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An early Bitcoin developer, Jeff Garzik, has expressed a bullish, long-term outlook on Ethereum, despite recent market volatility and competition from other blockchains. His optimism stems from what he sees as the fundamental strength of Ethereum's technology, particularly the widespread adoption and usefulness of the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). Garzik believes the EVM's role as the default choice for smart contracts and blockchain programmability ensures Ethereum's continued relevance and existence as a major force in the Web3 ecosystem for decades to come.
Garzik's perspective, which he admits is focused more on technology than on price, comes as Ethereum's native token, ETH, has experienced a significant rally, soaring past $3,800 and jumping 60% in the past month. This revival is also being fuelled by institutional investment, with spot Ethereum ETFs seeing substantial inflows. While acknowledging the rise of competing blockchains, Garzik dismisses their long-term threat, suggesting they lack the market time and proven stability of Ethereum. Source
Amid a volatile global economic climate, Tether Gold (XAUt), a tokenized digital asset backed by physical bullion, has experienced significant growth. This surge mirrors a broader "gold rush" among institutional investors and central banks, who are accumulating the precious metal as a safe-haven asset. The article highlights that by the end of the second quarter, Tether Gold was backed by 7.66 tons of physical gold, resulting in a market capitalization exceeding $800 million. This performance reflects a 40% price increase over the last year, a trend that is directly in line with the rising value of physical gold.
The article attributes the escalating demand for gold to several factors, including geopolitical risks, the weaponization of currency, and ongoing inflation concerns, particularly in the United States. It notes that central banks have been stockpiling gold at an unprecedented rate for the past three years, reversing a decades-long trend of being net sellers. Similarly, gold exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have seen their largest inflows in five years during the first half of the year, driven by similar fears of economic instability. Tether Gold's success is therefore presented as a direct consequence of these macroeconomic trends, combining the stability of gold with the digital advantages of blockchain technology. Source
Jump Trading's Firedancer, a high-performance validator client designed to accelerate the Solana network, is facing limitations that prevent it from reaching its full potential on its native blockchain. These constraints are primarily due to Solana's commitment to a globally distributed validator set, which, while enhancing decentralization and security, creates network latency. This is because a network can only operate as fast as its slowest validator client, and with the current setup, Firedancer's speed is effectively throttled by the need to maintain network stability across different geographical locations.
To demonstrate Firedancer's capabilities without these restrictions, developers like Douglas Colkitt are testing it on new, Solana-compatible blockchains like Fogo. Fogo is a hybrid blockchain that intentionally prioritizes speed over decentralization by co-locating validators in a few key global locations, such as Tokyo, London, and New York. This approach allows Firedancer to achieve much faster block times than are possible on Solana's more dispersed network, making it suitable for applications like high-frequency trading that require extremely low latency. Source
The article argues that the world's over-reliance on centralized cloud services, as exemplified by a recent AWS Tokyo outage that disrupted global finance, poses a significant threat to data privacy and systemic stability. This fragility is a warning for public institutions, specifically the US government's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative to create a "mega API" for the IRS. The author warns that centralizing all taxpayer information into a single cloud-based platform under the guise of efficiency could create a single point of failure vulnerable to outages, misconfigurations, or malicious attacks, potentially leading to widespread financial upheaval and a loss of personal data autonomy.
The author advocates for decentralized technologies as a superior alternative to this centralized model. In a blockchain-based system, data access would be controlled through cryptographic proofs, and privacy would be maintained using protocols like zero-knowledge proofs. This architecture would allow for secure verification of information without exposing raw personal data to a central provider. The article highlights that this approach not only offers greater security and resilience against system failures but also protects against the potential for political abuse and the weaponization of citizen data, a risk inherent in centralized systems. Source
A new report from blockchain analytics company Global Ledger reveals a troubling trend in cryptocurrency crime: a significant increase in the speed of money laundering. Over $3 billion was stolen in the first half of 2025 across 119 hacks, and a substantial portion of these funds were laundered in minutes, often before a hack was even publicly disclosed. The report notes that in nearly one-quarter of all cases, the laundering process was completed before the breach became public, giving compliance teams at exchanges a minuscule window of time—as little as 10 to 15 minutes—to block suspicious transactions. This rapid execution means that by the time a hack is reported, it is often too late to recover the stolen funds, with only 4.2% of the total amount being retrieved.
The report highlights a growing vulnerability in the crypto ecosystem, particularly among centralized exchanges (CEXs), which remain the most targeted entry point for attackers. The traditional ticket-based compliance processes used by many exchanges are no longer sufficient to combat the speed of modern crypto laundering. The author suggests that CEXs must adopt real-time, automated monitoring and response systems to match the speed of the hackers. This shift is being further pressured by new regulations, such as the Genius Act, and the implications of the ongoing Roman Storm trial, which is questioning whether developers and platforms should be held accountable for not preventing illicit activity on their platforms. Source
The Markethive Founding Share Token (MFST) is a core component of the Markethive ecosystem, serving as both a capital-raising mechanism for the company and a wealth-generation opportunity for its community members. The tokens are issued through an Initial Loan Procurement (ILP), which is an Incentivized Loan Program designed to secure funding from the community rather than traditional venture capitalists. This approach fosters a sense of shared ownership, as MFST holders receive priority interest payments from 20% of Markethive’s net monthly profits, creating a direct link between the platform's financial success and the financial returns for token holders. The article notes that only a limited quantity of 1,000 MFSTs will be offered, and the value is expected to appreciate as the platform grows.
The article contrasts the ILP with traditional stock options and ICOs, highlighting the unique legal and security advantages of the ILP model. Unlike equity-based investments or speculative tokens, ILPs are structured as debt obligations that conform to the United States Uniform Commercial Code. This classification provides a significant safety net for investors, as creditors typically have higher priority for recovering assets in the event of a company's financial distress. The MFST token is also divisible into smaller units called BITS, which allows for various platform activities like bounty programs and trading. This structure offers a transparent, secure, and potentially more liquid investment vehicle, with tax advantages compared to stock options. Source
The article argues that for Web 3.0 startups to succeed and compete with established technology companies, they must abandon the anonymity that has been a long-standing feature of the crypto space. Founders and team members are urged to "doxx" themselves, which means revealing their verified identities online and in person. This shift from secrecy to transparency is presented as a crucial step in building trust with potential investors and partners. The author suggests that Web 3.0 executives should adopt professional personas, register proper legal entities instead of relying on DAOs, and be public about their compliance with regulations to demonstrate legitimacy and long-term viability.
Furthermore, the author emphasizes the importance of building a strong and transparent professional foundation, similar to Web 2.0 companies. This includes establishing proper governance for any DAOs, creating effective customer service systems, and maintaining open communication about development progress. The article also advises Web 3.0 startups to seek out genuine strategic advisors with proven track records rather than crypto influencers, and to retain legal counsel to navigate complex regulations. By adopting these practices, Web 3.0 projects can differentiate themselves from the high number of failed projects and attract the serious investment needed to become a significant player in the broader technology industry. Source
According to Mike Novogratz, CEO of Galaxy Digital, Ethereum has the potential to outperform Bitcoin in the next three to six months. He believes that if Ethereum’s price surpasses $4,000, it will enter a "price discovery" phase, which could lead to a significant rally. Novogratz's optimism is based on a powerful market narrative and a recent surge in institutional interest, which has led to major companies acquiring large amounts of ETH. This, in turn, has created a limited supply of the asset, which is a key factor he believes will drive its price higher.
While Novogratz is bullish on Ethereum, he also maintains a positive outlook for Bitcoin, predicting it could reach $150,000. He believes this is a reasonable target as long as the current macroeconomic and political climate, particularly the push for lower interest rates, continues. He notes that while some sellers have entered the market, the overall trend suggests Bitcoin is "destined to go higher." However, he cautions that a change in policy from President Donald Trump could alter his thesis. Source
Square, the payment platform owned by the parent company Block, has officially rolled out Bitcoin payments for its merchants. This new feature allows businesses to accept Bitcoin as a form of payment, with the process being as simple as customers scanning a QR code at checkout. According to Block's Bitcoin product lead, the integration aims to economically empower merchants by giving them more options for accepting payments, enabling them to get paid faster and retain more of their revenue. The rollout is part of Block's long-standing advocacy for Bitcoin, with the goal of making it more accessible and usable in everyday life.
This announcement comes as Block's stock price has surged following its addition to the S&P 500. The company's inclusion in the prestigious index is seen as a significant milestone, reflecting its growth from a payments processor to a major fintech firm. The move has also been viewed as a sign of the increasing mainstream acceptance of digital payments and cryptocurrency. Block, which was founded by Jack Dorsey, previously announced its intention to integrate Bitcoin payments earlier in the year and is now beginning to onboard its first merchants for the new experience. Source
Solana's core developers have put forth a new upgrade proposal, SIMD-0286, which aims to aggressively increase the network's capacity. The proposal seeks to raise the per-block compute limit from 60 million to 100 million compute units (CU), representing a 66% boost in throughput. This is the latest in a series of upgrades, following a recent increase from 50 million to 60 million CU, and it is intended to provide the network with additional capacity to handle more transactions and complex operations, particularly for applications in decentralized finance (DeFi) and gaming.
While the increase is designed to improve efficiency, the developers acknowledge that such a substantial boost in capacity could pose potential issues for the broader network infrastructure beyond just the validators. The proposal's primary purpose is to ensure that most network participants can keep up with the demands of the network, but a larger block size requires more powerful hardware for validators to process. Despite these potential challenges, the upgrade is seen as a crucial step for Solana to remain competitive with other scaling solutions and to handle growing on-chain activity without encountering congestion. Source
Anchorage Digital, a digital asset platform for institutional investors, has launched a new stablecoin issuance platform, with Ethena's USDtb stablecoin as its first partner. This move is a direct response to the passage of the GENIUS stablecoin regulation in the United States, which provides the regulatory clarity that had previously deterred many financial institutions from engaging with stablecoins. The launch will allow USDtb, which was previously issued offshore, to be issued in the US in full compliance with the new federal framework, which requires 1:1 backing with liquid reserves and regular audits. The article highlights that stablecoins, which offer benefits like real-time settlement and enhanced transparency, are becoming essential infrastructure for regulated players.
The passage of the GENIUS Act is being seen as a watershed moment for the crypto industry, triggering a surge in the stablecoin market and prompting several traditional financial firms to announce their own stablecoin plans. Since the bill was signed, institutions like PNC Bank and Western Union have revealed their intentions to explore or integrate crypto services and stablecoins into their businesses. The article points to a broader trend of major financial players entering the stablecoin space, with the newfound regulatory certainty allowing them to confidently offer digital fiat tokens as an alternative to legacy financial systems. 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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