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Visa’s stablecoin expansion accelerates adoption, enabling 365-day USDC settlement across CEMEA and pushing institutional crypto infrastructure deeper into global payment systems.
Pi Network stabilizes near $0.25 after a gaming partnership boosts engagement, while Upbit’s hack revelations raise fresh concerns about exchange security.
Bitcoin ETFs record strong inflows, and BitMine acquires $44 million in ETH, signaling ongoing institutional accumulation as KuCoin secures a major MiCA regulatory license in Europe.
The cryptocurrency market saw major developments across payments, security, altcoins, institutional flows, and regulation. From Visa extending stablecoin settlement infrastructure across new regions to Upbit revealing its latest hack impact, here is a complete overview of today’s top stories.
Visa and digital asset company Aquanow partnered to expand its stablecoin settlement solution into Central & Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (CEMEA).
This upgrade will allow issuers and acquirers in CEMEA to utilize approved stablecoins such as USDC as a settlement method, 365 days a year.
Visa’s stablecoin settlement volume, which is at $2.5 billion annualized rate, demonstrates rising institutional adoption.
The company said this expansion modernizes back-end payment systems by reducing intermediaries and improving settlement efficiency.
This week, Pi Network (PI) surged on the announcement that it would partner with CiDi Games to create a new gaming environment in the PI ecosystem.
With this partnership, Pi is aiming to increase its user interaction and integration throughout its network.
After touching multi-week highs above $0.28, PI has cooled slightly but remains one of the better-performing altcoins. The partnership is viewed as increasing Pi’s real-world utility.
The next major resistance zone lies at $0.27-$0.28, while the immediate support remains at $0.25. If the price breaks below this level, a decline toward $0.20 becomes likely.
Upbit, South Korea’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, confirmed it lost 5.9 billion won (approximately $4 million) of company funds during a hack that resulted in total unauthorized outflows of 44.5 billion won.
The exchange fully reimbursed the 38.6 billion won to customers, while an additional 2.3 billion won was frozen using blockchain tracing tools.
Trading was halted immediately after unusual activity was detected. Authorities are investigating and have cited the possibility of involvement by the North Korean Lazarus Group.
Bitcoin spot ETFs recorded a total net inflow of $21.12 million yesterday. BlackRock’s IBIT contributed the most with an inflow of $42.82 million. ARKB by Ark Invest and 21Shares added another $5.97 million.
Fidelity’s FBTC saw a net outflow of $33.30 million but still maintains $11.95 billion in historical inflows.
The combined net asset value of Bitcoin Spot ETFs has now exceeded $117.66 billion, which is equivalent to 6.56% of the total market cap for Bitcoin.
Also Read: Bitcoin Rebounds to $91,603 After 21% November Crash Amid Fed Rate-Cut Buzz
BitMine acquired another 14,618 ETH worth $44.34 million, taking its holdings to nearly 3% of the total ETH Supply.
BitMine is implementing one of the most aggressive accumulation strategies, with plans to hold 5% of all ETH.
In the past, large purchases of ETH have resulted in short-term increases in price, typically between 5-10% within two days.
BitMine chairman Tom Lee believes ETH could initially retrace to $2,500 before rallying strongly toward $7,000-$9,000 by early 2026.
Also Read: Why Ethereum is Undervalued and How it Affects Crypto Payroll
KuCoin EU has obtained a MiCA license in Austria, allowing it to provide regulated services in all European Economic Area (EEA) countries through the EU's passporting rules.
The approval marks the latest step in KuCoin's application to expand its regulatory footprint globally, following its registration with the Australian communications authority, Austrac.
MiCA licensing marks a major shift toward compliant, transparent crypto operations, with KuCoin becoming one of the first exchanges to secure approval in Europe’s evolving regulatory landscape.
To enable faster, 365-day USDC-based settlement and reduce reliance on traditional banking intermediaries across emerging markets.
The $0.25 level acts as a critical support; holding above it keeps bullish momentum intact after the recent gaming partnership surge.
Upbit suffered unauthorized outflows of 44.5 billion won, with 5.9 billion won being company funds, and reimbursed all user losses from reserves.
BlackRock’s IBIT led with a net inflow of $42.82 million, contributing to a total ETF inflow of $21.12 million.
BitMine aims to accumulate up to 5% of all ETH, signaling long-term institutional confidence and positioning for future price appreciation.
