Nike Faces Lawsuit, Stripe Fuels Stablecoins, Tether Kicks into Football

👋 Welcome to PayFi Weekly, your go-to source for the latest in stablecoins, crypto payments, and digital finance, powered by Transak.

👀 This week, Stripe pivots into stablecoin-powered payments, Nasdaq demands rational crypto rules, Citi forecasts explosive stablecoin growth, and giants like PayPal, Coinbase, and Tether double down on adoption.

The real-world shift is speeding up. Here's what happened👇

🔦 In Spotlight: Stripe’s Bold Stablecoin Play

🌎 Stripe is quietly building a new stablecoin payment platform, but it’s skipping the U.S., EU, and UK!

After acquiring Bridge for $1.1B, Stripe is targeting emerging markets where banking is slow, costly, or inaccessible and where stablecoins like USDC can already solve real problems.

While regulators in major markets tie themselves in knots, Stripe sees explosive demand (and fewer hurdles) across markets hungry for faster, cheaper payments.

What’s happening:
- Stripe’s Bridge team is developing real-time, stablecoin-powered settlements.
- Focus: instant business payments without traditional banks.
- Strategy: Build where demand is exploding, not where regulation drags.

💥 Why it matters: While the West argues about crypto rules, Stripe is building for the future, where stablecoins move money faster, cheaper, and borderlessly.

👉 Read the full story

🏛️ Regulation

📊 Nasdaq calls for crypto reclassification! Nasdaq urges the SEC to treat certain digital assets as securities, pushing for consistent frameworks across tokenized and traditional securities. Read more

🇻🇳 Bybit backs Vietnam’s crypto future. Bybit is working with Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance to help regulators develop a compliant crypto framework. More here

⚖️ SEC Chair Atkins calls for clear crypto rules. New SEC Chair Paul Atkins promises a more rational, innovation-friendly regulatory approach for digital assets. Details

🌍 Adoption

📈 Citi forecasts Stablecoins to reach $3.7T market cap by 2030! Citi analysts predict a surge in stablecoin adoption across payments, cash management, and settlements. Full report

🤝 PayPal x Coinbase deepen stablecoin integration. The two giants are pushing PYUSD adoption with fee-free transfers and direct USD redemptions. See how

🚀 Paydify simplifies crypto payments for businesses. Paydify has launched a platform allowing merchants to accept crypto payments seamlessly, addressing adoption barriers like volatility and complexity. Find out how

🏦 Technology & Partnerships

🌐 Sui Expands Access to Real-World Payments with xMoney and xPortal. A new partnership enables millions across Europe to use custom Sui wallets with virtual Mastercards, bridging crypto and everyday spending. Explore

🎮 Crypto FIFA mobile game launching in June. Mythical Games, the Web3 studio behind "NFL Rivals," is bringing a FIFA-inspired crypto game to mobile devices this summer. Read More

🇵🇰 WLFI and Pakistan Crypto Council join forces. World Liberty Financial, backed by Donald Trump, partners with Pakistan’s Crypto Council to drive blockchain and DeFi growth. Learn more

📰 Everything Else

👟 Nike Sued Over RTFKT Shutdown, Alleged NFT “Rug Pull”! A group of RTFKT NFT buyers has filed a $5 million class-action lawsuit against Nike, accusing the brand of pulling the rug after the shutdown of NFT subsidiary, RTFKT. Read the full story

📜 Crypto firms race toward full Travel Rule compliance. Notabene reports 100% of major crypto firms aim to meet Travel Rule standards by 2025, spurred by stablecoin adoption. Find out why

⚽ Tether boosts ownership in Juventus Football Club. Tether has now acquired over 10% of Juventus FC, strengthening its brand presence in global sports. Full story

🌾 Tether secures a controlling stake in Adecoagro. In a bold diversification move, Tether finalizes the acquisition of nearly 50M shares of the Latin American agribusiness giant. Read more

💬 The PayFi Pulse

Crypto’s momentum isn’t slowing down -> it’s accelerating across every front, from Wall Street boardrooms to emerging market streets.

As giants like Stripe, Nasdaq, and Tether carve new paths, one thing is clear: the future of payments is being built right now. Stay tuned, stay ready.

See you next week for more PayFi insights! 🚀