How the Aptos 'Community Takeover' Revived Dev Interest in the Network

Layer-1 blockchain Aptos saw an increase in new developer interest following the viral social media campaign from user BuzzlamicJihad. So much so that Ash Pampati, head of ecosystem at Aptos, told Decrypt that the Aptos Foundation would be “super open” to bringing the user onto its team. Aptos surged 17% in a single day in February, as BuzzlamicJihad’s unofficial “community takeover” of the network went viral on social media. Following Aptos Labs founder and CEO Mo Shaikh stepping down in Decemb...

Layer-1 blockchain Aptos saw an increase in new developer interest following the viral social media campaign from user BuzzlamicJihad. So much so that Ash Pampati, head of ecosystem at Aptos, told Decrypt that the Aptos Foundation would be “super open” to bringing the user onto its team. Aptos surged 17% in a single day in February, as BuzzlamicJihad’s unofficial “community takeover” of the network went viral on social media. Following Aptos Labs founder and CEO Mo Shaikh stepping down in Decemb...

Adidas Reveals In-Game Apparel Drop for 'Xociety' Shooter on Sui

Adidas and the makers of Sui-based game Xociety announced a collaboration this week to release limited edition NFT mystery boxes containing in-game character skins, marking the athletic apparel brand's latest move in the blockchain world. The collection, launching May 16, will offer 2,600 mystery boxes priced at $129 each, each containing Adidas-themed virtual clothing and accessories for player avatars in Xociety—a "pop shooter" game built on the Sui blockchain. Each mystery box contains Adidas...

Adidas and the makers of Sui-based game Xociety announced a collaboration this week to release limited edition NFT mystery boxes containing in-game character skins, marking the athletic apparel brand's latest move in the blockchain world. The collection, launching May 16, will offer 2,600 mystery boxes priced at $129 each, each containing Adidas-themed virtual clothing and accessories for player avatars in Xociety—a "pop shooter" game built on the Sui blockchain. Each mystery box contains Adidas...

Ethereum Price Holds Steady Following Pectra Upgrade

Ethereum's Pectra upgrade went live without a hitch—but it didn't serve as rocket fuel for ETH's price. The world's second-largest cryptocurrency was trading sideways after the long-awaited code changes were finalized on Wednesday. ETH is currently hovering at about $1,830, meaning it's continuing to trade 40% lower than it was this time last year. It was a similar story after Ethereum completed "The Merge," and made the ambitious switch from proof of work to proof of stake consensus. Back in S...

Ethereum's Pectra upgrade went live without a hitch—but it didn't serve as rocket fuel for ETH's price. The world's second-largest cryptocurrency was trading sideways after the long-awaited code changes were finalized on Wednesday. ETH is currently hovering at about $1,830, meaning it's continuing to trade 40% lower than it was this time last year. It was a similar story after Ethereum completed "The Merge," and made the ambitious switch from proof of work to proof of stake consensus. Back in S...

Bhutan Partners with Binance Pay for Its Tourism Ecosystem

The Himalayan country of Bhutan has partnered with Binance Pay to enable crypto payments throughout its tourism ecosystem. The integration, powered in conjunction with Bhutan’s local DK Bank, will reportedly allow tourists visiting the country to pay for things such as airline tickets, visa fees, hotel stays, monument entry, tour guides, and street food from roadside stalls with cryptocurrencies. Experience #Bhutan with the world’s first national crypto tourism payment system! Powered by Binan...

The Himalayan country of Bhutan has partnered with Binance Pay to enable crypto payments throughout its tourism ecosystem. The integration, powered in conjunction with Bhutan’s local DK Bank, will reportedly allow tourists visiting the country to pay for things such as airline tickets, visa fees, hotel stays, monument entry, tour guides, and street food from roadside stalls with cryptocurrencies. Experience #Bhutan with the world’s first national crypto tourism payment system! Powered by Binan...

Ethereum Rolls Out Pectra, Its ‘Most Ambitious Upgrade Yet’

Ethereum has successfully activated the first phase of Pectra, its latest major upgrade since Dencun in March last year, going live at 6:05am ET in New York on Wednesday. Following the hard fork itself, developers faced a nail-biting wait to see if the network had achieved finality, which took place at 6:18am ET. The Pectra hardfork has finalized on #Ethereum! Congratz everyone 🥳🥳 pic.twitter.com/sOwPVN1UOO — beaconchain.eth 📡 (@beaconcha_in) May 7, 2025 Pectra introduces sweeping changes t...

Ethereum has successfully activated the first phase of Pectra, its latest major upgrade since Dencun in March last year, going live at 6:05am ET in New York on Wednesday. Following the hard fork itself, developers faced a nail-biting wait to see if the network had achieved finality, which took place at 6:18am ET. The Pectra hardfork has finalized on #Ethereum! Congratz everyone 🥳🥳 pic.twitter.com/sOwPVN1UOO — beaconchain.eth 📡 (@beaconcha_in) May 7, 2025 Pectra introduces sweeping changes t...

Movement Labs Terminates Co-Founder Rushi Manche Following Chaotic Week

Ethereum layer-2 startup Movement Labs has cut ties with co-founder Rushi Manche, capping a turbulent week of governance scandals, market maker fallout, and mounting community pressure. “Movement Labs has terminated Rushi Manche. Movement will continue under different leadership,” the team posted early Wednesday on X.  Within minutes, the platform announced the launch of Move Industries, a new company rising from the wreckage of the project. The new team described the shift as a return to “crypt...

Ethereum layer-2 startup Movement Labs has cut ties with co-founder Rushi Manche, capping a turbulent week of governance scandals, market maker fallout, and mounting community pressure. “Movement Labs has terminated Rushi Manche. Movement will continue under different leadership,” the team posted early Wednesday on X.  Within minutes, the platform announced the launch of Move Industries, a new company rising from the wreckage of the project. The new team described the shift as a return to “crypt...

Metaplanet Buys More Bitcoin Amid Easing US-China Trade Tensions

Japan’s Metaplanet Inc. added another 555 Bitcoin to its treasury late Tuesday, just as China confirmed it would resume trade talks with the U.S., while laying out firm conditions for engagement and warning against “coercive and blackmailing tactics.” The Tokyo-listed firm disclosed it spent $49.6 million (¥7.67 billion) on the latest acquisition, bringing its total Bitcoin holdings to 5,555 BTC, worth over $482 million at current prices.   The purchase is part of Metaplanet’s broader strategy t...

Japan’s Metaplanet Inc. added another 555 Bitcoin to its treasury late Tuesday, just as China confirmed it would resume trade talks with the U.S., while laying out firm conditions for engagement and warning against “coercive and blackmailing tactics.” The Tokyo-listed firm disclosed it spent $49.6 million (¥7.67 billion) on the latest acquisition, bringing its total Bitcoin holdings to 5,555 BTC, worth over $482 million at current prices.   The purchase is part of Metaplanet’s broader strategy t...

Coinbase CEO’s Biotech Firm Gets $130M to Fight Aging With AI, Genomics

NewLimit, a biotechnology startup co-founded by Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, has raised $130 million in a Series B funding round to bolster its ambitions to slow or even reverse aspects of human aging. The round, led by Kleiner Perkins, drew participation from prominent returning investors including Founders Fund, Dimension Capital, angel investor Elad Gil, Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan, and Stripe co-founder Patrick Collison, according to a statement. New investors included former GitHub CEO Nat...

NewLimit, a biotechnology startup co-founded by Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, has raised $130 million in a Series B funding round to bolster its ambitions to slow or even reverse aspects of human aging. The round, led by Kleiner Perkins, drew participation from prominent returning investors including Founders Fund, Dimension Capital, angel investor Elad Gil, Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan, and Stripe co-founder Patrick Collison, according to a statement. New investors included former GitHub CEO Nat...

Bitcoin, Gold Rise as Investors Await Fed Decision Amid Global Tensions

Gold prices extended gains and Bitcoin hovered near February highs on Tuesday as investors positioned ahead of the Federal Reserve’s policy announcement and digested fresh geopolitical and trade-related risks. The Federal Open Market Committee is expected to hold interest rates steady at 4.25% to 4.50% when it concludes its two-day meeting Wednesday afternoon, U.S. time.  Chair Jerome Powell will deliver remarks shortly afterward, with markets watching for any shifts in tone following recent sig...

Gold prices extended gains and Bitcoin hovered near February highs on Tuesday as investors positioned ahead of the Federal Reserve’s policy announcement and digested fresh geopolitical and trade-related risks. The Federal Open Market Committee is expected to hold interest rates steady at 4.25% to 4.50% when it concludes its two-day meeting Wednesday afternoon, U.S. time.  Chair Jerome Powell will deliver remarks shortly afterward, with markets watching for any shifts in tone following recent sig...

Benchmark Is Bullish on Bitcoin Miner Maker Canaan With 5X Price Target

Investment bank Benchmark has upgraded Bitcoin mining hardware manufacturer Canaan’s stock to a “buy” rating in an analyst’s note Tuesday.  Equity research analyst Mark Palmer said that the firm's strategy of expanding in North America will help its stock rise, and set a $3 price target—five times the current price. Canaan (CAN) is listed on the Nasdaq. “We believe the company’s ADRs are very inexpensive,” Palmer wrote, adding that the bank expected CAN “to appreciate as it executes on its strat...

Investment bank Benchmark has upgraded Bitcoin mining hardware manufacturer Canaan’s stock to a “buy” rating in an analyst’s note Tuesday.  Equity research analyst Mark Palmer said that the firm's strategy of expanding in North America will help its stock rise, and set a $3 price target—five times the current price. Canaan (CAN) is listed on the Nasdaq. “We believe the company’s ADRs are very inexpensive,” Palmer wrote, adding that the bank expected CAN “to appreciate as it executes on its strat...

Senate to Vote on GENIUS Act as GOP Presses Forward Despite Mounting Opposition

Senate Republicans are moving ahead with a Thursday vote on the GENIUS Act, a bill aimed at regulating dollar-backed stablecoins, despite mounting opposition from both Democrats and within their ranks, setting the stage for a contentious showdown. Majority Whip John Thune (R., S.D.) filed cloture Tuesday on the motion to proceed with the bill, formally known as the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act.  The legislation would impose licensing, reserve, and disclos...

Senate Republicans are moving ahead with a Thursday vote on the GENIUS Act, a bill aimed at regulating dollar-backed stablecoins, despite mounting opposition from both Democrats and within their ranks, setting the stage for a contentious showdown. Majority Whip John Thune (R., S.D.) filed cloture Tuesday on the motion to proceed with the bill, formally known as the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act.  The legislation would impose licensing, reserve, and disclos...

ElizaOS Vulnerability Shows How AI Can Be Gaslit Into Losing Millions

AI agents, some managing millions of dollars in crypto, are vulnerable to a new undetectable attack that manipulates their memories, enabling unauthorized transfers to malicious actors. That's according to a recent study by researchers from Princeton University and the Sentient Foundation, which claims to have found vulnerabilities in crypto-focused AI agents, such as those using the popular ElizaOS framework. ElizaOS’ popularity made it a perfect choice for the study, according to Princeton gra...

AI agents, some managing millions of dollars in crypto, are vulnerable to a new undetectable attack that manipulates their memories, enabling unauthorized transfers to malicious actors. That's according to a recent study by researchers from Princeton University and the Sentient Foundation, which claims to have found vulnerabilities in crypto-focused AI agents, such as those using the popular ElizaOS framework. ElizaOS’ popularity made it a perfect choice for the study, according to Princeton gra...

Bitcoin Payments Company Strike Launches BTC-Backed Loans

Bitcoin-backed loans are now available for Strike's American customers, the payment app's CEO announced Tuesday. Strike boss Jack Mallers posted a video on X explaining the new service. Customers from a total of 26 U.S. states are eligible to secure loans starting from between $75,000 to $100,000, depending on the state, the firm's website says.  Mallers said that the service will soon be available in other regions, including Europe.  Announcing Strike Lending You shouldn’t have to sell the bes...

Bitcoin-backed loans are now available for Strike's American customers, the payment app's CEO announced Tuesday. Strike boss Jack Mallers posted a video on X explaining the new service. Customers from a total of 26 U.S. states are eligible to secure loans starting from between $75,000 to $100,000, depending on the state, the firm's website says.  Mallers said that the service will soon be available in other regions, including Europe.  Announcing Strike Lending You shouldn’t have to sell the bes...

Publicly Traded DeFi Development Corp. Adds Another $11.2 Million in Solana

Publicly traded AI-powered real estate software company DeFi Development Corp. (formerly Janover) added to its flurry of strategic Solana moves Tuesday by announcing that it purchased another $11.2 million worth of SOL—one day after it announced the acquisition of a Solana validator company.  The firm’s latest purchase added 82,405 SOL at an average price of $135.58, bringing its total Solana holdings to more than 400,000 tokens valued above $58 million. “The SOL stackin' saga continues!” the co...

Publicly traded AI-powered real estate software company DeFi Development Corp. (formerly Janover) added to its flurry of strategic Solana moves Tuesday by announcing that it purchased another $11.2 million worth of SOL—one day after it announced the acquisition of a Solana validator company.  The firm’s latest purchase added 82,405 SOL at an average price of $135.58, bringing its total Solana holdings to more than 400,000 tokens valued above $58 million. “The SOL stackin' saga continues!” the co...

Kalshi's Legal Tussle With CFTC Nears End as Regulator Drops Appeal

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has signaled it will no longer appeal a court's decision to allow prediction markets platform Kalshi to accept bets on U.S. election outcomes—an about-face that bookends a long legal battle between the regulator and technology startup.  The Commission filed on Monday a motion to voluntarily drop its appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. A CFTC representative told Reuters on Monday that the regulator decided to abandon it...

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has signaled it will no longer appeal a court's decision to allow prediction markets platform Kalshi to accept bets on U.S. election outcomes—an about-face that bookends a long legal battle between the regulator and technology startup.  The Commission filed on Monday a motion to voluntarily drop its appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. A CFTC representative told Reuters on Monday that the regulator decided to abandon it...

Trump Crypto Businesses Create 'Pathways' for Corruption, Says Anthony Scaramucci

U.S. President Donald Trump’s meme coin and other crypto businesses create “pathways” for corruption, according to short-lived White House Communications Director and founder of SkyBridge Capital, Anthony Scaramucci. Speaking at the Financial Times Digital Asset Summit, Scaramucci argued that the Trump family’s involvement with crypto—which includes the president's Solana meme coin, World Liberty Financial, a Trump Media tie-up with Crypto.com, and more—serves as a “distraction” that's standing...

U.S. President Donald Trump’s meme coin and other crypto businesses create “pathways” for corruption, according to short-lived White House Communications Director and founder of SkyBridge Capital, Anthony Scaramucci. Speaking at the Financial Times Digital Asset Summit, Scaramucci argued that the Trump family’s involvement with crypto—which includes the president's Solana meme coin, World Liberty Financial, a Trump Media tie-up with Crypto.com, and more—serves as a “distraction” that's standing...

Strategy's AI Embrace: Michael Saylor Says He Built His Bitcoin Empire With Chatbot Help

We already know Strategy is going all-in on Bitcoin—now it’s giving space to Wall Street’s new favorite buzzword: AI. During the company's Strategy World event, founder and Executive Chairman Michael Saylor explained how artificial intelligence helped engineer innovative financial products that powered its Bitcoin treasury, which now holds a staggering $52 billion worth—a more than 200x increase from its $250 million starting stake five years ago. The AI workflow evolved from basic text editing...

We already know Strategy is going all-in on Bitcoin—now it’s giving space to Wall Street’s new favorite buzzword: AI. During the company's Strategy World event, founder and Executive Chairman Michael Saylor explained how artificial intelligence helped engineer innovative financial products that powered its Bitcoin treasury, which now holds a staggering $52 billion worth—a more than 200x increase from its $250 million starting stake five years ago. The AI workflow evolved from basic text editing...

Crypto Exchange Coinbase Sponsors 'League of Legends' and 'Valorant' Esports

American crypto exchange Coinbase has announced a new marketing deal with Riot Games, becoming the exclusive crypto exchange and official blockchain partner for both League of Legends and Valorant global esports events. The multi-year sponsorship deal will debut at the Valorant Masters event in Toronto in June, with Coinbase creating fan engagement opportunities across both games' global esports calendars, including social media campaigns, broadcast integrations, and technical features. A Coinba...

American crypto exchange Coinbase has announced a new marketing deal with Riot Games, becoming the exclusive crypto exchange and official blockchain partner for both League of Legends and Valorant global esports events. The multi-year sponsorship deal will debut at the Valorant Masters event in Toronto in June, with Coinbase creating fan engagement opportunities across both games' global esports calendars, including social media campaigns, broadcast integrations, and technical features. A Coinba...

Citi, Swiss Firm SDX to Unveil Tokenization for Pre-IPO Shares Market in Q3

Citigroup will join with Switzerland's Six Digital Exchange to offer tokenized shares in pre-IPO companies, with a start date in this year’s third quarter, the multi-national banking firms said Tuesday in a press release.   Citi will tokenize and custody companies’ shares on the exchange, bringing "high-growth, venture-backed private companies" to institutional investors on SDX’s platform, according to their joint statement. The tokenization of those assets will simplify liquidity management for...

Citigroup will join with Switzerland's Six Digital Exchange to offer tokenized shares in pre-IPO companies, with a start date in this year’s third quarter, the multi-national banking firms said Tuesday in a press release.   Citi will tokenize and custody companies’ shares on the exchange, bringing "high-growth, venture-backed private companies" to institutional investors on SDX’s platform, according to their joint statement. The tokenization of those assets will simplify liquidity management for...

Bitcoin Stalls as Trump Vents Trade Frustrations Before Fed Decision

The price of Bitcoin hovered around $95,000 on Tuesday as U.S. stocks fell on President Donald Trump’s apparent frustrations regarding the status of trade negotiations. The leading cryptocurrency by market cap was roughly flat over the past 24 hours, according to crypto data provider CoinGecko. Most top altcoins showed mild losses, with Ethereum and Solana falling 2% to $1,780 and 1.5% to around $145, respectively. Alongside Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to the White House, Trump p...

The price of Bitcoin hovered around $95,000 on Tuesday as U.S. stocks fell on President Donald Trump’s apparent frustrations regarding the status of trade negotiations. The leading cryptocurrency by market cap was roughly flat over the past 24 hours, according to crypto data provider CoinGecko. Most top altcoins showed mild losses, with Ethereum and Solana falling 2% to $1,780 and 1.5% to around $145, respectively. Alongside Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to the White House, Trump p...