ICE Invests $2bn in Polymarkets

ICE, which owns the NYSE, has invested $2bn in prediction markets firm, Polymarkets, valuing the company at $8bn.  Polymarkets works on USDC deposits (USDC = "the world's largest digital dollar") on the Polygon blockchain network. ICE will become a distributor of Polymarkets data to institutional investors globally.

SWIFT backs Blockchain Ledger

SWIFT is adding a blockchain ledger to its infrastructure stack. 

It is developing this ledger with 30 financial institutions from 16 countries, including Absa, Banco Santander, Bank of America, BBVA, Citi, Deutsche Bank, BNP Paribas, Emirates NBD, Societe Generale-FORGE, Wells Fargo and Royal Bank of Canada, taking part.

SWIFT CEO Javier Pérez-Tasso (CEO since 2019) remarked: "We...are moving at a rapid pace... to create the infrastructure stack of the future".

Circle Announces Blockchain Plans

Circle Internet Group (NYSE:CRCL) has announced Arc, a Layer 1 blockchain designed around stablecoin finance. (Layer 1 blockchains refer to the foundation layer of a blockchain network, so-named to distinguish them from services built on top of blockchains e.g. Optimism (built on Ethereum).

Earlier moves included launch of the Circle Payments Network, enabling financial companies to use stablecoins for payment. It is billed as "a new standard for global money movement".

Circle has also been active in partnerships with the likes of Binance, OKX, FIS and Fiserv.

CRCL went public on June 5th 2025 with the IPO priced at $31 a share. JP, Citi and GS were joint lead active bookrunners for the IPO.

USD stablecoins have advantages over "pure" USD transfers as all you need is a crypto account to use it, potentially have lower fees for money transfers and can be integrated into DeFi infrastructure e.g. smart contracts.

$6m worth of tokens stolen relating to Solana Blockchain

The Zug-based Solana Foundation which advocates a blockchain built for speed, is blaming the developers of the Slope wallet.