Author: NBTC

In 2026, WalletConnect plans to push deeper into digital payments, positioning walletconnect pay as a bridge between crypto users, merchants, and the traditional financial system. Here an interview we recently did with Wallet Connect CEO on YouTube: WalletConnect pivots from connectivity to payments Building infrastructure for mainstream crypto adoption Neutral network for the global crypto economy WalletConnect pivots from connectivity to payments WalletConnect has unveiled an expansion into the crypto payments sector scheduled for 2026, building on a year of rapid growth. In 2025, the connectivity infrastructure provider reported 119% year-over-year growth, processing more than $400 billion in network volume…

Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and altcoins experienced a major crash in the final months of 2025. While BTC fell to $80,000 and Ethereum to $2,600, bullish expectations for 2026 remain. At this point, Tom Lee, the co-founder of Fundstrat and head of BitMine, known for his bold predictions about Bitcoin and the cryptocurrency market, shared his latest prediction for Ethereum. Speaking to CNBC, Tom Lee, the head of BitMine, known as the world’s largest holder of Ethereum, stated that Ethereum could reach an all-time high in 2026 due to increasing institutional demand. Lee predicted a price of $7,000-$9,000 for ETH…

Oracle (ORCL) shares jumped more than 6% in pre-market trading to around $190 after Bloomberg reported that TikTok signed binding agreements to form a new U.S. joint venture led by Oracle, helping ease investor concerns around AI-driven valuation risks. The upbeat reaction spread across risk assets. Bitcoin BTC$88,226.51 jumped above $88,000, Invesco QQQ (QQQ) futures, which tracks the performance of the Nasdaq-100, rose around 0.5%, while AI mining stocks also moved higher. IREN (IREN) gained about 4%, Cipher Mining (CIFR) rose roughly 4% and CoreWeave (CRWV) climbed around 6%. Oracle will play a central role as the primary cloud infrastructure…

Polymarket has refused to settle bets placed on the United States military action in Venezuela last weekend, even though American forces evidently went into the country, arrested the country’s president, and transported him to New York. Traders are now accusing the world’s largest prediction market of redefining the terms of their winning bets after the outcome became politically and financially sensitive. At issue is a contract that asked, “Will the US invade Venezuela by…?” where bettors chose deadlines in January. They insist the operation met the conditions of an invasion, regardless of its speed or casualties. The frenzy continued when…

BitMine’s proposal to dramatically expand its authorized share count has sparked a growing backlash among shareholders, even as the company doubles down on Ethereum as its core treasury asset. While Tom Lee has framed the move as a long-term flexibility play rather than an immediate dilution event, a widening group of investors says the structure, timing, and incentives raise uncomfortable questions. 5 Reasons Tom Lee’s BitMine Strategy Isn’t Winning Fans Tom Lee’s push to expand BitMine’s authorized share count was intended to reinforce the company’s long-term conviction in Ethereum. Instead, it has exposed a growing rift amidst fears that the…

By Francisco Rodrigues (All times ET unless indicated otherwise) Bitcoin BTC$88,032.18 rose above $88,000 even after the Bank of Japan increased interest rates to the highest in nearly 30 years, a move that would have been expected to strengthen the yen and make the carry trade less attractive. Instead, the currency weakened on concerns the higher rates would endanger the spending plans of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who took office in October. The yield on the 10-year Japanese government bond touched 2% for the first time since 2006. Other cryptocurrencies also advanced. Ether ETH$2,958.35 added 3.4% in the last 24…

According to recent data shared by crypto researcher Leonidas Hadjiloizou, major cryptocurrency trading platforms have logged a net outflow of nearly 22 million XRP in the first week of the year. The analysis, which tracks wallets holding at least 1 million XRP, reveals the total balance across tracked exchanges has dropped by 0.14% since December 31. Still, the narrative of a “supply shock” might be far-fetched. XRP frequently sees $2–$4 billion in daily trading volume. At a price of roughly $2.20, that represents roughly 1–2 billion XRP changing hands every single day. A movement of 22 million XRP represents an…

The activities of developers on Ethereum, which are measured by the number of smart contract wallets, increased exponentially in the last quarter of 2025, reaching new records just as the Ethereum ecosystem proved itself the best layer for stablecoins, hosting up to 54% of the global stablecoin supply on ETH. Token Terminal’s data has revealed Ethereum had about 8.7 million smart contracts deployed in the last quarter of 2025, making it the highest quarter witnessed ever, surpassing its previous record from 2021 when it reported 6 million deployments. ETH developers set a new record in 2025 According to Leon Waidmann,…

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has issued a stark warning about the global financial system, arguing that it is a Ponzi scheme headed toward collapse. He shared this view during a recent livestream. In it, he addressed several crypto-related initiatives and offered a broader assessment of the global financial landscape. Global Financial System Functions Like a Ponzi Scheme During the discussion, Hoskinson asserted that the modern financial system operates much like a Ponzi scheme. Rather than relying on genuine economic repayment, he explained, the system survives by continuously shifting liabilities from one sector to another. This creates the illusion of stability…

The crypto derivatives market changed significantly in 2025 after the Oct. 10-11 market crash, which caused record losses and exposed problems with how crypto trading platforms manage risk, according to a report from BitMEX. BitMEX said about $20 billion in leveraged trades were forced to close during the crash, making it the largest liquidation event in crypto history. Unlike past crashes, the losses fell more heavily on “sophisticated” market makers than on retail traders. “The defining event of 2025 was not a macro-driven selloff, but rather a microstructure failure among most crypto exchanges,” the report reads. “The October crash will…