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? The Dinarian on Locals brings you the latest in news, interviews, in-depth conversations, and stories from across the blockchain and global communities—within and beyond cryptocurrency ?. Experts delve into how blockchain technology is reshaping industries, enhancing business networks ?, transforming transaction workflows, and advancing distributed ledger systems ??. We also explore intriguing topics that may venture into the realm of conspiracies—and so much more!
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Exploring a stablecoin bank đŸ’¶ 🏩 đŸȘ™

For the $1 trillion Visa and Mastercard duopoly, stablecoins are a problem. Unless these two learn to adapt, pro-crypto regulation and aggressive new entrants will begin to put them in a more vulnerable position than ever.

The Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA), if passed, would require large banks to give merchants a choice of at least one additional network (besides Visa or Mastercard, which they’re locked into today) to process credit card transactions. This would weaken Visa and Mastercard’s pricing power, and, importantly, could be a golden opening for a stablecoin network to compete via lower fees. Caveating this piece by noting that the CCCA (sadly) only has a 3% chance of passing in the Senate and 9% in the House, so while it’d be nice if it passes, it’s currently unlikely.

Right now, Visa and Mastercard charge merchants egregious 2-3% swipe fees — which is typically their second highest cost after payroll. Sadly, smaller merchants are disproportionately hit by these swipe fees.

Enterprise giants like Walmart have the pull to negotiate down interchange fees, so they’re able to get better rates than mom-and-pop shops, which are locked into Visa and Mastercard. This is partly why Visa and Mastercard’s profit margins are each higher than 50%: small businesses have no choice but to accept Visa and Mastercard since they control 80% of the credit card market. Put simply, merchants just can’t afford to move away from these two — it’s “classic monopolistic [duopolistic] behavior” (Senator Josh Hawley).

A stablecoin network could drop those swipe fees to essentially zero. Merchants hate swipe fees — rightfully so — and if they could opt for a lower-fee network that wouldn’t limit their TAM, they’d switch in a heartbeat.

Merchants attempting to avoid card processing fees is not a new concept. The main problem, though, is correctly incentivizing consumers to switch their payment method:

“Why would the first person use a new form of money [as opposed to the millionth]?” ~Peter Thiel

The growing popularity of pay-by-bank (A2A) as an option has been a tiny proof point, showing that consumers will shift their behavior under the right conditions.

Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures even predicts that in 2025, direct bank-to-bank payments will surpass credit card interchange payments in a few categories in the US. Better regulation, specifically the CFPB’s Section 1033, makes it easier (via an explicit government endorsement of open banking) for retailers to offer A2A transactions — which subsequently allows them to avoid card processing fees.

What’s more, the UX for pay-by-bank could end up being much better for consumers — think something akin to ShopPay.

Walmart has already launched a pay-by-bank product, and retailers small and large are beginning to follow suit. To convince consumers to opt for this payment method, Walmart is adding instant transfer capability, so consumers can avoid multiple pending transactions that could lead to overdrafts.

“New technology is making A2A more accessible to smaller merchants, creating a viable alternative to avoid card-processing fees.” ~Sophia Goldberg, co-founder of Ansa.

The appetite for cheaper, faster, and more efficient payment methods is clearly strong.

The question then becomes: how does the transition to a stablecoin network actually work?

Functionally, do consumers need a differently branded piece of plastic or can they pay with their normal Visa/Mastercard cards, which merchants then have the option to route through a different network via forceful regulation? This isn’t spelled out in the CCCA bill, so we’ll see how card compatibility with these new networks ends up playing out.

Mass adoption requires either 1) extremely strong incentives for customers to switch cards entirely (active adoption), or 2) a backend transition where consumers keep using their existing cards but the actual processing happens on a stablecoin network (passive adoption).

One way to align incentives to get everyone on board would be to introduce a brand-new stablecoin bank: account holders could receive discounts at participating merchants like Amazon and Walmart, who’d happily offer rewards since they could eschew the Visa/Mastercard 2-3% swipe fee.

Customers are already increasingly concentrating their spending among a handful of dominant platforms, so as long as 1) the rewards the customer would receive justifies the friction of switching, and 2) the rewards the merchant provides end up being lower than the 2% TPV it’s giving up to Visa/Mastercard, the stablecoin bank would be a win-win.

Customers could still earn yield on their deposits, since stablecoins would be under the hood, and credit issuance itself could be done in stablecoins. But from a user experience perspective, customers would still just be tapping a piece of plastic. At that point, banks could be bypassed entirely:
when a customer spends at a retailer, it would functionally just be sending money from one wallet to another.

The stablecoin bank could make money via processing fees (obviously, lower than the ones at play today), interest on the deposits (yield-sharing), and charging when users offramp from stablecoins to fiat.

Some have argued that stablecoin issuers are actually shadow banks themselves, but for mainstream adoption, a new stablecoin bank that works top-down with the merchants could be the most effective option. Customers will get onboard if the right incentives are in place.

Consider Brazil’s Nubank: it won in a space where banks were both the status quo and notorious for charging excessive fees.

Nubank succeeded by offering an all-in-one mobile-first product with meaningfully lower fees, while Brazilian incumbents often failed to offer even basic financial services in an easily accessible manner.

By contrast, US incumbents — while far from perfect — deliver just enough online and mobile features to keep most customers from switching.

Nubank is famous for its user experience — something that could, in theory, be replicated in the US. But a unified money platform is more than a great interface: it must allow customers to move funds across deposit accounts, stablecoins, crypto, and potentially into BNPL or other credit products — without forcing them to navigate different platforms. This is what Nubank has done so well, and is an example of a gap in the market in the US.

Of course, US regulation is an issue: challenger banks attempting to replicate a Nubank-style approach (but with stablecoins) in America face overlapping mandates from entities like the OCC, Fed, and state authorities.

The question of how feasible a stablecoin bank is comes down to if it needs a banking charter or not, what MTLs are required, and other regulatory questions.

The last bank to get a national charter in the US was Sofi (through its acquisition of Golden Pacific Bank), which received their charter nearly three years ago in January of 2022.

A stablecoin bank could consider creative avenues: for instance, partnering with existing FDIC-insured banks or trust companies, rather than trying to pursue a national charter directly. Without the CCCA, though, any new bank stablecoin payment network — even with a charter — would be limited to non-merchants payments (i.e. B2B and P2P ones).

The bipartisan stablecoin bill recently introduced by Lummis and Gillibrand will help the cause — the goal of the legislation is explicitly to “create a clear regulatory framework for payment stablecoins that will protect consumers, enable innovation, and promote US dollar dominance.” Though this bill is certainly a step in the right direction, it’s much less specific than the CCCA, which has a detailed action item in forcing banks to comply.

A factor that would hurt a stablecoin bank’s chances of success is the banking sector’s massive influence in DC; it’s one of the most powerful lobbying forces in the United States. Because of this, the fight to get the necessary legislation through Congress would be enormous.

In aggregate, ~$85 million in lobbying efforts was spent by banks — large and small — in 2023. It’s important to note that given how creative lobbyists get with different convoluted entities etc, whatever public lobbying spend numbers we’re seeing are much, much higher in reality.

A stablecoin bank would necessitate a regulatory strategy at the outset, plus enough financial backing to withstand lobbying pressure from incumbents. Still, the upside is tremendous.

A successful challenger could bring the integrated finance model that’s missing in the US, fully built on stablecoins. If executed correctly, it would be the most substantial change in how consumers, merchants, and banks interact — the likes of which we haven’t seen since the Internet.

Even though this is a (literal) trillion-dollar market, and completely technically feasible, a stablecoin bank unfortunately is contingent on the CCCA, which is very unlikely to pass. Incumbents will fight with their full force because naturally, the old hates the new. But the new is always inevitable — at least in some form.

https://x.com/bridge__harris/status/1875245405673238796

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Have you noticed a Personality Change in those who took the experimental Covid Vaccines?

If so, here’s the theory as to why this has happened, and it makes perfect sense as to why the elites would do this. THEY do not want you to be able to step into your power. With this destroyed, THEY win.

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Stargate: Establishing the Physical Foundations of the AI Revolution đŸ›°ïžđŸŒŽ

The Stargate initiative represents the most substantial investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure to date, as it begins to materialize on a global scale. While many perceive AI as an ethereal technology—simply accessed via applications like ChatGPT đŸ€–â€”each digital interaction is, in fact, powered by extensive physical resources: vast data centers 🏱, thousands of cutting-edge GPUs đŸ’Ÿ, sophisticated cooling systems 💧, dedicated power grids ⚡, and essential water pipelines 🚰. AI does not reside on personal devices; it is anchored on Earth and demands significant resources.

As artificial intelligence continues to advance, its infrastructure needs only intensify. Regardless of improvements in model efficiency, the explosive growth in usage—billions of queries, ongoing model training, and worldwide deployment—necessitates ever-greater computing power, land, electricity, and semiconductors. This expansion is not plateauing; it is accelerating 📈.

Stargate stands ...

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🚹 A Senior UAE Official Has Forecasted...👀

🇩đŸ‡Ș The United Arab Emirates has taken a decisive step that the United States has been reluctant to pursue.

👉 “Within the next two years, cryptocurrency will be used more frequently than traditional currencies like the dollar or dirham, even for everyday purchases such as coffee and groceries.” 🏩☕🛒

It is worth noting which cryptocurrencies offer transaction fees that are virtually negligible. 😏

The official further stated: “Mark my words, I believe in actions, not just words.”

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👉 Coinbase just launched an AI agent for Crypto Trading

Custom AI assistants that print money in your sleep? 🔜

The future of Crypto x AI is about to go crazy.

👉 Here’s what you need to know:

💠 'Based Agent' enables creation of custom AI agents
💠 Users set up personalized agents in < 3 minutes
💠 Equipped w/ crypto wallet and on-chain functions
💠 Capable of completing trades, swaps, and staking
💠 Integrates with Coinbase’s SDK, OpenAI, & Replit

👉 What this means for the future of Crypto:

1. Open Access: Democratized access to advanced trading
2. Automated Txns: Complex trades + streamlined on-chain activity
3. AI Dominance: Est ~80% of crypto 👉txns done by AI agents by 2025

🚹 I personally wouldn't bet against Brian Armstrong and Jesse Pollak.

👉 Coinbase just launched an AI agent for Crypto Trading
The Vatican's Control Runs Deep 👀

The Vatican has been the subject of countless theories throughout history. From secret archives to alleged world domination schemes. Let's explore the most common Vatican theories, their origins, and what we actually know.

The Major Vatican Theories:

The Illuminati Connection: The Vatican secretly controls or collaborates with the Illuminati to establish a New World Order.

Secret Archives Control: The Vatican Secret Archives contain proof of alien contact, suppressed scientific discoveries, or evidence of historical cover-ups.

The P2 Masonic Lodge Scandal: The Vatican Bank was involved in a massive conspiracy involving the P2 Masonic lodge, political corruption, and murder.

Suppression of Scientific Knowledge: The Vatican has systematically suppressed scientific discoveries that contradict Church doctrine.

The Third Secret of Fatima: The Vatican is hiding apocalyptic prophecies revealed at Fatima that would cause global panic if disclosed.

Financial Scandals: Legitimate concerns about ...

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Veritaseum Hodlers, Are You Ready For Chaos? 🚀 đŸ‘©‍🚀

What would happen if Veritaseum was "Resurrected" from the Land of Dead Cryptos? Would Clif High's prediction of Veri trading 1 to 1 with Bitcoin actually come TRUE?! We may just find out SOONER than you think!!

$Velos New Payfi Litepaper 📝

As the market evolves, so do we. Our new PayFi Litepaper reflects our commitment to adapt fast, stay ahead, and win.

Dive into our latest vision and strategy for what’s next.

https://x.com/veloprotocol/status/1917550676860887446

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Stellar's Ecosystem Surges Forward: Smart Contracts, Lightning Speed, and Real-World Impact in 2025

The Stellar blockchain ecosystem is experiencing remarkable momentum in 2025, with groundbreaking technical achievements and expanding real-world adoption that position it as a major player in the decentralized finance landscape. From lightning-fast transaction speeds to innovative smart contract capabilities, Stellar is demonstrating that blockchain technology can deliver both performance and practical utility.

Technical Breakthroughs Drive Performance

The Stellar Development Foundation's Q1 2025 quarterly report reveals impressive technical milestones that showcase the network's maturation. The platform now processes an astounding 5,000 transactions per second with remarkably fast 2.5-second block times, putting it among the fastest blockchain networks in operation today.

This performance leap isn't just about raw numbers—it represents Stellar's commitment to creating infrastructure that can handle real-world demand. Whether it's cross-border payments, asset tokenization, or decentralized applications, the network's enhanced capabilities provide the foundation for scalable blockchain solutions.

Smart Contracts Get Smarter with Soroban

One of the most significant developments has been the launch and continued evolution of Soroban, Stellar's smart contract platform. The introduction of Contract Copilot represents a major advancement in developer experience, enabling faster and safer smart contract development through enhanced tooling and guidance.

This focus on developer experience is crucial for ecosystem growth. By lowering barriers to entry and improving the development process, Stellar is positioning itself to attract innovative projects and talented developers who might otherwise choose competing platforms.

New Token Standards Meet Market Needs

The Stellar Development Foundation has introduced new token standards developed specifically based on feedback from developers and institutional users. This responsive approach to platform development demonstrates Stellar's commitment to building technology that meets actual market needs rather than theoretical requirements.

These standards are particularly important as institutional adoption continues to grow, with organizations requiring robust, compliant, and flexible token frameworks for their blockchain initiatives.

Global USDC Integration Expands Utility

The integration of USDC across Stellar's global network represents a significant milestone for practical cryptocurrency adoption. Stablecoins like USDC provide the price stability necessary for everyday transactions and business operations, making them crucial for blockchain platforms seeking real-world utility.

This integration is particularly impactful in emerging markets, where access to stable digital currencies can provide financial services to underbanked populations and facilitate more efficient cross-border transactions.

Industry Events Build Community Momentum

The Stellar ecosystem's growing influence is evident in its presence at major industry events. The foundation's participation as a sponsor at Consensus 2025 in Toronto and Digital Assets Week in New York demonstrates its commitment to engaging with builders, investors, and institutional leaders across the blockchain space.

These events serve as crucial networking opportunities and platforms for showcasing innovative projects within the Stellar ecosystem. Recent Meridian events have highlighted creative projects like Skyhitz and HoneyCoin, illustrating the collaborative spirit and diverse applications being built on the platform.

Real-World Impact in Emerging Markets

Perhaps most importantly, Stellar's growth isn't just about technical metrics—it's about real-world impact. The platform's focus on emerging markets addresses genuine financial inclusion challenges, providing efficient payment rails and access to digital financial services where traditional banking infrastructure may be limited.

This practical approach to blockchain implementation sets Stellar apart from projects that focus primarily on speculative trading or theoretical use cases. By solving actual problems for real users, Stellar is building sustainable demand for its technology.

Looking Ahead: Enterprise-Grade Infrastructure

Stellar positions itself as offering enterprise-grade asset tokenization alongside its DeFi capabilities and payment infrastructure. This comprehensive approach makes it attractive to institutions looking for a single platform that can handle multiple blockchain use cases.

The combination of fast transactions, low costs, smart contract capabilities, and regulatory-conscious development creates a compelling value proposition for enterprises considering blockchain adoption.

The Road Forward

As 2025 progresses, Stellar's ecosystem appears well-positioned for continued growth. The technical infrastructure improvements, developer-focused enhancements, and real-world adoption initiatives create a strong foundation for expanding use cases and user adoption.

The blockchain industry has seen many projects promise revolutionary capabilities, but Stellar's focus on delivering measurable performance improvements and practical solutions suggests a mature approach to blockchain development. With transaction speeds that rival traditional payment systems and growing institutional adoption, Stellar is demonstrating that blockchain technology can move beyond experimental phases into mainstream utility.

For developers, institutions, and users looking for blockchain solutions that prioritize both performance and practical applicability, Stellar's 2025 developments represent significant progress toward a more accessible and useful decentralized financial ecosystem.

Source: The Dinarian ⚡ Claude AI

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Soroban Security Audit Bank: Raising the Standard for Smart Contract Security

The Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) is deeply committed to helping ensure that the highest security standards are available for projects building on the Stellar network. Last year SDF launched the Soroban Security Audit Bank, an initiative to provide projects access to auditing experts and tooling that are proven to help prevent hacks by catching potential bugs, inefficiencies, and security flaws before contracts go live. Through the Soroban Security Audit Bank, we’re empowering teams building on Soroban with comprehensive security audits from leading audit firms, enhanced readiness support, and robust tooling, significantly elevating the ecosystem’s safety and efficiency.

Since launch, the Soroban Security Audit Bank has successfully conducted over 40 essential audits, deploying over $3 million to support security of the smart contracts on Stellar. Check it out!

 

Ecosystem Success Stories: How the Soroban Audit Bank Drives Security Forward

By making automated formal verification available to developers, in addition to allocating significant budget for securing many of the top DeFi protocols built on top of Stellar, SDF has established a new security standard in the Web3 ecosystem. –Mooly Sagiv, Co-Founder of Certora
SDF has been a strong partner as we’ve worked with teams across the Stellar ecosystem. SDF’s Audit Bank initiative allows for a smooth and streamlined review process, and is a clear reflection of the Stellar ecosystem’s enhanced commitment to security. –Robert Chen, CEO of OtterSec
 

Leading projects within the Soroban ecosystem have highlighted the impact of the Audit Bank

Finding a good auditor is difficult, expensive, and high-stakes. The Audit Bank streamlines the process and supports ecosystem projects with security review at critical growth milestones. –Markus Paulson, Co-Founder of Script3
The audit firms we worked with deeply understood the full ecosystem and the underlying protocols used. Their expertise and the tools from the Audit Bank strengthened our security and supported user and investor trust. –Esteban Iglesias Manríquez, Co-Founder of Palta.Labs

What's New in 2025: Enhanced Audit Support for Soroban Builders

Teams building financial protocols, high-dependency data services, high-traction dApps funded by the Stellar Community Fund are able to request an audit and will typically be matched with a reputable audit firm within two weeks. We recently restructured the program for this year to enhance audit efficiency and incentivize accountability, and rapid and complete vulnerability remediation:

  • Complimentary Initial Audit: Projects will need to contribute 5% of the audit cost upfront, but this co-payment amount is eligible for a full refund, provided that critical, high, and medium vulnerabilities identified are swiftly remediated within 20 business days of receiving the initial audit report (learn more).
  • Incentivized Security at Key Traction Milestones: Complimentary, extensive follow-up audits are available as projects achieve critical traction milestones (e.g., $10M and $100M TVL). These audits include deeper assessments such as formal verification or competitive audits, significantly boosting project security at pivotal stages.
  • Advanced Security Tooling: Projects can enhance their security self-serve through complimentary or discounted access to specialized tooling, which provide vulnerability detection and formal verification capabilities (see full list of available tooling). These tools are encouraged to capture ‘easy-to-spot’ issues prior to audit as well as a final check post-audit to increase the effectiveness and thoroughness of audits.
  • Enhanced Audit Readiness Support: Projects receive structured preparation support, including the implementation of best practices and security standards based on the STRIDE threat modeling framework. This ensures project teams are thoroughly prepared, optimizing audit efficiency and minimizing delays.

Get Started Today

If you're already funded through the Stellar Community Fund, meet the criteria and ready to secure your smart contracts, check your email for an invitation to submit an audit request–if you haven’t received one, contact [email protected].

If you haven't built on Stellar yet, we encourage you to start your journey with the Stellar Community Fund to become eligible for future security audits and ecosystem support. For any broader questions on the program, contact [email protected].

Also, we’re organizing an exciting series of workshops–join us for the kick-off on Soroban Security Best Practices on Friday, May 30, 2025 at 2 PM ET on @StellarOrg. Together, we're shaping a secure and resilient future for smart contracts on Stellar.

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If you find value in my content, consider showing your support via:

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Santander mulls stablecoin, crypto offering

Bloomberg reported that Banco Santander is mulling introducing euro and dollar stablecoins, or potentially making a third party coin available to clients, citing sources. This move aligns with broader crypto ambitions, as its digital bank, Openbank, has reportedly applied for a European cryptocurrency license under the Mica Regulations and may enable retail access to digital assets.

Systemically important banks embrace stablecoins?

Major banks are now moving from observers to participants in this expanding market. Should Santander confirm plans to launch a stablecoin, it will be the fourth global systemically important bank (G-SIB) to do so. Societe Generale’s FORGE subsidiary launched the EURCV euro coin in 2023. Deutsche Bank is a partner in ALLUnity, another stablecoin initiative with plans to launch this year, subject to regulatory approval. And Standard Chartered is part of a joint venture in Hong Kong that intends to introduce a stablecoin.

Santander’s involvement could extend beyond an individual initiative. The bank is a shareholder in The Clearing House, where the Wall Street Journal reported that US banks are exploring the potential to create a joint stablecoin. If a US initiative took that route it could involve nine more G-SIBs including Bank of America, Barclays, BMO, BNY Mellon, Citi, HSBC, JP Morgan, TD Bank and Wells Fargo.

Apart from these initiatives, our research shows that more than 20 other banks have been involved in stablecoin projects.

Until recently stablecoins were mainly used to settle cryptocurrency transactions and by residents in countries with volatile domestic currencies. During the last year stablecoin infrastructure has been expanding, especially for mainstream cross border payments. Plus, President Trump issued an executive order prioritizing stablecoins. One of the administration’s motivations is this increases demand for US Treasuries, lowering the interest rate the government pays on the Treasury bills.

Santander as an early digital assets mover

Santander’s stablecoin consideration builds on years of blockchain experience. The bank was an early Ripple investor and previously used Ripple’s permissioned network for payments (not XRP), while also embracing permissionless blockchain activities including issuing a digital bond on Ethereum in 2019. This dual approach led to collaborations with other major players – alongside Societe Generale FORGE and Goldman Sachs, Santander participated in the European Investment Bank’s first digital bond, also on Ethereum. Currently, the bank’s most significant digital money initiative involves Fnality, the wholesale blockchain-based settlement network, where Santander ranks among 20 institutional backers and is part of the early adopter group alongside Lloyds Bank and UBS.

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🙏 Donations Accepted 🙏

If you find value in my content, consider showing your support via:

💳 PayPal: 
1) Simply scan the QR code below đŸ“Č
2) https://www.paypal.me/thedinarian

🔗 Crypto – Support via Coinbase Wallet to: [email protected]

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Your generosity keeps this mission alive, for all! NamastĂ© 🙏 The Dinarian

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