Author: NBTC

Erebor Bank, a financial institution catering primarily to defense technology and cryptocurrency companies, is reportedly pursuing a new funding round that would value the firm at approximately $8 billion. The figure, nearly double its $4.35 billion valuation from late last year, underscores the growing institutional appetite for crypto-friendly banking services despite ongoing regulatory scrutiny. Rapid Valuation Growth Reflects Sector Demand Founded by prominent virtual reality entrepreneur Palmer Luckey, Erebor has positioned itself as a bridge between traditional finance and emerging digital asset markets. The reported $8 billion target marks a significant leap in just a few months, signaling strong investor…

Recent social commentary has brought attention to official records showing that South Korean lawmakers and other public officials own significant amounts of $XRP. Although the disclosures first became public around March 2025, market participants have recently started discussing the data, as they assess the cryptocurrency holdings of government officials. For context, South Korea now requires public officials to regularly disclose their assets, and those disclosures now include cryptocurrencies. The country expanded these rules after a series of regulatory changes and high-profile crypto-related controversies. South Korea’s Disclosure Rules Notably, South Korea has one of the world’s most active cryptocurrency markets, and…

Bitcoin [$BTC] traded toward the $65,000 price level, having gained over 3% in the past 24 hours. The hash rate, on the other hand, is declining as Bitcoin miners continue moving into AI infrastructure. How will the mining economics affect the current and future prices of Bitcoin? Bitcoin miner revenue stressed as hash rate declines Looking at the Puell Multiple, $BTC miner stress is building, but miners remain adamant about selling. The Puell Multiple has slipped below the 1 mark, with the reading at 0.71, slightly above the accumulation zone. Historically, the accumulation zone marks a tight revenue stress for…

Mantle, a blockchain platform connecting traditional finance with on-chain liquidity, has migrated its Super Portal from LayerZero to Chainlink CCIP. Chainlink is a decentralized oracle network providing blockchain interoperability and security solutions. The upgrade is designed to improve the security of cross-chain transfers for the $MNT token, which supports Mantle’s ecosystem. The Mantle Super Portal, developed together with Bybit, a cryptocurrency exchange with global trading services, allows users to move $MNT between Ethereum and Solana. After the migration, the portal now uses the Cross-Chain Token (CCT) standard, with every transfer secured by Chainlink CCIP. Mantle also gains full control over…

The Japanese city of Osaka has announced a public call for proposals, offering grants of up to 10 million yen (approximately $62,500) per project to support demonstrations of new financial services leveraging blockchain and artificial intelligence technologies. The initiative, reported by local media outlet CoinPost, is part of Osaka’s broader push to position itself as a hub for fintech innovation. Eligibility and Scope of the Grants The funding is specifically targeted at experiments conducted within Osaka Prefecture that directly benefit its residents or local businesses. Applicants must present a concrete plan to launch their business in Osaka after the trial…

Celo recently announced that 107,622 global users now hold tokenized Gold, making it the leading blockchain for this asset with over 90% market share. This impressive achievement highlights the increasing traction for tokenized assets in the crypto space. The Latest The broader crypto market is currently exhibiting mixed signals, but Celo’s announcement about its user base for tokenized Gold stands out. As of July 13, 2026, the platform’s dominance in the tokenized Gold sector reflects a significant user adoption trend. This milestone not only underscores Celo’s commitment to enhancing digital asset accessibility but also indicates a wider acceptance of blockchain…

Bitcoin ($BTC) has further to fall for one of its “cleanest cycle clocks” to signal a bear-market bottom, new analysis says. Key points: One of Bitcoin’s “cleanest cycle clocks” suggests that new macro lows are needed this bear market. The NUPL metric is still in positive territory, setting it apart from previous bear markets. Analysis expects history to repeat with a higher low on a long-term NUPL moving average. CryptoQuant: Bitcoin NUPL contains “level to watch” In research published on Monday, onchain analytics platform CryptoQuant flagged an incoming profitability floor for the $BTC supply. The onchain metric involved was Net…

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says tokenization could fundamentally reshape how financial markets operate, marking one of the strongest acknowledgments yet from a global policymaker that blockchain-based infrastructure is moving into the financial mainstream. In a blog published Thursday, Tobias Adrian, the IMF’s financial counselor and director of its Monetary and Capital Markets Department, said tokenization is more than a niche crypto innovation. By bringing assets, settlement and recordkeeping onto a shared ledger, tokenization could compress today’s multi-day settlement process into near-instant transactions. Adrian also warned that tokenization shifts risks away from traditional financial intermediaries and toward the underlying infrastructure,…

SongMarketCap founder Jure Karamarko has reiterated his bullish outlook on Cardano, arguing that investors should not underestimate $ADA or the blockchain’s growing ecosystem of native tokens. Karamarko made the statement in an X post yesterday following $ADA’s strong price rally in recent days. According to him, anyone betting against Cardano will ultimately lose. He further asserted that combining $ADA with carefully selected Cardano native tokens could significantly amplify investment returns and potentially “change lives for generations.” His remarks underscore his long-term conviction in the Cardano ecosystem, particularly as $ADA continues to recover from last month’s market weakness. $ADA Stages Strong…

South Korea is set to launch a pilot program that will tokenize government bonds on a blockchain linked to the Bank of Korea’s wholesale central bank digital currency (CBDC), according to a report from Yonhap Infomax. The initiative was unveiled during a cabinet meeting on July 14 as part of the government’s broader ‘Economic Growth Strategy for the Second Half of 2026.’ Pilot Program Details and Strategic Context The pilot marks a significant step in integrating blockchain technology into the country’s core financial infrastructure. By tokenizing government bonds and settling them using a wholesale CBDC, the Bank of Korea aims…