News linked to both this project and an event.
Vitalik Buterin stated that the Ethereum Foundation (EF) is not the “center of Ethereum,” but rather “a node within the ecosystem,” and is currently transitioning toward a smaller, more opinionated, and more sustainability-focused organizational structure. He explained that the Foundation will prioritize allocating its limited resources to work essential for Ethereum’s viability as a censorship-resistant, control-resistant, open, private, and secure system—work that would be unlikely to happen without the Foundation’s involvement—while also reducing ETH sales. Vitalik further noted that Ethereum should not pursue only maximum throughput and low latency, but should instead aim to be “impressive” in areas such as formal verification, chain availability consensus, and reducing reliance on intermediaries. He emphasized that the Foundation’s new structure is expected to gradually stabilize over the coming months.
multiple blockchain and post-quantum cryptography researchers have warned that artificial intelligence (AI) is accelerating the development of quantum computing and could potentially impact the security systems of mainstream blockchains, including Bitcoin and Ethereum, earlier than anticipated.Alex Pruden, CEO of Project Eleven, a firm focused on quantum-resistant infrastructure, stated that the combination of AI and quantum computing is fundamentally reshaping the future security landscape. "People will no longer be able to rely on existing security assumptions as they have in the past," he said.Researchers point out that AI is already being used to optimize quantum error correction, which is one of the key technical bottlenecks in the development of quantum computing. Illia Polosukhin also noted that AI has been accelerating scientific breakthroughs for years, and in the future, there may even be a circular acceleration effect where "AI helps build the next generation of quantum computers."One of the industry's biggest current concerns is the "Harvest Now, Decrypt Later" strategy, where governments or advanced attackers begin mass-collecting encrypted data now, waiting to decrypt it all at once once quantum computing matures. Polosukhin warned that if quantum computers become viable within a few years, "most of today's important data on the internet could be decrypted in the future."Given that most blockchain networks and internet infrastructure currently rely on elliptic curve cryptography (ECC), a sufficiently powerful quantum computer could theoretically derive a private key from a public key, directly breaking wallets and on-chain systems. Simultaneously, AI itself is strengthening hacking capabilities. Pruden stated that AI models are becoming increasingly adept at discovering software vulnerabilities and cryptography implementation flaws, and may even be able to crack some encryption algorithms directly in the future.However, AI is also being used by developers for code auditing, formal verification, and testing post-quantum security systems, creating a "long-term security arms race" with simultaneous upgrades on both the offensive and defensive sides. Researchers believe the most significant change brought by AI and quantum computing together is that the core assumption of "long-term cryptographic reliability" in the digital age is being challenged. Future security systems may shift from "static upgrades" to continuous dynamic evolution. (CoinDesk)
Blockchain researcher and investor William Mougayar has come to the defense of the Ethereum Foundation, arguing that the public has long misunderstood its role and that it is "executing its mission precisely."Mougayar stated that ETH, the Ethereum network, and the Ethereum Foundation itself are three distinct entities: ETH is an asset, Ethereum is a shared computing infrastructure, and the Foundation is a non-profit organization responsible for driving protocol development, with one of its goals being to "gradually make the founder irrelevant."He pointed out that many critics want the Foundation to take on responsibilities like marketing ETH or attracting institutional capital, which would be akin to "expecting the IETF to run a Super Bowl ad for TCP/IP." He emphasized that the Ethereum Foundation is currently on a "subtraction path," strengthening the network by advancing protocol upgrades, funding fundamental research, and reducing its own centralized influence.Recently, the Ethereum Foundation has faced community criticism for selling ETH, unstaking, and a lack of public communication. Data shows that the Foundation has completed its third OTC sale this month to BitMine Immersion Technologies, cumulatively selling approximately 25,000 ETH worth about $47 million. Additionally, the Foundation has recently unstaked over 38,000 ETH in total, with a combined value nearing $90 million. (Cointelegraph)
According to Token Terminal data, Ethereum’s monthly transaction count has hit a new all-time high, exceeding 70 million transactions, while the median transaction fee stands at approximately $0.00554, marking a new all-time low.
Santiment released its weekly market summary, noting that Bitcoin ETFs experienced net outflows on 9 of the past 10 trading days, with Bitcoin’s current price around $77,500; it interprets this as a sign of weakening retail investor confidence. Meanwhile, Ethereum market sentiment has fallen to its lowest level since 2023, though its number of non-zero addresses stands at 192.92 million—more than three times Bitcoin’s approximately 59 million. Santiment also pointed out that the current Bitcoin bullish-to-bearish commentary ratio has risen to 2.23, the highest level within 2026; historically, such elevated sentiment often precedes short-term pullbacks.
A Uniswap governance proposal seeks to extend the protocol’s fee collection and burning infrastructure to BNB Chain and Polygon, and to complete the fee activation process on Celo—which previously failed due to a configuration error. The proposal includes: setting the V2 protocol fee recipient addresses on BNB Chain, Polygon, and Celo to TokenJar; and designating V3OpenFeeAdapter as the owner of the V3 Factory on the respective chains. Additionally, on Celo, the feeToSetter role and ownership of the V4 PoolManager will be transferred to CrossChainAccount. According to the proposal, fees collected on each chain will be aggregated into their respective TokenJars, then UNI tokens will be bridged cross-chain back to Ethereum Mainnet and sent to the burn address.
Grayscale’s latest research report states that Grayscale Research Head Zach Pandl believes tokenized assets and decentralized finance (DeFi), among other blockchain applications, may experience growth as the CLARITY Act advances and related guidance from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) becomes increasingly clear. Grayscale identifies Ethereum, Solana, BNB Chain, and Canton Network—currently dominant in on-chain financial activities—as likely to attract institutional capital first. The report notes that Ethereum, Solana, and BNB Chain lead in areas such as tokenized assets, stablecoins, and DeFi, while Canton Network also holds a significant share in the tokenized assets space.
: According to official sources, Aave, MetaMask, and Mastercard are advancing the MetaMask debit card feature, allowing users to directly use yield-bearing assets on Aave, such as mUSD, USDC, wETH, USDT, and other tokens, for everyday spending.This debit card is powered by instant settlement support through Consensys' Ethereum Layer 2 network, Linea. After users deposit mUSD into Aave to receive receipt tokens, the card automatically converts the required amount of yield-bearing assets into fiat currency the moment a transaction is made. During this process, users' unspent balances continue to earn interest through Aave until the exact moment of the transaction, enabling instant spending of yield-bearing assets while maintaining continuous yield. The debit card is currently being rolled out in Europe.
Anchorpoint Financial, OSL Group, and PantherTrade have successfully completed the first end-to-end financial transaction of Hong Kong's first approved stablecoin, HKDAP, on the Ethereum public chain. This digital asset operates under the regulation of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority.The technical execution of this transaction was jointly carried out by Anchorpoint Financial, a fintech firm backed by Standard Chartered Hong Kong, along with digital brokerage firms OSL Group and PantherTrade. During this blockchain test, participants directly converted traditional physical Hong Kong dollars into reserve assets, triggering the minting of on-chain digital balances. Upon completion of the transaction, the tokens were converted back to fiat bank balances through a redemption agreement. Standard Chartered provided the custodial architecture and trust services for this process.The stablecoin is scheduled to begin its phased public issuance towards the end of the second quarter of this year. (financefeeds)
Jeremy Allaire, CEO of Circle, posted on X announcing that cirBTC is即将 launched. Circle Wrapped Bitcoin (cirBTC) is a tokenized Bitcoin backed 1:1 by native Bitcoin, issued by Circle on the Ethereum mainnet and the Arc network. Each cirBTC is backed 1:1 by native Bitcoin held in custody by regulated entities within the Circle group.
According to The Block, Ethereum Layer 2 project Zero Network has announced its imminent official shutdown—just about 1.5 years after launch. Launched by the Zerion team in November 2024, Zero Network positioned itself as the first EVM-compatible rollup offering fully gas-free transactions, aiming to lower barriers to entry and drive mainstream adoption. The team stated it will now focus its resources on Zerion’s API and wallet business. Users must bridge their NFTs, ETH, and other tokens out of the Zero Network by the end of July; the bridge’s deposit functionality is currently suspended.
According to GlobeNewswire, cryptocurrency wallet provider Exodus Movement released its April operational data report. After selling over 1,000 BTC from its reserves in Q1 to fund the acquisition of a payment business, the company resumed accumulating BTC, ETH, and SOL in April. Its holdings of all three assets increased compared to the end of March, standing at 629 BTC, 1,872 ETH, and 19,234 SOL. Additionally, Exodus processed $347 million in transactions in April, while its monthly active users remained stable at 1.5 million—nearly unchanged from March.
B.AI, a cutting-edge financial infrastructure platform for the AI era, has officially launched deposit functionality for $HTX and $WBTC. Following this upgrade, users can now perform seamless operations via TRON, Ethereum (supporting WBTC and HTX), and BNB Chain (supporting HTX). B.AI’s ecosystem now fully covers eight major public blockchains—TRON, BNB Chain, Ethereum, Base, Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon, and Solana—and supports up to 15 core crypto assets. B.AI remains committed to breaking down cross-chain asset barriers, enabling users—regardless of their preferred network or asset—to enjoy lightning-fast, secure, and frictionless account and payment experiences.
Odaily Odaily News Bankless founder David Hoffman posted on X platform, stating that he has sold off all his ETH holdings.Meanwhile, Bankless co-founder Ryan Sean Adams said he remains bullish on ETH. Additionally, he revealed that Bankless Phase 1 — his 6-year collaboration with David Hoffman — has officially ended.Ryan Sean Adams stated that going forward, he will reduce his involvement in content direction and guest interviews, shifting more support to David Hoffman as he explores crypto and other new frontiers. He mentioned that he will still participate in the Rollup podcast weekly, but content leadership will be handed over to David Hoffman.
Bitget PoolX is about to launch the project UP. By locking ETH, users can unlock 1,250,000 UP, with a personal staking cap of 1,500 ETH. The staking channel will be open from 19:00 on May 20 to 19:00 on May 27 (UTC+8).Additionally, users with a positive net deposit during the event period will receive a 5% ETH yield enhancement voucher after the event ends; users participating in PoolX for the first time who meet the net deposit conditions will receive a 15% ETH yield enhancement voucher. The net deposit calculation period is from 17:00 on May 20 to 17:00 on May 26 (UTC+8). For more details, please refer to the official Bitget platform.
Vitalik Buterin tweeted that Ethereum is currently advancing its native privacy capabilities through several short-term protocol improvements, specifically: - AA + FOCIL (providing first-class support and strong inclusion guarantees for privacy protocol transactions); - Keyed nonces (EIP-8250, addressing the concurrent nonce issue for shared senders); and - Access-layer improvements (e.g., Kohaku, private reads).
According to the official announcement, Binance will perform wallet maintenance on the Ethereum network (ETH) on May 21, 2026, at 14:00 (UTC+8). To support this maintenance, Binance will suspend ETH deposits and withdrawals on the Ethereum network starting at 13:55 (UTC+8) on May 21, 2026. The maintenance is expected to last approximately one hour, after which deposits and withdrawals will resume automatically.
Lighter officially announced on X that the "escape mechanism" verification conducted by third-party auditor L2BEAT has been completed. This means that even if the sequencer on the L2 layer malfunctions, users can permissionlessly withdraw funds from Lighter's L2 back to Ethereum, making Lighter the industry's first L2 Perp DEX to achieve this functionality.
according to official sources, Aave Pro now allows users to monitor any Ethereum address without needing to connect that address. This feature provides a read-only view of Aave V4 positions, balances, and activities, and supports custom names and avatars.
The Zcash Foundation released its Q1 2026 report, disclosing total liquid assets of approximately $36.7 million, including roughly $12.11 million in cash, 506,556 USDC, 85,412 ZEC (valued at ~$21.2 million), 41.8 BTC (valued at ~$2.85 million), and 12.02 ETH (valued at ~$25,000). The Zcash Foundation added that, although the first quarter of this year saw personnel changes within the Electric Coin Company’s development team and governance-related disputes, network operations remained unaffected, with transactions and block production continuing normally. On the regulatory front, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has concluded its investigation without taking any enforcement action, thereby resolving long-standing regulatory uncertainty.