Author: NBTC

NBTC

NBTC is the editorial account for NBTC News, covering Bitcoin, Ethereum, DeFi, blockchain infrastructure, exchanges, mining, regulation and digital asset markets. The editorial team focuses on clear sourcing, timely updates and practical context for crypto readers.

Wall Street Giants Mastercard, BlackRock & Franklin Templeton Take Notice of XRP Ledger

Mastercard, BlackRock & Franklin Templeton Turn to $XRP Ledger as DeFi Goes Mainstream As decentralized finance (DeFi) matures into the connective tissue of modern finance, the focus is moving from experimentation to real-world use, and institutional interest is accelerating. Odelia Torteman, a FinTech and Digital Finance Specialist at the World Bank, says global players including Mastercard, BlackRock, and Franklin Templeton are now exploring the $XRP Ledger as part of their expanding digital asset strategies. At the Digital Assets Forum 2026, Odelia Torteman recast DeFi as more than a niche experiment, describing it as the “middleware” quietly powering the next phase…

DeFiApr 21

ETH Holds $2.3K, Eyes Higher

Ethereum is sitting at a short term decision point while a separate higher time frame chart keeps much bigger cycle targets on the table. One setup shows $ETH testing channel support now, while the other argues that holding the broader structure could still open a path toward much higher levels over the next few years. Ethereum Hits a Short Term Decision Zone Inside Ascending Channel Ethereum is trading near the lower boundary of an ascending channel on the 3 hour chart, according to a setup shared by X user Elja. The pattern has guided price higher since late March, with…

EthereumApr 21

What MiCA Means for Every Company Eyeing the European Market

Many assume MiCA doesn't apply if a company is incorporated outside the EU — in Singapore, Hong Kong, or Canada. That's a dangerous mistake. December 2024 marked a turning point for European crypto markets. Before that, each of the EU's 27 member countries maintained its own approach to regulating crypto assets — creating a compliance nightmare for companies operating across borders: overlapping legal costs, fragmented frameworks, and endless national adaptations. MiCA — the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation — ended all of that. The EU now operates under a single, unified rulebook. A license obtained in one member state opens the…

LegalApr 21

Coinbase is testing AI agents that show up on Slack and email

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said the company has started testing AI agents on Slack and email to assist employees with work tasks, continuing the company’s efforts to embed AI into its workflows. In a post to X on Saturday, Armstrong said the company has already deployed two AI agents, modeled after two former executives, speculating that AI agents could eventually outnumber human employees at the crypto exchange. “Soon, it will be easy for any employee to spin up a new agent for themselves or their team. I suspect we will have more agents than human employees at some point soon.”…

ExchangesApr 21

Aave could face up to $230 million in losses after Kelp DAO bridge exploit triggers DeFi chaos

The Kelp DAO and LayerZero bridge exploit that occurred over the weekend has left lending protocol Aave facing potential losses of up to $230 million, depending on how the situation is resolved. The incident, according to a report from Aave Labs and service provider LlamaRisk published on the Aave governance forum, centers on rsETH, a liquid restaking token issued by KelpDAO. To move rsETH between blockchains, the protocol relies on a bridge mechanism that locks tokens on one chain while issuing corresponding copies on another. An attacker exploited that setup by forging a transfer message that appeared valid. The system…

DeFiApr 21

Analyst Says Ethereum Just Confirmed A ‘Turtle Soup’, Here’s What It Means

The Ethereum price has followed Bitcoin’s trajectory recently, with the pump from last week eventually pushing the altcoin above $2,400. This was a welcome change for investors after a drawn-out downtrend. Now, the price has begun to stabilize, looking toward more sideways movement in the time being. This means that the Ethereum price is about to enter an important timeframe, where the decision between the bears and the bulls will eventually be made. Ethereum Price Still Chasing Liquidity According to the crypto analyst TheChartWhisperr on the TradingView website, the Ethereum price has done something important, and that is sweeping the…

EthereumApr 21

Ripple CEO Heaps Praise on New SEC Head

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has heaped praise on the current U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Paul Atkins. He has compared the current regulatory environment under SEC Chair Paul Atkins with the hostile regime of his predecessor, Gary Gensler. The Ripple executive praised Atkins as a "model of what leadership at the SEC should look like." "The SEC’s first mission is to protect investors. Under Gary Gensler, the SEC clearly lost its way," Garlinghouse stated. "He declared war on a technology... It was an unlawful power grab...and the courts said as much." Garlinghouse concluded his statement by calling Atkins…

LegalApr 21

Charles Schwab, Who Started the Countdown for Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) Trading, is Expanding His Business! Another Step Has Been Taken!

Charles Schwab, a leading US financial company, has announced it will expand its cryptocurrency business by publishing Bitcoin ($BTC) educational content. A direct trading service is also expected to be launched soon. Charles Schwab, one of Wall Street’s most prominent figures, recently announced plans to offer direct Bitcoin and Ethereum ($ETH) trading services within a few weeks. Related News Charles Schwab, Who Manages $12 Trillion, Finally Made the Long-Awaited Bitcoin ($BTC) and Ethereum ($ETH) Announcement! Here Are the Details These moves by the company are being interpreted as an effort to lay the groundwork for future use of the service.…

ExchangesApr 21

OTC Whale Loses $540K Amid KelpDAO Exploit

An OTC whale has recently experienced notable losses due to the market uncertainty amid the exploit of the DeFi protocol KelpDAO. Particularly, the whale has incurred a $540K loss as a result of the KelpDAO $rsETH bridge hack. As per the data from Lookonchain, the exploit influenced the withdrawal flows to a significant extent. Thus, the whale witnessed huge losses in an attempt to rebalance their positions. The OTC whale who previously bought 163,405 $ETH($440M) and 4,000 $cbBTC($296M) has withdrawn 98,032 $wstETH($272M) and 3,000 $cbBTC($221.6M) from #Aave. Affected by the KelpDAO rsETH bridge exploit, he was unable to withdraw $ETH,…

DeFiApr 21

Dormant Matrixport Wallet Wakes with $14.5M $ETH Transfer from OKX

A wallet associated with Matrixport, a popular institutional crypto entity, has revived after a year-long period of inactivity. In this respect, the Matrixport wallet has received a $14.5M Ethereum ($ETH) transaction from OKX. As per the data from Arkham Intelligence, this marks one of the notable Ethereum transactions over the past weeks. Additionally, this sudden revival has gained market-wide attention because large-scale movements from such dormant crypto wallets often indicate strategic repositioning ahead of noteworthy market movements. After a year of dormancy, a wallet linked to Matrixport received 6,383 $ETH ($14.49M) from #OKX. The wallet currently holds 18,383 $ETH worth…

EthereumApr 21