Author: NBTC

In brief Bitcoin posted its worst quarterly performance since 2018, falling about 22%. The cryptocurrency outperformed equities and gold after the Iran war outbreak. Analysts point to Fed policy and a resolution to the Middle East conflict as key Q2 catalysts. Bitcoin closed the first quarter of 2026 with its worst performance since early 2018, shedding nearly a quarter of its value as war, tariffs, and a hawkish Federal Reserve battered risk assets. The cryptocurrency fell from around $95,000 in February to roughly $66,700 by quarter’s end, a decline of about 22% year-to-date, according to a report from institutional trading…

Forbes’ newly announced 2026 Billionaires list shows that Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) is now richer than tech mogul Bill Gates. CZ came in 17th place in the magazine’s annual ranking of the richest people in the world, while Gates is placed not far from him at 19th. CZ Outranks Gates in Forbes Billionaire List Released annually, the Forbes Billionaires List provides a real-time snapshot of the wealth of the most prolific entrepreneurs, investors, heirs, and celebrities worldwide. According to Forbes’s website, as of March 11, 2026, the former Binance executive has a net worth of $111.1B, while Gates’ is…

Avalanche ($AVAX) price traded just in the green on Tuesday morning as most cryptocurrencies held near key levels amid ongoing market weakness. However, investor attention on the altcoin could rise as South Korea’s KB Kookmin Card accelerates the development of a stablecoin-based payment model on the Avalanche network. $AVAX price hovered around $8.94 during early Asian hours, up 1.7% in the past 24 hours. Hybrid stablecoin card payments KB Kookmin Card, one of South Korea’s largest credit card issuers, has announced its move to build a hybrid payment system that integrates blockchain-based stablecoins into its existing card infrastructure. The financial…

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse declared at $XRP Las Vegas that the CLARITY Act will pass by the end of May, his third public deadline for the bill after predicting 80% odds of April passage on Fox Business in February and revising to May at two successive industry events. Brad Garlinghouse confirmed his end-of-May CLARITY Act timeline at $XRP Las Vegas on April 30, three months after first placing an 80% probability on April passage during a Fox Business appearance. Disruption Banking reported that Garlinghouse is betting the bill clears the Senate Banking Committee, passes the Senate floor, and reaches Trump’s…

XO Market is betting that the future of prediction markets won’t be dictated by centralized teams deciding what people can trade on, but by users themselves. The startup, which just closed a $6 million seed round led by 20VC, Picus Capital, Coinbase Ventures, Venture Together and a group of angels including Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins, is positioning itself as the “YouTube of prediction markets,” according to co-founder Ali Habbabeh. “Today’s major platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket act more like Netflix,” Habbabeh told CoinDesk in an interview. “They decide what markets exist. We’ve flipped that model entirely. On XO, users…

The DeFi Report, a closely followed analysis platform in the cryptocurrency markets, has examined the potential bottom levels for Bitcoin (BTC) in the current cycle. Company analysts, considering both macroeconomic uncertainties and on-chain data, urged investors to “be patient.” Mike, the company’s chief analyst, argued that despite a general market downturn, the “most attractive buying point” has not yet been reached. Referring to Warren Buffett’s investment philosophy, the analyst argued that a 5-6% drop in prices doesn’t represent significant value; real opportunities lie in declines of 50% or more. The analysis focuses on two key metrics for predicting Bitcoin’s bottom.…

TL;DR: Changpeng Zhao (CZ) and industry leaders warn that the traditional banking system is incapable of processing the micro-payment volume required by millions of AI agents. A 2026 study by the Bitcoin Policy Institute reveals that 90% of AI models prefer Bitcoin or stablecoins for autonomous transactions over fiat currency. Gartner estimates that “machine customers” will influence $30 trillion in purchases by 2030, solidifying blockchain as the native settlement layer for AI. The global financial system is facing a structural mismatch. As autonomous AI agents transition from experimental tools to active economic participants, traditional infrastructure is proving obsolete for their…

The $XRP Ledger (XRPL) has reached an important milestone by recording its first zero-knowledge (ZK) proof transaction on the testnet. The transaction was initiated by DNA Protocol, a blockchain-based platform that allows users to manage and control their biological identity on-chain. This development shows the $XRP Ledger’s capability to support privacy-focused transactions linked to DNA data. Key Points The XRPL recorded its first ZK proof transaction on March 25, 2026, which anchored a verified proof from real genomic data onto the testnet. The transaction used a small 0.000001 $XRP transfer and stored only cryptographic proof data to ensure no sensitive…

A breakthrough agreement involving Coinbase Global Inc. has revived momentum for long-delayed US crypto legislation. This comes after lawmakers reached a compromise on one of the most contentious issues in the debate, stablecoin yield rewards. Coinbase Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal had initially framed the CLARITY Act as critical unfinished business following the passage of the $GENIUS Act last year. He called it a “watershed” moment for the crypto industry. The $GENIUS Act established a regulatory framework for stablecoins. Still, it left a gap in the market structure. The CLARITY Act is expected to fill that by drawing clear jurisdictional…

Upbit, one of South Korea’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges, has announced its decision to end trading support for Drift (DRIFT). According to the official statement, the DRIFT token will be removed from the platform on June 1, 2026, at 3:00 PM. This will completely halt trading on the DRIFT/KRW, DRIFT/BTC, and DRIFT/USDT trading pairs. The exchange stated that this decision was the culmination of a previously initiated review process. On April 2nd, Upbit placed the DRIFT token on an “investment alert” list, requesting that the project address certain issues. However, the latest assessment indicated that the explanations and improvements provided by…