Author: NBTC

Venture capital heavyweight Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has launched a $2.2 billion crypto fund, doubling down on blockchain startups amid a surge in venture capital into artificial intelligence. The new vehicle, called ‘Crypto Fund 5,’ will invest in crypto entrepreneurs at all stages, with capital deployed over a decade, according to company’s spokesperson. The firm said it is targeting founders building practical applications on crypto infrastructure, especially in areas like payments, financial services, and decentralized systems. The firm’s partners see the current crypto market as an opportunity to invest in founders building projects that are “durable” and lasting even when the…

Ripple’s stablecoin treasury has seen a massive flurry of activity over the past week, marked by a series of multi-million dollar token burns and intermittent minting. In the latest move today, the Ripple Stablecoin Tracker detected the destruction of exactly 10 million $RLUSD, highlighting the company’s aggressive, ongoing management of its stablecoin supply. While the broader cryptocurrency market often focuses on the “printing” of stablecoins to signal bullish liquidity, Ripple’s recent on-chain footprint tells a story of significant supply contraction, with millions of tokens being sent to the null address. A week of burning According to blockchain data flagged by…

MoonPay has acquired DFlow, a Solana-based execution layer, as the crypto on-ramp expands into trading infrastructure, according to a statement from Tuesday. DFlow operates as a trading infrastructure platform designed to optimize trading, used by both Coinbase and Phantom. It has processed over $50 billion in cumulative trading volume, according to MoonPay, and processes roughly “10 million transactions per month with 99.9% token coverage on Solana.” “DFlow has become one of the most important pieces of trading infrastructure on Solana in just a year,” MoonPay founder and CEO Ivan Soto-Wright said. “By bringing their execution layer into MoonPay, we’re adding…

UXLINK and REI Network have announced a strategic partnership in the rapidly evolving landscape of decentralized technology bridging the gap between the complex protocols of blockchains and their end-users. The partnership will link UXLINK’s Social Growth Layer will be attached to REI’s zero-fee Layer-1 infrastructure of high performance that is EVM compatible. It aims to provide low-friction, easy access to DeFi, gaming, and social networking for millions of users. The Social Growth Layer Meets Zero-Fee Efficiency UXLINK focuses primarily on a user-friendly service offering through their user-centered social graph and REI Network offers a technological ecosystem that is lightweight and…

Bitcoin shocked traders with a sudden and aggressive move that wiped out millions within hours. The latest Bitcoin flash crash pushed the price below $65,000, triggering panic across derivatives markets. Traders who expected stability instead faced one of the fastest liquidation waves seen in recent weeks. The market reacted instantly as leveraged positions collapsed. Within just 12 hours, over $212 million in long positions vanished. This sharp drop reflected growing crypto market volatility, which continues to test trader confidence. Many participants entered positions expecting an upward breakout, but the market flipped direction quickly. However, the story did not end with…

Ether has been stuck below the $2,400 level for three months, with year-to-date losses of 21% against an 11% drop in total crypto market cap. Ethereum price chart showing movement in the last three months | Source: TradingView Decentralized exchange volume on Ethereum has dropped about 53% over the past six months. DApp revenue has fallen about 49%. Solana and Hyperliquid combined now account for roughly 42% of DApp revenue market share, even though Ethereum’s total value locked (TVL) remains six times larger than its nearest competitor. The cooling memecoin market and a decline in new token issuance have pulled…

Prediction markets are moving closer to institutional finance as large investors seek direct ways to trade event risk, according to a May 4 Bernstein report. The firm said these markets can help investors track outcomes tied to tariffs, elections, policy decisions and geopolitics through clear yes-or-no contracts. Bernstein pointed to Kalshi’s first bespoke institutional block trade as a key step. A block trade is a large private deal arranged between market players. In this case, the contract was built around the clearing price of California’s May carbon allowance auction. Kalshi trade draws institutional attention The Kalshi deal was brokered by…

Key takeaways Executives face significant time constraints, impacting their ability to focus on new initiatives. Influence is a critical skill for product leaders, essential for building momentum behind ideas. Misunderstandings often arise due to executives’ decision-making based on personal incentives. Product leaders should adapt communication styles to align with executive preferences. Meetings with executives should be viewed as learning opportunities, not just approval sessions. Empathy and curiosity are vital for product managers when interacting with executives. Influence should be seen as a tool for idea recognition, not manipulative politics. Stakeholder conversations can be leveraged as discovery interviews to refine ideas.…

Upbit, one of South Korea’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges, has announced a new listing, adding one of the popular memecoin projects to its platform. According to the official announcement by the exchange, dogwifhat ($WIF) will begin trading today. The announcement stated that the $WIF token will be listed on Korean won (KRW), Bitcoin (BTC), and Tether (USDT) trading pairs. Trading commenced at 10:00 AM Turkish time. This development is seen as a reflection of the recent increase in investor interest, particularly in the memecoin category. Dogwifhat, particularly through its social media influence, has quickly gained a large user base and stands…

Kazakhstan just signed an agreement to build out a $1.9B data center complex, betting that its geographic position and energy resources can turn it into a serious player in the global compute race. There’s one problem: the country doesn’t currently have enough electricity to power what it already has. The deal, signed between Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development and an international consortium, is the centerpiece of the government’s plan to transform the Central Asian nation into a data center hub. The project’s timeline, however, is explicitly tied to Kazakhstan’s ability to close an existing power deficit. The…