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Kraken Partners With Mastercard To Bring Bitcoin Payments To Over 150 Million Merchants

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Mastercard has announced a landmark partnership with Kraken to enable real-world Bitcoin and crypto payments at scale across the UK and Europe. The collaboration aims to allow Kraken’s users to spend their digital assets at over 150 million merchants worldwide that accept Mastercard, marking a major step forward in the integration of Bitcoin into everyday commerce.

“Mastercard is committed to driving innovation and expanding the possibilities of digital payments,” stated Scott Abrahams, Executive Vice President of Global Partnerships at Mastercard. “Our partnership with Kraken is a concrete demonstration of this, as we work together to unlock the true potential of cryptoassets for everyday use. With a shared ambition to simplify, interoperate, and secure the digital asset ecosystem, we are proud to collaborate with Kraken and bring real value to their user base.”

Kraken, one of the most established cryptocurrency exchanges with over 15 million customers globally, is using Mastercard’s expansive payments infrastructure to expand its product suite. This includes the rapid rollout of physical and digital debit cards that connect crypto balances to retail spending.

The partnership also builds on the growing momentum of Kraken Pay, a feature introduced by the exchange to offer fast, borderless payments in cryptocurrencies and fiat currencies. In just three months since its launch, more than 200,000 users have activated their personal “Kraktag” to send money worldwide with the simplicity of sending a text, the announcement stated.

“Crypto is transforming the payments industry, and we envision a future where global commerce and everyday payments are powered by cryptoassets,” said Kraken Co-CEO David Ripley in the release. “Our customers want to be able to easily pay for real-world goods and services with their cryptocurrencies or stablecoins. Our partnership with Mastercard is a major step in realizing this vision. Together, we will unlock the full potential of cryptoassets in everyday life, ensuring their long-term relevance and utility.”

Kraken users in the UK and Europe can now join the waitlist for the upcoming crypto debit cards and start preparing to use their BTC in day-to-day spending, signaling a new chapter in the mainstream adoption of Bitcoin as a functional payment tool.

Last year, Mastercard partnered with exchange Mercado Bitcoin to launch its Mastercard Crypto Credential, enabling its “first peer-to-peer (P2P) pilot transactions” using aliases instead of long and complex blockchain addresses.



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Here’s How Bitcoin Could Boost Demand for US Treasuries, According to Macro Guru Luke Gromen

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Veteran macro investor Luke Gromen says he likes Bitcoin (BTC) due to its potential to influence demand for US Treasuries.

In a new video update, the founder of the macroeconomic research firm Forest for the Trees (FFTT) says the Trump administration is in a position to boost demand for US bonds after the president signed an executive order creating a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.

A Bitcoin bull market typically increases demand for dollar-pegged crypto assets, and according to Gromen, could ultimately drive demand for US Treasuries.

“Note that the Trump administration is still talking about putting T-bills (Treasury bills) into stablecoins, using stablecoins as a means to drive demand for T-bills. And obviously, they’ve talked about the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.

Left unsaid in all of that is that the higher the Bitcoin price, the more stablecoin demand, the more T-bill demand there is…

I think the underlying theme of [the] US government desperately needs balance sheet and stablecoins and therefore Bitcoin can help the US government find balance sheet. I think that is absolutely still in play.

It’s one of the reasons why we still like Bitcoin over the intermediate longer term.”

Stablecoin issuers such as Tether and Circle predominantly rely on Treasury bills to back their coins on a 1:1 basis. As of December 2024, Tether has invested over $94.47 billion in T-bills to back USDT. Meanwhile, Circle owns $22.047 billion worth of T-bills as of February of this year to back USDC.

Additionally, two stablecoin bills that are progressing through Congress, the STABLE Act of 2025 and the GENIUS Act of 2025, require issuers to invest in T-bills and other real-world assets to back their coins.

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Disclaimer: Opinions expressed at The Daily Hodl are not investment advice. Investors should do their due diligence before making any high-risk investments in Bitcoin, cryptocurrency or digital assets. Please be advised that your transfers and trades are at your own risk, and any losses you may incur are your responsibility. The Daily Hodl does not recommend the buying or selling of any cryptocurrencies or digital assets, nor is The Daily Hodl an investment advisor. Please note that The Daily Hodl participates in affiliate marketing.

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Monero’s XMR Rockets 40% as XRP Leads Crypto Majors Gains

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Shaurya is the Co-Leader of the CoinDesk tokens and data team in Asia with a focus on crypto derivatives, DeFi, market microstructure, and protocol analysis.

Shaurya holds over $1,000 in BTC, ETH, SOL, AVAX, SUSHI, CRV, NEAR, YFI, YFII, SHIB, DOGE, USDT, USDC, BNB, MANA, MLN, LINK, XMR, ALGO, VET, CAKE, AAVE, COMP, ROOK, TRX, SNX, RUNE, FTM, ZIL, KSM, ENJ, CKB, JOE, GHST, PERP, BTRFLY, OHM, BANANA, ROME, BURGER, SPIRIT, and ORCA.

He provides over $1,000 to liquidity pools on Compound, Curve, SushiSwap, PancakeSwap, BurgerSwap, Orca, AnySwap, SpiritSwap, Rook Protocol, Yearn Finance, Synthetix, Harvest, Redacted Cartel, OlympusDAO, Rome, Trader Joe, and SUN.





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Expert Reveals Why The Ethereum-To-Bitcoin Ratio Is Falling

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The Ethereum-to-Bitcoin ratio has fallen to its lowest level in five years after a dismal Ethereum price performance. As investors try to wrap their heads around the grim metric, Taproot Wizards co-founder Eric Wall has explained the reason behind the steep drop.

Eric Wall Highlights Reasons For ETH/BTC Ratio Collapse

Taproot Wizards co-founder Eric Wall has identified a raft of reasons behind the decline of the ETH/BTC ratio in 2025. The cryptocurrency expert revealed the factors behind the falling ETH/BTC ratio in an X post, hinging the bulk of the blame on Ethereum’s recent price performance.

The ETH/BTC ratio slumped to a five-year low after Ethereum bucked the trend of following Bitcoin on a rally after the halving event. While Bitcoin price rose to cross the $100K mark, Ethereum price has tumbled below $2,000 to reach lows of $1,400.

For Wall, one factor affecting the ETH/BTC ratio appears to be Ethereum’s position in a competitive landscape. Since its launch, several blockchains have cropped up to snag market share from the largest altcoin, offering cheaper fees and faster processing times.

The cryptocurrency expert argues that the absence of a Saylor-like buyer for ETH is playing its role in the decline of the ETH/BTC ratio. Michael Saylor’s BTC purchases have contributed to the asset’s performance, but Wall argues that Ethereum does not have a consistent buyer.

Wall adds that Bitcoin and gold have evolved into wartime assets in the current macroeconomic climate, while ETH is considered a “peacetime asset.” Gold has surged to new highs, sparking optimism that Bitcoin will follow in the same path for a similar rally, while the Ethereum price continues its unimpressive run.

The Merge Is Not Responsible For The Ratio Decline

Eric Wall notes that Ethereum’s Merge event is not responsible for the ETH/BTC slump, contrary to popular sentiment. Ethereum migrated from Proof-of-Work to Proof-of-Stake in 2022, with the ETH/BTC ratio tanking since the Merge.

“The ETHBTC ratio did not go down because of The Merge,” said Eric Wall.

However, pseudonymous cryptocurrency analyst Beanie argues that the Merge is the primary reason for the price decline. Rebuffing the speculation, Wall opines that Ethereum’s layer 2 tokens triggered network fragmentation after botching the “asset value capture narrative,” affecting the ETH/BTC ratio.

“Ethereum also stagnated into a depressingly small number of defi primitives relative to what past expectations were,” added Wall.

Ethereum is flashing signs of brilliance after ETH trading volume spiked to $17.5 billion in less than a day. ETH prices are exchanging hands at nearly 1,800 after an impressive 12% rally that saw it outperform SOL and XRP

 

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Aliyu Pokima

Aliyu Pokima is a seasoned cryptocurrency and emerging technologies journalist with a knack for covering needle-moving stories in the space. Aliyu delivers breaking news stories, regulatory updates, and insightful analysis with depth and precision. When he’s not poring over charts or following leads, Aliyu enjoys playing the bass guitar, lifting weights and running marathons.

Disclaimer: The presented content may include the personal opinion of the author and is subject to market condition. Do your market research before investing in cryptocurrencies. The author or the publication does not hold any responsibility for your personal financial loss.





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