ICN Web3 News

🌍 Confirmed News

Pakistan signs a MoU with World Liberty Financial affiliate SC Financial Technologies to explore using the USD1 stablecoin for regulated cross-border payments and digital finance innovation with the central bank.

💳 Breaking News:

South Korea’s KB Kookmin Card, part of the KB Financial Group, has filed a patent for a stablecoin-linked credit card system that ties a blockchain wallet to an existing card, spending stablecoins first and falling back to credit if needed.

AI Strategy Shift

Apple is set to supercharge Siri using Google’s Gemini models, opting for a partner-led approach to close the AI gap faster while keeping privacy via on-device + private cloud processing.

Crypto + Tax Reform

Nigeria’s new tax law now links cryptocurrency transactions to TIN and NIN IDs, forcing exchanges to report user data & trades so authorities can trace and tax digital asset income.

Tether freezes ~$182M in $USDT across five Tron wallets in one of its largest single-day enforcement actions, using issuer admin keys to lock down funds tied to compliance investigations.

Ripple secures FCA approval in the UK, earning both Cryptoasset Registration and an EMI license for its UK unit, a major regulatory milestone that clears the way for expansion of its regulated payment and e-money services.

💳 Breaking

Visa-linked stablecoin payments firm Rain just raised $250M in a Series C round led by ICONIQ, pushing its valuation to $1.95 billion and underscoring explosive growth in crypto-native payment rails.

📈 New trading product

BitMart’s Prediction Market offers flexible trading on future events (crypto prices, sports, pop culture outcomes) with tradable probability contracts and real-time pricing.

🏠🚀 Confirmed:

Polymarket partners with Parcl to launch real-estate prediction markets that let traders wager on U.S. housing price movements using Parcl’s daily home price indices for transparent settlement.

NFT Paris shuts down planned conferences

Costs for venues, staging, and travel increased throughout the year. Teams trimmed production outlays and renegotiated service contracts. Even with cuts, the balance between income and expenses still looked fragile.

As a result, the Paris shows faced an unacceptable execution risk.

📈 Bitcoin Accumulation Alert

A strategic buyer scooped up 1,286 BTC (~$116M) in recent market accumulation, a strong signal of long-term confidence at these price levels.

📊 Mainstream Move:

Bank of America advisers can proactively recommend spot Bitcoin ETFs starting today, with suggested allocations of 1-4% for eligible wealth clients, marking a big step in institutional embrace.

Bitfarms sells its Paraguay facility and ends all Latin American operations, refocusing on North American energy and digital infrastructure, including high-performance computing and AI power build-outs.

📉 Record crypto capital exit

Bitcoin ETFs lost a staggering $4.57B in just two months, the largest outflow period since their U.S. debut in Jan 2024, as volatility spiked and BTC prices corrected ~20%.

Milestone for Tokenized Finance

BlackRock’s BUIDL fund becomes the first tokenized Treasury to pay $100M in lifetime dividends, marking a major achievement for on-chain yield products backed by institutional U.S. Treasuries.

⚠️ Important for Trust Wallet users:

After a malicious update to its Chrome extension drained ~$7 M in crypto, Trust Wallet has opened a claims process, submit wallet & transaction details through the official form to get reimbursed.

New era for China’s CBDC

Starting Jan 1, 2026, holders of the digital yuan (e-CNY) will be able to earn interest on their balances as commercial banks begin offering yield under a new digital currency framework, transforming e-CNY into more than just a payment tool.

🚨 Security Alert:

Trust Wallet issues emergency warning for Chrome extension users after a hidden script in version 2.68 was found harvesting private keys & seed phrases, triggering crypto drains.

Users must disable the extension and upgrade to v2.69 immediately.

Fermi mainnet activation in January is set to reshape $BNB Chain performance. The upgrade lowers block time to 250 milliseconds. Builders get faster confirmation.

Users see smoother trades and payments. Validators coordinate through extended voting rules. The #chain stays secure while #blocks arriving quicker.

A lighter indexing option trims data tasks. You fetch only the slices you need. Full history #downloads no longer blocks progress. Teams build faster and scale sooner.

Investments in the UAE’s tourism sector are drawing more entrepreneurs and new SMEs.

Strong public backing and a clear policy mix guide growth. Programmes link finance, training, and advisory services. They target founders who want speed and low friction. Lenders now pair loans with mentoring and market access.

You see that in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah. The goal is simple. Build stable companies that hire locally and add new experiences.