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Blockchain & Web3 Weekly Bytes Edition #88

🏦 IRS Clears Staking for ETPs, Visa Tests USDC Payouts, Instant Micropayments

Nov 15, 2025

​​​Hello Blockchain Enthusiast,

Welcome to Edition #88 of Blockchain & Web3 Weekly Bytes. This week brought clear signals from policymakers, payment networks, and institutional players. The IRS settled a long-pending question for staking inside ETPs, Visa moved creator payouts toward a stablecoin track, and large banks continued shifting settlement flows to on-chain rails.

 

TLDR – This Week at a Glance:

  • ​IRS guidance opens the door for crypto ETPs to stake assets and pass rewards to investors

  • Visa begins USDC payout tests for creators and gig workers ahead of a wider rollout

  • JPMorgan activates its JPM Coin deposit token on Base for institutional transfers

  • Tech Spotlight: Instant Micropayments gain traction for everyday transfers

  • Chart of the Week: BTC and ETH balances on exchanges continue to thin

  • Affiliate Spotlight: SafePal offers simple, low cost hardware wallet choices for users

🧠 Weekly Trivia

Which app processed more Lightning payments than any other retail app this year?

A) Cash App
B) Binance Pay
C) Strike
D) Bitnob

 

*Answer revealed at the end  👇

📰 This Week’s Blockchain and Web3 Highlights

IRS clears staking for crypto ETPs: New federal guidance gives exchange-traded products the green light to stake supported assets and pass rewards to investors, following the SEC’s position that staking activity is not a securities transaction.

​​​​

Visa trials USDC payouts for creators and gig workers: Visa begins testing USDC disbursements with plans for a broader rollout in 2026, positioning stablecoins as a payout option for digital earners and freelancers.

 

JPMorgan activates its JPM Coin deposit token on Base: The bank completes its pilot and enables institutional clients to move funds using its newly issued deposit token on Coinbase’s Base network.

​​

Cash App switches on Lightning and stablecoin payments: Block’s Cash App now supports Bitcoin Lightning payments and select stablecoins, expanding its reach as a daily payments tool.

​​

Startale introduces a super app for Sony’s Soneium network: Startale unveils a unified app for Sony’s Layer 2 chain, bringing token events, airdrops, and rewards into a single interface.

​​​​​​​

Franklin Templeton brings Benji to the Canton Network: The asset manager extends its tokenized fund platform to Canton, a chain that supports institutional settlement and collateral markets with trillions in processed assets.

Coinbase launches savings accounts in the UK: Coinbase introduces regulated savings accounts for British users with 3.75 percent interest and FSCS protection, marking its entry into consumer banking services in the region.

🔦 Tech Spotlight: Instant Micropayments

 

Small-value transfers have long been hindered by fees and slow settlement. Instant micropayments are changing this by making tiny transfers practical for day-to-day use across apps, creators, and global workers.

How it works

  • Low cost settlement rails: Networks like Lightning, Solana, Base, and Tron process small transfers within seconds at fractions of a cent, enabling sub dollar activity without friction.

  • Creator friendly tools: Apps such as Cash App, Helio, and Lightning based wallets allow creators to accept tiny payments for clips, posts, tips, and gated content.

  • Cross border support: USDC micropayments on Base and Tron give gig workers a way to receive small payouts without bank delays or minimum thresholds.

Why users lean toward it

  • Better fit for everyday activity: Small transfers feel natural when they settle fast and cost almost nothing.

  • Useful for digital media: Pay per clip, per article, or per interaction models are gaining early traction in creator communities.

  • Practical for global work: Workers collecting small payments across borders avoid delays tied to legacy rails.

Takeaway: Instant micropayments provide apps with a simple way to transfer small amounts with speed and precision. As more services plug into these rails, tiny transfers become easier to send, earn, and settle.

📊 Chart of the Week: Exchange Balances Keep Thinning

Exchange balances for Bitcoin and Ethereum have continued to thin this quarter. Roughly 1.5 percent of Bitcoin supply and close to 18 percent of Ethereum supply have moved away from trading venues and into long-term storage, ETFs, and DAT custody.

Lower exchange balances signal lighter immediate sell pressure and show where users and institutions prefer to store assets during periods of steady inflows.

Source:  Glassnode

😂 A Little Blockchain Humor Break 🤣

Micropayments_weekly_meme.jpg

Source: Naiive

Edition #88 of Blockchain & Web3 Weekly Bytes covered the IRS path for stakable ETPs, Visa’s USDC payout tests, JPMorgan’s deposit token launch on Base, Cash App’s Lightning upgrade, Franklin Templeton’s expansion to Canton, Japan’s Soneium super-app, and Coinbase’s new UK savings product.

✅ Trivia Answer: A) Cash App

Cash App recorded the highest number of Lightning payments this year as more users adopted small BTC transfers for everyday use.

See you next Saturday with new insights from Blockchain and Web3 Insights.

Thank you,
Blockchain and Web3 Insights

🌐 blockchainweb3insights.com
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