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Solana’s Firedancer validator goes live on mainnet, now powering 21% of validators and targeting massive scalability gains in 2026.
YouTube enables PYUSD payouts for US creators as the stablecoin’s market cap surges to $3.9 billion and institutions adopt it for settlements.
XRP sees expanding institutional pilots from Santander, Bank of America, and SBI, while Bitcoin ETFs experience mixed flows totaling $77 million in net outflows.
The digital asset market saw major developments spanning blockchain upgrades, stablecoin adoption, institutional asset flows, and global regulatory developments. Here’s a complete breakdown of the key stories shaping the crypto landscape.
Solana’s long-awaited Firedancer validator client has officially launched its full version on the main net, announced by Kevin Bowens of Jump Crypto at the Solana Breakpoint event in Abu Dhabi. The upgrade follows three years of development and extensive testnet trials.
Firedancer is already running on over 21% of Solana validators, making it the most influential alternative client after the legacy Agave implementation.
The shift from Frankendancer to the full client in December 2025 has reshaped validator distribution across the network, which now supports 841 active validators.
The upgrade promises a major boost in performance, with test benchmarks reaching up to 1 million transactions per second.
YouTube now allows US creators to receive payouts in PayPal’s PYUSD stablecoin.
PayPal’s crypto chief confirmed the rollout, marking one of the largest Web2 integrations for a digital dollar token.
The stablecoin’s rise comes as State Street and Galaxy prepare to launch the SWEEP Fund in 2026, using PYUSD for on-chain settlements.
PYUSD’s market cap has surged from $500 million at the start of the year to $3.9 billion, with most supply split between Ethereum ($2.79 billion) and Solana ($1.046 billion).
Recently listed on Nasdaq, Hyperliquid Strategies (PURR) has authorized a stock repurchase of $30 million, the goal of which is to increase the per-share exposure to the HYPE token.
The company was recently part of a merger that consolidated the Paradigm-associated SPAC Rorschach and Sonnet BioTherapeutics.
PURR, which maintains large HYPE reserves, can be bought and sold for approximately $3.64 while it is still participating in the creation of its decentralized derivatives ecosystem.
The price of HYPE has come down to about $29, a drop compared to its high in September, above $59.
A recent report by 21Shares reveals that prominent banks such as Santander, Bank of America, and SBI Holdings are either experimenting with or already using XRP settlement systems.
The tests look to eliminate expensive and time-consuming SWIFT transfers in favor of XRP-ledgers that process transactions in just a few seconds.
More than a hundred banks and payment companies around the world have already adopted or are experimenting with the XRP-based infrastructure, indicating the increasing trust of institutions in blockchain technology for the settlement of real-life transactions.
Also Read: Why the XRP Boom Hasn’t Happened Yet: Analyst Explains
Bitcoin spot ETFs saw a net outflow of $77.34 million yesterday.
Fidelity’s FBTC recorded the largest outflow at $104 million.
BlackRock’s IBIT led inflows with $76.7 million, bringing cumulative inflows to $62.68 billion.
Bitwise’s BITB saw $8.44 million in inflows, reaching $2.289 billion historically.
The mixed flows reflect profit-taking amid broader market consolidation.
Also Read: Bitcoin Price Near $90,263 as Volatility Spikes After Fed Rate Cut
A cross-party partnership of UK lawmakers has requested Chancellor Rachel Reeves to revise the proposed stablecoin regulations of the Bank of England, signaling that these measures might lead to the loss of innovation and capital to other countries.
Among the limitations, there are restrictions on wholesale usage, a limit of £20,000 for each person, and a prohibition of interest on stablecoin reserves.
The legislators assert that these restrictions will give rise to non-competitive pound-backed stablecoins in contrast to USDT and USDC, which dominate the global crypto payment market.
According to the letter, stablecoin transactions reached $27.6 trillion in 2024, more than Visa and Mastercard combined, and could go beyond $100 trillion by 2030.
Regulators were asking for "pro-innovation, internationally competitive" regulations to ensure that London remains the leading financial technology center.
What is Solana’s Firedancer?
A high-speed validator client from Jump Crypto that boosts Solana’s performance and decentralization.
Why did YouTube add PYUSD?
To streamline creator payouts with fast, low-cost stablecoin transactions.
What is Hyperliquid’s buyback for?
A $30 million program to increase per-share HYPE token exposure after its Nasdaq debut.
Why are banks testing XRP?
To replace slow SWIFT transfers with faster, cheaper blockchain-based settlement methods.
Why did Bitcoin ETFs see outflows?
Profit-taking dominated flows, with Fidelity leading withdrawals despite inflows into BlackRock and Bitwise funds.
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