Author: NBTC

Hong Kong-based investment firm Trend Research has continued accumulating Ether even as one of the largest corporate ETH holders expects a sharp drawdown during the first quarter of 2026. Trend Research acquired $35 million in Ether (ETH), pushing its holdings above 601,000 ETH worth around $1.83 billion, according to blockchain data platform Lookonchain. The company has borrowed a total of $958 million in stablecoins from decentralized lending protocol Aave and has an average purchasing price of around $3,265 per ETH, wrote Lookonchain in a Monday X post. Trend’s founder, Jack Yi, said he was “bullish” on crypto for the first…

This year, exchange-traded funds opened several doors to crypto on Wall Street, as the SEC forged a fresh approach to the products. Although asset managers had previously fought tooth and nail to offer products tracking Bitcoin and Ethereum’s spot price, many foresaw opportunities in 2025, as the regulatory environment started to shift with President Donald Trump’s return to power in January. As of Dec. 15, spot Bitcoin ETFs had generated $57.7 billion in net inflows since their historic debut in January 2024, according to Farside Investors. That represented a 59% increase compared to $36.2 billion at the start of this…

Between the end of 2025 and up to July 2026, the European Union’s MiCA (Markets in Crypto-Assets) regulation will go into full effect. Specifically, crypto exchanges, self-custody wallet providers, custodians, asset transfer providers, stablecoin issuers and portfolio managers will have to obtain formal authorization to continue operating. Notably, out of the 27 EU member states, only Poland is delaying the national implementation of this strict crypto framework. Polish President Karol Nawrocki vetoed the MiCA-compliant bill this month because it would “threaten the freedoms of Poles, their property and the stability of the state.” Moving forward, the Polish parliament would have…

Token Terminal data revealed that smart contracts deployed on Ethereum hit an all-time high of 8.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2025. The surge was partly driven by the approval of ETH ETFs, which boosted DeFi adoption and increased the number of active addresses. According to Token Terminal, the surge in smart contract deployment also marks a significant increase in developer activity. Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, recently claimed the rising deployment on Ethereum has become easy as anyone “can just build on the L1.” The rise also coincides with growing institutional interest and regulatory clarity. Token Terminal also…

Following recent community debates within the Aave ecosystem, Aave Labs has announced plans to share a portion of revenue from off-protocol activities with AAVE token holders. The company is preparing to submit a formal governance proposal detailing how revenue sharing will operate. The proposal will also include governance and risk safeguards to protect the long-term interests of the DAO and AAVE holders. A chart showing the increase in AAVE’s price. In a comprehensive assessment shared by Aave Labs founder Stani Kulechov, it was noted that despite Aave Protocol’s strong position in the DeFi space, its current growth rate is insufficient.…

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin recently commented on the growing importance of ETH treasury firms in the blockchain ecosystem. According to Buterin, these firms are “good and valuable for Ethereum,” highlighting their role in supporting the network’s long-term growth. His endorsement adds credibility to these organizations and signals their increasing relevance. What Are ETH Treasury Firms? ETH treasury firms are organizations that manage Ethereum-based assets for projects, protocols or investors. They not only optimize capital but also provide liquidity and support strategic growth. In addition, they help fund development, secure the network, and back decentralized finance (DeFi) applications. By holding and…

Brazil is testing one of crypto’s oldest assumptions: that digital assets only thrive when traditional financial systems fail. With its benchmark Selic rate sitting at 15%, one of the highest among major economies, Brazil’s central bank has maintained an aggressively tight monetary stance. Yet according to new IMF research, the country’s financial system is not cracking under pressure. Instead, credit markets remain resilient, and crypto adoption is accelerating anyway. Why Brazil’s Crypto Adoption Defies Traditional Macro Logic Only days after releasing its Q2 2025 COFER data, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has shared another report, this time dissecting Brazil’s macroeconomic…

The cryptocurrency market is having a bullish start to the week as Bitcoin, Ether, and other major cryptos are currently in the green. The holiday period is marked by slow price action due to the low volume in the market. However, this hasn’t stopped the bulls from regaining control, with Bitcoin rallying to the $90k level a few hours ago. Ether reclaims $3k as Ethereum developers ramp up upgrades Copy link to section Ether, the native coin of the Ethereum blockchain, is the best performer among the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market cap. It added 3% to its value in…

Crypto venture capital firms poured billions into early-stage tokens during 2025’s risk-on rebound, but many of those bets are now trading far below their headline fundraising values. The growing gap between private funding numbers and public market caps highlights a market reset after narrative-driven optimism cooled. Data recently shared by CryptoRank shows dozens of well-funded projects losing hundreds of millions, and in some cases nearly all, of their implied value once tokens reached open markets, raising fresh questions about pricing discipline during bull cycles. VC Valuations Meet Public Market Reality CryptoRank’s comparison of VC valuations versus current market capitalizations painted…

Corporations are increasingly turning to Ethereum staking to earn passive yield, a shift that is tightening the amount of Ether available for sale on the open market. BitMine Immersion Technologies, the largest corporate Ether (ETH) holder, staked 342,560 ETH worth over $1 billion in the two days leading up to Sunday, according to blockchain data platform Lookonchain. Staking involves locking ETH into Ethereum’s proof-of-stake network to secure the blockchain in exchange for a passive annual percentage yield (APY) of about 3%–5%. BitMine’s $1 billion in staked Ether also significantly impacted the Ethereum validator queue, with the entry queue having expanded…