The crypto industry ended the week with a wave of major headlines, from Stripe-backed Tempo’s $500 million funding round to OpenSea’s upcoming SEA token launch and Ripple’s $1 billion XRP treasury initiative.
Here’s everything you need to know about what happened across the digital asset space over the past week.
Tempo Secures $500M to Power Stablecoin Payments
Tempo, a blockchain startup co-developed by Stripe and Paradigm, raised $500 million in a Series A led by Thrive Capital and Greenoaks, valuing it at $5 billion. The firm aims to build a stablecoin-based global payment network, integrating with OpenAI, Shopify, and Visa. Ethereum developer Dankrad Feist joined Tempo to strengthen its Layer 1 stablecoin infrastructure.
Ondo Finance Pushes Back on Nasdaq’s Tokenized Securities Plan
Ondo Finance urged the SEC to delay or reject Nasdaq’s tokenized securities proposal, warning that undisclosed settlement mechanisms could advantage large institutions. The SEC’s ruling is expected in November.
Eric Trump’s Real Estate Tokenization Initiative
Eric Trump announced a partnership with World Liberty Financial to tokenize real estate using its USD1 stablecoin. The project would allow public participation starting from $1,000, granting partial ownership and hotel-related benefits.
Perp DEX Open Interest Drops Over 60%
Following the October 11 flash crash, Perp DEX saw open interest plunge from $26 billion to under $14 billion, while weekly DEX volumes hit $177 billion, marking a new record. Meanwhile, stETH APY climbed above 7%, signaling heightened DeFi volatility.
OpenSea Confirms SEA Token Launch for Q1 2026
OpenSea CEO Devin Finzer confirmed plans to roll out the SEA token in early 2026. Half of the supply will go to the community, with staking and buyback features designed to sustain long-term value.
Ripple Leads $1B XRP Treasury Initiative
Ripple Labs is spearheading a $1 billion funding initiative via a SPAC to establish an XRP digital asset treasury, with Ripple contributing part of its own XRP holdings.
Other Key Highlights
- Lighter Exchange will launch spot trading by early November, listing BTC and ETH pairs with reduced fees and a major airdrop event.
- Believe upgraded LAUNCHCOIN to BELIEVE, expanding supply by 25% and introducing contributor incentives.
- Jupiter DAO plans to vote on burning 121 million JUP tokens (3.8% of circulation) as part of its governance overhaul.
- Thumzup Media, linked to the Trump family, is testing Dogecoin (DOGE) integration for advertising rewards.
From billion-dollar raises to new token launches, last week reaffirmed crypto’s rapid evolution, blending institutional adoption, regulatory tension, and continued DeFi innovation.