Author: NBTC

Last week, Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura highlighted the third-year results of the “Osaka International Financial City” initiative. The city has attracted 27 overseas financial institutions and 650 startups, signaling its ambition to position itself as a next-generation financial hub. Once considered Asia’s financial hubs, Singapore and Hong Kong now face competition as the rise of stablecoins reshapes the region’s monetary order, raising the question of which country or city will lead. Korea: Pivot Toward Private Stablecoins and Retail Payments Once focused primarily on central bank digital currency (CBDC) initiatives, South Korea has accelerated a pivot toward private stablecoins. The Financial…

U.S. SEC Chair Paul Atkins said crypto’s time has come, pledging to modernize the U.S. securities rulebook and expand “Project Crypto” to bring markets on-chain. Speaking in Paris on Sept. 10 at the OECD’s inaugural Roundtable on Global Financial Markets, Atkins said the SEC is shifting away from enforcement-driven policymaking and will provide clear rules for tokens, custody, and trading platforms. “Policy will no longer be set by ad hoc enforcement actions,” he said, calling the new approach “a golden age of financial innovation on U.S. soil.” Atkins said most tokens are not securities and promised bright-line rules for determining…

Blockchain games are shutting down in droves so far this year, as hype and funding fade and crypto investors turn their attention elsewhere. But one long-running crypto game hopes to draw some of those players affected by shutdowns by offering free NFT assets for affected users. Crypto trading card game Splinterlands is inviting the players of failed blockchain games to apply to its newly formed recovery fund, in which $500,000 worth of crypto tokens and in-game assets can be unlocked over the next seven years. The project told Decrypt that it is currently in talks with other projects based on…

The world of decentralized finance (DeFi) is constantly evolving, and a major development has just emerged for enthusiasts of the Berachain ecosystem. Layer 1 blockchain project Berachain (BERA) has launched its Simple Earn deposit product directly on Binance, making Berachain staking more accessible than ever before. This exciting move aims to bridge the gap between centralized exchanges (CEXs) and on-chain participation, inviting a broader audience to engage with the Berachain network. What is Berachain Staking on Binance Simple Earn? At its core, Berachain Simple Earn on Binance allows users to participate in BERA’s on-chain staking directly from their Binance account.…

The cryptocurrency market consistently delivers captivating stories of significant financial movements, and a recent event involving a major investor, often dubbed a “whale,” is no exception. This particular whale has executed a highly profitable trade, securing a substantial Ethereum whale profit by moving a considerable amount of ETH to a leading exchange. Such maneuvers underscore the dynamic and often lucrative nature of digital asset trading. Who is This Ethereum Whale and What Was Their Strategy? Blockchain analytics firm Lookonchain brought this notable transaction to light. An address identified as 0xF4Bd deposited exactly 2,585 ETH onto Binance, a globally recognized cryptocurrency…

US President Donald Trump has been saying for a long time that the Fed should cut interest rates, stating that the economic situation is good. Trump, who has frequently pressured the FED and FED Chairman Jerome Powell on this issue and called for their resignation, showed how serious he is about interest rate cuts with his latest move. Accordingly, Trump announced in a post on his Truth Social account that he had dismissed FED member Lisa Cook, whose resignation he had recently called for. Trump stated that the US Constitution and the Fed law allow and authorize the removal of…

CFTC Chair nominee Brian Quintenz posted several messages he’d exchanged with Tyler Winklevoss, seemingly in a bid to get his nomination process back on track. You’re reading State of Crypto, a CoinDesk newsletter looking at the intersection of cryptocurrency and government. Click here to sign up for future editions. The narrative On Wednesday, at CoinDesk’s Policy and Regulation event, one major topic of conversation was a post from former Commodity Futures Trading Commission Commissioner Brian Quintenz in which he shared chat logs from a conversation with Gemini co-founder and CEO Tyler Winklevoss, an unexpected move from a former public official…

Crypto exchange-traded fund (ETF) issuers are likely to partner with centralized staking providers following approval, but will eventually pivot to decentralized protocols as regulatory frameworks mature. The Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Aug. 5 statement that liquid staking activities and staking receipt tokens do not constitute securities offerings removed the final regulatory hurdle for staking-enabled crypto ETFs. As a result, VanEck and Jito filed for a Solana liquid staking ETF on Aug. 22, representing months of regulatory outreach that began with SEC meetings in February. The partnership joins Canary Capital and Marinade among issuers partnering directly with liquid staking protocols,…

Brazil’s Congress is currently debating a provisional measure that could potentially transform crypto taxation in the country—and not necessarily for the better. If passed, the reform would place a flat 17.5% tax on all crypto gains, however large or small. According to Fabio Plein, Coinbase’s Regional Director for the Americas, the proposed measure would represent a significant setback for retail and small-scale investors. Meanwhile, high-net-worth individuals stand to gain. What is Provisional Measure 1303/25? In June, Brazil’s federal government enacted Provisional Measure 1303/25 to simplify the tax treatment of various financial instruments, including cryptocurrencies. This new provisional measure allows the…

The cryptocurrency world is abuzz with a significant announcement that could reshape trading strategies for many. South Korean crypto giant Upbit has officially revealed its plans for the highly anticipated Upbit Linea listing, bringing a new asset to its diverse trading ecosystem. This development marks a pivotal moment for both the Linea project and investors looking to expand their portfolios. What is Linea and Why is the Upbit Linea Listing Important? Linea (LINEA) is not just another token; it represents a cutting-edge zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine (zkEVM) developed by ConsenSys, the powerhouse behind MetaMask. This innovative technology aims to scale…