Crypto runs on its users’ clock, and the numbers now show it. Most stablecoin volume moves outside US banking hours, Solana is set to cut finality to a fraction of a second, and Swiss savers are getting their first retail Bitcoin ETF.
- $400 million an hour: stablecoin transfers hit $891 billion in Q3, mostly after the banks close.
- Solana switches on Alpenglow, targeting 150-millisecond finality.
- FINMA clears Switzerland’s first Bitcoin ETF for retail investors.
All three point the same way: value that moves when people need it, through doors they already use. That makes the next question who holds it once it arrives.
Stablecoins move $400 million an hour
Source: The Block
Stablecoin transfers averaged more than $400 million an hour in the third quarter, according to a new report from Coinbase and The Block published on October 20. Adjusted transfer volume reached $891 billion for the quarter, roughly four times its level at the start of 2023.
About 73% of screened transfer volume over the 12 months to July 31 happened outside US banking hours. The report also found that sending a $200 USDC remittance on Base costs about 86% less than traditional rails.
Zypto take: When nearly three quarters of the volume lands outside banking hours, people are moving money on their own schedule. Stablecoins in a self-custody wallet keep that schedule too, and the multichain wallet in Zypto App swaps them across chains when a payment needs them somewhere else.
Solana’s Alpenglow targets 150ms finality
Source: CoinDesk
Solana’s biggest network overhaul since 2020 is set to go live on Wednesday, CoinDesk reported. Alpenglow replaces the voting system the network has used since 2020: validator votes move off-chain and are bundled into certificates that can lock in a transaction in one or two rounds.
Finality takes about 6 seconds today. Alpenglow targets roughly 150 milliseconds, about 40 times faster, if the target holds on mainnet. The test network was restarted from scratch six times since early May before a migration succeeded.
Zypto take: Finality is the moment a payment can’t be reversed, so this upgrade matters to whoever is being paid. Zypto App holds SOL and 3,000+ Solana tokens in a self-custody wallet, and every second shaved off finality is a second sooner a transfer is done.
Switzerland approves a retail Bitcoin ETF
Source: Bitcoin Magazine
Swiss regulator FINMA has approved the country’s first Bitcoin ETF for retail investors, Bitcoin Magazine reported on October 20. Until now, Bitcoin ETFs in Switzerland were open only to institutional or qualified investors.
FINMA granted the fund an exemption from its usual risk diversification rules, citing Bitcoin’s long trading history and high trading volume. It hasn’t said which asset manager or bank will launch the product.
Zypto take: Retail access through a brokerage account opens a familiar door to Bitcoin for Swiss savers. With an ETF you own fund shares held through a broker, and the fund’s custodian holds the coins.
Bitcoin in your own wallet has no issuer and no freeze switch. Zypto App keeps the keys on your device, so the coins are simply yours. Download Zypto App.
Key Takeaways
- Stablecoins already run on their users’ schedule, and a 73% off-hours share puts a number on it.
- Speed is turning into a payments feature: finality measured in milliseconds changes what a blockchain can do at the point of sale.
- Access keeps widening, from round-the-clock transfers to brokerage accounts. Ownership is still decided by who holds the keys.
- If growth holds, the report puts quarterly stablecoin volume on track for $1.5 trillion by the end of 2027.
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