Autor Cointelegraph By Sam Bourgi

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon has signed an executive order establishing a framework for developing data centers and advanced computing facilities, underscoring the state’s push to attract AI infrastructure investment as demand for computing power accelerates.In an order published Wednesday, titled “Data Centers the Wyoming Way,” Gordon directed state agencies to support the responsible development of large-scale data centers and other advanced computing projects. The framework emphasizes water and environmental sustainability, workforce development and protections for residential electricity customers.“This Executive Order applies to executive branch agencies involved in permitting, reviewing, regulating, supporting, or facilitating large-scale data center development within Wyoming,” the order states.The Wyoming directive follows a White House push on AI, coming one day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order promoting advanced AI technologies for national security purposes.AI-related infrastructure spending continues to surge across the United States. Four of the “Magnificent 7” tech companies — Microsoft, Amazon, Meta Platforms and Google-parent Alphabet — are expected to invest more than $650 billion on AI and data center infrastructure this year alone. A significant portion of that spend is intended to increase their footprint in the lucrative enterprise cloud market and build up the infrastructure needed to train and run large language models.Berkshire Hathaway earlier this week increased its investment in Alphabet as the conglomerate seeks to deepen its financial interests in AI.State of Wyoming Executive Department Executive Order 2026-03. Source: State of WyomingRelated: Wyoming Senator revives crypto tax exemption debate amid market structure talksWyoming’s AI ambitions intersect with Bitcoin miningWyoming’s push into AI and data centers aligns with its broader efforts to leverage its energy resources and business-friendly policies to attract technology investment.The state has also emerged as a hub for Bitcoin mining. In 2024, CleanSpark expanded its Wyoming footprint through the acquisition of a mining facility tied to 75 megawatts of power capacity.Although CleanSpark remains largely a pure-play Bitcoin miner, several peers have diversified into AI and high-performance computing (HPC) services to offset pressure on mining revenues following the 2024 Bitcoin halving. Companies including IREN, MARA Holdings, Cipher Digital, Hut 8, HIVE Digital and TeraWulf have expanded their focus beyond Bitcoin mining by pursuing AI and data center hosting opportunities.Bernstein analysts late Wednesday initiated coverage on TeraWulf and Cipher as part of their tracking of what they call “emerging AI infra.”Related: Crypto Biz: Crypto infrastructure spending rises as ETF appetite cools

Agentic payment activity on Coinbase’s Base network has surpassed 100 million transactions, signaling that machine-to-machine payments are moving beyond the proof-of-concept stage in onchain environments. According to a new Chainalysis report, wallets interacting with Coinbase’s x402 protocol generated more than 100 million transactions on Base within roughly nine months of launch.The x402 protocol allows software agents to make onchain payments directly through web requests. When an agent requests access to a resource, such as a data feed or API, it can automatically complete a stablecoin payment without human authorization.Much of x402’s early growth was driven by a memecoin experiment called PING, which required users to make a payment through the protocol to mint tokens. The project attracted large numbers of users looking to acquire the token, triggering a surge in transaction activity. Although activity moderated after the PING frenzy subsided, usage did not collapse. According to Chainalysis, transaction volumes have stabilized while the value of transfers has increased.In early 2025, transactions worth more than $1 accounted for roughly 49% of total value transferred through x402. By early 2026, that figure had climbed to 95%, suggesting that the protocol was moving beyond micropayments. Cumulative agentic transfer volumes on Base. Source: ChainalysisRelated: How AI agents can reshape arbitrage in prediction marketsOnchain data points to a growing use case for agentic paymentsThe rise of AI tools has sparked renewed interest in agentic payments. Supporters say crypto networks are well-suited for these transactions because they can move money around the clock and process payments automatically, without requiring a user to approve every purchase.Several crypto industry leaders, including Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong and Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire, have argued that AI agents could soon account for a significant share of onchain activity. Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao has expressed a similar view, describing cryptocurrency as the “native currency” of AI agents.Early versions of machine-to-machine payments already exist in crypto. Decentralized computing networks allow users and applications to pay for GPU resources on demand, while decentralized data marketplaces enable applications to purchase datasets and blockchain information through automated transactions.Weekly wallet retention for agentic payments on Base has been trending upward. Source: ChainalysisInterest in the concept extends beyond crypto. A recent Forrester report highlighted Stripe’s Machine Payments Protocol as a potential catalyst for reviving micropayments through AI agents.Bernstein analysts said AI agents could boost demand for stablecoins, which are well-suited to frequent, low-value payments, highlighting Coinbase’s x402 protocol.Magazine: AI-driven hacks could kill DeFi — unless projects act now

Crypto exchange Coinbase has invested in ProShares’ stablecoin-focused money market fund, betting that demand for stablecoin reserve-management products will grow as the recently enacted GENIUS Act formalizes the types of assets that can back US dollar-pegged tokens.Coinbase (COIN) announced Tuesday that it made an undisclosed investment in the ProShares GENIUS Money Market ETF (IQMM), which is designed to hold assets that qualify as reserves for payment stablecoins under the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act.The GENIUS Act requires stablecoin issuers to back their tokens with highly liquid assets, including cash, bank deposits and short-term US Treasury securities. IQMM was created to provide exposure to those types of reserve assets through a publicly traded fund structure.Source: ProSharesLaunched in February, IQMM invests exclusively in short-term US Treasury securities and cash-equivalent instruments with maturities of 93 days or less. According to ProShares, it’s one of the first exchange-traded funds tailored specifically for stablecoin reserve management.Coinbase said the investment aligns with its growing stablecoin business and cash-management operations. As one of the primary infrastructure providers for Circle’s USDC (USDC), Coinbase has an interest in expanding the pool of regulated, liquid investment vehicles for managing stablecoin reserves.Related: Movement expands stablecoin payments push with access to US, Canada, EU railsCLARITY Act hangs in the balance as stablecoin yield debate intensifiesThe passage of the GENIUS Act in June 2025 marked a major milestone in US stablecoin regulation, but lawmakers are still debating broader reforms to crypto market structure.At the center of that effort is the Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act, which would establish rules governing digital asset markets and define the roles of federal regulators. The legislation gained momentum after lawmakers incorporated new stablecoin yield provisions, setting the stage for a broader debate over whether issuers should be allowed to pay interest on stablecoin holdings.The bill advanced through the Senate Banking Committee last month, setting the stage for a full Senate floor vote. However, progress has been uneven, with some Democrats pushing for stronger ethics and conflict-of-interest provisions tied to digital assets.In May, White House crypto adviser Patrick Witt said administration officials were targeting the period around the July 4 Independence Day holiday to advance crypto market-structure legislation. However, it remains unclear whether lawmakers can meet that timeline amid ongoing disagreements.Coinbase’s chief policy officer, Faryar Shirzad, called the CLARITY Act the “biggest financial regulatory bill” since Dodd-Frank. Source: Fox BusinessMuch of the disagreement comes from the banking industry, which continues to voice strong opposition to the bill. Last week, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said banks would fight the legislation in its current form, arguing that allowing crypto firms to offer yield on stablecoin balances could create an uneven competitive landscape between banks and digital asset companies.Related: Fed’s Barr backs stablecoin clarity but warns of run risks

The Dogecoin Foundation’s corporate arm has partnered with Paxos to integrate DOGE across its brokerage and custody infrastructure, potentially expanding access to the memecoin through regulated financial channels.According to a Monday announcement, Dogecoin (DOGE) will become available through Paxos’ brokerage and custody platform, allowing the company’s fintech, payments and institutional clients to evaluate support for the memecoin.Paxos provides crypto infrastructure for several major fintech and brokerage platforms, including PayPal, Venmo, Interactive Brokers and Mercado Libre. The partnership does not mean those companies will automatically offer DOGE trading or custody services. However, it makes the asset available for Paxos clients to evaluate and potentially integrate into their own product offerings.Whether the partnership translates into meaningful adoption remains to be seen. Although Dogecoin remains the largest memecoin by market capitalization — $15.53 billion per CoinMarketCap data — and has historically exhibited a strong correlation with broader crypto market sentiment, institutional demand for the asset still trails that of Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH).There are signs that institutional interest is gradually expanding. In January 2025, Grayscale launched the Grayscale Dogecoin Trust, a private investment vehicle for accredited investors seeking exposure to DOGE. Asset manager 21Shares was also approved to list its Dogecoin ETF in the United States earlier this year. Dogecoin market capitalization, 2014-present. Source: CoinMarketCapRelated: Crypto Biz: Institutions tighten their grip on Bitcoin, AI and prediction marketsCrypto investment products face sustained outflowsThe Paxos DOGE launch comes amid clear signs of subdued market appetite for digital assets across institutional and retail circles. Crypto exchange-traded products recorded $1.67 billion in net outflows last week, marking the third consecutive week of withdrawals, according to CoinShares. Total outflows over that period reached $4.21 billion.The pullback reflects a broader risk-off sentiment across parts of the market, with investors weighing concerns around inflation, energy prices and ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Persian Gulf. Although investors have rotated back into risk assets such as AI and semiconductor stocks, demand for digital assets has remained subdued. CoinShares head of research James Butterfill said the trend may partly reflect a lack of progress on the CLARITY Act, a proposed US market structure bill for digital assets.Crypto ETPs record another week of substantial outflows. Source: CoinSharesSeparate data from blockchain intelligence company TRM Labs points to a slowdown in retail adoption. In April, TRM reported that global crypto adoption declined 11% in the first quarter, suggesting weaker participation despite continued institutional engagement in select areas of the market.Related: Bitcoin sentiment reaches most ‘lopsided positive’ ratio for 2026: Santiment

US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Commissioner Hester Peirce said financial privacy is becoming increasingly undervalued in US regulation, warning against treating privacy-preserving technologies with suspicion.Speaking Wednesday at Georgetown Law, Peirce described privacy-enhancing technologies, including cryptographic tools, as legitimate components of modern financial infrastructure rather than tools primarily associated with criminal activity.Peirce said that protecting financial privacy does not conflict with national security objectives.“Empowering government to be able to identify, pursue, and punish the bad guys is important to the security of the nation and its people, but so too is empowering people to protect information about their lives, including their financial lives,” she said, according to a transcript published on the SEC’s website.She added that privacy technologies can help individuals protect themselves from hackers, scammers and other malicious actors, and should not be viewed as “an opportunity for the government to watch more of what its citizens do.”Peirce also encouraged developers building privacy-enhancing technologies to engage with the SEC’s Crypto Task Force, particularly on tools that could support Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance requirements.Source: zookoRelated: Tor Project to lead Web3 crowdfunding to support internet freedomPrivacy returns to crypto spotlightPrivacy and privacy-preserving technologies have long been one of cryptocurrency’s core use cases, with projects like Monero and Zcash built around shielding transaction data and user identities.The debate returned to the spotlight over the past year as regulators and developers clashed over the role of privacy tools in crypto. While advocates argue these technologies protect users from surveillance, hackers and data exploitation, critics have raised concerns about their potential use in illicit finance.The debate has also been taken up in the European Union, where regulators and blockchain industry participants are weighing new AML rules scheduled to take effect in 2027. Under the framework, credit institutions and crypto asset service providers would be prohibited from maintaining anonymous accounts or supporting privacy-preserving cryptocurrencies.Maintaining access to privacy-focused digital assets has been a “constant battle” between the crypto industry and regulators, according to Anja Blaj, a legal consultant at the European Crypto Initiative.Growing interest in privacy-focused cryptocurrencies has helped drive Zcash prices sharply higher over the past year. Source: CoinMarketCapAt the same time, companies continue developing privacy-focused blockchain applications. Aptos unveiled a privacy-focused coin designed to help businesses transact onchain without exposing treasury movements, payment flows or trading strategies to competitors. Polygon has also rolled out private stablecoin payments for institutions, positioning the feature as a way to support broader adoption of onchain transactions.Related: Bitcoin developer launches privacy-focused Nostr VPN using public keys