Autor Cointelegraph by Zoltan Vardai

Coinbase-backed x402 has added batch settlement, a feature designed to reduce the cost of high-frequency AI agent payments by allowing many small transactions to settle later in bulk.Base creator Jesse Pollak said Wednesday that x402 now supports batched settlement, enabling very small payments below $0.0001 for on-demand resources such as compute and inference.The feature lets buyers deposit ERC-20 funds into onchain escrow and sign offchain vouchers for each paid request. Sellers can verify those vouchers quickly, serve the request and later redeem many payments together in batched onchain transactions, according to x402’s documentation.The development adds another layer to the emerging market for agent payments. It comes a week after Amazon Web Services (AWS) integrated Coinbase’s x402 payment protocol and wallet infrastructure to allow AI agents to make USDC (USDC) payments on Base and Solana without direct access to private keys.Days earlier, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong announced cutting 14% of the company’s workforce to restructure around smaller AI-focused teams using more automation tools, Cointelegraph reported on May 5. Coinbase introduces x402 batch settlement. Source: x402.orgX402 is an open protocol based on the HTTP 402 “Payment Required” status code to support machine-to-machine payments. Coinbase said the protocol processed over 169 million payments across 590,000 buyers and over 100,000 sellers in its first year.Related: Polygon reduces block time to 1.75 seconds as payments push acceleratesBatch settlements enable gasless transactions for AI agentsBatch settlements look to allow sellers to offer agents a cheaper and faster experience where deposits, batched settlements and refunds are all sponsored by the transaction’s facilitator, said Coinbase Developer Platform product lead Joshua Nickerson, in a Wednesday X post.AI agents using batch settlement will be able to accept any Ethereum-native ERC-20 tokens, not just stablecoins. The feature is currently available in TypeScript and Go, with a Python implementation coming soon.In the documented flow, the buyer opens or tops up a channel by depositing ERC-20 tokens into escrow. Each paid request includes a signed cumulative voucher, and the seller’s channel manager later claims vouchers from many channels in a single transaction before sweeping funds to the receiver.Source: JnixCrypto companies build agent railsOther large cryptocurrency companies have also been building AI infrastructure.On Monday, stablecoin issuer Circle launched a suite of tools enabling AI agents to use wallets, discover services and make programmable payments with USDC, Cointelegraph reported.On Friday, Aptos Foundation and Aptos Labs committed $50 million to Aptos development, with a particular focus on AI agent infrastructure and research, including AI-powered onchain order book and perpetual exchange Decibel and decentralized storage protocol Shelby.Magazine: AI-driven hacks could kill DeFi — unless projects act now

Vietnam could see the first official activity in its regulated crypto asset market as early as the third quarter of 2026, Deputy Minister of Finance Nguyen Duc Chi said at the Digital Trust in Finance 2026 forum.“We believe that, as early as the third quarter, Vietnam could witness the first official activities of its crypto asset market, operating under a framework designed to ensure safety and transparency,” Chi said Tuesday, according to VnEconomy.The comments mark another step in Vietnam’s effort to bring one of Asia’s most active crypto markets under formal supervision, after regulators opened a licensing pathway for domestic crypto asset trading platforms earlier this year.The push is tied to Vietnam’s broader digital economy strategy, which reportedly targets a digital economy worth at least 30% of gross domestic product by 2030, with 80% of transactions conducted cashlessly and more than 40% of enterprises involved in innovation activities.Vietnam targets regulated crypto launchIn March, five Vietnamese companies had reportedly passed the initial qualification round in a race to launch the country’s first regulated cryptocurrency exchange. The companies included affiliates of private banks Techcombank, VPBank and LPBank, alongside stockbroker VIX Securities and conglomerate Sun Group.In February, Vietnam drafted a tax framework that would tax crypto transactions akin to traditional securities trading, proposing a 0.1% individual tax on each crypto transaction processed through a licensed provider.Cointelegraph contacted Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance for comment but had not received a response by publication.Related: LMAX Group launches digital asset collateral solution for institutionsVietnam ranks 4th in global crypto adoptionVietnam remains one of the world’s most active crypto markets, ranking fourth in Chainalysis’ 2025 Global Crypto Adoption Index behind India, the United States and Pakistan.Global cryptocurrency adoption index. Source: ChainalysisVietnam has also emerged as a major hub for crypto trading in Asia, ranking third in terms of onchain value received with $200 billion in estimated transactions over the 12 months to June 2025, behind India and South Korea.However, most traders still rely on offshore cryptocurrency exchanges such as Binance, OKX and Bybit.In a bid to bring more activity to onshore platforms, Vietnam launched a five-year crypto pilot in September 2025, requiring all transactions to be conducted in Vietnamese dong through locally registered companies.Magazine: Guide to the top and emerging global crypto hubs: Mid-2026

Global cross-asset marketplace LMAX Group has launched Kiosk, a hosted portal that lets institutional clients deposit digital assets into LMAX Custody and use them as collateral to trade across its FX, metals, derivatives and crypto markets.The product allows clients to post digital assets as collateral for spot foreign exchange, precious metals, contracts for difference, perpetual futures and digital assets, the company said Tuesday.Kiosk includes tools for deposits, withdrawals, API credential management, WalletConnect, security controls and treasury management, according to LMAX.The launch is part of LMAX’s broader push to connect traditional and digital markets by allowing crypto holdings to support trading activity across multiple asset classes.“Hyper-efficient collateral will be the foundation of modern, converged capital markets,” said David Mercer, CEO at LMAX Group, adding that the new platform offers a compliant way for institutions to “integrate digital assets into their core trading infrastructure.”The new platform is part of a broader trend to build more onchain collateral assets, following similar initiatives from institutions such as the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) and Franklin Templeton. LMAX Digital cryptocurrency platform. Source: Lmaxdigital.comInstitutions are experimenting with onchain collateralSome of the largest financial institutions are experimenting with tokenized securities and onchain collateral assets.Earlier in February, investment manager Franklin Templeton announced the launch of an institutional collateral program with crypto exchange Binance, which lets clients use tokenized money market fund (MMF) shares as collateral for trading activity, while the underlying assets remain in regulated custody, Cointelegraph reported.Franklin Templeton said the model was designed to let institutions earn yield on regulated money market fund holdings while using the same assets to support digital asset trading, without giving up existing custody.Related: Capital B raises $17.8M to expand its Bitcoin treasuryOn May 4, the DTCC announced plans to launch a pilot for trading tokenized securities in July, aiming for the full launch of the service in October, Cointelegraph reported. DTCC said the service will offer tokenized real-world assets with the same investor protections and ownership rights as the assets held in traditional form.Magazine: Strategy reveals why they would sell BTC, Trump Media posts loss: Hodler’s Digest, May 3 – 9

The developer of a new Solana-based memecoin cashed out about $729,000 after Keith Gill’s Roaring Kitty X account posted the token’s ticker and contract address, triggering a short-lived trading frenzy before the post was deleted.Following the now-deleted X post from Gill’s account, Red Kitten Crew (RKC) briefly surged to an $11 million market capitalization before falling about 67% to $3.6 million at the time of writing, according to Dexscreener.The token’s developer sold about $611,000 worth of RKC and collected another $118,000 in creator fees through Pump.fun, bringing the total exit to roughly $729,000, according to blockchain analytics company Lookonchain. Lookonchain said the developer initially used 10 wallets to buy 395.18 million RKC, representing 39.52% of the token’s supply, raising concerns that the launch was dominated by creator-linked wallets before retail traders entered.The X post marked Gill’s first activity in over 15 months and raised community concerns over a compromised account. The token’s genesis distribution suggests a coordinated sniping effort where the creator-linked wallets have front-run the community to extract value. The episode highlights the risks around celebrity-linked memecoin launches, where a single social media post, or a suspected account compromise, can send thinly traded tokens sharply higher before concentrated early holders sell into later buyers.Cointelegraph reached out to Gill to find out whether he still controls his X account.RNC token deployer’s sales. Source: LookonchainGill was a retail trader and former financial analyst who was widely credited for sparking the 2021 GameStop short squeeze through viral social posts, encouraging retail traders to buy significant amounts of GameStop (GME) stock, forcing short sellers such as Citron Research to wind down their positions at a loss.Now-deleted X post on RNK token. Source: The Roaring KittyMemecoin trader loses nearly $190K in 1 hourUnderscoring the perils of trading newly-launched memecoins with a highly concentrated supply, a cryptocurrency trader lost nearly $190,000 within an hour on the RKC memecoin.Trader loses nearly $190k on RKC memecoin. LookonchainThe unfortunate trader spent $250,000 to buy 31.15 million RKC tokens, just before Gill’s X post was deleted, leading to the trader taking a $188,600 loss, after selling his coins for just $62,200, according to Lookonchain.Related: Kaiko flags possible front-running before Robinhood token listings Sniping and similar coordinated activity have been a long-standing value-extraction issue for memecoins.On Wednesday, blockchain visualization platform Bubblemaps warned that 90 newly funded wallets bought 90% of Mystery (MYSTERY) memecoin supply at launch, describing the token’s concentration as a “textbook scam.” The Mystery token has since crashed by over 98%, erasing most of its peak $7.5 million market capitalization, Dexscreener data shows.Mystery/USD, all-time chart. Source: DexscreenerIn February 2025, a cryptocurrency sniper made nearly $28 million on the Broccoli (BROCCOLI) memecoin, shortly after Binance co-founder and former CEO, Zhangpeng Zhao, revealed that his Belgian Malinois was named “Broccoli,” sparking a wave of community-driven memecoin listings on launchpad Pump.fun. Magazine: Bitcoiners eye ‘sell in May,’ SBF’s bid for new trial shut down: Hodler’s Digest, April 26 – May 2 

Strategy bought 535 Bitcoin for $43 million last week, resuming its accumulation strategy days after its chairman, Michael Saylor, said the company may sell some of its holdings to fund dividend payments.The world’s largest corporate Bitcoin holder acquired the Bitcoin (BTC) between May 4 and May 10 at an average price of $80,340 per BTC, according to a Monday filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.The purchase lifted Strategy’s total holdings to 818,869 BTC, acquired for about $61.86 billion at an average price of $75,540 per coin, including fees and expenses.The acquisition was Strategy’s first since April 27, when the company bought 3,273 BTC for $255 million. It also followed the company’s first-quarter earnings call, where Saylor said Strategy would “probably sell some Bitcoin” to fund a dividend and show that a sale would not undermine the company or the broader Bitcoin market.On Sunday, Saylor hinted that the company would resume BTC purchases after the prior week’s pause.Strategy Bitcoin acquisition, 8-K filing. Source: SECThe Bitcoin purchase was made using proceeds from share sales. The majority of the acquisition, or $42.9 million, was funded through the sales of Class A common stock (MSTR), while another $100,000 was funded through the issuance of Stretch (STRC) stock, the filing shows.Related: Capital B raises $17.8M to expand its Bitcoin treasuryStrategy shares gain in pre-market, despite Bitcoin sales concernsStrategy shares rose in premarket trading on Monday after the company disclosed the Bitcoin purchase.Its shares rose 4.3% to change hands above $187.50 at the time of writing, according to Yahoo Finance.Strategy’s shares are up 23% year-to-date despite Bitcoin’s 7.2% decline during the same period, data from TradingView shows.MSTR/USD, 1-day chart. Source: Yahoo FinanceStill, investor concerns persist following Strategy’s first quarter earnings call, when Saylor said Strategy may periodically sell portions of the company’s Bitcoin holdings to fund dividends and to “inoculate the market.”While some investors feared that a Strategy sale could create more cascading liquidations, others, such as Bitcoin advocate Samson Mow, said that Strategy’s potential sales can give it greater room to maneuver in the market.Strategy investor Adam Livingston argued that periodic sales may allow the company to finance more Bitcoin purchases in the future.Magazine: Strategy reveals why they would sell BTC, Trump Media posts loss: Hodler’s Digest, May 3 – 9