Binance Takes $100 Million Stake in Circle to Boost USDC
Binance has taken a $100 million equity stake in Circle, the company behind the USDC stablecoin, under a private placement that closed on Sept. 17. The exchange received 1,237,011 Class A common shares at $80.84 apiece, a discount to Circle's market value at the time of the sale, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Binance is barred from selling, transferring, pledging, or hedging the shares for up to two years, though that restriction could lift earlier if Binance ends the commercial side of the agreement under specified conditions, and Binance retains voting rights throughout the lockup period. The investment comes bundled with an expanded five-year commercial agreement that replaces prior arrangements from Nov. 2024 and Aug. 2025, under which Circle will pay Binance a monthly incentive fee calculated as a percentage of USDC held through Circle's Modular Smart Contract Wallet, while Binance commits to additional promotional activity for USDC across its exchange. Circle's stock was trading at $95.70, up 1.45%, at market open, after closing the prior session at $94.29.
X Expands Cashtag Trading Links With Coinbase, Gemini, Kraken, Interactive Brokers and Moomoo
Elon Musk's X widened its U.S. Cashtag system on Sept. 22, connecting stock, ETF and cryptocurrency pages to five outside trading platforms through a new U.S. Cashtag Partner Program with Coinbase, Gemini, Kraken, Interactive Brokers and Moomoo. Users can now tap "Trade" after opening a supported ticker such as $BTC or $TSLA, with X displaying a live price chart and related posts before showing available trading partners. The actual transaction takes place on the chosen partner's app or website, not on X itself, and execution, eligibility and account terms all sit with the partner exchange or brokerage. Kraken said its Cashtag integration covers nearly 2,500 assets across its centralized and decentralized offerings, while Interactive Brokers said new eligible U.S. clients can get a $100 promotional credit by opening and funding an account through the Cashtag flow. The rollout builds on an earlier X feature called Smart Cashtags and stays separate from X Money, the platform's payments product, which currently offers no direct link for funding trades.
CME Group to Launch Bitcoin Cash and Uniswap Futures on October 19
CME Group plans to launch futures contracts for Bitcoin Cash and Uniswap on October 19, expanding its crypto derivatives lineup. The contracts, subject to regulatory review, will be available in both standard and Micro sizes, the derivatives marketplace said in a Tuesday announcement. Bitcoin Cash futures will represent 250 BCH per contract, while Micro Bitcoin Cash futures will represent 25 BCH; Uniswap futures will cover 10,000 UNI, with Micro contracts representing 1,000 UNI. Giovanni Vicioso, CME Group's global head of cryptocurrency products, said the new products are being introduced in response to client demand as crypto markets mature and participants require broader, regulated tools to navigate evolving digital asset related price risk. The new contracts add to CME's existing futures offerings covering Bitcoin, Ether, XRP, Solana, Cardano, Chainlink, Stellar, Avalanche and Sui. CME's cryptocurrency futures and options recorded an average daily volume of 279,800 contracts during the first half of 2026, representing $8.3 billion in notional value, with average open interest of 264,600 contracts worth $15.4 billion in notional value, and the exchange said its expansion into Cardano, Chainlink, Stellar, Avalanche and Sui futures this year has generated more than $1 billion in total notional value year to date.
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