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Bitget Wallet , a leading Web3 non-custodial wallet, has released its latest Onchain Report , exploring the key factors influencing crypto payment adoption across regions. The global study, based on a survey of 4,599 respondents, revealed that 46% of users surveyed prefer crypto payments for speed, while 37% cite security risks as a key barrier. Regional adoption trends show that Africa (52%) and Southeast Asia (51%) lead in demand for faster payments, driven by limited banking access and high remittance costs. Across regions, limited merchant acceptance (31%) continues to be a major barrier, preventing crypto from being a widely used everyday payment method. Generational differences reveal that Gen X (49%) prioritizes speed, while Millennials (42%) and Gen Z (39%) favor borderless transactions. Security concerns are highest among Gen X (42%), while Gen Z (36%) is more sensitive to transaction fees. While younger users are more willing to integrate crypto into their daily financial activities, usability challenges and a lack of financial infrastructure remain key hurdles for broader adoption. The main driver in Western Europe is the speed and efficiency of crypto transactions with 37% of respondents favoring it. The ability to transfer funds quickly without the delays associated with traditional banking systems is a significant advantage, particularly beneficial for international transactions, where conventional methods can be slow and costly. Additionally, the study reveals that 35% of surveyed individuals are drawn to cryptocurrencies primarily for the privacy and anonymity they offer in transactions. This interest aligns with a growing desire for financial discretion, especially as digital payments become more prevalent. From the main drivers, the potential for value appreciation over time attracts 30% of surveyed Western European users to cryptocurrencies. With traditional investment avenues offering limited returns, many see crypto assets as a viable alternative for wealth growth, bolstered by the increasing mainstream acceptance of digital currencies. Despite the advantages, security risks remain the main barrier in the region with 39% of surveyed Western Europeans apprehending potential hacks and fraud. Furthermore, 29% surveyed individuals are wary of the limited acceptance of cryptocurrencies among merchants and service providers, creating a gap between growing interest and practical utility of digital currencies for everyday transactions. Lastly, 28% of surveyed Western Europeans are concerned about the irreversibility of transactions if sent to the wrong address. “Western Europe is one of the largest crypto economies in the world, and this study confirms their attraction for the tangible benefits of crypto, knowing speed, efficiency and privacy. The strong interest in value appreciation also highlights the growing recognition of digital assets as a legitimate investment avenue. However, the study also highlights the critical need to address security concerns and expand merchant acceptance for mainstream adoption.”, said Alvin Kan, COO of Bitget Wallet. “The market must prioritize building trust and usability to bridge the gap between interest and widespread adoption. By integrating crypto more seamlessly into everyday life, Bitget Wallet aims to make digital finance truly accessible to billions worldwide." For more details, please visit Bitget Wallet blog. Bitget Wallet is the home of Web3, uniting endless possibilities in one non-custodial wallet. With over 60 million users, it offers comprehensive onchain services, including asset management, instant swaps, rewards, staking, trading tools, live market data, a DApp browser, an NFT marketplace and crypto payment. Supporting over 100 blockchains, 20,000+ DApps, and 500,000+ tokens, Bitget Wallet enables seamless multi-chain trading across hundreds of DEXs and cross-chain bridges, along with a $300+ million protection fund to ensure safety of users' assets. Experience Bitget Wallet Lite to start a Web3 journey.

XRP continues to stir community interest as debate flares over its relevance in a future financial system featuring private bank ledgers and Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). This ongoing discussion occurs as banks worldwide increasingly explore these new digital currency technologies. With CBDCs potentially offering direct government-backed digital currency pathways, speculation grew that XRP’s long-argued role as a neutral bridge currency could diminish. However, proponents contend its function remains essential for efficient cross-border value transfer. They point to how Ripple’s solutions (often involving XRP) can allow seamless payments between different fiat currencies or digital assets, potentially reducing the need for banks to pre-fund accounts with large sums in multiple currencies (a costly process known as maintaining nostro/vostro accounts ). A key point revolves around the apparent bank preference for private, permissioned ledgers, fueling fears they might bypass public bridge assets like XRP altogether, perhaps using internal liquidity pools or privately issued stablecoins. XRP advocates counter that even if banks operate on private ledgers for internal processes, XRP’s ability to efficiently source external liquidity on demand and enable rapid settlement maintains its utility for connecting these ‘walled gardens’ for cross-border flows. Related: Ripple Settles SEC Fight for Less, Yet XRP Price Remains Surprisingly Calm They argue XRP offers instantaneous settlement and efficient value transfer across borders distinctly from stablecoins or potentially siloed wrapped CBDCs. The debate gained further traction after Ripple co-founder David Schwartz commented on the inherent limitations of simply creating wrapped, tokenized versions of each individual CBDC. He noted that merely wrapping a CBDC onto another chain doesn’t automatically create usable liquidity between different sovereign digital currencies. Schwartz highlighted the potential inefficiency: managing, for instance, 90 distinct bilateral trading pairs to directly connect just ten different CBDCs would be cumbersome. A neutral bridge asset like XRP, he implied, could streamline this process dramatically. Commentators often point out that XRP’s key advantage, particularly compared to legacy systems, lies in its potential to unlock capital trapped in traditional payment networks. The decades-old SWIFT messaging system, combined with correspondent banking, frequently requires banks to hold substantial, often idle funds in nostro accounts globally, simply to facilitate international payments – which creates significant capital inefficiencies. Related: XRP, SOL, ADA, DOGE Prices Analyzed Following IBKR Listing News Solutions using XRP help to free up these reserves by enabling on-demand liquidity, potentially injecting that capital back into productive use globally. A certain few also suggest that for less common, low-liquidity currency corridors, XRP remains a particularly effective settlement tool. Disclaimer: The information presented in this article is for informational and educational purposes only. The article does not constitute financial advice or advice of any kind. Coin Edition is not responsible for any losses incurred as a result of the utilization of content, products, or services mentioned. Readers are advised to exercise caution before taking any action related to the company.

3.1/ Excluding blockchain costs, incentives are the biggest expense at $141M (85%). Grants follow at $13M. Ranked by initiative: 1. STIP & STIP Backfund: $103M 2. LTIP, STIP Bridge & Kwenta Incentives: $38M 3. Gaming Catalyst Program: $7.1M

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Rain, a global card issuing platform that uses stablecoins, has secured $24.5 million in funding led by Norwest Venture Partners. Additional participants include Galaxy Ventures, Goldcrest, Thayer, and Hard Yaka, alongside existing investors such as Lightspeed Venture Partners, Coinbase Ventures, Vinyl Capital, Canonical Crypto, and Latitude Capital. This investment will enable Rain to enhance interoperability with existing financial systems, broaden its global presence, and advance its stablecoin authorization and settlement infrastructure. The company has experienced significant growth, with a 15-fold increase over the past year and transaction processing in over 100 countries, according to a company release . Rain has also achieved principal membership with Visa , facilitating card issuance across Europe, the U.S., and Latin America. Its vertically integrated issuing stack allows the operation of card programs worldwide, settling transactions in stablecoins. The platform allows businesses to issue physical and virtual cards linked to various wallet types or traditional fiat accounts, with support for native settlement on multiple blockchain networks. Norwest Venture Partners, a global investment firm with over $15.5 billion in capital, has a history of supporting fintech innovations. Their portfolio includes investments in companies like Plaid, which streamlines financial data access between banks and consumers. Parker Barrile, a partner at Norwest Venture Partners, highlighted Rain’s significance in the evolving financial landscape. He noted that the company’s platform merges compliance with the flexibility of digital currency, positioning it as a leader in the growing adoption of stablecoins. This funding underscores the increasing interest in integrating stablecoins into mainstream financial services, highlighting Rain’s potential to bridge traditional finance with the expanding digital currency ecosystem.