Stablecoins are shifting from tools for crypto traders to the backbone of global finance and represent a «meaningful innovation for global payments,» Jack McDonald, senior vice president of stablecoins at Ripple, said on Wednesday at Consensus 2025 in Toronto.

Speaking at a recent panel alongside crypto exchange Kraken’s head of consumer Mark Greenberg, McDonald argued the rise of stablecoins marks an «evolution» in how money moves globally. «It’s an alternative way of making a U.S. dollar payment, but doing it in a frictionless, cost-effective way,» he said.

Ripple’s entry into the space with RLUSD, a fully backed and regulated stablecoin, is part of a broader push to replace outdated, fragmented cross-border payment systems. “We’ve seen the use of stablecoins in payments, and that was a main driver for us getting into the business,” McDonald said.

Greenberg underscored the inefficiencies of the current financial system. “It is way, way too hard to move money around the world,” he said. “Stablecoins are the answer for that, and I think what we’re seeing now is a tipping point.”

Kraken is a founding member of the Global Dollar Network, a consortium of crypto and traditional finance firms that issues the USDG stablecoin.

Both executives said that yield-bearing stablecoins will be the next frontier—but regulators aren’t there yet.

«If you’re holding deposits, you should be able to earn on those deposits,” Kraken’s Greenberg said, though he noted differing regulatory stances across jurisdictions. For example, USDG cannot pay yield in the European Union according to MiCA rules.

McDonald said that Ripple want to offer yield on its stablecoin but would need to register RLUSD as a security in the U.S. “That’s a whole different journey,” he said.

In the next five years, both executives agreed that stablecoins are set to reshape traditional finance as they become more ubiquitous. McDonald pointed to Ripple’s acquisition of prime broker Hidden Road as a key step toward using stablecoins as collateral and cross-margin in capital markets.

Greenberg said he sees stablecoins become so embedded in the financial system that “no one talks about them anymore—just like no one talks about SWIFT or wires.”

Read more: Stablecoins to Go Mainstream in 2025 After U.S. Regulatory Progress: Deutsche Bank

Global economic uncertainties are creating ripple effects across cryptocurrency markets, with Cardano (ADA) demonstrating notable volatility amid shifting investor sentiment.

After rallying 22% weekly, ADA has established a trading range between $0.795 and $0.841, reflecting both profit-taking and strategic accumulation by larger investors.

Recent developments have strengthened Cardano’s market position, particularly its addition to Grayscale’s Digital Large Cap Fund and integration with Brave browser’s wallet system. These partnerships have significantly expanded ADA’s potential user base, with the Brave integration alone connecting Cardano to over 86 million users worldwide.

Market data shows institutional involvement has intensified, with on-chain analytics revealing holders controlling between 100 million and 1 billion ADA accumulating over 40 million tokens in just two days. This whale activity coincides with ADA’s breakout from a descending channel pattern, suggesting potential for further upward movement despite short-term volatility.

Technical Analysis Highlights

• ADA exhibited significant volatility over the 24-hour period, establishing a range of 0.047 (5.9%) between the low of 0.795 and high of 0.841.
• The price action formed a clear bullish trend during the first half of the period, with high-volume buying at the 0.805 support level propelling ADA to its peak.
• A subsequent correction phase emerged as profit-taking intensified, with notable selling pressure around the 0.828 resistance level, particularly during the 08:00 hour when volume spiked to 90M units.
• The formation of lower highs since the peak suggests momentum may be waning, though the price continues to find support above the 0.810 level, indicating potential consolidation before the next directional move.
• In the last hour, ADA experienced significant volatility with a sharp rally followed by an abrupt correction.
• Price action showed strong momentum from 13:06 to 13:33, climbing from 0.816 to a peak of 0.827, representing a 1.3% gain.
• However, selling pressure intensified dramatically around 13:44, triggering a steep 1.5% decline to 0.809 within minutes.
• The formation of a double bottom at the 0.809-0.810 support zone prompted a moderate recovery, with price stabilizing in the 0.813-0.816 range by session’s end.
• Volume analysis reveals particularly heavy trading during the correction phase, with over 2.7M units exchanged during the 13:44 candle, suggesting institutional profit-taking after the earlier uptrend.

Disclaimer: This article was generated with 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. This article may include information from external sources, which are listed below when applicable.

External References

• «Cardano News: Major Upcoming Update To Boost ADA Price Back to $1«, CoinPedia, published Mayb 13, 2025.
• «Cardano (ADA) Rallies 22% Amid Strategic Partnerships: Can ADA Price Hit $1?«, CoinPedia, published May 13, 2025.

Bee Maps, a project on Hivemapper, one of the largest decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN) focused on mapping data on Solana, shared Wednesday that it has teamed up with ride-hailing giant Lyft to provide them more accurate mapping data.

The move underscores the growing role of crowdsourced geospatial intelligence in the transportation industry, and signals that ride-sharing companies are turning towards this type of infrastructure for better maps.

Bee Maps allows drivers to contribute to mapping data using AI-enabled dash cams that automatically detect and update real-time changes on roads—like construction zones or altered road signs—helping keep digital maps current and accurate.

“For mobility to actually work and for autonomy to become reality, maps can’t be an afterthought—they need to be crowdsourced, live, accurate, and open,” said Ariel Seidman, CEO and co-founder of Bee Maps, in a press release with CoinDesk. “We’re proud to arm a true innovator like Lyft with the constantly updated street-level spatial intelligence that enables their vision.”

Bee Maps is part of the growing DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks) movement, which leverages blockchain incentives to crowdsource the development of real-world infrastructure. In Bee Maps’ case, contributors earn crypto rewards for collecting street-level imagery using Hivemapper cameras. This data is processed with AI to extract important features—like road signs, lane markings, and construction zones—which are continuously updated on the platform.

The move between Lyft and Bee Maps comes as NATIX, another DePIN mapping project on Solana, shared it has teamed up with taxi service Grab, to offer better mapping technologies.

Read more: Solana’s Natix and Grab Team Up to Expand DePIN Mapping Into U.S., Europe