Author: NBTC

Wall Street giant Citigroup (C) has launched new ether (ETH) forecasts, calling for $4,300 by year-end, which would be a decline from the current $4,515. That’s the base case though. The bank’s full assessment is wide enough to drive an army regiment through, with the bull case being $6,400 and the bear case $2,200. The bank analysts said network activity remains the key driver of ether’s value, but much of the recent growth has been on layer-2s, where value “pass-through” to Ethereum’s base layer is unclear. Citi assumes just 30% of layer-2 activity contributes to ether’s valuation, putting current prices…

Gemini shares drop below its IPO price just days after its debut on Nasdaq The company reported a $283 million loss in H1 2025 Gemini is also nearing a settlement with the SEC 2025 has been a milestone year for crypto companies entering public markets. From Coinbase to Circle and Bullish, major digital asset firms have launched IPOs that drew major attention and big first day gains. However, not all IPOs have been able to maintain their early momentum. Here’s what’s happening with Gemini. Gemini IPO Hype Sees Quick Pullback Gemini Space Station has slipped below its IPO price just…

Swiss banking powerhouse UBS, crypto banking specialist Sygnum and PostFinance, a subsidiary company of the state-owned Swiss Post, successfully tested payments between institutions on Ethereum, according to a press release on Tuesday. The proof of concept, run under the Swiss Bankers Association, saw UBS, PostFinance, and Sygnum Bank carry out transactions using deposit tokens — digital representations of bank deposits that can move on a public blockchain. The payments were settled legally between banks without relying on the traditional payment system. The transactions were conducted on Ethereum using a permissioned framework. Switzerland already has an efficient domestic payments network, but…

The world of decentralized finance (DeFi) is constantly evolving, and robust infrastructure is key to its growth. A significant leap forward has just been announced: the Taiko Chainlink integration. This collaboration promises to bring a new era of reliability and innovation to the Ethereum Layer 2 ecosystem. For anyone invested in the future of scalable and secure blockchain applications, this development is truly exciting. Why is Taiko Chainlink Integration a Game-Changer for DeFi? Taiko, a prominent Ethereum Layer 2 network, has officially embraced Chainlink Data Streams as its foundational oracle infrastructure. This isn’t just a technical upgrade; it’s a strategic…

Investors have not priced in Ethereum’s (ETH) potential to replace Wall Street’s outdated settlement infrastructure, according to SharpLink CEO Joseph Chalom and EigenLayer founder Sreeram Kannan. During a Sept. 15 Milk Road podcast discussion, Chalom, who previously led BlackRock’s digital asset initiatives, outlined the fundamental friction plaguing traditional finance. Current systems require day-long settlement periods, create counterparty risks, and force market participants to post collateral for overnight financing while intermediaries extract rents from these inefficiencies. He stated: “The current ecosystem is pretty inaccessible and filled with friction where intermediaries are taking rents.” SharpLink CEO then contrasted the dynamic with Ethereum’s…

Traditional finance has long had a way of splitting capital from coupons, allowing investors to separate interest-payment flows from the principal. Now, a team of stablecoin and blockchain-based real-world asset (RWA) pioneers is doing the same for tokenized assets. A new startup, STBL, emulates TradFi’s zero-coupon strip structures by converting digital assets into a dollar-pegged stablecoin and yield-bearing non-fungible token (NFT). Just as with the traditional equivalent, the components can be held separately, allowing investors to keep the part that appeals to them and sell the other bit to counterparties with different attitudes to risk. The product, currently in beta…

Pixelverse is moving beyond its Telegram tap-to-earn success, searching for a more Web3-native gaming audience as it launches Pixelverse Arcade, a new gaming platform on Ethereum layer-2 network, Base—and a game on the social media platform, Farcaster. The move allows the platform to establish more on-chain features, collectibles, and alignment with other Web3 communities in a more open environment.   “We were one of the biggest Telegram games with millions of players, real revenue, and proof that simple crypto games can scale fast,” Kori Leon, co-founder of Pixelverse told Decrypt.  “We’re still building on Telegram, but Telegram is fundamentally a Web2-style…

The Agent Builder from Griffin AI was created specifically to aid with Web3 research and decision-making. Griffin AI has handled over 5.2 million queries since its early access launch, drawn over 265,000 sign-ups, and helped create over 15,000 community-built agents. The Agent Builder, a no-code platform for developing and deploying AI agents especially made for Web3, was officially launched by Griffin AI, the platform for deploying and building AI agents in DeFi. The Agent Builder, which is based on Griffin AI’s crypto-native stack, enables developers, analysts, and communities to create customized assistants that integrate data, tools, live blockchain signals, and…

Aave DAO is gearing up for a significant overhaul by shutting down over 50% of underperforming L2 instances. It is also restructuring its governance framework and deploying over $100 million to boost GHO. This could be a pivotal moment that propels Aave back to the forefront of on-chain lending or sparks unprecedented controversy within the DeFi community. ACI Proposes Shutting Down 50% of L2s The “State of the Union” report by the Aave Chan Initiative (ACI) paints a candid picture. After a turbulent period in the DeFi market and internal challenges, Aave (AAVE) now leads in key metrics: TVL, revenue,…

Fundstrat co-founder and BitMine president Tom Lee, known for his bold predictions about Bitcoin (BTC) and the cryptocurrency market, announced that he expects a major rise in Bitcoin and Ethereum. Speaking to CNBC, Tom Lee said that he expects Bitcoin and Ethereum to see a major rise in the fourth quarter of this year, with the easing of monetary policy in the US and the Fed’s interest rate cuts. “If the Fed cuts interest rates, Bitcoin and Ethereum could be the biggest beneficiaries. At this point, I think BTC and ETH could make a huge move in the next three…