Things We're Reading – Week of August 4, 2025

PayPal has expanded its crypto services, allowing U.S. small businesses to accept payments in 100 cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin and Ethereum, through its new 'Pay with Crypto' feature. This initiative integrates with major wallets like Coinbase and MetaMask, facilitating easier transactions.

Visa announced an expansion of its stablecoin settlement capabilities, adding support for USDG, PYUSD, and EURC, alongside the Stellar and Avalanche blockchains. Collaborating with Paxos and Bridge, Visa aims to enhance global payment processing through stablecoins.

BNB surged to a record high of $859, marking a nearly 100% increase since its last major retest. Institutional demand is evident, with companies like Windtree Therapeutics and CEA Industries making substantial BNB investments.

Tron Inc., acting as a Nasdaq-listed treasury for TRON, filed a shelf statement with the SEC to issue up to $1 billion in various securities. The firm is now the largest holder of TRX, boasting over 365 million tokens.

World Liberty Financial, a decentralized finance platform associated with President Trump, significantly increased its Ethereum holdings by purchasing 3,473 ETH, valued at nearly $13 million, and staking it on the Aave protocol.

Goldman Sachs and BNY Mellon announced a new initiative to tokenize Money Market Funds using blockchain technology, marking the first instance in the U.S. where fund managers can subscribe to MMF shares with a mirrored record tokenized on a blockchain.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced the formation of a new artificial intelligence task force aimed at enhancing innovation and efficiency within the agency's operations. Valerie Szczepanik has been appointed as the SEC's first Chief AI Officer to lead this initiative.

U.S. stock futures surged to record highs following impressive earnings results from tech giants Meta Platforms and Microsoft, underscoring the rising returns from artificial intelligence investments.

OpenAI is preparing to launch its next-generation AI model, GPT-5, as early as August 2025. This new model will integrate multiple distinct AI models, enabling it to perform a wider range of functions.

Meta announced plans to invest up to $72 billion in AI infrastructure for 2025, aiming to achieve 'superintelligence' through a new research lab focused on self-improving AI systems.