Circle Internet Group, a U.S. fintech company and issuer of the USDC stablecoin, intends to expand its operations into approximately 40 emerging markets, banking on growing demand for digital payments and dollar-pegged stablecoins, according to Fixygen.
As Circle Chairman and CEO Jeremy Allaire told Reuters on October 16, 2026, the company views Southeast Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East as priority regions for international expansion.
According to him, the blockchain industry is transitioning from the initial stage of technology adoption to widespread commercial application. The main sources of demand are cross-border payments, international trade, corporate settlements, and financial services for consumers.
To strengthen its position in new markets, Circle previously entered into an agreement to acquire the Singapore-based payment company Tazapay for approximately $400 million. The deal, announced on September 8, provides access to an international payments infrastructure covering more than 100 markets and over 60 banking and fintech partners.
According to Circle, Tazapay’s annual payment volume, based on current growth rates, exceeds $25 billion, with about 60% of transactions already involving stablecoins.
The acquisition is expected to close in 2027, following the receipt of the necessary regulatory approvals.
In addition, on September 22, Circle announced an expansion of its partnership with the cryptocurrency exchange Binance, which invested $100 million in the company. The parties signed a new five-year agreement to expand the adoption of USDC, primarily in developing countries.
According to Reuters, as of the end of the second quarter of 2026, the amount of USDC in circulation had grown by 19% year-over-year, reaching $73.3 billion.
Circle controls approximately one-quarter of the global stablecoin market, trailing its main competitor, Tether, which holds a market share of about 60%.
The company is also developing its own blockchain infrastructure, Arc, designed for corporate settlements, the tokenization of financial assets, and international payments.
Financial institutions participating in the development and use of the Arc infrastructure include BlackRock, Visa, and Standard Chartered.
The expansion of the stablecoin market is supported by the gradual development of a regulatory framework. In the U.S., the GENIUS Act has been passed, regulating the issuance of payment stablecoins. Its main provisions are set to take effect in 2027.
At the same time, competition is growing from traditional banks, which are developing their own digital payment instruments and tokenized deposit infrastructure.
According to market participants, the expansion of stablecoin use could significantly change the structure of international payments by reducing transaction times and decreasing reliance on traditional correspondent banking networks.
Circle Internet Group is an American publicly traded fintech company founded in 2013. It specializes in developing blockchain-based payment infrastructure and issuing the digital currencies USDC and EURC. The company’s shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol CRCL.
According to Fixygen, the cryptocurrency market is ending the week of October 12–16, 2026, amid heightened volatility and declining investor interest in risky assets. Bitcoin (BTC) is trading near $82,000, while Ethereum (ETH) is trading around $2,450. The main factors putting pressure on the market were accelerating inflation in the U.S., capital outflows from cryptocurrency ETFs, and MSCI’s decision to revise the criteria for including companies that hold digital assets in international stock indices.
According to market quotes as of October 16, Bitcoin has partially recovered after falling to a four-week low of around $79,800 the previous day. Earlier in the week, the largest cryptocurrency traded mostly above $82,000, but the release of U.S. macroeconomic data intensified selling pressure.
Ethereum showed weaker performance, falling to approximately $2,440–$2,450 from $2,500 at the end of the previous week. Other major digital assets were also under pressure, notably Solana, which traded at around $105.
The most significant event for financial markets was the release on October 14 of U.S. Department of Labor data on September inflation. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.6% month-over-month and 3.7% year-over-year. Additional pressure came from producer price data released on October 15: the PPI rose by 1.3% month-over-month, marking the largest monthly increase since March 2022. Annual producer inflation reached 6.3%.
The acceleration in inflation has heightened market participants’ concerns regarding the future policy of the U.S. Federal Reserve. For cryptocurrencies, this implies the risk of persistently high interest rates, which limit the availability of liquidity and investment demand for highly volatile assets.
This negative trend has impacted U.S. exchange-traded funds (ETFs) focused on digital assets.
According to statistics from Farside Investors, over four trading sessions from October 12 to 15, net outflows from U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs totaled approximately $146 million. The largest outflow was recorded on October 14, when investors withdrew $261.4 million. Meanwhile, on October 13, the funds attracted $175.7 million, and on October 15, another $5.1 million.
From spot Ethereum ETFs, investors withdrew approximately $250.4 million over the same period. The largest single-day outflow occurred on October 14 and totaled $129.5 million, while on October 15, the funds lost another $60.3 million.
Thus, the total net outflow from U.S. spot Bitcoin and Ethereum funds over four trading days reached approximately $396.4 million. The results of Friday’s trading session have not yet been included in these calculations.
A notable event of the week was the decision by international index provider MSCI, announced on October 15, to change the methodology for including non-operating companies in global stock indices.
The new rules provide for the exclusion of companies whose financial characteristics make them comparable to investment funds and other passive investment structures. The changes will take effect following the November index review, which is scheduled to conclude on November 30.
Public companies whose activities are largely related to the accumulation of Bitcoin and other digital assets fall under these potential restrictions. Among them are Michael Saylor’s U.S.-based Strategy and Japan’s Metaplanet.
MSCI intends to publish the final list of affected companies on November 11. The decision itself does not mean the automatic exclusion of all companies with cryptocurrency reserves: classification will depend on established financial criteria.
According to Reuters, Strategy had previously estimated the potential volume of sales of its shares by index funds in the event of exclusion from the indices at approximately $2.8 billion. Against the backdrop of this news, the company’s shares fell by more than 4% on October 16.
Meanwhile, corporate purchases of Bitcoin continue.
U.S.-based Strive Inc., whose shares trade on the Nasdaq, announced on October 13 that it had purchased 3,311 BTC between October 5 and 9 at an average price of about $84,500. The total value of the purchase was approximately $279.8 million, and the company’s total cryptocurrency reserve increased to 32,773 BTC.
On October 14, Strive announced the additional purchase of 2,822 BTC between October 12 and 13 at an average price of $83,270. The total value of this batch is estimated at approximately $235 million.
Thus, taking into account the two announced purchases, the company’s Bitcoin reserves are estimated to have reached 35,595 BTC.
At the same time, Strive reported the exercise of stock warrants, which is expected to raise approximately $369.2 million before deducting related expenses.
These transactions indicate that demand for Bitcoin from certain public companies remains strong, even amid downward pressure on prices and a decline in investments in exchange-traded cryptocurrency funds.
At the same time, the infrastructure for servicing digital assets by traditional financial institutions is developing.
On October 16, Deutsche Bank confirmed plans to launch its first cryptocurrency custody service for institutional and corporate clients in the coming weeks. Initially, the platform will operate in Germany, after which the bank expects to expand its presence to Asia’s major financial centers by 2027.
In the initial phase, the service will focus on storing Bitcoin and Ethereum. Going forward, Deutsche Bank plans to add transactions involving stablecoins, tokenized deposits, and digital securities.
The German bank views blockchain infrastructure as a complement to traditional financial services, rather than a replacement for them.
On the regulatory front, a document published by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in the U.S. Federal Register on October 13 drew particular attention; it outlines the development of comprehensive rules for certain retail transactions involving cryptoassets.
The initiative was initially announced by the regulator on October 5. It aims to establish a legal framework for cryptocurrency markets, increase transaction transparency, and protect retail investors. The public comment period for the document will run until December 14, 2026.
At this stage, the focus is on drafting regulations, not on the new requirements taking effect.
Thus, the main theme of the week was the divergence between short-term cryptocurrency price movements and the development of industry infrastructure. Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other digital assets came under pressure from macroeconomic factors, yet traditional banks continued to develop new products, and some public companies continued to expand their cryptocurrency reserves.
Next week, investors will be watching the performance of U.S. Treasury bonds, changes in expectations regarding the Fed’s interest rates, capital flows into cryptocurrency ETFs, and the implications of MSCI’s decision.
For the corporate sector, preparations for the November 11 announcement of the final list of companies that may be removed from international stock indices will be particularly important.
According to Fixygen, the cryptocurrency market is gradually expanding far beyond Bitcoin and traditional digital currencies. One of the most notable trends of 2026 is the rapid development of stablecoins and tokenized traditional assets, according to CoinDesk Data.
In September, the market capitalization of stablecoins rose to $313 billion. Trading volume for stablecoin pairs on centralized crypto exchanges increased by nearly 25% and exceeded $1 trillion for the first time since March.
Tether’s USDT remains the largest stablecoin, with a market capitalization of about $184 billion and a market share of approximately 59%. USDC ranks second with approximately $74 billion.
Stablecoins are gradually evolving from a crypto-trading tool into a standalone global payment infrastructure. They are used for international transfers, business settlements, storing dollar-denominated savings, and moving capital between various financial platforms.
The market for the tokenization of traditional assets is growing even faster. The value of tokenized stocks reached a record $4.87 billion at the end of September, while their trading volume directly on the blockchain rose to $15.6 billion over the month.
Overall, trading volume for tokenized stocks reached approximately $44.9 billion in the third quarter, an almost sevenfold increase compared to the second quarter.
Robinhood became the largest platform in September, accounting for about 42% of the total trading volume of tokenized stocks. The volume of transactions on its platform grew more than fivefold over the month—to $6.57 billion.
In addition to stocks, bonds, money-market funds, private loans, and commodity assets are gradually moving onto blockchains. The volume of tokenized bonds and money-market funds is estimated at approximately $17.3 billion, private loans at $5.6 billion, and commodity assets at over $6.4 billion.
According to an estimate by Experts Club, it is this segment of the digital market that may have more long-term significance than yet another growth cycle for individual cryptocurrencies.
While Bitcoin remains primarily a digital investment asset, stablecoins and tokenization are beginning to compete directly with bank transfers, depositories, brokers, and traditional stock market infrastructure.
In fact, a parallel financial system is gradually taking shape, in which dollars, stocks, bonds, and other assets can be traded on the blockchain around the clock, bypassing the traditional settlement cycle that takes several business days.
The beginning of October showed that market volatility is still very much present. After a strong third quarter, investors once again began to partially lock in profits: in a single week, approximately $681 million was withdrawn from Bitcoin ETFs, and over the two trading days of October 7–8, outflows approached $730 million.
According to Experts Club, the situation in the crypto market in 2026 bears less and less resemblance to previous cycles, which were entirely dependent on retail speculation. ETFs, institutional portfolios, corporate reserves, and regulated exchange-traded products are playing an increasingly significant role.
At the same time, this makes the market more sensitive to global interest rates, the dollar exchange rate, capital flows between tech stocks and digital assets, as well as decisions by major asset management firms.
Therefore, the strong growth in the third quarter should, for now, be viewed more as a recovery from the sharp decline in the first half of the year rather than as a guarantee of sustained one-sided growth.
According to Fixygen, as of October 9, the cryptocurrency market is tentatively ending the week on a down note after a relatively strong start to the month. The main factors putting pressure on the market were rising U.S. Treasury yields, a strengthening dollar, high oil prices, and lingering concerns about the future policy of the U.S. Federal Reserve.
Bitcoin traded above $86,000 at the start of the week but fell to approximately $80,400 on October 8. By the morning of October 9, the largest cryptocurrency had partially recovered to around $82,500. Thus, compared to the levels at the start of the week, the decline amounts to about 4–5%.
Ethereum came under even greater pressure. On October 5, ETH was trading around $2,710, and on October 9, around $2,500. The decline since the start of the week approached 8%. The drop was particularly pronounced on October 7–8, when Ethereum lost about 8% over two days.
Outflows from U.S. spot Ethereum ETFs served as an additional negative factor. As of October 7, funds had been withdrawn from these ETFs for seven consecutive trading sessions. Over the past five sessions, the net outflow totaled approximately $506 million, with investors withdrawing another $161 million on October 7.
At the same time, institutional investors’ long-term interest in cryptocurrencies remains strong. Bitcoin remains significantly above the lows of the first half of 2026, and traditional financial firms continue to launch new exchange-traded products related to digital assets.
A key development this week was the continued development of a new regulatory framework for the U.S. cryptocurrency market. On October 5, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) proposed a federal regulatory regime for cryptocurrency platforms offering leveraged trading to retail clients.
The proposal calls for the creation of a separate category of regulated platforms—crypto asset markets. These platforms may be required to provide proof of reserves, implement mechanisms to prevent market manipulation, and register under the federal framework. This is effectively an attempt by the regulator to partially fill the legal vacuum after Congress failed to advance the sweeping Clarity Act.
At the same time, cryptocurrency infrastructure continues to penetrate mainstream payment services. Samsung announced on October 7 that, in the last week of the month, it will integrate support for USDC directly into Samsung Wallet for users of compatible Galaxy devices in the U.S.
The feature will potentially be available on approximately 82 million compatible devices. Users will be able to send USDC to crypto wallets, as well as transfer funds to bank accounts in more than 60 countries with conversion to local currency. Samsung is exploring the possibility of further expanding the use of stablecoins, including for paying for goods and services.
Thus, the main highlight of the week was the divergence between short-term market dynamics and the development of the crypto industry itself. Prices for Bitcoin, Ethereum, and many altcoins fell amid a decline in global risk appetite; however, at the same time, the market’s institutionalization, regulatory development, and the integration of stablecoins into mainstream financial services continued.
Next week, market participants will focus on U.S. inflation data and expectations regarding the Fed’s future decisions. Rising U.S. Treasury yields remain one of the main risks for Bitcoin and other high-risk assets.
Source: Reuters, Samsung Electronics, LSEG, U.S. ETF data.
According to Fixygen, Greece plans to introduce a 10% tax on capital gains from cryptocurrency transactions, Reuters reports.
The corresponding bill was submitted for public comment on October 8. The bill is expected to be submitted to parliament for consideration in November.
Earlier, in June, the possibility of setting the tax rate at 15% was discussed. The new version of the bill provides for a tax exemption on income from cryptocurrency transactions amounting to less than 500 euros per year.
Currently, Greece lacks a comprehensive legal framework for taxing cryptocurrency transactions. At the same time, there is no unified system for taxing income from crypto assets within the European Union.
According to Reuters, capital gains tax rates on cryptocurrency transactions in European countries range from approximately 8% to 30%.
Greek authorities have previously noted that they cannot accurately assess the size of the domestic cryptocurrency market, as a significant portion of investors use foreign platforms.
Consequently, the government does not yet have precise estimates of potential additional budget revenues following the introduction of the new tax.
