News Roundup — USDC Issuer Circle Moves Forward With Initial Public Offering on NYSE

Major news stories this week;

1. USDC Issuer Circle Moves Forward With Initial Public Offering on NYSE‍
2. Gamestop Officially Confirms First Bitcoin Purchase of 4,710 BTC‍
3. Dubai Unveils Real Estate Tokenization Platform on XRP Ledger Amid $16B Initiative‍
4. Global Crypto Payment Acceptance Surges Past Visa, Mastercard‍
5. Pakistan Announces Bitcoin Strategic Reserve

Story Summaries;

1. Circle, issuer of USDC, is launching a 24 million-share IPO on the NYSE under the ticker "CRCL," priced at $24–$26 per share, aiming for a $6.7 billion valuation. It plans to raise up to $624 million, with major banks like JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs leading the deal. Unlike rival Tether, Circle is pursuing public listing for greater transparency.
2. GameStop confirmed its first Bitcoin purchase, acquiring 4,710 BTC worth about $513 million, funded through a $1.3 billion convertible notes offering. The move follows its March announcement to explore Bitcoin investments. GME stock rose roughly 30% over the past month amid crypto speculation. GameStop joins a growing list of firms adopting Bitcoin as a treasury asset.
3. Dubai has launched its first real estate tokenization platform, Prypco Mint, in partnership with Prypco and Ctrl Alt, using the XRP Ledger to tokenize property title deeds. Backed by the Dubai Land Department, the platform allows UAE residents to buy fractional property ownership starting at $540, with plans to expand globally. The initiative is part of a $16 billion project aiming to tokenize 7% of Dubai's real estate market by 2033, marking a major step in blockchain adoption for property transactions.
4. Crypto payments, led by stablecoins, surpassed Visa and Mastercard with $27.6 trillion in 2024 transactions. Adoption is growing fastest in regions like Asia and South Africa, where major retailers now accept crypto. Companies like Mastercard and Visa are launching stablecoin services in response. Despite strong infrastructure and merchant adoption, mass consumer use remains limited as many still view crypto primarily as an investment.
5. Pakistan has announced the creation of a government-led Bitcoin strategic reserve, marking a major policy shift from its previous anti-crypto stance. Inspired by the U.S., the move is part of broader pro-crypto reforms, including allocating energy for BTC mining, launching a Digital Asset Authority, and partnering with DeFi firms. Binance co-founder CZ is advising the country’s crypto council as Pakistan aims to build a regulated digital asset ecosystem.

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And that’s all for last week’s news! Wishing you a great week ahead!