Banco Central do Brasil (BCB), Brazil’s central bank, has launched phase two of its Drex central bank digital currency (CBDC) pilot, targeting improvements in cross-border agricultural commodity transactions and supply chain processes. Phase two focuses on building a trade finance solution using oracles and blockchain technology. The initiative brings together Microsoft, Chainlink, Banco Inter and…

The Tron network will be fully integrated on Nansen 2 thanks to a collaboration between Nansen and the Tron decentralized autonomous organization (DAO). Nansen will launch a Tron Macro Dashboard that will provide developers and investors with real-time insights into the Tron ecosystem. Nansen analyzing Tron heyday Blockchain data analytics and wallet label provider Nansen…

Tether, Kraken, and Fabric Ventures are backing Dutch fintech company Quantoz Payments in the launch of two stablecoins, EURQ and USDQ, compliant with the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). Set for release on Nov. 18, the euro- and United States dollar-backed tokens are licensed by the Dutch Central Bank (DNB) as e-money tokens…

Bitcoin mining went through a dramatic transformation over the years thanks to the skyrocketing popularity of cryptocurrencies. Despite the scaling up, ASIC devices — short for application-specific integrated circuits — are still the name of the game when it comes to efficiency, speed and energy in BTC mining. Designed solely for Bitcoin’s SHA-256 hashing algorithm,…

BlackRock, the multinational investment firm and spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) issuer, received a commercial license to operate in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. According to Bloomberg, the approval granted on Nov. 18 reflects BlackRock’s interest in expanding in the crypto-friendly region. The company is also seeking a license to operate in the…

What is OP_VAULT? OP_VAULT is a feature that adds extra security to Bitcoin, helping protect it from theft or unauthorized access. The decentralized nature of Bitcoin has revolutionized the digital economy. Still, as its use grows, so does the need for enhanced security. This is where OP_VAULT comes in, an innovative feature introducing a mechanism called…

StarkWare CEO Eli Ben Sasson says he expects transaction speed on the firm’s Ethereum layer 2 Starknet to increase four-fold while fees fall “5x” over the next three months — which could see it competing with the likes of Solana. The network improvements will mostly come from “better compilation and faster execution” on Cairo —…

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has voiced support for the newly created United States Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a federal agency focused on reducing spending and cutting regulations. The department will be led by Tesla CEO Elon Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. On Aug. 20, US President-elect Donald Trump floated the idea of bringing Musk into his…

Cryptocurrency exchange Gemini co-founder Tyler Winklevoss claims the damage caused by United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chair Gary Gensler to the crypto industry is irreversible as speculation mounts that Gensler may resign. “Let’s all be clear on one thing. Gary Gensler is evil,” Winklevoss declared in a Nov. 15 X post. “He should never…

Oracle provider Chainlink has revealed the “Chainlink Runtime Environment” — a standard framework for connecting traditional financial architecture, payment systems, and legacy institutions with blockchain protocols and smart contracts within a single, unified ecosystem. According to Chainlink, the unified Chainlink Runtime Environment will encompass the runtime framework previously established by the Common Business-Oriented Language (COBOL)…