Author: NBTC

Since December, the DeFi sector’s largest protocol has been wrestling with an existential question, pitting Aave Labs against the DAO: who owns Aave? What began as a discussion over swap fees rapidly escalated into an existential debate about ownership of the Aave brand, as well as the rights to monetize it. Yesterday, Aave Labs published a “temperature check” entitled “Aave Will Win Framework” on the Aave governance forum. Their headline is “100% of product revenue to the Aave DAO,” but the post, which runs to almost 4,000 words, doesn’t end there. Read more: Aave brand dispute rumbles on as founder…

Ethereum price today trades near $1,997, up 0.35% in the past 24 hours as the token consolidates in a tight range after recovering from the $1,588 February low. The move comes as BlackRock filed an amended S-1 for its iShares Staked Ethereum Trust ETF, revealing an 18% cut of staking rewards split between the sponsor and prime execution agent. BlackRock Reveals 18% Staking Fee Structure BlackRock’s amended S-1 filing for its iShares Staked Ethereum Trust shows the fund will take 18% of all staking rewards earned by the ETF. Coinbase, serving as both custodian and prime execution agent, will split…

JPMorgan announced that the “risk reduction” process that has affected cryptocurrency markets in recent months may have largely ended, and signals of stability in ETF flows are strengthening. The bank’s analysts noted that data, particularly for Bitcoin and Ethereum spot ETFs, indicates that selling pressure has weakened. According to a report published by an analyst team led by managing director Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou at JPMorgan, while Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs experienced outflows in December, global equity ETFs recorded record monthly inflows totaling $235 billion. However, the picture in the crypto markets began to change in January. Analysts stated that Bitcoin and…

Authorities in Russia’s Republic of Dagestan have opened a criminal investigation against a local man suspected of financing terrorism, the state news agency TASS reported. Summary Russian authorities have opened a criminal case against a Dagestan resident suspected of financing terrorism, according to TASS. Investigators in Makhachkala allege the man provided funds or material support linked to extremist activity, though specific details have not been disclosed. The case comes amid heightened global scrutiny of cryptocurrency’s potential role in illicit finance, as the EU moves to tighten restrictions on Russian crypto-related transactions. Russian arrested as scrutiny grows over crypto and terror…

Neo SPCC has published NeoGo v0.117.0, a maintenance release that focuses on improving the developer experience with compiler enhancements, performance optimizations, and expanded notary service capabilities. The update is fully compatible with C# node version 3.9.2 and addresses a number of important bugs that improve the stability and correctness of node operations. No resync or configuration change is required on upgrade. Compiler improvements and performance optimizations NeoGo v0.117.0 brings several improvements to the compiler that enhance its capabilities and usability. The compiler now supports embedded struct fields (#4160), expanding the range of Go language features available to smart contract developers.…

Cache Wallet, a security-first Web3 wallet, has collaborated with Coral Finance, a prominent DeFi infrastructure entity. The partnership focuses on strengthening efficient and secure DeFi engagement across diverse blockchain networks. As Cache Wallet revealed in its official social media announcement, the initiative merges its recovery-centered wallet security with the cutting-edge yield optimization and liquidity infrastructure of Coral Finance. Hence, the duo attempts to offer a more seamless and safer user experience with capital-efficient DeFi tools and security-first wallet access. @CacheWallet × @Coral_Finance Partnership Announcement 🤝Cache Wallet is teaming up with Coral Finance, a decentralized liquidity protocol focused on efficient capital…

Ethereum price has confirmed a dreaded death cross pattern on the weekly chart. Will it crash as demand for its ETFs continues to falter? Summary Ethereum price has confirmed a death cross on the weekly chart. Over $2.6 billion has left spot Ether ETFs in the past four months. According to data from crypto.news, Ethereum ($ETH) price has plummeted since mid-January this year. Trading around $2,000, which is a key psychological support level, the leading altcoin by market cap remains 40% below its yearly high. The sharp downtick in price came amid massive liquidation events that have plagued the sector…

A ruble-denominated stablecoin outpaced the biggest dollar-pegged tokens last year, adding almost $90 billion in circulating supply even though its backers are sanctioned by Western governments. The token, A7A5, was introduced in January 2025 by A7 LLC, a cross-border payments firm linked to Russia’s state-owned Promsvyazbank and Moldovan businessman Ilan Shor, who has also been convicted in a $1 billion bank fraud case Issued through a Kyrgyz entity and circulating on the Tron and Ethereum blockchains, A7A5 is used to facilitate cross-border payments for Russian users facing banking restrictions, while also providing a route into market leader $USDT liquidity through…

The prospective nominee for the Netherlands Secretary of Finance, who would’ve overseen the newly approved 36% tax on unrealised crypto gains, has stepped down after lying about her CV’s credentials. Democrats 66 member Nathalie van Berkel announced yesterday that she would withdraw her bid to become Secretary of Finance after the news outlet De Volkskrant discovered multiple discrepancies in her resume. She claimed to have a master’s degree in public administration from Leiden University, to have studied law at Erasmus University, and that she had completed her higher professional education. De Volkskrant questioned her credentials, and over the course of…

Aztec ($AZTEC), the native utility and governance token of Aztec Network, a hybrid public-private Ethereum layer 2 protocol, shot up over 80% today after Upbit and Bithumb, South Korea’s two dominant digital asset exchanges, listed the token. The dual debut unleashed a wave of Korean won-denominated buying, pushing the token from $0.019 to $0.037 and lifting its market capitalization to approximately $100 million from $57 million before the announcement. $AZTEC is now trading at $0.033, up 73% in the last 24 hours, CoinGecko data shows. Trading volume also ballooned as retail investors piled in, a pattern consistent with the so-called…