Author: NBTC

Zcash validators coordinated an emergency protocol upgrade after developers discovered a vulnerability affecting the network’s Orchard shielded pool, temporarily suspending Orchard transactions while a fix is rolled out. In an update published on June 2, the Zcash team said the issue was identified through routine auditing and security reviews before any known exploitation occurred. The project stressed that: user funds remain safe, privacy has not been compromised, and the issue affects only Orchard, Zcash’s newest shielded transaction pool. The protocol-level change took effect at approximately 10:30 p.m. Eastern time on June 1. Orchard transactions temporarily disabled According to the announcement,…

The proposed act is widely viewed as a cornerstone for the next phase of institutional crypto adoption. By establishing clear rules for digital assets, the legislation could give banks, brokers, exchanges and asset managers greater confidence to invest, launch products and build market infrastructure, accelerating the migration of trading and liquidity to regulated U.S. venues. JPMorgan analysts said the legislation would encourage institutional investment, boost U.S.-regulated trading and lower barriers for banks, exchanges, custodians and market makers. Some of those trends are already emerging, the bank said, citing Citadel Securities’ $400 million investment in Crypto.com and the CFTC’s approval of…

iShares BITA (Bitcoin Premium Income ETF), by BlackRock, made its debut on Nasdaq on June 16, 2026. BITA provides investors with access to monthly cash payouts in the form of premium income from Bitcoin using covered call options. This investment vehicle will provide an annual yield of 15%-25%, which sparked debate in the crypto space regarding how such products can potentially take capital away from Bitcoin itself in the future. While it is too early to think about a replacement, the thought itself makes sense because BlackRock’s other Bitcoin fund, iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), has amassed almost $49 billion worth…

U.S. approval of perpetual futures contracts could expose traders to unexpected tax and regulatory uncertainty if the products are ultimately determined to be swaps rather than futures, an issue that has received little public attention, according to CME Group Chairman and CEO Terry Duffy. “There’s a consequence that nobody’s talking about,” Duffy said in an interview with CoinDesk. “There’s ambiguity right there, from a tax perspective, for all U.S. participants now.” The comments come as CME continues its legal challenge against the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) over the regulator’s approval of perpetual futures contracts in the U.S. Both sides…

Prediction markets are recording heavy trading while the broader cryptocurrency market stays under pressure. Bitcoin currently trades near $63,482, almost 50% below its October 2021 record above $126,000. Meanwhile, Kalshi, Polymarket International, and Polymarket US processed $44.8 billion during June, up 75% from May’s $25.66 billion. The latest DefiLlama data places seven-day prediction-market volume at $3.268 billion. Kalshi accounts for $2.473 billion, or about three-quarters of the total, while Polymarket contributes $499.46 million. The category also holds $407.77 million in total value locked, with $7.78 million in weekly fees and $3.86 million in revenue. Kalshi Leads Current Trading Volume Kalshi…

The timetable for the development of cryptographically relevant quantum computers has been significantly shortened as a result of recent developments in quantum hardware, such as Google’s Willow processor. In the context of blockchain technology, where addresses and key derivation standards like BIP32, BIP44, and SLIP-10 are the predominant infrastructure for wallet management, a quantum computer that is running Shor’s algorithm has the ability to recover any elliptic-curve private key from the corresponding public key. This poses a threat to every wallet that is currently in production. In order to migrate to post-quantum signature schemes, the public key format must be…

In an interview with the Bitcoin Magazine podcast, Stafford Masie, executive director of Africa Bitcoin Corporation (ABC), talked about how ABC’s goal is to turn Bitcoin into a tool for driving economic growth across Africa. Most Bitcoin firms like Strategy and Metaplanet focus on stacking $BTC per share and boosting value for shareholders. ABC is trying something else, using Bitcoin as collateral to make borrowing cheaper for African companies. As a leading African expert on AI and digital disruption, Masie says that the usual model for Bitcoin treasury companies is to raise cash, buy $BTC, hold it, boost $BTC per…

Evidence of that shift is growing. Visa’s stablecoin tracker recorded $6.6 billion in volume across 132.4 million retail-sized transactions (those worth less than $250) during the latest 30-day period. Standard Chartered expects stablecoin circulation to increase about sevenfold to roughly $2 trillion by 2028, while agent-led purchases could rise from 1% of e-commerce in 2025 to 12% in 2029. Neobanks capture nearly 40% of new banking accounts globally, boasting over 1.4 billion users. A step further Naveen Mallela, Standard Chartered’s global head of payments, also expects the traditional account-based model to change. He believes people will eventually use a wallet…

Every crypto cycle brings the same rumor: Ripple is about to go public. It has been circulating for more than a decade. The company is now one of the most valuable private firms in the industry, regulatory clarity has finally arrived, and the obvious next step still has not come. For $XRP holders, the question is shifting from “when does Ripple IPO” to “why won’t it, and what does the delay say?” $XRP is trading around $1.28, down about 6% over the past week and stuck below the moving averages that have capped every rally this year (live $XRP price…

A major U.S. police organization has endorsed the latest CLARITY Act draft, but unresolved disputes over political ethics, DeFi protections and stablecoin rewards continue to threaten its passage before the Senate recess. Major Cities Chiefs Association backs CLARITY Act The Major Cities Chiefs Association endorsed the latest version of the CLARITY Act in a letter to Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott and ranking member Elizabeth Warren. MCCA said recent revisions addressed concerns previously raised by police and prosecutors. The organization specifically pointed to additional law-enforcement provisions and the inclusion of state and local agencies in Sections 10203, 10204 and…