Author: NBTC

A 402 page proposal, two fundraising exemptions, and a safe harbor that could remove the investment contract label from qualifying tokens. What the framework means and where it falls short. For a decade, the crypto industry asked the SEC for clear, written rules. The agency responded with enforcement actions, no action letters, and speeches that implied the rules existed somewhere but could not be found in any statutory text or formal rulemaking document. On August 18, 2026, the SEC did something it had never done before: it published actual rules. Regulation Crypto Assets is a 402 page proposing release that…

A recent study by the Anti-Corruption Data Collective (ACDC) has identified 152 wallets on the prediction market platform Polymarket that may have placed bets using nonpublic information, including U.S. military secrets. The analysis, which covered markets settled through May 5, found that these wallets generated a combined $8 million in profits in military and defense-related markets, with an average win rate of 97.2%. Patterns of Suspicious Trading Activity The ACDC report highlights a distinct trading pattern among these wallets: they typically opened accounts, placed large bets on low-probability outcomes, and then quickly took profits and stopped trading. This behavior is…

Hedera has announced the introduction of its Cross-Ledger Protocol (CLPR), a significant advancement that could reshape how blockchain networks interact. This protocol allows for direct, cryptographic verification of ledgers’ consensus, eliminating the need for bridge validators. This innovation is designed to enhance security and efficiency in cross-chain communication, marking a pivotal moment for blockchain interoperability. Read more in Hedera’s official announcement. Inside the Move The broader cryptocurrency market is currently displaying mixed signals, with various assets showing fluctuating momentum. In this context, Hedera’s announcement of HIP-1535 and its Cross-Ledger Protocol could significantly influence how different blockchain systems communicate. By offering…

Why Saylor Anticipates More Bitcoin Sales Michael Saylor, Executive Chairman of Strategy Inc. (Nasdaq: MSTR), revealed on July 27 in an X post that future STRC repurchases may be funded through either bitcoin sales or MSTR stock sales, depending on market conditions. STRC is Strategy’s Variable Rate Series A Perpetual Stretch Preferred Stock, carrying a $100 stated amount and a dividend rate that management evaluates monthly. Bitcoin sales could become an attractive financing option when STRC trades sufficiently below $100, allowing the company to retire preferred shares at a discount. Saylor said the company aims to keep STRC trading near…

In brief Wall Street lenders are factoring community opposition into credit-risk assessments for data center projects. At least 75 projects worth roughly $130 billion faced local opposition in the first quarter of 2026. Banks remain interested in AI infrastructure but are paying closer attention to permitting and community resistance. Wall Street banks financing the AI data center boom are paying closer attention to opposition from communities where projects are planned. According to a report by Reuters on Monday, banks and asset managers are increasingly weighing local resistance when deciding whether to finance data centers, as protests and permitting disputes raise…

In a recent X conversation, Ripple CTO emeritus David Schwartz offered a glimpse into his financial investments, especially during Ripple’s early days. The $XRP Ledger was first launched in June 2012 by the trio of David Schwartz, Jed McCaleb, and Arthur Britto. Shortly thereafter, they were joined by Chris Larsen, and the group started the company NewCoin in September 2012, which was quickly renamed OpenCoin and is now Ripple. Schwartz initially joined Ripple as chief cryptographer and became its CTO in 2018 until late last year, when he stepped down from day-to-day activities and transitioned to being the CTO emeritus.…

Oobit has partnered with Web3 payment infrastructure provider AEON to enable crypto payments through Vietnam’s VietQR network, allowing travelers in the country to pay with crypto by scanning local QR codes. With the integration in place, Oobit users can make payments in crypto while merchants receive the funds in local currency, according to the official announcement. The partnership adds Vietnam’s domestic QR payment infrastructure to Oobit’s existing acceptance at more than 150 million Visa merchants worldwide. The company said the approach is part of its broader strategy of combining global merchant acceptance with the local payment rails already used by…

COZ has announced that MONOPOLY Experience: Tesouros do Brasil, a Hasbro-licensed immersive attraction opening Sept. 16 in São Paulo, is built on the Neo blockchain. The 90-minute experience uses non-fungible items as blockchain endpoints, with each card’s state, balance, room progress, player choices, and reward eligibility, tracked on-chain throughout the visit. The activation is the largest mainstream brand deployment on Neo to date. Blockchain operates entirely as back-end state infrastructure, with visitors experiencing the gamification without encountering seed phrases, wallet setup, or gas fees. The experience Located at Shopping Cidade São Paulo on Avenida Paulista, the attraction spans two floors…

Exodus Movement, the crypto wallet provider, reported a net loss of $18.6 million for the second quarter of 2025, a sharp reversal from the $37.7 million net income it posted in the same period last year. The company’s revenue rose 2% year over year to $26.2 million, according to a report by The Block. Acquisitions and Revenue Mix The latest results include two months of contributions from payment infrastructure firms Monavate and Baanx, which Exodus acquired earlier this year. These acquisitions are part of Exodus’s strategy to expand beyond its core wallet business into broader financial services, including card issuance…

Five federal banking regulators want stablecoin issuers to know exactly who their customers are, but the crypto industry’s biggest lobbying group says that requirement should stop at the issuer’s front door. The Blockchain Association has told U.S. agencies that stablecoin identification rules should apply only when an issuer directly onboards a customer, not when tokens change hands afterward on the open market. Key takeaways Five federal agencies — FinCEN, the OCC, the Federal Reserve, the FDIC and the NCUA — jointly proposed customer identification standards for payment stablecoin issuers in June 2026. Issuers would need to collect names, addresses, birth…