The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has finalized its first rule under the GENIUS Act, establishing a new framework for stablecoins that will take effect on January 18, 2027. The rule outlines requirements for stablecoin issuers, including reserve backing, redemptions, risk management, and custody, with provisions extending to foreign issuers. Notably, the OCC revised its stance on third-party rewards, dropping a presumption that such arrangements could be illegal and opting for case-by-case reviews instead. However, stablecoin issuers remain prohibited from directly paying interest to holders.
Standard Chartered has signed definitive agreements to acquire 100% of Zodia Custody, five months after its initial non-binding offer. The deal covers Zodia Custody Limited, which operates in Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, the UAE, and Luxembourg, though regulatory approvals are still pending. Upon completion, Zodia's custody operations will integrate into Standard Chartered's Securities Services business, while its software and professional services will operate as a separate entity called Zodia Solutions.
Dogecoin Labs has launched with backing from the Dogecoin Foundation, aiming to expand the use of DOGE beyond memes. The organization combines three products: the MyDoge wallet, the DogeOS application platform, and the Such App payments product. MyDoge boasts over 500,000 users, while DogeOS recently launched its EVM-compatible public testnet. The initiative comes amid Dogecoin's struggles to attract investors in traditional finance, following Bitwise's decision to close its Dogecoin ETF due to weak demand.
Dataline has raised $10.6 million in seed funding for its decentralized data network for AI agents, with plans for a public token sale. The round was co-led by Lattice and Samsung-backed Dispersion Capital, featuring investors like Coinbase Ventures and Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev. Dataline's platform, already live, covers around 50 data sources and aims to launch its token by the end of the year, with a public sale on Base through Uniswap's Continuous Clearing Auction platform.
Solana has activated its Alpenglow consensus upgrade, reducing transaction finality from about 12.8 seconds to around 150 milliseconds. The upgrade replaces Solana's original TowerBFT consensus protocol, streamlining the confirmation process. Anza, the core engineering firm behind the upgrade, is also working on further improvements, including Rotor for faster block data movement and Quantumglow for post-quantum security.