Author: Michael Johnson
Ethereum’s All Core Developer calls are a lot to keep up with, so this “Checkpoint” series aims for high-level updates roughly every 4-8 weeks, depending on what’s happening in core development. See the previous update here. If you enjoy reading core development updates, you may also be keen to learn that Forkcast now publishes call summaries, chats and transcripts for each All Core Dev (ACD) call and some breakout calls, usually available within a couple hours of the call. tl;dr: The Fusaka upgrade shipped alongside the ability to adjust blob parameters independently from fork cycles. The next upgrade, Glamsterdam, is…
Ethereum (ETH) holds near $3,000 as institutions accumulate despite mixed short-term sentiment. Strong staking, wallet growth, and ETF inflows support Ethereum’s price floor. ERC-8004 could unlock AI-driven on-chain demand and long-term ETH value. Ethereum is entering a pivotal phase as price action, institutional flows, and protocol-level innovation begin to converge. After a volatile start to the year, ETH has reclaimed the $3,000 level, signalling renewed confidence among both traders and long-term holders. At the time of writing, Ethereum is trading near $3,010, with a market capitalisation of roughly $364 billion and a 24-hour trading range between $2,899 and $3,028. This…
Community & educationCal Hacks 12.0Collegiate hackathon organized at the University of California, Berkeley covering themes such as AI and web3.Community & educationDestino DevconnectGrants round focused on supporting community-led events and initiatives that help bring Argentina and the broader Latin America region onchain.Community & educationETH Latam Hackathon Brasil 2025ETHSambaHackathon hosted in São Paulo, Brazil prioritizing real-world Ethereum and onboarding new builders.EmailCommunity & educationFunding the Commons: Buenos Aires 2025Conference hosted in Buenos Aires, Argentina revolving around RealFi: financial infrastructure designed for real-world coordination, access, and public goods funding.Community & educationHigh Assurance Crypto Software (HACS) Workshop 2026Workshop organized in Taipei, Taiwan bringing together…
Starknet uses zero-knowledge rollups to batch transactions off chain and settle on Ethereum. The project is also pursuing Bitcoin DeFi integration through its BTCFi initiative. The STRK token price remained stable despite the disruption. Starknet, an Ethereum layer-2 network built on zero-knowledge rollups, entered 2026 dealing with an unexpected mainnet disruption that temporarily interrupted network activity. The incident surfaced at a moment when layer-2 infrastructure is increasingly critical to Ethereum’s scaling roadmap, with developers and users relying on these networks for faster execution and lower costs. As decentralised applications expand across finance, gaming, and experimental Bitcoin-linked use cases, even short…
Wyoming has launched FRNT, the first stablecoin issued and backed by a US state government. The dollar-pegged token is fully backed by cash and Treasuries and managed by Franklin Templeton. Interest from reserves is directed to Wyoming public schools rather than token holders. Wyoming has formally entered the digital asset market by issuing the first stablecoin created and backed by a US state government. The launch places a publicly managed dollar-pegged token directly onto open crypto networks, marking a shift from privately issued stablecoins that currently dominate the market. Known as the Frontier Stable Token (FRNT), the project reflects years…
The TRU token collapsed from $0.1659 to near zero, wiping out market value. Liquidity on decentralised exchanges dried up following the exploit. The attacker wallet was linked to a Sparkle protocol attack 12 days earlier. A serious security breach at Truebit Protocol has triggered one of the sharpest collapses seen in decentralised finance this year. The blockchain project, which focuses on verified computing, lost around $26.5 million after an attacker exploited a weakness in its smart contract system. The incident sent the protocol’s native TRU token crashing to near zero and left liquidity across decentralised exchanges severely strained. On-chain movements…
Funds were split between two wallets holding $3.3 million and $880,000. The exploit involved MEV-linked addresses and preemptive transaction timing. MakinaFi has not released a technical statement or mitigation plan. A major crypto breach has struck MakinaFi, draining millions in Ethereum from the decentralised finance platform. The incident resulted in the loss of 1,299 ETH, valued at roughly $4.13 million at the time of the attack. PeckShieldAlert flagged the theft on X, where it traced the movement of the stolen assets across Ethereum wallets. The breach quickly gained traction online as blockchain analysts and on-chain trackers pieced together the flow…
Swap wETH to Mantle’s mETH from major chains in under 60 seconds. No traditional bridges, slippage, or complex onboarding steps required. Netting + rebalancing cuts liquidity fragmentation and operational costs. The blockchain industry’s liquidity fragmentation problem has a new solution. Everclear, the interoperability protocol formerly known as Connext, has launched cross-chain asset settlement on Mantle Network. The partnership will allow users to convert wrapped Ethereum (wETH) from major chains including Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, and Polygon directly into Mantle’s mETH token in under 60 seconds. The integration bypasses traditional bridging entirely, marking a significant infrastructure breakthrough for decentralized finance adoption. The…
Some crypto community members accused the project team of removing liquidity, sparking rug pull fears. Rune flagged data suggesting $3.4 million was drained from the token’s liquidity pool. Bubblemaps showed $2.5 million in USDC removed near the peak, with $900,000 not returned after partial additions. Former New York City Mayor Eric Adams has launched a Solana-based meme coin that he said is aimed at fighting antisemitism and supporting the next phase of innovation in the city. The token, called the New York City token (NYC), was announced in a Jan. 13 post on X and quickly went live for trading…
Hacker Protocol drained 1,337 ETH via compromised Unleash multisig governance. The stolen funds have been sent through Tornado Cash to obscure transaction trails. The breach is limited to Unleash, and Story Protocol infrastructure is unaffected. A hacker who recently exploited Unleash Protocol has begun laundering stolen funds through the Ethereum-based privacy service Tornado Cash, according to on-chain data and blockchain security firms. The attacker is attempting to obscure the trail of roughly 1,337 ETH, valued at close to $4 million, drained from Unleash earlier this week. Security companies PeckShield and CertiK have reported that the funds were transferred to Ethereum…