Author: NBTC

Cryptocurrency markets fell as two significant macroeconomic developments occurred simultaneously. The first was the Fed’s decision, and the second was US President Donald Trump’s rejection of Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and his signaling of a new wave of military attacks. Bitcoin and Altcoins Fall! In fact, the Fed, in Jerome Powell’s final policy decision as Fed Chairman, kept interest rates unchanged, as expected. However, according to experts, what changed here was the Fed’s rhetoric on inflation. The decision to keep interest rates unchanged was generally expected. What was unexpected was the change in how the Fed…

Ripple CTO Emeritus David Schwartz recounts a fun fact from $XRP’s history that reveals early interest in the cryptocurrency and its technology. In a tweet, Schwartz recalled the first email anyone had ever sent him that had the word “$XRP” in it. The email was from Vinnie Falco asking for some $XRP back in February 2013. “Fun fact: The first email anyone ever sent me that had the word ‘$XRP’ in it was from Vinnie Falco asking for some back in February of 2013,” Schwartz said, sharing a screenshot of the said email. Fun fact: The first email anyone ever…

A U.S. government-controlled wallet has deposited approximately $33,000 worth of seized cryptocurrencies into Coinbase Prime, according to blockchain analytics firm Onchain Lens. The transaction, which occurred about six hours ago, involved three separate tokens: 2,466 Uniswap ($UNI) valued at $8,410, 152,925 Cronos ($CRO) worth $10,689, and 1,589 Chainlink ($LINK) valued at $15,703. Origin of the Seized Assets The funds were originally confiscated from Brian Krewson, a convicted criminal currently serving a prison sentence for aiding money laundering in connection with drug trafficking offenses. The seizure and subsequent deposit into a government wallet mark a routine step in the U.S. government’s…

Blockchain fees are payments users make to process transactions onchain and offer a more direct measure of value capture than volume alone. A chain can process significant transaction throughput while generating relatively little in fees. Looking at last week’s fee distribution across major chains, the rankings tell a different story than raw activity metrics might suggest. Hyperliquid leads all chains with approximately 43% of the fee market share, generating around $11 million last week. Its fees are driven primarily by perpetuals trading activity, where users pay to open, maintain, and close leveraged positions. The chain has grown its share considerably…

World Liberty Financial co-founder Zak Folkman is pushing back against allegations that the Trump-backed DeFi project hid a “backdoor” function in its smart contracts. His defense is straightforward: everything was on-chain, visible to anyone who cared to look. The person doing the looking, and not liking what he found, is Tron founder Justin Sun. Sun filed a federal lawsuit against WLF in California, alleging fraud and breach of contract over what he describes as a hidden blacklisting function embedded in the $WLFI token’s smart contract. The function, Sun claims, was used to freeze approximately $107M in tokens sitting in his…

A Green Beret’s alleged $400,000 insider bet on a raid in Venezuela seemed like an isolated breach. A new report suggests it may be the visible edge of something broader. The Anti-Corruption Data Collective (ACDC), a nonprofit research group, analyzed every settled Polymarket contract from January 2021 through mid-March 2026 — more than 435,000 markets and $54.4 billion in cumulative volume — and found that low-probability bets on military and defense outcomes win at rates that are difficult to explain through skill or luck. Across political markets, such “longshot” bets typically succeed about 14% of the time. In military-linked contracts,…

The Algorand Foundation has laid off 25% of its workforce, citing a difficult global macro environment and the broader crypto market downturn. The cuts came just one day after one of the most positive regulatory developments in the project’s history, creating a sharp contrast that the community has not missed. The Layoffs The Foundation confirmed the decision on X, describing it as incredibly tough but necessary to align resources with long-term priorities. The statement stressed that the affected employees had been best-in-class contributors and that the Foundation is committed to supporting them through the transition. The organisation said it believes…

Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency exchange OSL has announced its membership in Mastercard’s Crypto Partner Program, signaling a strategic push to integrate stablecoin-based payment solutions into the global payments giant’s ecosystem. The partnership aims to develop real-world payment use cases and pilot projects leveraging stablecoin infrastructure, bridging the gap between digital assets and traditional financial services. Strategic Alignment with Mastercard’s Crypto Vision Mastercard launched its Crypto Partner Program in 2021 to foster collaboration between the payments industry and cryptocurrency firms. The program provides members with access to Mastercard’s network, technology, and expertise to develop compliant and scalable digital asset solutions. OSL, which…

Circle is intensifying its push into institutional payments infrastructure, arguing that stablecoin-based settlement systems can replace the batch-processing model still used across much of global finance. In a new paper published on 13 May, the USDC issuer described traditional payment and settlement rails as increasingly inefficient for modern global commerce. It pointed to delayed liquidity cycles, reconciliation costs, and trapped working capital across banking and treasury systems. The paper positions continuous blockchain-based settlement as an alternative to legacy systems such as ACH transfers, card network reconciliation, and T+1 or T+2 settlement structures commonly used in financial markets. Circle argued that…

After a brief attempt to stabilize earlier in the week, Bitcoin succumbed to a combination of heavy derivatives liquidations and escalating macroeconomic uncertainty. Investors are now questioning whether this is a temporary dip or the beginning of a deeper retracement toward the $60,000 zone. Is Bitcoin Crashing? To answer the immediate concern: Yes, Bitcoin is experiencing a sharp intraday slump. As of this morning, $BTC fell as much as 4%, trading roughly between $68,100 and $68,700. This move has wiped out millions in leveraged long positions and shifted market sentiment into the “Extreme Fear” territory. Bitcoin Price Analysis: Technical Breakdown…