ETHEREUM
Ethereum is an open-source decentralized platform that introduced the concept of smart contracts into the blockchain space. Through these smart contracts, developers using the Ethereum network are able to create their own decentralized apps and tokens.
Ethereum Co-founder Jeffrey Wilcke Moves $41.13M Worth of ETH to Kraken
In a significant cryptocurrency transaction noted a few hours ago, Jeffrey Wilcke, the co-founder of Ethereum, moved a substantial amount of 22,000 Ethereum ($41.13 million) to the popular digital currency exchange, Kraken.
Massive Atomic Wallet Hack Revealed: Over $35M Stolen across Multiple Cryptocurrencies
On-chain investigator ZachXBT has reported a significant security breach on Atomic Wallet, a leading non-custodial decentralized wallet wallet. The hacker targeted various cryptocurrencies, managing to steal more than $35 million across different chains, according to ZachXBT's updates on Twitter.
Ethereum Improvement Proposal 4844 Implementor Call: Deneb API Versioning, Execution Header Updates, and Devnet 6 Planning
Terence.eth, a well-known Ethereum Community Developer, shared significant updates following the recent Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP) 4844 implementor call.
Vitalik Buterin Advises Caution in Expanding Ethereum Consensus Roles
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has published a thought-provoking blog post cautioning the blockchain community about the hazards of overextending Ethereum's consensus mechanism beyond its central functions of block validation and network security.
UK Legislators Advocate for Treating Crypto Trading Similar to Gambling Regulations
The report also calls for a shift in the regulatory approach towards unbacked cryptoassets, such as Bitcoin and Ether. Due to their volatility and lack of intrinsic value, the committee argues that these assets pose substantial risks to consumers, likening speculation in these assets to gambling.
Grayscale Launches New Entity to Manage Growing Funds
Cryptocurrency asset manager Grayscale Investments has launched a new entity, the Grayscale Funds Trust, to manage its publicly traded financial products in-house. The company has also filed a registration statement for three new cryptocurrency-focused ETFs, including a Bitcoin Composite ETF, Ethereum Futures ETF, and a Privacy ETF.
Grayscale Files for Three New Crypto ETFs
Grayscale Investments has filed a registration statement with the SEC for three new cryptocurrency-focused ETFs, including a Bitcoin Composite ETF, Ethereum Futures ETF, and a Privacy ETF. Grayscale also announced the launch of its Grayscale Funds Trust to manage its publicly traded financial products in-house.
Circle Launches Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol for USDC
Circle has released a mainnet protocol allowing users to transfer USDC between Ethereum and Avalanche. The Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP) eliminates the need for USDC bridges and aims to reduce fragmentation in the Web3 ecosystem.
Ethereum Network's Gas Fees Skyrocket Amid Memecoin Frenzy
Ethereum's gas fees have hit a new multi-month high due to the growing memecoin frenzy. While this has brought in more revenue for the network, it has also caused congestion and difficulty in processing transactions.
1inch Joins Ethereum's zkSync Era for Faster DeFi Transactions
1inch, a decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol, has deployed its aggregation and limit order protocols on Ethereum's zkSync Era. The move is aimed at leveraging faster and cheaper transactions on the layer-2 scaling solution.
Ethereum staking volume surpasses withdrawal volume post-Shapella upgrade
After the successful Shapella upgrade, Ethereum's staked ETH volume has surpassed the withdrawal volume for the first time. According to data from Nansen, more ETH is currently being staked than withdrawn, with the staking volume reaching 124,000 ETH, while the withdrawal volume is at 64,800 ETH. The majority of validators are restaking their unlocked Ether, and early withdrawals are primarily staking rewards.
Ethereum Layer 2s See Surge in Popularity in Q1 2023
Alchemy's Q1 2023 report shows Ethereum layer 2 networks, including Optimism, Arbitrum and Polygon, saw a 44% increase in bridged crypto assets compared to Q4 2022, and a 518% increase compared to Q1 2022. The report suggests this growth may have been driven by successful airdrops from Optimism and Arbitrum. Additionally, the deployment of smart contracts related to layer 2s increased by 160% compared to Q1 2022, despite a 30% decrease from Q4 2022.
Ethereum Beacon Chain Sees Over $2 Billion Worth of ETH Withdrawn in Four Days
Over 1 million ETH, worth $2.1 billion, has been withdrawn from Ethereum's Beacon Chain within the first four days of the Shapella hard fork, with nearly 87% of active validators now able to withdraw their staked Ether. Despite initial community uncertainty about the impact of Shapella on ETH's price, the first four days have resulted in close to a 10% rise, with much of the withdrawn stake being reinvested in the Beacon Chain for interest compounding purposes.
Shapella Upgrade, Privacy Concerns, Hacks, and Financial Inclusion
The DeFi space had a busy week with the successful completion of the Shapella upgrade on Ethereum, concerns over privacy related to staking, a major DeFi hack, and a partnership between Fonbnk and Tanda to increase financial inclusion in Africa. The top 100 DeFi tokens had a bullish week, and Glassnode predicted only a small percentage of staked ETH would be withdrawn.
BlockSec Launches Phalcon Fork for Collaborative Testing on Ethereum Mainnet
Blockchain security firm BlockSec has launched Phalcon Fork, a toolkit that enables collaborative testing on private chains forked from arbitrary transaction positions and block numbers on the Ethereum mainnet. The toolkit offers greater control over testing, analysis, and debugging on testnets, with features such as snapshots and a faucet for acquiring free fork network Ether. The Phalcon Fork user manual touts advantages over traditional solutions such as Goerli, including retaining services and states from the mainnet and maintaining full control over block information.