Author: NBTC

Russia’s central bank digital currency poses a threat to the country’s domestic payment card infrastructure, according to an analyst at Freedom Finance Global. According to sources, the analyst Natalia Milchakova stated that the digital ruble will become a “serious competitor” to traditional financial payment systems like the MIR card. The digital ruble launch will slow the growth of the Russian bank card market by 7% to 9% per year, Milchakova predicted. Russian firms issued around 475 million cards last year with a year-on-year growth rate of 17%. The central bank plans to roll out the digital ruble nationwide in September…

The CEO of Praetorian Group International (PGI) was sentenced to 20 years in prison in the U.S. for running a global Ponzi scheme that falsely claimed to invest in bitcoin and foreign exchange trading. Ramil Ventura Palafox, 61, promised daily returns of up to 3%, misleading more than 90,000 investors and draining over $62.7 million in funds, according to a Thursday statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. PGI collected more than $201 million from investors between late 2019 and 2021, including over 8,000 bitcoin BTC$66,969.56, according to court records. Instead of investing the money,…

Nexo is set to return to the U.S. market, saying it has officially rolled-out a suite of digital asset offerings and trading infrastructure from the U.S.-based Bakkt. The digital asset wealth platform withdrew from the U.S. in late 2022 after what it called a “dead end” in negotiations with state and federal regulators over its Earn Interest Product. The company said in 2022 it could no longer operate in an “impossible environment” following multiple enforcement actions, including from California and New York. However, in April 2025, it announced it would return, adding had $11 billion in assets under management. The…

During the 2026 Winter Olympics, travelers at airports in Milan, Rome, and Venice can receive instant VAT refunds in $USDC on Polygon. The rollout, supported by Global Blue and Shift4, speeds up digital refunds and accelerates cross-border settlement. Polygon is powering instant value-added tax (VAT) refunds in USD Coin ($USDC) for international travelers at Italian airports during the 2026 Winter Olympics. The system enables fast, stablecoin-based payouts at venues such as Milan, Rome, and Venice airports using Polygon’s blockchain rails. The arrangement is available in February and is offered at airport refund points serving Milan, Rome, and Venice. Travelers who…

Ethereum, the second largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, rose past the $2,000 mark on Saturday, pushing an Ethereum long worth $105,000 into profit. Ethereum reversed a two-day drop and started rising from $1,895 on Feb. 12. The price rebound continued for two days into Saturday, with the $ETH price reaching an intraday high of $2,090. Ethereum’s rise above $2,000 has lifted a long position into profits. According to Lookonchain, the Matrixport-linked whale who longed 105,000 $ETH worth $215 million and was previously in losses has now become profitable again. The Matrixport-linked whale who longed 105,000 $ETH($215M) has turned a $10M+…

The volume of crypto assets traded in the Czech Republic saw a significant increase last year, with analysts attributing the trend to their growing recognition by investors. Despite a year-end slowdown, the continuing integration of cryptocurrencies into traditional finance is likely to strengthen the market in 2026, members of the industry predict. Czechs trade over 15 billion koruna worth of crypto in a year Cryptocurrency trades on domestic Czech exchanges jumped by half in 2025, reaching 15.5 billion koruna (approx. $750 million), local media revealed this week. Market watchers are attributing the growth to heightened investor interest, indicating that the…

Mainland China widens its crypto ban to cover RMB-pegged stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets, even as Hong Kong pushes ahead with a licensed stablecoin regime. Summary A new joint notice from the PBoC, CSRC and other agencies extends China’s virtual currency ban to tokenized real-world assets, treating many RWA platforms as illegal finance if unlicensed.​ The rules bar any domestic or controlled entity from issuing RMB-pegged stablecoins abroad without approval, tighten mining enforcement, and target “shadow” data centers that secretly run rigs.​ Hong Kong moves in the opposite direction, with the HKMA preparing its first stablecoin licenses as firms like…

A noticeable Shiba Inu ($SHIB) transfer has appeared on-chain, as visualized by Arkham, showing 46,024,240,350 $SHIB being moved internally across Kraken-controlled wallets. Valued at around $301,900 at the time of execution, the transaction suggests a liquidity shift as the exchange adjusts its holdings between cold storage and its active hot wallet. Kraken adjusts between hot and cold: $SHIB price structure detailed Blockchain data by Arkham confirms that the transfer was executed on the Ethereum network. Despite the high volume, the network’s efficiency allowed for a transaction fee of just 2.03 Gwei, equivalent to $0.14. The sender address is verified as…

Solana has climbed to a new all-time high in tokenized assets in TVL (Total value locked), now sitting at $1.66 billion. Tokenized assets are real-world assets (RWAs) that have been digitized on-chain using blockchain technology. Tokenization allows the value of real assets such as properties (real estate), securities, equities, commodities, artwork, and several others to be converted into digital format using blockchain technology, and traded on global on-chain markets. Solana’s achievement highlights the rising interest in the tokenization of RWAs in the blockchain network – a narrative that is increasingly driven by established financial institutions and asset management firms. Solana’s…

Ethereum’s recent price action reflects a market transitioning from impulsive selling into a potential short-term stabilisation phase. After a sharp decline toward the $1,750 demand zone, $ETH has reacted with a moderate rebound, yet is expected to continue fluctuating in the short term. Ethereum Price Analysis: The Daily Chart On the daily chart, $ETH continues to trade inside its descending channel, with lower highs and lower lows still intact. The recent impulsive drop pushed the price sharply into the $1.8K demand area, where buyers reacted and triggered a rebound toward the $2.1K region. However, the asset remains below the 0.5…