Author: NBTC

The SEC’s Division of Investment Management said on 12 Aug that it would not recommend enforcement action if Franklin’s funds use a new custody setup to invest in the Franklin OnChain US Government Money Fund (FOBXX), as long as the company follows around a dozen conditions. FOBXX, which launched in 2021, had about $721mn in assets at the end of July. The decision helps Franklin get around custody rules that were written for physical securities and do not fit easily with blockchain-based funds. Experts told Sandmark that other asset managers could follow Franklin’s example, particularly for managing cash and collateral.…

The Solana network is preparing to roll out a comprehensive upgrade plan aimed at increasing block production speed. According to information reported by BeInCrypto, the network aims to reduce its current 400-millisecond block production interval to 200 milliseconds. Following the completion of the four-phase upgrade, Solana is planned to produce a new block approximately every 0.2 seconds. This change is considered a significant step towards increasing Solana’s transaction capacity and overall network performance. Shortening block production time can lead to faster transaction processing and an improved user experience on the network. Faster block production, especially during periods of high transaction…

Treasury’s proposed rules under the $GENIUS Act, the new US stablecoin law, would let US exchanges and other digital-asset service providers keep offering some foreign-issued payment stablecoins, but only if they can defend why they trusted the issuer’s promise to comply with lawful US orders. Under the proposed rule, a provider could rely on a foreign issuer’s representation that it has the technology and intent to comply with lawful orders, such as valid orders to freeze or seize tokens where applicable, and reciprocal arrangements only after conducting reasonable due diligence. Reliance would be barred when the platform knows, has reason…

CME Group has added three regional U.S. dollar reference rates and real-time indices for Ethena’s $ENA token, with daily publication beginning Aug. 24. CME Group adds $ENA rates for three market closes CME Group said it had added Ethena ($ENA) to its single-asset cryptocurrency benchmark suite, extending standardized U.S. dollar pricing to the token across three major trading regions. Our suite of Single-Asset Crypto Benchmarks now includes Ethena ($ENA).Access real-time pricing and regional reference rates across London, New York and APAC. https://t.co/t4YA984qRV pic.twitter.com/6y3tPyIgVu — CME Group (@CMEGroup) August 24, 2026 CF Benchmarks, the benchmark administrator that manages CME’s cryptocurrency indices,…

Tasa Hawai’i has connected Waimea Valley on Oahu’s North Shore to the Helium Network, bringing wireless coverage to an area where traditional cellular infrastructure has been difficult to build. Tasa Hawai’i is a small network deployment company focused on community-scale wireless infrastructure. Helium is a decentralized wireless network that supports connectivity through independently operated access points. Tasa brought fiber into the valley and reused existing conduit where possible. The initial deployment took about three months, with much of the work completed after visitor hours. Now, 14 Helium Plus access points provide coverage along the route from the visitor center to…

Hyperscale Data held 1,106.0467 $BTC worth about $71.7 million, exceeding its roughly $56.4 million market capitalization by approximately $15 million. The apparent discount is complicated by $216.7 million in total liabilities, a $90.1 million preferred liquidation preference and potentially restricted Bitcoin collateral. A $300 million stock-sale program and planned ACG divestiture could alter common shareholders’ ownership significantly over time, while the treatment of subsidiary-held Bitcoin remains unresolved. Hyperscale Data appears to offer an extraordinary Bitcoin discount. Its Sentinum and Ault Capital Group subsidiaries held 1,106.0467 $BTC on July 27, valued at about $71.7 million using a $64,784 closing price. Meanwhile,…

Goldman Sachs Vice Chairman Rob Kaplan has backed the Federal Reserve’s 9–3 decision to hold interest rates at 3.50%–3.75% in July while urging policymakers to keep their options open before September. Why Kaplan supports the Fed’s July rate hold Bloomberg reported that Kaplan, a former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, described the decision not to raise rates in July as “absolutely” correct because officials still have time to study inflation and economic activity before their next meeting. “If I see meaningful improvement, I might be willing to stay put, but I want to make full use of…

Stuart Alderoty, Ripple’s chief legal officer, has linked the passage of the CLARITY Act to potential job creation and broader economic growth in the United States. “A vote for Clarity is a vote for jobs and economic growth,” Alderoty wrote on X. This comes after the National Cryptocurrency Association (NCA) published new research examining crypto’s contribution to the U.S. labor market. The report, which was produced in partnership with Pragmatic Policy Group, estimates that the crypto industry supports 232,000 jobs across the country in 2026. Of those, around 34,000 are direct positions at crypto companies such as Ripple and Coinbase.…

BitMEX will move into strict risk-limit mode on August 26 as part of its planned exchange wind-down. Starting at 04:00 UTC, users will only be able to close or reduce existing positions. New positions will no longer be allowed. Trading services are scheduled to permanently cease on September 23 at 04:00 UTC, according to the exchange’s official notice. BitMEX has described the process as a voluntary and orderly business wind-down following a strategic review. That distinction matters. The announcement should not be framed as insolvency, bankruptcy, or regulatory enforcement unless the company says so. The current message is that BitMEX…

Hanwha Group, one of South Korea’s largest business conglomerates, has liquidated its blockchain-focused subsidiaries, Enterprise Blockchain Inc., in both South Korea and the United States during the first half of this year. The move, disclosed in a correction to the company’s half-year report, signals a notable retreat from the group’s earlier forays into blockchain technology. Corporate Restructuring Details According to the revised half-year filing, Hanwha’s total number of subsidiaries now stands at 859, up from 846 at the start of the year. The net increase of 13 subsidiaries resulted from 59 additions and 46 removals, with the liquidation of the…