News linked to both this project and an event.
Bitcoin developer Paul Sztorc has announced the official launch of the Bitcoin hard fork network eCash in August this year. BTC holders will be able to exchange BTC for eCash at a 1:1 ratio after the hard fork goes live. It is reported that the Layer1 node software of the network will be a "near copy" of the Bitcoin Core client, continuing to use the SHA-256 hashing algorithm, with a reduced initial mining difficulty to attract more miners to participate. Additionally, eCash will be equipped with seven Layer2 scaling networks called "drivechains" to increase transaction throughput and support optional on-chain privacy features.Paul Sztorc stated that eCash differs from Bitcoin Cash in 2017, as it will no longer use the "Bitcoin" branding, positioning it as a long-term solution to Bitcoin's scalability and privacy issues. However, his proposal to manually redistribute a portion of Satoshi Nakamoto's approximately 1.1 million BTC to early investors has sparked strong controversy within the community. Some Bitcoin supporters criticize the move as potentially constituting "theft" and undermining Bitcoin's principles. (Cointelegraph)
On-chain investigator ZachXBT updated that funds related to the KelpDAO attack have begun moving: approximately $1.5 million has been cross-chained from Ethereum Mainnet to the Bitcoin network via Thorchain, and roughly $78,000 has been transferred via Umbra. The attacking address initially sourced its funds from Tornado Cash, and fund laundering and cross-chain transfers are ongoing.
According to Cointelegraph, stablecoin issuer Circle faces a class-action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts for failing to freeze stolen funds during the Drift Protocol hack on April 1. Plaintiffs allege that attackers transferred approximately $230 million worth of USDC from Solana to Ethereum via Circle’s cross-chain transfer protocol (CCTP) within hours—and that Circle failed to intervene. The lawsuit accuses Circle of aiding and abetting conversion and of negligence. Cryptocurrency analytics firm Elliptic previously suspected the attack may be linked to North Korea–backed hackers; the stolen funds were subsequently converted into ETH and laundered through Tornado Cash.
Rakuten Wallet, the cryptocurrency trading and management platform operated by Japan’s renowned e-commerce group Rakuten, will officially list XRP as both a tradable asset and a payment method on April 15, 2026. At that time, users will be able to directly purchase XRP using Rakuten Points and deposit XRP into Rakuten Cash for spending at over 5 million merchants across Japan. With 44 million users, Rakuten Pay—Japan’s leading e-commerce payment platform—will expose XRP to a massive non-crypto user base. Users can also directly exchange over 3 trillion Rakuten Points (approximately USD $23 billion) for XRP. Rakuten boasts over 100 million members and achieves annual e-commerce gross merchandise value (GMV) of JPY 5.6 trillion; XRP will thus become a spendable, interoperable digital asset within the Rakuten ecosystem.