Author: NBTC

Blockchain infrastructure company Alchemy has launched a system that allows autonomous AI agents to buy compute credits and access its blockchain data services using onchain wallets and $USDC on Base. According to the company’s announcement, the initial release allows AI agents to directly query blockchain networks, check nonfungible token (NFT) ownership, view wallet balances across multiple chains and access live token price data, with additional networks and services planned. If an agent exhausts its prepaid compute credits, Alchemy issues a payment request that can be automatically settled in $USDC ($USDC) on Base, allowing the agent to continue operating without human…

Decentralized finance has long promised open financial markets that anyone can access without intermediaries. Despite the rapid growth of crypto infrastructure, large financial institutions have remained cautious. According to Henry Zhang, founder and CEO of DigiFT, the barrier is not the technology itself. It is trust. In an interview with TheStreet Roundtable, Zhang explained how institutions evaluate DeFi. What does “institutional grade” mean? “Institutional grade sounds like one phrase, but it actually means many things,” Zhang said. “It includes the quality of the underlying assets, the legal structure, the governance, the risk management, and the disclosure.” Those requirements are familiar…

Vitalik Buterin has outlined Ethereum upgrades linked to its upcoming Glamsterdam hardfork. The developments generally aim to increase scalability, security and user experience on the blockchain. ETH has fallen below $2K following wider market events. Ethereum creator and co-founder Vitalik Buterin has outlined 8 Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) that comprise the upcoming Glamsterdam hardfork scheduled for the first half of 2026. Ethereum: 2026 Glamsterdam hardfork The proposals follow Ethereum’s three-track roadmap enshrined in its 2025 “predictable engineering delivery model” and comprising: Scalability. Improved user experience. Heightened security, censorship-resistance, and quantum-resistance. More specifically, block building will now take place directly on…

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi publicly disavowed a cryptocurrency bearing her name and likeness. The token crashed 58% within hours, and regulators moved to investigate the issuer. The episode is the latest in a string of political memecoins that have burned retail investors worldwide. PM’s Denial Triggers Crash Takaichi is Japan’s first female prime minister and one of its most popular in decades. Her LDP won 316 seats in the Feb. 8 general election, a supermajority, and her cabinet approval rating sits near 70%. SANAE TOKEN launched on the Solana blockchain on Feb. 25 without the prime minister’s knowledge. Serial…

CleanSpark (CLSK), a U.S.-based bitcoin $BTC$72,578.05 mining company that operates large-scale data centers, sold almost all the bitcoin it produced last month to generate cash for an expansion into artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC). The Nasdaq-listed miner produced 568 $BTC in February and sold 553 $BTC, roughly 97%, according to its latest operational update. The sales generated about $36.65 million in proceeds at an average price of $66,279 per bitcoin, one of the highest production-to-sales ratios the company has reported. The sale reflects a broader trend among bitcoin miners pivoting toward AI and HPC, with companies increasingly selling…

SocialGrowAI, a popular AI-led Web3 growth automation entity, has partnered with AGNT Hub, a prominent Web3 execution infrastructure platform. The partnership endeavors to incorporate the AI-led growth automation and native on-chain execution instruments in X-based social feeds. As per SocialGrowAI’s official social media announcement, the development is to streamline access to analytics, wallets, and robust decentralized actions without the need for consumers to quit the app. Hence, the development underscores a wider push toward integrating blockchain technology into wider social experiences. 🤝 Partnership AnnouncementWe’re excited to announce a strategic partnership with @agnt_hubAGNT Hub is building the native Web3 execution layer…

Hex Trust, an institutional-level digital asset custody and financial services entity, has partnered with Doppler Finance, a DeFi infrastructure platform. The collaboration aims to broaden institutional-scale utilities of the wrapped $XRP ($wXRP) token. As Hex Trust mentioned in its official X post, the move connects $XRP Ledger ($XRPL) and the wider decentralized finance (DeFi) network. So, the development makes $XRP a dynamic asset that can generate rewards, operate across diverse chains, and scale liquidity. $XRP is going multi-chain. 🤝 We’ve partnered with @doppler_fi to expand institutional-grade use cases for #wXRP! Together, we’re bridging the #XRPLedger to the wider DeFi ecosystem.🔗…

The Ethereum price consolidation develops into a double bottom pattern to bolster recovery above the $2,000 barrier.. Ethereum’s Market Value to Realized Value (MVRV) ratio has dropped into the undervalued zone at 0.78% The Relative Strength index surged to 48% suggesting improving bullish sentiment in the market to support price recovery. On Thursday, the Ethereum price recorded a slight downtick of 1.45% to trade at $2,024. This pullback signals intact supply pressure at weekly resistance level of $2,142, and continuation of its short-term consolidation. While the price action is yet to confirm sustainable recovery, the latest on-chain data shows historical…

The crypto liquidity provider market is heading for a shakeout. That is the verdict of three-quarters of institutional OTC participants surveyed by Finery Markets, a crypto liquidity network whose new annual report describes 2026 as the year when consolidation pressure becomes impossible to ignore. Liquidity Provider Numbers Expected to Fall Six in ten OTC market participants said they expect the number of active liquidity providers to shrink before the end of 2026, with 25% predicting an outright decrease and a further 37% forecasting a slight contraction. Only 32% of respondents expect new entrants to offset losses. “In a market increasingly…

A fresh political push for crypto legislation is stirring debate across Washington and the digital asset industry. U.S. President Donald Trump issued a forceful statement backing the CLARITY Act and warning that major banks should not undermine what he described as America’s crypto agenda. In his remarks, Trump said the “Genius Act” was being threatened by banks and stressed that the United States must finalize market structure legislation as soon as possible. He argued that Americans deserve the opportunity to earn more on their money and warned that delays could push innovation to countries like China. Trump framed the legislation…