Author: NBTC

NBTC

NBTC is the editorial account for NBTC News, covering Bitcoin, Ethereum, DeFi, blockchain infrastructure, exchanges, mining, regulation and digital asset markets. The editorial team focuses on clear sourcing, timely updates and practical context for crypto readers.

Europe's crypto rules, U.S. Preview

LegalAug 12

Happy Thursday, advisors! In today’s newsletter, Maria Golenkovexplains how the EU’s MiCA framework is the blueprint for future U.S crypto regulation. Learn why your governance and controls need to align now to avoid scrambling later. Then, in “Ask an Expert,” Felix Xu answers questions around why operational risk is the primary investment risk in digital assets, explaining the specific internal controls advisors must demand. Happy reading. MiCA’s final deadline just hit in Europe. U.S. advisors should be taking notes. Right now, America's crypto regulatory landscape is fragmented across multiple agencies. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulates one thing, the…

Wintermute Secures U.S. Broker License, Paving Way for Crypto ETFs and Tokenized Stocks

ExchangesAug 12

Wintermute, a prominent cryptocurrency market maker, has obtained a U.S. broker-dealer license, marking a significant step in bridging the gap between digital assets and traditional finance. The license, reported by The Wall Street Journal, will allow the firm to expand into trading commodities, crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and tokenized stocks, subject to regulatory approvals. This move also grants Wintermute USA designated market maker (DMM) status on major exchanges such as the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Nasdaq, positioning the company at the forefront of institutional crypto adoption. Strategic Expansion into Regulated Markets Wintermute’s entry into the U.S. broker-dealer space…

Bitcoin miner Bitdeer unlocks a $1B cash tap that dilutes shareholders by up to 30% to build its AI empire

MiningAug 12

Bitdeer’s existing at-the-money program could raise up to $1 billion through Class A share sales, about twice the roughly $500 million the Bitcoin miner says it still needs to build its Tydal AI data center. Its latest prospectus supplement filed Aug. 10 sets no minimum sale amount, however, and does not commit the company to sell the full authorization or spend all of it on Tydal. At the filing’s illustrative price of $10.88, a full draw on Bitdeer’s $1 billion ATM capacity would require about 91.9 million new shares. That issuance would equal 40.4% of the 227.4 million Class A…

Bitcoin drops to one-week low as retail buys gold at highest prices since June

BitcoinAug 12

Bitcoin ($BTC) headed lower around Tuesday’s Wall Street open as investors’ appetite for gold sent the precious metal to nine-week highs. Key points: Bitcoin takes a backseat as gold steals the limelight climbing to $4,435 per ounce. Analysis eyes the Bitcoin-gold positive correlation still in place. Key resistance near $66,000 keeps $BTC price action in check ahead of the US CPI inflation print. Retail investors pile into gold ETFs Data from TradingView showed $BTC/USD abandoning a low-timeframe rebound to drop back below $64,000. $BTC/USD four-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView The pair finished down 1.5% on Monday thanks to concerns over the…

TradFi Is Getting Easier Access to DeFi. FATF Says Institutions Still Own the Risk

DeFiAug 12

Institutional infrastructure simplifies technical access to DeFi and complicates legal consequences of using it. FATF's recent report admits that VASPs and DeFi arrangements bring lots of operational benefits including automated settlement, cross-border reach, 24/7 availability and generally higher yields.But none of this moves institutions outside their existing AML/CFT responsibilities. Brokers, banks and other regulated financial institutions must identify who controls a DeFi protocol before using or integrating it into their systems — regardless of how the arrangement is structured or marketed. Three Tiers, One Duty The report sorts DeFi arrangements into three categories: those with identifiable controllers, those that are…

Bitmine’s ETH buying slows as Tom Lee's firm shifts capital to share buybacks

EthereumAug 12

Bitmine Immersion (BMNR), the largest Ethereum treasury firm, bought another 7,391 ether $ETH$1,924.20 last week. The purchase, worth roughly $14.2 million at ether’s price as of writing of $1,915, lifted the company’s holdings to over 5.8 million $ETH, or about 4.8% of Ethereum’s total supply. The latest haul, which extends Bitmine’s $ETH buying streak to 58 weeks, was the smallest weekly purchase through the year and remains a fraction of the 100,000-plus weekly acquisitions Bitmine made earlier this year. Thomas Lee, chairman of Bitmine, noted earlier this year that the firm would slow the pace of crypto accumulation as it…

Short-seller called Nvidia top by not trusting Jensen Huang

RegulationAug 12

Culper Research shorted Nvidia after predicting the $5 trillion AI giant might be re-routing Chinese demand for AI chips through sketchy deals with neighboring countries. Almost no one believed it at the time, but as it turns out, it called the top. Despite Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s guidance of “assuming zero for China” to comply with US export controls to the country, the company actually benefitted from work-arounds and created big problems for itself in neighboring nations. “I’m forecasting China’s sales to be zero,” Huang said in November 2025 after US export restrictions halted Nvidia’s chip sales to China. “It’s…

HYPE falls as crypto funds queue nearly $150M in locked tokens for withdrawal

AltcoinsAug 12

Key points: Funds queue ~$150M of $HYPE for unstaking, $116M from Multicoin $HYPE falls 8% to ~$58; withdrawals dwarf thin spot market Sale intent unclear — Jain denies selling, Selini exit tied to HIP-3 shutdown Hyperliquid’s $HYPE slid to around $58 earlier on Wednesday in the face of large unstaking events initiated by crypto funds. Data obtained from hedge fund and analytics platform Block Liquidity shows Multicoin Capital holding a combined $138.78 million in staked $HYPE, of which roughly 83% — about $116 million — sits in pending withdrawal. That’s as Selini Capital and Galaxy Digital have queued $HYPE tokens…

There Are Some New Developments

LegalAug 12

As discussions continue in the US on the CLARITY Act, which aims to regulate the cryptocurrency market, it has been reported that close supporters of President Donald Trump are working hard to reach an agreement on ethical guidelines. According to crypto journalist Eleanor Terrett, citing her sources, while the White House has begun contacting Republican Senator Thom Tillis and Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego regarding a bipartisan ethics regulation proposal, circles interested in crypto policy remain uncertain. A source in the industry described the current situation as “a strange wait,” while Terrett reported that some of Trump’s closest supporters had been…

KuCoin Pay Debuts Enterprise Gift Card, Pushing Stablecoin Spending

ExchangesAug 12

While centralized exchanges scramble for market share in derivatives, KuCoin is steadily building its payment rails. On Thursday, KuCoin Pay introduced a new product, KuCoin Gift Card, an enterprise-grade gift card solution designed to let businesses transact using stablecoins, as reported in the original announcement. The product targets corporate clients looking for a digital-first way to manage gift card issuance and distribution. Instead of relying on traditional banking rails or fiat settlement, companies can leverage stablecoins to fund and distribute gift cards. The move signals KuCoin’s intent to diversify beyond its exchange business into the infrastructure layer that connects crypto…