Blockchain & Web3 Weekly Bytes Edition #75

🏦 Fed Ends Crypto Bank Oversight, Bitcoin Hits 124K, Tokenized Gold in DeFi

Aug 16, 2025

Hello Blockchain Enthusiast,

Welcome to Edition #75 of Blockchain & Web3 Weekly Bytes. The Federal Reserve has closed its dedicated oversight track for banks with crypto activities. Bitcoin has set a new all-time high above 124K on rate-cut expectations and sustained institutional demand. Stripe’s payments-focused Layer 1 blockchain, Tempo, emerged from stealth after details appeared in a public job post.

Tech Spotlight: How tokenized gold is being integrated into DeFi markets, from collateralized lending to multi-asset liquidity pools, and what transparency measures matter most.

Weekly Highlights: Blue Origin starts taking crypto for spaceflights, the Treasury clarifies its position on holding seized bitcoin, and Google addresses confusion over its wallet policy.

Affiliate Spotlight: Ledger hardware wallets for cold storage with clear signing, wide asset support, and proven reliability.

Chart of the Week: Bitcoin now accounts for 1.7% of global money, with gold still holding the largest share among hard assets.

🧠 Weekly Trivia

Which country’s central bank is piloting a gold-backed digital currency on a public blockchain this year?

A) Kazakhstan
B) Singapore
C) UAE
D) Brazil

*Find the answer at the end of this newsletter.

🔦 Tech Spotlight – Pairing Tokenized Gold with DeFi

Tokenized gold has moved from a niche asset to a liquid instrument across major DeFi platforms. Products like PAX Gold (PAXG), Tether Gold (XAUT), and vault-audited tokens on public chains give users fractional ownership of vaulted metal with on-chain transferability.

Why it works in DeFi:

Collateral with commodity pricing
Proof of reserves and custody clarity
Diversification inside liquidity pools
Yield without paper contracts

When the backing is transparent and redemption is reliable, tokenized gold functions as a stable, yield-enabled layer in on-chain portfolios while retaining its link to a physical reserve.

📰 This Week’s Blockchain and Web3 Highlights

Fed Ends Crypto Bank Oversight Program: The Federal Reserve has closed its “Novel Activities Supervision Program,” saying the initiative met its goal of building internal expertise on digital asset activities in banking.

Bitcoin Sets New High Above 124K: BTC reached 124,000 on expectations of a September rate cut and steady institutional demand. Analysts expect strength to continue through year-end.

No-Code App Builder Launches on Base: Dreamscape is rolling out a platform using Microsoft AI tools and the Space and Time decentralized database to let users deploy smart contracts without writing code.

Stripe’s Tempo Blockchain Surfaces: A job post revealed Stripe is building Tempo, a payments-focused Layer 1 with Paradigm that aims for predictable fees and high performance.

Treasury to Hold Seized Bitcoin: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the U.S. will keep its seized bitcoin, valued at $15–20 billion, while evaluating budget-neutral options to increase holdings.

Blue Origin Takes Crypto for Spaceflights: Through Shift4, Blue Origin now accepts Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana for bookings on its New Shepard missions.

Google Confirms Non-Custodial Wallets Unaffected: After confusion over a policy update, Google clarified that non-custodial wallets are not covered by its new cryptocurrency app rules effective in October.

😂 A Little Blockchain Humor Break 🤣

Source: Naiive

📊 Chart of the Week: Bitcoin Reaches 1.7% of Global Money

Global money totals about $138 trillion, with 81.8% in fiat currencies and 18.2% in hard assets. Gold remains the largest hard asset at $22.7 trillion, while bitcoin has grown to $2.4 trillion and now makes up 1.7% of the global total.

River’s breakdown shows bitcoin’s share alongside major fiat currencies, highlighting its rise from near zero to a measurable portion of the world’s monetary base.

Source: River

That Concludes Edition #75

The Federal Reserve has closed its dedicated crypto bank oversight program. Bitcoin set a new high above 124K on rate-cut expectations and institutional demand. Stripe’s Tempo blockchain surfaced as a payments-focused Layer 1 in partnership with Paradigm.

🎯 Trivia Answer: ✅ A) Kazakhstan

The National Bank of Kazakhstan is piloting a gold-backed digital currency on a public blockchain in 2025, aiming to combine the stability of a physical reserve with the flexibility of on-chain settlement.

See you next Saturday.

Thank you,
Ajay Tomar
Founder & Creator
Blockchain and Web3 Insights LLC

🌐 blockchainweb3insights.com
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