Author: NBTC

NBTC

NBTC is the editorial account for NBTC News, covering Bitcoin, Ethereum, DeFi, blockchain infrastructure, exchanges, mining, regulation and digital asset markets. The editorial team focuses on clear sourcing, timely updates and practical context for crypto readers.

Datavault wants to buy a bank and fund it with $35 million after reporting $1.4 million cash

Datavault AI has agreed to acquire BankWyse, a Wyoming banking institution, while promising funding substantially larger than the cash it reported at the end of June. The mismatch leaves a central question for the proposed deal: How can Datavault finance the purchase and capitalize the bank without another layer of debt or dilution? The agreement disclosed on Aug. 19 values the initial consideration at approximately $22 million, comprising $14.66 million in Datavault stock and $7.34 million in cash. BankWyse’s sellers could receive up to another $10 million if they meet milestones, split evenly between cash and stock. Separate from the…

RegulationAug 26

SEC charges two former Wall Street bankers over $18.5 million insider trading scheme

Two former Wall Street investment bankers were charged with fraud by the SEC on Friday following their stock trades in South Jersey Industries prior to the company’s February 24, 2022 takeover announcement. According to the lawsuit, Mr. Satsky, aged 59, was one of the heads of an energy and utility banking unit at the New York bank, while working on South Jersey’s business and being a lead banker for that deal. Mr. Wolfe, his 55-year-old friend and former colleague, was alleged to have traded about 2.2 million shares, making a profit of $18.5 million when the stock rose about 40%…

LegalAug 26

Are Sportsbooks Fighting Prediction Markets or Cannibalising Themselves?

Sportsbook operators are trying to defend their core business by adopting the very market structure that is challenging it.Prediction markets have grown large enough that sportsbook operators now treat them as a strategic problem rather than a regulatory nuisance. Kalshi’s valuation has reportedly climbed to $22 billion after a $1 billion financing round, while Polymarket closed a round at roughly $15 billion and is reportedly discussing a valuation above $20 billion. Sportsbooks respond by entering that same exchange-style market and use prediction markets to expand distribution and protect customer relationships. What Prediction Markets Remove from Bookmaking Traditional sportsbooks do more…

ExchangesAug 26

Bitdeer Cranks up Bitcoin Mining Power While Rivals Stampede Into AI

Bitdeer Sends Its Own Mining Fleet Into Soluna’s Texas Wind Farm Under the deal announced Aug. 25, Bitdeer subsidiary Dory Creek will install company-owned Sealminer A2 Pro Air machines at Soluna’s Project Kati 1 in Willacy County. Deployment starts in September and ramps up in batches, putting the hardware inside the facility’s K1BC phase. Project Kati 1 is an 83 MW wind-powered data center that booked its first gross profit during the second quarter of 2026. The publicly traded firm Soluna currently runs 192 MW of data center capacity across Texas and Kentucky, with another 14 MW under construction at…

MiningAug 26

Hashdex to shut smallest Bitcoin ETF after more than two years

Hashdex said it will liquidate its eponymous spot-price Bitcoin exchange-traded fund this month, distributing the cash to all remaining shareholders and selling the fund’s roughly 225 $BTC holdings. In a filing on Monday, the fund issuer said the decision was made after evaluating factors including trading liquidity, operating costs and investor interest. The 200,000 shares, which have traded on NYSE ARCA under the DEFI ticker since March 2024, have net assets of $14.25 million, according to the fund’s website. Late to the game, which saw the first of 10 other competing $BTC ETFs debut months ahead of it, analysts saw…

BitcoinAug 26

Billionaire Tim Draper Backs Cardano Accelerator to Drive DeFi Growth

Draper University partnered with Cardano and Orion Fund to launch the Apex acceleration program in Silicon Valley. Selected startups will receive up to $70,000 in funding in exchange for a 3.5% equity stake. The application window closes on September 1, 2026, and on-site activities begin on October 5, 2026. This Tuesday, it was announced that Tim Draper backed a Cardano accelerator through Draper University. The initiative aims to drive the development of startups focused on decentralized finance (DeFi) and Web3 infrastructure ready for institutional capital. Big opportunity for founders in the Cardano ecosystem. DraperU teamed up with @Cardano and @OrionFund…

DeFiAug 26

Binance founder CZ says ‘tokenize everything’ to attract investors

Binance founder Changpeng Zhao said on Aug. 21 that countries could use tokenization to raise capital and attract foreign direct investment by offering digital representations of assets to global investors. “Let’s tokenize everything,” CZ wrote in an X post. He argued that countries and companies have an incentive to sell tokenized shares to investors worldwide. CZ also backed issuing tokenized assets across every blockchain rather than selecting a single network. He acknowledged that this approach would create fragmented liquidity but said parallel development would be the fastest way to expand the sector. His comments represented a policy and industry view,…

RegulationAug 26

Why MemeToro $MT Is 2026’s Breakout Meme Coin

The memecoin market has changed dramatically over the past year. Earlier cycles were driven largely by community momentum and viral attention, but investors are now placing greater importance on utility and ecosystem development. That shift has left several established meme coins fighting to regain momentum while newer projects introduce broader use cases. Shiba Inu ($SHIB) remains one of the sector’s biggest names, but its recovery has been slower than many holders expected. At the same time, MemeToro ($MT) is building an AI-powered ecosystem before exchange listings, leading some investors to view it as one of the breakout memecoin candidates heading…

AltcoinsAug 26

Galaxy says Reg Crypto could end token legal ambiguity

Galaxy Research has said the SEC’s proposed Reg Crypto framework could give hundreds of existing tokens a formal route out of investment contract status. Galaxy Research, in an Aug. 21 analysis, said the proposal could replace years of uncertainty over when an investment contract tied to a token ends with a filing and a recorded date. Alex Thorn, Galaxy’s head of firmwide research, said the first visible effect could be the resolution of securities-law questions surrounding tokens already in circulation, rather than a fresh wave of public token sales. The SEC estimated that about 475 issuers would file transition reports…

LegalAug 26

Revolut lists Zama token across the European Economic Area

Zama has listed its native $ZAMA token on Revolut across the European Economic Area, giving the privacy-focused blockchain project access to a fintech platform serving more than 70 million customers. Zama said on Monday that the listing also puts $ZAMA in front of more than 15 million Revolut customers who already use the app to trade cryptocurrencies, while allowing existing users to purchase the token without opening another account or completing additional identity checks. JUST IN: Zama will launch a Learn & Earn campaign inside @Revolut later this year, teaching millions why confidentiality onchain matters for mass adoption.$ZAMA is now…

ExchangesAug 26