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24 May 2026, 09:22

Blockchain researcher defends Ethereum Foundation, says it’s ‘exactly’ doing its job

William Mougayar says critics are measuring the Ethereum Foundation by the wrong standard, claiming it was never meant to pump ETH or court institutions.

24 May 2026, 08:54

Ethereum Stablecoin Marketcap Surges Over $163 Billion

Ethereum’s stablecoin market capitalization has soared over $164 billion, thanks to growing adoption and regulatory developments. Despite the surge in the stablecoin’s market cap, Ethereum is still facing a revenue-related issue after the Dencun upgrade. The approval of the GENIUS Act in 2025 and the progress in the CLARITY Act have boosted the confidence of major financial institutions and banks to integrate digital assets into their existing infrastructure. Amid the positive regulatory developments and growing adoption of stablecoins by traditional players, Ethereum has witnessed an impressive jump in the stablecoin market capitalization, soaring over $164 billion on May 23, 2026. (Source: DeFiLlama ) The staggering market capitalization of stablecoin on Ethereum makes it the biggest blockchain network for stablecoin, as it holds more than 50% market share of the total market capitalization of $323 billion. This makes it the biggest settlement layer for dollar-pegged stablecoins by outperforming Tron and other chains. Ethereum-based Stablecoins See Growth in Adoption After Approval of GENIUS Act The surge in the stablecoin market cap is coming after its growing integration into the traditional finance sector, as it provides numerous benefits. In the last few months, big institutions have selected the Ethereum network for their operations because of its strong security, liquidity, etc. Major stablecoin issuers like Tether for USDT and Circle for USDC are using Ethereum as their main network. USDT is the biggest USD-pegged stablecoin right now, which has around $189 billion in market capitalization as it is being used for various purposes such as payments, cross-border remittances, decentralized finance, and tokenized real-world assets. Apart from its adoption, the major developments in the regulatory framework for digital assets have played a major role in boosting the confidence of financial institutions. Last year, U.S. President Donald Trump officially signed the GENIUS Act and turned it into the first federal law for the stablecoin market. This moment has triggered an excitement in the digital asset industry, and many major financial institutions from the traditional finance world have started rushing to integrate digital assets into their existing infrastructure. Major payment companies such as Visa, Stripe, through its Bridge acquisition, and PayPal have also integrated stablecoin to maintain their dominance in the digital payment ecosystem by adopting new generation innovations. The majority of these entities are using Ethereum as a main blockchain network. For example, PayPal’s native stablecoin, which is known as PYUSD, is available on Ethereum along with other blockchains. Similarly, Coinbase launched its stablecoin as a service player in 2025, which also allows users to integrate Ethereum. This platform allows users to create and issue their own branded stablecoins that are backed by USDC. After the launch, there are many partners who have joined this project, including Flipcash. Amid the boom in the stablecoin market, the banking sector has also expressed its interest in adopting the digital dollars available on the blockchain. Financial giants like BlackRock are rapidly developing infrastructure to integrate stablecoins to settle transactions. In a similar trend, JPMorgan and other banks are also doing their experiments with deposit tokens and on-chain treasury solutions. Ethereum Network Sees Growth, But Revenue Stalls The surge in the stablecoin market cap on the blockchain network comes after it recorded its highest number of transactions in a single day in April. (Source: Etherscan ) According to on-chain data on Etherscan , the network has recorded around 3.6 million transactions on April 28, creating a new all-time high in the history of the Ethereum network. This large number of transactions has helped the network to record a high of over 72 million transactions in the entire month. The surge in network activity comes from the growing stablecoin and DeFi activities. Despite the growth in network activities, Ethereum is also facing issues in order to generate efficient revenue. The fees paid by the users on the network and the burning of ETH tokens have dropped after the Dencun upgrade. Recently, the former Ethereum Foundation researcher, Dankrad Feist, has proposed a new organization “that’s economically aligned with Ethereum.” Despite the growth in the network, the Ethereum price is still consolidating between a tight range of around $2,100 to $2,250. At the time of writing this, the ETH price is hovering around $2,117 with a market capitalization of $255 billion, according to CoinMarketCap . Also Read: SEC Delays Innovation Exemption for Tokenized Stocks

24 May 2026, 06:15

Here’s why Near Protocol, Ondo, and Hyperliquid crypto tokens are rising

Top crypto tokens like Near Protocol (NEAR), Ondo Finance (ONDO), and Hyperliquid (HYPE) were among the top gainers today, May 24, as investors bought their recent dips. NEAR token jumped by 13%, while Ondo and HYPE jumped by over 10%. Near Protocol price jumps amid AI hype NEAR crypto token has been one of the best-performing coins in the crypto industry in the past few months. It has jumped by over 172% from its lowest point this year, mirroring the gains made by top AI tokens like Akash Network and Venice AI. Near token continued its rally recently as the developers launched confidential payments on its Near.com platform. This feature enables users to send crypto tokens in a private way that only the sender and the recipient knows. It has also launched some important AI models for its Near.ai platform. These features mean that Near is at the intersection of two of the fastest-growing industries in the crypto industry: AI and privacy. Hyperliquid price jumps as volume jumps Hyperliquid token has also done well in the past few days and is now hovering at its all-time high. HYPE’s surge has been driven by several key catalysts in the past few months. The first one is the fact that the recently launched ETFs have done well, with their combined inflows soaring to over $74 million. 21Shares’ THYP and Bitwise’s BHYP have added over $48 million and $40 million, respectively. These inflows mean that there is demand for the HYPE token as American investors bet on its fundamentals. The token also jumped as volume, and its open interest soared this weekend as traders traded crude oil and gold futures. Crude oil and gold volume jumped after President Trump announced a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz . Data shows that Hyperliquid’s volume soared to $6.2 billion in the last 24 hours, higher than Aster, ApeX Protocol, Lighter, and edgeX, combined. Hyperliquid has also made some major developments in the past few months. For example, it has become one of the most profitable players in the crypto industry, making over $850 million in the last 12 months. It is using this revenue to burn its tokens. Ondo Finance growth in RWA is accelerating Ondo token price has also jumped from a low of $0.2091 in March to $0.48 today. This rally has happened because of its strong fundamentals, including the growing demand for USDY and OUSG, which have continued to attract investors. https://twitter.com/OndoFinance/status/2057899491534242019 At the same time, Ondo Global Markets has continued to attract traders, with its total value locked (TVL) rising to over $1 billion. This product makes it possible for traders to trade tokenized assets like stocks and exchange-traded funds. ONDO price chart | Source: TradingView Technicals have contributed to the ongoing ONDO price surge. It has formed a cup-and-handle pattern, a popular continuation sign in technical analysis. It is now in the handle section, meaning that the token may continue rising in the coming days or weeks. The post Here’s why Near Protocol, Ondo, and Hyperliquid crypto tokens are rising appeared first on Invezz

24 May 2026, 04:13

ZachXBT says StablR-linked contracts hacked for more than $3 million, EURR & USDR crash by 20%

On-chain sleuth ZachXBT said two contracts tied to European stablecoin issuer StablR may have been drained in a live exploit worth about $10 million, with EURR and USDR both falling more than 20% below peg. He posted the alert on Telegram and said the attacker wallet was first funded through CCTP on Noble, and the main address he named was 0xea480c23d7b29a515856aafe0dc86f7519965a04. He also listed seven more addresses tied to the same incident: 0x09BE1A36c2d7f9909eb3D6F9184c6e46A12B0ACA, 0xD4677B5A8B1b97EA213Fdb876b0FcBAB3f9F6CD1, 0x6283558eB6948CA50A2bE942D98A41ca4d1Def40, 0xf1f70d7461356f32b97ddc2cd54a490d4363340e, 0x74b4621b82eb31c5fd9fbad5729bef1813e26dcf, 0x8aaa93d06bf8de94c282f66a16effe6d9d94d038, and 0x5D2184d84b82B67c1818Bbec8ce81E7Df14F6bAb. Zach’s first post said, “Two contracts related to European stablecoin issuer StablR appear to have been potentially exploited for ~$10M (EURR & USDR).” ZachXBT says he helped freeze six figures while the StablR attack kept running About two hours later, ZachXBT posted another update, saying “I have helped freeze 6 figures,” then added that the StablR team seemed to be asleep while the attack was still active after three hours. He noted that both EURR and USDR have dropped over 20% against their pegs. This is what matters most to traders. No matter how a stablecoin may market itself with its collateral, licenses, reserves, and technology, it is the breakdown of its peg that makes people turn to wallets. USDR is the dollar-pegged stablecoin of StablR. It is an ERC-20 token on the Ethereum blockchain that allows using USDR as wallets, on exchanges, and in various DeFi protocols supporting Ethereum-based tokens. StablR claims that USDR is issued 1:1 based on the assets kept separately, including cash and short-term government bonds. Source : ZachXBT/Telegram StablR Ltd. has a license issued by the Malta Financial Services Authority as a Financial Institution. According to the company, USDR is a MiCA-compliant Electronic Money Token operating in the European Union. Thus, the idea was to make it accessible to users and corporations needing a regulated dollar-pegged token amid restrictions imposed on large stablecoins in the EU. The main purpose of this token is to use it in payments, foreign exchange transactions, and on-chain treasury management. It is supposed to work globally at any time without higher fees compared to the old payment system. Now that the exploit is made public, all the focus turns to the frozen funds, hacker wallets, and recovery of EURR and USDR pegs. If you're reading this, you’re already ahead. Stay there with our newsletter .

24 May 2026, 00:30

Grayscale Names 4 Crypto Networks Poised to Gain From CLARITY Act

Grayscale identified Ethereum, Solana, BNB Chain, and Canton Network as blockchain networks positioned to benefit from clearer U.S. digital-asset rules, including potential passage of the CLARITY Act. The research cited tokenized assets, DeFi, stablecoins, and institutional infrastructure as key areas of potential demand. Crypto Networks to Benefit From CLARITY Act Passage Grayscale shared a research

23 May 2026, 18:48

Crypto CEO Security Costs Surge as Physical Attacks Rise 75%

Coinbase reportedly spent approximately $7.6 million on personal security for CEO Brian Armstrong in 2025, a more than 20% increase from the year before. This is according to the company’s proxy filings cited in a report by Bloomberg, with the spending coming after physical attacks on crypto holders rose 75% last year. Per data from blockchain security firm CertiK, there have been 72 confirmed incidents and $41 million in known losses. Crypto Firms Tighten Security After Wave of Violent Attacks That $7.6 million figure stated in the Bloomberg piece exceeds what major Wall Street banks typically disclose for CEO protection. For context, Gemini reportedly spent around $2.5 million on security for the two co-founders, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, in 2025 and has since signed a deal to protect the twins and their families for $400,000 per month. Circle spent nearly $800,000 on its CEO, Jeremy Allaire, in 2024, while Robinhood spent approximately $1.6 million on Vlad Tenev. The rest of the industry reaction can be observed in other places as well. For example, during the Bitcoin 2026 conference in Las Vegas just last month, high-profile speakers could be seen walking around with personal bodyguards. And to show how seriously the community is taking security, a workshop led by Bitcoin security expert Ben Perrin that taught attendees how to protect their digital assets under physical coercion, as well as how to use decoy wallets, time-lock mechanisms, and duress features on hardware wallets, was one of the most heavily attended at the conference. It was the same a few weeks earlier at Paris Blockchain Week, where guests were escorted by a police motorcade to a VIP dinner while organizers doubled security around the event. The threat is very real, as seen when a crypto holder known online as Sillytuna reported in March that armed attackers stole around $24 million in tokens after physically intimidating him and threatening him with kidnapping and sexual assault. The Structural Problem Beneath the Headlines The reason why crypto owners are so vulnerable boils down to the technology itself. As we know, public blockchains are pseudonymous and not anonymous, thus revealing ownership information for anyone with proper analytical tools to view. As such, leaked exchange data and chain analytics have together created, as Bloomberg put it, “a legible map of who holds what.” For that reason, demand for protection services has responded accordingly. Executive Risk Services, a firm focused on the digital-asset industry, went from receiving client inquiries roughly once per quarter two years ago to about once a week now. Meanwhile, Amsterdam-based Infinite Risks International, which provides bodyguards, armored vehicles, and social media monitoring to crypto holders, has seen more inquiries, more long-term clients, and more proactive requests, according to managing director Jethro Pijlman. According to the report, France has become a hotspot for crypto crime after a string of attacks on crypto entrepreneurs and their families. Things have gotten so bad that last year, the country’s Interior Minister promised to establish a priority emergency number for the industry, with elite police units offering security briefings for crypto executives and their families. The post Crypto CEO Security Costs Surge as Physical Attacks Rise 75% appeared first on CryptoPotato .