JPMorgan’s Growing Crypto Empire, Visa Rewires Digital Finance & More

Welcome back!

This is J264G and this week I’ve got these titbits for you:

• Deposit Token: JPMorgan issues blockchain-based deposit token, JPM Coin.

• Stablecoin Takeover: Visa enables payouts to crypto wallets via Visa Direct.

• Crypto Banking: SoFi now lets users buy and custody Bitcoin and Solana.

Crypto is settling into the financial stack with the inevitability of gravity—and the SEC just gave that reality its rubber stamp.

Now, let’s jump right into this week’s newsletter!

Click on any underlined heading/hyperlink to learn more.

Spotlight

Chat Money  

Many consumers don’t realise it, but a growing share of their everyday payments is already riding on stablecoin rails.

Fintech apps increasingly settle transactions in the background with crypto infrastructure, even as users see nothing more exotic than a familiar dollar balance. The signal is undeniable: stablecoins are quietly shifting from a front-and-center novelty to behind-the-scenes financial plumbing. 

This benefits incumbents but raises barriers for stablecoin startups.

Incumbents can fold stablecoin infrastructure into their existing platforms, but for startups it represents the very foundation of their business model. Without a large user base or major partners, stablecoin startups have little chance of breaking in.

The next act for stablecoins may, however, play out differently—thanks to artificial intelligence. 

AI platforms such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude are poised to upend how we shop and pay online. Instead of opening separate apps, people may soon book travel, order goods, and send money simply by chatting with ChatGPT or Claude. 

If a user types “send $10 to a friend” in a chat, the AI platform will pick a payment method in the background to execute the transfer. Whichever service becomes the default for these AI-driven transactions could find itself at the center of a new digital economy. This recalls early online commerce: PayPal’s rise was turbocharged by its status as eBay’s default payment option, vaulting it from startup to essential infrastructure. 

Similarly, a stablecoin startup that secures the role of handling payments for AI platforms could gain a built-in user base of millions overnight. Stablecoins are well-suited to the emerging “chat commerce” era, enabling extremely low-cost, 24/7 micropayments—transactions that would be uneconomical over traditional payment rails.

For the broader fintech landscape, this marks a return to infrastructure over branding: money flows where convenience lives. In the process, stablecoins may complete their evolution from crypto curiosity to invisible connective tissue—linking humans, machines, and algorithms in one seamless, automated financial layer.

Numbers Of The Week

News Bites

Solana ETFs: A new wave of US-listed Solana (SOL) Spot ETFs is imminent. With BlackRock choosing not to participate in this segment, Fidelity now stands as the largest asset manager entering the Solana (SOL) Spot ETF market. The product, to be listed under the ticker FSOL, will carry a fee of 25 basis points. 

Crypto Banking: SoFi now operates as the first regulated bank in the US that lets customers buy and hold crypto, including Bitcoin and Solana, all in one place. The phased rollout began last week, with broader availability to members expected in the coming weeks.

Deposit Token: JPMorgan has begun issuing a blockchain-based deposit token, JPM Coin, to institutional clients. Each token represents a dollar held at the bank and enables institutional clients to send and receive money securely, in seconds, and 24/7. The bank plans to extend JPM Coin’s reach across multiple blockchains, signaling Wall Street’s deepening embrace of tokenised money.

Stablecoin Takeover: Visa has launched a pilot allowing businesses to send payouts directly to crypto wallets via Visa Direct. Firms can fund disbursements in fiat currency, while recipients can choose to receive them in USD-backed stablecoins such as USDC.

European Awakening: The Czech National Bank has taken its first step into digital assets, purchasing $1 million worth for a pilot portfolio. Alongside Bitcoin, it will also hold a USD-denominated stablecoin and a tokenised deposit.

Caught In 4K

Weekly Take

Keks & Giggles

And that's a wrap!

You can reach me anytime over on 𝕏 or drop me a line. 

Talk soon!

J264G

_{DISCLAIMER
None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research. Lastly, please be advised that we discuss products and services from our partners from which our team members may hold tokens/equity.}