hodler

20 May 2026, 12:57

Lighter's LIT token rallies 20% after Vitalik Buterin mention and SpaceX futures launch

Lighter’s native token, LIT, surged by more than 20% in the past 24 hours after hitting a high of $1.23 on May 20. It is the token’s highest price since mid-March. As to how it happened, analysts are pointing out possible catalysts that came together to give the decentralized perpetual futures exchange the latest boost. LIT’s trading volume is now over $75.8 million, a 100% jump in the past 24 hours. Why is LIT’s price rallying? Lighter’s rally coincided with a fireside chat featuring Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, a new trading terminal integration, and the launch of synthetic pre-IPO futures tied to SpaceX. Lighter founder Vlad Novakovski joined Buterin and Ethereum Foundation member Joseph Schweitzer on May 18 for a conversation about high-performance applications on Ethereum and the scaling roadmap for ZK rollups. Buterin praised Lighter, stating that it was one of the more notable projects building on Ethereum during the discussion. LIT price has reached its highest level since March. Source: CoinMarketCap An integration with Tealstreet is touted as the second catalyst for the rise in LIT’s fortunes. Tealstreet is a trading terminal popular among active derivatives traders, and the partnership gives its users direct access to Lighter’s order books from within the terminal. Lighter’s rollout of a synthetic SpaceX pre-IPO perpetual futures market , which taps into speculative demand around the privately held rocket company, is being seen as the third reason for its current rally. That product has also drawn attention from traders looking for exposure to assets that are currently not available on traditional venues. ZK verification milestone adds to sentiment On May 19, a day before the price move, blockchain risk assessor L2BEAT announced it had independently regenerated all ZK circuits used by Lighter’s layer-2 chain from source code. The verification was a form of vote of confidence for Lighter, as users no longer need to trust the project’s team to perform a permissionless emergency exit from the network. The numbers behind Lighter’s rally Lighter runs on its own ZK rollup, zkLighter, offering both spot and perpetual futures trading. The protocol holds over $488 million in total value locked (TVL) across Ethereum and Arbitrum, according to DeFiLlama . Its annualized revenue stands at $26.3 million, with cumulative perpetual futures volume exceeding $1.6 trillion since launch. Lighter also has an automated buyback mechanism that runs every hour without human intervention. The fees are collected and converted into 100 buy-side limit orders for LIT, then spread from the current price down to 10% below, according to the project’s May 11 post on X. As of that date, the protocol had repurchased 12.5 million LIT tokens since its token generation event , representing 5% of the circulating supply. Lighter raised $68 million in a November 2025 round backed by Founders Fund, Ribbit Capital, Haun Ventures, and Robin Hood Ventures. Has LIT set a new price record? The rally brought LIT’s market capitalization to around $297 million at a circulating supply of 250 million tokens, with a fully diluted valuation (FDV) near $1.2 billion, according to CoinMarketCap. The token will still need a stronger rally to beat its all-time high of $4.04 set in late December. Its all-time low of $0.78 was recorded on March 31, 2026. The strength of the momentum will be put to the test once attention wanes and shows how much of the move was driven by fundamentals versus short-term speculation. Don’t just read crypto news. Understand it. Subscribe to our newsletter. It's free .

20 May 2026, 12:28

Vitalik Buterin outlines three near-term moves to bring native privacy to Ethereum

Ethereum’s co-founder, Vitalik Buterin, has revealed three technical initiatives that are already underway to move the network toward built-in transaction privacy. With growing demand for privacy and quantum resistance, Vitalik has presented his own proposals for how the network can deliver on what some individuals argue could lead to higher network fees and maximize relevance. What is Ethereum doing to add native privacy? In a post on X , Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum co-founder, named three live technical efforts to solve the problem of transaction privacy. Account abstraction paired with FOCIL (a forced inclusion list mechanism) A new proposal called keyed nonces Access-layer work, including a project called Kohaku and private read capabilities. FOCIL (Fork-Choice Enforced Inclusion Lists) makes it harder for anyone to block private transactions. Keyed nonces change how the Ethereum network counts and orders transactions. And the access-layer changes are aimed at preventing data leakage when wallets check the blockchain. Short-term things being done to shift Ethereum toward native privacy: * AA + FOCIL (makes privacy protocol txs, among many other things, first-class with strong inclusion guarantees) * Keyed nonces: https://t.co/BeTJvFhxiV * Access-layer work (Kohaku, private reads…) https://t.co/MImWVYXBQv — vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) May 20, 2026 The keyed nonces effort already has a formal specification. EIP-8250 replaces Ethereum’s single sender nonce with a two-part system. This gives frame transactions independent replay domains. The new system prevents observers from linking transactions that originate from the same account but belong to different contexts. The proposal aims to support up to 500 billion privacy-related records over eight years without damaging decentralization. Vitalik argued that storing these 500 billion “nullifiers” is actually easier for the network than storing regular data, because nullifiers have a simple structure that allows for sharding and bloom filters. That keeps Ethereum decentralized even at a massive scale. Aside from the replay problem, privacy protocols like Privacy Pools and Railgun currently depend on external relayers to broadcast transactions on a user’s behalf, adding cost and a single point of failure. Account abstraction lets these protocols verify signatures natively, while FOCIL’s inclusion lists make it harder for block builders to censor the resulting transactions. Combined, the two eliminate the relay dependency that has kept privacy tools expensive and fragile to maintain. In April 2025, Buterin posted a nine-step roadmap that includes changes like migrating wallets to a one-address-per-application model, replacing trusted execution environments with cryptographic private information retrieval for RPC calls, and building proof aggregation so multiple privacy transactions can share a single on-chain proof. On the same day as Buterin’s update, crypto analyst MilliΞ argued on X that native privacy is “the type of feature that can give an asset true ‘moneyness’ qualities” and predicted that layer-1 privacy could drive higher mainnet transaction fees. Ethereum is juggling privacy with quantum resistance Ethereum’s privacy upgrades are linked to its other defensive priorities. The Ethereum Foundation has announced that it is preparing quantum-resistant cryptography across four areas: consensus signatures, data availability commitments, account signatures, and application-layer zero-knowledge proofs. These areas overlap directly with Buterin’s privacy roadmap . Account abstraction, for instance, is an important part of both efforts. EIP-8141, which could arrive in the Hegotá hard fork in the second half of 2026, would let individual accounts adopt quantum-safe signature schemes without waiting for the whole network to change. Cryptopolitan has previously reported on how privacy and quantum preparedness often advance in tandem, since both depend on upgrading the same cryptographic primitives. The Ethereum Foundation formed a dedicated post-quantum security team in January 2026 and is aiming to complete the core infrastructure by approximately 2029. If you're reading this, you’re already ahead. Stay there with our newsletter .

20 May 2026, 12:27

ZEC Price Surges 10% as SEC Ends Zcash Foundation Probe With No Action

ZEC price rose 10% over the past 24 hours to trade near $564.30 after the Zcash Foundation said the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission closed its investigation without recommending enforcement action. The update was included in the Zcash Foundation’s Q1 2026 report. The foundation said the SEC inquiry began with a subpoena in August 2023 and has now ended with the agency informing the organization that it does not intend to pursue enforcement action. The announcement removes a regulatory issue that had remained over the Zcash ecosystem for more than two years. Zcash is a privacy-focused blockchain network whose native token, ZEC, is used for payments and shielded transactions. SEC Closes Zcash Foundation Investigation The Zcash Foundation said the SEC’s decision gives it greater clarity as it continues work on protocol governance, network infrastructure, and future upgrades. The report described the first quarter of 2026 as one of the most active periods in the foundation’s history. The foundation also said the Zcash network continued operating normally during governance uncertainty involving Electric Coin Company. Governance disputes at ECC led much of its development team to leave during the quarter, according to the report. Despite that disruption, the foundation said Zcash continued producing blocks and settling transactions. It also said user funds and privacy were not affected, adding that the network’s decentralized structure allowed operations to continue without relying on one organization. Zcash Foundation Reports $36.7M in Liquid Assets As of March 31, the Zcash Foundation reported about $36.7 million in liquid assets. The holdings included 85,412 ZEC, 41.8 BTC, around 506,600 USDC, and a small amount of ETH. The foundation also reported average monthly operating expenses of about $272,500. The figures provide a view of its treasury position as it continues supporting Zcash development, governance, and network infrastructure. During Q1, the foundation said it deployed new DNS seeders in the United States and Europe after ECC’s DNS seeders stopped responding. DNS seeders help users and nodes discover peers on the network. The foundation also announced work on a native Rust DNS seeder built on the zebra-network crate. The system includes rate limiting, a lock-free architecture, and Prometheus metrics for monitoring. Engineering work also continued on Zebra, the Zcash Foundation’s node implementation. Zebra 4.0.0 focused on observability and developer experience, while Zebra 4.1.0 added broader Prometheus monitoring. The team also advanced work tied to Network Upgrade 7, known as NU7. ZEC Price Tests Key Technical Levels ZEC’s price move followed the SEC update and renewed attention on Zcash’s technical structure. Market analyst Ardi said ZEC has broken through both a descending trendline and the $540 macro resistance level. The analyst also noted that ZEC closed back above a prior lower high near $560 for the first time since the corrective structure began. Holding that zone as support could allow price to move toward the $590 to $600 resistance area. Source: X If the ZEC price fails to hold near $560, traders may look back to $540 as the next key support. The analyst said the clearest trade setups remain either a retest of $540 with invalidation below, or a break above the $640 highs. The current range places ZEC between restored support and overhead resistance. A sustained move above $600 could increase attention on the $640 level, while a move below $540 would weaken the short-term breakout structure.

20 May 2026, 12:00

Ripple And Project Eleven Join Forces To Make XRP Ledger Quantum-Ready

A full audit of the XRP Ledger’s validators, custody systems, wallets, and networking layers is now underway, led by quantum security firm Project Eleven in collaboration with Ripple. The review is part of a broader push to prepare the XRP Ledger ecosystem for a future where quantum computers could threaten the cryptographic systems that blockchains currently rely on. Related Reading: XRP Will Go ‘Higher, Much Higher,’ Analyst Says, Betting On Explosive Breakout Project Eleven’s Scope Goes Beyond Research Project Eleven described the collaboration as one of the first major efforts in the industry to move post-quantum blockchain security out of the theoretical stage and into real-world deployment. The firm said the work will produce actual code, real-world performance testing, and a roadmap toward production. Plans also include building hybrid signature systems that combine current cryptographic standards with quantum-resistant protections, along with a prototype quantum-secure custody wallet. Alex Pruden, CEO of Project Eleven, said most conversations around quantum risk in the blockchain space have stayed at the research level. Ripple, he said, is treating it as a practical engineering problem. The $XRP Ledger is built for the Quantum Era. It runs on a native account based architecture with built in key rotation. This allows businesses, projects, and users to seamlessly switch to quantum-resistant signatures while keeping the exact same r-addresses their customers… https://t.co/ydDVSrdFkL pic.twitter.com/cXij19CNq1 — XRP Ledger Foundation (@XRPLF) May 19, 2026 The US government has set a 2035 deadline for federal systems to move away from encryption standards considered vulnerable to quantum attacks. Google and Cloudflare have both targeted 2029 for their own transitions to quantum-safe systems. XRP Ledger’s Built-In Advantages The XRP Ledger Foundation said the network is not starting from scratch. According to the foundation, XRPL already supports key rotation and coordinated validator upgrades, features that give it structural advantages as the broader ecosystem moves toward quantum-resistant cryptography. One detail the foundation highlighted: users and businesses will be able to switch to quantum-resistant signatures without changing their existing XRP wallet addresses. Those addresses, known as r-addresses, are already recognized by customers. Keeping them intact during a migration removes a significant technical and operational hurdle. J. Ayo Akinyele, head of engineering at RippleX, said the goal is to have XRPL production-ready well before quantum threats become a real danger. Related Reading: Zcash Soars 88% In 30 Days: Is ZEC The Stealth Winner Of This Crypto Cycle? According to Project Eleven, the Ripple partnership is its most comprehensive blockchain security engagement to date. The cryptography protecting major blockchains including Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, and Solana could eventually be broken by advanced enough quantum computers, the firm said. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

20 May 2026, 11:55

TRON (TRX) Price Outlook 2026–2030: Realistic Targets Based on Network Growth and Market Cycles

BitcoinWorld TRON (TRX) Price Outlook 2026–2030: Realistic Targets Based on Network Growth and Market Cycles TRON (TRX) has established itself as one of the more resilient blockchain platforms since its mainnet launch in 2018. With a focus on decentralized content sharing and high-throughput transaction processing, the network has attracted a substantial user base, particularly in Asia. As we look toward 2026 and beyond, the question of how high TRX can realistically climb depends on several fundamental factors rather than speculative hype alone. Understanding TRON’s Current Position in the Crypto Landscape TRON currently operates as one of the largest blockchain networks by daily active users and transaction volume. The network’s architecture supports high-speed transactions at minimal cost, which has made it a popular choice for stablecoin transfers and decentralized application development. According to publicly available on-chain data, TRON processes millions of transactions daily, with USDT (Tether) transfers on the TRC-20 protocol accounting for a significant portion of this activity. The network’s transition to a Delegated Proof-of-Stake (DPoS) consensus mechanism has provided scalability advantages over older proof-of-work networks. However, critics have raised concerns about centralization risks inherent in the DPoS model, where a limited number of super representatives validate transactions. This tension between efficiency and decentralization remains a key factor for long-term investors to monitor. Key Drivers for TRX Price Through 2030 Network Adoption and Developer Activity The primary driver for any cryptocurrency’s long-term value is actual usage. TRON’s ecosystem has grown to include thousands of dApps spanning gaming, social media, and decentralized finance. The TRON Virtual Machine (TVM) compatibility with Ethereum has lowered barriers for developers migrating to the network. Sustained developer activity and user acquisition will be essential for TRX to maintain its market position against competing platforms like Solana, BNB Chain, and Ethereum layer-2 solutions. Regulatory Environment Cryptocurrency regulation remains one of the most significant variables affecting price trajectories. TRON’s founder Justin Sun has faced scrutiny from U.S. regulators, and the broader regulatory landscape continues to evolve. Clearer regulatory frameworks could provide institutional investors with the confidence to allocate capital to TRX, while restrictive policies could limit growth. The outcome of ongoing legal proceedings and regulatory decisions in major markets will likely influence TRX’s price action through 2026 and beyond. Market Cycles and Bitcoin Correlation Historical data shows that TRX, like most altcoins, exhibits strong correlation with Bitcoin’s price movements. The four-year halving cycle has historically driven bull markets approximately 12-18 months after each halving event. The next halving is expected in 2028, which suggests that 2029 could see another major market peak if historical patterns repeat. Between these cycles, TRX may experience extended consolidation periods or gradual accumulation phases. TRX Price Targets: 2026 Through 2030 Any price prediction beyond short-term technical analysis carries significant uncertainty. The following targets are based on network fundamentals, historical market behavior, and reasonable growth assumptions. They should not be interpreted as investment advice. 2026 Outlook Barring a major macroeconomic downturn or regulatory shock, TRX could trade within a range of $0.12 to $0.25 during 2026. This assumes continued network adoption and a generally favorable crypto market environment. The lower end of this range reflects bearish scenarios where regulatory pressures or competitive threats materialize. 2027–2028 Projections As the market approaches the next halving cycle, TRX may begin to show upward momentum. A conservative estimate places TRX between $0.20 and $0.40 during this period, contingent on the network maintaining its user base and expanding into new use cases such as real-world asset tokenization. More aggressive scenarios could see prices exceeding $0.50 if TRON achieves significant institutional adoption. 2029–2030 Peak Cycle Estimates If historical halving cycles hold, 2029 could represent the peak of the next major bull market. Under favorable conditions, TRX could reach $0.80 to $1.20 during this period. However, it is equally plausible that the market matures and produces smaller percentage gains compared to previous cycles, resulting in a peak closer to $0.50–$0.70. Post-peak corrections typically result in 70-90% drawdowns from cycle highs. Risks and Considerations Several factors could negatively impact TRX’s price trajectory. Competition from newer, more technologically advanced blockchain platforms could erode TRON’s market share. Security vulnerabilities, though rare, remain a risk for any blockchain network. Additionally, the concentration of TRX supply among early investors and the TRON Foundation could create selling pressure during price rallies. Macroeconomic factors including interest rate policies, inflation trends, and global economic stability will also influence cryptocurrency markets broadly. A prolonged bear market or recession could suppress TRX prices regardless of network fundamentals. Conclusion TRON’s price trajectory through 2030 will ultimately be determined by the network’s ability to sustain user adoption, navigate regulatory challenges, and differentiate itself in an increasingly competitive blockchain landscape. While the potential for significant price appreciation exists, particularly during halving-driven market cycles, investors should approach long-term price predictions with caution. The most realistic outlook suggests gradual, cycle-driven growth rather than exponential, sustained appreciation. FAQs Q1: Is TRON a good long-term investment? TRON has demonstrated consistent network usage and developer activity, which are positive signs for long-term viability. However, all cryptocurrency investments carry significant risk, and past performance does not guarantee future results. Investors should conduct their own research and consider their risk tolerance before investing. Q2: What is the maximum supply of TRX? TRON’s native token TRX has a maximum supply of approximately 100.85 billion tokens. Unlike Bitcoin, TRX does not have a fixed supply cap, but the network’s inflation rate is controlled through the DPoS consensus mechanism and is designed to decrease over time. Q3: Can TRX reach $1 by 2030? Reaching $1 would require TRX to achieve a market capitalization exceeding $100 billion at current supply levels. While not impossible, this would represent significant growth from current levels and would likely require widespread institutional adoption and favorable market conditions. A $1 target is possible but represents an optimistic scenario rather than a conservative estimate. This post TRON (TRX) Price Outlook 2026–2030: Realistic Targets Based on Network Growth and Market Cycles first appeared on BitcoinWorld .

20 May 2026, 11:07

Bitcoin Developer Who Worked With Satoshi Just Released A Tool That Changes Online Privacy Forever

Martti Malmi, one of Bitcoin’s earliest developers who worked directly with Satoshi Nakamoto in the protocol’s founding years, has released a new version of Nostr VPN — an open-source mesh VPN that discards the entire trust model underlying conventional virtual private network services and replaces it with cryptographic keys, decentralized relay infrastructure, and user-operated exit nodes. The release was flagged by TFTC (@TFTC21) on X on May 19, describing Nostr VPN as a fundamental departure from the architecture that has defined commercial VPN services for decades. Malmi — known in Bitcoin’s early history as Sirius, the developer who received the first-ever Bitcoin transaction from Satoshi and later maintained bitcoin.org — built Nostr VPN using the Nostr protocol as its signaling and coordination layer, per the TFTC post and the project’s open-source repository on git.iris.to. The Problem With Every VPN You’ve Ever Used The structural flaw at the center of commercial VPN services is straightforward. When a user connects to NordVPN, ExpressVPN, ProtonVPN, or any equivalent service, all internet traffic routes through servers owned and operated by that company. The user trusts the provider not to log, analyze, sell, or hand over that traffic to third parties — including law enforcement. That trust has been violated repeatedly across the industry. Multiple VPN providers marketed as no-log services have subsequently been shown to maintain logs when compelled by legal process, per documented cases cited in the TFTC post. The promise of privacy in a conventional VPN is only as strong as the company behind it — a company with employees, legal addresses, server infrastructure, and obligations to comply with the jurisdictions they operate in. What Nostr VPN Does Differently Nostr VPN eliminates the central server entirely. The architecture operates as a peer-to-peer mesh network — devices connect directly to each other rather than routing through a corporate intermediary. The Nostr protocol handles signaling between nodes using public-key cryptography, the same cryptographic framework that secures Bitcoin transactions, per the project’s repository. Each user’s identity on the network is a cryptographic key pair, not an account or email address tied to a real-world identity. The exit node model is where the practical privacy advantage becomes concrete. A user designates one of their own devices — a home server, a rented VPS from a provider like Hetzner, or any machine they control — as the exit point for their internet traffic. Websites and services see only the IP address of that exit node, not the device actually being used. The critical distinction from a commercial VPN is that the user is the operator. There is no third party between the user and the exit node who could be compelled to produce logs, because no third party holds them, per the project documentation cited in the TFTC post. Why A Bitcoin Developer Built This Malmi’s involvement is not coincidental. The philosophy underlying Nostr VPN maps directly to the same sovereignty argument that animated Bitcoin’s original design — the elimination of trusted intermediaries from a system where that trust represents both a single point of failure and a single point of control. Bitcoin removed trusted third parties from money. Nostr VPN applies the same logic to internet privacy infrastructure. The Nostr protocol itself was built by and for the Bitcoin community from its earliest days, using the same public-key cryptographic primitives and attracting developers who share a specific set of convictions about censorship resistance, self-custody, and the dangers of centralized infrastructure that can be pressured, subpoenaed, or shut down. The release arrives as governments across multiple jurisdictions — including the United Kingdom, per recent legislative developments — move to tighten controls over VPN usage and expand surveillance capabilities. For the nascent sector’s community of privacy-focused users, developers, and holders for whom financial privacy and internet privacy are inseparable concerns, Nostr VPN represents a meaningful step toward infrastructure that cannot be compelled to betray its users — because there is no operator left to compel. Cover image from Grok, BTCUSD chart from Tradingview