Author: NBTC

This is a segment from The Drop newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe. Arbitrum’s gaming investment group is offering Ronin up to 750,000 ARB spread across three consecutive years to join them as an “Orbit” chain. Currently, that’s worth about $367,500, which doesn’t seem like a whole lot. But in this down-and-out gaming market, maybe that’s enough. Ronin’s cofounders shared screenshots on social media of the offer from Arbitrum Gaming Ventures (AGV), noting that it would also include Gaming Content Creator Program access (social content support funded by Arbitrum DAO). They’d also get financial assistance with audit costs via an…

MetaMask officially unveiled its native stablecoin Wednesday, the first of its kind launched by a self-custodial wallet.  The token, dubbed mUSD, will be fully integrated with the MetaMask DeFi ecosystem, and will allow users of the dominant Ethereum wallet to easily on- and off-ramp self-custodied cryptocurrencies into dollar-pegged tokens.  The stablecoin will be issued by Bridge, a Stripe company, and one-to-one backed by dollar equivalent assets in compliance with the recently passed GENIUS Act.  At launch, expected later this year, mUSD will be available in-wallet both on Ethereum and Linea, the layer-2 blockchain developed by MetaMask’s parent company, Consensys. (Disclosure:…

Three wallets, probably owned by the same large-scale holder, unstaked 14,942 ETH, or roughly $64.38 million, before depositing the full amount into Binance within the last hour, according to on-chain data tracker Arkham. When combined with the current technical conditions, the massive surge in inflows to Binance might change the current shape of the asset on the market. Market performance Ethereum broke through a significant downward trendline, opening a path without any immediate historical resistances above it, according to price action analysis. As long as general market conditions stay favorable, there is potential for upside continuation given this bullish breakout…

Kraken is plugging its tokenized equities directly into one of the world’s busiest payment rails. By deploying xStocks on Tron, it’s aiming its Nasdaq-in-a-token product at a massive, global user base already moving billions in USDT daily. Summary Kraken and Backed are launching xStocks on the Tron blockchain. Tron processes $22 billion in daily settlements and hosts over $26 billion in total value locked. The integration expands tokenized equity access to a global user base In a blog post published on August 20, crypto exchange Kraken announced a strategic collaboration with tokenization specialist Backed and the TRON DAO to expand…

Exciting news for the cryptocurrency world! Starknet, a leading Ethereum Layer 2 scaling solution, has officially announced a groundbreaking development: the imminent launch of Starknet Bitcoin staking. This highly anticipated move follows the successful passage of proposal SNIP-31, clearing the way for Bitcoin (BTC) holders to participate in securing the Starknet network and potentially earn rewards in the coming weeks. What Does Starknet Bitcoin Staking Mean for Your Portfolio? The recent approval of SNIP-31 is a significant milestone for Starknet and the broader decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem. This proposal officially clears the path for Starknet to integrate Bitcoin directly into…

The cryptocurrency world is buzzing with the latest on-chain developments. A significant Ethereum whale withdrawal recently occurred, capturing the attention of market observers. This event involved a massive transfer of 21,000 ETH, valued at approximately $90.6 million, from the Binance exchange. Such large movements often signal important shifts in investor sentiment or strategy, prompting close examination by traders and analysts alike. What Exactly Was This ETH Whale Movement? Just a few hours ago, an anonymous digital wallet executed a substantial ETH whale movement. This particular wallet pulled 21,000 ETH, worth around $90.6 million at the time, directly from Binance. This…

This is a segment from the Forward Guidance newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe. We’re 42 days away from the Fed’s next policy-setting meeting, and markets are growing more certain that committee members will make the first interest rate cut of the year. There’s currently a 91% chance the FOMC will lower rates by 25 basis points in September, per data from CME Group. The Fed, once acting in lockstep with the Bank of England and the European Central Bank, has diverged in policy recently. So far in 2025, the ECB has cut rates twice; first in March and then…

The Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) has issued a notice on its website stating that it has fined Morpheus Software Technology FZE. The firm, also known as Fuze, is a licensed VASP digital asset infrastructure provider after it identified failures in its AML (anti-money laundering) program. VARA identified failures in Morpheus’ (Fuze) anti-money laundering (AML) program, related governance, compliance, and internal systems and controls. Furthermore, Morpheus (Fuze) was found to have intentionally conducted unlicensed VA activity, breaching its license conditions, and further failed to disclose those material facts to VARA. VARA took enforcement actions, including a financial penalty against…

The term “Ethereum layer-2” is generally thought to mean that a chain inherits Ethereum’s security. But the line has always been blurry, and remains so, especially with the rise of OP Stack chains that use alternative data availability (DA) layers. These so-called “Optimiums” settle to Ethereum but post data elsewhere, introducing some additional trust-assumptions. Toghrul Maharramov, a rollup researcher and former Scroll contributor, has been a vocal critic of looser L2 definitions, and declared Wednesday on X: “Optimiums are not L2s. Anyone who says otherwise is trying to psyop you.” A good example of this is Celo, which Blockworks reported…

Curators may now create custom lending markets by using this distinctive, institutional-grade lending infrastructure . Over the course of seven months, Gearbox users have created $2.8 billion in trading volume across Ethereum DEXs. Gearbox Protocol, which has a USDC vault curated by Re7 Labs, has debuted on Etherlink. The deployment uses treasury-backed tokens like mTBILL, mBASIS, and mRe7YIELD to provide institutional-grade strategies to the Tezos Layer 2. As DeFi’s credit layer, Gearbox links customers looking for composable leverage across return-generating options with passive liquidity providers. Curators may now create custom lending markets by using this distinctive, institutional-grade lending infrastructure thanks…