Author: NBTC

March activity on centralized exchanges slowed down as a whole, following the trend for the whole of Q1. Crypto derivatives remained more resilient, finishing the month with a smaller contraction. In March, centralized trading for all crypto assets slowed down, following the overall trend of losing volumes for the whole of Q1. Derivative trading proved more resilient, only contracting by 5%. Centralized exchanges brought in global traffic, though mostly from crypto-friendly regions. The March outflow reflected bearish attitudes and outflows from the South Korean market, as well as the US market. Binance’s traffic and activity reflected robust levels of interest…

According to Lookonchain data, an Ethereum OG has just sold nearly $17 million worth of ETH at nearly $1,600. Prior to this, the address had been dormant. The address in question received its ETH when the altcoin was trading at just $8. Notably, the whale refrained from making massive profits when ETH was trading at nearly $4,000. The address in question tends to sell during major market corrections. It is unclear why the O.G. decided to capitulate now, but the decision might be motivated by overwhelming bearishness surrounding Ethereum. On Apr. 9, Ether dropped to yet another multi-year low of…

Itaú Unibanco, Brazil’s largest bank by assets, is exploring whether to issue its own stablecoin as regulatory discussions evolve and U.S. financial institutions slowly move into the sector. The decision could hinge on how American institutions fare with their stablecoin rollouts, said Guto Antunes, head of digital assets at Itaú. At an industry event in São Paulo, Antunes cited the growing momentum behind blockchain-based settlement systems. “Itaú has always had stablecoins on its radar. We cannot ignore the strength that blockchain has to settle transactions atomically,” local media quoted him saying. Stablecoins, for now, remain a “topic on the agenda.”…

MetaMask and Binance are tapping into a newly launched cross-chain payments zero-knowledge proofs-powered solution to simplify crypto transfers from decentralized exchanges to centralized exchanges. Crypto exchange Binance and non-custodial wallet MetaMask, owned by Consensys, will utilize Payment ID, a zkEmail solution launched by digital identity platform SPACE ID. While MetaMask is already connected to the solution, integration with Binance will happen soon, SPACE ID said in a press release. With the Payment ID integration, users can transfer assets between CEX platforms and web3 applications, with these enabled for any address, chain or wallet. SPACE ID claims its solution makes cross-chain…

Two exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that allow investors to bet against Ethereum with leverage have emerged as best performers year-to-date (YTD). Bloomberg Senior ETF analyst Eric Balchunas shared this on X, noting that he was not expecting it. According to Bloomberg data, the two ETFs, ProShares Ultrashort Ether ETF (ETHD) and T-Rex 2x Inverse Ether Daily Target ETF (ETQ), are up 247.30% and 219% YTD, respectively. The 2x Long VIX Futures ETFs, which Balchunas expected to come first third. Leveraged short ETH Futures ETH are the best performers this year. (Source: Eric Balchunas) Balchunas said: “The best performing ETF this year…

Donald Trump’s latest round of tariffs, announced on “Liberation Day,” has generated uncertainty across global markets. Crypto experts wrote to crypto.news sharing their opinions. Some analysts fear an economic fallout, but crypto industry leaders see short-term disruption and long-term opportunities in the move. The tariffs target major U.S. trade partners, applying levies on imports to pressure negotiations. Trump’s approach mirrors his past trade policies — using economic tension to secure favorable terms for the U.S. economy. Trump’s proposed baseline 10% tariff would position the U.S. among the highest-tariff developed economies, alongside countries like Argentina (11.4%) and Brazil (12.1%). Before this…

Justin Sun’s recent marketing blitz has apparently failed to increase traction on his Sun Pump memecoin launcher, with just nine coins launched on the platform yesterday. The platform initially opened to thousands of token launches in August 2024, reaching highs of 7,500 per day. From September onwards, however, these daily token launches fell over the next six months to embarrassingly low figures, barely reaching higher than 10 daily. In March of this year, in an effort to reverse this trend, Sun launched a marketing push, declaring it “Tron meme szn 👀.” This did bring daily token launches closer to a…

Ethereum developer and early contributor Virgil Griffith has been granted early release from prison after serving nearly five years for violating U.S. sanctions on North Korea. Griffith, 41, was arrested in 2019 following a controversial trip to North Korea, where he gave a presentation at a cryptocurrency conference in Pyongyang. U.S. prosecutors alleged that his talk, titled “Blockchain for Peace,” explained how the country could use crypto to evade sanctions and launder money. Griffith pleaded guilty in 2021 to one count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and was sentenced to 63 months in prison and…

One of the oldest Bitcoin ecosystem projects is moving to the next stage of enabling developers to build layer-2 networks using its computational layer. Rootstock is one of many projects currently advancing the goal of bringing greater utility and interoperability to Bitcoin, which it is doing using “BitVMX”, a modified version of the BitVM programming language. Rootstock’s project is weeks away from releasing software development kits (SDKs), allowing developers to start producing their own Bitcoin layer-2s using BitVMX, founder Sergio Lerner told CoinDesk. SDKs are sets of tools enabling third-parties to build applications using a particular platform or framework. “We…

Florida lawmakers are considering a proposal that would allow the state to invest public funds in Bitcoin. House Bill 487 is scheduled for a public hearing on Wednesday, April 10, in the Insurance & Banking Subcommittee. On April 8, it was included in the agenda for the Insurance & Banking Subcommittee in the House. If passed, the legislation would authorize Florida’s Chief Financial Officer to invest up to 10% of state funds in Bitcoin (BTC). FLORIDA Update:Bitcoin Reserve Bill HB 487 is scheduled for public hearing this Wednesday, in the Insurance & Banking SubcommitteeThis will be the first public SBR…