Stripe Re-Enters Crypto Payments With USDC on Ethereum, Polygon, and Solana

Stripe, the fintech giant, has decided to re-enter the cryptocurrency payment space after a six-year hiatus, starting with USDC stablecoins on the Solana, Ethereum, and Polygon blockchains. This move, introduced by co-founder John Collison at the Connect developer conference, is aimed at improving customer flexibility by offering a more stable and better user experience with … Read more

Pantera Capital Targets $1 Billion for New ‘All-in-One’ Blockchain Fund Set for 2025 Launch

Pantera Capital is planning to launch Pantera Fund V in April 2025, aiming to raise over $1 billion for investment in a diverse range of blockchain-based assets, representing a consolidation of its investment strategy into an ‘all-in-one’ fund. The new fund will include startup equity, early-stage tokens, and liquid tokens among its assets, and seeks … Read more

Marathon Digital Ramps up Bitcoin Mining Goals, Targets 50 EH/s Hash Rate for 2024

Marathon Digital plans to increase its 2024 hash rate target for Bitcoin mining from 35-37 EH/s to 50 EH/s, thanks to expanded capacity from recent acquisitions, aiming to more than double its mining operations without the need to raise additional capital. The company’s growth includes purchasing a 200 megawatt Bitcoin mining center and two additional … Read more

Edward Snowden Defends Crypto Privacy, Criticizes DOJ for Samourai Wallet Arrests

Edward Snowden criticized the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for targeting app developers aimed at restoring financial privacy, responding to the arrest of the founders and CEO of cryptocurrency mixing service Samourai Wallet on charges related to money laundering and operating without a license. Snowden’s remarks show his ongoing support for financial privacy within the … Read more

Meta Faces Tough Market Response as AI Investments Surge and Metaverse Losses Continue

Meta’s shares dropped 15% in after-hours trading following announcements in April of plans for significant investment in AI, alongside a weaker revenue outlook and continued losses in its metaverse division, Reality Labs. The company anticipates its expenses will soar to between $96 billion and $99 billion for the fiscal year, attributing the increase to higher … Read more

OP_CAT Proposal Assigned BIP-347, Aims to Enhance Bitcoin With Ethereum-Style Smart Contracts

OP_CAT, a proposal aimed at introducing Ethereum-like smart contract functionality to Bitcoin, has been assigned the Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP) number 347, marking the first step towards potentially implementing this long-discussed software upgrade. Co-authors Ethan Heilman and Armin Sabouri have emphasized that receiving a BIP number mainly facilitates discussion around the proposal by providing a … Read more

HBAR Token Price Soars 96% After Misinterpreted Blackrock Announcement

A misinterpreted announcement by the HBAR Foundation suggested that Blackrock’s ICS US Treasury Fund was tokenized on the Hedera blockchain in partnership with Archax and Ownera, leading to a significant misunderstanding and a 96% increase in the HBAR token price within 24 hours. However, Blackrock had no direct involvement in the tokenization process, as clarified … Read more

Cosmos Developers Patch Critical Flaw in IBC Protocol, Safeguarding $126 Million in Assets

Cosmos developers have successfully rectified a critical security vulnerability in its Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) protocol, which had placed assets worth at least $126 million in jeopardy, following a private notification from Asymmetric Research. This flaw, existing in the protocol since its 2021 inception, became exploitable recently with the introduction of new codebase developments but was … Read more

Vitalik Buterin Among Several High-Profile Names With Over $1 Million Locked in Bridges

Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, reportedly has over $1 million trapped in the Optimism bridge, a situation highlighted in a broader analysis by Arkham, which exposes numerous wallets with significant funds locked on various bridge contracts. Among these, a wallet associated with Bofur Capital has $1.8 million in wrapped Bitcoin stuck on an Arbitrum bridge … Read more

Animoca Brands Japan Teams up With Square Enix to Market ‘Symbiogenesis’ and Its NFT Collection

Animoca Brands Japan, a subsidiary of Animoca Brands, has signed an Memorandum of Understanding with Square Enix to assist in the marketing of the upcoming game Symbiogenesis and its related NFT collection. Square Enix, known for high-profile games like Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts, will leverage Animoca’s experience in Web3 to facilitate Symbiogenesis’s overseas expansion, … Read more