Author: NBTC

Blockchain technology is an effective medium for administering social benefit programs, but key compliance challenges remain, according to Julie Myers Wood, CEO of compliance and monitoring consulting firm Guidepost Solutions. Guidepost Solutions advised the Republic of the Marshall Islands’ government on a regulatory compliance and sanctions framework for its USDM1 bond, a tokenized debt instrument issued by the government, backed 1:1 by short-term US Treasuries. The Marshall Islands government launched a Universal Basic Income (UBI) program in November 2025 that distributes quarterly benefits to citizens directly through a mobile wallet. Wood told Cointelegraph: “Any benefit that is currently being distributed…

Ethereum is trading around $1,937, down roughly 1% on the day, as the market consolidates following a sharp early-February sell-off. Summary Ethereum is trading near $1,937, consolidating below the key $2,000 level after a sharp early-February sell-off, with the broader trend still bearish on the daily chart. ETHZilla has launched the first tradable tokenized aviation asset on Ethereum, backed by jet engines leased to a major U.S. airline, expanding the network’s real-world asset (RWA) footprint. Technical indicators show $ETH below its 50-day SMA near $2,799, with support at $1,900 and $1,800, while resistance stands at $2,000 and $2,200. The price…

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI has closed an upsized $20 billion Series E funding round, exceeding its original $15 billion target as tech giants pour billions into the AI arms race despite mounting regulatory scrutiny and AI bubble warnings. The company announced on Tuesday that it had completed the Series E round, with participation from heavyweight investors, including blue-chip investors such as Nvidia and Cisco Investments, as xAI scales what it claims are “the largest GPU clusters in the world.” Valor Equity Partners, Stepstone Group, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Qatar Investment Authority, MGX, and Baron Capital Group are…

One way or another, the U.S. crypto industry is likely to receive official policy that defines which digital assets get what treatment from which federal agencies. The problem: It might not last. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Paul Atkins is focused on reversing the “head in the sand” approach he accuses his predecessors of having on crypto policy, and he’s ready to issue rules that give the industry the regulatory clarity it craves. The catch, though, is that such rules won’t be locked down and can be erased by the same kind of commission vote that puts them in place.…

Upbit and Bithumb, South Korea’s two largest cryptocurrency exchanges, have seen a remarkable increase in trading volume over the past 24 hours. The increased volume was particularly noticeable in major altcoins, especially $XRP. When spot market data from both exchanges are combined, $XRP is seen to have reached by far the highest volume. On the stablecoin side, $USDT, and among the majors, Bitcoin and Ethereum stood out with high volume; while some mid-sized and speculative tokens also saw significant increases. Here are the cryptocurrencies with the highest total trading volume in the last 24 hours, according to Upbit and Bithumb…

Pundi AI has integrated with MWX, which will create the first ever decentralized AI marketplace for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This unprecedented cooperation will help connect the traditional operating methods of the business world with the developing decentralized form of artificial intelligence (AI). Leveraging the trustworthiness of Pundi AI’s verifiable data infrastructure, this joint effort will be able to create on-chain value products from historically unused or lost collected business information silos. This will generate valuable business derived insights that can be used as a resource for OpenAI. Empowering the Backbone of the Global Economy More than 90% of…

A Polymarket trader has resurfaced after a seven-month hiatus to wager on an Israeli strike against Iran. This has reignited market speculation over whether the activity reflects informed positioning or coincidence. These actions echo recent controversies tied to Venezuela, where three wallets reportedly made more than $630,000 by betting on the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro. Dormant Polymarket Trader Draws Scrutiny With Israel-Iran Bets The trader, known as ricosuave666, has spent a total of $8,198 betting on potential Israeli military action against Iran. This user’s profile shows $155,699.12 in profits, with each past Israel-related position proving successful. Blockchain analytics firm…

The crypto industry’s campaign-finance arm, Fairshake, has begun rolling out its campaign strategies in its well-funded effort to pack Congress with lawmakers ready to pass friendly digital assets policy, and Democratic Representative Al Green is the first lawmaker on its hit list. An affiliate of the Fairshake political action committee, which has begun deploying its $193 million war chest on this year’s congressional midterm elections, said it will spend $1.5 million on advertisements opposing Green’s primary campaign. The critical Texas lawmaker has often noted potential hazards posed by cryptocurrencies to the U.S. financial system and to investors, co-sponsored a bill…

The relationship between Binance and FTX has long been one of the most debated rivalries in crypto. Now, Changpeng Zhao (CZ) is offering one of his most detailed public accounts yet. CZ describes how cooperation turned into competition well before FTX’s 2022 collapse. CZ Lifts the Curtain on Binance’s Secretive Break With FTX Speaking on the All-In Podcast, the former Binance CEO traced the relationship back to early 2019, when he first met Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), then running Alameda Research. “Uh, I think I first met him in January 2019 in one of the Singapore conferences Binance organized. I think…

Disclosure: The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to the author and do not represent the views and opinions of crypto.news’ editorial. Over the past two years, the Bitcoin ($BTC) ecosystem has witnessed a proliferation of “layer 2s” that have claimed to bring decentralized finance to the world’s oldest blockchain network. Despite the high hopes many Bitcoin enthusiasts held for these protocols, their results have fallen catastrophically short. Summary Most “Bitcoin L2s” aren’t L2s at all: They’re sidechains with bridges, new tokens, and weaker security models that don’t inherit Bitcoin’s base-layer guarantees. Token-first design is the real red flag:…