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What if France became a hub of innovation for Bitcoin? While the debates on cryptocurrency often oscillate between fascination and distrust, Clara Chappaz, the delegated minister for Digital Affairs, opens an unprecedented door: exploiting French nuclear power to mine Bitcoin. A bold proposal, blending economic pragmatism and energy sovereignty. During a visit to Ledger, a French leader in blockchain security, the minister outlined a vision where the Hexagon could tame the paradoxes of Bitcoin. Not without nuance. The idea is not new, but it is gaining credibility. EDF, a public energy giant, is drowning under a debt of 65 billion euros. However, its nuclear plants sometimes produce an unused surplus of electricity… Why not convert this energy into Bitcoin? A simple calculation: cryptocurrency mining valorizes excess electricity, generating instant revenues. Marine Le Pen mentioned it in Flamanville, but the government remained silent. Until now. Clara Chappaz breaks the taboo. “This subject has been captured by extreme fringes of public debate, while it deserves serious analysis” No noisy communication, but a thorough study. The recent appointment of Bernard Fontana at the head of EDF offers a fresh perspective. “We need to evaluate this without ideology, ask the right economic questions”, she insists . A pragmatism that contrasts with traditional postures. There remains a pitfall: the image of Bitcoin, often associated with speculation or pollution. The minister knows this. “It’s inter-ministerial, not just digital”, she slips. An implicit admission: to convince Bercy or the Energy Transition, figures will be needed, not slogans. What if France became a low carbon mining laboratory? The equation is tempting… but fragile. If Bitcoin crystallizes economic hopes, it also questions French digital sovereignty. Another challenge awaits Clara Chappaz: reconciling innovation and regulation, between digital euro and administrative sluggishness. The digital euro is advancing, but fears persist. Christine Lagarde (ECB) sets October 2025 as the deadline for its launch. Behind the scenes, Clara Chappaz listens to French stakeholders. The protection of personal data is crucial, she reminds. A message to Brussels, where the project struggles to reassure. The minister promises dialogue spaces to carry local voices. But Europe is moving slowly, and France must play collectively. “Let’s organize ourselves!”, she urges the ecosystem. Specifically, French companies need to unite their positions, despite their differences. A challenge: how to reconcile pro-Bitcoin start-ups and traditional banks? The minister sees herself as a mediator, “a bridge between France and Europe.” A key role, as the European regulator (MiCA) imposes strict rules. Another grievance: the delays from the AMF. PSAN approval requests drag on, hampering innovation. Clara Chappaz tackles the subject head-on. “I’ve discussed this with the AMF. Let’s simplify, let’s draw inspiration from abroad.” A veiled criticism towards an administration that can sometimes be paralyzed. For the minister, accelerating procedures is vital. Can France become a crypto hub while respecting standards? The balance is delicate. Clara Chappaz embodies a new generation of decision-makers: tech-savvy, yet realistic. Her approach to Bitcoin? Neither idealism nor rejection, but a quest for added value made in France. Between nuclear mining and the digital euro, the road is fraught with obstacles. But one certainty remains: France refuses to be a spectator in a society where cash could soon disappear .

The State of Wyoming has officially launched the first state-affiliated stablecoin, the Wyoming Stable Token (WYST), on multiple blockchains. This is a major advancement, as Wyoming is the first state in the United States to offer a fiat-backed and reserve-created stablecoin. Wyoming officials disclosed the testing phase during the official fireside chat at the DC Blockchain Summit on March 26. Governor Mark Gordon, who also chairs the Stable Token Commission, noted the stable leadership Wyoming is taking in advocating for the legalisation of digital assets. Speaking to Executive Director Anthony Apollo, he confirmed that WYST has been deployed on the Ethereum, Solana, Avalanche, Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon, and Base testnets using valueless tokens. This stablecoin follows the legal laws for over-collateralization with cash and the U.S. Treasury funds to meet its mandates. The interest that is generated from such reserves will go to the Wyoming School Foundation Fund, giving the initiative a broader state-level applicability. The Governor of Wyoming stressed Wyoming’s dedication to blockchain transparency and security, pointing out that the stablecoin backed by reserves will be auditable. LayerZero Labs, the token issuance partner for WYST, is overseeing the technical implementation of WYST by using the Omnichain Fungible Token (OFT) Standard. This architecture allows the issuance of tokens from one chain to live on another chain with ease. During initial demonstrations, a cross-chain transaction was performed with Ethereum and Avalanche testnets using the Stargate bridge, which operates on LayerZero technology. Simon Baksys, the Vice President of Business Development at LayerZero Labs, explained that the Wyoming dollar onchain is the future of Finance. WYST’s multichain compatibility, which was to be implemented later in the development stage, has been precociously activated in the state to integrate into the mainnet. These test transactions make it possible to assess the performance of a given system prior to going live. The Wyoming Stable Token Act was proposed in February of 2022 and laid the foundation for the state-issued stablecoin. The legislation required that the coin be linked to the US dollar and be redeemable for legal tender money. After the law was passed in March 2023, technical experts, accountants, and auditors formed the development team to manage the stablecoin’s generation and issuance. As the initiative advanced, the Stable Token Commission recruited industry and government leaders to investigate the use of stablecoins. Although Governor Gordon expected it to go live in Q1 2025 when speaking to an audience at the Wyoming Blockchain Symposium in August 2024, the timeline of development has extended beyond the estimates. The stablecoin will be backed up with the U.S. Treasury Bills and repurchase agreements for financial stability purposes. This can be aligned with the growing interest in stablecoins among players in the corporate world and state institutions. Currently, the asset management firm Fidelity Investments is weighing the possibility of its own stablecoin as part of its digital cash plans.

Bitget Wallet , a leading Web3 non-custodial wallet, has released its latest Onchain Report , exploring the key factors influencing crypto payment adoption across regions. The global study, based on a survey of 4,599 respondents, revealed that 46% of users surveyed prefer crypto payments for speed, while 37% cite security risks as a key barrier. Regional adoption trends show that Africa (52%) and Southeast Asia (51%) lead in demand for faster payments, driven by limited banking access and high remittance costs. Across regions, limited merchant acceptance (31%) continues to be a major barrier, preventing crypto from being a widely used everyday payment method. Generational differences reveal that Gen X (49%) prioritizes speed, while Millennials (42%) and Gen Z (39%) favor borderless transactions. Security concerns are highest among Gen X (42%), while Gen Z (36%) is more sensitive to transaction fees. While younger users are more willing to integrate crypto into their daily financial activities, usability challenges and a lack of financial infrastructure remain key hurdles for broader adoption. The main driver in Western Europe is the speed and efficiency of crypto transactions with 37% of respondents favoring it. The ability to transfer funds quickly without the delays associated with traditional banking systems is a significant advantage, particularly beneficial for international transactions, where conventional methods can be slow and costly. Additionally, the study reveals that 35% of surveyed individuals are drawn to cryptocurrencies primarily for the privacy and anonymity they offer in transactions. This interest aligns with a growing desire for financial discretion, especially as digital payments become more prevalent. From the main drivers, the potential for value appreciation over time attracts 30% of surveyed Western European users to cryptocurrencies. With traditional investment avenues offering limited returns, many see crypto assets as a viable alternative for wealth growth, bolstered by the increasing mainstream acceptance of digital currencies. Despite the advantages, security risks remain the main barrier in the region with 39% of surveyed Western Europeans apprehending potential hacks and fraud. Furthermore, 29% surveyed individuals are wary of the limited acceptance of cryptocurrencies among merchants and service providers, creating a gap between growing interest and practical utility of digital currencies for everyday transactions. Lastly, 28% of surveyed Western Europeans are concerned about the irreversibility of transactions if sent to the wrong address. “Western Europe is one of the largest crypto economies in the world, and this study confirms their attraction for the tangible benefits of crypto, knowing speed, efficiency and privacy. The strong interest in value appreciation also highlights the growing recognition of digital assets as a legitimate investment avenue. However, the study also highlights the critical need to address security concerns and expand merchant acceptance for mainstream adoption.”, said Alvin Kan, COO of Bitget Wallet. “The market must prioritize building trust and usability to bridge the gap between interest and widespread adoption. By integrating crypto more seamlessly into everyday life, Bitget Wallet aims to make digital finance truly accessible to billions worldwide." For more details, please visit Bitget Wallet blog. Bitget Wallet is the home of Web3, uniting endless possibilities in one non-custodial wallet. With over 60 million users, it offers comprehensive onchain services, including asset management, instant swaps, rewards, staking, trading tools, live market data, a DApp browser, an NFT marketplace and crypto payment. Supporting over 100 blockchains, 20,000+ DApps, and 500,000+ tokens, Bitget Wallet enables seamless multi-chain trading across hundreds of DEXs and cross-chain bridges, along with a $300+ million protection fund to ensure safety of users' assets. Experience Bitget Wallet Lite to start a Web3 journey.

XRP continues to stir community interest as debate flares over its relevance in a future financial system featuring private bank ledgers and Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). This ongoing discussion occurs as banks worldwide increasingly explore these new digital currency technologies. With CBDCs potentially offering direct government-backed digital currency pathways, speculation grew that XRP’s long-argued role as a neutral bridge currency could diminish. However, proponents contend its function remains essential for efficient cross-border value transfer. They point to how Ripple’s solutions (often involving XRP) can allow seamless payments between different fiat currencies or digital assets, potentially reducing the need for banks to pre-fund accounts with large sums in multiple currencies (a costly process known as maintaining nostro/vostro accounts ). A key point revolves around the apparent bank preference for private, permissioned ledgers, fueling fears they might bypass public bridge assets like XRP altogether, perhaps using internal liquidity pools or privately issued stablecoins. XRP advocates counter that even if banks operate on private ledgers for internal processes, XRP’s ability to efficiently source external liquidity on demand and enable rapid settlement maintains its utility for connecting these ‘walled gardens’ for cross-border flows. Related: Ripple Settles SEC Fight for Less, Yet XRP Price Remains Surprisingly Calm They argue XRP offers instantaneous settlement and efficient value transfer across borders distinctly from stablecoins or potentially siloed wrapped CBDCs. The debate gained further traction after Ripple co-founder David Schwartz commented on the inherent limitations of simply creating wrapped, tokenized versions of each individual CBDC. He noted that merely wrapping a CBDC onto another chain doesn’t automatically create usable liquidity between different sovereign digital currencies. Schwartz highlighted the potential inefficiency: managing, for instance, 90 distinct bilateral trading pairs to directly connect just ten different CBDCs would be cumbersome. A neutral bridge asset like XRP, he implied, could streamline this process dramatically. Commentators often point out that XRP’s key advantage, particularly compared to legacy systems, lies in its potential to unlock capital trapped in traditional payment networks. The decades-old SWIFT messaging system, combined with correspondent banking, frequently requires banks to hold substantial, often idle funds in nostro accounts globally, simply to facilitate international payments – which creates significant capital inefficiencies. Related: XRP, SOL, ADA, DOGE Prices Analyzed Following IBKR Listing News Solutions using XRP help to free up these reserves by enabling on-demand liquidity, potentially injecting that capital back into productive use globally. A certain few also suggest that for less common, low-liquidity currency corridors, XRP remains a particularly effective settlement tool. Disclaimer: The information presented in this article is for informational and educational purposes only. The article does not constitute financial advice or advice of any kind. Coin Edition is not responsible for any losses incurred as a result of the utilization of content, products, or services mentioned. Readers are advised to exercise caution before taking any action related to the company.

3.1/ Excluding blockchain costs, incentives are the biggest expense at $141M (85%). Grants follow at $13M. Ranked by initiative: 1. STIP & STIP Backfund: $103M 2. LTIP, STIP Bridge & Kwenta Incentives: $38M 3. Gaming Catalyst Program: $7.1M