Author: NBTC

The Central Bank (CBI) of Iran bought $507 million of Tether’s $USDT stablecoin with the primary purpose of manipulating foreign exchange markets and bolstering the value of the rial, which recently traded at 1.4 million for one U.S. dollar, according to blockchain analytics firm Elliptic. Elliptic said it uncovered the purchases through two leaked documents that allowed researchers to map out the central bank’s wallet infrastructure, “revealing a systematic accumulation of $USDT totaling at least half a billion dollars,” a report by Tom Robinson said. “It indicates a sophisticated strategy to bypass the global banking system.” The United Nations imposed…

In a recent Roundtable interview, Bilal Bin Saqib, chairman of Pakistan’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) and CEO of the Pakistan Crypto Council, told host Jackson Hinkle that Pakistan isn’t trying to catch up to the region. He’s instead betting on the country to set the pace. Pakistan’s regulatory ambition takes shape Pressed on why Asia feels “lagging” on adoption outside of places like Singapore, Saqib said Pakistan plans to “create an enabling environment” and a regulatory framework that countries “from Morocco to Malaysia will get inspired from.” He framed the push as a generational shift, arguing Pakistan’s leadership wants…

The U.S. government is set to partially shut down at midnight, despite the Senate voting in favor of a funding package intended to keep the government running — showing the importance of specificity in prediction market contracts. The House of Representatives is out of session this week, and will not be back until Monday. Because the House needs to pass the package the Senate voted on Friday evening, this means that the government will technically shut down at 12:00 a.m. ET Saturday, and likely remain shut through the weekend. It’s just a partial shutdown and should not have a significant…

Key Notes Cork Protocol raised $5.5M from a16z CSX and Road Capital to build programmable risk infrastructure. The protocol introduces cover tokens and depeg swaps as insurance-like products against stablecoin failures. Phoenix launched on Ethereum as one of the first decentralized risk management solutions for onchain assets. Cork Protocol, a decentralized programmable risk layer, has raised $5.5 million in a successful seed round led by a16z’s CSX startup fund and Road Capital. The funding round drew participation from a slew of noteworthy VC and crypto investment groups including 432 Ventures, BitGo Ventures, Cooley, DEPO Ventures, Funfair Ventures, G20 Group, Gate…

President Donald Trump is seeking a meeting with broad-based leaders to kickstart the debate on the stalled crypto bill. The Senate has delayed its negotiations on the Clarity Act, which was passed by the House in 2025. The crypto market has remained under bearish pressure due to a lack of a strong factor to trigger liquidity rotation. After a prolonged delay in the passage of the Clarity Act, the White House is keen to expedite the process. According to Bloomberg, the White House is seeking to meet with top executives from the banking and cryptocurrency industries to discuss stalled crypto…

Binance blamed the October 10 flash crash on a macro shock colliding with heavy leverage and evaporating liquidity, rather than any breakdown in its trading systems following speculative chatter on social media. In a report released Saturday, the exchange said global markets were already under pressure following trade-war headlines when crypto markets cracked. Bitcoin and ether had rallied for months into early October, leaving traders heavily positioned and exposed. 10/10’s myths and facts explained.👉 https://t.co/SpE6scqpSx pic.twitter.com/OJhZESWlP4— Binance (@binance) January 30, 2026 At the time, open interest across bitcoin futures and options exceeded $100 billion, creating conditions ripe for forced deleveraging…

Key Notes KindlyMD rebrands as Nakamoto Inc. to highlight its Bitcoin treasury focus. The company holds 5,398 $BTC while healthcare runs via a subsidiary. KindlyMD, Inc. has changed its corporate name to Nakamoto Inc. following its merger with Nakamoto Holdings in 2025. The rebrand aligns the company’s identity with its long-term Bitcoin $BTC $90 230 24h volatility: 0.4% Market cap: $1.80 T Vol. 24h: $59.67 B treasury strategy. Chairman and CEO David Bailey described the move as an effort to eliminate ambiguity around the company’s objectives and reinforce its role as a Bitcoin-focused enterprise. Related article: KindlyMD Launches $5 Billion…

Senators have proposed several important amendments ahead of the historic final vote on a bill aimed at reforming the crypto market, as the Senate Agriculture Committee prepares to advance the legislation through its committee stage. With logistical hurdles, such as severe weather, mostly cleared and some of the bill’s more contentious provisions removed, the legislation appears poised to pass Thursday’s committee vote with little disruption. However, other provisions on ethics, consumer protection, governance, and national security could continue to shape the bill’s path as lawmakers begin discussions on whether to send it to the full Senate. There are a few…

Ripple-powered payments are moving real U.S. dollars today, as a crypto brokerage activates live infrastructure that cuts bank transfer friction and puts $XRP utility into daily financial operations, signaling tangible momentum beyond speculation. Ripple Payments Go Live, Bringing Faster Fiat Movement The cryptocurrency brokerage Caleb & Brown has rolled out Ripple payments on its platform to accelerate USD bank transfers, delivering faster fiat withdrawals and unlocking direct, real-world payment utility for the $XRP community as part of its operating infrastructure. Jake Boyle, chief commercial officer at Caleb & Brown, stated on social media platform X on Jan. 30: “To enhance…

Argentine exchange Ripio is leaning into local currency stablecoins and tokenized bonds as CEO Sebastián Serrano braces for what he expects to be a “lateralized” or down year for crypto in 2026 — but a decade-long boom for stablecoins. Founded in 2013, Ripio has shifted from a pure retail exchange into a B2B infrastructure provider serving banks, fintechs, and big platforms like Mercado Libre (Latin America’s answer to Amazon). The exchange now offers its own dollar stablecoin, Criptodólar (UXD), and a new range of local fiat-backed stablecoins, including the Argentine peso‑pegged wARS, the Brazilian real-pegged wBRL, the Mexican peso-pegged wMXN…