Digital Assets

Building the Digital Rails: October’s Milestones in Asset Innovation

Written by Amplify ETFs | Nov 13, 2025 6:49:08 PM

Digital Assets Monthly

 

Financial System’s Core Plumbing Built on Digital Asset Networks

October 2025 stands out as a pivotal month for digital assets, following the GENIUS Act's passage. U.S. financial institutions now enjoy regulatory clarity, accelerating ecosystem buildout. Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana emerge as the "digital rails" connecting traditional finance with blockchain for institutional and everyday use.

The U.S. led the Information Age, spawning giants like NVIDIA, Apple, Microsoft, and Google to secure global dominance. Today, in the Intelligence Revolution, America is constructing digital asset infrastructure to maintain its edge.

Three key announcements in October highlight this momentum:

1. JPMorgan Accepts Bitcoin and Ether as Collateral – October 24, 2025

JPMorgan plans to let institutional clients use Bitcoin and Ether holdings as collateral for loans by year-end, deepening its crypto integration.

Implications:

  1. Validates crypto as a mature asset class, enhancing institutional adoption and liquidity.

  2. Enables investors to access capital without selling assets, sidestepping taxes and market disruptions.

  3. Meets strong JPMorgan client demand—over 80% hold or trade crypto—and could set industry standards, including AI-powered risk assessments for volatile collateral.

  4. Signals broader Traditional Finance (TradFi) evolution, unlocking trillions in value while addressing digital risks.

This step positions JPMorgan as a leader in blending crypto with mainstream lending.

2. Zelle's Stablecoin Expansion – October 24, 2025

Zelle, owned by a consortium including Bank of America, JPMorgan, and Wells Fargo, will expand internationally using stablecoins for cross-border payments. Pilots launch soon, aiming to rival tokenized competitors and transform remittances.

Implications:

  1. Builds on Zelle's U.S. dominance (3.6 billion transactions last year) to tap the $900 billion global remittance market with seamless, bank-app integration.1

  2. Tackles legacy challenges like SWIFT delays and 5-7% fees via near-instant, low-cost blockchain settlements.

  3. Simplifies transfers for U.S. households sending abroad, making international payments as easy as domestic ones.

  4. Reinforces stablecoins as trusted infrastructure, pitting bank-led innovation against FinTechs like PayPal.

This initiative extends Zelle's speed and security worldwide, fostering inclusive consumer finance.

3. Western Union Integrates Stablecoin on Solana – October 28, 2025

Western Union, the 173-year-old remittance leader, across 200+ countries, will launch the U.S. Dollar Payment Token (USDPT) on Solana in early 2026. Issued by Anchorage Digital Bank, it integrates into a new Digital Asset Network for crypto-to-fiat bridging at 500,000+ agent locations.

Implications:

  1. The announcement overhauls Western Unions remittances with Solana's high throughput (65,000 Transactions Per Second “TPS”), sub-second finality, and with minimal fees, and reducing costs, with settlement times potentially going from going from days to seconds.

  2. Combines blockchain efficiency with Western Union's vast physical network, empowering users in emerging markets like Africa and Southeast Asia.

  3. Boosts stablecoin trust through regulated issuance, mitigating depegging risks and driving adoption in underserved regions.

  4. Acts as a strategic defense against disruptors, validating Solana for enterprise payments and enabling new revenue from tokenized assets.

This move redefines global money movement, turning remittances into a fast, affordable utility.

Summary

October's developments of JPMorgan's collateral acceptance, Zelle's global push, and Western Union's Solana integration cement digital assets as finance's future backbone. Post-GENIUS Act, they enhance liquidity, cut costs, and bridge TradFi with blockchain, paving the way for innovative, efficient systems. The actions are not just mere tech adoption but a blueprint for how regulated, bank-led integration could reinvent the financial ecosystem for a new digital age.

1corporate.visa.com/en/products/visa-direct/resources/money-travels-report.html 

Carefully consider the Fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses before investing. This and other information can be found in the Fund’s statutory and summary prospectuses, which may be obtained at AmplifyETFs.com. Read the prospectus carefully before investing.

For informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security. This material is not intended to provide, and should not be relied upon for, investment, legal, or tax advice. Consult your financial professional for guidance specific to your situation.

Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Investments in blockchain technology and digital assets are subject to a variety of risks, including high volatility, lack of regulation, cybersecurity incidents, theft or loss, developmental risk, and the potential for competing platforms or technologies. The technology is new and many uses may be untested. Investments concentrated in a single industry, such as blockchain, may exhibit higher volatility and be more vulnerable to factors affecting that industry.

Exposure to cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin, is highly speculative and may be subject to extreme volatility and risk of total loss. Investors should be prepared to lose their entire investment. The regulatory and tax treatment of digital assets and cryptocurrencies is uncertain and evolving.

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