Author: NBTC

Vitalik Buterin says crypto apps must move beyond “pay users or fail,” using incentives only to offset early risks while focusing on real utility and committed communities. Summary Vitalik Buterin rejects “pay users or fail” as a growth model, arguing that sustainable incentives mirror normal businesses where revenue from some users funds value for others. He says early rewards can fairly compensate liquidity providers and early adopters for smart contract, hack, and project failure risks, but should fade as protocols mature and audits reduce risk. Buterin warns that airdrops and social media payout schemes inflate metrics with low-quality activity, while…

Gold and silver briefly reclaimed their spot as the two biggest assets by market capitalization as the new year rolled in with uncertainty. According to data from analytics platform CompaniesMarketCap, gold currently has a market cap of $31.1 trillion, sitting at the top spot. Silver, which has been trading places with Nvidia for second place since December, flipped Nvidia briefly, only to be overtaken again at the time of publication. Silver and Nvidia are almost neck and neck. Source: CompaniesMarketCap Nvidia is seeing a gold rush of its own amid strong demand for computing resources to support artificial intelligence. There…

Millions of Americans are counting on their tax refund to pay off bills, book a trip, or pad their savings, but this year’s filing season comes with a catch. IRS says many refunds will take longer than usual, and some taxpayers may not see their money until March or even later. A combination of legally mandated holds on certain tax credits, sweeping workforce reductions, and a major shift away from paper refund checks is stretching processing times at the moment. Why refunds may be delayed this season Copy link to section The biggest bottleneck affects tens of millions of low…

In a recent tweet, $XRP ledger validator Vet highlights $XRP’s utility, being used as a bridge currency between pairs like EUROP/$RLUSD via autobridging. “Love to see $XRP being used right now as bridge currency between pairs like EUROP/$RLUSD via autobridging,” Vet wrote in a tweet. Love to see $XRP being used right now as bridge currency between pairs like EUROP / $RLUSD via autobridging. — Vet (@Vet_X0) February 14, 2026 $XRP being used as a bridge currency aligns with Ripple’s vision for the crypto asset. Earlier this month, Ripple released an updated Institutional DeFi roadmap, which details how the $XRP…

Blockchain technology is an effective medium for administering social benefit programs, but key compliance challenges remain, according to Julie Myers Wood, CEO of compliance and monitoring consulting firm Guidepost Solutions. Guidepost Solutions advised the Republic of the Marshall Islands’ government on a regulatory compliance and sanctions framework for its USDM1 bond, a tokenized debt instrument issued by the government, backed 1:1 by short-term US Treasuries. The Marshall Islands government launched a Universal Basic Income (UBI) program in November 2025 that distributes quarterly benefits to citizens directly through a mobile wallet. Wood told Cointelegraph: “Any benefit that is currently being distributed…

Ethereum is trading around $1,937, down roughly 1% on the day, as the market consolidates following a sharp early-February sell-off. Summary Ethereum is trading near $1,937, consolidating below the key $2,000 level after a sharp early-February sell-off, with the broader trend still bearish on the daily chart. ETHZilla has launched the first tradable tokenized aviation asset on Ethereum, backed by jet engines leased to a major U.S. airline, expanding the network’s real-world asset (RWA) footprint. Technical indicators show $ETH below its 50-day SMA near $2,799, with support at $1,900 and $1,800, while resistance stands at $2,000 and $2,200. The price…

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI has closed an upsized $20 billion Series E funding round, exceeding its original $15 billion target as tech giants pour billions into the AI arms race despite mounting regulatory scrutiny and AI bubble warnings. The company announced on Tuesday that it had completed the Series E round, with participation from heavyweight investors, including blue-chip investors such as Nvidia and Cisco Investments, as xAI scales what it claims are “the largest GPU clusters in the world.” Valor Equity Partners, Stepstone Group, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Qatar Investment Authority, MGX, and Baron Capital Group are…

One way or another, the U.S. crypto industry is likely to receive official policy that defines which digital assets get what treatment from which federal agencies. The problem: It might not last. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Paul Atkins is focused on reversing the “head in the sand” approach he accuses his predecessors of having on crypto policy, and he’s ready to issue rules that give the industry the regulatory clarity it craves. The catch, though, is that such rules won’t be locked down and can be erased by the same kind of commission vote that puts them in place.…

Upbit and Bithumb, South Korea’s two largest cryptocurrency exchanges, have seen a remarkable increase in trading volume over the past 24 hours. The increased volume was particularly noticeable in major altcoins, especially $XRP. When spot market data from both exchanges are combined, $XRP is seen to have reached by far the highest volume. On the stablecoin side, $USDT, and among the majors, Bitcoin and Ethereum stood out with high volume; while some mid-sized and speculative tokens also saw significant increases. Here are the cryptocurrencies with the highest total trading volume in the last 24 hours, according to Upbit and Bithumb…

Pundi AI has integrated with MWX, which will create the first ever decentralized AI marketplace for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This unprecedented cooperation will help connect the traditional operating methods of the business world with the developing decentralized form of artificial intelligence (AI). Leveraging the trustworthiness of Pundi AI’s verifiable data infrastructure, this joint effort will be able to create on-chain value products from historically unused or lost collected business information silos. This will generate valuable business derived insights that can be used as a resource for OpenAI. Empowering the Backbone of the Global Economy More than 90% of…