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.

Ethereum staking hits record 41.7M ETH as price struggles

EthereumAug 12

Ethereum staking has reached a record 41.7 million $ETH, locking more than one-third of the cryptocurrency’s circulating supply despite a sharp decline in its market price. Ethereum staking climbs despite price decline A CryptoQuant chart shared by cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex on Aug. 10 showed that the amount of Ethereum ($ETH) committed to staking had reached an all-time high of 41.7 million $ETH. Staked $ETH has climbed to a record 41.7 million, a third of all $ETH in existence, while price fell from $3,400 in January to $1,900. As the amount staked grows, the rewards do not run out, which is…

BNY and BlackRock funnel billions through one infrastructure provider, exposing the fragile illusion of crypto diversification

RegulationAug 12

BNY's Digital Asset Custody platform plans to provide institutional crypto staking support through Galaxy's infrastructure, the two firms said Aug. 4. BNY touches roughly 20% of the world's investable assets, with $62.6 trillion in assets under custody and administration as of June 30. Galaxy is one of three validator firms approved to stake Ethereum for BlackRock's iShares Staked Ethereum Trust (ETHB). The prospectus says the fund can stake 70% to 95% of its holdings under normal conditions. Two of Wall Street's largest names now route institutional crypto staking through the same infrastructure provider. Galaxy also runs staking for Solana and…

Senators Push CFTC to Ban Wildfire Bets on Prediction Markets

LegalAug 12

In brief Nine Democratic senators urged the CFTC to prohibit prediction market contracts tied to wildfires. Lawmakers said the markets could create incentives for arson, insider trading, and profiting from natural disasters. The request comes as prediction markets face growing legal and political scrutiny across the U.S. Nine Democratic senators are urging the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to crack down on prediction markets that let users bet on wildfires, arguing the contracts create dangerous incentives to profit from natural disasters. In a letter earlier this week to CFTC Chair Michael Selig, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Sen.…

Four Post-Satoshi Era Wallets Awaken With 8,000% Gains After 12 Years

BitcoinAug 12

Unusual on-chain activity has been unfolding on the Bitcoin network since the beginning of this week, with wallets that had remained dormant for more than 12 years coming back to life for the second consecutive day. The pattern of these movements is identical: coins acquired during the "post-Satoshi" era are being transferred to wallets that support P2SH scripts, while the owners' returns are already approaching 8,000%. The history of on-chain observations shows that such awakenings of ancient whales rarely lead to an immediate rally. Rather, they often precede a decline in the $BTC price. Inside the synchronous awakening of 2014…

Ethereum price holds $1,900, can ETH reach $2,000?

EthereumAug 12

Ethereum price consolidated near $1,917 on Aug. 10 as buyers defended the $1,900 area, but weakening short-term momentum and dense liquidity near $1,950 kept $ETH inside a narrow range. Ethereum price holds above $1,900 According to data from crypto.news, Ethereum ($ETH) price was trading at approximately $1,917 at the time of writing, after moving between $1,906 and $1,931 during the latest daily session. $ETH has consolidated above $1,900 since recovering from lows near $1,800 earlier in August. The move followed renewed spot demand, short liquidations and a broader risk-asset rally after weak U.S. employment data reduced expectations for another near-term…

DePIN Project Vangrid Secures $9M in Seed Funding to Build 3D Data Network

RegulationAug 12

Vangrid, a decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePIN) project, has raised $9 million in seed funding, as reported by The Block. The round saw participation from notable investors including HashKey, Borderless Capital, Crypto.com, Animoca Brands, Gate Labs, and Mapleblock Capital. The project is developing a smartphone-based 3D spatial data collection and on-chain verification network, aiming to bridge the gap between real-world data and blockchain infrastructure. Funding and Strategic Backing The seed round brings together a mix of crypto-native funds and strategic investors. HashKey and Animoca Brands are known for their focus on Web3 infrastructure and gaming, while Crypto.com and Gate Labs…

HTX Turns Negative Fees on TradFi Assets Into a Competitive Weapon

ExchangesAug 12

Negative trading fees are rare in crypto. They are practically unheard of outside futures markets, where makers get tiny rebates for providing order-book depth. Offering users cash back on spot trades of traditional finance assets is a different play entirely. That is exactly what $HTX runs now. On August 5, the exchange launched the second phase of its TradFi Trade to Earn campaign, the original announcement confirms, bringing negative fee rates to 28 handpicked TradFi assets and dangling an $80,000 prize pool for participants. The structure is built to pull traders who normally sit on broker platforms. By letting them…

Bitcoin Stalls at $63,400 as ETFs Outpace Network Issuance

BitcoinAug 12

Volatility and Liquidation Trends Bitcoin remained under pressure Tuesday, more than 24 hours after the revelation that Strategy sold 1,690 bitcoins to fund the repurchase of its preferred stock, which sent the cryptocurrency tumbling. While bitcoin initially appeared to have strong support just below $64,000, market data show it lost momentum after breaching that level. This trend continued from Monday night until shortly before 4 a.m. EST on Aug. 11, when a rally pushed prices past $64,400 around 8:15 a.m. However, the rally was short-lived, as the cryptocurrency shed more than $1,000 over the next three hours, plummeting to an…

Sharplink posts $394 million Q2 loss as ETH writedowns swamp revenue

EthereumAug 12

Sharplink (NASDAQ; SBET) has reported a $394.3 million net loss for the second quarter of 2026 despite an elevenfold jump in its revenue. The loss on the company’s balance sheets is due to non-cash writedowns on its Ethereum treasury. Sharplink’s stock (SBET) has also taken a hit, falling 6%, How did SharpLink lose $394 million? Sharplink reported a $321.0 million unrealized loss on its Ether as $ETH prices fell during the second quarter of 2026. The company’s earnings release also showed a $76.1 million impairment on two liquid staking tokens, LsETH and weETH. Both figures are accounting marks under U.S.…

Hut 8’s $7 billion cash balance shrinks to $233 million outside its AI projects

RegulationAug 12

Hut 8 reported over $7 billion of cash, restricted cash, and cash equivalents at June 30, but its Aug. 4 quarterly filing shows that only $233.6 million was unrestricted and available for general corporate use. The other $6.8 billion, or 96.7% of the total, was restricted. That distinction makes Hut 8’s headline balance a misleading measure of the company's flexible liquidity if its large AI data-center projects run late or over budget. Hut 8 held $7.02 billion in cash at June 30, but 96.7% was restricted to project financing and related obligations. The restricted balance principally consists of proceeds from…