Author: NBTC

When the Open Standard alliance unveiled its Open USD stablecoin, backed by more than 140 institutions including Visa, Mastercard, Stripe, Coinbase, and BlackRock, the market didn’t celebrate — it went straight for Circle’s jugular. Shares in Circle fell between 15% and 18% at one point following the announcement, a reaction that tells you everything about what investors really fear: not that $USDC will lose users overnight, but that its entire revenue model is about to face structural pressure it wasn’t built to handle. Key takeaways The Open Standard alliance launched the Open USD (OUSD) stablecoin with more than 140 institutional…

A cryptocurrency wallet linked to venture capital giant Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has continued its aggressive accumulation of Hyperliquid’s native token, $HYPE, purchasing an additional 687,000 tokens worth approximately $48.09 million over the past four days, according to on-chain analytics platform HyperInsight. Institutional Accumulation Accelerates The address, which on-chain sleuths have identified as connected to a16z, has now amassed a total of 6,617,000 $HYPE tokens valued at roughly $464 million since late May. The buying activity has been distributed across multiple platforms, including major centralized exchanges, suggesting a deliberate and methodical accumulation strategy. This latest tranche of purchases represents a notable…

Users of MOACT, the rewards app run by a wholly owned subsidiary of Japanese utility Kansai Electric Power, can now convert their loyalty points into JPYC, the yen stablecoin, on Polygon, wallet developer HashPort said in a press release published Thursday. The feature, live as of July 30, lets users swap NORM points — earned by completing social-impact “missions” in the app, such as engaging with companies and municipalities working on social causes — into JPYC issued on Polygon. The stablecoin sits in users’ own HashPort Wallets and can be connected to DeFi platforms, turning a closed-loop Web2 rewards balance…

Billionaire investor Ricardo Salinas has shared a bullish outlook on Bitcoin. He argued that the world’s financial system is built on weakening fiat currencies. Additionally, he stated that Bitcoin remains one of the best ways to preserve wealth. During a recent interview, Salinas explained why he avoids the AI investment boom. He also explained why he continuously converts cash into Bitcoin. Furthermore, he described why he said that the cryptocurrency could eventually reach $1 million. “Bitcoin Has More Advantages Compared To Fiat” One of the key moments in the interview came when Salinas revealed how reading The Bitcoin Standard changed…

U.S. spot Ethereum exchange-traded funds recorded approximately $9.4 million in net inflows on July 28, marking the second consecutive trading day of positive flows, according to data from Farside Investors. The latest figures suggest a modest but sustained recovery in investor appetite for Ethereum-focused investment products after a period of uneven performance. BlackRock Funds Lead the Inflows BlackRock’s two Ethereum ETF offerings accounted for the bulk of the day’s net inflows. The iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA) added $3.5 million, while the iShares Ethereum Trust with staking exposure (ETHB) contributed $5.9 million. Combined, the two funds represented nearly the entire $9.4…

Augustus, a startup building a federally chartered clearing bank for fintechs and financial institutions, said it raised $180 million to expand its dollar payment infrastructure as stablecoins reshape global finance. The fundraising valued the company at $1 billion, with Tiger Global leading the round and investors such as Hummingbird, QED and the founders of Nubank, Ramp, Circle and Deel participating, the company said in a Tuesday press release. The investment comes as banks, fintechs and crypto firms are racing to modernize the infrastructure behind cross-border payments. While much of the attention has centered on stablecoin issuers, Augustus is targeting a…

Institutional interest in $XRP and blockchain technology is accelerating rapidly, according to Evernorth CEO Asheesh Birla, who shared his latest views during the $XRP Las Vegas conference. “Did I think that we would be in the position that we are in in 2026? No. But wow, institutions are adopting the blockchain. Institutions want exposure to $XRP and other digital assets as well,” he said. Stablecoins Are Driving Growth One major factor behind the surge is the rise of stablecoins and tokenized assets. According to Birla, tokenized assets on blockchain networks now total roughly $23 billion and continue to expand each…

Nasdaq-listed SharpLink (SBET), a company known for its substantial Ethereum treasury, announced on its official X account that it earned 420 $ETH in staking rewards this week. The company now holds a total of 888,521 $ETH, reinforcing its position as one of the publicly traded firms with significant exposure to the cryptocurrency. Staking Rewards and Treasury Growth The 420 $ETH earned this week represents a consistent yield from SharpLink’s staked Ethereum holdings. Staking involves locking up $ETH to help secure the network, with validators earning rewards in return. For corporate treasuries like SharpLink’s, this provides a way to generate passive…

Cordant, a company building financial infrastructure for stablecoins and digital assets, has raised $8 million in a seed funding round. The investment was led by a consortium of venture capital firms, including BanklessVC, FJ Labs, SignalFire, Kuona, NextStage, Celer Ventures, FlatironX, Nascent Ventures, SilverCircle Ventures, and Generative Ventures. What Cordant Does Cordant develops backend technology designed to help financial institutions and fintech companies integrate stablecoins and other digital assets into their operations. The company’s platform focuses on compliance, settlement, and liquidity management — areas that remain challenging for traditional finance entering the digital asset space. The firm has not disclosed…

$BONK coin price is down 11% in a week despite new PartyBet and BONKUJI developments. BONKUJI has relaunched with a 90% card-value buyback feature. Traders should closely watch the support at $0.00000470. Despite ranking as the most trending cryptocurrency on various platforms, the price of $BONK coin has been on a rather bearish trend. The $BONK memecoin has struggled to gain momentum even as the project continues to expand its ecosystem through new products and partnerships. While recent developments, including a sports prediction and casino gaming partnership with PartyBet and updates to the BONKUJI platform, have generated attention within the…