Sui Meme Coins are Becoming Popular As DEX Volume Surges in April

Circle, the issuer behind the USDC stablecoin, has officially introduced the Refund Protocol—an advanced smart contract framework developed by Circle Research. 

This innovation marks a turning point for decentralized stablecoin payments by directly embedding on-chain dispute resolution mechanisms into the blockchain, ensuring digital commerce transparency, security, and trust.

Role of Refund Protocol in the Circle Ecosystem

Traditional stablecoin payment models often lack on-chain refund or dispute resolution mechanisms. Typically, the sender’s stablecoins are held in escrow for a period before being released to the recipient. 

An external party, known as an arbiter, oversees this escrow account. However, resolution usually happens off-chain when disputes arise, leading to two major concerns: centralized control by the arbiter and lack of transparency in the dispute process.

To solve this, Circle has designed the Refund Protocol to enhance the overall stablecoin payment experience, especially for USDC. The protocol acts as a smart contract, enabling non-custodial escrow and on-chain dispute resolution.

“Today, Circle’s R&D team released a new Refund Protocol for stablecoin payments. This builds on our earlier open source releases for confidential payments as well as reversible payments. Progress in mainstreaming stablecoin payments,” said Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire.

Rather than controlling the escrow account, the Refund Protocol can only do two things: release funds to the recipient or refund them to the customer. This removes reliance on third-party intermediaries, increases transparency, and boosts efficiency and user trust.

Refund Protocol to Help USDC Gain Market Share?

According to data from DefiLlama, USDT from Tether currently dominates the stablecoin market with over 61% market share. Although USDC holds the second position, its market capitalization is still less than half that of USDT.

The launch of Refund Protocol provides Circle with a strategic edge. By offering developers and businesses an easy way to integrate USDC payments into e-commerce platforms, NFT marketplaces, and DeFi applications, the protocol strengthens USDC’s position as a flexible and reliable medium of exchange.

Additionally, Refund Protocol gives Circle an advantage by providing a decentralized, low-cost, and transparent solution. This will help USDC stand out in real-world applications.

Refund Protocol may face regulatory hurdles despite its innovation, especially in jurisdictions with strict blockchain laws. The legal recognition of on-chain dispute resolution remains uncertain in many regions, potentially posing one of the biggest obstacles to widespread adoption.

The post Circle Enhances USDC with Smart Contract-Based Refund Protocol appeared first on BeInCrypto.

POPCAT has faced significant challenges since the beginning of February, as attempts at recovery have failed to materialize. Despite some price rallies, the meme coin has struggled to regain its losses, with a 48% drop weighing heavily on its performance. 

While the altcoin is still attempting a recovery, a lack of strong support and market optimism is causing delays in any significant rebound. But the meme coin did have a key bullish moment this week.

POPCAT Needs Investors’ Backing

The Chaikin Money Flow (CMF) indicator has remained stuck below the zero line for the past three and a half months. This suggests that inflows into POPCAT have been weak since early December 2024, with little buying interest. The lack of conviction due to fear of losses from investors has contributed to a lack of momentum, keeping the meme coin from experiencing a recovery.

The weak CMF reading signals that investors are not pouring money into POPCAT, which is preventing a meaningful price increase. This has led to the coin’s struggle to maintain any positive price action, further delaying the recovery. 

Technical indicators such as the Relative Strength Index (RSI) also reflect POPCAT’s struggle to find sustained momentum. The RSI has remained below the neutral line of 50.0 for the past three months, indicating weak bullish signals. This reinforces the notion that broader market cues are not supporting a strong recovery for the meme coin.

Without support from the broader market, POPCAT has found it difficult to break out of its current downtrend. Until the market improves, POPCAT is unlikely to break its bearish cycle.

POPCAT Price Is Likely Consolidating

Over the last four days, POPCAT has rallied nearly 20%, currently trading at $0.180. A key catalyst was Robinhood’s POPCAT listing on Thursday, which is expected to drive more investment into the asset and expose it to more investors.

The altcoin has bounced off the support level of $0.140 and is now under the resistance of $0.203. While this recent recovery is encouraging, it will face significant challenges in breaching the $0.203 barrier.

Given the weak market conditions and investor sentiment, POPCAT could struggle to break through the $0.203 resistance. It is more likely that the altcoin will consolidate within the range of $0.140 to $0.203, at least until stronger market cues emerge. This could delay any potential recovery further.

However, if market conditions and investor behavior improve, POPCAT may push past the $0.203 resistance. A successful breach of this level could see the altcoin test $0.238, invalidating the current bearish outlook. This would signal a shift in market sentiment and possibly set the stage for a more sustained recovery.

The post POPCAT Price Struggles to Recover from 48% Drop; Could Robinhood Listing Trigger a Rally? appeared first on BeInCrypto.