union

The approval voting rate for the preliminary agreement on wages and collective bargaining for 2026 by the largest union of Samsung Group has sharply increased. As a result, expectations for the approval of the agreement are rising. However, due to the significant bonus gap between the semiconductor sector and the equipment experience sector, as well as between the memory and non-memory sectors, discussions about fairness are expected to continue.According to the union, as of 8:29 AM local time on the 25th (7:29 AM Beijing time), out of 57,291 eligible voters, 49,363 have voted on the approval of the preliminary agreement on wages and collective bargaining, resulting in a voting rate of 86.16%. This vote is the final step in determining whether to accept the preliminary agreement reached by both labor and management regarding wages and collective bargaining. The core of the agreement is to allocate 10.5% of the operating performance of the DS department as a special management performance bonus fund, to be paid in the form of treasury stock.Industry insiders believe that members of the DS department, who account for about 80% of all union members, are likely to push the agreement through. As long as a majority of eligible voters participate and a majority of those who vote are in favor, the vote will be finalized. Voting will end at 10 AM on the 27th.

According to The Block, large trading firm IG Europe has partnered with Bitpanda to expand its digital asset business in the European Union. IG Europe has taken several measures in recent months to grow its cryptocurrency business, including acquiring the Australian cryptocurrency exchange Independent Reserve and obtaining a MiCA license, allowing it to offer cryptocurrency products and services across the EU.IG also sold its futures trading platform Small Exchange Inc, which it acquired in 2023, to Kraken. IG Europe GmbH is the European subsidiary of the large online trading company IG Group, headquartered in the UK, and is regulated by the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) in Germany. Bitpanda, founded in 2014, is one of the cryptocurrency exchanges in Europe, and the company is considering going public this year.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has officially signed HF 3709, a bill that allows banks and credit unions in the state to offer cryptocurrency custody services. The bill will take effect on August 1, 2026. According to the bill's requirements, financial institutions must develop written policies covering risk management, internal controls, and security measures, and submit written notice to the state commissioner of commerce at least 60 days before providing custody services. The bill specifically emphasizes that customer assets must be strictly segregated from the institution's own assets.One of the main authors of the bill, Representative Bernie Perryman, stated that this move aims to allow local financial institutions to "grow alongside their customers," preventing residents from being forced to rely on unregulated out-of-state or offshore providers. The Minnesota Credit Union Network stated that this legislation provides residents with a "safer way to manage crypto assets" and strengthens protections against risks such as fraud and hacking through regulation. With this, Minnesota becomes another state, following New York, Wyoming, and Virginia, that allows banks to offer crypto custody services.Meanwhile, earlier this month, the state also enacted another bill (SF 3868) that bans cryptocurrency ATMs. Starting August 1, the state cannot install new cryptocurrency ATMs, and existing machines must be removed by December 31. As a result, Bitcoin ATM operator Bitcoin Depot has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and initiated business liquidation this Monday.

According to the Korea Herald, a South Korean court partially approved Samsung Electronics' request for an injunction against the union's planned strike. Samsung turned from a decline to an increase, and the South Korean KOSPI index turned positive, reversing a previous decline of 4.68%.

According to an official announcement, the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) has released a proposed rule outlining the operational and risk management standards for stablecoin issuers permitted under the GENIUS Act. NCUA Chairman Kyle Hauptman stated that the proposed rule aims to ensure that credit unions are not at a disadvantage in terms of standards and aligns with the proposed standards for bank subsidiaries. The proposed rule has been published in the Federal Register, and the comment period will close on July 17, 2026.

B.AI announced full access to China's mainstream payment systems, with WeChat Pay, Alipay, and UnionPay now open to users. Starting today, users can complete the entire process of account recharge, subscribing to AI services, and accessing top AI models and Agent services in a familiar payment environment. This payment upgrade lowers the usage threshold, allowing individual developers and enterprise clients to more conveniently experience cutting-edge AI capabilities, making the entire usage process smoother, more natural, and localized. B.AI will continue to optimize the product experience in the future, committed to integrating smarter and more efficient artificial intelligence services into everyone's daily work and life.

According to CriptoNoticias, after Western Union launched the official stablecoin U.S. Dollar Payment Token (USDPT) on Solana, at least 24 counterfeit USDPT tokens have appeared on the Solana network.DEXTools data shows that some of these counterfeit tokens were created on platforms like Pump.fun and Raydium, with some created just an hour ago, while others were generated as early as 6 months ago. DEXTools data indicates that one of the counterfeit tokens has seen its price increase by about 100% in the past 24 hours. Such counterfeit tokens carry the risk of a "Rug Pull," leading to a rapid drop in token prices, putting investors at risk of losing their entire principal.

According to businesswire, cross-border remittance giant Western Union announced the launch of the USD stablecoin USDPT on the Solana blockchain. USDPT is issued by Anchorage Digital Bank and is fully backed 1:1 by the US dollar, while being built on top of Solana.It is reported that USDPT will be directly integrated into its global payment system to create a more efficient settlement layer, serving agents, partners, and future consumer application scenarios, aiming to provide on-chain settlement layer capabilities for cross-border payments, combining blockchain settlement efficiency with Western Union's global compliance and distribution network.

Anchorage Digital Bank has submitted a comment letter regarding the proposed rules of the GENIUS Act from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. The company has currently issued three stablecoins for several partners, including USAT in collaboration with Tether, USDGO in collaboration with OSL Group, and USDtb in collaboration with Ethena.Anchorage Digital stated that it plans to jointly issue a fourth stablecoin, UDSPT, with Western Union in the near future and expects to officially become an authorized payment stablecoin issuer after the GENIUS Act takes effect.

According to BBX data, corporate BTC reserves continue to expand, traditional financial giants are implementing stablecoin strategies, and the earnings season for crypto-related stocks is about to open. The core dynamics are as follows:Strategy, Inc. (NASDAQ: $MSTR) submitted SEC Form 8-K today (April 28), disclosing that the company sold 1,451,601 shares of MSTR common stock (ATM financing) between April 20 and 26, netting $255 million, and purchased an additional 3,273 BTC at an average price of $77,906; as of April 26, the company's total holdings rose to 818,334 BTC.The Western Union Company (NYSE: $WU) CEO Devin McGranahan confirmed during the Q1 2026 earnings call on April 24 that the Solana-based USD stablecoin USDPT "has entered the final preparation stage and is expected to launch next month," ahead of the previously disclosed timeline of "the first half of 2026"; USDPT is issued by federal regulator Anchorage Digital Bank, with U.S. Bank serving as custodian, initially aimed at replacing SWIFT for instant settlements among 360,000 global agent locations, and will later be opened to consumers, with plans to launch a Stable Card; the company is also launching the Digital Asset Network (DAN), connecting crypto wallets with its offline locations via API, covering over 200 countries.Coinbase Global, Inc. (NASDAQ: $COIN) announced through BusinessWire that the Q1 2026 earnings release date is set for after the market closes on May 7, 2026, with an analyst call scheduled for that afternoon at 2:30 PM (ET). Current market consensus expectations are: Q1 revenue of approximately $1.56 billion to $1.58 billion, with earnings per share (GAAP) of about $0.29; the company previously guided Q1 subscription and services revenue to be in the range of $550 million to $630 million during the Q4 2025 earnings call, while trading revenue will depend on the overall trading volume in the crypto market for Q1.

According to The Block, Western Union announced the launch of its stablecoin USDPT. At the same time, Western Union will also launch a network that connects digital wallets with its existing retail infrastructure and plans to introduce a stablecoin payment card called Stable Card for global consumers.

Western Union announced the completion of its acquisition of the digital wallet Dash, which is owned by Singapore Telecommunications. This transaction gives Western Union its first digital wallet in the Asia-Pacific region and is an important part of its Beyond strategy.Founded in 2014, Dash has over 1.4 million users in Singapore and offers services such as bill payments, overseas remittances, savings, investments, and insurance. Western Union stated that integrating Dash will allow its customers in Singapore to connect more directly to its global network, which covers over 200 countries and regions. Vince Tallent, head of Western Union's Asia-Pacific region, stated that the combination of Dash's local customer base with Western Union's global network will help provide more seamless services. The specific amount of the transaction has not been disclosed.

International remittance service company Western Union has announced a partnership with Crossmint to launch the USD stablecoin USDPT on the Solana blockchain, aimed at providing fast and low-cost global money transfer services.Western Union will integrate its digital asset network with Crossmint, allowing users to exchange digital dollars for local currency at over 360,000 locations worldwide, covering more than 200 countries and regions. Malcolm Clarke, Vice President of Digital Assets at Western Union, stated that this collaboration helps seamlessly connect global wallets and digital platforms with Western Union's payment infrastructure.

According to The Block, Kraken has launched the "DeFi Earn" service in the United States, the European Union, and Canada, aimed at making it easier for centralized exchange users to access DeFi earning opportunities. This product will offer on-chain earning opportunities while maintaining the "simplicity and security" that centralized exchanges are known for.Kraken's DeFi Earn will leverage the support of treasury infrastructure provider Veda to drive this new product. Risk management companies Chaos Labs and Sentora will also operate the first three USDC treasuries, allocating funds to on-chain protocols such as Aave, Morpho, Sky, and Tydro, which will provide floating yields "derived from the real market demand of borrower payments."

According to market news, international remittance giant Western Union has announced the issuance of a payment card that supports stablecoin preloading, primarily targeting countries and regions with severe inflation, aiming to further expand the integration of digital assets into payment services.Western Union's Chief Financial Officer Matthew Cagwin stated that the payment card provides greater stability for purchasing power, especially in economies where the currency has significantly depreciated, such as Argentina, where inflation exceeded 200% last year. The dollar-denominated stablecoin card helps remittance recipients better preserve value. In addition, Western Union also revealed that it is currently preparing to launch the dollar payment token USDPT, a stablecoin issued by Anchorage Digital on the Solana network, which was previously planned for release in 2026.

According to ChainCatcher news, as reported by Businesswire, the NYSE-listed payment giant Western Union announced its stablecoin named U.S. Dollar Payment Token (USDPT).In addition, the company announced that it will launch a digital asset network aimed at connecting the digital world and the fiat world, enabling the practicality of digital assets in the real world.Western Union expects USDPT to be launched in the first half of 2026, and the company plans to allow users to access USDPT through partner exchanges, thereby achieving broad accessibility and ease of use.

ChainCatcher news, according to market news: Western Union plans to launch a stablecoin in collaboration with Anchorage in 2026, reportedly to be issued on the Solana blockchain.