Author: NBTC

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has signalled that the central bank is ready to implement a much-awaited rate cut this September during a press conference. As noted by Powell, the economy is now “moving closer” to the point where reducing the current policy rate would be appropriate. “In that we will be data dependent, but not data point dependent,” he added. There were some debates about the prudence of implementing the first rate cut as early as this July. However, the Fed decided to wait until the next meeting. According to Powell, the decision was unanimous. For now, the central…

New data shows that 134 countries, representing 98% of global GDP, are now exploring central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), with 66 nations advancing to pilot or development stages. Every G20 nation is engaged in CBDC efforts, with notable leaders such as China and the European nations pushing forward. The U.S. remains lagging behind Europe and Japan but is exploring cross-border initiatives like Project Agorá. Global Expansion of CBDCs: 134 Countries Exploring Digital Currencies The Atlantic Council announced on Tuesday that it has released an update to its central bank digital currency (CBDC) tracker. The announcement details: Our new research shows…

IoTeX, the Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network (DePin) platform, recently unveiled its Surf Accelerator Cohort. It spotlighted nine emerging DePin projects poised to revolutionize the sector. These are all relatively new projects with very little traction on social media. Some of the projects might not have launched their mainnet yet. DePin Projects to Keep an Eye On At the forefront is Nubila Network, creating a blockchain focused on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. Nubila enhances sustainability investments by providing precise, hyperlocal weather data. In July, the project raised $2.5 million from backers, including IoTeX, VeChain, and Boston Consulting Group, and…

The decentralized oracle network Chainlink (LINK) continues to outpace all other ERC-20 projects in terms of development activity, according to the crypto analytics firm Santiment. Santiment notes on the social media platform X that Chainlink registered 624.17 notable GitHub events in the past 30 days, more than double the number of the second-ranked project, Ethereum (ETH), which clocked 298.8. The oracle project also topped the list in June and August. The decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol Synthetix (SNX) came in third with 289.93 notable GitHub events. Source: Santiment/X An ERC-20 project is a standard that developers use to issue tokens on…

Animoca Brands’ plans to go public would “depend on the market’s status” in the next few years, its Chairman Yat Siu told CoinDesk. Animoca has been looking at Hong Kong or the Middle East for the IPO but Hong Kong is where Animoca is headquartered. Singapore – Animoca Brands is hoping to go public soon, but the final decision on the timeline is dependent on a key component, the “market’s status, amongst other” aspects, the Web3 giant’s chairman Yat Siu told CoinDesk in Singapore on Monday. A major investor in the Web3 space, Animoca’s plan to go public became known…

Sam Altman’s crypto venture Worldcoin has signed a deal with Malaysia’s research arm to integrate its technology into the country’s digital infrastructure. The Worldcoin Foundation, Tools for Humanity, and MyEG have signed a memorandum of understanding with MIMOS Berhad, the Malaysian government’s research and development arm, to integrate its biometrics technology into Malaysian infrastructure. In an Aug. 16 blog announcement, the foundation revealed that Malaysia plans to leverage the Worldcoin (WLD) protocol and TFH technologies to “improve ongoing and future work related to digital credentials.” The partnership will also introduce Worldcoin’s iris imaging technology to Malaysia, allowing individuals to undergo…

Bitcoin’s mainstream adoption is not limited to just retail investors and institutions. Now, governments across the world are accumulating Bitcoin in their portfolios. Unsurprisingly, with over 213,297 BTC, the United States government is the largest Bitcoin holder. However, in the majority of cases, governments acquire this cryptocurrency through seizures from illegal activities. Some also obtain Bitcoin through donations or active purchasing. How much #Bitcoin do governments hold? 🤔1. 🇺🇸 United States – 213,246 $BTC2. 🇨🇳 China – 190,000 $BTC3. 🇬🇧 United Kingdom – 61,000 $BTC4. 🇸🇻 El Salvador – 5,800 $BTC5. 🇺🇦 Ukraine – 1,344 $BTC6. 🇩🇪 Germany – 0…

As digital currencies reshape the financial landscape, stablecoins are emerging as a pivotal player. Earlier this month, Castle Island Ventures partnered with Brevan Howard Digital and Artemis to produce an in-depth report on stablecoins, sponsored by Visa. Based on their findings, “There are over $160 billion worth of stablecoins in circulation today, up from single digit billions as recently as 2020.” The report argues that stablecoins have found increasing use cases, stating, “In emerging markets, adoption of stablecoins for payments, currency substitution, and access to high quality forms of yield is accelerating.” Navigating Stablecoin Transparency, Regulation, and Market Volatility Post-TerraLuna…

The Shiba Inu (SHIB) ecosystem just had a major setback. Shibarium, the layer-2 blockchain used for the popular meme-inspired cryptocurrency, saw a big drop in key metrics, with some falling by over 80%. Shibariumscan data shows that the number of new transactions on the platform fell by 83.6%, dropping from 7,161 to 1,172. On top of that, the number of new blocks produced fell by 66.6%, going from 17,210 to 5,742. The drop in new blocks and transactions could mean that things are slowing down on the Shibarium network. Block production usually shows how active the blockchain is, so a…

Bitcoin Layer 2 solutions are built on top of the main Bitcoin network to address its limitations: Speed up transactions Lower fees Enable more features and apps Key Layer 2 solutions: Benefits: Process more transactions per second Reduce congestion on main Bitcoin network Enable smart contracts and DeFi on Bitcoin Challenges: Some solutions are centralized Can be complex for users Security and interoperability concerns As Layer 2 solutions evolve, they aim to make Bitcoin faster, cheaper, and more versatile for everyday use while maintaining its core principles. Bitcoin‘s Main Problems Slow Transactions Bitcoin has limits on how fast it can…