this week Web3 Thoughts of the Week cover DoorDash and stablecoins, spot Bitcoin ETFs, and DeFi’s fragmented image.
DoorDash stablecoin usage
“This was never about DoorDash embracing crypto. This is about money finally starting to behave like the Internet.
“Stablecoins are just a better version of the dollar. They move instantly, globally, and without all the friction we’ve become accustomed to over time. When companies like DoorDash start using them, it’s less of a big announcement and more of a sign that the underlying system is already changing.”
“Stripe and others are essentially turning payments into software. When that happens, everything becomes cheaper and faster by default.
“What’s underappreciated is that stablecoin reserves don’t just sit there. They can be put to work in short-term treasuries or other low-risk strategies, meaning companies can passively earn returns on cash that used to be idle. Payments are becoming less of a pure cost center and starting to look more like a balance sheet asset.”
“In the bigger picture, financial infrastructure is reopening. Historically when this happens, incumbents lose control and users get a better deal.”
– Sid Sridharfounder and CEO BIMA Laboratories
“DoorDash’s move to integrate stablecoin payments through Stripe-powered Tempo represents a remarkable shift in the way global marketplaces manage payments. By replacing fragmented regional rails with a blockchain-based solution, DoorDash effectively bypasses legacy banking infrastructure that has long caused delays, fees, and currency friction.”
“This development also shows how stablecoins are rapidly evolving from niche crypto tools to practical financial infrastructure. Faster and more consistent payments for employees and cross-border participants can significantly increase liquidity and earnings visibility. More broadly, it underscores a growing trend: large-scale platforms are starting to view blockchain not as an experiment, but as a more efficient alternative to traditional financial systems.”
– Joshua KimCEO and founder DonaFi
“DoorDash’s move to integrate stablecoin payments feels like a practical breakthrough around real infrastructure rather than inefficient payment rails. For the broader market, this type of adoption validates stablecoins as a layer of utility, not just a medium of commerce. When platforms of this scale normalize blockchain-based payments, it quietly accelerates mainstream adoption without the need for a major narrative shift.”
– Nathaniel Szerezlachief growth officer Naoris Protocol
Spot Bitcoin ETFs
“The headline for us is not that last week’s inflows were big, but that they were against them. Close to $1 billion inflows into spot BTC ETFs in a week where the US seized a ship from Iran, oil lost 6% of its value, and the ceasefire is set to expire on Wednesday.”
“In previous cycles, these events sent BTC down 10-15%; instead it held $75,000 and closed the week higher. Two things explain why institutions continue to buy through this band.”
“The tail limits are now known. After eight weeks of cease-fires, violations, and naval blockades, the extremes have become legible rather than limitless. Allocators can measure against a known distribution that is different and more durable than optimism, and this has freed up the allocation to return to risky assets.”
“The calendar is set on a positive note. It’s half-year, the fiscal situation is still hot, the Fed is under visible pressure on the inflation framework. Risk assets are positioned to outperform through the end of the year, and Bitcoin as a near-reserve trade fits neatly into this pattern.”
“Like most of us, we are watching what happens on Wednesday as the ceasefire is scheduled to end.”
– Jonathan YorkPresident of Quant Trading Acheron Trade
DeFi is running out of time to fix its image
“After a series of hacks and $9 billion exodus, DeFi is facing another existential crisis. But this time, it is competing directly with large institutions entering the space and has little to offer in exchange for risk. Since rates available on stablecoins are just over 5%, investors have other ways to increase such returns without the risk of losing all their funds.”
“The problem is that operators in the DeFi space still act as if this is a technology experiment, but it is not. The technology works and offers real benefits. What is still broken is the security culture.”
“Although bridges have been notorious for hacking for years, they are still used as a vector for exploitation. At this point, it is less about innovation and more about a failure to prioritize basic security measures.
“Every serious institution looking at DeFi right now sees an amateur operation. This is a big problem for an industry that wants to be taken seriously. The window to improve DeFi’s image is quickly closing, and taking security seriously is where it starts. We are no longer on the testnet, and the traditional financial world has no patience for incompetence.”
– Nic Puckrinmacro analyst and co-founder Office Corner
National Institute of Standards and Technology and post-quantum security
“The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s draft SP 800-230 shows that the world of post-quantum security will continue to be dynamic in the future. It makes clear that the future of cryptography is not about choosing a single ‘quantum-secure’ algorithm, but about applying different levels of security based on risk, context and time horizon.”
“More specifically, the NIST SP 800-230 draft proposes six new variants to the FIPS-205 (SPHINCS+) post-quantum algorithm standard, adding to the 15 variants already standardized as DILITHIUM and SPHINCS+, creating a total of 18 algo variants.
“If you add in the existing FALCON digital signature PQC algorithm that they are reviewing, we could be looking at 20 digital signature variants in about 24 months by next year. And that’s just the US PQC standards.”
“Much of the blockchain industry is still approaching the post-quantum transition as a one-time upgrade. But quantum security is not a one-time solution; it is a logistical challenge that requires flexibility at the transaction level rather than rigidity at the protocol layer.
“At BOLTS Technologies, we built QFlex as a cryptographic logistics layer, an architecture designed to bring NIST’s multi-level framework to blockchain environments without requiring changes at the protocol level. With QFlex, security control is placed in the hands of asset owners, giving them the ability to choose the appropriate level of security for each transaction.
“A low-risk transfer might use lightweight cryptography, while a high-value enterprise solution may require stronger post-quantum protections. In our model, security is aligned with real-time risk. More importantly, this approach allows security to evolve independently of the underlying blockchain infrastructure, without relying on coordinated network upgrades.”
– Yoon ahfounder BOLT Technologies
