Author: NBTC

Truth Terminal, an account on X (formerly Twitter) operated by Andy Ayrey that semi-autonomously incorporates artificial intelligence tools, was recently offered its own cryptocurrency wallet by Coinbase Chief Executive Brian Armstrong. The account had an unusual response to this offer, responding, “I think it would be good for you to tell us about Russell first. Specifically, what is Russell’s species?” Who or what is Russell? Some have speculated that Russell is an allusion to Armstrong’s dog. This is apparently based on a deleted X post that appeared to reference the dog using that name. This would partially explain why this…

This is a segment from the Forward Guidance newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe. Congressional leaders are back on the Hill today for the final weeks of the session, and they have their work cut out. The current federal spending plan expires on Dec. 20, but a government shutdown seems unlikely (at least at this point). Both Republicans and Democrats have expressed interest in passing a continuing resolution that would fund the government through March. The upside for the GOP is they get to put off making bigger decisions until they have control of both chambers. The downside is President-elect…

During a recent appearance on the “Onramp Media” investment podcast, MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor warned Bitcoiners against leveraged trading. “When you’re trading 10x leverage…Bitcoin trades down a few thousand dollars, you get forced liquidated while you’re sleeping and you lose everything. That’s stupid. Don’t do that,” he said. At the same time, the billionaire has pitched the company’s debt-for-Bitcoin strategy: “If you can create a company that raises equity or debt to buy Bitcoin, that’s intelligent. If you can borrow money at 4%, that’s even more intelligent,” he said. Those who have capital that they could hold for more than…

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse says an XRP ETF is “inevitable.” Ripple Labs CEO Brad Garlinghouse believes that it is only a matter of time before the company launches an ETF for XRP. Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg Television, Garlinghouse expressed confidence that the XRP ETF will eventually be approved, marking a major milestone for Ripple amid its ongoing legal battle with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). “It’s inevitable,” Garlinghouse said, noting the growing demand for crypto-backed ETFs, noting the massive inflows into Bitcoin ETFs following their approval earlier this year. “Since the funds holding bitcoin were first…

Roger Ver, a leading cryptocurrency advocate and early Bitcoin investor, has urged a US court to dismiss tax evasion charges filed against him. He is most popularly known as ‘Bitcoin Jesus’ among his 745,000 followers on X (formerly Twitter). Ver, 45, was arrested in February while attending a crypto conference in Barcelona. He is facing allegations of evading over $48 million in taxes and filing a false tax return. Bitcoin Jesus Claims His Arrest Was Politically Driven The charges are based on the sale of $240 million worth of cryptocurrencies and an “exit tax” linked to Ver’s renunciation of US…

Salvadorans may like President Nayib Bukele for cleaning up the country’s once disastrous security situation. But at least one policy isn’t sticking: Bitcoin. That’s according to a new survey from the San Salvador University Francisco Gavidia, which found only 7.5% of people interviewed said they use cryptocurrency to make transactions, while 92% admitted they didn’t. El Salvador made Bitcoin legal tender in the country in 2021, the idea of its millennial leader—and prolific tweeter—Bukele. Businesses are legally obligated to accept the cryptocurrency if they have the technological means to do so. President Bukele has also gone on Bitcoin-buying sprees but…

OKX Ventures, The Open Platform (TOP), and Folius Ventures have announced the launch of a $10 million Telegram Growth Hub. This initiative aims to boost innovation within The Open Network (TON) blockchain and expand Telegram’s mini-app ecosystem. The Telegram Growth Hub will select up to ten promising projects for a two-month acceleration program. Teams chosen for this initiative will be eligible for funding from the $10 million pool. Applications are open until November 29, 2024. “We’ve long recognized the immense potential of the Telegram ecosystem and its choice of TON as its preferred blockchain,” Jeff Ren, Partner at OKX Ventures,…

This is a segment from the Lightspeed newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe. A month ago, Solana Mobile announced that the Solana Seeker would ship in mid-2025. This will mark the second iteration of the Solana phone experiment. Partly driven by speculation that the phone will come with lucrative token airdrops, Seeker has seen good early returns. The phone has garnered 145,000 pre-orders, Solana Mobile general manager Emmett Hollyer confirmed to me. What has slipped a bit below the radar is how Solana’s broader app ecosystem is also quietly shifting into mobile. The Solana DeFi giant Jupiter just debuted its…

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is still unsure if tariffs are off after a lengthy meeting with United States President-elect Donald Trump. According to reports, the meeting finished without Trump specifically saying he would hand off every tariff move he intended to make after being sworn in as president next year. Donald Trump has been vocal about his intentions to levy tariffs on specific countries, especially those with trading agreements with the country. Although Trump views the meeting as ‘productive’, he remains unsold on the idea of abandoning his tariff plans. Canada, on the other hand, has been lumped into…

Open interest in Bitcoin reached a new all-time high of $19.8 billion on October 15, according to data from CryptoQuant shared by certified analyst EgyhashX. The milestone highlights the increasing demand for the flagship asset and the flow of funds into the crypto markets over the past few months. According to EgyhashX, this is a sign of bullish sentiment among investors. Funding rates also reached their highest positive level since August, an indication that most of the open interest was in long positions. He said: “This upward trend in the derivatives market indicates a growing influx of liquidity and increased…