Author: NBTC
The founder and CEO of Russian Bitcoin mining firm BitRiver, Igor Runets, has reportedly been detained and charged with multiple counts of tax evasion. According to reports from local media outlets such as RBK and Kommersant on Sunday, Runets was detained on Jan. 30 and is facing three charges for allegedly concealing assets to evade taxes. The outlets cite court documents from the Zamoskvoretsky Court of Moscow, which indicate that Runets was charged on Jan. 31 and ordered to be placed under house arrest on the same day. Runets’ legal team now has a small window to appeal the house…
Three large wallets bought about $16 million worth of tokenized gold within a few hours on February 4. On-chain tracker Lookonchain shared the moves in real time. One wallet withdrew 1,500 XAUT worth about $7.58 million from OKX. Whales are buying gold.0x2788 withdrew 1,500 $XAUT($7.58M) from #OKX 2 hours ago.0x4E3c withdrew 931.33 $PAXG($4.75M) from #Binance 4 hours ago.0xDea3 bought 732.8 $PAXG($3.74M) 1 hour ago.https://t.co/qJ6krFEk9ohttps://t.co/vG4ilPIR9jhttps://t.co/wDzfNwjYh5 pic.twitter.com/2wtRXkC9x8 — Lookonchain (@lookonchain) February 4, 2026 Second one pulled 931.33 $PAXG worth around $4.75 million from Binance. Additionally, the third one bought 732.8 $PAXG for around $3.74 million. These three actions happened close together. Which…
Cwallet, a well-known multi-chain crypto wallet, is officially listing Alephium ($ALPH), a popular L1 blockchain, on its platform. With this listing, Cwallet attempts to broaden the multi-chain ecosystem thereof by permitting consumers to seamlessly manage, receive, and send $ALPH tokens without leaving the Cwallet interface. As Cwallet mentioned in its official social media announcement, the integration is set to play a critical role in the provision of real-world usability, security, and scalability for diverse Web3 applications. Additionally, this listing underscores the platform’s wider strategy to efficiently onboard cutting-edge blockchain ecosystems with robust technical fundamentals. Cwallet Now Supports @alephium ($ALPH)!We’re excited…
The crypto trader known as the “Hyperunit whale” rose to prominence after reportedly making about $200 million by shorting major cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin and Ether, just ahead of US President Donald Trump’s tariff announcement that triggered the October market crash. The trader has since suffered heavy losses after taking a large long position. The development came to light after blockchain analytics firm Arkham Intelligence revealed that the whale had emptied its entire $ETH treasury into Hyperliquid, resulting in estimated losses of around $250 million. The hyperunit whale’s loss incident sparks concerns in the crypto industry Concerning the hyperunit whale’s trending…
State Street, a bank with a market cap of about $36 billion, is positioning itself as a bridge between traditional and digital finance — and it’s not waiting for the future to arrive. On Thursday, the bank officially launched its Digital Asset Platform, a secure infrastructure designed to support tokenized money market funds (MMFs), exchange-traded funds (ETFs), cash products, and stablecoins. The platform includes wallet management, custodial services, and digital cash capabilities, and is designed to operate across both public and permissioned blockchains. Speaking on the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call on Friday, CEO Ronald O’Hanley said the financial system is…
The state of Wyoming is seeking to regulate the crypto ATMs to curb related scams. A bill that would place crypto ATMs under the state banking division has been sponsored by Rep. Ken Clouston, R-Gillette, and will be debated in the upcoming legislative session. Wyoming Legislators Respond to Rising Crypto ATM Scams The Problem The total amount lost through crypto ATM scams has increased despite a potential decline in the underlying cases. According to Alan Stuber, from the Gillette Police Department, during last week’s AARP Wyoming’s Legislative Preview webinar for Wyoming legislators, Gillette and Campbell County residents lost more than…
Binance led January’s proof-of-reserve rankings with $155.6b in assets, far ahead of OKX, Bybit, and smaller rivals, highlighting a tiered exchange reserve structure. Summary Binance ranked first in CoinMarketCap’s January 2026 reserve report with $155.6b in assets, the largest proof-of-reserve stack among major exchanges. OKX and Bybit formed a second tier of reserve holders, while regional platforms like Gate, HTX, Bitget, MEXC, and KuCoin made up a smaller third tier. Reserves were concentrated in stablecoins, Bitcoin, Ethereum, exchange tokens such as BNB, and popular altcoins including Dogecoin, $XRP, and Solana, underscoring PoR as a key transparency tool post‑2022. Binance ranked…
Local authorities in Butuo County, located in China’s Sichuan Province, have taken decisive action against virtual currency mining. The county government announced a comprehensive ban on all mining-related operations. The decision aligns with broader national policies aimed at phasing out energy-intensive and outdated production practices. Officials framed the move as part of an effort to preserve financial order, reduce systemic risks, and protect local resources. Consequently, the announcement places renewed pressure on remaining mining hubs in rural regions that previously attracted operators due to lower costs. Besides addressing economic concerns, the notice emphasized social stability and regulatory compliance. Authorities signaled…
TL;DR Ripple moves into execution phase with Mastercard, shifting blockchain settlement from pilots to live card payment flows using $RLUSD on the $XRP Ledger, with transactions settling in seconds instead of days. Mastercard confirms stablecoins operate as a native settlement asset within its regulated network, keeping consumer payment experiences unchanged while modernizing back-end infrastructure. The rollout begins with the Gemini Credit Card issued by WebBank, signaling broader institutional adoption of on-chain settlement across regulated financial rails. Ripple Moves Into Execution Phase with Mastercard marks a transition from experimentation to operational deployment in global payments. The collaboration places blockchain settlement directly…
According to Lido Finance X account, Ethereum staking has hit an all-time high, with over 30% of all $ETH now staked. According to on-chain data from Validator Queue, staked $ETH has reached a new all-time high of 36.6 million, representing 30.13% of $ETH supply. Ethereum staking hits all time high with 30% of all $ETH now staked. — Lido (@LidoFinance) January 30, 2026 Institutional staking from treasury firms and ETFs has contributed to this figure. Lookonchain reported Jan. 29 that Tom Lee’s Bitmine staked an additional 250,912 $ETH worth $745 million. Lookonchain gives the total staked by Bitmine to be…