Tag: a16z

PayPal and Coinbase have joined forces to spearhead stablecoin adoption, making PayPal USD (PYUSD) instantly tradable with zero fees on Coinbase. The move blends PayPal’s massive payments network with Coinbase’s crypto-native liquidity, positioning PYUSD as a serious contender in the stablecoin race. As regulators circle and digital dollars go mainstream, this alliance could reshape how money moves online.

In a notable departure from its previous stance, the Federal Reserve has withdrawn guidance requiring banks to seek approval before engaging in crypto and stablecoin activities. The move, which aligns with similar steps by the FDIC, shifts regulatory scrutiny from pre-emptive barriers to standard supervisory review—effectively reframing crypto engagement as a matter of risk management, not special permission.

ZKsync’s recent exploit resolution highlights the uneasy normalisation of bounty-based restitution in decentralised finance. While the protocol successfully recovered nearly $5 million through a safe-harbour arrangement, the broader context—$1.67 billion in quarterly crypto losses—underscores how rare such recoveries have become. As administrative keys remain a critical vulnerability, governance now faces the more delicate task of deciding what restitution, if any, looks like in practice.