Author: NBTC

Over $10 billion has exited Aave after the Kelp DAO exploit, but the capital hasn’t all gone to one place. After the roughly $292 million exploit broke the cross-chain backing of rsETH, users have spread capital across safer, simpler venues rather than rotating into a direct replacement. Aave’s total value locked has fallen about 40%, according to DeFiLlama data, as impaired collateral triggered market freezes, stalled liquidations, and forced deleveraging, pushing users to withdraw or close positions. Some of that capital has moved into Maker-linked Spark, which has emerged as the clearest relative winner. Its TVL has risen around 10%…

The next major development in cryptocurrency is centered on autonomous financial agents rather than merely new currencies or trading platforms. These are computer programs that can manage finances and complete transactions without human guidance. This week’s Hong Kong Web3 Festival’s central thesis was that a significant shift in the industry is imminent. Authorities and leaders discussed a future where AI bots manage and complete cryptocurrency transactions independently. These agents are able to assess a situation, make a decision, and act without any assistance. In the realm of cryptocurrency, people live on blockchains and engage in day-and-night trading, token purchases, and…

Welcome to our institutional newsletter, Crypto Long & Short. This week: Jennifer Rosenthal on the need to protect the people actually building DeFi infrastructure. Alexis Sirkia on how Ethereum’s L2 strategy is failing due to a fundamental design flaw. Top headlines institutions should pay attention to by Francisco Rodrigues. Aave’s Market Share Slides After rsETH Exploit in Chart of the Week. -Alexandra Levis Expert Insights Protecting the people building DeFi infrastructure By Jennifer Rosenthal, chief communications officer, DeFi Education Fund There has been a consistent uptrend in traditional finance companies announcing DeFi-related initiatives, and it’s exciting that these companies embrace…

The crypto market is currently undergoing a significant change in how success is measured by the network. Total Value Locked (TVL) was historically used to measure success, but the crypto community is now prioritizing Monthly Active Addresses (MAA) to better represent the use of the network in actual transactions and the retail uptake of the network. Data from Phoenix Group indicates a stark contrast in active users on Layer-1 and Layer-2 protocols across the 3 main active networks by user volume. $BNB Chain and Solana – The Retail Heavyweights Recent metrics demonstrate $BNB Chain continues its dominance on a monthly…

While the turmoil in DeFi markets continues following the KelpDAO-related rsETH crisis, a new sign of recovery has emerged from Aave. Stani Kulechov, the founder of the protocol, stated in his comments on the latest developments that intensive work is underway to both reduce losses and rebalance the system. Kulechov stated that the past few days have been quite busy, with the team prioritizing the protection of user interests and restoring orderly functioning in the markets. According to the statement, the Aave team is working simultaneously on multiple solutions with various stakeholders. Related News Bitcoin (BTC) Is Gaining Momentum Again…

SWIFT and Ripple Edge Closer as Banking and Blockchain Converge The SWIFT vs. Ripple debate is heating up as global finance moves closer to blockchain-based settlement. What was once seen as a head-to-head rivalry between a traditional payments messaging network and a crypto-native infrastructure has shifted into something more complex. Instead of one replacing the other, emerging data and institutional adoption point to convergence, where SWIFT and Ripple are increasingly shaping, and being shaped by, the same future of cross-border payments. Market analyst Diana estimates that about 60% of SWIFT-listed banks now have some connection to Ripple, reigniting debate over…

DeFi TVL and DEX volumes are rising on Solana, Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon, and $BNB as $NFT gaming races toward a $60.82B market and builders keep shipping through hacks. Capital is quietly rotating back into DeFi even as the industry digests nine-figure bridge hacks and regulatory pressure, with total DeFi TVL now in the $130 billion to $140 billion range and usage metrics creeping higher across major alt L1s and L2s. Data compiled by CoinLaw and MEXC’s DeFi dashboards shows lending utilization rates ticking up and DEX volumes rising on chains like Solana, Arbitrum, Optimism, and Polygon, despite ongoing security scares…

American Bitcoin (ABTC), a mining and treasury firm tied to the family of U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday it had added nearly 11,300 bitcoin mining rigs at its Drumheller site. The news caused its share price to rise by about 12% to $1.38. The firm said the miners were fully deployed at its facility in Alberta, Canada, increasing its fleet of ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits) to roughly 89,242. It also said that the new bitcoin mining rigs contribute an incremental 3.05 exahash per second (EH/s) at an efficiency of 13.5 joules per terahash (J/TH) to its current operational…

Solana processes over 162 million transactions daily at slot times averaging 390 milliseconds. For most users, that speed is more than sufficient. For trading firms, arbitrage bots, and liquidation engines, it is barely enough margin to work with. The difference between landing a transaction in slot 0 and landing it in slot 2 is not a rounding error. It is the difference between a profitable execution and a missed opportunity with fees already paid. On Solana, landing late is not free. Priority fees paid to win a slot are still charged when the transaction arrives after the opportunity is gone.…

Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) already pays 11.5% annualized dividends on its ultra-risky Stretch (STRC) but DeFi users are now adding risks and leverage to crank that up to 39%. In finance, interest rates are often dictated by the risk of total loss. With very few exceptions, when someone offers a higher interest rate, it’s because they’re much more likely to not pay you back. Unbothered, traders are now re-routing Strategy’s dividend payouts through multiple blockchain protocols to manufacture yields of double, triple, or more what STRC actually pays. They add future obligations in exchange for near-term payouts, take advantage of temporary…