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.

Brock Pierce's Relationship With Jeffrey Epstein Went Deeper Than Anyone Knew

In November of 2017, convicted child sex offender and late financier Jeffrey Epstein informed an individual who had previously declined a marriage offer from Bitcoin entrepreneur and Tether co-founder Brock Pierce via email that it was “time to grow up.” “Plans?? Brock? Travel?” Epstein asked the person, who he had once described as Pierce’s “little” girlfriend—and his own assistant—in an email to Joi Ito, the former director of MIT Media Lab. In response, the person told Epstein that she was doing her best. The job market was tough, but she still viewed employment as a form of independence. At the…

LegalFeb 9

ETH Downtrend Persists While Developers Face Calls for Real Innovation

Ethereum continues to face technical pressure as short-term price structure weakens and broader market confidence remains fragile. On the 4-hour chart, $ETH maintains a clear bearish trend, with lower highs and lower lows guiding price action. The recent recovery attempt toward the $2,125 area failed to alter this structure, reinforcing the view that the move lacked conviction. Hence, traders remain cautious as price stays below critical resistance zones. Bearish Structure Dominates the 4H Chart Ethereum trades below all major exponential moving averages, including the 20, 50, 100, and 200 EMAs. These levels now slope downward and cap upside attempts. Additionally,…

EthereumFeb 9

A White House Tweet Exposed the Real Risk in the CLARITY Act

The CLARITY Act debate has largely revolved around the tug-of-war between banks and crypto firms over stablecoin yield. While that conflict dominates coverage of what is framed as a market-structure bill, it obscures a quieter and potentially more consequential issue. Once enacted, the CLARITY Act would formally legitimize regulated crypto roles and implicitly subject them to Bank Secrecy Act compliance. Even without explicit mandates, this risks entrenching a surveillance-first model that pressures intermediaries to delist privacy assets and abandon privacy-by-design before Congress has openly debated the trade-offs. Banks Join Talks on Stablecoin Yield On Monday, industry insiders met with advisors…

LegalFeb 9

Big banks want to freeze innovation. History says that’s a mistake

We have seen this fight over stablecoin yields before, and history instructs us that we should not shortchange innovation in favor of protecting incumbent interests. Right now, the banking lobby is pushing hard to upend the bargain Congress struck in the GENIUS Act last year. In that landmark bill, Congress prohibited stablecoin issuers — those who are statutorily permitted to create and offer stablecoins in the United States — from offering stablecoins that paid the holder an interest rate. In other words, a stablecoin issuer is prohibited from offering you a dollar-equivalent token that will be worth $1.04 in a…

RegulationFeb 9

Italian Football Club With Dogecoin Ties Faces Money Laundering Investigation

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,…

LegalFeb 9

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

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.…

EthereumFeb 9

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

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…

RegulationFeb 9

Banks push back against crypto reward plans

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…

LegalFeb 9

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

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…

DeFiFeb 9

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

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…

EthereumFeb 9