Author: NBTC

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong is exploring different paths for the newly rebranded Base App, questioning whether its focus should be on finance, social features, or both. In a Dec. 18 post, Armstrong noted that the platform currently functions as both a wallet and a social hub. However, he also admitted he’s hearing different takes on whether that’s the right direction for the app. “Should Base app focus on being a self-custodial version of Coinbase (trading and financial services oriented) or lean into content/creator coins and social? (Or is this a false dichotomy.) This is a key question I heard from…

Binance let hundreds of millions in crypto move through shady accounts after its $4.3 billion criminal plea deal in 2023, according to findings published by the Financial Times. These accounts (some linked to terrorist networks, others showing impossible login behavior or blatant KYC failures) remained active, with one Venezuelan in particular reportedly pushing $93 million through his Binance account, some of which were traced to Iran and Hezbollah. The Binance accounts came from Venezuela, Brazil, Syria, Niger, and China, with users allegedly logging in from Caracas and Osaka within hours, or changing banking details 647 times in just 14 months.…

Magma Devs, an engineering team building on the decentralized RPC routing protocol Lava Network, unveiled its RPC Smart Router on the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Marketplace on Monday, Dec. 22. The launch, in partnership with Google, aims to give companies a more reliable way to connect to public blockchains such as Ethereum, Solana, and Polygon. The Smart Router distributes blockchain requests across multiple providers, automatically selecting the fastest and most stable option in real time. By avoiding reliance on a single access point, it seeks to prevent outages and reduce failed transactions or delays in decentralized applications, according to a…

Mercury fintech announced a new milestone: at the end of Q3 the company recorded $650 million in annualized revenue, according to an exclusive Fortune interview published on November 7, 2025. How did Mercury’s March Series C and $3.5 billion valuation reshape its growth outlook? Series C details Valuation and investor context How significant is Mercury’s annualized revenue jump from $500M to $650M? Will profitability remain a central pillar as the company scales? How much is Mercury investing in compliance and risk? Who are Mercury’s customers and how fast is its user base growing? What verification steps should analysts take before…

Indonesia’s Financial Services Authority (OJK) has published a whitelist of 29 licensed crypto platforms, officially spelling out which exchanges are legally allowed to operate in the country. The list, which includes names of entities and their apps or platforms, is meant to serve as an official reference for users to verify whether a provider is properly licensed before trading. OJK has urged the public to transact only with entities on the list and to treat unlisted platforms as unlicensed operators. South Korea’s largest exchange, Upbit, is included among licensed exchanges. Source: OJK ​Global crypto players eyeing Indonesia The clarification of…

The landscape of enterprise blockchains is undergoing a significant transformation thanks to ZKsync and its new solution: Prividium.This innovation extends ZKsync’s capabilities beyond mere public scaling, introducing private and permissioned chains anchored to Ethereum, which ensure unprecedented privacy, security, and interoperability for businesses. Access Controls and Identity Management Interoperability and Settlement: The Strength of the Connection with Ethereum Airbender and Atlas: the technical innovations enabling Prividium Airbender: The New Standard for Proof Generation Atlas: End-to-End Settlement Optimization Governance and Value for the ZK Token Privacy and Compliance: A New Era for Regulation Conclusion: Prividium as a Catalyst for Institutional Adoption…

As the number of crypto-focused financial technology companies preparing for initial public offerings (IPOs) increases, Ripple has sent a clear message about its own plans: The company has no immediate agenda for an IPO. “We don’t have an IPO timetable. There’s no plan, there’s no timetable,” Ripple President Monica Long told Bloomberg in an interview at the Swell conference in New York. The sharp rise in the crypto asset market in the first nine months of the year led many companies to pursue public offerings. This year, Circle, Bullish, Gemini, and blockchain lending platform Figure Technologies have all held IPOs.…

According to on-chain data, 11 recently established wallets have taken out a total of 1.567 million LINK, or about $19.8 million, from Binance over the last three days. The timing and composition of these withdrawals are more significant than their total amount. LINK getting stronger In terms of market structure, LINK is in the middle of a healing phase. The 200-day moving average serves as a ceiling, and the price is still below all significant moving averages. Recent upturns have been brief and shallow, and momentum is weak. During uptrends, big players typically do not remove liquidity from exchanges. They…

Key Highlights: NEXUS announces partnership with CertiK to strengthen security and compliance for CROSS. The main focus will be on audits, real-time monitoring, and securing stablecoin payments. Partnership will prepare CROSS for large-scale Web3 gaming growth. NEXUS Co., Ltd, a KOSDAQ-listed company that develops the CROSS blockchain gaming platform, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with CertiK, a well-known global blockchain security company. The partnership will focus on security audits, live on-chain monitoring, compliance systems, and stablecoin infrastructure, key areas as Web3 gaming works toward reaching everyday users. The announcement was made today, December 22, 2025 and it was…

Hyperliquid publicly pushed back on solvency and integrity claims, pointing to onchain data to back its case. The platform said key allegations stemmed from missing USDC balances and confusion over testnet code. Recent moves, including stricter internal rules and supply cleanup, aim to strengthen trust amid scrutiny. Hyperliquid is pushing back after a wave of claims questioned its solvency, transparency, and internal controls. In a detailed public response, the perpetuals trading platform said several accusations circulating online were based on incorrect or misunderstood information. “Hyperliquid is built on a foundation of onchain transparency,” the team wrote, addressing the claims one…