Author: NBTC

A security incident at Kelp, a liquid restaking protocol, has sent ripple effects through decentralised finance, catching one of Lido Finance’s yield vaults in the crossfire. Lido has paused deposits and withdrawals on its EarnETH vault while it works through two separate but connected problems: direct exposure to a compromised asset and a liquidity squeeze spreading across lending markets. The Exposure Of Lido’s EarnETH vault, roughly 9% of total assets are tied to rsETH, the token at the centre of the Kelp incident. That is not a majority stake, but it is enough to trigger a pause while curators work…

Industry participants are urging the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to formalize its crypto guidance on decentralized tools, arguing clearer rules would reduce uncertainty and better align oversight with blockchain infrastructure. Key Takeaways: Over 30 crypto industry participants urged SEC to formalize DeFi guidance. Regulatory ambiguity around SEC broker rules threatens blockchain innovation. Commissioner Hester Peirce backed rulemaking to align SEC policy with DeFi. Crypto Industry Participants Press SEC to Formalize DeFi Guidance The crypto industry is urging the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to turn recent guidance on decentralized tools into formal rules, a move supporters see…

Monetary Authority of Singapore has granted in-principle approval to Robinhood to offer brokerage services in Singapore. The move marks a step in Robinhood’s international expansion and its focus on the Asia-Pacific region. Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don’t!). Singapore operates a phased licensing framework for brokers, moving from in-principle approval to full authorisation once conditions are met. Other firms are following the same route. Capital.com, for example, has been seeking a risk manager in Singapore as part of its MAS licence application. The structure reflects a regulatory-first environment, where broker expansion is…

Pre-launch DeFi lending protocol Lotus has announced that WisdomTree’s Treasury Money Market Digital Fund (WTGXX) will serve as part of the reserve framework backing LotusUSD, its core vault token, according a press release shared with The Defiant. The DeFi protocol said the move marks one of the first instances of a money market fund being referenced within a DeFi lending protocol. LotusUSD reserves are composed of USDC and tokenized short-duration U.S. Treasuries. According to the release, WTGXX integration is designed so that lenders earn a baseline yield even at zero utilization, sidestepping the structural problem in standard DeFi lending where…

Blockstream CEO Adam Back, the British cryptographer and inventor of Hashcash, said it’s “flattering” that people think he’s Satoshi Nakamoto and was probably the result of his being a little too “talkative” on the cypherpunk mailing list that started it all. Back was speaking in a fireside chat with Cointelegraph at the recent LONGITUDE event in Paris, co-hosted by crypto exchange OKX, with discussions centered on crypto regulation, market structure and the growth of stablecoins. Adam Back denies renewed suggestions that he invented Bitcoin “It is flattering in some sense that they think you could have done it,” Back told…

MoonPay has officially launched a virtual account service in New York State, marking a significant step in linking traditional fiat currency with stablecoins. This service, powered by technology from the acquired stablecoin infrastructure platform Iron, enables automatic currency conversion and settlement through API integration. It operates without requiring traditional banking infrastructure, offering a streamlined solution for businesses and individuals. MoonPay Virtual Account Service: Bridging Fiat and Stablecoins MoonPay, a leading cryptocurrency payment network, announced the launch of its virtual account service in New York State on [insert date if available, otherwise state ‘recently’]. This service directly connects fiat currency to…

Until last Friday, April 17, lending stablecoins into Aave, widely considered the gold standard of DeFi, paid 2.32% APY. The Federal Reserve’s overnight rate was 3.64%. Taken at face value, the market was pricing an unregulated, open-source smart contract as a lower credit risk than the United States Treasury. In 48 hours, that ended. The market did in real time what no regulator, auditor, or commentator had managed to do: it repriced DeFi credit risk. The mispricing Rank the dollar-credit options by yield before last weekend, and the hierarchy made no sense. Treasury overnight: 3.64%. Ledn’s investment-grade Bitcoin-backed ABS senior…

A coalition of U.S. crypto companies and trade groups called on the Senate Banking Committee to proceed with a markup of the Clarity Act, a bill that would create a federal framework for crypto markets. In a letter to Chairman Tim Scott, Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren Subcommittee Chairwoman Cynthia Lummis and Ranking Member Ruben Gallego, the group argued that action by government agencies alone cannot deliver stable rules. The letter cites the risk of returning to “regulation by enforcement,” referring to a series of court cases brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission…

In a significant move for the cryptocurrency market, Robinhood lists spot Zcash ($ZEC), bringing the privacy-focused digital asset to millions of retail traders. The announcement, made on [Date – e.g., March 21, 2025], marks a pivotal moment for Zcash as it gains access to one of the most popular trading platforms in the United States. This listing underscores a growing trend of mainstream exchanges embracing privacy coins despite regulatory scrutiny. Understanding the Robinhood $ZEC Listing Robinhood Markets Inc., known for democratizing finance, has added spot Zcash trading to its platform. Users can now buy, sell, and hold $ZEC directly, without…

Lotus is pushing DeFi lending into unfamiliar territory by building its reserve framework around WisdomTree’s Treasury Money Market Digital Fund, known as WTGXX. The move matters because Lotus is not simply adding another crypto-native collateral asset to its stack; it is leaning on a regulated tokenized money market fund that is designed to preserve capital, maintain liquidity, and keep a stable $1.00 net asset value. That gives LotusUSD, the protocol’s lending asset, a reserve structure that looks much closer to traditional cash management than to the yield-chasing mechanics that have defined much of DeFi lending to date. What makes the…