Author: NBTC

Hardly a well-known name in the crypto industry, former college football player and the young politician, Bo Hines, 29, got a high-profile appointment as an executive director of the Presidential Council of Advisers for Digital Assets, (or the “Crypto Council”) position on Dec. 23, 2024. What are his views on crypto? Not surprisingly, Bo Hines is a pro-crypto politician – if he wasn’t, Trump wouldn’t have appointed him, given the bold support for crypto from the U.S. President-elect. For years, Hines has been a consistent Joe Biden critic and a passionate Donald Trump supporter. This loyalty didn’t go unnoticed, and…

OKX Jumpstart launched Animecoin mining with OKB and BTC as pledged coins for staking opportunities. Animecoin integrates anime culture with blockchain, aiming to connect fans and decentralized finance through innovative tokenomics. OKX Jumpstart has launched its latest coin mining project, which includes Animecoin (ANIME), a token aimed to bridge the gap between anime fans and decentralized finance. For those interested in creative blockchain solutions, this project lets users stake OKB and BTC as pledged coins, therefore creating new possibilities. Regulatory constraints preclude citizens of Hong Kong and South Korea from engaging, though. Anime everywhere ✨​Introducing $ANIME @animecoin on #OKX Jumpstart!​Stake…

IQ AI, a well-known platform dealing with tokenized AI agents to decentralized finance, has announced an exclusive integration with OpenLoop. As per IQ AI, OpenLoop is integrating IQ AI’s IQ GPT to enrich user experience with precise and rapid answers to their questions. The platform took to social media to reveal this integration. OpenLoop integrates IQ GPT 🎯@openloop_so is a decentralized wireless network that aims to convert unused internet bandwidth into a resource to support technological innovation & the increasing demands of AI ⚡ With IQ GPT in its community, OpenLoop members can now get quick… pic.twitter.com/9cH4fqtJcS — IQ AI…

Popular crypto analyst Benjamin Cowen thinks the $100,000 Bitcoin price point could usher in a shift in focus from BTC to altcoins. Cowen notes in a new interview with David Lin that Bitcoin’s Fear and Greed Index, which tracks market sentiment over time with values ranging from 0 to 100, just surged past 90, which indicates “extreme greed” in the crypto market. High values in the Fear and Greed Index can signal a potential price correction. Predicts Cowen, “My guess is that there will be a period where [Bitcoin] dominance goes down, but there’s also a good chance… it might…

Chimpola, a transparent and secure blockchain network, has announced its exclusive partnership with Plena Finance, a prominent Crypto SuperApp. The partnership targets to broaden the decentralized finance (DeFi) landscape. The platform took to its official social media account to disclose this collaboration. We’re excited to partner with @PlenaFinance, the first Crypto Super App using Account Abstraction tech for over two years! 🌐With 5M+ transactions and $30M+ in deposits, Plena makes complex crypto transactions simple and accessible, combining trading with social networking and… pic.twitter.com/AeQgWEjvTS — Chimpola (@itschimpola) January 18, 2025 Chimpola Joins Forces with Plena Finance to Advance DeFi Expansion Chimpola…

Trump Coin hit $26 and reached a $26 billion valuation in 24 hours. A trader turned $1.1 million into $23 million within 90 seconds. The token surged 4,200%, sparking debates and massive demand on Solana. $Trump Coin has hit a new ATH of $26 and reached a $26 billion valuation. The new project, announced on January 17 through Donald Trump’s Truth Social, became an instant phenomenon. Within hours, one trader turned a $1.1 million investment into $23 million. This massive surge, fueled by Trump’s influence, has sparked excitement and debates across the crypto space. $TRUMP JUST HIT NEW ATH OF…

Cardano’s Charles Hoskinson hinted at a class action against the Wyoming Stable Token Commission over alleged selection bias. Hoskinson criticized the Commission for excluding XRP and ADA while favoring Stellar, citing market cap and trading volume disparities. Allegations of bias involve the Commission’s Executive Director, linked to ConsenSys and Polygon, raising questions about impartiality. Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has voiced concerns about the Wyoming Stable Token Commission’s decision-making process. He hinted at potential legal action by blockchain firms excluded from the project, citing a lack of transparency. Hoskinson’s statements came after receiving an email from the Commission listing approved protocols.…

Stuart Alderoty, chief legal officer at Ripple, has already commented on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s latest legal setback, claiming that the agency’s “anti-crypto crusade” is now imploding. The Third Circuit Court of Appeals dubbed the agency’s actions “arbitrary” and “capricious” regarding the agency’s rejection of Coinbase’s petition that was seeking comprehensive rulemaking. The SEC has been requested to provide the reason for its denial. The court has stated that “sporadically enforcing ill-fitting rules” against various cryptocurrency companies goes beyond merely fighting fraud. According to Alderoty, Judge Stephanos Bibas has “laid bare” what the cryptocurrency industry has been saying…

This is a segment from the Empire newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe. Coinbase is shaking things up. If you somehow didn’t hear, Morpho and Coinbase have teamed up to offer loans where Coinbase users (though New York users can’t, much to the disappointment of some of my colleagues) can borrow USDC against bitcoin held on Coinbase. Pretty cool, right? Definitely yet another sign of the changing times. Blockworks data whiz Dan Smith joined Empire’s round-up this week, telling host Jason Yanowitz that he thinks the announcement is a win for bitcoin… with some caveats. “ Bitcoin’s money, they [Coinbase] want…

Vitalik Buterin praised the Soneium L2 launch as an example of serving the priorities of both businesses and users. In cases of conflict, a business-grade L2 is still transparent and traceable. Vitalik Buterin, the founder of Ethereum, praised Sony’s launch of Soneium as an example of deploying a business-grade L2. The current L2 technology can allow a business to choose how much control to keep or give to users, explained Buterin in an X post. Buterin tried to clarify whether L2 actions reflected on Ethereum and whether censorship was the problem of the entire ecosystem. The @Soneium situation is a…