Welcome to this week’s Web3 Digest by Magnet! From regulatory momentum in Vegas to bold moves by Elon, Telegram, and Circle — this week marked a clear shift from crypto speculation to serious institutional positioning. Major speeches. Billion-dollar deals. AI integrations that could reshape entire platforms. Here’s your breakdown of the biggest signals shaping the next wave of Web3 adoption.
At Bitcoin 2025 in Las Vegas — the world’s largest Bitcoin conference with over 35,000 attendees — conversations centered on political reform, financial sovereignty, and the path to integrating crypto into the mainstream economy.
Vice President J.D. Vance delivered a headline speech, praising the Trump administration’s rollback of Biden-era crypto regulations and declaring the end of “Operation Chokepoint 2.0.” He outlined a three-step plan: eliminate regulatory barriers, pass the GENIUS Act to establish stablecoin clarity, and embed Bitcoin into the core of the U.S. financial system. Vance projected that Bitcoin adoption in the U.S. would double and called on the crypto community to stay politically engaged.
Michael Saylor, executive chairman of Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy), stirred controversy by denouncing proof-of-reserves as a security risk and potential attack vector. His dismissal of transparency standards drew sharp criticism from industry veterans, who accused him of betraying one of Bitcoin’s fundamental principles: verifiable, trustless ownership.
Just a day after the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled that President Trump lacked the authority to impose sweeping tariffs, a federal appeals court reversed the decision — allowing the tariffs to remain in place, at least for now. The trade court had ordered the White House to halt the measures within 10 days, citing constitutional concerns. But the appeals court granted a stay, keeping the tariffs in effect while it reviews the case further.
Trump has yet to comment, the administration is prepared to take the fight to the Supreme Court if needed. The legal back-and-forth has added volatility to global markets. Asian stocks rallied after the initial suspension, UK gains faded by midday, and U.S. markets opened with cautious optimism. Bitcoin shows resilience, staying near ATH.
It’s been a while since Telegram made headlines — but the world’s top crypto-native messenger (with over 900 million users) is back in a big way.
Elon Musk’s xAI just struck a $300M deal with Telegram to integrate Grok, its AI chatbot, directly into the app. Expect chat summaries, document parsing, group moderation, and more — all seamlessly baked into the Telegram experience. Pavel Durov receives $300 million in cash and equity, plus 50% of all xAI subscription revenue sold through the app. And that’s not all.
The TON Foundation just brought on a former Visa exec to lead payment strategy — a clear signal they’re scaling for real, global usage. The markets took notice: $TON surged 20% on the news. Telegram just reminded everyone it’s not just a common messenger — it’s becoming a full-blown Web3 super app powered by AI.
X Money — Elon Musk’s payments app has officially entered limited beta testing ahead of its expected 2025 launch. Crypto circles are buzzing with speculation: will Musk integrate Bitcoin... or even his favorite Dogecoin? The rollout follows earlier leaks from January’s source code and was recently confirmed by Musk himself. The official X Money account also points to a 2025 launch date.
So far, X has secured 42 money transmitter licenses across the U.S., signaling serious intent to become a nationwide player. X Money will also partner with Visa, enabling users to connect debit cards and perform peer-to-peer transactions. Users will be able to fund their wallets via bank transfers and use the app as a full digital wallet for sending and receiving money.
Interest in X Money also spiked following Donald Trump’s return to the U.S. presidency, adding political overtones to the app’s future relevance. Critics argue Musk is trying to turn X into a financial data goldmine after burning billions on the platform. “He lost a lot of money on X,” some point out, “so now he wants to turn it into a giant monetization engine — fueled by your personal finance data.”
Circle, the company behind USDC — the world’s second-largest stablecoin — is heading to Wall Street. They’ve announced plans for an IPO on the New York Stock Exchange, aiming to raise up to $624 million at a valuation of $6.71 billion. Shares are expected to price between $24 and $26, making this one of the biggest crypto-related listings since Coinbase's public debut in 2021.
Circle’s public offering marks a turning point in how stablecoins are perceived — not just as tools, but as institutional-grade financial infrastructure. And while reports of BlackRock potentially acquiring up to 10% of the offering remain unconfirmed, the rumor carries weight — because it makes sense. The world’s largest asset managers growing involvement reflects a clear conviction: stablecoins are not just here to stay — they’re central to the next evolution of banking system and global finance as a whole.
Web3 is no longer playing on the sidelines. With political backing, public listings, and next-gen integrations rolling out, we’re watching the infrastructure for the next wave of adoption take shape — in real time. Stay sharp, stay informed — and we’ll see you next week with more signals from the frontier.