Author: NBTC

If there’s been one crypto executive who has been singularly fixated, from day one, on bringing the entire global financial system onchain, it’s Sergey Nazarov, the co-founder of the decentralized oracle network Chainlink. This feature is a part of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2025 list. Since Chainlink Labs was established in 2017, distinct from the Chainlink protocol, Nazarov has consistently expanded the network’s scope from “just an oracle” for decentralized finance (DeFi), to a broad suite of tools meant to power virtually every corner of on-chain finance — from tokenization to cross-chain connectivity to enterprise-grade data infrastructure. “Chainlink enabled over $27 trillion…

Checkmate Ecosystem, a community-owned and strategic blockchain Web3 games platform like Anichess, has unveiled its strategic partnership with Team Secret, a famous esports organization, and its significant integration into Web3 gaming and decentralized ecosystem. The main purpose of this partnership is to build an infrastructure in which $CHECK is used as a token for Web3 games. Esports x $CHECKTeam Secret competes at the highest level across multiple top titles for over 12 years.They’re joining the Checkmate Ecosystem.$CHECK, the Strategy Token, will be used as a payment and participation token→ membership NFTs→ tokenized rewards→… https://t.co/qW9Z7hU65a — Checkmate Ecosystem (@CheckmateFDN) January 12,…

The spot crypto trading surged by 9% YoY while perpetual futures increased by 29%. Binance remains the dominant player in spot and perpetual crypto trading in 2025. The institutional adoption of crypto catalyzed by regulatory clarity will likely drive trading volume higher in 2026. Cryptocurrency exchanges registered a healthy growth in trading volume in 2025 compared to the prior year. According to a report from CryptoQuant, crypto exchanges, led by Binance and Bybit, registered a combined trading volume of more than $79 trillion in 2025. Binance Perpetual Trading Fuels Growth in Crypto Volume in 2025 According to a report from…

Following nearly 2 years of operation as a crypto-only platform, Binance.US has returned to the American market with renewed vigor by announcing the reinstatement of United States Dollar (USD) services and introducing 0% trading fees on certain cryptocurrency-to-USD (speculative) pairs. This announcement was made on January 12, 2026, and is considered the “beginning” of a new phase in the evolution of America’s virtual currency ecosystem after undergoing extensive regulatory hurdles. USD Services After Return After 19 Months Binance.US’s reinstatement of the acceptance of fiat currency payments was an important transition for Binance.US after the company’s suspension of USD deposits and…

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is pushing a huge refund wave into early next year, saying Americans will receive “very large refunds” because of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and its retroactive rules. Scott said the law changed what people owe on this year’s income, and since nobody touched their withholding after July, the Treasury now expects $100 billion to $150 billion in refunds. That works out to roughly $1,000 to $2,000 per home, landing in the first quarter. Scott also said workers will adjust their withholding after the refunds hit and see higher take-home pay going into 2026. White…

Veteran activist investor Eric Jackson is pushing a new play in a market that has already scared off half the people who tried it. He is going after the crypto-holding company model again, but this time with a structure built for a market that refuses to sit still. Eric says he is building a setup that uses more assets, more hedging, and a risk system meant to stop the giant losses that killed the first wave of crypto treasuries. Eric is known for hitting odd trades that end up paying off. He bet early on Carvana and Opendoor, and he…

The United Arab Emirates has formally aligned itself with a small but growing group of countries that treat Bitcoin mining as state-linked infrastructure. At the same time, a long-dormant miner from the early days of the network has moved $181 million worth of BTC. Recent announcements circulating on social media state that the UAE government now sponsors Bitcoin mining operations powered by the country’s large natural gas supply. Binance founder CZ commented that the UAE “has been mining for a while,” adding that the country’s peak energy demand lasts only three days in the summer and that capacity covers that…

This morning, credit card giant Visa issued a press release about allowing US card issuers to settle directly with Visa using Circle USD (USDC). Nowhere in this glowing release, amplified by Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire, did Visa mention the tax nightmare that will accompany that roll-out. Specifically, any US bank or fintech company that receives USDC instead of dollars will need to maintain and file with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) timestamped records of every transaction so that it can itemise its cost basis for all sales. The first two banks that have agreed to accept USDC settlements are Cross…

On-chain lending revived in January, showing signs of recovery from crypto insiders. Aave remains the leading lending hub, expanding available liquidity. On-chain lending is picking up in the new year, signaling robust activity from crypto natives. Lending has drawn in whales, becoming a source of liquidity for the on-chain economies of Ethereum, Solana and a few smaller chains. DeFi lending expanded in the past month, with the strongest growth since the October crash. | Source: Token Terminal Total ecosystem lending grew in the past three weeks, after months of sliding following the liquidation event on October 11, 2025. DeFi lending…

The balance is rapidly shifting in the race to appoint the Federal Reserve chairman, a position President Donald Trump will secure. According to a recent report by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Federal Reserve Board member Christopher Waller has joined the ranks of those preparing to interview Trump. Previously considered a “surprise candidate,” Waller has now become a favorite among Wall Street’s voters and a strong contender against Kevin Warsh and Kevin Hassett. Trump is expected to meet with one or two more candidates this week and next week for the Fed chairmanship. Sources close to the process say the…