Author: NBTC

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has transferred 50.25 $ETH, valued at approximately $113,000, to Privacy Pools, according to a report from blockchain tracking service Onchain Lens. The transaction, recorded on the Ethereum blockchain, has drawn attention due to Buterin’s prominent role in the crypto ecosystem and the specific use of a privacy-focused smart contract. Transaction Details and Context The transfer was executed on [Date of transaction, if known, otherwise remove this sentence] and involved sending funds from a wallet associated with Buterin to Privacy Pools, a smart contract designed to enhance transaction privacy on Ethereum. Privacy Pools allows users to deposit…

Four Pillars, a leading Web3 research firm based in South Korea, has secured a significant Series A funding round. Pantera Capital and Further Ventures led the investment. This round values the company at 30 billion won, which equals approximately $21.9 million. The company aims to connect Asian markets with global financial systems. It also plans to bridge traditional finance and the Web3 sector. Additionally, Four Pillars will evolve from a pure research firm into a comprehensive solutions provider. Four Pillars Series A Funding: Key Details and Strategic Goals This investment marks a critical milestone for Four Pillars. The firm originally…

Large holders of Cardano’s $ADA token have been quietly stacking for two years while the rest of the chain has gone quiet. Wallets holding at least one million $ADA now control 25.09 billion tokens, an all-time high, representing 67.47% of the existing supply, per Santiment. That is the highest concentration in whale hands since July 2020, with the accumulation trend running uninterrupted since December 2023. The token has shed 71% of its market cap over the past nine months, indicating that the largest holders have been buying into the price weakness. Cardano’s DeFi footprint has gone the opposite direction. Total…

Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) made significant assessments about the future of the cryptocurrency sector, US regulations, and his personal experiences in a recent interview. CZ argued that a new era is on the horizon, particularly highlighting the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain technology. When asked what he would have done differently looking back, CZ stated that his biggest regret was not completely blocking US users from the platform in Binance’s early days. “If we had closed the doors to the US from day one, we would have avoided many of the legal problems we face today,” CZ…

In a bold move to bring digital asset payments closer to mainstream financial systems, Alchemy Pay today entered into a strategic collaboration with MasterCard’s crypto partner program. The partnership enabled Alchemy Pay to integrate its fiat-crypto payment gateway with Mastercard to bring crypto payment services to everyday use, tapping into Mastercard’s crypto partner program that includes over 85 crypto firms, payment providers, and financial institutions, all operating to fix real-world payment challenges. Alchemy Pay is a payment gateway built to connect crypto and global fiat currencies for businesses and users. Its on-off ramp solution is integrated with various Web3 platforms…

HIVE Digital Technologies (HIVE) shares climbed as much as 40% Monday after the bitcoin mining firm said it spent $58 million buying land in Toronto to develop an industrial-scale AI center. The land, purchased through the company’s BUZZ High Performance Computing subsidiary, will support about 320 megawatts (MW) of capacity and more than 100,000 graphic processing units (GPUs) when fully equipped, becoming one of “Canada’s largest gigafactories,” the company said. The investment comes amid a broader shift away from bitcoin mining and into AI data centers. Just two weeks ago, HIVE raised $115 million, with proceeds earmarked for expanding its…

KB Financial Group, the parent company of South Korea’s largest bank, KB Kookmin, completed a stablecoin pilot for offline payments and cross-border remittances through the Kaia blockchain. KB tested the lifecycle of a South Korean won-denominated stablecoin, including issuance, merchant settlement and remittances, with Kaia, electronic payments company KG Inicis and fintech firm OpenAsset, local outlet Yonhap reported. The stablecoin pilot adds to the growing list of legacy financial institutions in South Korea experimenting with stablecoins. In late April, one of the nation’s largest credit card providers, Shinhan Card, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Solana Foundation to test…

In a groundbreaking move to expand user engagement in its Web3 mobile application network, Magne.AI, a decentralized smartphone platform, today entered into a strategic partnership with LSP.Finance, a digital asset management platform that transforms DeFi by unlocking liquidity from POS networks. This collaboration enabled Magne.AI to combine with LSP.Finance’s digital asset liquidity infrastructure, allowing its Web3 mobile device and smartphone users to now access innovative DeFi applications. Magne.AI is a US-based Web3 firm with specialized ability to develop decentralized smartphones and mobile devices that support secure access to personal data, digital transactions, and DApps (decentralized applications). This platform targets the…

The Nasdaq-listed company generated $27.9 million in total revenue in the first quarter, down 13.6% from the fourth quarter of 2025, according to its earnings report released Thursday. The revenue decline was mainly driven by “lower cloud services revenue, lower $ETH staking revenue, and lower digital asset mining revenue,” the company said. Specifically, revenue from $ETH staking fell $29.4% to $2.3 million from the previous quarter, reflecting lower average ether prices and lower natively staked balances. The company said it repositioned roughly 70,000 $ETH into liquid staking to “maintain treasury flexibility.” Cloud services revenue declined 13.1% quarter-on-quarter to $16.8 million,…

A new report by Discovery Bank and Visa highlights a major shift in South Africa’s financial landscape, as cryptocurrency matures from a speculative trend into a mainstream investment class. Key Takeaways: Discovery Bank and Visa report that 7.8 million South Africans now treat crypto as a mainstream asset class. Middle-income trading grew 26% in 2024, shifting the industry from speculation to disciplined investing. National Treasury’s 2026 regulations may soon require residents to declare or sell digital asset holdings. A Mainstream Milestone The landscape of digital finance in South Africa has reached a significant turning point, moving away from the volatile…