Mastercard, Binance, Galaxy: November’s Last Week Becomes Crypto’s Power Grid
In Brief
The final days of November saw a wave of major crypto partnerships — from Solflare and Mastercard launching a self-custody Solana debit card to Klarna and Stripe testing bank-issued stablecoins.
The final days of November delivered a surge of high-impact crypto alliances — from Solflare and Mastercard reshaping stablecoin spending to Klarna and Stripe testing bank-issued digital dollars. Binance, Arkham, Galaxy Digital, and edgeX added their own moves, marking a week where partnerships, not prices, steered the industry’s momentum.
Solflare & Mastercard to Launch Solana Debit Card
Solflare has teamed up with Mastercard to launch the Solflare Card — the first true self-custody debit card on Solana — giving users the ability to spend USDC directly from their Solflare Wallet without preloading, conversions, or handing over control of their assets. The digital card is rolling out first to users in the UK and European Economic Area, with more regions to follow.
The card brings full self-custody into everyday payments by linking directly to a user-controlled Solflare Wallet. Each transaction is signed by the user through a three-factor setup: biometric verification, a PIN, and the physical card. Solflare handles payment rails while private keys remain untouched and unexposed. At launch, the card works with Google Pay, with Apple Pay support on the way.
Executives from both companies pointed to a shift in how crypto is used day-to-day — describing the move as part of a broader effort to make stablecoin spending “safe, simple, and instant,” while giving users confidence through fraud detection, real-time alerts, and 3DS security. With more than 115,000 users already signed up, the Solflare Card aims to blur the boundary between digital assets and traditional payments, bringing stablecoins to millions of Mastercard-enabled merchants worldwide.
VerifiedX Partners With Crypto.com for Institutional Custody and Liquidity
VerifiedX — the decentralized Layer 1 network and Bitcoin sidechain — has chosen Crypto.com to provide institutional-grade custody and OTC liquidity services for the $1.5 billion in assets secured on its network. The collaboration gives eligible institutions building on VerifiedX access to Crypto.com’s regulated custody framework, including cold-storage security, governance controls, and professional asset-management workflows.
Alongside custody, Crypto.com will supply OTC trading to support deeper liquidity across the VerifiedX ecosystem. Executives at the exchange noted that its custody stack was built specifically to meet the expectations of institutional clients, making VerifiedX a natural fit.
Formerly known as ReserveBlock, VerifiedX positions itself as a “people’s network,” operating as both a universal Layer 1 chain and a Bitcoin sidechain. It enables users to mint Verified Bitcoin Tokens (vBTC) through a self-custodial 1:1 peg. This new agreement expands on a prior partnership enabling VFX SwitchBlade Wallet users to buy crypto directly with fiat and transact via Crypto.com Pay. Following the announcement, VFX surged nearly 70%.
HCMC and Binance Unite to Accelerate Vietnam’s Bid for Global Financial Leadership
Ho Chi Minh City has taken a major step toward its ambition of becoming a regional financial powerhouse, signing a new memorandum of understanding with Binance on November 26, 2025. The collaboration is designed to pull more capital, technology, and institutional participation into Vietnam’s maturing financial and digital-asset landscape.
HCMC is one of two core locations designated for Vietnam’s planned International Financial Centre, and the MOU was formalized during the Autumn Economic Forum 2025 in the presence of the Prime Minister, senior municipal officials, ministry representatives, and global investment funds. The agreement follows a similar partnership with Nasdaq in October, signaling Vietnam’s determination to integrate with global markets.
Under the new framework, Binance will help channel foreign investment into the upcoming financial hub, introduce international institutions to Vietnam, and share its expertise in developing digital-asset rules, crypto-based payment systems, and compliant digital-finance infrastructure. A joint working group will oversee implementation, meeting twice yearly to track milestones.
Both sides also committed to building a regulatory “sandbox” to safely test blockchain and crypto innovations while protecting users. Startups across blockchain, AI, and fintech will receive additional support through training, workshops, and technical guidance. Altogether, the initiative strengthens HCMC’s push to become a major Asian financial center by 2030.
Arkham Exchange and MoonPay Join Forces to Streamline Fiat Access
Arkham Exchange has teamed up with MoonPay to offer seamless fiat-to-crypto on- and off-ramps, giving users a far easier way to fund their trading accounts. With the integration, eligible users can deposit through MoonPay’s full suite of payment options—including cards, bank transfers, Apple Pay, and Google Pay—and immediately purchase tokens directly on Arkham.
MoonPay has been rolling out several partnerships in rapid succession. Within the same 24-hour window, the company unveiled an exclusive integration with Zengo Pro to power fiat flows for its self-custodial wallet, and a similar arrangement with Haha Wallet ahead of the Monad Mainnet launch, expanding access to users in over 100 countries.
The timing of Arkham’s partnership stands out amid a volatile market, with Bitcoin recently sliding to a 180-day low. Even so, moves like this suggest that infrastructure builders remain focused on long-term accessibility, not short-term price swings.
Klarna and Stripe Unveil New USD Stablecoin Initiative
Klarna has entered the stablecoin arena with the launch of klarnausd, its first digital currency and the first bank-issued stablecoin built on Tempo, a payments-focused blockchain created by Stripe and Paradigm. Klarna said it sees growing demand for faster, cheaper settlement rails, pointing to industry estimates that stablecoin transactions already surpass $27 trillion annually.
The new asset is issued via Open Issuance by Bridge, Stripe’s stablecoin infrastructure arm. Klarnausd is currently live on Tempo’s testnet, giving the company an early runway for integration and testing ahead of the blockchain’s public mainnet launch in 2026.
Klarna emphasized that the move builds on its long partnership with Stripe, whose infrastructure already supports its services across 26 markets. CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski noted that Klarna’s global scale positions it to challenge high cross-border payment fees—estimated at $120 billion annually—and push blockchain into mainstream finance.
Klarnausd is the company’s first publicly revealed crypto initiative, with more collaborations expected soon.
Galaxy Digital Explores Liquidity Role in Polymarket and Kalshi
Galaxy Digital is preparing a deeper push into the prediction market ecosystem, holding talks to supply liquidity to both Polymarket and Kalshi, according to Bloomberg. The firm has already begun small-scale market-making experiments and plans to expand its involvement once internal testing is complete. Mike Novogratz said the goal is to support broader liquidity across leading platforms as prediction markets evolve into a meaningful financial category.
Together, Polymarket and Kalshi have amassed more than $42 billion in cumulative volume. Polymarket initially surged ahead thanks to decentralized infrastructure and election-focused activity, while CFTC-regulated Kalshi has led monthly volumes since September. Both have recently attracted major institutional partners — including collaborations involving Galaxy Digital, Google Finance, and the NHL — underscoring rising mainstream recognition.
Analysts at Bernstein recently described prediction markets as shifting into “broader information markets,” with demand expanding beyond political and sports outcomes into economics, culture, corporate events, and financial indicators. That growth has drawn other major entrants: Gemini and CME Group have announced plans for their own platforms.
For Polymarket and Kalshi, Galaxy Digital’s liquidity would enhance depth, lower spreads, and support more reliable price discovery — reinforcing the sector’s momentum as it matures into a competitive financial landscape.
edgeX and Polymarket Unite to Redefine Mobile Prediction Trading
A major shift is unfolding in decentralized finance as edgeX and Polymarket announce a partnership designed to make prediction markets radically easier to access. edgeX — known for its derivatives infrastructure — is integrating Polymarket’s prediction events directly into its mobile app, removing the multi-platform friction that has long held back mainstream adoption.
With this integration, users can browse markets, place trades, and track positions through a single interface. The combined user bases are also expected to boost liquidity, improving execution quality for both casual participants and active traders.
Beyond convenience, the two companies are co-developing leveraged prediction products, blending edgeX’s expertise in derivatives with Polymarket’s event-driven markets. These tools aim to bring advanced trading mechanics — margin functions, risk controls, and real-time data feeds — into a sector that has historically lacked them.
The initiative arrives at a moment of heightened global interest in event-based trading. As prediction markets expand beyond politics into economics, culture, and macro trends, intuitive mobile access becomes essential.
Technical and regulatory challenges remain, but the collaboration reflects a larger industry shift: DeFi platforms are increasingly forming alliances to specialize, interoperate, and deliver more powerful tools to everyday users.
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About The Author
Alisa, a dedicated journalist at the MPost, specializes in cryptocurrency, zero-knowledge proofs, investments, and the expansive realm of Web3. With a keen eye for emerging trends and technologies, she delivers comprehensive coverage to inform and engage readers in the ever-evolving landscape of digital finance.
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Alisa, a dedicated journalist at the MPost, specializes in cryptocurrency, zero-knowledge proofs, investments, and the expansive realm of Web3. With a keen eye for emerging trends and technologies, she delivers comprehensive coverage to inform and engage readers in the ever-evolving landscape of digital finance.
