Author: NBTC

Two pieces of legislation signed by Kazakhstan’s head of state are going to relax rules for cryptocurrency transactions in the Central Asia nation. Besides updating banking regulations, the laws aim to promote the integration of new financial technologies and digital assets in the country’s economy. Kazakhstan’s leader approves laws regulating crypto turnover President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has signed Kazakhstan’s long-awaited 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.” Prepared by the Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market, the acts…

In a significant move for mainstream cryptocurrency adoption, South Korean financial giant KB Kookmin Card has filed a groundbreaking patent application for a hybrid digital asset payment technology. This innovation, reported by Newsis in Seoul, South Korea, on April 10, 2025, aims to seamlessly merge blockchain-based digital assets with traditional credit card infrastructure. Consequently, this development could fundamentally reshape how consumers interact with both fiat and cryptocurrency for daily transactions. Decoding the Hybrid Digital Asset Payment Technology KB Kookmin Card’s proposed system introduces a novel bridge between decentralized finance and conventional banking. The core technology links a user’s existing blockchain…

Data released today by market analyst OKX Wallet revealed the top DeFi protocols by total fee revenues generated last year. The analysis identified top decentralized finance platforms leading in fee revenue creation in 2025, with various decentralized applications surging in revenue growth while transaction costs decreased drastically. Fee revenue generated through various DeFi trading activities in decentralized protocols is typically a crucial indicator showing decentralized protocols’ economic health and real-world utility. Such fees reveal revenue collected from customers for executing transactions, providing liquidity, or using various DeFi functions. Meteora just topped DeFi in total fees over the past year.What do…

A sizable majority of Russians are well aware of cryptocurrency, and close to half of those with knowledge would like to have a wallet, a new survey has shown. According to Russia’s largest bank, which carried out the study, the results are a clear indication that Russian citizens favor the legalization of the digital assets market. Most Russians know about cryptocurrency, with many ready to invest in it Some 83% of the respondents in the poll, conducted by Sber Analytics, the research arm of Russia’s biggest bank by assets, are familiar with the term “cryptocurrency,” announced a high-ranking Sber executive.…

David Solomon, CEO of banking giant Goldman Sachs, has weighed in on the pending digital asset market structure legislation, action on which was recently postponed by the US Senate Banking Committee. In a Thursday earnings call discussing the company’s fourth quarter results for 2025, Solomon said many people at Goldman Sachs were “extremely focused” on issues including the Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act in the US Congress due to its potential impact on tokenization and stablecoins. A markup of the bill scheduled for Thursday was postponed after Coinbase said it would no longer support the legislation as written. In…

Binance Wallet unveiled a feature allowing users to trade leveraged crypto futures bets directly while avoiding the risk of holding coins on a centralized exchange such as Binance itself, the industry’s largest by volume traded. Following an agreement with Aster, the second-largest decentralized perpetuals platform, users are able to trade directly through the wallet while retaining complete control of their coins, Binance said Wednesday. The move reflects growing user demand for blending the speed of centralized finance (CeFi) with the control of decentralized finance (DeFi). Users want seamless trading without the risks of holding coins on exchanges, a danger highlighted…

Pakistan sees Bitcoin and digital assets as the backbone of a new financial rail for its 240 million citizens, a senior official said at the Bitcoin MENA Conference, signaling a shift toward formal regulation of crypto markets. Bilal Bin Saqib said on Tuesday that Pakistan can no longer rely on traditional economic models, but needs “a new engine,” citing digital assets. The minister said during a roundtable in Abu Dhabi: “We see Bitcoin, digital assets, and blockchain not just as speculation but as infrastructure. Not as noise, but as a foundation of a new financial rail for the global south.”…

The Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act would weaken federal money transmitter rules and should not be included in crypto market structure legislation, the U.S. senators running the body’s Judiciary Committee said in a letter to the Senate Banking Committee. Section 604 of the Banking Committee’s market structure bill, which aims to protect software developers from criminal liability if third parties misuse their products, would “weaken” federal laws around unlicensed money transmitter businesses, wrote Senators Chuck Grassley and Dick Durbin, respectively the Republican chairman and ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. “The Senate Judiciary Committee — which has jurisdiction over Title 18…

Upbit, one of South Korea’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges, has announced new trading support for USDe (Ethena USDe), a digital asset developed by Ethereum. According to the announcement, USDe will begin trading in KRW, BTC, and USDT pairs. Trading support is scheduled to open on January 14th at 6 PM, while deposits will begin approximately 1.5 hours after the announcement is published. Upbit emphasized that USDe transactions will only be supported via the Ethereum network, warning that transfers from other networks will not be accepted. Users were also advised to carefully check the official smart contract address designated for USDe before…

French regulators announced this week that roughly 30% of crypto companies have not yet applied for a MiCA license. The news comes as a key regulatory deadline approaches, one that will decide whether these firms can legally continue operating. Though the European Union became the first jurisdiction to create a legal framework for crypto-assets, MiCA has faced pushback over its steep capital requirements and operational costs. France Faces Licensing Deadline Under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, crypto firms must obtain authorization from a national regulator to operate across the bloc. In France, companies have until June 30…