Author: NBTC

China is upgrading the digital yuan in 2026, shifting it from digital cash into a fully integrated banking product. The new e-CNY framework keeps banks at the center while selectively using blockchain for payments and settlement. China’s digital yuan is moving beyond trials, signaling a long-term strategy for domestic and cross-border payments. China’s digital yuan is about to change in a way that goes far beyond payments. As of January 1, 2026, the People’s Bank of China (PBC) has officially put a new Action Plan into effect that upgrades the digital yuan (e-CNY) from a digital version of cash into…

Sam “SBF” Bankman-Fried claims to have “new evidence“ that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) under former President Joe Biden silenced key witnesses in his fraud case, as he pushes for a new trial. “New evidence shows that Biden’s DOJ threatened multiple witnesses into silence or into changing their testimony. My conviction should be thrown out,“ said SBF in his latest X post from prison on Wednesday. He linked to a court filing seeking a new trial under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 33. The motion, submitted Thursday, references a declaration from a former FTX employee and follows earlier reporting…

The world’s largest crypto exchange by trading volume has rolled out its prepaid Mastercard crypto card in several countries in the Commonwealth of Independent States, marketing lead Anka Tsintsadze confirmed on Friday. The Binance Mastercard is now accessible to verified users in select CIS jurisdictions including Armenia, allowing users to convert bitcoin, ethereum, stablecoins and more than 100 supported tokens instantly into local fiat currency at checkout. “Pay in crypto. Merchants get fiat or crypto. Best way to push crypto payments and adoption,” Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao wrote on X, lauding the crypto card service’s regional expansion. Binance crypto card…

Charles Hoskinson reveals post quantum security plan for Cardano with Google and Microsoft research support. Hoskinson says Nightstream can replace zero knowledge systems without major changes to Cardano core network. Cardano Nightstream project targets quantum resistant encryption using fast lattice based cryptography systems for blockchain. Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson post quantum plans are putting quantum cryptography into focus as the network prepares for future quantum computing risks. Hoskinson revealed that Cardano is working with experts linked to Google, Linux groups, and Microsoft Research, aimed at preparing the blockchain for future quantum computing threats. Charles Hoskinson Post Quantum Plans With Google…

Ethereum price today trades near $1,977, up slightly in the past hour after testing the $1,900 support level following a 10% drop over the past week. The move comes as Ethereum spot ETFs recorded $129 million in outflows on February 11, marking one of the largest single-day exits since launch. ETF Outflows Accelerate As Fidelity Leads Redemptions According to SoSoValue data, Ethereum spot ETFs saw $129.18 million in net outflows yesterday, with Fidelity’s FETH leading the selling at $67.99 million. Total net assets now stand at $11.27 billion, representing 4.78% of Ethereum’s market capitalization. Cumulative net inflows remain positive at…

With just 22 days remaining before the Jan. 28, 2026, Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, futures traders and prediction markets are sending a unified message: a rate cut looks very unlikely. Rate-Cut Hopes Fade as Markets Brace for a January Hold According to CME Fedwatch data derived from federal funds futures pricing, the market assigns an 83.9% probability that the benchmark rate remains unchanged at 3.50% to 3.75% following the January FOMC meeting. Only 16.1% of pricing implies a 25-basis-point reduction, while odds of a hike are effectively nonexistent. That caution is echoed across prediction markets. On Tuesday via…

Hong Kong, one of the world’s major financial hubs, has long been committed to cryptocurrency and blockchain technology — but it faces a competitive challenge from the crypto-friendly UAE. This was a fact acknowledged by panelists Joseph Chan, under secretary for financial services and the treasury in Hong Kong, and Johnny Ng, founder of web3 investment firm Goldford Group, who spoke at Consensus Hong Kong. “The UAE is really aggressive,” said NG, who served as a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) since 2018. He said places such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi…

Boerse Stuttgart Group, operator of one of Europe’s largest stock exchanges, said it will merge its cryptocurrency business with Frankfurt-based digital asset trading firm Tradias in a strategic move to expand its presence in institutional crypto markets. The transaction will consolidate about 300 employees under a joint management team from both companies, according to a Friday announcement. The combined unit aims to cover multiple digital asset services, including brokerage, trading, custody, staking and tokenized assets. It will serve banks, brokers and other financial institutions across Europe, providing fully regulated crypto infrastructure, the announcement said. Financial terms of the deal were…

Snowball Money has declared a strategic alliance with REI Network (GXChainGlobal) to incorporate identity infrastructure into the zero-fee blockchain ecosystem at REI. The partnership is meant to bring human-readable identities, on-chain reputation that is portable, and streamlined wallet interactions to the growing range of decentralized finance and games applications of REI. Partnership Announcement 🤝We’re partnering with @GXChainGlobal (REI Network) to bring identity infrastructure to the zero-fee blockchain.What this partnership enables:→ Human-readable identities for zero-fee transactions – REI users can claim @names for seamless, gas-free… pic.twitter.com/MYGMNLfNHn — Snowball Money (@snowball_money) February 12, 2026 This announcement points to a common mission of…

Arkham Intelligence released a new research report which disclosed the parties that possessed the biggest Ethereum balances in the world. The data concentrates on non-staking holdings of $ETH and provides a better perspective of liquid and custodial supply, as opposed to locked protocol funds. The list is dominated by centralized exchanges and institutional players according to the report. They jointly hold millions of $ETH which is tens of billions of funds at existing rates. This release emphasizes the fact that Ethereum is still being owned by large financial institutions. 🚨JUST IN: WORLD’S LARGEST $ETH HOLDERS REVEALEDAccording to a new research…