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Brandon Lutnick, chair of Cantor Fitzgerald and son of U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, is reportedly collaborating with Tether, SoftBank, and Bitfinex to launch a multibillion-dollar Bitcoin acquisition firm. The initiative, aiming to capitalize on the growing crypto industry under the Trump administration, seeks to mirror MicroStrategy’s strategy of amassing significant Bitcoin holdings. Through Cantor Equity Partners — a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) that raised $200 million in January — the new firm, named 21 Capital, will be established and infused with $3 billion worth of Bitcoin contributed by the partnering firms.
Tether is set to provide $1.5 billion in BTC, with SoftBank and Bitfinex contributing $900 million and $600 million respectively. These Bitcoin holdings, priced at $85,000 per BTC, will be converted into shares of 21 Capital at $10 each. The firm also intends to further bolster its Bitcoin reserves by raising an additional $350 million via a convertible bond and $200 million through a private equity placement. Although the deal is expected to be announced in the coming weeks, sources caution that the transaction details may still evolve, or the plan could ultimately fall through. Source
Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has expressed doubts about Ethereum’s long-term viability, suggesting in a recent YouTube AMA that the platform may not survive the next 10 to 15 years. He argues that internal and external pressures threaten Ethereum’s stability, with layer-2 solutions draining value and fragmenting the ecosystem, while competitors like Bitcoin DeFi, Solana, and Sui continue to gain ground. Hoskinson compares Ethereum’s situation to once-dominant but now obsolete platforms like MySpace and BlackBerry, claiming that superior technologies with fundamentally different paradigms are quietly overtaking it.
Hoskinson attributes Ethereum’s vulnerabilities to three critical design missteps: adopting an unsuitable accounting model, virtual machine, and consensus mechanism. He contends that these decisions, made despite warnings from the community, have saddled Ethereum with long-term complications. In response, Ethereum has layered on complex fixes such as slashing economics and layer-2 solutions, which have introduced further challenges. Additionally, Hoskinson criticizes Ethereum’s lack of an effective on-chain governance system, arguing that rectifying all three of these foundational issues would require a comprehensive and parallel overhaul of the platform. Source
Coinbase has expanded its partnership with PayPal to accelerate the adoption of crypto payments by integrating PayPal’s stablecoin, PYUSD, into Coinbase’s platform. The collaboration aims to make stablecoin transactions faster, more accessible, and cost-free, with Coinbase enabling seamless, zero-fee conversions between PYUSD and USD for both retail and institutional users. This initiative is designed to empower millions of PayPal users to more easily move their finances onchain, leveraging Coinbase’s robust regulatory and technological infrastructure to simplify stablecoin usage within both consumer and institutional markets.
Beyond enhancing stablecoin accessibility, the partnership intends to embed PYUSD across PayPal’s vast merchant ecosystem, streamlining digital payments and expanding onchain applications. Coinbase also plans to explore new utilities for PYUSD within decentralized finance, further driving innovation in digital transactions. Citing a surge in stablecoin transaction volume from $6.2 trillion in 2023 to $22 trillion in 2024, Coinbase positions this move as central to its mission of broadening financial freedom. Despite regulatory hurdles, both companies see the alliance as a step toward integrating stablecoins into mainstream financial systems and fostering a more inclusive global economy. Source
Trezor has integrated 1inch Fusion into its Trezor Suite platform, enabling users to perform gasless, MEV-protected cryptocurrency swaps directly from their hardware wallets. This new feature allows seamless token trading across blockchains like Ethereum, Polygon, and Arbitrum without requiring native tokens to pay gas fees. By leveraging 1inch Fusion’s liquidity aggregation and built-in protection against front-running attacks, users can execute secure swaps while maintaining full control over their private keys, as all transactions are signed offline on Trezor devices. The service is currently available to users of Trezor Model T, Safe 3, and Safe 5 wallets.
1inch Fusion simplifies decentralized trading by using meta-transactions, where third-party resolvers cover gas fees upfront, removing the need for users to hold native tokens like ETH for transaction costs. It also safeguards users from sandwich attacks—a type of MEV exploit where malicious actors manipulate trade timing for profit—by obscuring transaction details to prevent front-running. Trezor emphasizes that this integration aligns with its commitment to self-custody and enhanced security, offering frictionless, hardware-protected DeFi access. According to Trezor’s CCO, the collaboration with 1inch delivers streamlined, secure token swaps without compromising user control or safety. Source
Ethereum core developers are preparing to test a significant fourfold increase in the network’s gas limit as part of the upcoming Fusaka hard fork, slated for late 2025. Following validator support earlier this year to raise the gas limit to nearly 36 million, developers are now proposing, via Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP) 9678, to push the limit up to 150 million. This proposal, introduced by Ethereum Foundation developer Sophia Gold, is being prioritized as a central feature of Fusaka, with discussions emphasizing the need to align client defaults and prepare the network infrastructure to handle the increased capacity. The goal is to scale layer 1 execution to accommodate more transactions without introducing entirely new features.
However, developers acknowledge that raising the gas limit poses technical challenges, particularly the likelihood of uncovering bugs in client software at higher thresholds. To mitigate these risks, extensive testing and bug fixes by client developers will be necessary, making the formal inclusion of the proposal in the Fusaka hard fork essential. The EIP ensures coordination across Ethereum clients so that all implementations are updated in time for the upgrade. While the gas limit is ultimately set by validators, having a standardized approach via the EIP helps streamline preparations and ensure a smoother transition when Fusaka is deployed, following the Pectra upgrade scheduled for May 2025. Source
Markethive is a visionary, decentralized platform that blends social media, inbound marketing, and broadcasting with a mission to empower entrepreneurs and promote individual sovereignty. Rooted in the pioneering spirit of Veretekk, it champions free expression, financial autonomy, and innovation through its 'Rise of the Entrepreneur' manifesto. Beyond its cutting-edge technology, Markethive is defined by a vibrant, values-driven community that fosters creativity, independence, and mutual support. The platform’s integration of Hivecoin (HVC) enhances its ecosystem, enabling users to access a wide range of applications—such as payment processing, smart contracts, and e-commerce—while reinforcing economic self-sufficiency and control for its members.
Dedicated to resisting authoritarian control and preserving entrepreneurial freedom, Markethive is building a decentralized, blockchain-powered global network fortified by cloud servers to ensure security and resilience. Its code of ethics—centred on integrity, transparency, privacy, and autonomy—guides its community-driven culture and platform design. With a strong emphasis on fostering financial independence through its cottage industry concept, Markethive positions itself as both a sanctuary and launchpad for entrepreneurs seeking to achieve sustainable prosperity and lasting legacies. Its ultimate goal is to uplift individuals and create a world-changing movement that nurtures genuine, merit-based opportunities for growth and impact on a global scale. Source
A subgroup of the North Korea-linked Lazarus hacker organization, known as Contagious Interview, set up three shell companies — BlockNovas, Angeloper Agency, and SoftGlide — to distribute malware under the guise of crypto consulting firms. Two of these companies were registered as legitimate businesses in the U.S. The scheme involved luring crypto developers into fake job interviews through platforms like GitHub and freelancer websites. During the interview process, applicants were tricked into downloading malware through a bogus video recording error fix. The malware strains — BeaverTail, InvisibleFerret, and OtterCookie — were designed to steal sensitive information such as crypto wallet keys and clipboard data, and to load additional malicious code. AI-generated fake employee profiles and stolen images further strengthened the illusion of legitimacy in the fake firms’ operations.
The malware campaign, which has been active since 2024, has already compromised several victims, including developers who lost access to their MetaMask wallets. The FBI intervened and seized the BlockNovas domain, though SoftGlide and other parts of the hackers' infrastructure remain active. Silent Push analysts, who uncovered the scheme, emphasized that the impersonation tactics used — such as AI-modified real photos — make this campaign particularly deceptive. This operation is part of a broader pattern of cyberattacks attributed to Lazarus Group, which is suspected of major crypto heists including the Bybit $1.4 billion hack and the $600 million Ronin network breach. At least three crypto founders reported foiling similar attempts in March via fake Zoom calls orchestrated by alleged North Korean hackers. Source
El Salvador’s National Commission on Digital Assets (CNAD) is exploring a regulatory sandbox that would allow U.S. firms to experiment with tokenized real estate projects within the country. This initiative was discussed in a recent meeting between CNAD and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Crypto Task Force, following signals from SEC leadership indicating openness to limited, cross-border testing environments for tokenized assets like real estate, equities, or bonds. The sandbox aims to foster regulatory collaboration between El Salvador and the U.S., potentially unlocking new investment opportunities and advancing global regulatory harmonization. The discussions were partly inspired by SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce’s earlier comments supporting small-scale, temporary experimentation in the crypto space.
El Salvador, which has built a reputation as a Bitcoin-friendly nation since making Bitcoin legal tender and exploring innovative mining methods, continues to deepen its involvement in digital assets. The country currently holds around $573 million in Bitcoin and recently rejected IMF conditions that would have required halting Bitcoin purchases. The sandbox proposal follows a recent meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, although their shared Bitcoin enthusiasm wasn’t publicly addressed during that event. If implemented, the sandbox could serve as a bridge between U.S. crypto firms and El Salvador’s progressive regulatory environment, building on the nation’s ongoing efforts to position itself as a hub for digital asset innovation. Source
The Federal Reserve announced it will no longer require member banks to provide advanced notice before engaging in crypto or stablecoin-related activities, marking a major shift away from the cautious approach instituted after the FTX collapse in 2023. This move aligns the Fed with recent similar actions by the FDIC and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), which have also clarified that banks are legally allowed to engage in crypto ventures without seeking explicit regulatory approval. The rescinded policies, once part of what crypto advocates called "Operation Chokepoint 2.0," had been criticized for discriminating against crypto-related businesses by denying them access to traditional banking services.
While the Fed’s announcement has been welcomed as a step toward normalizing crypto’s role in the banking sector, it does not yet resolve one of the industry’s biggest hurdles: access to master accounts. These accounts are critical for banks to access central bank services and operate nationwide. Despite today’s policy reversal, the Fed has continued to withhold such accounts from crypto-focused banks like Custodia and Kraken Financial. Nonetheless, the move signals a broader regulatory thaw under President Trump’s administration, which has prioritized dismantling anti-crypto banking barriers implemented during the Biden era. Source
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has postponed its decisions on several proposed rule changes that would allow for the creation of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tracking the spot prices of Polkadot and Hedera, as well as a combined Bitcoin and Ethereum fund. The regulator now has until June 10 and 11 to evaluate filings submitted by Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange on behalf of Canary Capital, Grayscale Investments, and Bitwise Investments. These applications are part of a growing wave of crypto-related ETF proposals — currently numbering 72 — spurred by the success of spot Bitcoin ETFs launched last year, which rapidly accumulated tens of billions of dollars in assets under management.
These new ETF proposals reflect the rising interest in broadening crypto investment options beyond just Bitcoin and Ethereum. Issuers like Canary, Grayscale, and Bitwise have filed for various funds covering altcoins such as Solana, Cardano, XRP, Dogecoin, Litecoin, Avalanche, and more, often including features like staking rewards. The explosion of filings underscores high demand from both crypto-native firms and traditional financial players to expand crypto-focused investment products. The rapid growth of existing Bitcoin ETFs — which now collectively manage around $100 billion — has fueled optimism for additional approvals, even as the SEC continues to take a cautious, deliberate approach in reviewing each application. Source
Ethereum's Layer-2 (L2) scaling strategy, which involves multiple high-throughput chains with different transaction processing speeds and parameters, offers a unique value proposition according to Avail co-founder Anurag Arjun. He highlighted that this approach allows for experimentation with various execution environments and block times, enabling a diverse set of sidechains rather than a single architecture. While this multi-layer strategy is in contrast to high-throughput competitors with monolithic architecture, Arjun sees Ethereum's focus on scaling through L2 solutions as an opportunity for innovation, even though true interoperability remains a challenge. Critics, however, argue that the proliferation of L2s could lead to siloed liquidity and may ultimately harm the Ethereum base layer.
Meanwhile, Ethereum's base layer is experiencing a significant drop in transaction fees, reaching five-year lows in April 2025. This decrease in fees reflects reduced demand for the Ethereum network, with fewer users interacting with smart contracts, decentralized finance platforms, and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). According to Santiment's Brian Quinlivan, this trend signals waning investor interest in Ethereum, which has also affected institutional investment. The decline in base layer activity, coupled with lower retail interest, has led many institutional investors to revise their price outlooks for Ether, contributing to the poor performance of ETH over the past year. Source
Disclaimer: These articles are provided for informational purposes only. They are not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or any other advice.
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