Author: NBTC

Crypto infrastructure builder Polygon Labs said it has signed definitive agreements to acquire crypto payments firm Coinme and wallet infrastructure provider Sequence for more than $250 million, as it looks to expand Polygon’s role in stablecoin-based payments and onchain money movement. The move comes as crypto projects increasingly position themselves as neobank-like platforms, offering payments, custody and compliance services that resemble traditional digital banks, but operate on blockchain rails. The shift reflects a broader industry push to move beyond general-purpose blockchains toward revenue-generating financial services, particularly as stablecoins gain traction as a settlement layer. The deals will anchor Polygon’s forthcoming…

Cronos, a non-custodial trading venue and blockchain backed by Crypto.com, has integrated with Fireblocks, an enterprise digital asset infrastructure platform, to enhance institutional trading capabilities on its network, according to a Thursday announcement. The partnership introduces advanced custody and digital asset operations for tokenized assets on Cronos, meeting the needs of financial institutions and market makers. Zain Bacchus, CPO of Cronos Labs, said in a statement that the integration reinforces Cronos’ goal of becoming a global marketplace for crypto, stocks, sports outcomes, and prediction markets. “Fireblocks provides the institutional infrastructure required for market makers and other FIs to connect to…

By Omkar Godbole (All times ET unless indicated otherwise) U.S. credit unions joined banks in rejecting reward payments for holding stablecoins while crypto traders await U.S. inflation data that could boost bitcoin buying. The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act is a proposed regulatory framework that categorizes digital assets into three main categories: digital commodities like bitcoin $BTC$91,978.21 and ether $ETH$3,139.79 overseen by the CFTC, investment contract assets regulated by the SEC and permitted payment stablecoins. Credit unions, banks and crypto firms disagree on the payment of interest on stablecoin holdings. They seem to have secured a win for now. Senate…

Top cryptocurrency exchanges Binance and Bybit have reportedly begun halting withdrawals amid the accelerating crypto selloff. This news follows a brief outage on Binance earlier this week that the exchange attributed to technical difficulties, offering traders a quick reset after a jittery stretch for crypto markets. Reports indicate that Binance restored withdrawals after fixing the issue, with the disruption lasting about 20 minutes. At that time, online chatter suggested users were rushing to pull funds amid falling crypto prices. On this occasion, the exchange first flagged the problem in a post on X, telling users, “We are aware of some…

Global central bank leaders have rallied behind US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, warning that political pressure on the Fed risks undermining financial and economic stability worldwide. In a joint statement released Tuesday, governors from 11 major central banks said they “stand in full solidarity with the Federal Reserve System and its Chair Jerome H. Powell,” stressing the importance of central bank independence. The statement comes after US authorities opened a criminal investigation into Powell over a $2.5 billion renovation of the Fed’s headquarters, a move that has intensified tensions between the central bank and the Trump administration. The signatories…

Binance announced it purchased 3,600 $BTC for its SAFU (Secure Asset Fund for Users) fund, created to protect user assets. The exchange stated that this purchase was made using approximately $250 million worth of stablecoins, with an average purchase price of $69,444. According to the statement, following the purchase, the total amount of $BTC in SAFU’s Bitcoin address on Binance increased to 6,230. The total value of the existing assets is stated to be approximately $412 million. On-chain data shows that this Bitcoin transfer took place on February 6th at 10:04 AM. The purchased $BTC were transferred to the Binance…

A recent on-chain report shared by Lookonchain highlights a sharp loss incurred by a Polymarket trader known as “bossoskill1.” Over just eight days, the trader lost approximately $2.36 million while actively participating in sports-related prediction markets. The activity included 53 separate predictions across major leagues, making this one of the more extreme short-term drawdowns observed on decentralized prediction platforms. The case has drawn attention because the losses occurred despite a win rate close to 50%. How the Trading Strategy Was Structured On-chain dashboards show that the trader placed bets primarily on NFL, NBA, NHL, and NCAA spread markets. These markets…

Bybit has partnered with global payments infrastructure platform Mercuryo to offer zero transaction fees on qualifying crypto purchases. Alongside its payments initiatives, Bybit has continued expanding its financial product offerings. Last year, the exchange introduced 24/5 stock CFD trading on its TradFi platform, allowing users to trade selected stock contracts for difference, including tech names such as NVIDIA, Tesla, and Apple, on weekdays without being limited by U.S. market hours. Up to February 18, 2026, eligible users in selected markets can buy $USDC or $USDT with any of seven supported fiat currencies through Bybit One-Click Buy without paying standard transaction…

Franklin Templeton has amended two Western Asset institutional money market funds (MMFs) to plug directly into the emerging US stablecoin regime and tokenized cash infrastructure rather than launching new crypto native products. According to a release shared with Cointelegraph, Franklin Templeton is adapting the two long‑running Western Asset institutional funds so they can be used more directly in US GENIUS‑aligned stablecoin reserve structures and blockchain‑enabled distribution channels, without changing their status as Securities and Exchange Commission‑registered 2a‑7 MMFs. The changes are designed to allow the funds to serve as regulated, government-backed collateral for payment stablecoins and other tokenized cash uses…

Binance Pay can now be used for cryptocurrency payments at 650,000+ Scan To Pay merchants in South Africa. Users can spend over 100 different cryptocurrencies, with instant settlement and no gas fees. The partnership facilitates practical uses of cryptocurrency through connection with local payment platforms. Binance Pay and Scan To Pay have joined forces in a bid to boost the use of crypto spending in real-life scenarios in the country. With this move, it is possible to make payments with cryptocurrency to over 650,000 Scan To Pay merchants across the country. This move enlarges the footprint of Binance Pay by…