Author: NBTC

The Bank of Japan (BOJ) spooked markets Friday by announcing it will begin unwinding its $250 billion in exchange traded funds (ETFs) and Japanese Real Estate Investment Trusts (JREITs), assets it accumulated since 2010 as part of its ultra-loose monetary policy. Under the plan, the central bank will sell ETFs with a book value of ¥330bn ($2.2 billion) annually, equivalent to ¥620bn ($4.2 billion) at market prices. BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda stressed the pace would be deliberately slow, noting it would take more than a century to fully dispose of the holdings. The announcement came alongside a decision to hold…

Digital asset custody and wallet provider Cobo becomes the latest web3 payment provider to join Google’s AI Agent payment protocol, with a live demo coming in 2026. Summary Singapore-based Cobo has joined Google’s Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) community, an open payment standard enabling AI agents to conduct secure, verifiable transactions on behalf of users. Cobo plans to launch AP2-based applications with a live demo in February 2026, leveraging its institutional custody expertise to power autonomous payment systems. In a recent post shared on Oct. 21, Singapore-based Cobo announced that it has joined Google’s network of partners involved in the Agent…

The first exchange-traded fund giving U.S. investors exposure to XRP had a roaring debut Thursday, bringing in close to $38 million in inflows in the best ETF launch of this year.  Rex Shares and Osprey Funds’ XRP ETF surpassed expectations as investors rushed to get exposure to the cryptocurrency.  The issuers’ DOJE ETF, the first Dogecoin ETF to trade in U.S. markets, generated a strong $17 million in its inaugural day.  The two funds’ success indicated pent-up demand for altcoin exposure, Bloomberg Senior ETF Analyst Eric Balchunas said, writing on X that it was a “good sign” for the long-list…

Nearly half of Kalshi’s traders were locked out of their accounts during a college football trading surge on Saturday, as widespread glitches and delays crippled the platform. Users trying to place bets saw their orders stuck mid-process, and balances simply vanished from view. According to CNBC for almost 20 minutes, the website showed nothing but a spinning green “K”, leaving frustrated users stranded without knowing if their wagers had gone through. One of them shared screen recordings with CNBC showing frozen Kalshi dashboards and blank bet slips. In a message sent directly to users, the platform reportedly admitted: “The Exchange…

BNB Chain has announced a collaboration with Better Payment Network to build an international settlement network using multiple regional stablecoins. The goal is to simplify and expedite cross-border payments from different regions. This is another significant step in improving and promoting financial inclusion in the use of blockchain technology. In recent years, stablecoins have emerged as a more reliable bridge between the traditional finance world and the blockchain ecosystem. However, global payments continue to be inefficient and disconnected due to different regulations and systems that aren’t interoperable. The collaboration with BNB Chain and Better Payment Network is working to address…

Ethereum co-founder and Consensys founder Joseph Lubin highlighted the importance of venture capital (VC) funding for the development of the world’s largest smart contract network, despite growing industry concerns over the influence of investment funds on Ethereum. The main goal of VCs like Paradigm is to “suck as much value as possible from the Ethereum and broader ecosystem,” while their secondary goals include “progressing the systems towards rigorous decentralization,” wrote Lubin in a Monday X post, adding that there is “no reason for concern.” Lubin’s comments come shortly after the departure of two key Ethereum researchers, which caused renewed concerns…

Hunter Horsley identifies credit and borrowing as the next major wave in crypto. Crypto-collateralized lending hits $53.1B in Q2 2025, with DeFi leading growth. Tokenized RWAs surge 380% since 2022, reaching $24B. Crypto is on the brink of its next big shift. Industry experts believe that this could change how people access and use capital. As the ecosystem grows, new opportunities are emerging, giving investors newer ways to tap into value and participate in the market like never before. Curious? Read on! Credit And Borrowing: The Next Supercycle Bitwise CEO Hunter Horsley believes that the next big wave in crypto…

Hyperliquid’s founder, Jeff Yan, took to X to dismiss rumors that the platform is focused on protocol revenue, labeling them pure FUD. He said that recent ADL events have proven profitable for users, producing hundreds of millions of dollars in total gains. A backstop liquidation mechanism, he stated, might have raised more HLP revenue, but it would have also amplified risk. He remarked, “On 10/10, Hyperliquid ADLs net made users hundreds of millions of dollars by closing profitable short positions at favorable prices. If more positions had been backstop liquidated, HLP could have made hundreds of millions of dollars more…

B2C2 has joined Pyth Network, a blockchain oracle firm, to provide proprietary pricing data. The move aims to improve the accuracy and depth of the network’s global price layer. B2C2’s data comes from real trades executed through its connections with banks, hedge funds, and exchanges worldwide. Join buy side heads of FX in London at fmls25 Earlier, B2C2 announced an integration of OpenPayd’s embedded finance tools into its instant settlement network. The partnership is designed to simplify fiat currency transactions for institutional clients, supporting faster and more efficient trade settlements. The latest collaboration targets inefficiencies in digital asset markets. Pricing…

Key Takeaways Péter Szilágyi, lead developer for Ethereum’s Geth client, publicly criticized the Ethereum Foundation’s centralization and Vitalik Buterin’s dominant influence over protocol decisions. Szilágyi warned that the current governance structure risks protocol capture by insiders, undermining Ethereum’s decentralized ethos. Péter Szilágyi, a lead developer for Ethereum’s Geth client, has raised concerns about Vitalik Buterin’s dominant influence over the protocol and criticized the Ethereum Foundation’s centralized decision-making structure in a public letter released today. In his letter, Szilágyi highlighted that the Ethereum Foundation’s structure allows a small group centered around Buterin to heavily influence project directions, creating risks of protocol…