Stablecoins gain ground, banks back Bitcoin, GPT-5.2 launches, and governments clash over AI control in a week where tech meets real-world pressure.
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This week, both crypto and AI are colliding with real-world pressures. From inflation-hit economies turning to stablecoins, to governments wrestling with how far to rein in artificial intelligence, this week’s developments show how quickly emerging technologies are moving from the margins to the mainstream.
In the crypto scene, Venezuela’s reliance on stablecoins continues to grow, while Brazil’s largest private bank is now formally recommending Bitcoin as an inflation hedge. Institutional interest remains visible through steady ETF inflows, expanding bank–crypto partnerships, and fresh tokenisation ambitions from countries like Pakistan.
Meanwhile, AI’s reach is broadening but it’s also drawing scrutiny. OpenAI’s GPT-5.2 marks another leap towards professional and agentic use, even as AI-generated errors prompt product pullbacks and political backlash. From classrooms in El Salvador to regulatory battles in the US, the question is no longer whether AI will be deployed, but who controls it.
Get up to speed with the latest in Web3 and AI with this week’s Pasar Pulse.
Crypto and Web3
Venezuela’s Stablecoin Adoption Poised to Grow
Stablecoin usage in Venezuela is expected to continue rising as the country grapples with prolonged economic collapse. Many Venezuelans now rely on peer-to-peer transfers and USDT-to-fiat conversions for basic financial services.
Brazil’s Largest Bank Recommends BTC Allocation
Latin America’s largest private bank has advised clients to allocate between 1% and 3% of their portfolios to Bitcoin by 2026, and has framed Bitcoin as a hedge against the erosion of the Brazilian real, rather than a speculative asset.
Pakistan, Binance Explores US$2 Billion Tokenisation Deal
Pakistan has signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Binance to explore the tokenisation of up to US$2 billion in state-owned assets, including sovereign bonds and commodity reserves.
The US SEC Publishes Investor Guide on Crypto Custody
The US Securities and Exchange Commission released a public guide outlining best practices and risks associated with crypto wallets and custody, comparing hot wallets and cold wallets, and highlighting risks linked to third-party custodians.
Solana ETFs See Sustained Inflows Despite Price Weakness
Solana exchange-traded funds recorded a seven-day streak of net inflows, even as SOL’s price has fallen nearly 55% from its January all-time high. Inflows peaked at around US$16.6 million earlier this week, signalling continued interest from institutional investors.
Standard Chartered and Coinbase Deepen Partnership
Standard Chartered and Coinbase have expanded their partnership to develop crypto infrastructure and services tailored to institutional clients, exploring offerings across trading, prime brokerage, custody, staking and lending.
Exor Rejects Tether’s US$1.3 Billion Juventus Bid
Exor has unanimously rejected a US$1.3 billion all-cash offer from stablecoin issuer Tether to acquire Juventus Football Club, stating that it has no intention of selling its stake to any third party. The rejection represents a setback for Tether’s diversification push beyond stablecoins.
XRP Sentiment Turns Bullish as ETF Inflows Extend
Market sentiment around XRP has shifted into bullish territory, recording US$20.1 million in inflows on Friday. The cumulative ETF inflows have now reached nearly US$974.5 million.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI Bartender Serves Golden Knights Fans
An Automated Dual Arm Mixologist is now serving drinks at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, using NVIDIA’s Isaac robotics libraries. The system aims to address labour shortages in hospitality while improving service speed and consistency.
Amazon Removes AI Video Recaps After Errors
Amazon Prime Video withdrew its AI-generated recap feature after viewers identified factual inaccuracies in show summaries. One recap incorrectly placed a key flashback in the 1950s rather than 2077 and misrepresented a major character decision.
BBVA and OpenAI Expand AI Rollout to 120,000 Employees
BBVA has launched a multi-year AI transformation programme with OpenAI, extending ChatGPT Enterprise access to 120,000 employees. The initiative aims to accelerate the bank’s shift towards becoming AI-native to improve customer experience.
Grok Chatbot Set for Deployment in El Salvador
xAI is partnering with the government of El Salvador to deploy its Grok chatbot across more than 5,000 public schools, reaching over one million students. President Nayib Bukele described the initiative as an AI-powered education programme.
Trump Targets State-Level AI Regulation
President Trump has signed an executive order seeking to centralise AI regulation at the federal level, directing agencies to challenge state AI laws. The order establishes an “AI Litigation Task Force” within the Department of Justice.
Newsom Condemns Trump’s AI Order
California Governor Gavin Newsom has sharply criticised President Trump’s AI executive order, calling it an exercise in “grift and corruption” rather than innovation. California passed its own AI transparency legislation in September.
OpenAI Releases GPT-5.2 for Professional and Agentic Use
OpenAI has released GPT-5.2, describing it as its most capable model series to date for professional knowledge work and long-running AI agents. OpenAI says the model reduces hallucination errors by 30% compared with GPT-5.1.
Parents Urge New York Governor to Sign AI Law
More than 150 parents have called on New York Governor Kathy Hochul to sign the RAISE Act as passed by the legislature. The bill would require major AI developers to implement safety plans and report serious incidents.
That’s all for this week’s Pasar Pulse. Want more insights? Stay tuned to our site or subscribe via email!
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