Author: NBTC

Thursday’s PCE report is now the main macro event for global markets. Core PCE is expected at 0.28% month-over-month and 3.3% year-over-year. On the other hand, Headline PCE estimates sit at 0.44% monthly and 3.8% annually, according to median forecasts shared by the Wall Street Journal’s Chief Economics Correspondent Nick Timiraos. If the numbers land there, Core PCE annual inflation would hit its highest level since November 2023. The six-month annualized Core PCE rate would rise to 3.8%, the highest since June 2023. Source: X Markets are entering the release with yields already elevated, oil prices rising again, and Fed…

StarkWare and Sui launched new privacy features this week that allow users to conceal transaction data without fully sacrificing auditability or regulatory oversight. StarkWare said Tuesday that it launched STRK20, a privacy framework for ERC-20 tokens on Starknet that allows users to shield balances and transaction data while providing mechanisms for disclosure under certain circumstances. Eli Ben-Sasson, co-founder and CEO of StarkWare, told Cointelegraph that “compliance-ready” does not mean STRK20 itself determines legal compliance or guarantees regulatory approval. He said the framework is built around a risk-based model in which privacy is conditional rather than absolute, with screening applied at…

The Blockchain Association has made a significant case to the SEC, arguing that securities laws should regulate intermediaries rather than neutral infrastructure. They assert that code is a form of speech and that developers do not act as financial middlemen. This position was communicated directly through their official Twitter account, emphasizing the need for regulatory clarity in the crypto industry. Breaking It Down The Blockchain Association’s recent engagement with the SEC comes at a crucial time as the agency considers updates to its regulatory framework. The organization emphasizes that focusing on intermediaries rather than the underlying infrastructure is essential to…

BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes has transferred 1.25 million $USDC to Cumberland, according to data from blockchain analytics firm Onchain Lens. The transaction, recorded on the Ethereum network, adds to a series of notable on-chain movements by the prominent crypto figure in recent months. Details of the Transfer Onchain Lens flagged the deposit on [Date of event, e.g., March 25, 2025], showing a wallet associated with Hayes sending 1.25 million $USDC to an address linked to Cumberland, a major institutional over-the-counter (OTC) trading desk and liquidity provider. Cumberland is known for facilitating large-scale trades for institutional clients, including exchanges, funds, and…

LuLu Financial Holdings and CreataChain Pte. Ltd. signed a Memorandum of Understanding on July 23rd, 2026, launching a structured blockchain interoperability sandbox evaluation that keeps every test well away from live financial systems. The agreement signals a deliberate, methodical approach to blockchain adoption — one that prioritizes technical due diligence over speed-to-market. Key takeaways LuLuFin and CreataChain signed an MoU on July 23rd, 2026, to evaluate blockchain infrastructure interoperability in a controlled sandbox. No live customer data, production systems, or regulated financial services are involved at any stage of the evaluation. Testing covers node deployment, wallet and SDK integration, smart…

Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) told preferred shareholders that its so-called USD Reserve was their safety net. Half a year later, it drained most of it to retire zero-coupon debt that was costing the company nothing in interest. Indeed, in December, Michael Saylor’s Strategy said it established a $1.44 billion USD Reserve “to support the payment of dividends on its preferred stock and interest on its outstanding indebtedness.” It’s now used most of it for purposes other than paying interest and dividends. USD Reserve is a fancy term for cash used by the company to distinguish cash from its bitcoin ($BTC) reserve,…

Real Finance has disclosed further details of its securities tokenization agreement with Factori AD, an EU-regulated investment broker, in a deal that activates a committed pipeline of more than $100 million in client assets. The agreement sits inside Real’s broader pipeline of over $500 million in tradable real-world assets sourced from licensed brokerages, financial institutions, and banks. As part of the deal, Factori AD will exchange 5% of the publicly traded assets included in Real’s tokenization pilot for $ASSET tokens, meaning a traditional financial institution will end up holding Real’s native utility token on its balance sheet. The token allocation…

Deregulation Bill Puts Digital Assets At The Forefront of Argentina’s Market Innovation Argentina is on the verge of starting a new modernization phase of its financial market rules with decentralized technologies, tokenization, and digital assets at its center. An early draft of the Deregulation Bill, prepared by Deregulation Minister Federico Sturzenegger, proposes significant changes to include digital assets and decentralized technologies in national financial markets, aiming to open new possibilities to investors interested in these assets. First and foremost, the project proposes allowing investment funds to invest in digital assets when in agreement with the fund’s investment policy. This would…

During a recent appearance on NYSE’s Market Movers, OP Labs CEO @jinglejamOP emphasized that centralized exchanges are more than just trading venues; they are essential infrastructure for institutions handling digital assets. The event highlighted how exchanges are increasingly integrating solutions like OP Enterprise to optimize their operations. What Happened The broader cryptocurrency market is currently facing mixed signals, with varying momentum among major assets. In this context, Optimism’s focus on the role of centralized exchanges underscores a significant shift in how institutions perceive digital asset transactions. The tweet from Optimism, which garnered significant engagement, reiterates that these exchanges are pivotal…

For years, institutional capital has tested tokenization in sandboxes, yet full-scale adoption has lagged. Hydra X is hoping a technical shortcut can change that. The firm, a regulated market infrastructure operator, launched the HX Gateway API on July 23, a REST interface designed to connect banks, asset managers, and other financial institutions directly to the Canton Network, according to the original announcement. The move targets one of the most persistent friction points in institutional blockchain use: the complexity of integrating with privacy-focused ledger infrastructure. The Canton Network, backed by Digital Asset and a consortium of major financial firms, uses a…