Month: May 2025

Ethereum’s Pectra Upgrade Goes Live: Could This Be Ethereum’s Breakout Moment?

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Ethereum’s “Pectra” network upgrade has successfully completed its mainnet launch. The update merges the Prague execution layer and the Electra consensus layer, delivering a suite of network protocol improvements, including enhancing layer 2 scaling, smart wallet functionality, improving UX, and overall efficiency of the Ethereum network.  Bitcoin’s dominance has risen to a 4-year-high, commanding over … Read more

Meet Brandenburg Labs, Winner of Startups of The Year 2024 in Thuringia, Germany

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The special Startups of The Year 2024 Winners Interview series is a celebration of all this year’s Tech Champions. You’ve earned it! The HackerNoon community can’t wait to learn more about your journey! https://hackernoon.com/startups/europe/europe-thuringia-germany?stup=66f316a96ea4677e23d813b3&embedable=true Tell us about you. At Brandenburg Labs, our mission is to bridge the gap between the digital and the real world … Read more

The AI Industry’s Obsession With Transformers Might Finally Be Waning

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The AI industry’s obsession with Transformers might finally be waning. While OpenAI and Google with their extensive language models capture the public attention, there is a more discreet change taking place in the way AI is implemented into production systems, or how it is AI is utilized within industry processes. Among practitioners who are less … Read more

Privacy-Focused Zcash Tops Key Resistance Above $40 to Flash Bull Signal

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This is a daily technical analysis by CoinDesk analyst and Chartered Market Technician Omkar Godbole. Prices for privacy-protecting digital currency Zcash (ZEC) have moved past a key resistance or supply zone, hinting at bigger gains ahead. Since February, ZEC has traded sideways, with sellers dominating above $40. Meanwhile, dips near $25 have consistently found support, … Read more

Feds deny late disclosure of evidence in Samourai Wallet case

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US federal prosecutors have rebutted claims they suppressed evidence in their case against the co-founders of the crypto mixing service Samourai Wallet, arguing their disclosure of a conversation with Treasury Department staff was made within the required timeframes.  In a May 9 letter to a Manhattan federal court, prosecutors opposed a request for a hearing, … Read more

Asia’s Biggest Corporate Bitcoin Holder Buys Another $126M in BTC

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Tokyo-listed investment firm Metaplanet has added another 1,241 bitcoin (BTC) to its treasury, spending 18.4 billion yen (or $126 million at currency exchange rates) in its latest purchase, per a Monday disclosure. The acquisition brings Metaplanet’s total holdings to 6,796 BTC, worth over $706 million at current market prices. That has sent it above bitcoin-stacking … Read more

DeFi lending TVL is outpacing DEXs due to more sustainable yield — VC

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Crypto users could be looking for a more sustainable yield this cycle, as total value locked in decentralized finance (DeFi) lending continues to hit new highs while decentralized exchanges (DEXs) have lagged in comparison. DeFi lending protocols are currently the leading DeFi vertical in TVL at $53.6 billion, representing 43% of the $124.6 billion locked … Read more

Metaplanet now holds more Bitcoin than El Salvador

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Japanese investment firm Metaplanet has added another $129 million to its Bitcoin treasury, pushing its total holdings past the Bitcoin-stacking country of El Salvador.  “Metaplanet now holds more Bitcoin than El Salvador. From humble beginnings to rivaling nation-states, we’re just getting started,” said CEO Simon Gerovich on X after the latest purchase announcement.  On May … Read more

Bitcoin Eyes Record High Above $109K as U.S Reaches Trade Deal with China, Inflation Data Looms

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Bitcoin BTC could soon hit record price highs, triggering accelerated gains in the wider altcoin market, as easing U.S.-China trade tensions may see markets react positively to a potential slowdown in the April CPI due this week. The United States has reached a trade agreement with China after two days of high-level negotiations in Geneva, … Read more

US-China trade deal could shed light on Bitcoin’s use case: Trader

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Bitcoin’s potential price reaction to a trade deal between the United States and China could give insights into whether Bitcoin is being used as a safe-haven asset in the current market. Bitcoin (BTC) outperformed stocks and held up “incredibly strong” during a sharp sell-off on stock markets in April, following Donald Trump’s announcement of tariffs … Read more

‘Dark stablecoins’ could emerge as regulations tighten

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Censorship-resistant “dark stablecoins” could come in increasing demand as governments tighten their oversight of the industry.  Stablecoins have been used for various groups to store assets due to a lack of government interference; however, with regulations pending, that could soon change, Ki Young Ju, CEO of crypto analytics firm CryptoQuant, said in a May 11 … Read more

Ledger secures Discord after hacker bot tried to steal seed phrases

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Hardware wallet provider Ledger has confirmed its Discord server is secure again after an attacker compromised a moderator’s account to post scam links on May 11 to trick users into revealing their seed phrases on a third-party website. “One of our contracted moderators had their account compromised, which allowed a malicious bot to post scam … Read more