Author: NBTC

New VeChain-based app Wattly rewards users with tokens for reducing their device use. Americans look at their phones 200 times every day; 46% admit that they are addicted to their devices. Wattle, a new app built on the VeChain blockchain, is joining the growing digital wellness market, rewarding users for cutting back on their phone use. Rising screen time has become a growing global concern, with health experts pointing to increased health problems. Wattly’s blockchain-based solution tracks reduced device use and compensates participants with tokens on the VeChainThor network. According to a new study by Reviews.org, Americans check their phones…

Let’s say an investor has a house in Switzerland and a beach house in Miami. They’re worth, perhaps, $10 million. But what they are really looking for right now is a line of credit for some time on the slopes at St. Moritz, a trip to the Cannes film festival and a few upgrades to the yacht. In traditional finance, they might be able to approach their bank and use those assets to secure a flexible, short-term loan. However, if a substantial part of the investor’s assets is in crypto, it’s likely much harder. And it seems there are a…

X Games will share a title with crypto payments provider MoonPay as part of an eight-figure deal, as the long-running action sports spectacle transitions toward a new team-based format, a MoonPay spokesperson told Decrypt. The MoonPay X Games League, which is set to draft 150 athletes to “regionally repped” clubs at a Los Angeles-based event in March, is now the product of a three-year marketing deal, the companies said in a press release. The new name was unveiled in Aspen, Colorado during X Games’ final standalone event. An official logo for the MoonPay X Games League. Image: MoonPay The X…

Trend Research has increased its ETH holdings to 636,815 ETH, valued at $1.98 billion at current prices. Onchain data shows that the firm bought 9,939 ETH for $30.85 million and sent it to Aave V3 before borrowing an additional $20 million in USDT to buy more Ethereum. Hong Kong-based investment Trend Research has bought more Ethereum, according to onchain data from blockchain explorer and blockchain analytics platform Arkham Intelligence. The firm borrowed $30 million in USDT from Aave, a DeFi lending and borrowing platform, and bought 9,939 ETH for about $30.85 million from Binance. Trend Research and BitMine buy more…

Speaking to Bloomberg, macro strategist Mark Cudmore evaluated the latest developments in the cryptocurrency market and their possible impact on stock markets. According to Cudmore, the situation of companies holding digital assets, in particular, remains a source of concern in the markets. Cudmore stated that the “pain” in the crypto market is not over yet, highlighting the dynamic created by companies like MicroStrategy, which hold significant amounts of Bitcoin on their balance sheets. While MicroStrategy’s announcement that it has a reserve fund to cover the next 14 months of dividend payments is a relief for the markets, Cudmore remains cautious…

The Hong Kong Securities & Futures Professionals Association (HKSFPA) has urged the city’s government to soften some elements of its planned implementation of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) crypto reporting standards. The industry body warned that the OECD’s Crypto Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) and related Common Reporting Standard (CRS) amendments could saddle local institutions with operational and liability risks. CARF is a new standard for automatic tax information exchange for crypto asset users across borders, while CRS is the OECD’s existing automatic information exchange regime for traditional financial accounts. Hong Kong is one of 76 markets that…

Ethereum gains momentum as 35 institutions implement blockchain projects, including tokenized assets, AI-finance and DeFi in a few months. Kraken, Fidelity, Santander, and Google are among the major players that are now building on Ethereum to push the boundaries of cross-border payments and stablecoins. Ethereum is becoming the blockchain of choice for global financial institutions, with 35 projects launched across asset management, payments, and DeFi in the last few months. xStocks, by Kraken, is one of the most significant applications; it allows users to tokenize U.S. stocks and ETFs as ERC-20 tokens. With Kraken, the qualified clients will now be…

The U.S. Federal Reserve wrapped up its quantitative tightening (QT) program on Monday, December 1, punctuating it with $13.5 billion pumped into the U.S. banking system through overnight repos. The figure was the second-largest liquidity injection since the COVID-19 era and surpasses even the Dot Com Bubble peaks, according to Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED). As a result, investors and analysts have been left wondering whether risk assets such as equities and cryptocurrencies are going to be affected, especially as liquidity begins to loosen. Analysts bullish on crypto and stocks Fundstrat’s Tom Lee remains optimistic on crypto and stocks, noting…

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has signed legislation establishing a framework to regulate digital assets, including cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC). Tokayev signed the laws “On Banks and Banking Activities” and “On Amendments and Supplements to Certain Legislative Acts on the Regulation and Development of the Financial Market, Communications, and Bankruptcy,” according to a government statement. The rules introduce a classification for digital assets, including stablecoins, assets backed by financial instruments and property, and financial instruments issued in electronic digital form. The National Bank of Kazakhstan (NBK) will act as a key regulator of the sector, granting it authority to license exchanges,…

Bitcoin BTC$91,807.61 bounced back on Tuesday, gaining about 6% over the last 24 hours after a sharp sell-off to start the week. The rebound helped drive heavy activity in crypto-related exchange-traded funds (ETFs), especially BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), which was among the most-traded ETFs in the U.S. for the day. IBIT saw around $3.7 billion in trading volume Tuesday, surpassing the S&P 500 ETF from Vanguard (VOO), which recorded $3.28 billion, according to data from Barchart. That puts BlackRock’s bitcoin fund in rare company, alongside some of the most liquid and widely held ETFs in the market. The spike…