Author: NBTC

An analysis by Coinglass comparing perpetual decentralized exchange (perp DEX) data has sparked fierce debate and, in the process, highlighted rifts within the crypto derivatives sector. The study exposed marked discrepancies in trading volumes, open interest, and liquidations across Hyperliquid, Aster, and Lighter. Users are left asking what qualifies as genuine trading activity on these platforms. Coinglass Data Sparks Debate Over Authentic Trading on Perpetual DEXs Coinglass is facing backlash after publishing a comparison of perp DEXs, questioning whether reported trading volumes across parts of the sector reflect genuine market activity. A 24-hour snapshot comparing Hyperliquid, Aster, and Lighter shows…

Bitcoin’s $BTC$68,894.78 mining difficulty dropped by around 11%, its largest decline since China’s 2021 crackdown on the industry, after a sharp decline in hashrate triggered by plunging prices and widespread winter storm-related outages in the U.S. Mining difficulty, which determines how hard it is to find new Bitcoin blocks, adjusts roughly every two weeks to maintain a 10-minute block interval on the network. The latest change brought the metric down from over 141.6 trillion to about 125.86 trillion, according to Blockchain.com data, signaling a steep drop in the number of active machines securing the network. The decline follows a series…

Access Protocol, a popular decentralized monetization and subscription platform, has collaborated with ANT.FUN, a Solana-based DEX. The partnership attempts to onboard additional consumers into the robust creator economy via smooth staking-based subscriptions. As Access Protocol’s X announcement points out, the collaboration establishes an integration between its Access Hub and ANT.FUN’s protocol. Hence, this development attempts to streamline the way consumers back creators while generating rewards. We are thrilled to announce our new partnership with @ant_fun_trade, a top-tier rising DEX and a Top 10 Solana DApp by revenue! 🐜💙This collaboration brings more users into the sustainable creator economy, allowing them to…

Ethereum’s L2s are not doing too well. Data from L2Beat shows that prominent L2s like Arbitrum and Base handle around 90% of the total Ethereum scaling traffic, while the smaller or newer ones struggle with low engagement. According to data from L2Beat, which tracks about 136 projects, only about 27 projects currently record a daily average of 1.00 UOPS (User Operations per Second) or higher. This means about 109 projects are currently recording less than 1 UOPS. So while the total scaling factor for the ecosystem is high at nearly 97x, the throughput can be attributed to a small group…

YZi Labs has escalated its public dispute with BNC’s board by questioning the independence of a former director, who is accused of being linked to the company’s asset manager, 10X Capital. This disclosure comes amid allegations that the group is engaging in entrenchment and attempting to silence investor voices. Former BNC Director Linked to 10X Capital In its latest statement shared on X, YZi Labs emphasized that transparency is “non-negotiable,” as it highlighted what it described as undisclosed ties between an “independent” director at BNC and 10X Capital. At the center of the claims is Russell Read, who recently stepped…

The United Kingdom’s House of Lords heard critical views on stablecoins Wednesday, with witnesses claiming that tokens were mainly “on- and off-ramps into crypto,” rather than the future of money. The House of Lords held a public session as part of its new inquiry into how stablecoins should be regulated in the country, gathering evidence on their role in payments, banking and financial stability. The Financial Services Regulation Committee (FSRC) grilled witnesses on stablecoins’ competition with banks, cross‑border use, illicit finance risks and their treatment under the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act. They heard contrasting…

Binance, the global crypto exchange serving hundreds of millions of users, added 4,225 Bitcoin, worth around $300 million, to its emergency reserve fund today, bringing total holdings to 10,455 $BTC valued at approximately $734 million. #Binance SAFU Fund Asset Conversion progress update. Binance has completed the purchase of 4225 $BTC for the SAFU Fund, amounting to 300M USD stablecoins. Our SAFU $BTC address now holds 10,455 $BTC: 1BAuq7Vho2CEkVkUxbfU26LhwQjbCmWQkD TXID: https://t.co/ZnE2h3ZN7H We’re… pic.twitter.com/IUzdLMPdVI — Binance (@binance) February 9, 2026 The Secure Asset Fund for Users (SAFU), an insurance-like reserve designed to protect customer deposits from security breaches or operational failures, has…

The Arweave network, a cornerstone protocol for the ‘permanent web,’ has experienced a stunning and unprecedented network halt. According to verifiable on-chain data from the Arweave Explorer, block production on the Arweave (AR) blockchain has been completely suspended for over 24 hours. The last confirmed block, number 1,851,686, was mined at approximately 3:18 a.m. UTC on February 6, 2025, plunging the ecosystem into a state of operational limbo. This event marks a significant disruption for a network designed specifically for unbreakable data permanence. Arweave Block Production Halted: Analyzing the Unprecedented Stoppage Network data confirms the Arweave block production halt began…

A prediction market launched on the cryptocurrency prediction platform Polymarket has begun pricing in a remarkable scenario for the year 2026. According to data on the platform, the probability of Ethereum losing its second-place position by market capitalization by 2026 has increased to 50%. A chart on Polymarket showing the probability of $ETH being surpassed by another cryptocurrency in market capitalization. The market will conclude with a “Yes” if Ethereum is not among the top two cryptocurrencies by market capitalization at any point between January 1, 2026, and December 31, 2026. Otherwise, the market will close with a “No”. CoinGecko…

Yesterday, in a historically unprecedented move, Fed Chair Jerome Powell directly addressed the public in a video statement regarding the Department of Justice’s new investigation into the central bank’s renovations of a historic government building complex in Washington, D.C. Fed Chair Powell Breaks Tradition With Direct Video Statement to Public In Defense Of Building Renos and Monetary Policy Agenda Speaking in a video posted online, Powell addressed the DOJ’s serving of grand jury subpoenas to him in relation to the Federal Reserve’s $2.5 billion renovation of the Marriner S. Eccles Federal Reserve Building and another Fed office on Constitution Avenue,…