Eurozone April Adjusted Trade Balance

<p>Republished from "Cobo Stablecoin Weekly No.19: After the Stablecoin Act Passes, Where Is the Next “Battleground”?"</p> <h3 id="h3-5biC5Zy65qaC6KeI5LiO5aKe6ZW/5Lqu54K5">Market Overview & Growth Highlights</h3><p>The total stablecoin market capitalization reached $269.696 billion, up $2.606 billion from the previous week. USDT remains the clear market leader with a 61.25% share. USDC comes in second with a $64.502 billion market cap, representing 23.92% market share.</p> <h2 id="h2-5Yy65Z2X6ZO+572R57uc5YiG5biD56iz5a6a5biB5biC5YC85YmN5LiJ572R57uc77ya">Top 3 Blockchain Networks by Stablecoin Market Cap:</h2><ol> <li>Ethereum: $135.786 billion</li><li>Tron: $82.995 billion</li><li>Solana: $11.431 billion</li></ol> <h3 id="h3-5ZGo5aKe6ZW/5pyA5b+r55qE572R57ucIFRPUDPvvJo=">Top 3 Fastest-Growing Networks This Week:</h3><ol> <li>Berachain: +96.57% (USDT: 43.15% share)</li><li>XRPL: +49.84% (RLUSD: 49.11% share)</li><li>Sei: +47.95% (USDC: 85.96% share)</li></ol> <p>Source: DefiLlama</p> <h2 id="h2-8J+Or+e+juWbveOAiumTtuihjOS/neWvhuazleOAi+WSjOeos+WumuW4geaUr+S7mOeahOmakOengeimgeaxgg==">U.S. Bank Secrecy Act and Stablecoin Payment Privacy Requirements</h2><p>After the U.S. Stablecoin Act passed, privacy is now the next key concern for both regulators and the market.</p> <p>With stablecoin market cap breaking $270 billion and moving rapidly into mainstream payments, the “total transparency” of on-chain transactions is exposing new issues. On a public blockchain, every transaction is permanently accessible, which means that for enterprises, complete financial histories, supply chain details, and payroll structures become visible to competitors. While a nuisance for retail users, this is a hard stop for institutions and businesses. Real-time visibility enables competitors to track every payment. Without a solution, stablecoin adoption in commercial payments and institutional settlements will be seriously limited.</p> <p>Should privacy remain a hurdle, stablecoin institutional and commercial adoption will stall. Coinbase Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal recently noted that for the GENIUS Act and similar laws to be effective, simultaneous upgrades to the Bank Secrecy Act are essential. The current system is inefficient and creates centralized data honeypots of sensitive data, which are hacker targets and offer minimal benefits for anti-money laundering.</p> <p>Grewal emphasized privacy and security should not be mutually exclusive. Emerging technologies like zero-knowledge proofs (ZKP) and decentralized identity (DID) now provide “compliance verification without disclosing raw user data,” so institutions can view only the results of compliance checks—not the full data sets. This balances data minimization and effective regulation. He called for the U.S. Treasury Department to lead public-private collaboration, accelerate compliance processes that are ZKP-ready, focus monitoring on suspicious transaction triggers, and apply AI-driven risk control models to improve screening. The result: privacy protection without undermining regulatory rigor, removing obstacles to large-scale institutional adoption of stablecoins, and helping the US maintain global digital asset leadership.</p> <h2 id="h2-8J+Or+e+juWbveWIqeaBr+emgeS7pOS4i++8jOeos+WumuW4geeahOOAjOWlluWKsee7j+a1juWtpuOAjQ==">U.S. Interest Ban Spurs New Stablecoin “Reward Economics”</h2><p>Regulatory restrictions often spark unexpected innovation. The GENIUS Act prohibits stablecoin issuers from paying interest, intended to curb risky behaviors, but instead accelerated explosive growth in yield-oriented stablecoins. Since the Act, products like Ethena’s USDe have added billions in supply, using exchange funding rates (not Treasuries) for yields—sidestepping legal restrictions entirely.</p> <p>In this regulatory gap, Coinbase and PayPal have reframed stablecoin returns as “rewards,” circumventing issuer-only rules. Coinbase, acting as a USDC distributor, passes on Circle’s earnings to users. PayPal uses Paxos to isolate issuer risk and still delivers 4.5% annualized returns. Anchorage and Ethena Labs have even linked stablecoin yields to tokenized assets like BlackRock’s BUIDL, enabling compliant institutional yield channels.</p> <p>Paying returns to holders is a key strategy for attracting capital in both emerging and established markets. Coinbase has even API-integrated “interest rewards” via a wallet SDK, lowering integration barriers for developers. In high-inflation markets such as Latin America, Slash’s USDSL delivers a 4.5% annual reward, leveraging dollar-denominated assets to attract rapid inflows. Stablecoins are applying more complex, compliant financial engineering, efficiently channeling returns from underlying assets and rewriting user and value dynamics.</p> <h3 id="h3-8J+Or+mmmea4r+OAiueos+WumuW4geadoeS+i+OAi+eUn+aViOeahOWFs+mUruivjeKAlOKAlOmAj+aYjuS4juWFqOmTvui3r+ebkeeuoQ==">Transparency & End-to-End Oversight: The Core of Hong Kong’s Stablecoin Regulation</h3><p>With Hong Kong’s Stablecoin Ordinance now in force, market debates center on mandatory KYC, policies for offshore stablecoins, and DeFi compatibility. In reality, <a href="https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzI0ODgzMDE5MA==&amp;mid=2247510734&amp;idx=1&amp;sn=368a5a6ed3d067ba05eacbb4be234dd7&amp;scene=21#wechat_redirect">the regulation’s essence is targeted control—not broad prohibition—for stablecoins issued or HKD-denominated in Hong Kong, especially RMB-related tokenized assets</a>. Offshore stablecoins like USDT, USDC, etc. remain largely unrestricted in secondary markets. The city’s strategy is clear: hold tight control over issuance and apply rigorous compliance to high-value scenarios such as RMB tokenization and offshore RMB stablecoins, establishing “quasi-sovereign settlement instruments” and differentiating from the US- and EU-driven models.</p> <p>Transparency and full-chain oversight are the ordinance’s keywords. Strict standards span the entire stablecoin lifecycle—from issuance, custody, and clearing to distribution—with steep licensing requirements. Downstream custody, distribution, and clearing providers must also meet compliance. Banks, payment services, and blockchain infrastructure firms are unified in a single framework, with the market moving from “open access” to “permissioned access.” MPC wallet, compliance, and risk control technology providers will become the primary partners for banks and tech firms alike.</p> <p>This regulatory rigor brings new challenges. Issuers are now fully responsible for downstream compliance—including custody, distribution, clearing, and other third parties. Any new entrant must meet both technical and organizational requirements, pushing the sector toward professionalization and giving infrastructure providers massive new opportunities. For example, technology vendors providing multi-signature, MPC, HSM, and related mechanisms—especially MPC wallets—will help issuers make private key security a foundation of trust, balancing asset sovereignty and legal traceability. Wallets now serve as critical entry points for compliance and security architectures, rather than merely back-end tools.</p> <h2 id="h2-5biC5Zy66YeH55So">Market Adoption</h2><h3 id="h3-8J+MseaRqeagueWkp+mAmu+8mkRlRmkg5ZKM6LWE5Lqn6YCa6K+B5YyW5aKe6ZW/44CM5LuN5Luk5Lq65aSx5pyb44CN">JPMorgan: “DeFi & Tokenization Growth Still Disappointing”</h3><h3 id="h3-6KaB54K56YCf6KeI">Highlights</h3><ul> <li>DeFi total value locked (TVL) has not yet returned to 2021 highs; primary players are still retail and crypto-native firms, with minimal traditional institutional activity.</li><li>Tokenized global assets total only about $25 billion—analysts call this “insignificant.” Of 60+ tokenized bonds, combined value is just $8 billion; secondary market trading is nearly zero.</li><li>Institutions face three hurdles: lack of cross-border regulatory alignment, ambiguous legal status for on-chain investing, and insufficient smart contract/protocol safety guarantees.</li></ul> <p>Why This Matters</p> <ul> <li>The report shows a major gap between DeFi/tokenization hype and real-world use. Infrastructure is improving and KYC-compliant vaults and permissioned lending pools are emerging, but traditional finance remains cautious. The report notes the mainstream system is moving toward faster, cheaper settlements via fintech, which may diminish the need for blockchain rails—pushing crypto to deliver more convincing institutional-grade apps.</li></ul> <h3 id="h3-8J+MsSBSZW1pdGx5IOWQr+eUqOeos+WumuW4geaKgOacr+S8mOWMlui3qOWig+aUr+S7mOS4muWKoSDvvIzlsIbmjqjlh7rlpJrluIHnp43mlbDlrZfpkrHljIXmnI3liqE=">Remitly Deploys Stablecoin Tech to Optimize Cross-Border Payments; Multi-Currency Wallet Coming</h3><p>Highlights</p> <ul> <li>Remitly’s multi-currency “Remitly Wallet” launches September, supporting both fiat and stablecoin balances—targeted at users in high-inflation/volatile markets.</li><li>In partnership with Stripe’s Bridge, Remitly will offer stablecoin payout to users in over 170 countries, expanding beyond fiat rails.</li><li>Remitly now uses USDC and similar dollar stablecoins for internal treasury management, enabling 24/7 capital flows, reducing pre-funding, and increasing efficiency.</li></ul> <p>Why This Matters</p> <ul> <li>This is the first large-scale use of stablecoin technology by a mainstream cross-border payments provider. Integrating stablecoins, Remitly offers both inflation-hedging for customers in unstable markets and liquidity solutions for remittance systems. Stablecoin adoption in real payments will advance, better serving hundreds of millions who depend on cross-border financial services, particularly in regions lacking traditional financial infrastructure.</li></ul> <h3 id="h3-8J+MsSBUZXRoZXIgQ0VP77yaNDAlIOWMuuWdl+mTvuaJi+e7rei0uea6kOiHqiBVU0RUIOi9rOi0pg==">Tether CEO: 40% of Blockchain Gas Fees Are USDT Transfers</h3><p>Highlights</p> <ul> <li>Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino posted that 40% of all blockchain transaction fees (across 9 major chains) are for USDT transfers.</li><li>Hundreds of millions in emerging markets use USDT daily to hedge against local currency depreciation and inflation—making it one of the world’s most active blockchain apps.</li><li>In the context of crypto, “transactions” usually refer to trading, arbitrage, etc. on exchanges—not always requiring on-chain transfers. A USDT on-chain transfer (with fee) typically signals real movement between wallets—not mere speculation.</li></ul> <p>Why This Matters</p> <ul> <li>USDT is now the dominant blockchain application, far ahead of other uses. Paolo predicts future competition in blockchain will center on gas fee optimization and USDT-related costs. Stablecoins have evolved from trading tools to real-world financial infrastructure, especially in volatile economies—demonstrating real progress in financial inclusion via crypto.</li></ul> <h2 id="h2-5a6P6KeC6LaL5Yq/8J+UrueRnuepl+mTtuihjO+8mkNvaW5iYXNlIFEyIOi0ouaKpeaYvuekuiBDaXJjbGUgVVNEQyDliKnmtqbnjofmraPlnKjokI7nvKk=">Macro Trends Mizuho: Circle USDC Profits Squeezed per Coinbase Q2 Earnings</h2><p>Highlights</p> <ul> <li>Mizuho analysts estimate Circle earned $625 million in Q2 interest from USDC reserves; $332.5 million of this went to Coinbase.</li><li>With Binance and other new partners joining, Circle’s net reserve margin faces growing cost pressure.</li><li>After the GENIUS Act, JPMorgan and Bank of America both plan to launch stablecoins, stoking USD stablecoin competition.</li></ul> <p>Why This Matters</p> <ul> <li>Despite strong IPO performance, Mizuho keeps an “Underperform” rating and $85 target for Circle, warning markets underestimate USDC risk. As profit-sharing with Coinbase ends and distribution broadens, Circle’s profitability faces headwinds—especially as rates fall and banks pile in. This shift could reshape the stablecoin market.</li></ul> <h3 id="h3-8J+Urue+jui0ouaUv+mDqOWIm+e6quW9leaJqeWkp+efreacn+WbveWAuuWPkeihjO+8jOeos+WumuW4geaIkOaWsOS5sOWutg==">U.S. Treasury Bill Issuance Hits Record—Stablecoins a New Source of Demand</h3><p>Highlights</p> <ul> <li>The U.S. Treasury will auction $100 billion in 4-week T-bills—a record, up $5 billion from last round. 8- and 17-week bill sizes remain unchanged.</li><li>Short-dated yields >4% are fueling inflows—$16.7 billion entered T-bill ETFs in Q2, double YoY.</li><li>The Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee flagged rising stablecoin issuance as a new source of T-bill demand. The GENIUS Act obliges issuers to hold Treasuries as safe collateral.</li></ul> <p>Why This Matters</p> <ul> <li>The Trump administration prefers short-term borrowing. Treasury Secretary Bessent says long-term issuance is too costly at current rates. Stablecoin demand is now a structural factor in T-bill markets, as regulation orders issuers to hold safe assets. Meanwhile, central banks are cutting USD reserves in favor of gold—BofA sees gold possibly breaking $4,000 as debt sustainability fears climb.</li></ul> <h3 id="h3-8J+UruOAikdFTklVUyDms5XmoYjjgIvpgJrov4fku6XmnaXmlLbnm4rlnovnqLPlrprluIHkvpvlupTmv4Dlop4=">Yield Stablecoin Supply Surges Post GENIUS Act</h3><p>Highlights</p> <ul> <li>Since July 18, supply of Ethena’s USDe yield stablecoin has grown 70% to $9.49 billion, now the #3 stablecoin by market cap.</li><li>Sky’s USDS grew 23% to $4.81 billion, ranking fourth. These coins yield through staking.</li><li>USDe yields 10.86% (annualized); USDS, 4.75%. After U.S. June inflation (2.7%), real yields are 8.16% and 2.05%.</li></ul> <p>Why This Matters</p> <ul> <li>The GENIUS Act’s yield payment ban spawned a boom in stakable stablecoins. Investors are migrating to protocol-native yield, bypassing regulatory limitations. The stablecoin market has grown from $205 billion to $268 billion this year and may reach $300 billion by year-end. Despite tighter regulation, demand for high-yield USD substitutes stays strong—driving new DeFi innovation and adoption.</li></ul> <h2 id="h2-5paw5ZOB6YCf6YCS8J+RgOWJjeiLueaenOW3peeoi+W4iOaOqOWHuumakOengeS/neaKpOWKoOWvhiBWaXNhIOWNoSBQYXl5">Product Launches Ex-Apple Engineer Debuts Privacy-Focused Crypto Visa Card, Payy</h2><p>Highlights</p> <ul> <li>Payy Visa card uses ZKP and its proprietary blockchain to ensure user stablecoin transaction amounts remain private and are not publicly accessible on-chain.</li><li>Developed by ex-Apple iOS engineer Sid Gandhi at Polybase Labs over three years, ensuring both privacy and compliance.</li><li>Payy is user-focused, with frictionless onboarding and simple self-custody—even for blockchain novices.</li></ul> <p>Why This Matters</p> <ul> <li>Payy solves two major crypto payment hurdles—privacy and usability. Regular blockchain payments reveal transaction history, but Payy preserves privacy within compliance. This enables daily self-custody stablecoin spending and presents a viable alternative to traditional banking.</li></ul> <h3 id="h3-8J+RgE1ldGFNYXNrIOaIluS4jiBTdHJpcGUg6K6h5YiS6IGU5ZCI5o6o5Ye656iz5a6a5biBIG1tVVNE">MetaMask May Partner with Stripe to Launch mmUSD Stablecoin</h3><p>Highlights</p> <ul> <li>Leaked Aave governance proposal suggests MetaMask and Stripe plan to launch the mmUSD dollar stablecoin, backed by M^0.</li><li>The proposal calls mmUSD MetaMask’s “cornerstone asset,” to be deeply integrated with all wallet/trading/yield functions.</li><li>The proposal was deleted; Aave Chan Initiative’s Marc Zeller confirmed authenticity but said release was premature.</li></ul> <p>Why This Matters</p> <ul> <li>This is another tech giant (after PayPal, Robinhood) entering stablecoins. MetaMask teaming up with Stripe could speed up integration of stablecoins for both Web3 and traditional payments.</li></ul> <h3 id="h3-8J+RgENvaW5iYXNlIOaOqOWHuuW1jOWFpeW8j+mSseWMheW3peWFt+WMhe+8jOeugOWMluW8gOWPkeiAhSBXZWIzIOeUqOaIt+W8leWFpea1geeoiw==">Coinbase Launches Embedded Wallet SDK to Streamline Web3 User Onboarding</h3><p>Highlights</p> <ul> <li>Coinbase’s developer platform (CDP) adds Embedded Wallets SDK: lets developers add self-custody wallet features easily.</li><li>SDK includes crypto onramp, token swap, and USDC 4.1% yield. It aims to remove the tradeoff between UX and custody risk.</li><li>Unlike legacy wallets, users can sign in via email/SMS/OAuth—no browser plugin or seed phrase needed—facilitating fast and straightforward onboarding.</li></ul> <p>Why This Matters</p> <ul> <li>Coinbase is lowering the barriers for Web3 app adoption by making wallet integration simpler and more secure. The SDK runs on Coinbase’s DEX-grade infra and is part of its “super app” strategy—positioning Coinbase as the essential bridge from Web2 to crypto.</li></ul> <h3 id="h3-8J+RgCDnvo7lm73mlbDlrZfpk7booYwgU2xhc2gg5o6o5Ye6IFN0cmlwZSBCcmlkZ2Ug5Y+R6KGM55qE56iz5a6a5biB77yM5pSv5oyB6Z2e576O5LyB5Lia6L275p2+5pS25LuYIFVTRCDlkoznqLPlrprluIE=">U.S. Digital Bank Slash Launches Stripe-Bridge Stablecoin: USDSL Offers Simple USD & Stablecoin Payments for International Businesses</h3><p>Highlights</p> <ul> <li>San Francisco digital bank Slash issues USDSL, a dollar stablecoin, via Stripe’s Bridge.</li><li>USDSL enables global dollar payments for businesses without a US bank account—cuts settlement time and FX fees.</li><li>The launch coincides with the GENIUS Act’s passage, which defines a US stablecoin regulatory regime.</li></ul> <p>Why This Matters</p> <ul> <li>With regulatory clarity, fintechs are rapidly entering the stablecoin field. Slash’s Stripe-issued USDSL shows how traditional and crypto finance are converging to solve global payments—proving that with regulation, stablecoins are moving from concept to real-world business solutions.</li></ul> <h3 id="h3-8J+RgOeJueacl+aZruWFs+iBlOmhueebriBXb3JsZCBMaWJlcnR5IOaOqOWHuiBVU0QxIOeos+WumuW4geW/oOivmuW6puiuoeWIkg==">Trump-Aligned World Liberty Debuts USD1 Stablecoin Loyalty Program</h3><p>Highlights</p> <ul> <li>Backed by the Trump family, World Liberty Financial’s USD1 loyalty program launches with Gate and others, modeled after airline miles.</li><li>Earn points by trading USD1 pairs, holding, staking, using in DeFi, and engaging via the WLFI app.</li><li>USD1 stablecoin, launched in April, claims to be fully backed by short-term US Treasuries, USD deposits, and other cash equivalents—issued via BitGo Trust.</li></ul> <p>Why This Matters</p> <ul> <li>With Trump and his sons as World Liberty ambassadors, potential conflicts-of-interest surface. Tying stablecoins and loyalty rewards together signals a new model for user retention amid fierce stablecoin competition—and reflects closer government-crypto sector ties.</li></ul> <h3 id="h3-8J+RgOaRqeagueWkp+mAmuaOqOWHuuWfuuS6jiBLaW5leHlzIOWMuuWdl+mTvueahOmTvuS4iuaXpeWGheWbnui0reino+WGs+aWueahiA==">JPMorgan Debuts On-Chain Intraday Repo on Kinexys Blockchain</h3><p>Highlights</p> <ul> <li>JPMorgan, HQLA-X, and Ownera launch cross-ledger repo: dealers swap funds/securities using Kinexys blockchain deposit accounts.</li><li>The platform covers all stages—from trade to collateral to settlement—down to the minute.</li><li>Can already handle $1 billion daily; built for scale with plans for more venues, assets, and digital cash tools.</li></ul> <p>Why This Matters</p> <ul> <li>JPMorgan is setting a new standard for institutional blockchain adoption. Kinexys (ex-Onyx) anchors its digital asset strategy and could eventually underpin deposit tokens, stablecoins, and CBDCs—reducing market fragmentation. With the debut of JPMD (a JPMorgan stablecoin) and expanded Coinbase partnerships, Wall Street is moving past pilots into production blockchain applications.</li></ul> <h2 id="h2-55uR566h5ZCI6KeE8J+Pm++4j1BheG9zIOWboCBCaW5hbmNlIEJVU0Qg5ZCI5L2c5YWz57O76KKr57q957qm55uR566h5py65p6E572a5qy+IDQ4NTAg5LiH576O5YWD">Regulatory Compliance Paxos Fined $48.5M for Binance BUSD Partnership by NYDFS</h2><p>Highlights</p> <ul> <li>Paxos Trust will pay $26.5M in fines to NYDFS plus $22M for compliance upgrades.</li><li>Regulators found flaws: In 2018, during BUSD launch with Binance, Paxos failed due diligence on its partner and its anti-money laundering efforts.</li><li>Paxos accepted Binance’s claim of “fully restricting US users” without confirming independently; NYDFS halted BUSD issuance in 2023.</li></ul> <p>Why This Matters</p> <ul> <li>This penalty shows that stablecoin issuer partnerships—especially offshore—face tough regulatory scrutiny. Paxos says it fixed these issues years ago, but the case sends a warning: issuers must conduct robust due diligence and build strong compliance. As the GENIUS Act takes effect and the stablecoin sector scales, regulatory risk for issuer-exchange partnerships is set to rise.</li></ul> <h3 id="h3-8J+Pm++4j+eJueacl+aZruetvue9suihjOaUv+WRveS7pO+8jOWBnOatoumTtuihjOWvueWKoOWvhui0p+W4geS8geS4mueahOOAjOS4jeWFrOW5s+ihjOS4uuOAjQ==">Trump Executive Order Ends Banks’ Unfair Practices Against Crypto Companies</h3><p>Highlights</p> <ul> <li>President Trump’s executive order bars federal agencies from penalizing banks that serve crypto firms based on “reputational risk.”</li><li>The order ends “Operation Choke Point 2.0,” blocking denials based on politics or “high-risk” labeling.</li><li>The Fed, OCC, and FDIC now vow not to consider “reputation” in customer vetting. Top lawmakers support the shift.</li></ul> <p>Why This Matters</p> <ul> <li>This directive removes a key lever from regulators, forcing banks to make decisions based on legal and financial—rather than reputational—risk. It establishes crypto’s legal status and ensures equal access to banking, paving the way for deeper traditional-crypto integration as regulatory reforms continue.</li></ul> <p>Capital Moves</p> <p>Tether Acquires EU MiCA-Licensed Exchange Bit2Me, Leads $32.7M Funding</p> <p>Highlights</p> <ul> <li>Tether has bought a minority stake in Spain’s Bit2Me and is leading a $32.7M (€30M) round set to close soon.</li><li>Bit2Me is the first Spanish-language exchange with an official MiCA license—authorized to operate across 27 EU states.</li><li>The investment funds Bit2Me’s expansion in Europe and Latin America (starting with Argentina). Founded 2014; serves 1.2 million users.</li></ul> <p>Why This Matters</p> <ul> <li>Tether’s deal is a strategic push to secure access to Europe as MiCA rules tighten. As several exchanges deprioritize USDT, Tether’s investment builds new compliant markets for its stablecoin—demonstrating the power of its $4.9B quarterly profit for global expansion.</li></ul> <h3 id="h3-8J+SsFJpcHBsZSDlsIbmlqXotYQgMiDkur/nvo7lhYPmlLbotK3nqLPlrprluIHmlK/ku5jlubPlj7AgUmFpbA==">Ripple to Buy Stablecoin Payment Platform Rail for $200M</h3><p>Highlights</p> <ul> <li>Ripple will acquire Rail for $200M, deal to close Q4 2025.</li><li>Rail is projected to power 10%+ of global stablecoin payments ($3.6B market) next year.</li><li>The deal lets Ripple deliver enterprise-grade stablecoin payments (RLUSD, XRP, others) with fiat on/offramps—no crypto custody needed for clients.</li></ul> <p>Why This Matters</p> <ul> <li>Ripple’s second major buy this year (after April’s $1.25B Hidden Road deal) marks its rapid stablecoin market expansion. With active MiCA licensing in the EU and RLUSD cleared in Dubai, Ripple is building a global stablecoin platform—shifting from cross-border specialist to full-service finance player as institutional competition intensifies.</li></ul> <h3 id="h3-5aOw5piO77ya">Disclaimer:</h3><ol> <li>This article is sourced from [<a href="https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/9eK_y7Hteu4QC2Af4zlPMA">Cobo</a>], original title: "Cobo Stablecoin Weekly No.19: After the Stablecoin Act Passes, Where Is the Next “Battleground”?". Copyright belongs to the original author [<em>Cobo</em>]. If you have concerns about republication, please contact the <a href="[https://www.gate.com/questionnaire/3967](https://www.gate.com/questionnaire/3967">Gate Learn Team</a> for assistance.</li><li>Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely the author’s and do not constitute investment advice.</li><li>The Gate Learn Team translated other language versions. Reproduction, distribution, or translation is strictly prohibited unless Gate.com is properly cited.</li></ol>

<ul> <li><p>Looping loans have become a core strategy in DeFi, fueling the growth of lending infrastructure platforms while phasing out protocols unable to keep pace with market trends.</p> </li><li><p>Euler Finance has surged on both fundamentals and token price thanks to its EVK framework, which lets anyone deploy lending vaults. Looking ahead, rolling out RWA (real-world asset) lending could be another major driver.</p> </li><li><p>Aave saw steady growth in the first half of the year, driven by the launch of USDe and PT-USDe, the activation of the Umbrella mechanism, and the cross-chain issuance of its GHO stablecoin.</p> </li><li><p>Lido Finance’s revenue model projects strength on the surface, and the sector’s ceiling could be lifted by increasing institutional demand from Wall Street for ETH staking yields.</p> </li><li><p>Jito began demonstrating impressive momentum in Q2 2025, leveraging its MEV infrastructure, leading position with jitoSOL, and the expected growth of restaking applications built on its platform.</p> </li></ul> <h2 id="h2-5YCf6LS35Y2P6K6u55qE6LS555So5p2l5rqQ77yf">How Do Lending Protocols Generate Revenue?</h2><p><img src="https://s3.ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com/gimg.gateimg.com/learn/9921c096922eddcd73a0c56957bee39abedb007c.jpg" alt=""></p> <p>Most lending protocol revenue comes from the total interest paid across all borrowing positions—whether open, closed, or liquidated. This interest income is divided proportionally between liquidity providers and the protocol’s DAO treasury.</p> <p>When a borrowing position breaches its preset loan-to-value (LTV) limit, liquidators can step in to execute the liquidation. Each asset class carries a specific liquidation penalty, and the protocol acquires collateral, which is then auctioned through mechanisms like Fluid’s “liquidity liquidation.”</p> <h2 id="h2-5LuOIEFhdmUg55qE6LSi5Yqh5oql6KGo6IO955yL5Yiw5LuA5LmI77yf">What Does Aave’s Financial Report Reveal?</h2><p><img src="https://s3.ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com/gimg.gateimg.com/learn/8167815f7620e2b8c5da042f23fd2782c4ce5f06.jpg" alt=""></p> <p>The <a href="https://github.com/aave" title="&#64;aave" class="at-link">@aave</a> protocol peaked in fees and revenue at the outset of the year, followed by a gradual decline alongside broader market corrections. In my view, the rebound after May is largely attributable to the rollout of USDe and PT-USDe, which fueled this cycle’s robust looping demand, powered mainly by Pendle’s PT assets and Ethena’s stablecoin.</p> <p>At PT-sUSDe’s debut, nearly $100 million in supply was immediately deposited into the Aave market.</p> <p>The Umbrella mechanism, activated in June, has since attracted approximately $300 million in funds for deposit insurance. Meanwhile, Aave’s native GHO stablecoin has seen cross-chain issuance continue to rise (with ~$200 million now in circulation), and its cross-chain use cases are expanding steadily.</p> <p>Thanks to these tailwinds, Aave achieved a major breakthrough in July:</p> <p>- Net deposits topped $4.8 billion, ranking first across all protocols.</p> <ul> <li><p>June protocol net profit soared nearly fivefold month-over-month, hitting around $8 million.</p> </li><li><p>By price-to-sales and price-to-earnings ratios, Aave is still undervalued relative to its sector peers.</p> </li></ul> <p>With this growth trajectory and mature product offering, Aave is poised to attract more traditional institutions as a preferred DeFi platform. Across fee revenue, TVL, and profitability, Aave is positioned to reach new highs and reinforce its leadership in the DeFi sector.</p> <h2 id="h2-5LuOIENvbXBvdW5kIOeahOi0ouWKoeaKpeihqOiDveeci+WIsOihsOiQveeahOW+geWFhu+8nw==">Are Compound’s Financial Statements Showing Early Signs of Decline?</h2><p><a href="https://github.com/compoundfinance" title="&#64;compoundfinance" class="at-link">@compoundfinance</a> is an established lending protocol but lacks Aave’s flexibility regarding asset support and market responsiveness. While Aave keeps up with trends by supporting various restaked and staked ETH (rETH, ETHx, cbETH), staked BTC (lBTC, tBTC), and Pendle’s PT assets, Compound does not support any of these assets.</p> <p><img src="https://s3.ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com/gimg.gateimg.com/learn/e9c321e9321e61fcc6c40f100a3e385cf922ca4f.jpg" alt=""></p> <p>This limited asset support means Compound’s lending strategies are basic and lack looping and composability, resulting in lower user engagement and capital efficiency. Financially, Compound has posted ongoing losses from early 2025 to present, with net protocol earnings between –$110,000 and –$250,000, while its token price has dropped about 40%.</p> <p>Looping strategies now underpin DeFi, with new protocols such as <a href="https://github.com/EulerFinance" title="&#64;EulerFinance" class="at-link">@EulerFinance</a>, <a href="https://github.com/MorphoLabs" title="&#64;MorphoLabs" class="at-link">@MorphoLabs</a>, and <a href="https://github.com/SiloFinance" title="&#64;SiloFinance" class="at-link">@SiloFinance</a> offering sophisticated leverage and composability. Compound’s failure to address these new use cases is causing it to lose a core segment of the mainstream DeFi lending market.</p> <p>Compound’s TVL has grown just 0.46% over six months, protocol revenue hasn’t meaningfully improved, and the gap with <a href="https://github.com/Aave" title="&#64;Aave" class="at-link">@Aave</a> keeps widening. This trend highlights Compound’s lag in product upgrades and ecosystem integration. Without faster expansion of supported assets and features, Compound risks further marginalization in DeFi lending.</p> <h2 id="h2-RXVsZXIg55qEIFRWTC8g5pS25YWlIC8g5biB5Lu36YO95pyJ5pi+6JGX5aKe5bmF">Euler’s TVL, Revenue, and Token Price Show Dramatic Growth</h2><p><a href="https://github.com/eulerfinance" title="&#64;eulerfinance" class="at-link">@eulerfinance</a> stands out for letting any developer or protocol use its EVK (Euler Vault Kit) framework to create custom vaults within the Euler credit ecosystem. This fits perfectly with mainstream looping strategies, enabling lending for long-tail assets and greatly increasing project revenue potential and user engagement.</p> <p><img src="https://s3.ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com/gimg.gateimg.com/learn/ee858ce1544500e076a6361676004666a020f1ff.jpg" alt=""></p> <p>After listing PT-USDe—the market’s largest looping asset—in April, Euler saw monthly protocol revenue and TVL surge about 72% and 42%, respectively.</p> <p>For the first half of the year, Euler was among the top protocols for TVL and active lending growth, with TVL up 800% and active lending up a staggering 1,160%—a breakout performance.</p> <p>The project has aggressively partnered with projects offering airdrops and incentive programs (for example, <a href="https://github.com/TurtleDotXYZ" title="&#64;TurtleDotXYZ" class="at-link">@TurtleDotXYZ</a> and <a href="https://github.com/Merkl_XYZ" title="&#64;Merkl_XYZ" class="at-link">@Merkl_XYZ</a>), riding the wave of incentive points and airdrop tokenomics to further boost deposit and borrowing through user rewards.</p> <p>This strategy got results: protocol fees rose from $100,000 to $450,000, and the token price surged roughly 200% in the same period.</p> <p>As a modular, composable, and permissionless credit infrastructure, EVK’s potential is only beginning to be realized. If the team can successfully bring another hot sector—real-world assets (RWA)—into the Euler lending framework, TVL growth could become exponential.</p> <h2 id="h2-Rmx1aWQg5oqA5pyv5aOB5Z6S5bim5p2l5Z+65pys6Z2i5aKe6ZW/5LmQ6KeC">Fluid’s Technical Moat Drives Optimistic Fundamentals</h2><p><a href="https://github.com/0xFluid" title="&#64;0xFluid</a> is a new and fast-rising lending protocol—second only to Euler in growth—with TVL up about 53% year-to-date, now nearly on par with Euler. Its rapid ascent stems from novel lending mechanisms and exceptional capital efficiency.</p> <p><img src="https://s3.ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com/gimg.gateimg.com/learn/f58e0f6783c135ee14507caa54fd167eeb6ea157.jpg" alt=""></p> <p>Its biggest technical edge is “smart collateral” and “smart debt.” Users can directly collateralize LP tokens (like ETH/wstETH, USDT/USDC), and the borrowed debt is issued as a self-adjusting LP token pair rather than a single asset. After borrowing, debt is deployed to liquidity markets, where it can generate yield for users, effectively reducing borrowing costs.</p> <p>This significantly lowers borrower interest expenses, with Fluid’s lending rates generally undercutting traditional models. Fluid’s average maximum LTV is higher than Aave’s, while its liquidation penalty is just 3% (Aave’s is 5%), offering capital efficiency similar to Aave’s e-mode.</p> <p>Fluid also comes with “one-click looping” support built into the frontend, making it easy to use ETH as collateral, borrow stablecoins, and then re-collateralize—ideal for large depositors seeking steady returns.</p> <p>Aave was among Fluid’s early backers, investing $4 million in FUID tokens and helping onboard Aave’s GHO stablecoin into Fluid pools—a strong vote of confidence in Fluid’s model and its competitive growth potential.</p> <p>Protocol revenue climbed modestly from $790,000 to $930,000 in the first half of the year, reflecting healthy finances. The token price dipped, largely due to weak tokenomics and no clear buyback program, despite strong protocol performance. Enhancing value capture remains a key opportunity.</p> <h2 id="h2-6KKr6KqJ5Li6IEVUSCBCZXRhIOeahCBMaWRvIOi0ouWKoeaKpeihqOihqOeOsOWmguS9lT8=">How Does “ETH Beta” Lido Stack Up Financially?</h2><p><a href="https://github.com/LidoFinance" title="&#64;LidoFinance</a> currently boasts about 8.8 million ETH staked, worth roughly $33 billion—about 25% of all staked ETH and 7% of total network ETH. It’s the sector’s largest ETH “holding” protocol (with sharplink at ~440,000 ETH, bitmine at ~833,000 ETH).</p> <p>As the “ETH staking leader,” Lido is widely seen as ETH Beta, but the project has faced a fundamental challenge since launch: in its five-year history, it has never turned a profit for the core team.</p> <p><img src="https://s3.ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com/gimg.gateimg.com/learn/291578d2bf43398e3b5b6640e80283728e18ebb4.jpg" alt=""></p> <p>To understand why, we need to break down the financial details.</p> <p>Staking rewards distributed to holders: Lido simply aggregates ETH from retail users, sets up validator nodes, and then pays out staking rewards on a pro-rata basis.</p> <p>In short, Lido doesn’t keep much of the staking reward itself. For example, in 2024, Lido earned $1.034 billion in staking rewards, of which $931 million was paid out to stakers—matching its 90% payout to stakers, 5% to node operators, and 5% to the DAO treasury.</p> <ul> <li>Cost of Revenue: Node operator rewards and slashing penalties, with slashing costs covered by Lido.</li><li>Liquidity Expense: Fees paid to provide liquidity to LPs.</li><li>Operational Expense: The LEGO Grant and TRP (Token Rewards Plan) are two key funding initiatives—LEGO backs community and developer proposals, and TRP rewards core DAO contributors.</li></ul> <p>Lido has made progress on the cost side, cutting liquidity expenses to ~$8.5 million in 2025 and trimming operating costs by about 20% annually since 2023. With revenue surging 88% in 2023 and 67% in 2024, and expenses declining, net losses fell sharply (–66%/–93%), dropping to just ~$2 million this year.</p> <h3 id="h3-TGlkbyDnmoTmnKrmnaXotbDlir/vvJ8=">Lido’s Outlook: What’s Next?</h3><p>Calling the earnings of an “ETH staking leader” disappointing may be too harsh, but it’s clear costs are falling every year. So why the persistent losses? The 10% protocol fee is industry standard and unlikely to change.</p> <p>The only real variable is the sector’s size—total ETH staked. The ETH staking rate remains lower compared to Solana, Sui, Avax, and ADA. The biggest potential catalyst may be institutional demand for ETH staking, with firms like BlackRock seeking to add staking functionality to their iShares ETH ETF.</p> <p>If institutional adoption arrives, ETH staking could become a new source of revenue for these players, generating yield from their ETH holdings. If the largest platform is Lido (or potentially Coinbase, or institution-backed projects like Puffer), the sector’s growth ceiling opens further. However, as the staking rate climbs, the protocol reward rate will be squeezed.</p> <p>Some in the DAO have proposed launching tokenholder income sharing to boost LDO’s utility and long-term value. But this would further cut protocol revenue, potentially harming future growth. A “surplus-sharing” program, as proposed by others, may be a more sustainable solution.</p> <h2 id="h2-Sml0byDni6znibnnmoTmlLblhaXmqKHlvI8gLSBNRVYg5bCP6LS5">Jito’s Distinct Revenue Model: MEV Tips</h2><p><a href="https://github.com/jito_sol" title="&#64;jito_sol</a> leads the SOL staking sector, with headline financials much stronger than those of Lido. jitoSOL currently stands at ~16 million SOL, about 23% of all staked SOL.</p> <p>SOL’s staking rate is already among the highest for any Layer 1 (67.18%). Notably, since October of last year, Jito has introduced foundational liquid restaking infrastructure, which enabled the growth of new restaking services and VRT (Vault Receipt Token) providers, including <a href="https://github.com/fragmetric140" title="&#64;fragmetric140</a> and <a href="https://github.com/RenzoProtocol" title="&#64;RenzoProtocol</a>.</p> <p>Liquid restaking is Jito’s core growth engine. Currently, only about 1.1 million SOL is restaked—just 6% of jitoSOL and 2% of all staked SOL. For context, ETH’s restake/stake ratio stands at 26%, so there’s plenty of room for SOL and for Jito to capture share.</p> <p>Let’s break down Jito’s key income and expenses:</p> <p><img src="https://s3.ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com/gimg.gateimg.com/learn/fea608192b1a6062950bda77028e4347c60af5f9.png" alt=""></p> <ul> <li>Bug Bounties: Paid to white-hat hackers who find and responsibly report security vulnerabilities.</li><li>Liquidity Mining Incentives: Rewards for providing JitoSOL or VRT liquidity on DeFi platforms like Orca and Jupiter.</li><li>Restaking Grants: Funding for developers in the Node Consensus Network (NCN) ecosystem to build, deploy, and maintain restaking infrastructure.</li><li>Interceptor Fees: Anti-arbitrage mechanism freezing JitoSOL for 10 hours if held by certain external protocol users; an early withdrawal incurs a 10% fee.</li><li>JitoSOL Fees: 4% management fee on staking and MEV rewards (after validator commissions), or about 0.3% per annum on user SOL (7% APY x 4%).</li><li>Tip Routers: MEV tips accumulated each epoch are distributed via the TipRouter, with 3% of MEV transaction tips taken as protocol fees—2.7% to the DAO treasury, 0.15% to JTO stakers, and 0.15% to jitoSOL holders.</li></ul> <h3 id="h3-5omA5Lul4oCm5ZyoIGppdG8g55qE6LSi5Yqh5oql6KGo6KeC5a+f5Yiw5Z+66YeR5Lya55qE5LuA5LmI562W55Wl77yf">What Strategies Stand Out in Jito’s Financial Statements?</h3><p>Liquidity incentives have been Jito’s biggest expense, with costs jumping in Q2 2024 and remaining at $1–$3 million per quarter since then.</p> <p>This results mainly from JIP-2 and JIP-13, which allocate $JTO for incentives in DeFi applications (chiefly on @KaminoFinance). Since Q2 2024, jitoSOL revenues have clearly risen, likely due to improved DeFi looping—driving more demand for jitoSOL and, in turn, greater staking income.</p> <p>From 2025, the Foundation plans to allocate another 14 million JTO (~$24 million) to support restaking and related DeFi activities, aiming to boost VRT adoption.</p> <p>By Q3 2025, some 7.7 million JTO had been distributed as incentives. The impact is clear—quarterly income in 2025 has increased by 36%, 67%, and 23%, outpacing incentive outlays and confirming these are positive-EV investments.</p> <p>On revenue, jitoSOL fees and Tip Router are Jito’s top sources. Since Q4 2024, propelled by a Solana meme trading frenzy, network volume has spiked and Jito has been the main beneficiary.</p> <p>At its peak, Jito’s tips made up 41.6%–66% of Solana’s Real Economic Value (REV). Since Q2 2025, Tip Router revenue has exceeded jitoSOL fees, underscoring Jito’s MEV infrastructure moat. Solana traders and arbitrageurs are willing to pay tips for priority—an economic structure rare among public blockchains.</p> <p>Explosive growth in Solana network activity, leading MEV infrastructure, jitoSOL’s sector dominance, and the rise of restaking applications have together fueled a 57-fold jump in net profit to ~$5 million in Q2 2025. Even without the meme hype of 2024’s “pump.fun” era, a maturing SOL restaking sector could provide Jito’s next major catalyst.</p> <h3 id="h3-5aOw5piO77ya">Disclaimer:</h3><ol> <li>This article is republished from [<a href="https://www.techflowpost.com/article/detail_27495.html">TechFlow</a>], copyright held by the original author [<em>chingchalong02</em>]. For republication concerns, please contact the <a href="https://www.gate.com/questionnaire/3967">Gate Learn</a> team for prompt resolution per our process.</li><li>Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and do not constitute investment advice.</li><li>Other language versions of this article have been translated by the Gate Learn team. Do not reproduce, distribute, or plagiarize any translated content without proper attribution to <a href="http://gate.com/">Gate</a>.</li></ol>

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