Author: NBTC
Aptos-powered wallet processed 558K transactions and gained 133K accounts in Expo 2025’s first week. Visitors collect soulbound NFT stamps from Expo pavilions via a digital wallet system. Aptos is making a splash again. This time not just in the DeFi or NFT space, but on the world stage: Expo 2025 Osaka, Japan. The blockchain network was officially announced as the official digital wallet provider for the grand event, and the results were immediately felt. In its first week, the wallet has processed more than 558 thousand transactions and successfully added 133 thousand new accounts to the Aptos ecosystem. It’s not…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of Nigeria has declared Elie Bitar, a foreign national, wanted in connection with a massive crypto investment fraud. The scheme ran through the now-defunct Crypto Bridge Exchange (CBEX) and is believed to have defrauded thousands of Nigerian investors of over ₦1.2 trillion. EFCC Tracks Key Player in Crypto Fraud In a notice released Wednesday, the EFCC identified Bitar as the individual behind CBEX’s deceptive investment platform. The 41-year-old is accused of orchestrating a scheme that promised unrealistic returns while outside Nigeria’s financial regulatory framework. Bitar was last known to reside at Eng. George…
Ripple secures first DFSA license for blockchain payments in the UAE, opening access to a $400B trade hub with regulated cross-border services and RLUSD stablecoin. Ripple Targets $400B UAE Trade Hub With Fully Regulated Cross-Border Payments Ripple shared insights on May 1, highlighting a major regulatory achievement in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as it became the first blockchain-powered payments company to receive licensing from the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA). The license permits Ripple to offer its cross-border payments platform, Ripple Payments, across the region—a move seen as pivotal for the company and digital asset adoption in the Middle…
In the future, the blockchain segment will see custom-made decentralized networks for specific use cases, created en masse, Polygon’s founder Sandeep Nailwal says. This positions his new brainchild, Agglayer, as a method to unify all major blockchain applications. “Thousands of custom-built chains”: Polygon founder on next generation of blockchains Customization of blockchains is the key feature essential for building the applications that different kinds of consumers will actually be using. That is why we should be ready for the thousands of application-specific blockchains created “in the very near future,” said Polygon’s founder Sandeep Nailwal. My take: in the very near…
This is a segment from the Forward Guidance newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe. The US economy contracted in the year’s first three months. It’s the first quarterly decline since 2022. Today’s advanced GDP estimate for Q1 showed a 0.3% annualized decline, sending stocks lower, and Treasury yields and gold higher. Analysts had expected GDP to grow 0.4% in the first quarter. The report comes a day after President Trump marked 100 days in office, during which time the S&P 500 notched its worst performance (-7.3% since Inauguration Day) since the first 100 days of President Nixon’s second term. The…
Chiliz (CHZ) is among crypto projects to see their native tokens surge on April 23 amid notable shift in market sentiment. The CHZ token’s price performance puts it into the spotlight as Bitcoin looks to hold gains following a spike to $93k. With altcoins like Immutable (IMX) exploding 44%, what is the outlook for CHZ? In particular, what does Chiliz’ plans for a major US comeback mean? Chiliz price gains 10% to key level Per CoinMarketCap, Chiliz (CHZ) price has surged 10% in the past 24 hours. Data shows the CHZ token rose to highs of $0.041. This is a…
In February, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) began soliciting public input pertaining to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) — a move suggesting reform at the agency is imminent. Since then, the SEC, in line with President Trump, has taken a far less adversarial stance towards the cryptocurrency industry, as evidenced by the appointment of crypto-friendly personnel and the abandonment of numerous lawsuits and investigations into crypto companies. But DOGE has the potential to implement further change, and interest in the SEC signals growing pressure towards regulators to reassess their approach to digital assets. In response to the…
The world’s largest crypto exchange platform by volume is adding support for a new liquidity infrastructure project, causing its native asset to skyrocket. In a new announcement, Binance says that on May 2nd, it rolled out support for the decentralized omnichain protocol StakeStone (STO). “Binance is excited to announce the 17th project on the HODLer Airdrops page – StakeStone, a decentralized omnichain liquidity infrastructure protocol designed to transform how liquidity is acquired, distributed, and utilized across blockchain ecosystems.” The HODLer Airdrops program, which launched in June 2024, rewards those holding Binance’s native asset BNB with crypto based on previous snapshots…
Three protocols are vying for dominance of the Ethereum Layer 2 market and its $52 billion worth of so-called decentralized finance (DeFi): Arbitrum (ARB), Optimism (OP), and Base. Bullish investors even see an opportunity for layer 2s to displace some of Ethereum’s $220 billion market cap or even the values of alternate blockchains like Solana or Avalanche. Something of a misnomer, a “layer 2” cheapens and speeds up the transactions of a layer 1 blockchain, yet layer 2s are essentially separate blockchains that publish data onto a base blockchain. Arbitrum and Optimism were the two earliest major competitors, and their…
Crypto market maker DWF Labs is partnering with Mask Network in a $5 million token deal to push decentralized social media into the mainstream. Cryptocurrency market maker and investor DWF Labs has invested $5 million in Mask Network, a decentralized social platform bridging web2 and web3, as part of its push to support user-owned internet technologies. In a Wednesday blog announcement, DWF Labs’ managing partner Andrei Grachev explained that the decision to back Mask Network comes as the project “has consistently demonstrated both vision and execution in this space.” Following the announcement, the price of MASK (MASK) rose 14% to…