Author: NBTC
Crypto funding surged to nearly $709 million during the week of June 8-14, 2025, with a massive $550 million private placement by IREN leading the charge. Venture capital activity remained robust across the sector, particularly in infrastructure, with funding rounds spanning from pre-seed to Series B. Startups like Hypernative, Yupp, Turnkey, and OneBalance also drew substantial investments, reflecting sustained investor confidence in crypto infrastructure and application-layer innovation despite broader market volatility. Here’s what we tracked, using data from Cryptofundraising: IREN (ex Iris Energy) Raised $550 million through private placement of convertible senior notes IREN has raised $863 million so far…
Ripple is pushing to acquire Circle, the issuer of the USDC stablecoin, with a new proposed offer reaching up to $11 billion. However, the community is concerned that this deal could lead to negative consequences, from market panic to undermining XRP’s role. So why is Ripple determined to buy Circle, and what does this mean for the crypto market? Why is Ripple Acquiring Circle? Ripple, the company behind XRP, has long positioned itself as a solution for cross-border payments, aiming to replace traditional systems like SWIFT. However, the rapid rise of stablecoins, including USDC, and their promising future have overshadowed…
In an ongoing wave of crypto adoption, crypto policy and regulation are often seen coming under fire from market players. In a recent update, Kenya’s draft VASP Bill is to embed a Binance‑linked think tank on its oversight board, according to disclosures seen by The Kenyan Wall Street. According to a report by The Kenyan Wall Street, the inclusion of the Virtual Asset Chamber of Commerce (VAC) on the regulatory authority’s board sparked warnings that the move could tilt Kenya’s digital‑asset rules in favor of the world’s largest exchange. Kenya’s Crypto Bill Raises Eyebrows The VASP (Virtual Asset Service Providers)…
Bitget wallet has partnered with Mastercard and the infrastructure provider Immersve to launch a crypto-linked card. Holders will be able to make payments directly from their digital wallets, available for all merchants that accept Mastercard globally. Bitget wallet will offer a new crypto card in partnership with the leading payment processing company Mastercard and the infrastructure provider, Immersve. The product aims to make crypto usage seamless, by spending balances directly from a crypto wallet. Holders will be able to pay through more than 150 million merchants that accept Mastercard globally. The exchange’s wallet app will handle real-time funding via on-chain…
Researchers from LMU Munich and the University of Baghdad have used AI to reconstruct a Babylonian poem that had been lost for over 2,000 years. Named the Hymn of Babylon, the text—which praises Babylon and the god Marduk—was written 3,000 years ago and last studied in 100 BC. According to the team behind its rediscovery, it has been pieced together from 30 clay fragments that have been excavated over the years, with artificial intelligence being used to join the dots. “We used a specialized AI program to analyze and match text fragments based on combinations of cuneiform signs,” Professor Enrique…
According to a report by Chainalysis and AUSTRAC, cryptocurrency rails for remittances are booming in Latam. This use case, which previously struggled to gain momentum, is currently experiencing significant growth, with volumes increasing by over 40% in 2024 and the potential for further growth as stablecoins go mainstream. Cryptocurrency Remittances Grow 40% in Latam With Room for Growth Latin America, once again, is at the forefront of crypto adoption. According to a recent report by Chainalysis, a cryptocurrency and blockchain intelligence firm, and AUSTRAC, the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre, the use of cryptocurrency to send remittances to Latam…
The Pi Coin has been making headlines lately — and not all for the right reasons. What started as excitement around Pi Network’s founder Dr. Nicolas Kokkalis speaking at Consensus quickly turned into confusion and controversy. The coin’s price spiked to $1.60, only to crash soon after, leaving traders stunned. But that wasn’t the end of it. Rumors began spreading that Pi might be one of the biggest scams of 2025. This speculation gained traction when it was revealed that over 22,000 migrated wallets didn’t belong to real pioneers but to the Pi Core Team itself. According to tracking data…
Binance remains the undisputed leader among centralized cryptocurrency exchanges in 2025. It was the only major platform that did not delist any tokens added between January 1, 2023, and December 31, 2024. This, according to CryptoQuant, reflected a “rigorous” listing strategy and operational stability. Binance Leads in Listing Quality and Rewards The latest stats reveal that Binance distributed over $2.6 billion in airdrops in 2024 alone. In doing so, the crypto exchange captured more than 94% market share in the rewards segment. Programs such as Launchpool and Megadrop have managed to attract millions of participants, thereby strengthening user engagement and…
Circle’s Jeremy Allaire believes the stablecoin industry is on the brink of mass developer adoption, with major retailers and fintech innovators entering the space. According to Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire, stablecoins could soon reach their breakthrough moment, akin to the iPhone’s launch in 2007. In a post on Saturday, Allaire said the industry is “not quite yet at the iPhone moment” when developers universally recognize the potential of programmable digital dollars. However, he acknowledged that the day was fast approaching. Calling stablecoins “the highest utility form of money ever created,” Allaire’s remarks responded to a post from a16z Crypto partner…
In the first quarter of 2025, XRP’s market capitalization grew by 1.9%, reaching $121.6 billion, while the combined market cap of bitcoin, ethereum, and solana fell by 22%. All network metrics for XRP improved for the second consecutive quarter, with average daily active addresses increasing by 142% to 134,600. XRP Metrics Improve for Second Consecutive Quarter XRP’s market capitalization remained nearly flat in the first quarter of 2025, growing by just 1.9%, according to the latest Messari XRP Ledger Q1 2025 report. However, it still outperformed the combined market cap of bitcoin ( BTC), ethereum ( ETH), and solana (…