Author: NBTC

In brief The Financial Action Task Force said that many DeFi platforms are decentralized in name only and fall under its rules wherever identifiable people control them. Its report urges countries to find those controllers and regulate them as virtual asset service providers, and, as a last resort, to ban platforms that refuse to cooperate. Nearly 93% of surveyed jurisdictions have yet to apply the rules to qualifying DeFi arrangements, and just two have ever licensed or registered one. Much of decentralized finance is not as decentralized as it looks, and the platforms behind it should be regulated like other…

Ramp has made stablecoin accounts and payments available to all its customers, giving businesses one platform to hold, send, and receive both regular dollars and stablecoins like $USDC and USDT. Until now, most finance teams treated stablecoin payments as a separate hassle, requiring a different wallet, no approval controls, and hours of manual reconciliation. One Ramp beta customer found that stablecoin payments made up just 10% of vendor payments but consumed half of their accounts payable team’s time. Ramp’s approach folds stablecoins directly into the same system businesses already use for cards, bills, and accounting, so a payment settling in…

Starknet has announced the upcoming launch of Midas, a BTCFi strategy platform, set to be discussed in an X Space event on July 22, 2026, at 8 AM EDT. This initiative aims to enhance user experience by allowing easy discovery, comparison, and execution of Bitcoin strategies. More details can be found in the official tweet from Starknet. What Went Down The broader crypto market currently displays mixed signals amid fluctuating momentum across major assets. While many cryptocurrencies have remained stagnant, Starknet is breaking away with the introduction of Midas, a platform designed to facilitate BTCFi strategies. This move signifies Starknet’s…

Bitcoin’s sentiment remained mildly bearish heading into the latest trading week, with the asset locked in a ranging phase after failing to close above $65,000 over the past week. More broadly, Bitcoin [$BTC] has traded below the $70,000 mark for roughly 21 days as bearish pressure persisted. Fresh whale activity over the past day revived interest in whether large buyers could push the asset higher, so AMBCrypto examined how whale flows have shaped Bitcoin’s price action in recent weeks. Whales step in with major buys Whales matter to any asset because of the capital they deploy and because they tend…

Pseudonymous crypto trader NoName says Ethereum has just crossed into the price zone where its bear market has historically bottomed, pointing to four straight lower highs as proof the downtrend has run its course. The trader, who is buying through the dip with a long-term target of $7,000, argues that the same crowd psychology that made $ETH everyone’s favorite trade at $4,900 is now working against it below $2,000. Mapping Out the Bottom Zone In a post shared Friday, NoName laid out Ethereum’s decline through four descending peaks: $4,957, then $3,400, then $2,460, then $1,950, calling it a textbook downtrend.…

Tokyo-listed Bitcoin Japan Corporation has invested in SpaceX through a U.S.-based private secondary market transaction tied to digital infrastructure and AI expansion. According to a press release shared with crypto.news, Bitcoin Japan made the investment through BTCJPN US LLC, its wholly owned U.S. subsidiary, using a Special Purpose Vehicle managed by a registered U.S. general partner. The company said the deal forms part of its investment activity focused on digital assets, AI compute infrastructure, satellite communications, and next-generation technology sectors. SpaceX currently operates launch systems and the Starlink satellite communications network, while also expanding into AI infrastructure, compute capacity, and…

Bank of America is expanding its global payments strategy with a renewed focus on enhancing cross-border transaction capabilities, highlighting the growing importance of efficient international money movement in modern finance. Being one of the world’s largest financial institutions and a company frequently associated with discussions surrounding Ripple and payment innovation, Bank of America’s latest initiative underscores the continued evolution of global settlement infrastructure. Ripple Gains Institutional Momentum Through Major Banking Alliance Ripple partner Bank of America is preparing to launch a new cross-border payments service that incorporates SWIFT. An analyst known as SMQKE on X noted that rather than replacing…

The European Union has turned its financial pressure on Russia up another notch — and this time, crypto is directly in the line of fire. The EU’s 21st sanctions package against Russia, negotiated by ambassadors on July 22, takes aim at nearly 90 Russian banks and, in a significant first, targets 11 crypto platforms allegedly used to route money around existing sanctions walls. The package, which traces back to a proposal by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on June 9, represents one of the broadest expansions of the bloc’s financial war against Moscow since the 2022 invasion of…

Large $XRP holders are accounting for an increasingly larger share of exchange outflows, according to new data from CryptoQuant. The trend confirms whales are playing a much bigger role in moving $XRP off centralized exchanges than retail investors. Whale Share Reaches New High Data from CryptoQuant contributor Amr Taha shows that whale outflow dominance across all centralized exchanges (CEXs) climbed to a record 77.8% on July 22. Retail investors accounted for just 22%, the lowest share on record. The shift is notable compared with May 6. At that time, whales represented 63% of $XRP outflows, while retail investors accounted for…

Fetch.ai recently announced a new set of documentation designed to facilitate rapid prototyping and agent building. This initiative is part of their commitment to providing developers with the necessary tools to innovate effectively in AI and blockchain applications. Detailed information can be found in their official tweet here. Inside the Move The broader crypto market is currently displaying mixed signals, indicating varying momentum across different assets. Amidst this backdrop, Fetch.ai’s latest documentation launch serves as a strategic move to engage developers who are increasingly interested in building AI applications. The documentation emphasizes rapid prototyping and the creation of proofs of…