Circle’s native stablecoin chain Arc remains on public testnet, with a beta mainnet launch window set for summer 2026. In the meantime, a growing list of ecosystem projects has started to attract attention across X, especially in lower-friction categories such as NFTs, launchpads and meme-themed communities. Third-party directory ArcLens has listed 308 projects claiming to build on Arc. Among the most concrete teams so far are eight payment infrastructure startups named in Circle’s first 2026 Developer Grant cohort, focused on Africa and the Global South. Those include Blockradar, Hurupay, Myaza, Arrel Technology, Payrit, ViFi Labs, SFx Money and Flezpay, several of which disclosed transaction volumes, user counts or merchant metrics through Arc’s official blog. Arc’s ecosystem page also lists more than 100 verified institutional and crypto-native partners, including BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, Coinbase, Kraken, Aave, Chainlink and MetaMask. The article also highlights community projects across DEX, launchpad, AI, NFT and meme categories, while warning users against third-party sites claiming Arc mainnet is already live. According to Arc contributor Panchu, the underlying mainnet chain is producing blocks internally, but it is not open to the public. He said any site offering a bridge to Arc mainnet could destroy assets on the source chain without completing minting on Arc, leaving funds unrecoverable.

Borderless.xyz said in its 2026 second-quarter benchmark report that stablecoin-based cross-border payments delivered execution rates better than the Interbank FX Rate throughout the quarter, producing what it described as a rare negative premium versus traditional payment rails. The report said the median Parity Gap in Q2 was -3.2 basis points, widening to -5.9 basis points in June. Average cost for sending a $10,000 cross-border payment held near $27 and stayed broadly stable for five straight months. The firm said routing has become the biggest remaining cost variable as payment costs converge across providers. According to the report, businesses that rely on a single payment provider instead of dynamically selecting the best quote would pay about $2,330 more for every $1 million transferred, a cost Borderless calls a "Routing Tax." The report also highlighted persistent price gaps across corridors and tokens, including a roughly 99-basis-point advantage for USDC over USDT in the Peru corridor, and frequent changes in the cheapest provider for BRL payments, which switched 34 times over 88 days.

South Korea will abolish the 'one exchange, one bank' restriction, legalize crypto derivatives, and allow corporate accounts as part of the Digital Asset Basic Law Phase 2, backed by bipartisan support in the National Assembly.

Ghana's central bank will launch gold coins (99.99% purity) in October 2024, priced via LBMA auction, to soak up banking sector liquidity and promote savings. Despite acquiring 65.4 tonnes of gold under its earlier gold-for-oil scheme, the cedi has continued weakening, hitting a record low of 15.77 per dollar on September 30.

Fifteen West African countries have agreed to adopt a single fiat currency, the Eco, by 2020 to boost trade. Meanwhile, interest in Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies continues to surge across Africa, with Nigeria, South Africa, and Ghana leading global search trends, despite challenges like lack of education and volatility.

Strike's new 'Send Globally' feature enables US users to send instant, low-cost payments to Kenya, Ghana, and Nigeria via Bitcoin's Lightning Network, converting funds to local currencies and depositing directly into bank or mobile money accounts.

Strike, a US-based payments platform built on Bitcoin's Lightning Network, has introduced 'Send Globally' for instant, low-cost transfers to Kenya, Ghana, and Nigeria, partnering with Bitnob to bypass traditional high fees and slow settlement.

Strike has introduced Send Globally for U.S. users, enabling instant, low-cost transfers to Kenya, Ghana, and Nigeria with automatic conversion into local currency and direct deposit to bank or mobile money accounts.