Author: NBTC

Pi Network’s Know Your Customer (KYC) verification process has come under intense scrutiny (again) as numerous users report persistent difficulties, delays, and, in some cases, complete loss of their Pi tokens. This isn’t the first time this has happened, as many X users have reported issues in the last several days or so. These problems have raised concerns about the platform’s transparency and user trustworthiness, with similar problems occurring a few years ago as well. For instance, in a Reddit discussion from 2023, people have been complaining about their submissions taking years to finish. What Happened With Pi Network’s Mainnet…

Singapore Gulf Bank, a digital bank licensed by the Central Bank of Bahrain, launched a real-time currency clearing network designed to support digital asset firms. On May 1, the bank launched SGB Net, a multi-currency clearing network. SGB Net enables zero-fee transfers at any time of day and aims to bypass many of the constraints associated with legacy financial infrastructure — such as the SWIFT network. ‍Network participants can also access API-powered instant fiat-to-crypto on-and-off-ramp services. “SGB Net is onboarding all participants in the global digital economy, including crypto exchanges, stablecoin issuers, market makers, OTC desks, and prime brokers,” Singapore…

Mass delisting news from South Korean stock exchanges caused the altcoin WEMIX to drop by 50 percent. Mass Delist from South Korea! South Korean Web3 game developer Wemade’s cryptocurrency Wemix (WEMIX) has seen a major drop following the country’s local exchanges’ announcements to delist WEMIX for the second time, local news agency Yonhap reported. Accordingly, South Korea’s five major cryptocurrency exchanges Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit and Gopax announced that they plan to delist WEMIX from the exchange on June 2, and token withdrawals are expected to be finalized on July 2. The decision to delist the WEMIX token was reportedly…

This is a segment from the Empire newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe. It’s been a busy week for VC raises, and some of the projects have caught heat around social media for being infra plays. Like Unto Labs, for example. “We definitely got bucketed into the whole ‘another L1, oh no’ [discourse]. We felt a little sad about that, but we’ll just have to prove it. Because, in some ways, it’s true,” cofounder Will Yoo told me. But both Yoo and cofounder Liam Heeger said they’re up to the challenge because they’ve both “done this before,” whereas other teams…

Fortnite maker Epic Games’ antitrust case against Apple benefited the crypto industry on Thursday, when the iPhone maker loosened restrictions on developers’ ability to offer apps in the U.S. that direct users to non-standard purchasing methods or digital collectibles. Apple updated its iOS App Store review guidelines after a U.S. District Judge found this week that the tech titan “willfully” violated a court injunction issued in 2021. Moving forward, the federal court prohibited Apple from collecting fees on purchases made outside of its iOS apps (currently 27%) or limiting developers’ ability to direct users to third-party websites. In an email…

Prospects of winning a VIP dinner by TRUMP meme coin holders, and potentially meeting the US President Donald Trump, ignited a surge in TRUMP on-chain transfers to the tune of $2.5 billion, according to Kaiko, a blockchain research firm. This follows an announcement made on April 23, which detailed the plans for an exclusive dinner for the top 220 holders of the meme coin. Top 25 TRUMP holders promised more than just dinner According to the Kaiko report, part of the plans included a meet-and-greet session with the President for the top 25 holders. “On Wednesday, April 23, the team…

A Texas congressman is asking the federal government to consider installing cryptocurrency ATMs in federal buildings as a way to help foster the pro-digital assets stance pushed by President Donald Trump. Representative Lance Gooden asked the chief of the General Services Administration — the agency that maintains the government’s buildings and real estate — to look into putting the automated teller machines into those facilities as a “signal to the public that the government is embracing innovation in a secure and responsible manner,” according to a Thursday letter reviewed by CoinDesk. “Expanding accessibility to crypto ATMs within federal buildings aligns…

This is a segment from The Drop newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe. We now know what’s been hinted at for a while: MapleStory’s crypto spinoff, MapleStory N, is finally launching on May 15. On May 8, players in select countries will be able to pre-download the game. The new game will be a 2D, sidescrolling MMORPG like the original game. MapleStory N is part of MapleStory Universe (MSU), which also includes plans for a mobile game version for players plus MapleStory N SDK and Project ModN (a blockchain game sandbox) for developers. MapleStory N uses its own Avalanche L1…

Major crypto exchange Binance has announced its support for the upcoming IOTA network upgrade and hard fork, scheduled for May 5, 2025. In preparation for this network event, the exchange will temporarily suspend IOTA deposits and withdrawals on this date. According to an official announcement by Binance, starting at approximately 6:00 a.m. (UTC) on May 5, it will suspend deposits and withdrawals of tokens on the IOTA network to support the hard fork and ensure the best user experience. IOTA’s network upgrade is expected to occur on May 5 at 7:00 a.m. (UTC). Binance stated that the trading of tokens…

Base, a Layer-2 (L2) blockchain developed by Coinbase, transitioned from a Stage 0 to Stage 1 rollup, effectively overtaking Arbitrum (ARB) as the largest Ethereum scaling solution. Stages refer to a framework for assessing the maturity of L2 rollups, based on milestones proposed by Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin. Base Becomes Largest Ethereum L2, Arbitrum Follows Data on L2Beat shows Arbitrum One is no longer the largest optimistic rollup on Ethereum. L2Beat is an analytics and research website focused on Ethereum layer-2 scaling. After a $557 million surge in TVL (Total Value Locked), Base has overtaken Arbitrum L2, with a margin…