much on performance and ignored the dangerous level of dependence on US infrastructure. Microsoft has already been used to enforce Trump’s foreign policy. In May, ICC prosecutor Karim Khan lost access to his Microsoft-hosted email after the US sanctioned him for issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Microsoft gave no details, saying only: “At no point did Microsoft cease or suspend its services to the ICC.” Aura Salla, a former Meta lobbyist and now a center-right member of the European Parliament, responded to that episode by saying , “Naturally, US companies must comply with US law,” and warned, “for Europeans, this means we cannot trust the reliability and security of US companies’ operating systems.” Brad Smith, Microsoft’s president, admitted that the risk of a US-ordered shutdown in Europe is now taken seriously. He called it “a real concern of people across Europe,” but still claimed it’s “exceedingly unlikely.” Microsoft added a clause in its contracts with European governments to resist such orders and promised to fight suspensions in court. Meanwhile, Amazon said it would do “everything practically possible” to maintain service if sanctions ever came down. Cloud giants admit they might not be able to resist Trump Cristina Caffarra, tech economist and honorary professor at University College London, pointed out the real issue: “If that political dimension turns hostile, how credible is it that companies with the best intentions can challenge their president?” Benjamin Revcolevschi, CEO of French company OVHcloud, compared it to a tap. “Cloud is like a tap of water. What if at some moment the tap is closed?” That’s the scenario European governments are now openly preparing for. And the fear is no longer theoretical. To address this dependency, Brussels is looking at a certification label that would guarantee cloud services can’t be interrupted by foreign governments. But the proposal has been stuck in limbo. France wants the label to protect local infrastructure from the US Cloud Act, but other countries, like the Netherlands, are still reluctant to cut off American providers. That resistance is slowly fading as more evidence piles up that Trump is willing to weaponize digital infrastructure. A freedom of information request revealed that the US State Department began pressuring the European Commission as early as September 2023. The Commission’s tech division refused to release their exchanges, saying it would “undermine relations” between the US and EU. But the lobbying campaign is confirmed and ongoing. The only long-term fix being considered is EuroStack, a €300 billion European digital infrastructure plan designed to replace US dominance. The goal is to build a self-reliant system, from physical servers to software, that’s entirely controlled by Europe. The EuroStack initiative is backed by tech economists and industry players and pushes three demands: “Buy European,” “Sell European,” and “Fund European.” It includes plans for massive funding, government quotas for local tech firms, and a new sovereign tech fund. Jörg Kukies, Germany’s former finance minister, told reporters in April that the problem is urgent but warned there are no real alternatives yet. “There simply aren’t sufficient alternatives to the offerings by the American digital industry,” he said. KEY Difference Wire helps crypto brands break through and dominate headlines fast

23 Jun 2025, 16:22

Veda locks $18m to push vault-based DeFi beyond the crypto bubble

DeFi’s complexity has long been a barrier to mainstream adoption. Veda, which hit $3.5 billion in TVL within eight months by abstracting that complexity, just raised $18 million to scale its vault system across a broader class of financial platforms. On June 23, DeFi infrastructure firm Veda announced an $18 million funding round led by CoinFund, with participation from Coinbase Ventures, Animoca Ventures, GSR, Mantle EcoFund, BitGo, Draper Dragon, and other heavyweight investors. We’re extremely excited to announce that we’ve raised $18M to become the DeFi engine for financial apps. Led by @coinfund_io with participation from @cbventures , @MaelstromFund , @GSR_io , @AnimocaVentures , @BitGo and many others. Let’s talk about where this is going 🧵 pic.twitter.com/CbQNlnbOOs — Veda (@veda_labs) June 23, 2025 The capital injection comes as Veda sharpens its focus beyond crypto-native ecosystems, aiming to embed its vault-based infrastructure into a wider range of financial platforms. Since its early 2024 launch, the infrastructure provider’s modular vault system has gained traction, processing deposits from over 100,000 users and integrating with dozens of protocols. Its vault framework, which abstracts the complexity of DeFi yield generation, is now being positioned as core infrastructure for wallets, fintech apps, and exchanges. You might also like: Strategy adds to $60b Bitcoin bet with 245 BTC bought at $105.9k Rewriting DeFi’s playbook for mainstream finance Veda’s rapid ascent to $3.5 billion in total value locked reveals a fundamental truth about DeFi’s next phase: the winning protocols won’t be those that shout the loudest, but those that mask complexity the most effectively. The startup’s vault system operates like a financial API layer, handling cross-chain yield strategies, risk management, and execution while allowing integrated platforms, such as DeFi protocols and traditional fintech apps, to present users with a familiar interface. The idea is simple: let the app control the user experience, while Veda handles the backend complexity that DeFi typically exposes. At its core, Veda’s technology standardizes yield-bearing activities, such as staking, restaking, and liquidity provisioning, into modular smart contracts that apps can plug into without rebuilding the wheel. This explains why protocols like Ether.fi and Mantle have adopted its vaults as foundational components rather than competitive products. The vaults’ interoperability has turned them into a shared primitive, similar to how AWS became the invisible backbone for web applications. Veda’s goal isn’t to make DeFi more visible. It’s to render it invisible. For developers, that means fewer maintenance and composability headaches. For platforms, it means scalable, yield-generating features that don’t require educating users on the risks of DeFi or bridging across chains. And for users, it could mean earning yield or staking rewards through the same interfaces they already trust. Read more: Dow Jones flat amid muted reaction to U.S. strikes on Iran nuclear sites