Author: NBTC

Hong Kong has launched the pilot testing phase for tokenized deposits and crypto assets (Project Ensemble), utilizing real-value transactions. The HKMA (Hong Kong Monetary Authority) said last week that the launch transitions the initiative from a sandbox experiment to a live value-bearing settlement. The HKMA described the project as pivotal for the country’s crypto roadmap, adding that the city is working towards becoming the region’s crypto hub. The new pilot is expected to operate through 2026 and will initially focus on treasury management, tokenized money-market fund transactions, and real-time liquidity. The Hong Kong de facto central bank initiated the sandbox…

Citigroup (C) CEO Jane Fraser offered a clear stance on the future of digital finance, telling investors that tokenized deposits — not stablecoins — will be the primary engine behind next-generation payments and financial market infrastructure. Speaking on an investor call following the bank’s third-quarter earnings release on Tuesday, Fraser explained that institutional clients are asking for seamless, real-time cross-border money movement that is low-cost and compliant. “What our clients want is interoperable, multi-bank, always-on payment solutions provided in a safe and sound manner,” she said. “That is best done by tokenized deposits.” Citi has invested heavily in digital asset…

Kalshi is no longer trying to just carve out a space for itself. It wants to go head-to-head with the U.S. stock market. Tarek Mansour, the CEO of Kalshi, made that very clear on Tuesday during the Futures Industry Association’s Expo in Chicago. “This is starting to look like a trillion-dollar market,” he said. “I always thought it was going to be pretty fast and go pretty big. I just didn’t think that fast.” This whole shift kicked into overdrive after Kalshi beat U.S. regulators in court last year, giving it the legal green light to let people trade contracts…

Russian authorities are utilizing a new consumption monitoring system to identify illegal crypto mining operations in the country. The more aggressive approach, aided by anonymous signals from the population, is already yielding results, with the recent discovery of a serious underground installation in western Russia. Crypto farm burns $700,000 of stolen electricity near Kaliningrad An entrepreneur from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, who wanted to make some money by minting cryptocurrency, has been caught stealing electricity from the state. According to a preliminary estimate published by the local utility, total financial damages resulting from his illicit undertaking amounted to 56…

The blockchain gaming industry is continuously portraying a strategic alliance in pursuing the limit of what more possible in decentralized entertainment. KrypToon crypto enthusiast platform is joining with QIE Blockchain to enhance decentralized application and blockchain game development. Such collaboration is a significant step towards the development of the Web3 gaming ecosystem. A Strategic Alliance for Web3 Innovation KrypToon’s announcement of November 16, 2025, is thus a milestone in Kyptoon’s journey to promoting blockchain initiatives. QIE Blockchain is a major provider of infrastructure for crypto enthusiasts who aim to develop gaming experience without having to acquire technical expertise. QIE blockchain…

In the past six months, the Sandbox DAO has initiated one of the most complex and significant restructuring operations ever seen in the NFT sector: the management and optimization of a wallet exceeding 2 million dollars, now regarded as a true digital investment fund. Leading this transformation are Joséphine Louis, Kim D., and the head of the SIP26 program. The mandate given to the team has been clear from day one:purge the collection of illiquid or devalued assets, generate liquidity, and strategically reinvest in blue-chip art, strengthening the DAO’s curatorial identity. The results? Beyond all expectations. A Challenging Mandate in…

Fed Chair Jerome Powell delivers the keynote address at the National Association for Business Economics (NABE) conference in Philadelphia. Here are the highlights from Powell’s speech: The future direction of monetary policy will be determined by data and risk assessments. Data before the US government shutdown suggested that economic growth could be better than expected. Downside risks to the US labor market have increased. Our data show that current economic conditions are consistent with those in September. There is currently no “risk-free” path for monetary policy. Recent data show that the labour market is characterized by low growth and low…

Binance has announced the addition of five new tokens to its staking program. Tron (TRX), Aptos (APT), IOTA (IOTA), ApeCoin (APE), and MultiversX (EGLD) will now be among the assets earning rewards through staking. 5 New Tokens Added to Binance Staking: TRX, APT, IOTA, APE and EGLD The platform is expanding this feature, allowing users to earn staking returns on specific tokens in their Spot accounts with a single click. One of the most striking features of Soft Staking is its complete flexibility. Users can earn rewards while also being able to buy, sell, withdraw, or use their tokens for…

Bitcoin miners are entering a period of new structural risk tied to power contracts, firmware systems, and hosting agreements as the industry approaches the new year, according to Matthew Case, an independent analyst who tracks mining economics. In a recent X post, Case described these pressures as forces operating beneath the surface while miners remain focused on the next halving (in 2028) and hardware cycle. The analyst argued that these vulnerabilities could shape who controls Bitcoin’s hash rate and which companies survive the growing competition for power, while operational chokepoints are shifting from hardware to contracts, software, and energy access.…

ZNS Connect, a renowned Web3 infrastructure platform, has announced the launch of ZNS Foundation. The development aims to advance innovation in decentralized identity (DID), Web3 infrastructure, and naming systems. As disclosed in ZNS Foundation’s official social media announcement, the launch empowers developers, decentralized applications (dApps), and blockchain networks. Additionally, the move is a noteworthy step to make the Web3 landscape more collaborative and open with an improved experience. We’re excited to introduce ZNS Foundation — an independent organization dedicated to advancing DID, naming standards, and open Web3 infrastructure.Our mission:• Support builders and chains• Strengthen the ZNS Protocol• Push DID and…