Author: NBTC

Bitcoin miners just got hit with a hefty 6.31% bump in difficulty this week, pushing the rating to a hefty 155.97 trillion. Even so, miners kept the hashrate roaring above the 1,100 exahash per second (EH/s) mark, with block times clocking in close to the classic 10-minute rhythm. Bitcoin Miners Face the Squeeze Despite Modest Revenue Increase in October October treated bitcoin miners a bit sweeter, dishing out roughly $1.595 billion in revenue — with around $1.584 billion of that coming straight from the block subsidy, according to figures collected by newhedge.io. That’s a modest upgrade from September’s $1.564 billion…

In 2018, IBM Blockchain World Wire was a real-time global payments network built on the Stellar blockchain. Stellar’s architecture was well-suited for payments, offering anchors, rapid consensus, and minimal fees, all aligning perfectly with IBM’s objectives. IBM first announced a collaboration with Stellar in 2017 and later built IBM Blockchain World Wire, a real-time cross-border payments network that used the Stellar protocol. The project was created to shorten settlement times, lower costs, and let banks issue stablecoins or use digital assets for final settlement. World Wire launched into limited production in 2019 with several bank partners and pilot corridors. Still,…

On Oct. 30, 2025, Ethereum (ETH) blob fees — data availability fees for Ethereum’s L2 networks — registered an all-time high. While being painful in general, such spikes are indicators of high demand for Ethereum’s (ETH) throughput. Fusaka, Ethereum’s upcoming upgrade, is expected to mitigate such spikes. 42,000 Gwei: Ethereum (ETH) blob fees log new ATH, community sees “high demand” Ethereum (ETH) blob fees — commissions paid by Layer-2 blockchains for using Ethereum’s computational resources as a data availability layer — set a historic record Oct. 30, 2025. The metric suddenly spiked over 42,000 Gwei, an Ethereum supporter @materkel mentioned…

The race to acquire blockchain infrastructure is picking up speed, according to U.S. bank Citizens. Citizens said it expects the pace of mergers and acquisitions across digital assets to accelerate from here in a new research report. The analysts noted that the digital-asset industry’s technical complexity, talent shortages, and stringent compliance demands make acquisitions the most practical path for incumbents. Meanwhile, digital-native companies gain scale, customer reach, and regulatory credibility by joining larger financial networks. Mastercard (MA) is in advanced talks to buy ZeroHash for as much as $2 billion and that Coinbase (COIN) is nearing a similar-sized deal for…

Japan has built one of the world’s most conservative stablecoin regimes. But after pioneering a comprehensive legal framework for yen-pegged stablecoins, its bank-dependent structure has been called out for limiting innovation in the decentralized finance sector. In Asia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan are in the spotlight for rolling out licensing rules for stablecoin operators. While regulators celebrate Japan’s legal clarity, its inward-looking framework could leave the country lagging behind regional peers like Singapore and Hong Kong, warns Professor of Economics Sayuri Shirai at Keio University. Under Japan’s current framework, Shirai doesn’t see momentum for stablecoins taking off. She explains…

Crypto exchange Binance is partnering with blockchain data platform Bubblemaps to give users of its non-custodial Web3 Wallet more insight into potential insider trading and token manipulation. The integration will allow millions of Binance Web3 Wallet users to utilize Bubblemaps’ blockchain data visualization tool to view token distribution and onchain wallet clusters, aiming to add “layers of transparency” to the Binance experience, according to a Wednesday announcement shared with Cointelegraph. Binance aims to help traders identify insider trading activity or other coordinated market behavior by analyzing a token’s distribution pattern. “As more traders and activity move onchain, the need for…

The recent Ethereum price rejection that pushed it back below the $4,000 level has created a concerning trend that could send the price spiraling. The major point of interest lies at the 0.618 Fibonacci retracement level, where the last rejection occurred. Given this, it is likely that the Ethereum price could see more declines in the coming days, although there is still the possibility of the bulls taking over and invalidating the entire bearish setup. Ethereum Price Is Showing A Lot Of Weakness The rejection from the 0.618 Fibonacci retracement level marked the start of the decline from the $4,200…

A string of stablecoin projects has begun to shake up Japan’s digital money ecosystem. It quietly opened the door to yen-pegged stablecoins this month. But these won’t replace cash at the local supermarket. Instead, they are being built in the quieter corners of the finance world. Japan’s payments market is flush with cashless options, which may limit the appeal of stablecoins in everyday transactions, according to Makoto Shibata, head of Finolab, a Tokyo-based fintech innovation hub. Japan is historically cashless According to Shibata, “If you go to places like convenience stores, you would see like 40 or 50 different types…

The anticipated Cardano and XRP exchange-traded fund (ETF) applications from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have been overshadowed by political gridlock in Washington. This week, the SEC has been facing a decision deadline for three different XRP ETF applications and Grayscale’s Cardano ETF, but has not released any statements. Due to the ongoing US federal government shutdown since October 1st, the SEC is operating at limited capacity, and ETF approval processes have been temporarily halted. Andrew Jacobson, a legal advisor for Halliday and former global head of legal at 21Shares, said in a statement that he expects the…

Cars produced by the Chinese automaker Geely and its local subsidiary in Belarus can now be purchased using cryptocurrencies. Customers will be getting the same prices and promotions, with the added benefit of using digital coins to make the payment through instant conversion to Belarusian fiat. Cryptocurrencies accepted for Geely and Belgee cars in Belarus A car dealership in Minsk, the capital city of Belarus, has launched a new service allowing buyers to spend cryptocurrency on their new vehicle. Tochka, the auto retailer, is offering the alternative payment option in collaboration with WhiteBird, one of the oldest licensed crypto platforms…