Author: NBTC

GameStop (NYSE: GME) is pushing meaningfully higher this morning after Ryan Cohen, its chief executive, agreed to anchor his salary to the company’s stock price performance. According to GME’s press release, “Mr. Cohen will receive no guaranteed pay – no salary, no cash bonuses, and no stock that vests over time.” Instead, the latest pay plan has made it so that Cohen will be $35 billion richer if GameStop hits a few ambitious profitability targets that drive its market cap up tenfold. At the time of writing, GME shares are down nearly 40% versus their 52-week high. Does Cohen’s pay…

The measure, described last week, would be submitted by Brazil’s Revenue Service for public consultation and would impose a 3.5% tax on both stablecoin purchases and remittances, treating them as foreign currency exchanges subject to the existing Tax on Financial Transactions (IOF). Brazil Prepares For Issuing Decree Taxing Stablecoin Purchases and Remittances The Brazilian crypto industry is on the verge of changing due to a new tax measure expected to be presented in the next few days. According to Valor Econômico, the Brazilian government is preparing to close what many considered a gray area by classifying stablecoins as digital assets…

Crypto trader Machi Big Brother is again in the spotlight. After fresh on-chain data showed deep losses. While he keeps opening high-leverage long positions. According to tracking data shared on February 18, his account is down more than $27.8 million overall. Still, he continues to increase exposure across several tokens. The positions are highly leveraged, with some reaching 25x and even 40x. The activity has sparked strong reactions online, as traders debate whether this is conviction or pure risk-taking during a weak market. Heavy Long Positions With High Leverage Recent data shows Machi holding several major long positions. His largest…

Mantle, a distribution and liquidity layer focused on RWAs, announced the deployment of the ERC-8004 standard on mainnet. The update introduces a trust and identity framework for on-chain AI agents. It is designed to allow agents to operate as independent economic participants across RWAs, traditional finance bridges and decentralized finance. ERC-8004 establishes three on-chain registries: The Identity Registry assigns each agent a unique NFT-based profile The Reputation Registry records performance data that can move across platforms The Validation Registry provides cryptographic proof of completed tasks, including stake-based or zero-knowledge verification Within the Mantle ecosystem, these mechanisms allow agents to discover…

The unexpected termination of ZeroLend has reignited discussion around the viability of decentralized finance (DeFi) lending platforms. The platform’s closure has sparked conversations about the long-term sustainability problems ailing DeFi credit markets, as another player exits the scene. Why Did ZeroLend Shut Down?Was Liquidity the Main Culprit?Learning Points for DeFi Lending Why Did ZeroLend Shut Down? ZeroLend, operating primarily on Ethereum’s layer-2 solutions, reported severe financial hits due to diminished liquidity and a reduced user base. Founder Ryker acknowledged the inevitability of closing after three years of service. Various blockchains not only saw a drop in activity but some ceased…

Magic Eden is shutting down its Bitcoin and Ethereum Virtual Machine marketplaces and discontinuing its multi chain wallet, marking a major strategic pivot away from its once dominant Ordinals business. Blockspace first reported that the company plans to wind down its EVM marketplace and Bitcoin Runes and Ordinals marketplace on March 9, followed by the Bitcoin API on March 27. The Magic Eden wallet will enter export only mode before being fully discontinued on April 1. The company will continue supporting Solana assets. The move marks a sharp shift for a platform that rose to prominence as the leading Bitcoin…

Ethereum price was stuck below the important support of $2,000 today, February 16, as it erased the gains made during the weekend. Summary Ethereum price may be at risk of falling to the key support at $1,500. It has formed a bearish pennant pattern on the daily timeframe chart. The bearish catalysts have outweighed the bullish one. Ethereum ($ETH) token was trading at $1,980, down substantially from its all-time high of $4,960. Technical analysis suggests the coin will likely drop to the key support at $1,500 before hitting the psychological $2,500 level. Ethereum price technical analysis suggests a retreat to…

Anthropic, the company behind the popular artificial intelligence chatbot Claude, is reportedly raising $10 billion and aiming for a valuation of $350 billion. Singapore’s sovereign-wealth fund, GIC, and Coatue Management plan to lead the new round of financing, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The $350 billion valuation nearly doubles Anthropic’s worth from a $183 billion valuation it had in September, which followed a $13 billion Series F round co-led by ICONIQ Capital, Fidelity Management & Research Company, and Lightspeed Venture Partners. The funding reflects continued momentum in AI investment, following 2025’s record…

In an exclusive interview with CNBC, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made critical statements on a range of topics, from volatility in the cryptocurrency market to regulatory changes. Bessent criticized some firms in the industry for obstructing legal regulations and stated that the clarity law, known as the “Clarity Act,” should be enacted as soon as possible. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent delivered important messages about the future of the cryptocurrency market and the Trump administration’s digital asset strategy. Bessent, who considers Bitcoin a representative of the cryptocurrency market, stated that the current sharp declines in the market are consistent…

Kraken, a major US-based crypto exchange, has acquired Magna, a platform specializing in token distribution and management tools for digital asset companies, Fortune reported Wednesday. Terms of the acquisition remain undisclosed. The deal, announced today and finalized last week, is the sixth acquisition by the exchange over the past year as it prepares to go public in the US. Kraken, operating under its parent company Payward, has ramped up its acquisitions since mid-2025, starting with a $1.5 billion purchase of NinjaTrader that marked its entry into the retail futures and traditional trading space. Other deals include proprietary trading platform Breakout,…