Odaily reports: Frgmnt co-founder and CEO Aurélien Roussel stated that stablecoins are shifting from DeFi tools to critical infrastructure for accessing US dollars, and the next phase of adoption will depend on making blockchain technology nearly invisible to end users.He noted that the 2023 bank failures demonstrated that fiat-collateralized stablecoins, despite being on-chain assets, still rely on the off-chain traditional banking system and cannot fully escape bank counterparty risk.Roussel stated that Tether maintains dominance in non-Western global trade through liquidity, exchange support, merchant acceptance, and distribution networks, while local regulatory frameworks such as MiCA are pushing issuers to build locally compliant infrastructure.He believes that Layer 2 networks have reduced stablecoin transaction costs to less than 1 cent, and issuer competition will shift toward distribution, liquidity, and financial services. Stablecoins will also expand from payment tools into programmable, yield-generating capital. CBDCs and private stablecoins are more likely to coexist. (Bitcoin.com News)

Odaily News: Sweden's central bank (Riksbank) has recommended that parliament begin preparing legislation for a potential digital krona, stating that the European Central Bank's (ECB) advancement of the digital euro and the growing use of foreign currency stablecoins make it necessary for Sweden to reconsider issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC). The Riksbank stated that if stablecoins denominated in foreign currencies such as the US dollar become increasingly popular as payment tools, the use of the Swedish krona could also face pressure within Sweden.The Riksbank noted that the European Central Bank plans to launch a digital euro pilot in 2027 and may officially roll it out in 2029. If Sweden does not have a similar domestic digital currency, the competitiveness of its payment system could be affected. The Riksbank estimates that the digital krona would take at least 5 years from initiation to implementation, not including the time required for legislation, and therefore recommends starting preparations for relevant laws now, even if the final decision is not to issue a digital krona. (Cointelegraph)

Odaily reports: Bank of England Deputy Governor Sarah Breeden stated that, given the many other developments underway in the digital payments space, there is no rush to introduce a central bank digital currency to the public.Speaking to the Atlantic Council at the IMF annual meetings in Bangkok, Breeden said the decision on whether to proceed with a retail CBDC (known as "Britcoin" in the UK) will depend on "what other ways we can get the benefits of tokenization and innovation." Breeden emphasized that the Bank of England wants domestic firms to develop a successful sterling stablecoin, providing an alternative in a market dominated by dollar stablecoins and preventing UK residents and businesses from having to rely solely on dollar stablecoins to access innovative payment services.

Odaily reports that Oracle has announced the expansion of its Digital Assets Data Nexus platform, adding payment execution integration, configurable wallet and smart contract controls, as well as AI-driven transaction monitoring and risk analysis features.The upgrade supports connecting banks' existing payment systems with digital asset transaction execution through the ISO 20022 messaging standard, and plans to integrate Oracle Banking Payments and Swift Ledger, covering scenarios such as tokenized deposits, stablecoins, CBDCs, digital bonds, and real-world assets. The related features are planned for launch in fiscal year 2027.

Odaily: The Hong Kong Monetary Authority plans to launch a wholesale central bank digital currency for interbank settlement by the end of this year, as part of Project EnsembleTX, to enable 24-hour settlement of tokenized deposit transactions.The project entered a real-transaction pilot phase in late 2025. Currently, cross-bank settlement still relies on a real-time gross settlement system that operates only during business hours; the wholesale CBDC is also planned for use in settling derivatives transactions during after-hours sessions on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, with related real-money transactions targeted to go live within this year.

Odaily reports: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) stated that under the Demat 2.0 pilot, three issuers have raised a cumulative 102.5 billion rupees (approximately $1.072 billion) through tokenized corporate bonds. The pilot utilizes distributed ledger technology to issue, hold, and settle corporate bonds.Among them, REC was the first to complete a 50 billion rupee fundraising on September 7, with 18 investors participating; L&T raised 50 billion rupees on September 9, subscribed by 4 investors; IIFL raised 2.5 billion rupees on the same day, subscribed by 1 investor.SEBI stated that Demat 2.0 records corporate bonds as native digital tokens on depository institutions' distributed ledgers, and connects to wholesale central bank digital currency (CBDC) through the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) Unified Market Interface, enabling atomic settlement of bonds and funds, which is expected to shorten post-issuance fund settlement time from the traditional 2 to 3 days to same-day.SEBI emphasized that tokenized bonds do not constitute a new category of corporate bonds, and their ISIN, issuer obligations, coupons, maturity dates, covenants, ratings, and investor rights remain consistent with traditional electronic corporate bonds. Currently, the first phase of the pilot is aimed at institutional issuance, with secondary trading and retail investor participation to be advanced in subsequent phases. (The Block)

Odaily News: Japan's Financial Services Agency, the Ministry of Finance, the Bank of Japan, and major financial institutions plan to build a nationwide blockchain-based settlement infrastructure for stocks and Japanese government bonds (JGBs). A working group is expected to be established this summer, with related efforts slated to begin as early as 2027. If formal approval is granted and testing goes smoothly, the new system could become operational in the early 2030s.Under the plan, the Bank of Japan will convert a portion of reserves held at the central bank into digital tokens, serving as a wholesale CBDC for use among financial institutions. Currently, Japanese stocks and government bonds settle on T+2 and T+1 cycles, respectively. The new system aims to shorten both to near-real-time settlement. Additionally, major Japanese banks including MUFG, SMBC, and Mizuho have already conducted pilot programs involving tokenized stocks and Japanese government bonds. (CoinDesk)

Odaily News: LG CNS plans to launch blockchain services targeting the stablecoin ecosystem in September, covering functions such as digital wallets, transaction processing, fee payment on behalf of users, and on-chain data management. Lee Jung-hwa, head of the blockchain division at LG CNS, stated that wallets are the most important infrastructure in the stablecoin ecosystem, and entities that control wallets and fiat on/off ramps will occupy key positions in the future. LG CNS previously participated in the Bank of Korea's "Project Hangang," accumulating expertise in CBDC and deposit token technologies, and verified multiple on-chain settlement models through experiments.

Odaily Planet Daily News: The Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan stated that the central bank has launched an internal pilot project for its Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC).

Odaily News The Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) and the Ministry of Science and ICT have launched the "Deposit Token Payment Infrastructure Expansion Project," extending the outcomes of Korea's CBDC pilot, "Project Hangang," to the civilian payment sector. Directed by the Korea Financial Telecommunications & Clearings Institute, the project involves the participation of 9 banks, 8 payment gateways, and 2 large-scale demand-side entities, with a total budget of 9.6 billion KRW, aiming to reduce payment processing fees for small and micro merchants. The project leverages existing payment systems rather than building new infrastructure. Users complete payments through their bank deposit token wallets, and merchants do not need to replace their terminals. The government also plans to apply deposit tokens to a pilot for official business travel expenses and explore a treasury fund management model linked with dBrain.