Author: NBTC

Months after coming in and out of courtrooms, Roman Storm, the co-founder of Tornado Cash, told a federal judge in the US that his criminal charges should be dropped. This is after an appeals court said that the platform’s smart contracts should not have been punished. Roman Storm said that the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) went beyond its authority when it sanctioned Tornado Cash’s smart contracts. He also added that the court’s decision “clearly affects” his charge of conspiring to break the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which is a key law in the US sanctions…

Economist Nouriel Roubini, CEO of Roubini Macro Associates and portfolio manager of Atlas America Fund, reiterated his skepticism towards Bitcoin, calling it a “speculative asset” and dismissing its potential as a legitimate currency or hedge against inflation. Speaking about the recent surge in Bitcoin prices, Roubini noted Bitcoin’s inherent volatility and lack of fundamental utility as a medium of exchange. Roubini criticized Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies for failing to meet the basic requirements of a currency. He argued that Bitcoin is neither a scalable means of payment nor a stable store of value. “Bitcoin is not an economic unit of…

The BlackRock iShares Ethereum Trust ETF (ETHA) crosses a major milestone in its Ethereum holdings amid an impressive surge in institutional interest. 2024 has arguably been the year of institutional adoption for crypto as newly launched U.S. spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs have funneled billions into the market. As the year ends, this capital influx shows no signs of slowing. In the latest instance highlighting this surge in institutional interest, one of these newly launched products has hit a new milestone. BlackRock Ethereum ETF Hits 1M ETH BlackRock’s Ethereum ETF (ETHA) has hit a new milestone. As highlighted by blockchain…

Shareholders did not respond well after Japanese investment firm Metaplanet announced the addition of its Bitcoin Treasury Operations as a new core business line. Building on months of preparation and shareholder approvals, the company is doubling down on Bitcoin (BTC) as both a financial asset and revenue driver as the world’s largest crypto soars to new peaks. Just yesterday, Bitcoin set a new all-time high above $108,000. Despite the ambitious announcement, Metaplanet’s stock, which trades under the 3350 ticker on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, fell by 13.73% on Tuesday and closed at $22.90 (3,520 JPY), according to Google Finance data.…

Grayscale Investments has officially opened the Grayscale Chainlink Trust (LINK Trust) to qualified investors, providing exposure to Chainlink (LINK) through a regulated security structure. This move will allow investors to own LINK indirectly, bypassing the complexities of purchasing, storing, and managing the token directly. As of December 12, 2024, Grayscale LINK Trust reported net asset value per share of $111.91 and assets under management (AUM) of $30,468,812. According to Grayscale’s website, the Chainlink Trust represents one of the first securities to invest specifically and passively in LINK. Shares of the trust are structured to track the market price of LINK,…

The new EU crypto regulations, set to take effect at the end of the year, are already reshaping the market for digital tokens, especially stablecoins like Tether’s USDT. Many crypto exchanges in the EU have delisted the dominant stablecoin USDT to comply with the MiCA. While the regulations aim to improve oversight and prevent crimes like money laundering, crypto experts warn that they might reduce market activity without fully achieving these goals. Could MiCA Hamper Market Liquidity? Crypto executives warn that the MiCA regulations may reduce market liquidity without meeting their intended goals, potentially making the EU less attractive to…

A popular market analyst known for his timely crypto calls is predicting Ethereum (ETH) will suddenly return to its all-time high. Pseudonymous trader Pentoshi tells his 834,500 followers on the social media platform X that Ethereum may surge more than 23% from its current value and start outperforming against Bitcoin (ETH/BTC). “ETH likely to continue to outperform BTC in the short term in my opinion. ETH/BTC went up around 20% from the lows while going up in USD. Can’t complain. But every time it goes down 1% many get PTSD. Trends don’t happen overnight. They always start small. See no…

Global algorithmic trading firm Wintermute is strengthening its presence in the tokenized securities market by providing round-the-clock over-the-counter (OTC) trading support for BlackRock’s USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL). The move comes as Wintermute’s OTC desk celebrates a record-breaking year, having achieved $24 billion in daily trading volume on November 13, 2024. This expansion of services aims to enhance liquidity and accessibility for institutional investors trading tokenized securities. BUIDL, which launched on Ethereum in March 2024, has established itself as the world’s largest tokenized fund by assets under management. The fund, which provides exposure to U.S. Treasury bills and repurchase…

The Internet is a big world; every country represents a digital ledger. Most of these ledgers are blockchains but most have ‘slow economies’. Here is where the global leader Hedera Hashgraph comes into the picture. It is a distributed ledger technology that replaces the old blockchain system, making the ‘economy’ fast, fair, and secure. Table of Contents What is HBAR? How does Hedera Hashgraph work? How to use Hedera Hashgraph and HBAR? Key features and benefits of Hedera Hashgraph and HBAR How to buy, store, and use HBAR Challenges and criticisms Future of HBAR and Hedera Hashgraph In this article,…

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) may be on the verge of one of the most dramatic policy changes in its history. As the agency prepares for a leadership transition, SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce has hinted at a potential shift away from the SEC’s historically cautious stance on cryptocurrencies toward a more innovation-friendly approach. In an exclusive interview, SEC Commissioner Peirce expressed optimism about the SEC’s future under new leadership. With SEC Chairman Gary Gensler set to step down on January 20, 2025, and former SEC Commissioner Paul Atkins set to take over, Peirce described the transition as a…