🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Slash hits a unicorn valuation after a close call

• Earlier, Slash raised a US$41 million series B at a US$370 million valuation 1.
• It nearly folded when the sneaker reseller market crashed, cutting 80% of revenue overnight 1.
• Slash then shifted to vertical banking, creating industry-specific financial workflow tools for performance marketing agencies as well as crypto firms 1.
• The new focus helped it reach US$150 million in annualized revenue, while a LinkedIn post said it stayed profitable 2.

A fintech run suggests stablecoins are moving into everyday payments

• Slash is not a crypto company, yet it relies on stablecoins, a type of cryptocurrency designed to maintain a stable value, to settle business payments 3.
• Global USD gives businesses in more than 100 countries a U.S. account plus stablecoin transfers using USD Coin (USDC) or Tether (USDT) 4.
• Bridge, a payments infrastructure company, says Slash runs more than US$1 billion in annualized stablecoin payment volume 5.
• US policy is catching up through proposals like the GENIUS Act, which would set a federal framework for payment stablecoins and give fintechs more certainty to build with them 6, 7.