The Solana Foundation has introduced an open-source delivery-versus-payment program designed to let financial institutions settle tokenised assets and payments together in a single atomic transaction on the Solana blockchain. Solana DvP, announced on October 6, provides a standard escrow framework and application programming interface intended to replace bespoke smart contracts that institutions have needed for onchain settlements. The program is released under the MIT licence and has […]
BlockTower Capital founder Ari Paul has accused Coinbase of failing to return about $25 million belonging to his firm, while alleging that similar security breaches affected at least a dozen institutions and involved more than $1 billion. Paul, BlockTower’s founder and chief investment officer, made the claims in a social-media post on September 28, saying the loss occurred “a couple years ago”. He alleged that what initially […]
Combining real-time AI credit monitoring with Ethereum smart contracts and USDC settlement, Asia’s digital trade finance leader addresses a US$2.5 trillion SME trade financing funding gap opportunity.
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 6 October 2026 – Qupital, Asia’s leading AI-driven fintech platform specializing in cross-border e-commerce trade finance, today announced the official launch of the world’s first AI-driven on-chain e-commerce lending protocol. The breakthrough solution shifts day-to-day trade loan operations into an automated, highly transparent framework powered by smart contracts and proprietary AI credit monitoring.
The launch comes directly ahead of Token 2049, as Qupital positions itself at the intersection of Decentralized Finance (DeFi) and Real-World Assets (RWA). By deploying USDC via Ethereum smart contracts, Qupital eliminates legacy banking delays and manual oversight, delivering instant, 24/7 liquidity to high-growth global merchants. The protocol utilizes automated dynamic credit monitoring to continuously adjust credit exposure based on real-time sales-to-loan performance. When store metrics deviate from set parameters, smart contracts automatically invoke payment gateway APIs to intercept platform cashflows, which captures store earnings to satisfy debt obligations and revenue targets.
Key Innovations of the Protocol
Instant, 24/7 Global Liquidity: Complements existing banking channels by deploying USDC directly to e-commerce merchants via smart contracts, enabling real-time capital access synchronized with global e-commerce velocity.
AI-Guarded Risk Control: Integrates Qupital’s proprietary AI engine with automated payment gateway APIs to monitor sales performance and capture settlement cashflows directly, drastically reducing credit risk. Merging AI intelligence with on-chain execution for trade finance. Powering digital trade through automated, smart-contract-driven liquidity vaults unlocks unprecedented operational efficiency and dynamic risk control without human intervention.
Automated Capital Efficiency: Replaces manual back-office drawdown verification and settlement calls with smart contracts, accelerating capital turnover and reducing operational overhead.
Real-Time Proof of Reserves & Auditability: Every active loan is tokenized on-chain to Qupital’s Treasury Vault, providing institutional lenders and partners with 1:1 real-time balance sheet verification.
A Multi-trillion Market opportunity B2B cross-border stablecoin settlements are projected to reach $5 trillion by 2035, with over 54% of cross-border enterprises preparing to adopt stablecoin payment infrastructure. Qupital’s protocol directly addresses this surge in institutional and merchant demand.
“Agentic commerce and instant global settlement require financing infrastructure that operates around the clock. While traditional banking channels remain a core pillar of our trade finance operations, utilizing blockchain rails allows us to streamline distribution and accelerate settlement times. Integrating our proprietary AI risk engine directly into on-chain frameworks eliminates operational friction, minimizes non-performing loans, and expands our global footprint.”
— Winston Wong, Co-Founder & CEO of Qupital
Having processed over US$9.5 billion in cumulative trade financing while maintaining industry-leading credit performance, Qupital’s move on-chain sets a new institutional standard for tokenized trade finance. The company already has an active pipeline of USD 100 million in financing to be fulfilled on-chain.
Building on its recently announced Series C financing, Qupital continues to execute on its long-term growth roadmap. The launch of the protocol further diversifies Qupital’s capital execution options and accelerates its entry into new global markets. By bringing real-world quality trade assets on-chain, Qupital directly addresses the multi-trillion-dollar SME financing gap, delivering accessible, frictionless capital to digital enterprises that are underserved by traditional banks and financial institutions worldwide.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Qupital
Qupital is a Series C stage fintech platform and Asia’s leader in data-driven financing solutions for digital businesses. Headquartered in Hong Kong, Qupital empowers e-commerce businesses trading on global platforms including Amazon, JD.com, Tmall, TikTok Shop, and Pinduoduo. As the first platform in Asia to securitize e-commerce merchant loans, Qupital combines industry-leading credit performance and sustained profitability with backing from global financial institutions including HSBC and MUFG, as well as strategic investors including M Capital, Alibaba, MindWorks Capital, Greater Bay Area Homeland Development Fund, and the Innovation and Technology Ventures Fund of the Hong Kong SAR Government.
A US federal judge has dismissed with prejudice a proposed class action over the LIBRA and M3M3 token launches, rejecting claims against Kelsier Ventures, its principals, Meteora and former Meteora chief executive Benjamin Chow. US District Judge Jennifer L. Rochon of the Southern District of New York granted the defendants’ dismissal motions and denied plaintiffs Omar Hurlock and Anuj Mehta permission to file a second amended complaint. […]
Cryptocurrency exchange Bitget has published independent findings from Mandiant and SlowMist into its September 24 security breach, with both investigations tracing the intrusion to compromised third-party security products that enabled unauthorised access to the exchange’s wallet environment. The disclosure sharpens the explanation of an incident initially valued at about $351.6 million and later revised to approximately $387.5 million after additional on-chain tracing identified affected transactions involving Zcash […]
Coinbase has expanded Coinbase for Agents to US stocks and exchange-traded funds while activating x402 micropayments, allowing artificial-intelligence agents to trade across more asset classes and buy data or services needed to inform their actions. The September 22 expansion extends a platform launched in June that connected AI agents directly to customers’ Coinbase accounts for trading, payments and automated financial workflows. Coinbase said its Model Context Protocol, […]
Tether has minted about $495 million of its gold-backed XAU₮ token, adding a large new batch of digital bullion as the market for tokenised gold expands. Blockchain analytics firm Arkham identified the issuance on September 29, saying Tether’s latest mint involved XAU₮ rather than its much larger dollar-linked USDT stablecoin. The transaction comprised roughly 119,670 XAU₮ and was valued at about $494.6 million at the time, based […]
Open USD, a dollar-backed stablecoin supported by major payments, technology and cryptocurrency companies, has gone live with a model that distributes reserve income and ownership to businesses that help expand its use. The stablecoin began operating on Wednesday across Ethereum, Solana, Base and Tempo, according to Open Standard, the independent company behind the project. Coinbase, Mastercard, Shopify, Stripe and Visa are its founding partners and investors, and […]
California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed legislation prohibiting state and local public officials and certain government employees from issuing meme coins, while restricting crypto platforms from offering specified politician-linked tokens to California residents. Assembly Bill 2409, authored by Assemblymember Avelino Valencia of Anaheim, was signed on Sunday, September 27, after clearing both chambers of the state legislature without a dissenting final vote. The measure creates a statutory […]
THORChain has rejected Bitget chief executive Gracy Chen’s call to block addresses linked to the cryptocurrency exchange’s $387.5 million security breach, arguing that its permissionless network cannot selectively censor transactions. The dispute emerged after assets stolen from Bitget were routed through cross-chain services, including THORChain, and converted into Bitcoin. Chen publicly urged the protocol to refuse service to attacker-controlled addresses that had already been identified and flagged, […]
Hunter Biden has defended his $LAPTOP memecoin after its spectacular launch-day collapse, saying the cryptocurrency still retains significant value and insisting that neither he nor project insiders profited from the turmoil. Speaking on actor Rainn Wilson’s Soul Boom podcast, Biden rejected the suggestion that the token had simply “crashed and burned”, pointing to what he said was a fully diluted valuation of about $252 million. He maintained […]
Bitget chief executive Gracy Chen has said preliminary evidence indicates North Korean-linked hackers were likely behind a security breach that transferred about $387.5 million in crypto assets from the exchange’s wallets. The assessment remains unconfirmed, but Chen said investigators had identified internet protocol behaviour and on-chain patterns consistent with techniques used by known North Korean hacking organisations. Bitget has not publicly named a specific group, and the […]
Tesla’s Bitcoin holdings moved close to the $1 billion mark after the cryptocurrency’s sharp weekly advance added about $122.6 million to the market value of the electric-vehicle maker’s position without any fresh purchase. The company held 11,509 bitcoin at the end of June, its latest regulatory filing shows, matching the balance tracked on-chain by blockchain intelligence platform Arkham. At a Bitcoin price of about $86,700, that position […]
Binance has opened its bStocks service to eligible users in the UAE, giving them round-the-clock access to tokenised securities linked to selected US shares and exchange-traded funds from as little as $5. The offering broadens the cryptocurrency platform’s reach beyond digital assets by allowing users to trade products tied to companies including Tesla and Nvidia. Binance said bStocks are designed to provide economic exposure to the underlying […]
A malware campaign using the EtherHiding technique has exploited the Polygon blockchain to conceal and dynamically rotate command-and-control infrastructure while stealing banking and cryptocurrency credentials from infected users. Security researchers tracing the operation said it has been active since at least November 2025 and has compromised at least 31 legitimate business websites across several countries and industries. The campaign has evolved from deploying a general-purpose PowerShell backdoor […]
North Korean cyber operators posing as recruiters have compromised at least 30,000 devices in more than 100 countries, using fraudulent job interviews to infect technology professionals and steal cryptocurrency, authorities from four countries have disclosed. The campaign, attributed to a group tracked as WaterPlum and widely known as Contagious Interview, targeted web designers, software engineers, freelancers and specialists in cryptocurrency, blockchain and Web3 technologies between about December […]
NANNING, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 20 September 2026 – On September 16, as an international science and technology exchange platform included in the list of cooperation initiatives for the series of leaders’ meetings on East Asia cooperation, the Fourth Forum on China-ASEAN Artificial Intelligence Cooperation was successfully held in Nanning, Guangxi. With the theme of “AI for Industries, Digitalization for Shared Future”, this forum was co-hosted by the China-ASEAN Technology Transfer Center, the China-ASEAN Innovation Cooperation Center for Artificial Intelligence, the Department of Science and Technology of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and the Guangxi Institute of Industrial Technology. More than 700 government representatives, research scholars, tech entrepreneurs, and venture capital representatives from China and ASEAN countries gathered on site, focusing on three major directions, namely embodied intelligence, AI finance, and data circulation, discussing collaborative technological innovation, jointly pursuing industrial digital transformation, and comprehensively deepening pragmatic cooperation between China and ASEAN in the field of artificial intelligence.
Fourth Forum on China-ASEAN Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Successfully Held in Nanning, Drawing Over 700 Delegates
Coinciding with the historic milestone of the Pinglu Canal being completed and navigable, a canal opens up a physical trade corridor between China and ASEAN, opening a new chapter of digital economy collaboration. “Goods Flow Across Rivers and Seas, Digital Intelligence Connects ASEAN” has become the most distinctive symbol of the era at this forum. The forum closely follows the differentiated development path of “R&D in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou + Integration in Guangxi + Application in ASEAN”, solving problems through technological breakthroughs, gathering momentum through industry-finance linkage, and promoting effectiveness through scenario implementation, to deepen and solidify China-ASEAN AI cooperation.
Technology empowers the opening, creating a new paradigm of human-machine collaboration
The forum kicked off with Guangxi’s classic ethnic song “Folk Songs like the Spring River”, where human dancers, dancing robots, accompaniment robots, and a digital crowd performing the folk song collaborated across disciplines to perform group collaborations. Relying on millisecond-level cluster scheduling technology, ethnic culture and embodied intelligence were deeply integrated to create an immersive technological audiovisual feast. This forum innovatively adopted a three-party collaborative hosting model of “human host + digital human avatar + intelligent robot”. Yang Yanqing, Professor of ShanghaiTech University, coordinated with her digital human avatar and AGIBOT Lingxi X2 to jointly host the forum, empowering the forum scene through technology, which became a major highlight of the event.
Dr. Padapxay SAYAKHOT, Director-General, Institute of Information and Communication Technology, Ministry of Technology and Communications, Lao PDR, Sun Ruijun, Director-General, China-ASEAN Technology Transfer Center, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director-General, Department of Science and Technology of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Secretary of the Party Committee, Guangxi Institute of Industrial Technology, delivered speeches in succession. Both sides stated that they will use this forum as a link to deepen the connection of scientific research and innovation, the implementation of industrial scenarios, and the coordination of policies and mechanisms, gather synergy for digital and intelligent development, and serve the building of a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future.
Industry authorities gather, anchoring regional AI development directions
The speakers at the forum combined international breadth and professional depth, bringing together industry experts, academic and cutting-edge research forces, industrial technology, and cross-border implementation capabilities from ASEAN countries, forming a core high ground for intellectual exchange and gathering top intellectuals for China-ASEAN AI innovation and development.
Industry experts from ASEAN countries: Dr. Wasan Pattara-atikom, Vice President, National Science and Technology Development Agency, Thailand; Li Haizhou, Fellow of the Academy of Engineering, Singapore (SAEng), Dean of the School of Artificial Intelligence, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen; YAP Hwa Jen, Professor of Universiti Malaya, Managing Director of the UPUM Sdn. Bhd.;
Academic and cutting-edge research forces: Yang Chao, Professor of Peking University, Founder and Chief Scientist of Beijing 1011 Technology Co., Ltd.; Cui Peng, Professor of Tsinghua University and Chief Scientist of Stable AI (Xiong’an) Technology Co., Ltd.; Wang Shisong, Professor of Guangzhou University, Co-founder of Abelian (a quantum-resistant blockchain infrastructure);
Industry technology and cross-border implementation forces: Li Nan, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Maimai Technology Group; Yao Yuan, Vice President of the Middle East Asia-Pacific Region Division, AGIBOT Innovation (Shanghai) Technology Co., Ltd.; Lyu Jun, Chief Scientist of Shanghai Noematrix Technology Co., Ltd.; Liu Liqi, General Manager of Data Strategy Department, X Square Robot Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.
The guests focused on three major directions, namely embodied intelligence, AI finance, and data circulation, exploring feasible paths for technological breakthroughs, ecosystem co-construction, and joint innovation. They covered the key stages of artificial intelligence from source research and development and technology transfer to industrial implementation and cross-border cooperation, achieving a two-way dialogue between cutting-edge academic theories and practical industry needs, and providing diverse perspectives and action ideas to bridge the regional digital divide and unlock the inclusive value of AI.
Five achievements released, strengthening the solid foundation for digital intelligence cooperation
At the forum, five scientific and technological innovation achievements were released together, constructing an AI innovation supply system oriented toward ASEAN from multiple dimensions including technology products, platform carriers, talent systems, and decision-making support.
1. The China-ASEAN Cross-Border Industrial Large Language Model: It covers multilingual capabilities and industry knowledge graph for ASEAN, integrates six major agents to collaboratively analyze business scenarios, and serves as a professional intelligent partner for Chinese enterprises to expand into the ASEAN market.
2. Achievements in AI Talent Development for ASEAN: Relying on the Guangxi Academy of Artificial Intelligence, a talent training model of “a dual-mentor system, dual-integrated teaching, dual training tracks, and an integrated master-doctoral program” has been created, achieving an international education pattern of enrolling at one university, earning credits from multiple universities, gaining practical experience in multiple countries, and strengthening talent support for cross-border AI cooperation.
3. “Guikerong” Sci-Tech Finance Digital-Intelligent Foundation Platform: Developed under the guidance of the Department of Science and Technology of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, it uses data-driven technology credit evaluation to open the value transformation chain of “technology, industry, and finance”, supporting the innovative development of technology-based enterprises.
4. Lao-Language Large Language Model (LLM) for the Energy and Power Sector: China’s first AI overseas project in the power industry, implemented on Electricite du Laos, exploring a new model of “Retaining Computing Power in Guangxi, Exporting Services Globally” for compliant token going global, providing a practical example for cross-border services in the energy sector.
5. “2026 China-ASEAN Artificial Intelligence Industry Development Study Report”: A panoramic overview of regional industrial policy environment, market scale, and application patterns, analyzing core industry development trends, and providing decision-making references for China-ASEAN AI industry cooperation.
Exhibition and negotiation are working together to build a pragmatic platform for exchange and cooperation
The forum adheres to the principles of “promoting research through exhibitions, cooperation through meetings, and implementation through business matchmaking”, simultaneously hosting the Special Session on AI: Bank-Enterprise Matchmaking and the Industry Supply-Demand Matchmaking and Technology Achievement Exhibition, achieving precise coordination between exhibition displays and business negotiations, and building a cross-border cooperation ecosystem deeply integrating industry, academia, research, and application.
The Technology Achievement Exhibition showcased high-tech products such as the General Embodied Intelligent Robot, Fingertip 3D Force Sensors, Integrated Land-Sea-Air Inspection Equipment, Smart Wall-Climbing Industrial Robot, and AI + Embodied Intelligence Teaching and Experiment Platform, covering key tracks like humanoid robots, industrial intelligent equipment, and education and training, demonstrating the innovative strength of domestic AI technology adaptation to ASEAN scenarios.
The venue also set up an immersive AI experience zone, where interactive projects such as coffee-making robots, agile robotic arms, AI customized cultural products, and unmanned retail attracted attendees to stop and experience the vivid effects of AI empowering people’s services up close, highlighting the development philosophy of technology for good and digital intelligence benefiting the people.
Focusing on collaborative win-win cooperation to jointly build a new pattern of regional development
As an international platform for scientific and technological exchange aimed at ASEAN, the Forum on China-ASEAN Artificial Intelligence Cooperation has been held consecutively for four sessions, bringing together more than 4,300 guests from China, foreign government, industry, academia, and research, facilitating the connection of over a hundred industrial projects, and becoming an important platform for the exchange of ideas, interconnection of technologies, and mutual industrial support between China and ASEAN in the field of artificial intelligence.
Looking to the future, China and ASEAN will continue to deepen cross-border joint innovation, promote the orderly flow of AI innovation elements, cultivate a vibrant and inclusive regional digital innovation ecosystem, facilitate digital intelligence benefiting regional industrial upgrading and livelihood development, and jointly build a new mutually beneficial and win-win pattern of China-ASEAN digital economy.
This forum was supported by the Ministry of Technology and Communications of Laos and the ASEAN Secretariat, and co-hosted by Guangzhou University, Guangxi Beibu Gulf Bank, Guangxi Academy of Artificial Intelligence, and Computer Academy of Guangxi.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Lemon is expanding its regulated financial infrastructure across Latin America as the crypto-fintech platform adds payment, investment and digital-asset services to a user base now measured in the millions. Peru’s banking and insurance regulator authorised the organisation of Lima del Sol EEDE, a new electronic-money issuer linked to Lemon Group, in July, giving the company a route towards operating more of its local payments infrastructure through a […]
The United States has sanctioned Iranian cryptocurrency exchange BitBank, accusing it of helping move hundreds of millions of dollars in Bitcoin to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and processing payments linked to Tehran. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated BitBank on September 17 under Executive Order 13902, which targets sectors of Iran’s economy. The action also covered BitBank’s software developer, Pishtaz Simorgh Electronic Trade […]
CoinEx will shut its cryptocurrency exchange on December 22 after nine years of operation, citing a prolonged market downturn, falling trading activity and mounting regulatory and compliance costs. The platform began an orderly wind-down on September 15, halting new user registrations and restricting several services, while allowing customers to withdraw assets until 02:00 UTC on December 22. CoinEx said all user assets were fully backed and that […]
Blockstream has refused to pay a ransom for nearly 600 bitcoin still controlled by the actors behind the $320 million exploit of its Liquid Network, saying it will pursue recovery through law enforcement, exchanges and forensic specialists if the funds are not returned. The Bitcoin infrastructure company said on September 11 that it had engaged with those responsible in an effort to recover user assets but would […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Ajman Real Estate Investment Exhibition 2026 recorded 344 property transactions worth AED226 million on its third day, as visitor numbers reached 6,936 at Emirates Hospitality Hall. The figures were announced as the fourth edition of the exhibition continued in Ajman on Wednesday, with the Ajman Land and Real Estate Regulation Department citing strong participation from investors, developers and property specialists. The event had […]
Circle has opened its Arc blockchain to the public, bringing a purpose-built network for institutional finance, stablecoin payments and tokenised assets into live production. The New York-based digital finance company said Arc’s public mainnet went live on Wednesday with more than 100 applications and more than 100 institutional and ecosystem builders spanning banks, asset managers, payment networks, exchanges, custodians, decentralised finance protocols, wallets and artificial intelligence platforms. […]
More than 11.6 million cryptocurrency tokens stopped trading in 2025, an unprecedented annual total that accounted for 86.3% of all failures recorded by CoinGecko’s GeckoTerminal dataset between mid-2021 and the end of last year. The figure marks a steep acceleration from 2024, when 1,382,010 projects were classified as failed, and highlights the fragile economics of a market flooded with easily created tokens, particularly meme coins. CoinGecko counted […]
https://www.qupital.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/qupital/
https://x.com/QupitalOfficial
