The article discusses the Coinbase Commerce Payments Protocol, which allows smart contracts to manage funds between payers and merchants, similar to Visa and Mastercard systems. It also mentions Robinhood obtaining a brokerage license in the EU, signaling its entry into the European market.

The article discusses Coinbase Commerce's Payments Protocol for USDC on Shopify, which uses concepts of "Escrow" and "Operator" to manage payment transfers. This framework allows entities like Visa and Mastercard to create their own smart contracts to govern transactions. Additionally, it notes Robinhood's new brokerage license in the EU.