Author: NBTC

Commercial Bank International (CBI) has launched CBIx, a wholly owned subsidiary intended to advance innovation across artificial intelligence (AI), tokenized assets, Web3, and the global fintech ecosystem. According to a press release, the program positions CBIx as a central hub for exploring and testing new technologies, financial models, and venture opportunities in the UAE’s market. Built to operate with agility and autonomy, the entity will serve as a testing facility for projects that connect traditional finance with disruptive technologies, thereby strengthening the UAE’s status as a regional hub for technology and finance. Related: UAE Grants First Virtual Asset License as…

Canada’s financial watchdog has levied its largest-ever penalty against a crypto firm. Vancouver’s Cryptomus faces a $126 million fine for failing to report more than 1,000 suspicious transactions linked to darknet markets and terrorist financing in a single month. Summary FINTRAC fined Vancouver-based Cryptomus $126 million, Canada’s largest crypto penalty to date. Regulators cited over 1,000 unreported suspicious transactions and more than 7,500 transfers linked to Iran. In a statement the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada announced it had levied an administrative monetary penalty of C$176.96 million (about $126 million) against Xeltox Enterprises Ltd., the Vancouver-based entity…

A first occurred in the US, with Solana (SOL), Litecoin (LTC), and HBAR ETFs starting trading yesterday. Despite the good news for the three altcoin ETFs, there’s still no activity for XRP, the fourth-largest cryptocurrency. While XRP has lagged behind other ETFs, the XRP ETF is expected to be available soon. At this point, while the tense wait for XRP continues, good news came from the CME front. Accordingly, the open interest (OI) in XRP and SOL futures traded on CME reached a new all-time high. It has been reported that open interest in XRP and SOL futures on the…

Pharos, a programmable open financial Layer 1, has officially integrated the Chainlink standard from the first day of its mainnet launch. The project selected Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) as its canonical cross-chain infrastructure, ensuring secure and reliable cross-chain value transfer and messaging. Pharos has also adopted Chainlink Data Streams to support the development of high-performance real-world asset (RWA) markets with fast and accurate price data. Built on Chainlink’s tokenization infrastructure, Pharos is positioned to scale enterprise-grade tokenized RWAs for global adoption. Pharos aims to deliver advanced enterprise solutions for institutions focused on green finance, digital payments, and programmable asset…

Ethereum is once again testing the strength of its key support band around the $3,700 zone, a level that has acted as a crucial lifeline for bulls in recent months. With momentum fading after repeated rejections near resistance, speculations are whether buyers can step in to spark a renewed push upward or if a deeper correction is on the horizon. ETH Pulls Back After Golden Pocket Rejection In his latest market update, Luca shared insights on Ethereum’s current technical setup, noting that the asset recently faced rejection at the high-timeframe resistance zone he had highlighted in earlier analyses. This rejection…

Argentina’s CNV expands its tokenization regime to include a wider range of financial instruments and securities. Binance Pay launches QR payments in Argentina, converting crypto to pesos automatically with no fees. Argentina moves forward with a plan to update its capital markets. A new resolution expands the existing tokenization framework. The National Securities Commission, known as CNV, announced General Resolution No. 1087. This rule extends the framework previously established by RG No. 1081. The objective involves allowing the tokenization of a wider group of financial instruments. These instruments fall under public offering regimes and financial trusts. It aims to reach…

BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes has warned that major centralized exchanges offering zero-fee trading are trying to push the decentralized exchange Hyperliquid out of the market. In a conversation shared by journalist Laura Shin, Hayes said Hyperliquid’s business model depends on trading fees that fund buybacks of its native HYPE token. “If HYPE makes no money and they buy back no tokens, then all that trading volume is going to go away,” Hayes said. He argued that centralized exchanges are temporarily cutting fees to weaken Hyperliquid and will raise them again once they’ve gained back market share. Related: ZEC Near $400…

A vote from the Senate Commerce Committee on a bill aimed at deregulating crypto mining in New Hampshire was split on Thursday, after senators reported public feedback on the bill had surged since it was last debated. After being deadlocked twice, once on advancing the bill and again on rejecting it, the committee ultimately voted 4–2 to send the measure for further review in interim study, as first reported by the New Hampshire Bulletin. House Bill 639 would prevent municipalities from creating restrictions on crypto mining, such as rules around electricity use or noise, as well as prohibit state and…

Ink, a Layer 2 (L2) blockchain launched by U.S. crypto exchange Kraken in December 2024, saw its total value locked (TVL) surge by nearly 3,800% in less than two weeks, climbing from $6.42 million on Oct. 15 to nearly $249 million as of press time. Ink TVL. Source: DefiLlama However, data from DefiLlama shows that out of 30 protocols deployed on Ink, more than 97% of this sharp increase came from a single product, Tydro, a non-custodial lending protocol built by the Ink Foundation, as a white label instance of open-source DeFi giant Aave. The Ink Foundation announced the launch…

Vitalik Buterin praised ZKsync’s Atlas upgrade, calling the team’s work “underrated and valuable.” Atlas brings over 15,000 TPS, one-second finality, and near-zero fees to Ethereum’s Layer-2 ecosystem. The upgrade turns Ethereum into a real-time liquidity hub, removing the need for separate Layer-2 liquidity pools. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has given a strong nod to ZKsync’s latest upgrade, Atlas, calling the team’s work “underrated and valuable.” His post quickly drew attention across the crypto community. The update marks a major shift in how Ethereum handles speed, cost, and liquidity. ZKsync’s Atlas Brings Big Numbers and Bigger Change ZKsync, known for its…