Hey there, PoI readers! 💫

It's your favorite crypto connoisseur, Mochi, back with another serving of tantalizing tech and web3 news. From Circle's blockchain ambitions and brain-computer battles to banking drama and crypto crime fighters, we've got a lot to unpack. So, buckle up and get ready for a wild ride through the wonderland of digital assets!

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INTEL BRIEF

🟧 Circle announced plans to launch Arc, a new layer-1 blockchain with USDC as native gas, while reporting a 53% revenue increase but massive IPO-related losses.

🟧 Sam Altman is reportedly co-founding brain-computer interface startup Merge Labs with OpenAI backing, directly challenging Elon Musk's Neuralink in the race to merge humans with technology.

🟧 US banking groups are urging Congress to close a "loophole" in the GENIUS Act that could allow stablecoin affiliates to offer yields, warning of potential $6.6 trillion in deposit outflows from traditional banks.

🟧 The T3 Financial Crime Unit has frozen over $250 million in illicit crypto and is expanding with Binance, as new data shows crypto hackers are laundering funds faster than ever.

Circle Launches Arc Blockchain Making USDC the Native Gas Token

Circle just decided to join the "everyone gets a blockchain" party! The USDC powerhouse just dropped some major news - they're launching their very own layer-1 blockchain called Arc later this year, and honestly, it's about time someone gave USDC a proper home instead of making it couch-surf across 24 different networks.

Arc will use USDC as its native gas token, which is basically like paying your Uber with the same currency you're already carrying. No more awkward ETH-to-USDC conversions just to move your stablecoins around.

Circle is reportedly positioning Arc as the "enterprise-grade foundation" for all things stablecoin finance. The blockchain promises sub-second settlement finality (because apparently waiting 12 seconds for Ethereum confirmations is so 2023), integrated foreign exchange features, and opt-in privacy controls for when you want to keep your DeFi degeneracy on the down-low.

Circle's Q2 revenue shot up 53% to a whopping $658 million, proving that being the stablecoin kingpin definitely pays the bills. However, their net loss ballooned to $482 million. Most of that was just IPO-related expenses from their fancy NYSE debut in June.

Speaking of that IPO - Circle's stock went from $69 to $292, though it's now chilling at $161.

Circle's Arc launch comes as everyone and their grandmother is reportedly building blockchains - Stripe's cooking up Tempo, Robinhood launched their L2, and even Shopify's getting frisky with Base payments.

Circle launching Arc L1 blockchain with USDC as native gas token

Q2 revenue up 53% to $658M despite $482M net loss from IPO costs

Joining the blockchain building frenzy alongside Stripe, Robinhood, and others

Sam Altman Takes on Elon Musk in the Ultimate Brain Computer Battle

Sam Altman is reportedly cooking up his own brain-computer interface startup called Merge Labs, and it's about to go head-to-head with Elon Musk's Neuralink.

According to insider sources, Merge Labs is looking at an eye-watering $850 million valuation with funding believed to be coming largely from OpenAI's ventures team. That's some serious brain money right there! The startup is also reportedly collaborating with Alex Blania from Tools for Humanity.

This isn't just about technology - it's about two tech titans who can't seem to agree on anything anymore. Musk and Altman have been throwing digital punches on X lately, with Altman accusing Musk of platform manipulation and Musk firing back by calling Altman a liar.

Neuralink, for context, has been making serious progress since 2016, currently testing brain chips with paralyzed patients and raising a whopping $600 million at a $9 billion valuation. Meanwhile, Altman's been dreaming about "The Merge" since 2017, writing about humans designing their own descendants.

Back in 2017, when Altman was blogging about brain-computer interfaces, Musk was still a co-founder at OpenAI. Now they're reportedly racing to see who can crack the code to human-AI integration first.

Altman launching Merge Labs brain-computer startup to rival Musk's Neuralink

$850M valuation with OpenAI ventures backing reportedly in the works

Former OpenAI co-founders now battling over who controls the human-AI merger

US Banks Demand Congress Close Stablecoin Yield Loophole Threatening Traditional Banking

The Bank Policy Institute (BPI) and their banking buddies just fired off a strongly-worded letter to Congress that basically screams "Hey! Stop letting crypto steal our lunch money!"

The GENIUS Act (which Trump signed in July) prohibits stablecoin issuers from directly offering yields to token holders. The law reportedly doesn't explicitly ban crypto exchanges or affiliate firms from offering those sweet, sweet yields.

The banking groups are absolutely terrified that this could trigger a $6.6 trillion exodus from traditional bank deposits. They're reportedly worried that if stablecoins start offering competitive yields through their affiliate networks, regular folks might realize they don't actually need banks for everything.

BPI argues that stablecoins are "fundamentally different" from bank deposits because they don't fund loans or invest in securities. The banks are essentially saying that only they should be allowed to pay interest because they're "highly regulated and supervised" (and definitely not because they want to maintain their monopoly on boring financial products).

Currently, the stablecoin market sits at a "measly" $280.2 billion - just a tiny fraction of the $22 trillion US money supply. But with Tether and USDC dominating over 80% of that market and the Treasury reportedly expecting growth to $2 trillion by 2028, banks are clearly seeing the writing on the blockchain wall.

Banking groups demand Congress close GENIUS Act "loophole" allowing affiliate yield offerings

Banks fear $6.6 trillion deposit outflows if stablecoins can compete with traditional savings

Stablecoin market could grow from $280B to $2T by 2028, threatening traditional banking monopoly

Crypto Cops Freeze $250M While Hackers Get Lightning Fast in Wild West Showdown

The T3 Financial Crime Unit (starring Tron, Tether, and TRM Labs) has reportedly frozen over $250 million in dirty digital dollars since launching less than a year ago. That's more than double their initial haul, and now they're bringing Binance into the mix as their first "T3+" partner.

A Swiss blockchain analytics firm just dropped some jaw-dropping stats: hackers laundered funds in under three minutes for the fastest heists, and over 30% of stolen crypto gets cleaned within 24 hours.

Over $3 billion was stolen in just the first half of 2025, with hackers getting so speedy that 23% of stolen funds were fully laundered before the hack was even publicly disclosed. Only 4.2% of stolen funds were recovered, which means the house is definitely winning this twisted casino game.

Centralized exchanges have become the Wild West saloon where compliance teams get a measly 10-15 minutes to spot suspicious transfers before the digital desperados ride off into the sunset. With state-sponsored hacking groups and international cybercrime syndicates in the mix, this isn't your average script kiddie operation anymore.

While Tether's Paolo Ardoino claims "bad actors have nowhere to hide on the blockchain," freezing $86,000 in stolen USDt last month sparked fresh arguments about whether stablecoin issuers should have god-mode powers to halt transactions.

T3 unit froze $250M+ illicit crypto, expanding with Binance partnership

Hackers now launder funds in under 3 minutes, with only 4.2% recovery rate

Debate rages over stablecoin freeze powers - security vs decentralization principles

And that's a wrap, my lovely PoI readers! 💎 I hope this edition left you feeling informed, entertained, and maybe even a little bit richer (in knowledge, of course). From Circle's Arc blockchain making USDC feel at home to Sam vs. Elon's brain-computer showdown, and from banks panicking over stablecoin yields to crypto cops freezing millions while hackers speed-run their heists - what a wild digital world we live in!

Remember to stay curious, stay informed, and keep spreading the love. Until next time, this is Mochi, signing off with a virtual high-five!

P.S. Don't forget to share your thoughts, questions, and favorite crypto puns with us. very voice matters in the PoI community! 📣❤️ Share the newsletter

🍨📰 Catch you in the next issue! 📰🍨