Author: NBTC

Global payments giant Mastercard has unveiled Agent Pay for Machines (AP4M), a new payment service designed to enable AI agents and machines to conduct automated transactions at machine speed across its global payments network, according to a Wednesday press release. The company said the platform is built to support a future in which AI agents transact directly with one another, enabling always-on commerce and high-volume microtransactions. The system is supported by over 30 industry players including Stripe, Adyen, Coinbase, Checkout.com, Cloudflare, BVNK, Aave Labs, and OKX. Mastercard expects AI agents to increasingly perform tasks such as purchasing services, coordinating business…

Crypto asset manager Bitwise is entering the fast-growing tokenized fund market for the first time through a planned takeover of Superstate’s crypto carry fund. Bitwise intends to assume investment management responsibilities for the Superstate Crypto Carry Fund, known by its ticker USCC, on June 1, the firms said on Thursday. The fund will be renamed the Bitwise Crypto Carry Fund while continuing to run on Superstate’s blockchain infrastructure. USCC manages more than $267 million in assets and gives qualified investors exposure to a crypto “cash-and-carry” strategy. The trade seeks to profit from the gap between spot crypto prices and futures…

A cryptocurrency address closely tied to the LayerZero ($ZRO) team has deposited a staggering 1 million $ZRO tokens to the Binance exchange. This transaction, valued at approximately $1.43 million, was flagged by blockchain analytics firm Onchain Lens just moments ago. The same address still holds a massive 29 million $ZRO, currently worth over $41.34 million. This move has immediately caught the attention of traders and analysts, raising questions about potential selling pressure on the $ZRO token. LayerZero Team Address Deposits $1.4M in $ZRO to Binance: A Detailed Breakdown Onchain Lens, a reputable on-chain data provider, reported the transaction. The address…

US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Commissioner Hester Peirce said that publishing open-source code should not subject software developers to federal securities regulations, weighing in on a longstanding debate over developer liability in decentralized finance. Speaking Tuesday at the IC3 Blockchain Camp at Princeton University, Peirce said developers who publish blockchain and DeFi code should not automatically be treated as securities intermediaries merely because others use their software. “Many blockchain projects involve publishing open-source software, which is generally a protected activity under the First Amendment,” Peirce said. She said that decentralized protocols can operate without traditional intermediaries and that responsibility…

In a groundbreaking move to unlock cross-border remittances, digital asset savings, and B2B infrastructure, Paga Group Limited, a Nigerian-based mobile money company, today announced a strategic partnership with Crossmint, a unified decentralized platform that allows users to access a crypto wallet, stablecoins, and various DeFi offerings in one interface. This collaboration enabled Paga to integrate Crossmint’s smart wallet and stablecoin orchestration infrastructure. This allows users and businesses utilizing Paga’s mobile money platform to now access a unified stack that connects crypto wallet and stablecoin balances directly into their everyday digital cash spending. Paga Group Limited is a mobile payment platform…

Bitcoin treasury firm Strive has accelerated its $BTC accumulation, and it is now on track to rival none other than Michael Saylor’s Strategy. The company is adding 1% to its total Bitcoin treasury today. For context on the scale of such an increase within the corporate $BTC sector, a 1% addition to Strategy’s holdings equates to approximately 8,180 $BTC. Strive, which includes such big-name backers as Peter Thiel and Cantor Fitzgerald, is currently the ninth-biggest $BTC treasury firm with 15,009 coins. It looks like Strive is going to add 1% to their Bitcoin hoard today.For reference, Strategy adding 1% is…

David Schwartz Reveals Why Ripple Still Has No Legal Path to an IPO Ripple’s long-speculated IPO (initial public offering) is running into a hard legal reality. While market chatter continues, executives have made it clear that a public listing isn’t a near-term priority, and former CTO David Schwartz argues the core issue is simpler: the current legal framework still doesn’t support it. The discussion intensified after Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse recently explained that the company is taking a cautious stance toward an IPO. Garlinghouse pointed to the underwhelming post-listing performance of crypto firms like Gemini and Kraken as examples of…

Chiliz has expanded Fan Token to Solana and Base ecosystem as it moves from a single-chain setup to a broader, multi-chain model. This change aims to increase access, improve liquidity, and connect sports-based crypto assets with a wider user base. The Chiliz Chain will remain the core layer for the expansion. It will continue to handle smart contracts, governance votes, and core asset logic. At the same time, Solana and Base will serve as distribution layers. These networks are expected to help crypto reach more users and integrate with existing crypto platforms. Chiliz Expands Fan Tokens to Solana, Base According…

House Republicans have moved to expand a congressional trading ban proposal after Rep. Bryan Steil said prediction market contracts should be included alongside restrictions on stock trading by lawmakers. According to Bloomberg Government, Steil, who chairs the House Administration Committee, told reporters during a Thursday roundtable that lawmakers are working to add prediction market language to H.R. 7008, a bill that would prohibit members of Congress, their spouses, and dependents from trading individual stocks. Speaking at the event, Steil said he does not believe lawmakers should be placing trades tied to elections or public policy outcomes. “In my conversations with…

Justin Sun-owned $HTX revealed in its most recent proof-of-reserves, dated June 1, that it’s moved $1.3 billion worth of its reserves to a new category that it refers to as “ThirdParty.” This has affected multiple important assets for the exchange, including bitcoin ($BTC), ether ($ETH), $USDC, Usual Stablecoin (U), and Tether ($USDT). These balances have apparently been moved to a new custodian, as the $HTX website now notes, “The assets in the Custodial Wallets are maintained by third-party custodians.” In order to verify these quantities, we’re told to “please directly contact the third-party custodians.” Unfortunately, $HTX hasn’t publicly disclosed who…