Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase, the third-largest crypto exchange in the world, published the exchange’s token listing process on Saturday. In an X post, Armstrong noted that the move aims to bolster transparency of Coinbase’s listing process. He wrote:

“…listings are free and merit-based. Every asset is evaluated against the same standards.”

How tokens are listed on Coinbase

According to the blog post titled ‘A Guide to the Digital Asset Listing Process at Coinbase,’ there are five key steps:

The first step involves submitting an application. Project developers have to fill an online questionnaire that asks for key information, from whitepaper and tokenomics to team background and source code.

Based on the submission, Coinbase assesses business factors, including market demand, community traction, and the technical requirements of integrating it with the exchange.

The application then goes through a thorough review process by the legal, compliance, and technical security team of Coinbase. From the legal perspective, Coinbase mainly analyses whether a token will potentially be considered a security.

The exchange also investigates the token’s on-chain activity and token distribution to ward off consumer safety risks and financial crime.

Additionally, the exchange also runs a security check for technical vulnerabilities by reviewing the contract code, design, and operational risks. In case of new blockchains, Coinbase evaluates aspects like technical design, consensus mechanism, network resilience, and governance model.

The exchange keeps the token issuers apprised of the review process via emails or phone calls. Once the token is approved by the Core review teams, it starts trading on Coinbase once the exchange completes technical integration.

The blog post notes:

“Our [listing] process is thorough because our standards are designed to protect customers, support healthy markets, and give projects the strongest possible foundation for long-term success.”

Token listing timeline and rollout

In general, Coinbase takes about a week to conduct due-diligence of a token. Once the token is approved, the exchange takes around two weeks for the technical integration to enable trading.

The post noted that in general, the exchange takes less than 30 days from review to list a token. However, the timeline can be significantly shorter or longer, based on factors such as the token’s complexity, whether its network is supported, the responsiveness of the project team, and the time it takes to complete the technical requirements for trading and custody.

Furthermore, listing priority and timeline also depends on Coinbase’s assessment of the token’s demand, traction among holders, community sentiment, and track-record of the team.

Coinbase also ensures that after a token is approved for listing, it is rolled out in a phased manner. First, Coinbase allows users to only deposit tokens to build liquidity.

Then, limit orders are collected for at least 10 minutes to determine an indicative opening price for the token. The auction concludes either with a matching trade or with an opening quote in case of no match.

This is followed by trading state, where the token can start with limit only orders or full trading.

Common hurdles and reasons for token listing delay

There are three major issues that contribute towards the delay of a token’s listing.

Firstly, the regulatory risk profile of a project increases if its public statements do not clearly state the token’s purpose, governance rights, and real-world usage. Projects that claim their token is ‘going to the moon’ without evidence to back the claim, for instance, face challenges with listing their token on Coinbase.

Secondly, from the blockchain security perspective, Coinbase evaluates the degree of centralization and single points of control to assess risk.

Lastly, projects that submit incomplete applications face delays in the review process. Failure to inform Coinbase of any major changes in the project during the review can also cause delays.

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Tether has hired Bo Hines, a former adviser to President Donald Trump, as its Strategic Advisor for Digital Assets and US Strategy.

The company confirmed on Aug. 19 that Hines will immediately begin working with Tether’s leadership to guide its expansion and regulatory engagement in the United States.

In his new role, Hines will oversee strategy, liaise with regulators, and engage with key industry stakeholders to ensure Tether’s initiatives align with legal and operational standards.

Speaking on his appointment, Hines posited that his new position provides an opportunity to apply lessons from public service to the private sector.

According to him:

“During my time in public service, I witnessed firsthand the transformative potential of stablecoins to modernize payments and increase financial inclusion…[I want] to help deliver an ecosystem of products that will set the standard for stability, compliance, and innovation in the US market – one that will empower American consumers and help revolutionize our nation’s financial system.”

Tether’s US expansion

Hines’ appointment comes as Tether continues its push to strengthen its US presence while navigating an evolving regulatory environment.

The firm said it has already reinvested nearly $5 billion into the US ecosystem as part of its commitment to domestic growth.

Apart from that, Tether’s influence in the US financial system is already substantial, with the company holding approximately $127 billion in US Treasuries to back its USDT tokens.

By comparison, if Tether were a sovereign entity, it would be the 18th-largest holder of US debt. This level of investment extends the Treasury demand beyond traditional buyers while indirectly supporting the US dollar dominance.

The firm has also hinted at plans to launch a new stablecoin tailored to its US users.

So, Hines’ appointment aligns with the stablecoin issuer’s prioritisation of the US market. Paolo Ardoino, Tether CEO, said:

“[Hines] appointment demonstrates our commitment to building a strong US-based presence that spans across multiple sectors, starting with digital assets and expanding to new opportunities, including a deep focus on potential further investments in domestic infrastructure.”

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Crypto exchange Coinbase (COIN) said on Tuesday it is reviving its Stablecoin Bootstrap Fund, aiming to boost stablecoin liquidity on decentralized finance (DeFi) markets.

The initiative will be managed by Coinbase Asset Management and begins with deployments on Aave, Morpho, Kamino and Jupiter, according to a blog post.

The exchange first launched the program in 2019 to help protocols seed early trading pools for USDC stablecoin. That effort supported early platforms like Uniswap

, Compound and dYdX and helped spearhead USDC in the DeFi ecosystem, which is still the most widely used stablecoin in the sector.

In its new iteration, the initiative will allocate capital across both established and emerging protocols, aiming to ensure users can access stable yields and efficient markets.

While Coinbase has not disclosed the size of the fund or specific amounts for each deployment, a company spokesperson told CoinDesk it will test placements across multiple networks before scaling further. Currently, the fund provides capital in USDC and EURC, Circle’s euro-pegged stablecoin, the company added.

Coinbase’s move comes as the DeFi sector’s growth is accelerating amid red-hot crypto markets and easing regulatory headwinds in the U.S. There are almost $200 billion of assets held across DeFi protocols collectively, nearly doubling since April but still below its 2021 peak, DefiLlama data shows.

Read more: Decentralized Finance and Tokenization Growth Still Disappoints: JPMorgan

Tron Inc. has filed to raise up to $1 billion as part of an ambitious push to grow its TRX token reserves, capitalizing on a dramatic surge in its stock following a recent merger.

The company, formerly known as SRM Entertainment, disclosed the fundraising plans in a Form S-3 registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The proposed raise would come through a combination of equity and debt instruments, including common shares, preferred stock, warrants, and other securities.

Tron Inc.was born after SRM Entertainment merged last month with Justin Sun’s blockchain project and rebranded, shifting its focus toward building a digital asset treasury anchored by the Tron blockchain’s native token, TRX.

The company has already accumulated over 365 million TRX tokens and aims to increase its holdings significantly using proceeds from the new offering.

“We view our TRX tokens holdings as long-term holdings and expect to continue to accumulate TRX tokens,” the company stated in the filing, which also described a broader treasury strategy that includes cash and short-term equivalents.

Shares of Tron Inc. jumped more than 23% Monday, trading above $11.80, a sharp rise from penny stock levels before the merger. The stock has rallied over 1,300% since June 10, lifting the firm’s market capitalization above $200 million.

Tron Inc.’s move reflects a broader trend among public companies adopting crypto-focused treasury strategies. While most have centered on Bitcoin (BTC), a growing number are exploring altcoins.

Recent examples include Japan-based Metaplanet, which added 780 BTC to its balance sheet last week, and U.K.-based Satsuma Technologies, which raised $135 million for a similar initiative.

In Canada, Bitcoin Treasury Corporation is preparing to relist on the Toronto Stock Exchange after securing $92 million in funding.

Outside of Bitcoin, other digital assets are also gaining traction. A new fund led by former executives of Coral Capital Holdings has reportedly raised $100 million to build a treasury position in BNB, while SharpLink Gaming has become one of the largest Ethereum (ETH) holders.

With its aggressive pivot to TRX and a billion-dollar capital plan in motion, Tron Inc. is positioning itself as one of the few public companies pursuing a corporate treasury strategy focused on an altcoin rather than Bitcoin.

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Decentralised infrastructure firm MagicBlock has announced a successful raise of $7.5 million USD in their latest seed round.

These funds will be used to further the development of their app-specific real-time extensions for the Solana blockchain. The goal is for these technological advancements to bring the benefits of Layer-2 technology to Solana without splitting the Solana community into multiple fragments – as has been the case on Ethereum.

MagicBlock have confirmed that alongside general development costs, these funds will also be used to expand their engineering team, grow their developer ecosystem, and build the infrastructure required to make real-time on-chain applications for Solana a reality.

Key Insights

• MagicBlock has announced a $7.5 million USD raise
• These funds will assist their infrastructure development on Solana
• Their goal is to bring the benefits of Layer-2 networks to the Solana Layer-1
• This hopes to avoid the fragmented community found amongst Ethereum Layer-2 networks
• The funds will also help to expand their team and grow their developer ecosystem

What is MagicBlock?

MagicBlock is a blockchain infrastructure company that’s focused on Solana. They assist blockchain-based games and applications with general development needs, efficiency improvements and scaling capabilities, ensuring both a smooth launch and the necessary infrastructure to manage a growing user base.

In order to improve their offerings, MagicBlock have developed Ephemeral Rollups – a new technology for developers that allows for ultra-low latency solutions right on the Solana blockchain. These rollups allow for on-demand execution delegation with direct access to Solana-based liquidity pools and tooling – meaning you get all the developments of Layer-2 networks on the main Solana blockchain.

“Every developer wants to build on the fastest chain with the deepest liquidity – that’s Solana. But they also want the customizability and real-time performance of a Web2 server. With MagicBlock, they don’t have to choose,” said MagicBlock co-founder Andrea Fortugno.

What projects use MagicBlock?

A number of prominent projects already utilise MagicBlock’s technology. This includes derivatives platform Flash Trade, memecoin game Supersize, video services platform dTelecom and many more.

The hope is that with this new funding, MagicBlock can double-down on the development of their Ephemeral Rollup technology, increase support to their existing partners, and give them the runway to expand the number of partners they are able to support.

In a statement, the MagicBlock team said that; “Appchains offer customization but fracture liquidity. L2s reduce fees but break composability. Builders are forced to compromise. MagicBlock solves that.”

With games such as Star Atlas, MixMob and Honeyland continuing to prosper, Solana is growing as a home for stellar blockchain games – and MagicBlock could playa key role in the next generation of Solana-based games making a big impact.