Author: NBTC

A much-anticipated tentative agreement on stablecoin rewards has breathed new life into the stalled CLARITY Act. However, industry experts are warning that the landmark cryptocurrency legislation still faces a ticking clock and a minefield of unresolved issues. Last week, key lawmakers and the White House reached an “agreement in principle” to resolve the much-talked-about clash between traditional banks and the digital asset industry. However, according to Alex Thorn, head of firmwide research at Galaxy Digital, the crypto industry should hold off on celebrating (at least for now). A much-needed compromise Since January, the CLARITY Act has been stalled in the…

World of Elements, a free-to-play 2D RPG built on Neo N3, released its Early Access v1.12 update on March 28, adding a skill tree system, new location Hubitz, and additional quests, items, and monsters. The update follows v1.1 in December 2025, which introduced a Christmas event, new map areas, and quest tracking improvements. World of Elements is developed by Frank, creator of FrankCoin on Neo, and draws inspiration from classic RPGs like Secret of Mana and Final Fantasy. Skill trees and new content The main addition in v1.12 is a skill tree system, giving players a new progression mechanic alongside…

StoneX, the operator of the retail CFD and forex trading platform Forex.com, has launched a new Securitization Banking, Lending & Capital Markets platform, expanding its institutional services in structured finance and capital formation. Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don’t!). The platform will offer clients capital markets solutions, lending capabilities, and investment opportunities across multiple asset classes. The firm said the launch is intended to expand its role in the institutional credit market and offer clients additional liquidity and financing. Building on this institutional focus, StoneX Digital, part of StoneX Group, has introduced…

Proposed U.S. tariffs tied to Iran-linked trade could ripple through global supply chains, lifting import costs and worsening household affordability as China’s central role magnifies indirect exposure under President Trump’s evolving sanctions strategy. Schiff Warns Iran-Linked Tariffs Could Push Prices Higher Economist and gold advocate Peter Schiff shared on social media platform X on Feb. 8 a warning about potential tariff escalation under President Donald Trump, arguing that proposed penalties tied to Iran-linked trade could intensify cost pressures for U.S. consumers. He stated: “Trump threatened to hit Americans with 25% tariffs on imports from countries that directly or indirectly do…

OKX does not plan to rush into public markets in the U.S., even as the crypto exchange pushes deeper into global expansion and tokenized finance. “We will go public when we have confidence that we can give back shareholder value,” said Haider Rafique, the firm’s general manager and chief marketing officer, during a conversation at the Digital Asset Summit in New York on Thursday. “If we are not confident that we can do that, I don’t think there’s going to be any desire for us to go into the public markets.” The stance comes as OKX recently secured a strategic…

China offset its $456 billion liquidity pressure by having the PBoC inject nearly $87 billion to ward off the anticipated seasonal cash crunch during the Lunar New Year. The PBoC has also reduced its medium-term lending facility by 10 bps to 1.4%, down from January’s 1.5% to revive economic growth. The People’s Bank of China (PBoC) responded to the anticipated seasonal cash crunch ahead of the Lunar New Year by boosting the supply of money, with China’s Industrial Securities noting that the surge in cash demand followed a predictable trend in household behavior. The Chinese central bank is hoping to…

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission published interpretive guidance explaining how they might define what is or isn’t a security in crypto; the CFTC also issued a no-action letter for a non-custodial wallet provider to facilitate derivatives and prediction markets transactions; Arizona is filing criminal charges against a prediction market provider; and by the way we kind-of-sort-of have hints of movement on market structure legislation. What a week, huh? You’re reading State of Crypto, a CoinDesk newsletter looking at the intersection of cryptocurrency and government. Click here to sign up for future editions. The narrative…

Kraken has expanded its margin trading offerings to include three new tokens: 0G (a decentralized AI data availability layer), $SKY (the rebranded governance token of the former MakerDAO ecosystem), and $QNT (Quant Network’s enterprise blockchain interoperability token). — With these additions, Kraken Pro now supports over 250 margin-enabled trading pairs. This isn’t a yield opportunity or airdrop — it’s a trading infrastructure update. For traders who have been waiting to take leveraged positions on these specific assets, Kraken is now one of the venues where that’s possible. The full details are available on the Kraken blog announcement. How It Works…

Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Paul Atkins made one of the most significant announcements in the history of American crypto regulation on Tuesday, declaring that Bitcoin, Ethereum and a broad range of digital assets are formally exempt from securities laws, a ruling that draws a clear legal line under more than ten years of industry confusion and enforcement-by-ambiguity. Speaking at the DC Blockchain Summit 2026, Atkins unveiled a new token taxonomy and investment contract interpretation framework that the SEC is implementing immediately. “The SEC’s persistent failure to provide clarity on this question is over,” Atkins told attendees. What the Framework…

In a significant move for Asia’s digital asset landscape, Alchemy Pay has secured regulatory approval to expand its financial services license in Hong Kong, now explicitly encompassing virtual asset trading. This pivotal development, announced in Hong Kong, positions the payment gateway as a key connector between established financial systems and the burgeoning cryptocurrency market. Alchemy Pay Expands Regulatory Footprint in Hong Kong Alchemy Pay, a prominent cryptocurrency payment gateway, recently received approval from the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC). Consequently, the company can now broaden the scope of its existing Type 1 license. This license, initially for dealing…