Web3 Industry Weekly Report: Highlights from Week 4 of September 2026
Tech Headlines
1. Arc Mainnet Launched on September 16, Using USDC to Pay Network Fees
https://www.arc.io/blog/arc-economic-os-internet
The Circle-backed Arc Network launched its mainnet on September 16. The project positions it as an EVM-compatible L1 for payments and on-chain finance, currently maintained by a permissioned validator set, using USDC to pay network fees, and connecting to other blockchains via Circle CCTP and Gateway. Components opened simultaneously include developer tools, wallet access, and application-oriented integration suites. The project claims the network features sub-second deterministic settlement finality; this performance statement comes from its official materials and should still be evaluated against independent operational data. Optional privacy features are part of subsequent plans and should not be written as capabilities already live this week.
2. Solana Transaction V1 Activated on Mainnet on September 15, Raising the Single Transaction Limit to 4096 Bytes
https://solana.com/upgrades/larger-transaction-sizes
Updated upgrade notes from the Solana Foundation show that the feature gate for Transaction V1 was activated on mainnet at Epoch 1035 on September 15, raising the single transaction limit from 1232 bytes to 4096 bytes, providing space for larger zero-knowledge proofs, multi-signatures, and batch operations. The existing legacy and v0 formats remain available. Applications that read transactions or blocks must declare support for v1; indexers and fee-payer systems also need to read resource limits from the new transactionConfig field. When developers use v1 to submit transactions, they must explicitly set compute unit and data size limits to avoid directly carrying over processing logic from the old format.
3. Stable.com Integrates with Polygon, Supporting Stablecoin Bank Transfers Initiated from Self-Custody Wallets
https://polygon.technology/blog/stable-com-polygon-bank-transfers
On September 17, Polygon Labs announced that Stable.com, a financial platform under Unlimit, has integrated with the Polygon Open Money Stack. According to the project's description, users holding USDT or PayPal USD (PYUSD) on the Polygon network can initiate transfers from self-custody wallets, with bank-side delivery completed by Stable.com's account system and Unlimit's payment network, without first depositing stablecoins into a platform custodial account. This solution links on-chain settlement, wallets, fiat on/off-ramps, and bank payment channels. Actual supported regions, currencies, settlement routes, and identity verification requirements should still be based on the service provider's pages and local regulations; it is inappropriate to infer from the network coverage disclosed by the project that all users are eligible to use it.
Industry Dynamics
1. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Grants Temporary, Conditional Exemption to Tokenized U.S. Stock Trading Platforms
On September 17, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission issued an "innovation exemption" order allowing eligible tokenized securities trading venues to conduct on-chain trading of certain U.S. National Market System stocks in automated market maker liquidity pools used by permitted participants. The exemption is subject to restrictions on trading instruments and volumes, and requires that tokenized stocks retain the same rights as comparable traditional stocks, with smart contracts being public, auditable, and deployed on permissionless public blockchains; when the underlying stock is halted, the corresponding tokenized trading must also cease. This arrangement is temporary and expires after five years, with the regulator simultaneously soliciting comments on future modifications; it should not be interpreted as a comprehensive liberalization of all tokenized stock trading.
2. UK Financial Conduct Authority Issues Final Guidance on Cryptoasset Regulatory Perimeter, Clarifying Authorization Application Window
https://www.fca.org.uk/publications/policy-statements/ps26-18-cryptoasset-perimeter-guidance
On September 16, the UK Financial Conduct Authority issued final guidance PS26/18, explaining which cryptoasset business activities may require regulatory authorization. Under current arrangements, the new scope of regulated activities will take effect from October 25, 2027, covering cryptoasset custody, trading platform operation, dealing arrangements, and staking arrangements. For firms wishing to apply transitional arrangements, the authorization application window runs from September 30, 2026 to February 28, 2027; existing registrations or permissions will not convert automatically. The document primarily helps firms determine whether their business falls within the regulatory perimeter, and specific activities still need to be verified item by item against formal rules and their own structures.
3. Hong Kong Policy Address Proposes Improving Regulation of Tokenized Products and Advancing EnsembleTX Settlement Testing
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202609/16/P2026091600244.htm
The 2026 Policy Address of the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, released on September 16, proposed that the Securities and Futures Commission will improve the virtual asset licensing regime and the regulatory framework for tokenized investment products, support the issuance and trading of suitable real-world assets such as gold on licensed platforms, and promote the trading of regulated stablecoins on licensed platforms as well as their use in settling tokenized money market funds. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority plans to advance central bank digital currency settlement and round-the-clock operation of EnsembleTX around the end of the year, and continue exploring the use cases of tokenized deposits. The above content represents policy directions and plans; specific rules, testing results, and implementation timelines remain subject to subsequent announcements by the competent authorities.
In-Depth Analysis
1. BIS Research Notes: Bitcoin On-Chain Transaction Values Can Differ Sixfold Under Different Measurement Methods
The Bank for International Settlements published Working Paper No. 1377 on September 15, analyzing how transaction, smart contract, and stablecoin data from Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Tron affect on-chain activity metrics. The research points out that differing treatments of technical transfers, change outputs, and cross-contract operations can cause Bitcoin transaction value statistics to vary by up to sixfold; the use cases of the same stablecoin also differ across chains. The authors recommend disclosing statistical methodologies, identifying technical records, and breaking down data by business type to avoid directly equating the volume of on-chain records with real economic activity. The paper reflects the authors' research conclusions and does not represent the official regulatory stance of the Bank for International Settlements.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this document is based on publicly available market data and industry trends, and is for reference only. Please note that this information does not constitute any form of investment advice or recommendation, nor should it be considered as the basis for buying or selling any financial products or services. In case of any translation errors in English, inaccuracies, or situations requiring further clarification, please contact us through 'Contact Us' so that we can verify and make necessary corrections in a timely manner.
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