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Digital Euro Needed to Counter Stablecoins, Non-European Big Tech, ECB Chief Economist Says

The chief economist at the European Central Bank (ECB), Philip Lane, said Europe needs a digital euro to counter the foothold that dollar-linked stablecoins and U.S. electronic payments systems are gaining in region’s the financial system.
The prevalence of electronic payments provided by Big Tech firms, such as Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal, «exposes Europe to risks of economic pressure and coercion,» Lane said, according to the text of a speech at University College, Cork in Ireland on Thursday.
«The digital euro would provide a secure, universally accepted digital payment option under European governance, reducing reliance on foreign providers,» Lane said. «The availability of the digital euro would also limit the likelihood of foreign-currency stablecoins gaining a foothold as a medium of exchange in the euro area.»
Lane pointed out that 99% of the stablecoin market is made up of tokens pegged to the U.S. dollar. That raises the possibility of dollar stablecoins gaining traction in in the euro area and payments systems become «directly or indirectly anchored by the dollar rather than the euro.»
The ECB, like central banks in other developed economies around the world, is exploring the possibility of introducing a central bank digital currency (CBDC). Addressing the competition posed by stablecoins and corporate-run payment services are often among the reasons cited for doing so.
The case for a CBDC may be greater especially for the ECB, given the eurozone encompasses multiple countries, Lane said. The single currency is used across 20 European Union member states, and the eurozone lacks a unified payment system due to diverse legacy standards from country to country.
«The digital euro presents a unique opportunity to overcome the persistent fragmentation in retail payment systems across the euro area,» he said.
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True Markets Raises $11M in Series A, Launches Mobile-First DeFi Trading App on Solana

True Markets, a new decentralized finance (DeFi) trading platform focused on stablecoin-native execution, has launched its mobile app on Solana and closed an $11 million Series A, bringing total funding to $20 million, the company said in a press release Tuesday.
The funding round was co-led by Accomplice and RRE Ventures, with participation from Reciprocal Ventures, Variant Fund, and PayPal Ventures.
Seed investors Paxos Ventures and the Solana Foundation, continue to support the firm, True Markets said.
Founded by Coinbase (COIN) and Circle veterans Vishal Gupta and Patrick McCreary, New York-based True Markets aims to deliver a non-custodial, mobile-first DeFi trading experience for retail users, prioritizing speed, simplicity, and transparency.
The app enables stablecoin-powered token trading on Solana, with gasless execution, smart order routing, and embedded key management via Turnkey, all without users surrendering custody of funds, True Markets said.
“Retail traders have been stuck with clunky workflows, unclear pricing, and fragmented liquidity,» said Vishal Gupta, CEO of True Markets, in the release.
«Our goal is to deliver a fairer and more transparent experience that makes asset discovery simple, shows real-time market momentum, and feels as intuitive as the best apps on your phone,» Gupta added.
Backed by infrastructure partners Turnkey and Definitive, the app features real-time market sparklines, automated execution across decentralized venues, and hosted wallets that support immediate funding and trading within a non-custodial framework.
True Markets said it plans to expand into both CeFi and DeFi markets, with future integrations including TrueX, a centralized exchange designed for institutional liquidity and qualified custody.
Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk’s full AI Policy.
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CoinDesk 20 Performance Update: Litecoin (LTC) Drops 6.1%, Leading Index Lower

CoinDesk Indices presents its daily market update, highlighting the performance of leaders and laggards in the CoinDesk 20 Index.
The CoinDesk 20 is currently trading at 3147.53, down 0.7% (-22.88) since 4 p.m. ET on Monday.
Four of 20 assets are trading higher.
Leaders: AAVE (+9.8%) and HBAR (+0.7%).
Laggards: LTC (-6.1%) and FIL (-2.9%).
The CoinDesk 20 is a broad-based index traded on multiple platforms in several regions globally.
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KULR Boosts Bitcoin Treasury to 800 BTC With $9M Purchase

Energy management firm KULR (KULR) has expanded its bitcoin treasury to more than 800 tokens, with the purchase an additional $9 million worth of BTC.
The latest acquisition — made at an average price of $103,234 each — brings the total amount KULR has spent on the cryptocurrency to $78 million.
This continues the company’s treasury strategy first announced in December last year, under which it committed to holding up to 90% of its surplus cash reserves in bitcoin.
The Houston-based firm, which develops energy storage systems for aerospace and defense, is measuring the success of this pivot using a BTC Yield metric.
That metric tracks the growth in the ratio of bitcoin holdings to the number of shares outstanding, rather than actual dollar returns or revenue. So far in 2025, KULR says that ratio has jumped by 220, according to this morning’s press release.
KULR’s shares are up 3.15% in pre-market trading at $1.3.
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