Author: NBTC

Citi and Swift complete a landmark trial enabling Payment-versus-Payment (PvP) settlement between fiat and digital currencies. The trial used Swift’s existing infrastructure, enhanced with blockchain connectors, orchestration tools, and smart contracts. Citi used test USDC on Ethereum’s Sepolia network to simulate real-world conditions. Citi and Swift recently completed a successful trial proving that it is now possible to settle payments between fiat and digital currencies using a Payment-versus-Payment setup. This is a major step forward and highlights how a hybrid model can bring traditional financial systems and modern blockchain networks together. Read on to know how Citi and Swift achieved…

South Korea takes a decisive step in cryptocurrency regulation as authorities launch a comprehensive blockchain services inspection. This crucial move signals heightened scrutiny of digital asset platforms and could reshape the Asian crypto landscape. The blockchain services inspection focuses on multiple sectors within the digital economy, reflecting growing concerns about user protection and market stability. What Does This Blockchain Services Inspection Cover? The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) initiated this blockchain services inspection following their November 20 plenary meeting. This examination targets several critical areas of the blockchain ecosystem. The inspection will assess virtual asset issuance platforms and remittance services.…

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed confidence in the Reserve Bank of India’s digital currency initiative during his address at the Global Fintech Fest 2025 in Mumbai. The Prime Minister stated that the digital currency project will strengthen India’s economic growth story. Modi highlighted India Stack as the foundation of the country’s digital economy during the event attended by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Key components include Unified Payments Interface, Aadhaar Enabled Payment System, Bharat Bill Payment System, Bharat-QR, DigiLocker, DigiYatra, and Government e-Marketplace. The Prime Minister noted that UPI alone facilitates 20 billion transactions every month with a transaction…

President Donald Trump is reportedly seeking to axe state AI laws via an executive order that would override regulations in California and other states in an effort to centralize control in Washington. The draft order, seen by Axios, would direct Attorney General Pam Bondi to establish a task force to challenge state AI measures and restrict federal funding to states that pass laws deemed “onerous.”  It would also instruct the Federal Trade Commission to issue guidance on how existing consumer protection laws could preempt state AI regulations.  AI and crypto czar David Sacks would oversee much of the implementation…

Berlin is attracting most of the funding in Germany’s blockchain industry, according to a recent report indicating investors are now concentrating on the quality of projects. The study also highlights a significant increase in funding in the space, both within Europe and around the world, with money flowing toward regulated segments of the market. Report shows German blockchain industry is restructuring Quality over quantity is the new sentiment in Germany’s crypto ecosystem, the authors of the latest German Blockchain Report have found. The research, published recently, covers investment figures from the second half of last year and the first two…

US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick is personally assisting with Tether’s equity fundraise, according to Swan Bitcoin CEO Cory Klippsten. Citing a tip from a national news reporter, Klippsten claims that Lutnick is simultaneously running the Department of Commerce (DOC) and drumming up support for the stablecoin giant’s $20 billion open equity round. On September 23, Bloomberg reported that Tether was trying to sell approximately 3% equity in a $15-20 billion private placement. If successful, the raise could value Tether at $500 billion, putting it on a par with the likes of Exxon Mobil and Mastercard. Equity fundraises typically take…

CZ clarifies he won’t return to Binance; the exchange remains under strict U.S. oversight despite exiting the American market. Legal battles and compliance monitoring leave Binance and CZ facing financial and reputational strains, impacting global crypto operations. Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) continues to make headlines following the controversy around his presidential pardon. Recently, CZ said that if the $4.3 billion fine he paid to U.S. regulators were ever refunded, he would reinvest the entire amount back into America as a “gesture of gratitude.” He emphasized that he has never requested a refund but believes fairness in regulatory actions matters.…

Altcoins trading remains relatively high on Binance, making up 60% of all activity. The altcoin market has retained its activity even as BTC and ETH trading slowed down. Binance is turning into an altcoin venue, with up to 60% of volumes tied to its large portfolio of tokens. At the same time, BTC and ETH activity is winding down, with constant selling pressure in low volumes. Altcoin volumes recovered on Binance, now making up more than 60% of trading activity. Both BTC and ETH trading activity took a bigger downturn. | Source: CryptoQuant. Despite the relatively slow altcoin season, Binance’s…

On-chain activity is slowing down, despite the movements of significant volumes. Major L1 exchanges saw an outflow of active wallets. Major L1 chains, including Solana, BNB Chain, and Ethereum, are showing a slowdown in general activity. The slowdown is marked against the last months of 2024, when enthusiasm brought on-chain users. Solana is down to between 2.3M and 1.7M daily active wallets, after reaching a peak at nearly 32M active wallets in September 2024. On-chain activity slowed down for major chains, though value transfers remained robust for the most liquid networks. | Source: Token Terminal BNB Chain got a boost…

Binance Japan’s business partnership with PayPay is an ambitious push to make crypto an everyday payment tool in Japan’s fragmented, yet rapidly evolving market. The crypto market in Japan is entering a new phase of mainstream adoption after PayPay, the SoftBank and Yahoo Japan-backed payments giant, took a 40 percent stake in Binance Japan to link cryptocurrency with mainstream digital payments. Japan’s crypto ecosystem is evolving into a two-track system with regulated, institution-backed innovation led by big name companies and gray-zone activities of unregistered crypto exchanges operating in Japan as well as other emerging crypto-related crimes. Japan embraces cryptocurrency The…