Author: NBTC

Hotlink Group, a publicly traded Japanese company, announced that it has begun actively deploying capital into decentralized finance (DeFi) using the synthetic stablecoin USDe. The firm stated that its subsidiary, Nonagon Capital, executed an initial investment toward a total target of $4 million in DeFi operations. While USDC remains the common institutional choice due to its regulatory standing, Hotlink chose the high-yield USDe. The USDe Rationale: Yield Trumps Simple Custody Hotlink’s decision to use USDe, issued by Ethena, over established fiat-backed stablecoins like USDC or USDT, reveals a strong commitment to maximizing returns in its treasury management. Historically, firms opting…

Bakkt (BKKT) may have surged 170% in just two weeks, but one Wall Street firm says the rally hasn’t erased the stock’s upside potential. Broker Benchmark raised its price target on the crypto infrastructure company to $40 from $13, while reiterating its buy rating on the stock. The shares were 2% higher in early trade, around $26. Even after the run-up, Bakkt trades at just 9.9 times estimated 2026 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA), according to Benchmark analyst Mark Palmer. That’s far below peers including Coinbase (24.1x), Robinhood (45.5x) and Circle (49.9x). Benchmark argues the relative discount…

US President Donald Trump’s cryptocurrency policies could be one of the administration’s most enduring legacies, according to Bitwise’s CEO. Speaking at the Token2049 event in Singapore, Bitwise Asset Management CEO Hunter Horsley stated his belief that the crypto industry will remain strong in the post-Trump era. “It’s nice that people are thinking about it,” Horsley said, “but I’m not worried.” Founded in 2017, Bitwise is known as one of the industry’s largest crypto fundraisers. Horsley explained that the company has worked with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over multiple administrations, but recently the agency has gained significant momentum…

XRP is surging into the spotlight as CME prepares regulated options, signaling rising institutional demand, growing futures volume, and expanding access to compliant crypto exposure. XRP Options Set to Explode With CME Launch Institutional activity in digital asset derivatives continues to accelerate as market participants anticipate broader access to regulated crypto instruments. Derivatives marketplace operator CME Group (Nasdaq: CME) shared on Oct. 6 that it is preparing for the launch of U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)-regulated options on XRP and Solana futures, scheduled to go live next week. The upcoming rollout follows a prior announcement from the company and…

DMCC, an international business district that drives the flow of global trade through Dubai, has partnered with the Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) to advance global infrastructure for tokenized commodities, including gold, diamonds and other high-value commodities. The agreement seeks to integrate physical commodities into blockchain-powered financial systems. As per the press release, the entities aim to establish a secure, transparent and scalable framework for tokenized commodities, enhancing access to global markets and supporting the long-term integration of tokenized assets into mainstream finance. Dubai will launch pilot projects to securely tokenize gold The partnership will focus on several key…

JPMorgan analysts said the stablecoin market has pulled ahead of the broader crypto ecosystem this year, fueled in part by the passage of the U.S. GENIUS Act. At nearly $300 billion, the market has grown 42% year-to-date, nearly double the 21% growth of crypto overall, according to a report published Tuesday. The report notes that stablecoins now make up about 7.5% of the $3.8 trillion total crypto market cap and roughly 1.3% of the U.S. M2 money supply, up 35 basis points since the start of the year. Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies whose value is tied to another asset, such as…

Members of the US Securities and Exchange Commission have partially shut down operations following a lapse in government funding. Most staff have been directed to secure their work. Only a very limited number of employees are handling emergency cases, such as threats to human life or property. Routine functions, including enforcement actions, rulemaking, and registration reviews, are paused. For retail CFD traders, the shutdown introduces additional uncertainty. Routine approvals and regulatory oversight are on hold, which may delay access to new products, including cryptocurrency-linked exchange-traded funds. Monte Safieddine, Head of Market Research, MENA at Capital.com “The initial impact on retail…

Cryptocurrency exchange Binance announced that it will be making changes to the monitoring and seed labels of some assets on the platform. Binance Announces Tracking Tag Updates: WAN Added to List, GPS and MBL Removed According to the exchange’s official announcement, WAN (Wanchain) will be included in the tracking tag, while GPS (GPS Ecosystem) and MBL (MovieBloc) will be removed from this tag. Additionally, the seed tag will be removed from BERA, BIO, ZK, and ZRO tokens. Binance uses the watch tag on certain tokens for reasons such as high volatility, low liquidity, or project risks. This tag reminds investors…

TransCrypts, a blockchain startup building tools for people to own and share verified credentials, has raised a $15 million seed round led by Pantera Capital. The round included Lightspeed Faction, Alpha Edison, Motley Fool Ventures, and a mix of returning investors such as Mark Cuban and Protocol Labs. The funding follows a strong summer for the San Francisco-based company. In September, TransCrypts won CoinDesk’s Pitchfest at Consensus Hong Kong, taking home $10,000 in tokens, a trophy, and ten coaching sessions. Founder and CEO Zain Zaidi said that the win helped the team refine its vision for what he calls “self-sovereign…

U.S. bank Citizens began coverage of Circle Internet (CRCL) with a market perform rating, noting that while the company is poised to capitalize on stablecoin growth, its valuation already captures much of the upside. Circle, issuer of the second-largest stablecoin, the dollar-pegged USDC, and euro-pegged EURC, has built a broad infrastructure suite, including a payments network, cross-chain protocol and programmable wallets. It is working on Arc, a planned layer-1 blockchain, that Citizens sees as central to programmable money in payments, trading and tokenization. Stablecoins are a type of cryptocurrency whose value is pegged to a real-world asset such as a…