Author: NBTC

The aggressiveness of Federal Reserve rate cuts in 2026 will determine whether retail investors return to the crypto market next year, according to a crypto analyst. But there are doubts about how likely the Fed is to continue cutting, after already making three reductions in 2025. Clear Street managing director Owen Lau told CNBC on Tuesday that Fed rate decisions are “one of the key catalysts for the crypto space in 2026.” “Retail will be more excited to get into crypto, institutions will be more excited to get into crypto,” Lau said. Interest rate cuts are typically bullish for crypto…

New rules requiring search engines like Google to verify the age of logged-in users — and filter the content for everyone else — went live in Australia this week.The Australian eSafety Commissioner’s new rules came into force on Dec.27, with a six-month time-frame for full implementation. They require search engines to verify users’ ages using methods including photo ID, face scanning, credit cards, digital ID, parental consent, AI, or third-party verification. According to the regulatory guidance, the highest-level safety filters need to be applied by default to accounts suspected to be operated by someone under 18, companies must create a…

Pakistan’s ability to “move fast” with crypto regulation and adoption could make it a world leader in crypto by 2030, according to former Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao. In a recent interview with Pakistan Crypto Council CEO Bilal bin Saqib, CZ credited Pakistan’s leadership for recognizing the demand for digital assets among its relatively young and tech-savvy population. “I think it’s fantastic to see the country of this size are able to have this clear vision from the leadership and ability to move at this speed.” “If we keep moving at this speed in five years, Pakistan will be the…

Law and Ledger is a news segment focusing on crypto legal news, brought to you by Kelman Law – A law firm focused on digital asset commerce. Is Crypto a Security? Part VI The opinion editorial below was written by Alex Forehand and Michael Handelsman for Kelman.Law. With the legal landscape still fragmented and formal rulemaking lagging behind technological evolution, compliance in 2025 is less about “checking boxes” and more about maintaining defensible processes rooted in transparency, decentralization, and careful communication. This Part offers practical guidance for token issuers, exchanges and trading platforms, and developers/ DAOs navigating U.S. regulatory expectations.…

Toward the end of 2025, Binance solidified its peak position as the liquidity hub for stablecoins. The centralized exchange holds over 71% of stablecoin deposits, leaving other markets behind. Binance remains the biggest holder of stablecoins among all other centralized exchanges. The market now carries over 71% of stablecoin liquidity, creating the biggest concentrated pool in crypto. Exchange stablecoin reserves remain near an all-time high at the end of 2025, reaching around $69B. Binance still holds over $49B out of the total supply of 314B in various stablecoins. The most numerous inflows are for Ethereum and TRON-based coins. Binance’s reserves…

The US Federal Reserve has been highly influential on crypto market momentum this year, and its impact is likely to continue into 2026 as divisions among policymakers remain. The Fed made three interest rate cuts in 2025, the most recent on December 10, which brought rates down to between 3.5% to 3.75%. However, projections suggest there will only be one additional cut in 2026 despite rates remaining at their highest levels since 2008. Key factors influencing policymaker decisions are labor market data, inflation trajectory, particularly from tariff impacts, and overall economic growth. The central bank will also get a new…

Hundreds of Australians have suffered major losses after a Federal Court ordered the liquidation of NGS Crypto and associated companies for operating without a license. More than 450 investors poured $40.2 million into the scheme, but liquidators have found only $4.6 million in cryptocurrency so far. A Multimillion-Dollar Shortfall Hundreds of Australians who trusted their retirement savings to a “digital mining” scheme have been left facing deep losses after a Federal Court judge ordered the group to be wound up, revealing a massive shortfall in investor funds. On Dec. 18, Justice Berna Collier ordered the liquidation of NGS Crypto, NGS…

Gate Pay, a leading crypto payment solutions provider, has announced an exclusive service for merchants. Particularly, Gate Pay has introduced Institutional Accounts to offer seamless payment management at different levels for merchants. As per Gate Pay’s official X announcement, the new framework allows multi-level and inclusive account management. Additionally, the service eliminates the institutional requirement to develop and maintain complicated internal accounting mechanisms. Gate Pay Provides Merchants with Multi-Level Payment Management With the launch of the new Institutional Accounts feature, Gate Pay endeavors to streamline the merchant experience with multi-level account management. The development provides the platform with a scalable…

Sinohope Technology Holdings, formerly known as New Fire Technology Holdings. It released its audited annual results for the year ended September 30. The company reported total revenue of HK$8.66 billion. This marks a 451.8% year over year increase. The surge came mainly from rapid expansion in its cryptocurrency over-the-counter (OTC) trading business. However, despite the strong top line growth. The group swung to a net loss for the year. It highlights pressure on margins as trading volumes scaled up. OTC Trading Drives Revenue Surge The crypto asset trading segment remained the company’s core growth engine. Revenue from this business reached…

From Jan. 1, 2026, crypto users in 48 jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom and the European Union, will start to feel the first real effects of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD’s) Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) as early‑moving jurisdictions begin collecting standardized data from exchanges and platforms. CARF requires in-scope providers to gather more detailed customer information, verify tax residency, and report users’ balances and transactions annually to their domestic tax authorities, which will then share that data across borders under existing information‑exchange agreements. Lucy Frew, partner and head of the global Regulatory & Risk Advisory Group at…