infrastructure

Cointelegraph Research's latest report shows that the United Nations Development Programme is applying blockchain technology to the construction of public digital infrastructure, focusing on addressing issues of transparency, collaborative efficiency, and trustworthy data sharing in government systems.The report "New Tech, New Partners" outlines 42 practical cases covering areas such as digital payments, financial inclusion, climate funding, data governance, and community investment, among which 7 focus on digital identity and data systems, primarily distributed in developing economies in Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Eastern Europe. The research points out that UNDP adopts a "pilot---validate---scale" approach, collaborating with governments, developers, and local businesses to first implement small-scale projects and then gradually promote them based on actual results. It also emphasizes a "platform-agnostic" architecture to maintain system openness and interoperability. Furthermore, the report highlights the importance of governance and risk control, stating that the application of blockchain in public systems requires accompanying privacy protection, regulatory frameworks, and audit mechanisms to prevent data misuse and smart contract risks. Overall, blockchain is extending from financial scenarios to public governance infrastructure, becoming one of the important technological options for digital transformation in various countries.

The privacy-focused Layer 1 blockchain trading ecosystem Aster today announced the official launch of the modular Web3 trading infrastructure Aster Code, aimed at simplifying the development threshold for decentralized perpetual contract exchanges (Perp Dex).The first batch of strategic partners for Aster Code includes Binance Web3 Wallet, Trust Wallet, Safepal, Genius Terminal, Polarise, NOFA, Wallet V, ChimpX, and VergeX, covering multiple core areas of the Perp DEX ecosystem. At the same time, Aster plans to establish the Aster Code ecosystem fund to provide funding and technical incubation, and deepen ecological collaborative cooperation.The complete API documentation and sample program code can be referenced in the official documentation.

According to CoinDesk, Jon Herrick, Chief Product Officer of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), stated at the New York Digital Assets Summit that the NYSE is committed to integrating blockchain technology into the existing market infrastructure rather than replacing traditional systems. Herrick emphasized that the exchange is pursuing "interoperability" and exploring the application scenarios of tokenized assets within the existing system, including real-time or near-real-time settlement and extended trading hours.He also pointed out that existing mechanisms such as central clearing still have irreplaceable risk management value and should be retained. Herrick predicted that the boundaries between traditional assets and tokenized assets may gradually disappear within the next decade. In addition, the NYSE's parent company, Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), made a strategic investment in the cryptocurrency exchange OKX earlier this month, and the two parties will collaborate in the fields of crypto futures and tokenized stocks.

The Solana Foundation stated that it will position the Solana network as the core infrastructure of the emerging "agentic internet," where economic activities are initiated and executed by AI systems rather than humans.Vibhu Norby, Chief Product Officer of the Solana Foundation, stated at the New York Digital Assets Summit that AI is not a single vertical industry but a platform transformation that affects various sectors, including crypto. The strategic core of Solana is payment infrastructure, and the network has processed approximately 15 million on-chain payments initiated by agents, primarily for machine-to-machine commercial transactions. The programmatic nature of crypto payments is key to attracting agents, and stablecoins will become the default method for paying for any computational resources.Vibhu Norby believes this will fundamentally reshape internet business models, making micropayments and pay-per-use possible, which traditional payment channels cannot support. The Solana Foundation emphasizes that its high-performance design has advantages in this new paradigm: "Agents are calm, precise machines... If you ask agents how to use crypto payments, Solana often ranks as the preferred choice."Additionally, advancements in AI technology have lowered the development threshold, and Solana developers are directly building tools for AI systems, including machine-readable "skill" files and AI-first development platforms. Norby anticipates that in the future, user interactions with crypto will default to agents, with 95% to 99% of transactions initiated by large language models (LLMs).

According to CoinDesk, Amy Oldenburg, the head of digital asset strategy at Morgan Stanley, stated at the New York Digital Assets Summit that the entry of large Wall Street banks into the cryptocurrency space is not driven by concerns over missed opportunities, but rather the result of years of advancing the modernization of financial infrastructure.Oldenburg pointed out that Morgan Stanley's digital asset strategy covers multiple aspects including trading, asset management, and infrastructure. The bank plans to launch support for tokenized stock trading on its alternative trading system in the second half of 2026, which currently handles stocks, ETFs, and American Depositary Receipts.Internally, the bank is overhauling its decades-old core systems to support faster settlement and continuous trading. Oldenburg emphasized that the complexity of financial institutions' systems far exceeds the expectations of startups, and no single institution can complete the modernization transformation alone; it requires the collaborative effort of the entire global financial network.

The Web3 asset data platform RootData recently organized Stripe's partner network in the cryptocurrency field, systematically presenting its complete ecological map from underlying blockchain infrastructure to end payment applications.From a structural perspective, Stripe has formed a closed-loop architecture of "three layers of self-built + external ecology":The bottom layer consists of its directly controlled crypto infrastructure, including the stablecoin orchestration platform Bridge acquired for $1.1 billion in 2024, the wallet-as-a-service company Privy, and the payment-specific public chain Tempo co-incubated with Paradigm;The middle layer integrates deeply with mainstream networks such as Circle, Coinbase, and Polygon to facilitate on-chain settlement pathways;The outer ecological layer covers dozens of crypto platforms such as Crypto.com, Blockchain.com, and Magic Eden, as well as fintech clients like Félix and Dakota that achieve low-cost cross-border remittances through Bridge.It is noteworthy that the Tempo mainnet officially launched this month, simultaneously introducing a "machine payment protocol" aimed at AI agents, and hosting the first AI payment hackathon in San Francisco. This marks a significant evolution in Stripe's crypto strategy, accelerating from "enabling merchants to accept stablecoins" to "allowing AI agents to autonomously control the flow of funds." 【View Stripe's Crypto Partner Network Compilation (continuously updated)】RootData stated that it will continue to track and open more project business relationship disclosure channels. For crypto projects, actively showcasing partnerships and business networks is becoming an important way to enhance transparency and market trust. Web3 project parties are welcome to claim data and join the RootData Alliances Hub TG group to collaboratively maintain business alliance data, match BD partners, and explore ecological cooperation!

According to CoinGecko, Gate is continuously increasing its investment in TradFi business layout, covering various asset classes such as commodities, metals, and global indices, achieving an integrated trading experience between cryptocurrency and traditional finance. The platform's daily trading volume peak has surpassed $20 billion, encompassing multiple product types including spot, perpetual, and contracts for difference (CFD), reflecting the synchronized growth in multi-asset trading demand and the continuous enhancement of platform liquidity.In terms of infrastructure and transparency, Gate ranks first in CEX transparency in the TradFi and stock categories of RootData, supported by a 100% reserve mechanism. Meanwhile, the platform has launched a dedicated TradFi Trading API, multiple leverage mechanisms, and industry-leading maximum single order limits, incorporating TradFi trading volume into the VIP tier system, fully integrating the App and Web platforms, and providing a more efficient and professional trading environment for quantitative and high-frequency trading users. Gate is accelerating the construction of a one-stop TradFi trading infrastructure aimed at multi-asset and multi-strategy traders, further consolidating its competitive advantage in the cross-asset trading arena.

The Web3 asset data platform RootData has released a network map of Visa's business partners in the cryptocurrency field on X, outlining its complete ecological layout from underlying infrastructure to end applications.From a structural perspective, Visa has formed a "three-layer synergy" model: the upstream is provided by stablecoin issuers like Circle for settlement infrastructure, in conjunction with risk control and compliance service providers like TRM Labs; the middle layer connects on-chain and traditional finance through bridges and banking institutions; the downstream is handled by wallets and issuing platforms, including MetaMask and Wirex, facilitating actual payment scenarios for users.This layout reflects that the cryptocurrency industry is accelerating its integration into the traditional payment system, with the combination of "stablecoin settlement + compliance risk control + card network" becoming the mainstream path. 【View Visa Crypto Partner Network Compilation (continuously updated)】RootData stated that it will continue to track and open more project business relationship disclosure channels. For cryptocurrency projects, actively showcasing partners and business networks is becoming an important way to enhance transparency and market trust. Web3 project parties are welcome to claim data and join the RootData Alliances Hub TG group to maintain business alliance data, match BD partners, and explore ecological cooperation together!

WLFI officially releases the AgentPay SDK, an open-source, self-hosted AI Agent payment infrastructure built on USD1.According to the introduction, the AgentPay SDK supports AI Agents to hold, transfer, and use USD1 for payments on EVM chains; it adopts a self-hosted model where private keys are always stored on local devices, and data is not uploaded to the platform. It also introduces a strategy engine mechanism, requiring all transactions to be verified against preset rules before signing, and supports manual approval for transactions exceeding a threshold, with end-to-end encryption.In terms of functionality, the SDK is compatible with mainstream AI tools and Agent systems such as Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, Goose, and OpenClaw, and includes a Bitrefill plugin that supports direct purchases of gift cards, eSIMs, and prepaid cards. Additionally, the AgentPay SDK is open-source and uses the MIT license, with no platform fees.The content states that traditional stablecoins primarily serve the existing financial system, while USD1 focuses more on the next phase of currency application scenarios driven by AI Agents, positioning itself as the economic operational layer for autonomous AI systems.

According to Cryptonomist, financial services provider Apex Group Ltd. announced that it will adopt T-REX Ledger as its default multi-chain orchestration infrastructure, covering the ownership and compliance of tokenized assets across multiple blockchain networks.It is reported that the T-REX Ledger is a public, neutral infrastructure capable of aggregating and synchronizing investor records, compliance checks, and transfer control information across interconnected blockchains and traditional distribution channels.This ledger is built on the Polygon CDK and connects through Polygon's interoperability protocol Agglayer. Therefore, it enables real-time compliance synchronization across chains without any network relinquishing sovereignty or control over its environment.

According to Fortune, the prediction market platform Polymarket has announced the acquisition of the startup Brahma, which focuses on cryptocurrency and decentralized finance (DeFi) infrastructure. The specific transaction amount has not been disclosed.Brahma was co-founded in 2021 by Alessandro Tenconi, Akanshu Jain, and Bapi Reddy Karri, primarily providing DeFi infrastructure services for businesses and individuals, having processed over $1 billion in transaction volume. After joining Polymarket, Brahma will terminate its existing projects with other partners.The acquisition aims to optimize user experience, including streamlining processes for wallet creation, asset deposits and conversions, and result token exchanges, while also hoping to leverage Brahma's experience in the DeFi space to bring more liquidity to niche contract markets.Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan stated that the Brahma team has the capability to design, operate, and scale complex products. Currently, Polymarket is reportedly valued at $20 billion, and unlike its main competitor Kalshi, which primarily relies on fiat systems, Polymarket has always operated on a blockchain architecture since its inception.