Author: NBTC

Manhattan federal prosecutors will reduce their focus on crypto-related crimes following several major convictions, a senior prosecutor told Reuters today. Scott Hartman, co-chief of the securities and commodities task force at the Southern District of New York (SDNY), made the statement a day after former SEC chair Jay Clayton was nominated to become the district’s US attorney. “You won’t see as much crypto stuff coming out of at least the SDNY in the future,” Hartman said at a Practising Law Institute conference in New York. The office will maintain oversight of crypto cases but has decreased the number of prosecutors…

The price differential between Bitcoin on Coinbase and other exchanges is measured by the Coinbase Premium Index, which recently fell to -0.2%, its lowest level in two years. The institutional interest that passes through Coinbase is measured by the premium indicator. For now, the indicator’s value suggests that the U.S. based trading platforms such as Coinbase might be in decline. It’s common to assume that U.S. buyers, compared to buyers from other areas, are selling more frequently, which might be a sign of lower institutional demand in the United States. In the past a positive Coinbase Premium indicated a significant…

Copper is offering custody services for tokenized money market funds. The crypto custodian recently received regulatory approvals from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) in Abu Dhabi. The approval means the company’s clients can now use money market fund tokens as collateral in derivatives trades. Cryptocurrency firm Copper said it is now able to offer clients secure custody and trading of tokenized money market funds such as Blackrock’s BUIDL, the company said in a press release Wednesday. Copper clients can also use tokenized money market funds as collateral in derivatives trades, after the crypto custodian received regulatory approvals from the…

On-chain data shows XRP active accounts have spiked to a 7-month peak amid a massive whale accumulation trend over the last two weeks. These bullish metrics have prevailed despite the ongoing market uncertainty that has plagued the broader market. Amid this uncertainty, XRP previously tumbled from the $0.53 high on Oct. 29 to retest the psychological support at $0.50. A mild recovery has seen it rebound above $0.51 at press time. Despite this push, XRP continues to underperform in longer timeframes. Notably, the altcoin is down 16% this year, while assets like Bitcoin (BTC) and Solana (SOL) are witnessing impressive…

SEC Chair Gary Gensler is expected to step down voluntarily after Thanksgiving and depart in early January, ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration, according to Fox Business producer Eleanor Terrett. 🚨NEW: While @realDonaldTrump’s pick for @SECGov Chair remains unknown, it looks increasingly likely that @GaryGensler will step down voluntarily and choose not to finish out his commissioner term as some had speculated. It’s anyone’s guess when his resignation announcement will… — Eleanor Terrett (@EleanorTerrett) November 15, 2024 While Trump’s choice for the next SEC chair remains undetermined, several candidates are under consideration. Former SEC Commissioner Dan Gallagher, who currently works at…

As October nears a close, one reality for crypto enthusiasts is that the anticipated ‘Uptober’ rally might not materialize in 2024. With Bitcoin’s (BTC) performance falling short of expectations, questions are emerging about whether there’s a shift in traditional price rally catalysts—a factor that a crypto expert has weighed in on. In this context, while acknowledging the possibility of a failed ‘Uptober’ rally, Michaël van de Poppe pointed to emerging catalysts that could fuel a stronger bull run than seen in previous cycles, as noted in an X post on October 27. Poppe stated that recent Bitcoin price movements suggest…

Deutsche Bank, one of the largest banking institutions in Europe and the world, has recently linked BRICS to a significant percentage of cross-border transactions. The bank states that the bloc has been driven to cryptocurrency due to geopolitical tensions. Deutsche Bank: BRICS Countries Accounted for 28% of All Cross-Border Crypto Transactions Deutsche Bank, a German financial institution with over $1.45 trillion in assets, has recognized the leading role of cryptocurrencies as an alternative for sanctioned countries and their allies to continue developing trade settlements. In a recently issued article quoted by Vaneck’s Head of Digital Assets Research Matthew Sigel on…

Layer-2 (L2) scaling solutions for blockchain networks have seen a remarkable surge in social media engagement, with top projects such as Polygon (POL), Starknet (STRK), and Arbitrum (ARB) leading the way. According to data shared by Phoenix Group and LunarCrush, these projects have attracted significant social interactions over the past 24 hours, underscoring the growing interest in scalability solutions within the cryptocurrency community. TOP #LAYER2 PROJECTS BY SOCIAL ACTIVITY$POL $STRK $ARB $ZK $OP $IMX $STX $MNT $MANTA $CULT pic.twitter.com/0wCHCZvZpl — PHOENIX – Crypto News & Analytics (@pnxgrp) November 4, 2024 Polygon and Starknet Lead Social Activity Polygon (POL) and Starknet…

Larry Harmon, an Ohio resident, has been sentenced to three years in prison for laundering more than $300 million worth of Bitcoin through his darknet service, Helix, according to Bloomberg. The platform operated a tool designed to obscure the origins of cryptocurrency transactions, enabling users, primarily criminals, to move funds undetected, according to the U.S. Justice Department The service was active from 2014 to 2017, during which Harmon partnered with major darknet marketplaces like AlphaBay to process illegal transactions involving drug sales, stolen data, and counterfeit goods. You might also like: Thumzup approves $1m of Bitcoin as treasury reserve asset…

Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Kaixin is looking for a strategic shift with plans to acquire a controlling stake in a Middle Eastern cryptocurrency mining operation. The announcement depicts a major jump and diversification from its traditional automotive business. Kaixin in advanced stages of acquisition According to Kaixin’s press release, the Beijing-based company is in advanced stages of evaluating the potential acquisition. The target operation features cost-efficient Bitcoin mining machines and provides comprehensive cloud hosting services to meet growing industry demand. Kaixing stated that the facility’s key advantage lies in its access to stable, long-term energy supplies. The company stated that…