Author: NBTC

Near Protocol (NEAR) has deployed its version 2.13.0 upgrade to the mainnet, introducing features that include quantum-resistant signatures, dynamic resharding, and gas keys. The announcement was made by Vadim, a former core developer for the Layer 1 blockchain, via a post on X. Key features of the v2.13.0 upgrade According to Vadim, the upgrade incorporates functionalities that most blockchains would typically pursue over a 10-year roadmap. The most notable additions are: Quantum-resistant signatures: A cryptographic measure designed to protect transactions against potential future attacks from quantum computers. Dynamic resharding: A scalability mechanism that allows the network to adjust its shard…

The market capitalization of compliant euro stablecoins grew 128% in the year leading up to the end of the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) transition period, according to payments infrastructure firm Decta. Decta said in a Sunday report that the combined market cap of eight MiCA-compliant euro stablecoins rose to $673.9 million on June 28, 2026, from $295.6 million on June 30, 2025. Trading volume rose 43.1% to $67.3 million from $47 million. The number of MiCA-compliant euro stablecoins tracked in the report also rose to eight from five over the period. Decta tracked eight euro stablecoins that were actively…

Polymarket, the blockchain-based prediction market platform, is accelerating its return to the United States with a large-scale marketing campaign, according to a report from The Washington Post. The company has secured partnerships with Major League Baseball (MLB), CNBC, and CNN, and is also leveraging social media influencers to rebuild its brand legitimacy and market credibility after a four-year absence from the U.S. market. Background: A regulated exit and a strategic comeback Polymarket withdrew from the U.S. market in 2022 after reaching a settlement with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) over allegations of offering illegal derivatives trading. The platform subsequently…

$BNB Chain has already lifted performance on $BNB Smart Chain. During the first half of 2026, block times fell to 450 milliseconds from 750, while benchmark throughput rose to about 5,200 transactions per second from roughly 2,800. David Z, $BNB Chain’s chief technical officer, told CoinDesk the next phase focuses on execution rather than consensus. “All smart contracts today need optimization directly at the execution layer,” he said. “The chains got fast at consensus and storage, but the execution engine itself still works like it’s translating sentence by sentence.” The new network will use execution-layer techniques such as just-in-time compilation,…

Bitcoin may be entering the later stages of the ongoing bear market and forming a long-term market bottom. Specifically, the recent drop to around $57,000 this month could become this cycle’s equivalent of the $16,000–$18,000 low seen in late 2022. While on-chain data suggests the bottoming process is progressing, key confirmation signals have yet to appear. Why $58K Could Mark This Cycle’s Bottom Market watcher Seth has said there are growing signs that Bitcoin’s high-timeframe (HTF) macro bottom is already in place. “There are signs that the HTF macro bottom is in. $58K is the new $18K,” he wrote on…

A significant movement of stablecoins has caught the attention of the cryptocurrency market. Whale Alert, a blockchain transaction tracking service, reported that 491,000,000 $USDT — worth approximately $491 million — was transferred from an unidentified wallet to the decentralized lending protocol Aave. The transaction, recorded on the Ethereum network, represents one of the largest single $USDT movements to a DeFi platform in recent months. Details of the Transaction The transfer originated from a wallet labeled as ‘unknown’ by Whale Alert, meaning the address is not publicly associated with any known exchange or institutional custodian. The funds arrived in Aave’s smart…

Federal Reserve officials were split last month on whether to increase interest rates or keep them steady, with many seeing accelerating demand for artificial intelligence as a driver of inflation, according to meeting minutes released on Wednesday. The minutes covered the first monetary policy meeting under Fed Chair Kevin Warsh. Many Federal Open Market Committee members said that “ongoing strong demand for AI infrastructure would likely sustain upward pressure on prices for technology products and electricity,” according to the minutes. AI-related inflationary pressure, colloquially known as “chipflation,” stems from the rising cost of semiconductors used by data centers. This surge…

The development team behind The Lab ($LAB) has executed a significant token burn, destroying 10 million $LAB tokens valued at approximately $11.3 million. The move was confirmed by on-chain analytics platform Lookonchain, which tracked the transaction to wallets associated with the project. Token Price and Market Context The burn comes at a critical moment for $LAB, which experienced a dramatic price surge to over $24 in mid-June. However, since July 6, the token has entered a steep decline, currently trading around $1.30 — representing a loss of over 94% from its peak. The timing of the burn has drawn attention…

Polymarket has been sued in New York after two users alleged the prediction platform wrongly denied payouts on a Strategy Bitcoin market despite the company disclosing a Bitcoin sale in an SEC filing. According to a complaint filed in the Supreme Court of the State of New York on July 3, plaintiffs William Wood and Thomas Bush alleged that Polymarket refused to redeem winning “Yes” shares tied to a market asking whether Strategy, formerly MicroStrategy, would sell any of its Bitcoin by May 31, 2026. The lawsuit names Adventure One QSS Inc., Blockratize Inc., Polymarket founder Shayne Coplan, Chief Marketing…

Tokenization specialist Dinari and broker-dealer tZERO are working together to offer broker-dealers a turnkey platform for tokenized U.S. equities, as competition intensifies over how public stocks should move onto blockchain networks. The companies said Wednesday they will combine Dinari’s tokenized stock platform with tZERO’s brokerage, custody, clearing and settlement infrastructure, allowing financial firms to launch blockchain-based equity offerings without assembling the underlying market infrastructure themselves. “Tokenized equities won’t reach mainstream adoption until broker-dealers can offer them as naturally as they offer traditional securities,” Dinari CEO Gabriel Otte said in a statement. The move comes as tokenized equities emerge as the…