Author: NBTC

NBTC

NBTC is the editorial account for NBTC News, covering Bitcoin, Ethereum, DeFi, blockchain infrastructure, exchanges, mining, regulation and digital asset markets. The editorial team focuses on clear sourcing, timely updates and practical context for crypto readers.

Legal

Italian Football Club With Dogecoin Ties Faces Money Laundering Investigation

By NBTC09/02/2026

TL;DR Italian tax police raid Triestina Calcio, owned by crypto firm House of Doge, for alleged money laundering and fraud. The probe focuses on €10M in public funds and ~€40M in transfers from U.S. and Canadian banks. Despite large capital injections, the club carries €60M in debt, pointing to questionable financial management. Italian tax police executed a search operation at the offices of Triestina Calcio, a third-division team controlled by U.S. cryptocurrency company House of Doge. Authorities investigate alleged money laundering, fraudulent accounting, and false invoices. Agents conducted inspections at the club’s headquarters located in Trieste, a northeastern Italian city,…

Ethereum

Ethereum Network Activity Hits Peak, but Why This Is Not Necessarily a Bullish Signal

By NBTC09/02/2026

The Ethereum network is experiencing its most active phase to date. However, this does not necessarily indicate a bullish outlook. Recent on-chain data shows Ethereum reaching a major milestone as transfer counts hit a record high. Historically, similar signals have not always led to positive price performance. In addition, a sharp spike in exchange inflows raises concerns that selling pressure has not yet subsided. How Does Ethereum’s Current Situation Compare to 2018 And 2021? Entering February, CryptoQuant data shows that Ethereum Transfer Count—the total number of token transfers—measured by a 14-day moving average, reached a record level of 1.1 million.…

Regulation

Polymarket trader makes $330k in a day predicting sports results

By NBTC09/02/2026

A newly registered trader on Polymarket, one of the most widely used online cryptocurrency prediction market websites, has managed to turn a nearly $330,000 profit in a single day. Going by the name of NBA101, the trader has made 48 predictions since they joined earlier this month, most of them sports-related. The latest was an $82,000 bet on Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Lakers on January 13, which turned a 312% profit of approximately $256,500 for a total win of more or less $338,000 when the Sacramento team beat the L.A.-based rival 124:112. Adjusting for a nearly $9,000 daily loss…

Legal

Banks push back against crypto reward plans

By NBTC09/02/2026

Crypto companies are stepping up efforts to win banks over as a major Senate bill on digital assets hits roadblocks. The bill, which passed through the House of Representatives last year, would reshape parts of the U.S. crypto market. Disagreements in the Senate, however, have stalled its progress, and the legislation’s future is uncertain. Crypto firms are seeking new concessions on stablecoins to push things forward. These initiatives are intended to resolve one of the main sources of friction with banks, signalling the crypto industry’s intention to keep the bill alive. One of the new proposals is to allow community…

DeFi

Vitalik Buterin Says Most DeFi Is a Lie—Here’s What Really Counts

By NBTC09/02/2026

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and crypto analyst c-node have reignited the debate over the true purpose of Decentralized Finance (DeFi). Together, the two industry experts challenge the booming industry to rethink its priorities. Experts Clash Over What Counts as “Real” DeFi The underlying issue, according to the experts, is that much of today’s DeFi hype is superficial, serving speculative interests rather than advancing genuinely DeFi infrastructure. “There is no reason to use DeFi unless you have longs on cryptocurrencies and want access to financial services while preserving self-custody,” c-node wrote. They dismissed common yield-generating strategies—like depositing $USDC into lending protocols—as…

Ethereum

Ether treasury ETHZilla pivots to real estate tokenization with a $4.7 million housing loan deal

By NBTC09/02/2026

ETHZilla (ETHZ), an Ethereum-focused digital asset treasury firm, is pushing deeper into tokenization, acquiring a $4.7 million portfolio of manufactured and modular home loans. The company plans to tokenize the 95-loan portfolio on an Ethereum layer-2 network, aiming to turn the loans into cash-flow-generating digital tokens available via Liquidity.io, a regulated broker-dealer and trading system, according to an announcement shared with CoinDesk on Thursday. The loans, secured by first-lien mortgages, are expected to yield around 10% annually, according to the firm. "This transaction represents a natural extension of the tokenization strategy we’ve been building," said McAndrew Rudisill, chairman and CEO…

Regulation

$718 Billion Bitcoin Quantum Threat to Be Addressed by New Startup

By NBTC09/02/2026

Project Eleven has raised $20 million to build defenses against the existential threat quantum computing poses to cryptocurrency. The round values the startup at $120 million. The company is backed by heavyweights from its June 2025 seed round, including crypto-native VC Variant Fund and quantum tech fund Quantonation. Project Eleven is preparing for "Q-Day." This is the theoretical event when quantum computers become powerful enough to break the encryption that secures the internet and financial systems. Bitcoin, Ethereum, and most major blockchains rely on Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) for generating public and private keys. A sufficiently powerful quantum computer running…

Legal

Crypto firms offer ideas to break market structure gridlock: Report

By NBTC09/02/2026

Crypto companies are reportedly floating concessions relating to stablecoin yields in an attempt to unfreeze the delayed crypto market structure bill. The legislation passed the House but has stalled in the Senate as negotiations continue over whether stablecoin issuers should be allowed to offer yields, with banks arguing it will compete with and take money away from traditional savings accounts. Anonymous sources told Bloomberg that crypto firms are now making new proposals, such as giving community banks a bigger role in the stablecoin system, to ease the bill through the Senate. Other proposed compromises include requiring stablecoin issuers to hold…

Ethereum

BitMine’s Ethereum holdings sit on more than $7B in unrealized losses

By NBTC09/02/2026

BitMine Immersion Technologies is facing increasing pressure as plunging ether prices have led to heavy unrealized losses. The Ethereum Treasury, which is chaired by Fundstrat’s Tom Lee, sits at the center of one of the largest single-asset corporate bets in crypto history as market conditions continue to weaken. Ether hit a local low of around $2,048 on February 5, putting BitMine’s holdings deep underwater. The company holds about 4.28 million $ETH, which was accumulated as part of an aggressive treasury strategy adopted last summer. As a result, unrealized losses now exceed $7 billion, a drawdown of over 45% on its…

Regulation

Figure Technologies Launches OPEN Platform to Transform Equity Markets

By NBTC09/02/2026

In a landmark development for financial technology, Nasdaq-listed Figure Technology Solutions has launched the On-Chain Public Equity Network ($OPEN), fundamentally transforming how investors interact with stock markets. This blockchain-based platform enables direct issuance and lending of real-world stocks without traditional intermediaries, potentially reshaping equity market infrastructure for years to come. The announcement, made from San Francisco on March 15, 2025, represents one of the most significant integrations of blockchain technology into mainstream finance to date. Understanding the $OPEN Platform’s Revolutionary Approach Figure Technologies’ $OPEN platform represents a fundamental departure from existing tokenized stock solutions. Unlike synthetic assets that merely track…