The Rise of State-Level Crypto: Iran's $500M USDT Play 🇮🇷💨 Blockchain forensics just uncovered a massive "shadow banking" system. New data from Elliptic reveals the Central Bank of Iran has stockpiled over half a billion dollars in USDT to keep its economy afloat. Why it matters: 🔹 Sanctions Evasion: Using stablecoins to bypass SWIFT and settle international trade. 🔹 Currency Defense: Deploying crypto to prop up the falling Rial. 🔹 The Bridge Pivot: Shifting to cross-chain bridges after a massive hack exposed their domestic exchange, Nobitex. The cat-and-mouse game between sovereign states and blockchain transparency continues. While crypto offers a way around traditional controls, centralized issuers like Tether have already frozen $37M in related assets. #CryptoNews #Iran #USDT。 #Virtualtraders #blockchain
US spot Bitcoin ETFs experienced their worst week in a year with $1.33 billion in outflows, led by BlackRock’s IBIT and accompanied by $611 million in Ether ETF redemptions, despite overall positive cumulative inflows since their inception. Stablecoin trading surged 62% in South Korea as the won weakened, driven by currency pressures and government-backed promotional campaigns. Additionally, Ethereum whales experienced a $4 billion “bull trap” during a failed breakout attempt, resulting in a sharp 16% price correction and cautious support levels watched closely by traders. #Virtualtraders #bitcoin #ETFvsBTC #WEFDavos2026
VanEck is set to launch the Avalanche Spot ETF (VAVX) on Nasdaq next Monday, with Flow Traders as the designated liquidity provider, marking a major institutional product debut for Avalanche’s ecosystem. Meanwhile, Colombia’s second-largest pension fund manager, AFP Protección, plans to introduce a Bitcoin exposure fund aimed at long-term portfolio diversification, available exclusively to risk-qualified investors with limited BTC allocation, signaling growing institutional adoption in Latin America. #Avalanche #ScrollCoFounderXAccountHacked #TrumpCancelsEUTariffThreat #Virtualtraders #BTC100kNext?
Binance Contemplates Restarting Stock Token Trading After Suspension in 2021
Binance is considering the relaunch of its stock token trading platform, which it had suspended in 2021. Stock tokens function as digital representations of actual stocks, enabling investors to speculate or gain exposure to stock price changes without holding the underlying shares. This service integrates traditional equity markets with the cryptocurrency ecosystem by tokenizing shares for easier trading on digital asset exchanges.
Spot silver's price breaking the $100 mark represents a significant milestone historically, driven by multifaceted factors including safe-haven buying amid economic uncertainties, weakness in the US dollar enhancing commodity appeal, and solid industrial demand supporting upward pressure. Analyst Ole Hansen emphasizes that momentum and FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) psychology substantially fuel investor behavior, pushing silver prices into new, uncharted levels, though the rally also reflects fundamental strength rather than pure speculation. #Virtualtraders #Silver #BTCVSGOLD $XAG