Author: NBTC

Starknet has launched strkBTC, a new Bitcoin wrapper that promises to bring enhanced privacy features to decentralized finance (DeFi) without compromising on performance. strkBTC allows for shielded balances and transfers, enabling private Bitcoin transactions within DeFi ecosystems. “Typically, there is a performance-privacy payoff. We are breaking that… there are many traditional Bitcoin wrappers, but strkBTC adds something different: privacy, delivered by the most privacy-literate team in the space,” said Eli Ben-Sasson, Co-founder of StarkWare. Ben-Sasson emphasized that strkBTC maintains composability, allowing users to move Bitcoin through DeFi with private balances and transfers without isolating capital. The strkBTC protocol focuses on…

Ethereum’s correction appears to be accelerating, with price sliding toward the critical $1,900 support level and futures sentiment hitting its most bearish reading in three months. Summary Ethereum price is under pressure across all major timeframes, with structure still tilted to the downside. Futures traders are increasingly defensive, as aggressive selling begins to dominate derivatives flows. The $1,900 level now stands as a pivotal support; holding it could stabilize price, while a break may accelerate losses. At press time, Ethereum was changing hands at $1,958, marking a 6.4% drop in the last 24 hours as continued selling dragged prices lower.…

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong is pointing to China as a model for US stablecoin policy. The timing raises questions about his motives. Armstrong’s defense of China’s central bank digital currency interest payments comes as his company fights to preserve a key revenue stream under threat from the US banking lobby. The GENIUS Act, passed last July, allows platforms like Coinbase to share yields with stablecoin holders — a provision that banking groups are now pushing to eliminate. What Armstrong Said Armstrong took to X on January 8 to praise China’s approach to its digital currency. “China has decided to pay…

The banking industry should not be threatened by crypto companies offering stablecoin yield to customers, and both sides must compromise on the issue, according to White House crypto adviser Patrick Witt. Witt said it was “unfortunate” that the issue of stablecoin yield has become a major point of contention between the crypto industry and banks, adding that crypto service providers sharing yield with customers does not threaten the banking industry’s business model or market share. He told Yahoo Finance: “They can also offer stablecoin products to their customers, just the same as crypto. This is not an unfair advantage in…

Blockchain analytics platform Arkham has pointed to a notable movement in the $JELLYJELLY token’s futures trading. According to the company’s social media post, there has been a sudden increase in the amount of open positions in $JELLYJELLY. Arkham stated that this rise could indicate an attempt at price manipulation by an organized group. According to the platform’s monitoring data, the surge in open positions was concentrated particularly on the OKX and Bybit exchanges. During the same period, a gradual accumulation of $JELLYJELLY tokens was observed on centralized exchanges such as MEXC, KuCoin, and Bitget. The simultaneous occurrence of increased open…

Chain Aware AI has entered into a formal collaboration with 4AI in order to reinforce decentralized AI infrastructure on $BNB Smart Chain. The partnership is expected to integrate on-chain behavioral intelligence with decentralized AI agents, which will result in smarter, faster, and more secure Web3 applications. 4AI X ChainAware 💛We’re partnering with @ChainAware to power the next gen of AI agents with predictive intelligence.⚡️Smart Personalization: Agents that know your on-chain moves. ⚡️Growth Tech: AI-driven portfolio & yield optimization. ⚡️Security: Real-time fraud detection… pic.twitter.com/LRL1g5fq8G — 4AI 🔶 $BNB (@4aibsc) February 16, 2026 4AI is a decentralized AI marketplace, which runs on…

A new collaboration in decentralized finance is reshaping onchain capital efficiency, as Venus Flux debuts on $BNB Chain with a powerful unified liquidity layer. Venus Protocol and Fluid introduce a new liquidity standard on $BNB Chain What is Venus Flux and how does it work? Core capabilities: Lend, Borrow, Multiply and Swap The innovation frontier: Smart Collateral and Smart Debt How the Liquidity Layer operates under the hood A strategic alliance for the $BNB Chain ecosystem Live launch and how users can access Venus Flux About Venus Protocol and Fluid Venus Protocol and Fluid introduce a new liquidity standard on…

The identity and strategy of the cryptocurrency investor known as the “Hyperunit Whale,” whose on-chain assets once exceeded $11 billion, are back in the spotlight. The cryptocurrency analysis platform Arkham X announced in a post that the whale in question sold half a billion dollars worth of Ethereum ($ETH). On-chain data shows that the anonymous investor held Bitcoin ($BTC) for years, but changed strategy in 2025, aggressively accumulating Ethereum. Arkham stated in its announcement that the investor known as the “Hyperunit Whale” is most likely a Chinese investor. Arkham stated that the Hyperunit Whale accumulated a large amount of Bitcoin…

China’s decision to pay interest on its digital yuan sharpens the global race for digital money, raising fears that stalled U.S. policy could weaken stablecoins, payments dominance, and competitiveness as incentives reshape adoption and cross-border finance. China’s Digital Yuan Strategy Raises Alarm Over US Stablecoin Policy China is pulling ahead in digital money as U.S. policy stalls. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong shared on social media platform X on Jan. 7 that China’s move to pay interest on digital currency risks sidelining U.S. stablecoins in the global competition. “China has decided to pay interest on their own stablecoin, because it benefits…

According to local reports, Russia’s central bank is re-examining its long-standing opposition to stablecoins. First Deputy Chairman Vladimir Chistyukhin said the Bank of Russia will conduct a study this year on the feasibility of creating a Russian stablecoin. Previously, Russia had consistently opposed plans for a centralized stablecoin. However, Chistyukhin said foreign practice now warrants a renewed assessment of risks and prospects. Moscow Reopens the Stablecoin Debate The shift signals a strategic rethink rather than an immediate policy change. Still, the timing is notable. Over the past year, the United States passed the GENIUS Act, establishing a federal framework for…