Author: NBTC

Banks and financial institutions have started experimenting with tokenized bank deposits, bank balances recorded on a blockchain, but the technology is doomed to lose out to stablecoins, according to Omid Malekan, an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School. Overcollateralized stablecoin issuers, who must maintain 1:1 cash or short-term cash equivalent reserves to back their tokens, are safer from a liability perspective than the fractional reserve banks that would issue tokenized bank deposits, Malekan said. Stablecoins are also composable, meaning they can be transferred across the crypto ecosystem and used in various applications, unlike tokenized deposits, which are permissioned, have know-your-customer…

Despite the price of bitcoin still making headlines, states issuing dollar-backed stablecoins, and payments use cases dominating the conversation, there are substantial other headlines that investors might have missed in this flurry of activity. Particularly with the end of 2025 approaching, and with that the increased importance and focus of tax-related conversations, investors and advocates need to be especially vigilant to analyze institutional developments as well as what these deployments might mean for the wider marketplace. Another reason why certain investors and advocates might have overlooked the headlines below is the renewed focus that crypto hacks and breaches have brought…

Flare Networks directly challenges the narrative that XRP holders stay passive and avoid decentralized finance. New FXRP data shows strong and growing DeFi participation. Nearly 79.7% of FXRP’s total supply, or 66.9 million tokens, remains locked across Flare-based protocols. At current valuations, users actively deploy more than $124 million in DeFi capital. This data clearly contradicts the idea that XRP investors only hold and wait. Growth Continues During Market Weakness Dune Analytics data reveals steady growth in both locked value and user participation since September 2025. FXRP DeFi users have climbed to 5,699 wallets, even as the broader crypto market…

Although the cryptocurrency market is cooling down, with most assets in a state of uncertainty, a trader boasting a 100% win rate has once again gone long on Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Solana (SOL). Specifically, the trader currently holds 39,000 ETH worth $151 million at an average entry of $3,845.33, 1,070 BTC valued at $118 million at $110,114.10, and 569,050 SOL worth $105 million at $198.23, according to the latest on-chain data retrieved from Lookonchain by Finbold on November 2. He has also placed limit orders to add 40,000 SOL about $7.36 million to his long position at $184,…

Russia is preparing to increase penalties for unregistered cryptocurrency mining. According to the revised draft of the Russian Criminal Code, published yesterday, individuals engaging in cryptocurrency mining without government permission face fines of up to 1.5 million rubles (approximately $19,000) and up to two years of compulsory labor. The draft regulation includes stricter penalties for high-profit illegal mining activities. Accordingly, those engaging in cryptocurrency mining that generates significant income could face up to five years in prison, up to 480 hours of compulsory labor, and fines of up to 2.5 million rubles. It is also stated that mining operations operating…

Introduction The advent of decentralized finance (DeFi) in 2008 in the form of Bitcoin ($BTC) started a new era in the world of economy. It was a heaven for those who sought anonymous transactions and disliked the interference and watchkeeping of banks. Appreciation of $BTC’s price attracted millions of dollars and users into the net. However, if a common person wants to be an investor or a participant in a DeFi protocol, they are supposed to be equipped with sufficient knowledge about how DeFi works, especially what automated market making and concentrated liquidity market making are. Liquidity Pools and Automated…

In a breakthrough for global markets, President Donald Trump has secured a far-reaching deal for US-China trade. The agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping de-escalates tensions between the world’s two largest economies. According to the official White House fact sheet, the agreement includes China’s commitment to suspend new export controls on rare earths and critical minerals. They will also halt the flow of fentanyl precursors to the United States and remove all retaliatory tariffs and non-tariff measures implemented since March 4, 2025.​ On the American side, the deal will see a 10% reduction in tariffs on Chinese imports beginning November…

Key Takeaways MMA.INC has signed an MOU with World Liberty Financial to embed blockchain infrastructure into its platforms. The partners will co-develop an on-chain economy centered on an MMA utility token and the integration of the USD1 stablecoin. World Liberty Financial (WLFI), the DeFi project backed by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Mixed Martial Arts Group Limited (MMA) to build an on-chain ecosystem for its global combat-sports community, according to a new press release. The partnership will focus on embedding blockchain infrastructure across MMA.INC’s ecosystem, including designing and issuing an MMA utility…

The US-China tariff conflict, a major source of market anxiety throughout October, was resolved. Despite this positive development, Bitcoin failed to rally last week, posting a 1.72% weekly decline. The crypto market’s failure to respond to clear positive news signals a profound weakening of its upward momentum. Ethereum fell 2.55% for the week, while Solana (SOL) also declined 4.76% over the same period. Geopolitical Gains vs. Crypto Slump The crucial period for crypto investors was between October 29 and 30. This timeframe encompassed the Federal Reserve meeting and the high-stakes summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi…

The global war for specialized financial talent has intensified, with major Japanese banks now actively recruiting PhDs and high-level management professionals to drive their digital transformation. This strategic shift in traditional finance (TradFi) mirrors—and accelerates—a parallel trend in the global FinTech and crypto sectors, where hiring has pivoted sharply toward engineers with deep expertise in Artificial Intelligence (AI), regulated finance, and Real World Asset (RWA) tokenization since the second half of 2025. TradFi’s Structural Pivot: A Response to Digital Restructuring Major Japanese financial institutions, including Mizuho Financial Group and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), are overhauling their foundational hiring models.…