Circle plans to add reversible transactions to USDC
Circle, the issuer of the USDC stablecoin, is considering implementing a transaction refund mechanism. The idea is aimed at combating fraud and bridging the gap between stablecoins and traditional finance. According to Tarbert, the goal is to combine instant and irrevocable transfers with the ability to refund funds, which contradicts the core principle of blockchain immutability.
Critics call this approach "heresy" and "insulting" to the cryptocurrency industry. Nevertheless, Circle plans to test the solution on the Arc network, which is aimed at financial institutions. Here, refunds will be processed indirectly, through counter-payments, similar to card chargebacks. Arc also plans to implement a privacy layer: transaction amounts will be hidden, while wallet addresses will remain visible.
BNB Chain validators proposed halving fees
BNB Chain validators have proposed reducing the gas to 0.05 Gwei and shortening the block interval to 450 ms. This could reduce transaction costs to $0.005 and support the network's competitiveness amid the growth of Solana and Base.
Gas has already been reduced twice: from 3 to 1 Gwei in April 2024 and to 0.1 Gwei in May 2025. These steps reduced the median fee by 75% and increased daily transaction volume by 140%, exceeding 12 million transactions.
A principle is now being discussed: as long as staking yield is above 0.5% per annum, the network will strive for minimal fees of approximately $0.001 per transaction. This strategy is aimed at strengthening BNB Chain's position in a highly competitive environment, although the network still lags behind Solana in terms of throughput and TPS.
Tether is in talks with investors to raise $20 billion
Tether, the issuer of the USDT stablecoin, is discussing raising up to $20 billion with investors, which could boost its valuation to $500 billion, Bloomberg reports, citing sources. Negotiations are in the early stages, and the final amount could be significantly lower. The deal involves selling approximately 3% of the company's shares. Cantor Fitzgerald, which previously acquired 5% of Tether's shares, is advising on the deal.
If the funding is secured, the company will become one of the largest private firms in the world, comparable in size to OpenAI and SpaceX. By comparison, Tether's competitor, Circle, the issuer of USDC, is valued at $30 billion and held an IPO on the NYSE in June.
Tether has not yet made any official comments. Previously, Bo Heins, the head of its American division, claimed that the issuer has no plans to raise capital. However, the publication's sources clarified that the issuer is considering issuing new shares, not selling the stakes of current investors. Tether remains one of the most profitable companies in the industry, with net profit reaching $4.9 billion in the second quarter.
MetaMask's mUSD issuance exceeded $65 million
MetaMask's mUSD stablecoin supply grew from $15 million to $65 million in the week following its launch, according to wallet data. The majority of the supply is concentrated on the Linea network (88.2%), while only 11.8% is on Ethereum. The project was announced in late August and released on September 15.
mUSD is issued through Stripe's Bridge platform using the M0 infrastructure. The token is fully backed by liquid US dollar assets—cash and short-term Treasury bonds—at a 1:1 ratio. The surge in interest in mUSD coincided with an increase in the total supply of dollar-denominated stablecoins, which reached $279.8 billion. Tether's USDT remains the market leader with a share of $172.3 billion.
Stablecoin startups raised $621.81 million by 2025
Since the beginning of the year, stablecoin startups have raised $621.8 million—seven times the $84 million they raised for all of 2024, according to Defi Llama. The largest round was closed by Hong Kong-based OSL Group, which raised $300 million in July for global expansion. Analysts attribute the growing interest in the sector to regulatory successes, the most important of which was US President Donald Trump signing the GENIUS Act, which legitimized the industry.
Against this backdrop, the total market capitalization of stablecoins has reached a record $297 billion. Coinbase predicts that this figure will exceed $1 trillion by 2028. The June IPO of USDC issuer Circle provided an additional signal for the market: the company raised $1 billion, and its shares are trading at $144. Meanwhile, industry leaders Circle and Tether are facing a new wave of competition as Stripe and several major Wall Street players prepare to launch their own stablecoins.
The number of crypto millionaires increased by 40%
In 2025, the number of crypto millionaires grew by 40% to 241,700, while the number of crypto billionaires grew by 29% to 36, according to a report by Henley & Partners and New World Wealth. The combined wealth of these holders exceeded $3.3 trillion, up 45% from the previous year.
Nearly half of billionaires and 60% of millionaires became rich through Bitcoin. The number of BTC owners among people with a net worth over $1 million increased by 70% over the year. The authors attribute this growth to institutional adoption of cryptocurrencies, culminating in the launch of initiatives by the current US president.
Today, crypto millionaires account for only 0.4% of the world's 60 million millionaires. There are approximately 590 million digital asset holders, of whom 295 million invest in Bitcoin—a 7% increase from a year ago.
