Author: NBTC

US investigators have launched an investigation to identify crypto platforms that have facilitated sanctions evasion by Iranian officials seeking to move money abroad, access hard currency, or procure goods. The US has long-standing financial sanctions on Iran aimed at limiting Tehran’s access to the global financial system. These sanctions target Iranian government entities, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and sectors like oil and finance. They also bar Americans and companies from providing services that could help Iran move money or purchase goods internationally. Iran’s sanctions push the country into decentralized markets Iran has also faced a series of crises…

The cryptocurrency market continues its bearish start to 2026, with the leading cryptocurrencies recording massive losses over the weekend. Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum ($ETH), and Ripple (XRP) trade in red on Monday after dipping by over 11%, 19%, and 13%, respectively, in the previous week. The leading cryptocurrencies lost 10%, 17%, and 10.5% of their values in January, highlighting persistent downside pressure. Bitcoin, the leading cryptocurrency by market cap, is extending its correction, as it briefly dipped below $75k on Sunday. Meanwhile, Ether is trading above $2,240 after losing 10% of its value since Sunday, making it the worst performer among…

A budget bill that will end the partial government shutdown in the US has passed the House of Representatives. The comprehensive spending package, which ended the three-day government shutdown, has been sent to President Donald Trump for signature. According to White House sources, Trump is expected to sign the bill soon, officially ending the partial shutdown of federal agencies. Republican leaders and Trump worked hard to persuade members to support the bill despite some opposition within the party. The party leadership did not want a repeat of the crisis similar to the prolonged shutdown last fall, which lasted 43 days…

Monster-battling blockchain game Axie Infinity will airdrop a new game token—bonded $AXS (bAXS)—to eligible wallets based on a February 5 snapshot, developer Sky Mavis announced on Tuesday. The airdrop will consist of 100,000 bAXS tokens—backed 1:1 with its existing $AXS token—and will be distributed to wallets that have staked at least 10 $AXS, or about $16.90 worth of the existing Axie Infinity ecosystem token. Among those who have staked 10 $AXS, their Axie Score and the amount of staked $AXS will impact a player’s airdrop allocation. When launched, bAXS will act exactly like the game’s original token, allowing players to…

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has suggested a new system for onchain governance. His idea uses two layers to improve both accountability and motivation in decentralized networks. First, the base layer focuses on financial incentives. It works like a prediction market. Users earn rewards for correct predictions. This makes the system more transparent and holds people accountable for their decisions. Second, the top layer is non-financial. Participants can vote anonymously without pressure from money. This layer encourages people to act out of intrinsic motivation. In other words, it rewards doing what is best for the community, not just for profit. How…

SEOUL, South Korea – January 2025. In a strategic move poised to redefine the nation’s financial landscape, South Korea’s banking sector is consolidating its position to advocate for the issuance of a government-backed digital currency. Crucially, the banks are pushing for a won stablecoin model that would allow them to pay interest to holders, a proposal that could fundamentally alter the relationship between traditional finance and digital assets. This initiative emerges as the South Korean government prepares to enact the landmark Digital Asset Basic Act, setting the stage for a pivotal shift in monetary policy and consumer banking. The Strategic…

In a significant development for digital asset policy, U.S. Senate Democrats will convene a closed-door meeting on February 4th, 2025, to deliberate the proposed CLARITY Act, a move that could define America’s regulatory approach to cryptocurrency for years to come. This pivotal gathering, first reported by journalist Eleanor Terrett, represents the first Democratic caucus discussion on the subject since a parallel Republican meeting was postponed last month, highlighting the growing urgency and complexity surrounding crypto legislation in Washington D.C. The CLARITY Act Takes Center Stage The upcoming meeting focuses squarely on the Crypto-Asset Reporting, Liquidity, and Integrity Transparency (CLARITY) Act.…

Ethereum price today trades near $2,290 after crashing to $2,156, its lowest level since October 2024. $ETH’s crash came alongside Bitcoin’s drop to $74,500, triggered by Trump’s hawkish Fed Chair nomination and Iran port explosion. However, $ETH underperformed $BTC significantly, falling over 20% compared to Bitcoin’s 15% decline. $306 Million Liquidation Wave Hits Long Positions $ETH Derivatives Data (Source: Coinglass) The derivatives market bore the brunt of the crash. Over the past 24 hours, $306.96 million in $ETH positions were liquidated, with $213.92 million coming from longs and $93.04 million from shorts. The 2.3x imbalance shows leveraged bulls were caught…

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is pushing a plan to link central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) across BRICS nations to streamline cross-border trade and tourism while chipping away at the U.S. dollar’s dominance. Sources told Reuters that the RBI urged the government to add the proposal to create an interconnected system of CBDCs to the agenda of the 2026 BRICS summit to be hosted by India later this year. That would be the first such formal attempt to create a CBDC link among BRICS members: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa and newer compatriots like the UAE, Iran and…

In a bid to respond more “quickly to crypto failures,” such as the collapse of QuadrigCX, Canada’s top investment industry regulator rolled out a new digital asset custody rules tightening standards on digital asset custody. The industry-led Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) said its new Digital Asset Custody Framework is designed to allow it to respond more quickly to risks, including hacking, fraud, weak governance and insolvencies that have left investors exposed in past incidents. “Many of the expectations in the framework were developed in close consultation with [crypto-asset trading platforms] and their custodians and reflect practices already in place,”…