Author: NBTC

Arbitrum, one of Ethereum’s busiest scaling layers and probably a perfect example of what a Layer-2 solution should be, has rolled out a big change that Matt Hamilton, who previously worked on engineering at both Ripple and Arbitrum, described as a “huge deal.” Until now, Arbitrum has been defined by optimistic rollups — efficient and relatively cheap, but with the trade-off of slow withdrawals that can stretch to a week. The new upgrade introduces modular zero-knowledge (ZK) proving, letting applications call on cryptographic proofs when faster finality is required. That means users who just want low-cost transactions can stick to…

Welcome to the Asia Pacific Morning Brief—your essential digest of overnight crypto developments shaping regional markets and global sentiment. Grab a green tea and watch this space. Vietnam’s Da Nang launches Asia’s first FATF-compliant crypto payment sandbox while Korea’s FSS inspects Bithumb for ignoring lending service suspension orders, highlighting regional regulatory divergence. Vietnam Launches First FATF-Compliant Crypto Payment Pilot Program Da Nang, Vietnam’s coastal tourism hub and third-largest economic center, has approved the country’s first blockchain payment pilot program. The Basal Pay project will test cryptocurrency-to-fiat conversions for international tourists. This marks Vietnam’s inaugural fintech sandbox initiative using international compliance…

Salvo Games, a well-known GameFi platform, has partnered with Conflux Network, a popular blockchain for scalability and regulatory compliance. The main objective of this collaboration is to fortify infrastructure for Web3 gaming and offer cutting-edge blockchain-driven features to developers and players alike. As mentioned in the official announcement shared by Salvo Games on X, the development denotes a critical move toward establishing a relatively efficient and robust gaming ecosystem. Hence, the consumers can anticipate wider Web3 adoption as well as increased blockchain gaming accessibility. 🤝 Excited to collaborate with @Conflux_Network — the permisWith its hybrid PoW/PoS consensus, Conflux delivers speed,…

Kraken has reportedly offered to list USDH, the proposed stablecoin from Paxos, as reported by Cointelegraph. With free USD on- and off-ramps, including support for the $HYPE token from Day One, pending its standard listing review process. Though this offer has not yet become public via regulatory filings or a full Kraken press release, it forms part of a broader competitive bid by Paxos to win the USDH stablecoin designation for the Hyperliquid ecosystem. What’s USDH, Who’s Competing, and Why Kraken’s Role Matters Paxos is one of many entities eyeing to issue USDH, a stablecoin intended for the Hyperliquid decentralized…

Grayscale, the world’s largest digital asset investment manager, has launched a new exchange-traded fund that ties into ether’s (ETH) recent market momentum. The Grayscale Ethereum Covered Call ETF (ETCO) began trading Thursday, offering exposure to ether with an options-writing strategy designed to generate steady income. The launch comes as ether, the native token of the Ethereum blockchain, has outperformed bitcoin BTC$112,332.27 in 2025, rising 34% year-to-date versus BTC’s 20% Behind the gains is renewed retail and institutional interest, evidenced in August by surging inflows into the spot ETH ETFs that dwarfed those which headed into the BTC funds. Wall Street…

Around a quarter of British adults say they’re open to crypto forming part of their retirement plan, suggesting that crypto could claim a larger share of the UK’s multitrillion-dollar pension fund market. UK insurance company Aviva said on Tuesday that its poll of 2,000 UK adults found 27% were open to crypto in their retirement fund, with just over 40% open to crypto saying they’re motivated by the higher potential returns. The survey, which was conducted by Censuswide between June 4 and 6, also found that 23% of all surveygoers said they would consider withdrawing part, or all, of their…

Get ready, crypto enthusiasts! A significant development is unfolding in the South Korean cryptocurrency market. Major exchange Bithumb has officially announced the highly anticipated Bithumb listing Pump.fun (PUMP) for trading. This move marks a new chapter for the popular meme coin creation platform and offers fresh opportunities for traders. What is Pump.fun and Why Does This Bithumb Listing Matter? Pump.fun is a unique platform that allows users to create and launch their own meme coins directly onto the Solana blockchain without requiring initial liquidity. It has gained considerable traction for its accessible approach to token creation, empowering a new wave…

Finbold research analysis of Arkham Intel wallet clusters shows BlackRock has been accumulating Ethereum (ETH) at a dramatically faster clip than Bitcoin (BTC) in 2025, reshaping the balance of the asset manager’s on-chain crypto exposure. On January 1, 2025, Arkham’s “BlackRock” entity showed 552,550 BTC ($51.16 billion at a spot of $92,595) and 1.07 million ETH ($3.59 billion at $3,354). By September 2, 2025, the same cluster reflected 737,350 BTC ($79.86 billion at $108,304) and 3.78 million ETH ($16.58 billion at $4,389). Over the period, Bitcoin holdings rose +184,800 BTC (+33.44%) while Ether holdings swelled +2.71 million ETH (+252.55%). On…

Singapore-based cross-border payments firm Tazapay has secured new funding from Ripple and Circle Ventures, positioning itself as a key bridge between traditional finance and stablecoin-powered transactions. Summary Ripple and Circle invested in Singapore-based Tazapay’s Series B round. The cross-border payments platform processes $10B+ annually and is growing 300% YoY. Funds will accelerate licensing in the U.S., UAE, Hong Kong, Australia, and beyond. Tazapay announced on Aug. 27 that it closed its Series B funding round with participation from Peak XV Partners, Ripple (U.S.), Circle Ventures, Norinchukin Capital (Japan), and GMO VenturePartners (Japan). Existing investors January Capital and ARC180 also joined…

Are you ready for the next wave in crypto trading? Kraken perpetual futures are now available, opening up dynamic new possibilities for eligible traders in specific regions. This strategic move by the prominent U.S. cryptocurrency exchange marks a significant expansion of its offerings, following its previous announcement to broaden its tokenized stock platform, xStocks, into Europe. The introduction of Kraken perpetual futures is a game-changer for many. It allows traders to speculate on the future price of cryptocurrencies without actually owning the underlying asset. This advanced financial instrument provides both flexibility and significant leverage opportunities. Understanding Kraken Perpetual Futures: A…