Author: NBTC

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said Thursday the central bank has completed its technical and preparatory work on the digital euro and that it is now up to political institutions to act. The project, which aims to create a public digital means of payment, is under review by the European Council and the European Parliament. Her remarks came during the ECB’s final press conference of the year, where policymakers left the eurozone’s key interest rates unchanged. Lagarde reaffirmed the ECB’s commitment to a meeting-by-meeting approach to rate decisions, saying they will be based on “incoming economic and financial data,”…

Financial authorities in the United Kingdom set a timeline for a new crypto licensing regime, requiring aspiring companies to seek full authorization before the framework comes into force. Crypto asset service providers (CASPs) will be able to apply to enter the UK under the crypto licensing regime starting this autumn, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said Thursday. “We expect the application period will open in September 2026,” the FCA noted, adding that the timeline will be confirmed in due course. The FCA’s gateway will offer a limited window for applications to be processed before the regime goes live, expected on…

At the start of 2026, decentralized exchanges (DEXs) have shown a notable growth. Thus, the cumulative weekly DEX volume has hit $86B, showing a 12% increase over the seven days, while the decentralized exchange (DEX) vs centralized exchange (CEX) Dominance indicator presents a 18.55% increase. TOP #DECENTRALIZED EXCHANGES BY WEEKLY TRADING VOLUME #Meteora #Uniswap #PancakeSwap #Raydium #Aerodrome #Curve #Orca #Aster #Hyperliquid pic.twitter.com/nM74z8NDbw — PHOENIX – Crypto News & Analytics (@pnxgrp) January 6, 2026 As per the data from Phoenix Group, Meteora, Uniswap, and PancakeSwap have taken the leading positions among the DEXs in terms of weekly volume. This serves as…

Forward Industries (NASDAQ: FWDI), a leading company in digital asset management on Solana, has announced an unprecedented innovation: its SEC-registered shares are now available on the Solana blockchain through Superstate’s Opening Bell platform.This initiative marks the first time that the equity of a public company can be directly used as collateral within decentralized finance (DeFi). Thanks to this integration, holders of FWDI tokenized shares can now use their equity as collateral on Kamino, one of the leading lending protocols on Solana.Eligible investors thus have the opportunity to borrow stablecoins using their tokenized shares, while maintaining exposure to the underlying equity…

South Korea unveiled a comprehensive digital asset strategy on Friday as part of its “2026 Economic Growth Strategy.” This signals a major policy shift from regulation-focused approaches toward institutional adoption and industry development. The plan encompasses stablecoin legislation, spot ETF approvals, and blockchain-based government payments, marking the country’s most ambitious crypto policy overhaul since the Terra-Luna collapse in 2022. Stablecoin Framework Takes Shape The Financial Services Commission (FSC) will finalize the so-called “Digital Asset Phase 2 legislation” within the first quarter of 2026. This will establish a clear regulatory framework for stablecoins. Under the new rules, stablecoin issuers must obtain…

Binance continues to expand its futures product line. According to a company statement, Binance Futures will launch the USDⓈ-backed XAGUSDT Perpetual Futures Contract on January 7, 2026, to increase users’ trading options and enhance the trading experience. The new contract will be available on the Binance Futures platform starting January 7, 2026. The XAGUSDT perpetual futures contract is based on the price of silver (XAG) in US dollars, with each contract representing 1 troy ounce of silver. The contracts will be settled in USDT. Binance announced that it will offer investors leverage of up to 50x for this product. This…

Cryptocurrency analytics company Messari shared its predictions for the sector in 2026 in its new report. The report argues that 2025 will be an extremely polarizing year for the crypto industry, with the market offering completely different experiences for different actors. According to Messari, 2025 will be one of the strongest years in crypto history for Wall Street-based institutional investors, while it will stand out as a challenging period that falls short of expectations for individual investors and community-focused participants. The report states that Bitcoin has clearly diverged from all other crypto assets and solidified its position as the leading…

European tax authorities are becoming more strict, but they may be one of the sources of risk. French tax agents may have exposed crypto owners, increasing the number of physical attacks. As tax authorities gain more knowledge of crypto ownership, they may become a source of information leaks, both unintended and deliberate. French media reported on a tax agent who may have deliberately exposed the data of crypto owners. The former French tax agent Ghalia C. recently appealed her sentence for aiding organized crime. She was investigated for exposing the details of a prison guard, and may have shared data…

Binance continues to expand its portfolio of products in the spot markets, announcing the listing of two new crypto assets. According to the official statement from the company, Binance Life (Binance Life) and zkPass (ZKP), along with the Seed Tag, will begin trading on the Binance platform on January 7, 2026. Spot trading for the new assets will open at 5 PM. Binance will introduce six new trading pairs. Investors will be able to trade Binance Life/USDT, Binance Life/USDC, Binance Life/TRY, and ZKP/USDT, ZKP/USDC, and ZKP/TRY. Users will be able to start depositing assets one hour after the listing for…

The newly appointed CEO of ALT5 Sigma Corporation, a fintech company operating institutional-grade global payments, trading, and settlement infrastructure, Tony Isaac, has addressed investor worries regarding the valuation disconnect of its crypto reserve and its business’s market cap. The letter issued to stockholders by the recently appointed CEO, Tony Isaac, began with Isaac highlighting his return to the role. “As I return to the CEO role at ALT5,” the letter started. “I am focused on immediate execution and transparent communication to unlock the substantial value embedded in our business.” Isaac also referenced the recent selection of the company’s infrastructure by…