Author: NBTC

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has inked a deal with the Stellar Development Foundation to expand the use of blockchain-based payments across its development programs, marking a significant step toward integrating public blockchain infrastructure into humanitarian and development work. This agreement comes on the heels of pilot projects in five countries, highlighting the potential for blockchain to play a more visible role in aid distribution and economic development efforts. Pilots pave the way for broader implementation On Monday, UNDP announced that over the past 16 months it has conducted research and pilot studies in Haiti, Syria, Kenya, Guatemala, and…

The old saying – sell in May and go away – proved to be right once again for the cryptocurrency markets. It was just six weeks ago when bitcoin had evidently reclaimed the $80,000 level and even surged to a multi-month peak at almost $83,000. The sentiment was gradually improving and there were even calls for $100,000 by the summer. However, the tides turned viciously and the asset was rejected vigorously. Its decline since then has been nothing short of painful, dumping below $60,000 earlier today for the second time in June. Is This Why? Popular analyst Ali Martinez brought…

Silicon Valley’s AI boom is creating demand for a different type of paid companionship. Some technology workers are spending as much as $23,000 per day for escorts who can discuss artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, biohacking, and startup culture. Forbes reported that the service extends beyond sex. Clients are also paying for attention, informed conversation, and time with someone who understands the technical subjects shaping their work and wealth. Tech Workers Seek Nerd-First Companionship Meida Marek, an online pseudonym, moved into escorting after working in an entry-level finance position. Her interests in AI, cryptocurrency, and biohacking later became part of the service…

eToro’s strategic investment in Extended, an onchain perpetual futures exchange, signals something more than a typical venture bet — it maps out a concrete path toward bringing decentralized derivatives to mainstream retail investors through the Zengo self-custody wallet. Key takeaways eToro has become a strategic investor in Extended, an onchain perpetual futures exchange built on Starknet, with the round reported by CoinDesk at $12.5 million. The investment launches a partnership between Extended and Zengo, the self-custody wallet eToro acquired earlier this year for approximately $70 million. Extended supports more than 100 perpetual markets across crypto, equities, FX, and commodities, and…

Tether, the company behind $USDT, is preparing to issue the stablecoin natively on Bitcoin through the RGB protocol version v0.11.1. Deployed by the UTEXO software lab, $USDT is set return to the chain where it first launched in 2014 via the Omni-Mastercoin Layer. UTEXO, the company leading the commercial rollout, has positioned itself as the issuer and distributor of this Bitcoin-native $USDT in partnership with Tether. “Finally, after eight years of development—if not more—we are the company that is launching $USDT over Bitcoin with strong support from Tether,” said Viktor Ihnatiuk, UTEXO co-founder, in an exclusive interview with Bitcoin Magazine.…

At press time, Bitcoin traded around $62,400 after yet another wave of selling pressure on the market. The decline was accompanied by a significant decrease in derivatives exposure for major exchanges. Binance experienced the largest move, with a 7-day Open Interest decline of over $1 billion. However, the comparison between the reported decline and the cited Open Interest figure requires verification. Source: CryptoQuant Meanwhile, Gate.io previously recorded a low near -$777 million, highlighting how concentrated the latest deleveraging has become. Yet the flush has cleared much of the speculative excess beneath the price. Most downside liquidity clusters have already been…

Asian equity markets clawed back some ground on June 9 (Tuesday) after yesterday’s punishing losses, but the recovery remained fragile as rising bond yields and growing expectations of central bank rate hikes kept investors cautious across the region. South Korea’s KOSPI led the rebound with a 3% gain after plunging more than 8% in the previous session. Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose about 0.5% on Tuesday, snapping a three-day losing streak after Monday’s sharp selloff, while the broader Topix gained roughly 0.9%, according to Trading Economics. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan added 0.9%. Asian markets hit hard in…

A spot Litecoin ETF is trading, Litecoin is a commodity by law, and the price sits at $44, down 89% from its peak. The gap between the regulatory milestone and the dead-flat chart is the most important lesson of the coming altcoin ETF wave. The first spot Litecoin ETF began trading in 2026 under the ticker LTCC, launched by Canary Capital after a filing the previous year, making Litecoin one of the first altcoins to win a regulated US exchange-traded fund. Around the same time, the SEC and CFTC formally classified Litecoin as a commodity, removing one of the largest…

Bitcoin Suisse, a Swiss-based financial services intermediary, announced that its subsidiary, BTCS (Middle East), has obtained a Financial Services Permission (FSP) from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM). The license authorizes the firm to provide cryptocurrency financial services to institutional and professional investors within the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Regulatory Milestone in the UAE The FSP marks a significant step for BTCS (Middle East), which had previously received an In-Principle Approval (IPA) from the FSRA last year. The ADGM, an international financial center in Abu Dhabi, operates under a robust regulatory framework designed…

Token Terminal, a renowned on-chain data entity, has partnered with CoinMarketCap, a leading platform for crypto market insights. The partnership is set to bring on-chain data to CoinMarketCap as well as CMC AI. As Token Terminal revealed in its official social media announcement, the development will enable more cutting-edge analytics along with AI-driven research functionalities. With this, the users can anticipate comprehensive access to curated and standardized blockchain metrics to enhance quality of market analytics. https://t.co/uvEU6DNPZc — Token Terminal 📊 (@tokenterminal) July 6, 2026 Token Terminal Enables Institutional-Scale On-Chain Data on CoinMarketCap The partnership between Token Terminal and CoinMarketCap underscores…