Crypto

The Central Bank of Iran reportedly stockpiled more than half a billion dollars worth of USDt amid escalating protests and crypto usage in the country. Blockchain analytics platform Elliptic reported that the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) acquired more than half a billion dollars worth of Tether’s USDt, with indications that the stablecoins were used to prop up the country’s fiat currency. In a Wednesday report, Elliptic said Iran’s central bank had about $507 million in USDt (USDT), the US dollar-pegged stablecoin issued by Tether. According to the platform, it was likely that the bank used the digital assets to address the collapse of Iran’s rial or settle international trade. “The CBI's accumulation of USDT began in earnest during a period of extreme economic volatility,” said Elliptic. “The value of the rial had halved in just eight months, to a record low against the dollar (at the time). Iran's central bank may have attempted to stem this decline by buying rials with USDT on Nobitex, effectively using cryp...

Trump’s tariff threats tied to Greenland have driven a risk-off move: gold has hit record highs as Bitcoin has slid to the low-$90Ks, and about $1B in crypto longs has been liquidated. Options traders have priced in downside, though ETF inflows and exchange outflows have offered a floor in late Jan. The post Greenland Gambit Sparks Crypto Chaos: Tariff Threats Send Bitcoin Sliding – Analysts Eye $75K appeared first on Cryptonews.

Stablecoins, tokenized assets, and custody are set to replace pilot programs as crypto moves into core operations.

A bearish signal from XRP’s cost-basis metric projected a major price drop, fueled by a weakening technical structure and spot ETF outflows. Will bulls defend critical price support? XRP’s (XRP) onchain market structure resembles a setup that led to significant losses in 2022 after the price lost a key support level. Key takeaways: XRP's onchain structure mirrors the February 2022 setup that led to a 68% price drop.  Read more

Maple Finance CEO Sidney Powell said blockchain’s biggest opportunity isn’t tokenized Treasury bills or funds — instead, it’s bringing opaque, illiquid private credit markets onchain.

"The solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the U.S. and all NATO nations," said President Trump in a Truth Social post.

The first-of-its-kind FIA, according to the companies, offers crypto exposure with principal protection, aiming to attract cautious investors near retirement.

Younger Americans may find it increasingly difficult to afford a home, but Newrez thinks Bitcoin and Ethereum could help change that.

At first glance, this looks like a story that lives on the back pages of a newspaper, Japanese government bonds with maturities that run so long they sound like a joke, 20 years, 30 years, 40 years. If you own Bitcoin, you still end up in the blast radius. Because when Japan’s long-dated bonds start […] The post Bitcoin is in the blast radius after Japan’s bond market hit a terrifying 30-year breaking point appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Ethereum falls below $3K after $3.4K rejection, with rising sell pressure, ETF outflows, and exchange reserves hitting 8-year lows.

Guernsey has enforced a German confiscation order, seizing £8.59m at RBS International under Aquitaine Group Limited found to be under Ruja Ignatova’s control. The sum stems from sales of two London apartments and has moved to Guernsey’s Seized Asset Fund for victim compensation and law enforcement. The post Guernsey Seizes $11.4M in OneCoin Fraud as Cryptoqueen’s Empire Crumbles appeared first on Cryptonews.

Technical charts highlight improving fundamentals in Bitcoin and select altcoins, but bears selling the range highs and softening investor sentiment threaten to snuff out the recovery. Key points: Bitcoin is attempting to find support near the $88,000 level, signaling a positive sentiment. Buyers will have to defend the support levels in select major altcoins, or else the recovery may fizzle out. Read more

Following Bitwise's Chainlink ETP launch, Hougan said that investors misunderstand the asset's role, despite its dominance across stablecoins, DeFi, tokenization, and institutional crypto infrastructure.

The US president said he supported the GENIUS Act because it was "politically popular,” but added the main reason was in response to China. US President Donald Trump used part of his speech addressing the crowd at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Wednesday to discuss the motivations behind his crypto policies, saying China’s regulatory landscape was a factor.  In a Wednesday speech at the WEF’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Trump said he supported the signing of the payment stablecoin-focused legislation, the GENIUS Act, in July because it was “politically good” and “China wanted that market, too.”  “[I]t is politically popular,” said Trump on crypto. “But it’s, much more importantly, we have to make it so that China doesn’t get the hold of it. And once they have that hold, we’re not going to be able to get it back.” Read more

The fast-food chain said employees will receive a BTC bonus per hour worked, with payouts vesting after two years and limited to company-operated locations. US fast-food restaurant chain Steak ’n Shake plans to offer Bitcoin bonuses to hourly employees at company-operated locations, signaling a move to use digital assets as a retention tool. In an X post on Wednesday, the company said hourly employees will be able to collect a Bitcoin (BTC) bonus of $0.21 per worked hour starting March 1, with a two-year vesting period. At $0.21 per hour, a full-time employee working 40 hours a week would earn about $8.40 in Bitcoin per week, or $437 per year based on a standard 52-week schedule. The program is supported by the Fold, a Bitcoin rewards and payments company. Read more

Farcaster raised $150 million by Paradigm and a16z in 2024 but has struggled to sustain growth.

The U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee's next draft is expected to shield developers from liability, insiders have been advised, but it may without Democrat backing.

With BitMine adding another $100 million to its $6 billion ETH treasury, here's why the Ethereum price prediction is about to take off. The post Ethereum Price Prediction: NYSE-Listed Company Just Added $100M in ETH – Are Institutions Quietly Loading Up? appeared first on Cryptonews.

The city brought in the new licensing regime at the start of August last year, amid growing institutional interest in stablecoins.

Gold’s record-breaking rally inadvertently put pressure on Bitcoin’s allure, but analysts say historical data shows BTC eventually starts a catch-up rally. Bitcoin’s (BTC) relative performance against gold has weakened sharply, but several analysts argue that this setup remains a long-term investment opportunity for BTC. Key takeaways: The Bitcoin-to-gold ratio fell to 18.5 ounces per BTC, its lowest since November 2023. Read more