Invest ideasNews
7 May 2026, 12:09
Polygon's $250M Bet on Stablecoin Payments: Is Blockchain Coming for Traditional Finance?
In early 2026, Polygon Labs announced $250 million in acquisitions of Coinme and Sequence to expand its stablecoin payments infrastructure. Coinme provides licensed US fiat on- and off-ramps with a nationwide retail footprint, while Sequence adds enterprise wallet infrastructure and one-click cross-chain transaction capabilities. Together, these additions strengthen Polygon’s position in regulated, production-grade stablecoin payments.
7 May 2026, 11:31
BNB Chain Leads in Onchain Activity as Active Addresses Hit 50 Million
BNB Chain has dominated all major crypto networks with an impressive surge in user activity as the blockchain achieves a massive 50 million in active addresses in just one month.
7 May 2026, 11:10
1inch Distances Itself From $6.7M TrustedVolumes Exploit
Security firms Blockaid and CertiK said the attacker exploited a publicly accessible function to register as an approved order signer before draining funds through malicious transactions. The stolen assets included Wrapped Ether, USDT, Wrapped Bitcoin, and USDC. TrustedVolumes Exploit Drains $6.7M TrustedVolumes, an independent market maker and resolver used by decentralized exchange aggregator 1inch Fusion, confirmed that it suffered a major exploit that resulted in approximately $6.7 million in stolen crypto assets. The company revealed that the funds are currently spread across three Ethereum wallets, with two of the addresses holding roughly $3 million each and a third wallet containing close to $700,000. In a statement that was shared on X, TrustedVolumes said it was willing to engage in “constructive communication” with the attacker and appeared open to negotiating a bug bounty arrangement or another mutually acceptable resolution. The exploit first came to light after blockchain security firm Blockaid identified suspicious activity involving TrustedVolumes’ Ethereum-based swap infrastructure. According to Blockaid, the attack targeted a custom swap system controlled by TrustedVolumes and initially resulted in an estimated loss of around $5.87 million. The stolen assets reportedly included Wrapped Ether, USDT, Wrapped Bitcoin, and USDC. The estimate later increased as more information became available about the attacker’s movements across multiple wallets. Security researchers later explained that the exploit involved the attacker registering themselves as an approved order signer through a publicly accessible function. Once authorized, the attacker was able to execute malicious orders that drained funds from the affected infrastructure. Blockchain security company CertiK said the exploit proved how vulnerabilities in third-party infrastructure providers can create serious risks in the decentralized finance ecosystem. Despite TrustedVolumes’ role in supporting 1inch Fusion trades, 1inch quickly clarified that its own systems were never compromised. The platform stated that its protocols, infrastructure, and user funds remained completely unaffected by the exploit. 1inch co-founder Sergej Kunz explained that TrustedVolumes operates independently and serves multiple protocols rather than functioning exclusively for 1inch. Security researcher Vladimir Sobolev also pointed out that ordinary 1inch users were never at risk. However, he warned that the incident sheds some light on weaknesses across the crypto industry, particularly regarding the lack of safeguards like monitoring systems, circuit breakers, and emergency shutdown mechanisms. Interestingly, investigators said that the same operator behind the March 2025 exploit involving outdated 1inch Fusion V1 resolver contracts was responsible for this latest attack. However, researchers said the vulnerability exploited this time was different from the previous incident.
7 May 2026, 09:50
BNY expands digital asset custody push with UAE partnerships
BNY (formerly BNY Mellon) is expanding its digital asset custody services into the UAE through local partnerships, as institutional demand for secure custody in the region surges. The expansion leverages local collaborations as part of the ongoing rapid integration of digital assets into mainstream finance via regulated channels. BNY joins other global financial giants in bridging traditional finance with the digital asset ecosystem, capitalizing on the high demand for secure, regulated custodial services. The UAE is catching up to global leaders in crypto and blockchain innovation, creating demand for institutional-grade custody solutions. Major traditional financial custodians are aggressively entering the crypto market to offer secure, compliant services. As the UAE continues to build its digital asset regulatory framework, BNY is enhancing its digital asset platform to include on-chain, near-real-time settlement via tokenized deposits. BNY’s UAE expansion exemplifies the current phase, where custody is about utility: enabling assets to flow securely between digital and traditional systems. BNY helps embed digital assets into a sovereign-grade framework By partnering with Finstreet and the ADI Foundation in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), BNY is not just storing keys; it is embedding digital assets into a sovereign-grade framework. The involvement of the ADI Foundation (focused on sovereign digital economies) signals that this infrastructure is being built for governments and massive institutions, not just retail speculators. Dominic Longman, the managing director of Middle East and Africa at Zodia Custody, also believes that the mood is incredibly positive. Digital assets are now intrinsic to the government’s DNA. While media headlines have been driven by hype cycles, regulatory panics, and market volatility, the UAE has ignored the noise and devised a long-term strategy. “The UAE is entering a new phase of financial development, characterized by deeper markets, greater digital sophistication and stronger global connectivity…BNY is uniquely positioned to connect traditional and digital financial ecosystems in collaboration with our clients.” -Hani Kablawi , Executive Vice Chair at BNY BNY’s involvement in the UAE carries added weight because of the bank’s scale and role in traditional finance. The firm oversees roughly $59 trillion in assets under custody and administration, making it arguably the largest custodian bank in the world. The UAE is also pushing deeper into state-backed digital finance initiatives, with IHC and other local institutions recently unveiling plans for a regulated Dirham-backed stablecoin aimed at government and institutional use. In this model, a tokenized treasury bond held in BNY’s custody can instantly flow to a client in Abu Dhabi as collateral, creating a seamless global value loop. The BNY partnerships with local institutions also lay the rails for tokenized real-world assets and stablecoins. BNY validates that custody has evolved into critical middleware The move by BNY validates that custody has evolved into the critical middleware of the future financial system. It is no longer about keeping Bitcoin safe; it is about building the plumbing that allows trillions of dollars in traditional assets to migrate onto the blockchain. The backbone is now being built by a custodian, not a tech startup. That suggests that the risk of institutional adoption has moved from reputational (is it safe?) to operational (can we integrate it?). In the early days, custody was simply about fear: protecting private keys from loss or theft. Custody now serves as the bridge that enables digital assets to be used as collateral, for settlement, and for payments without leaving a regulated environment. The partnerships between BNY and locally entrenched players also suggest that localization is the new key to global expansion in crypto. Rather than a “one-size-fits-all” global platform, institutions are building bespoke, compliant gateways in specific high-growth jurisdictions, such as the UAE. According to Longman, the UAE is a classic example of an overnight success that has actually been a decade in the making (since 2016/2017). The 53-year-old country is far more interested in partnerships than protectionism. The smartest crypto minds already read our newsletter. Want in? Join them .
7 May 2026, 09:42
Cardano News: Preview Network Milestone Tracking the 80% SPO Threshold for Mainnet
Cardano van Rossem hard fork news landed on the preview test network on May 5, with Intersect, the member-based organization coordinating Cardano’s technical roadmap, confirming both the governance action submission and the release of Cardano Node version 11.0.1 Pre-Release simultaneously. The upgrade moves Protocol Version 11 one step closer to mainnet , with the critical variable now shifting entirely to SPO (Stake Pool Operator) readiness: at least 85% of stake pools by active stake must upgrade before ratification can proceed. For ADA holders watching the Voltaire era governance machinery run in real time, this is the preview phase working exactly as designed. Source: Intersect Node 11.0.1 is the first release to formally support Cardano’s intra-era hard fork mechanism – meaning the chain upgrades protocol version without triggering an era transition out of Conway. Transaction shape doesn’t change. Ecosystem disruption is structurally minimized. The release also bumps cardano-api and cardano-cli to their 11.0 series and advances the experimental hard fork target to protocol version 12, signaling the development pipeline is already looking beyond the current upgrade. The upgrade bundles five new Plutus primitive sets, defined in CIP-0109, CIP-0132, CIP-0133, CIP-0138, and CIP-0153, and unifies built-in functions across Plutus V1, V2, and V3. That last point matters: existing V1 and V2 scripts gain access to the full expanded built-in set after the fork, which expands DApp capabilities without requiring contract rewrites. Cardano (ADA) 24h 7d 30d 1y All time Discover: The best crypto to diversify your portfolio with What are the 85% SPO Threshold News Triggers for Cardano The 85% active-stake threshold is not a soft target; it is a constitutional requirement embedded in Cardano’s governance framework. Under the rules established through the Voltaire era’s on-chain governance model, the hard fork governance action cannot be ratified until SPOs representing at least 85% of active stake have upgraded to a node version supporting Protocol Version 11. DReps (Delegate Representatives) and the Constitutional Committee must also vote before the action is enacted on-chain. The threshold logic exists to prevent a chain split. If a critical mass of block-producing nodes hasn’t upgraded, the network risks producing incompatible blocks at the fork boundary, the same failure mode that caused a mainnet chain partition in late 2025 when a malformed delegation transaction forced emergency SPO upgrades to node 10.5.3. That incident made clear that SPO coordination isn’t procedural theater; it’s the actual security layer. The current SPO upgrade percentage on preview is not yet publicly confirmed at a precise figure, but the historical pattern from prior Cardano hard forks, including the Chang upgrade cycle, suggests the initial wave of large, professionally run pools upgrades within the first 72 to 96 hours of a preview release. Smaller home-hosted pools typically lag by one to two weeks. Community tracking tools, including Cardano Scan and PoolTool, are the live data sources to watch as the count climbs toward the 85% mark. ATTENTION The van Rossem Hard Fork GA has been submitted to the Preview test network today. https://t.co/a49iLgG3e3 Cardano Node version 11.0.1 Pre-Release is also now available. This version is an essential requirement to safely cross the hard fork. SPOs, DApps and… pic.twitter.com/UotUWDtuet — Intersect (@IntersectMBO) May 5, 2026 Intersect’s announcement was direct: “ATTENTION The van Rossem Hard Fork GA has been submitted to the Preview test network today. Cardano Node version 11.0.1 Pre-Release is also now available. This version is an essential requirement to safely cross the hard fork. SPOs, DApps, and developers are urged to upgrade immediately.” The Chang hard fork experience – where exchange and dApp lags delayed mainnet activation even after SPOs crossed the initial threshold – means the pressure is now on the full ecosystem stack, not just pool operators. Discover: The best pre-launch token sales The post Cardano News: Preview Network Milestone Tracking the 80% SPO Threshold for Mainnet appeared first on Cryptonews .
7 May 2026, 09:22
DeFi Exploit Wave Worsens With $5.87M At TrustedVolumes Hack And Increased Security Concerns
Another day, another decentralized finance (DeFi) exploit , the liquidity provider. TrustedVolumes has been targeted in a fresh attack causing losses of almost $5.87 million across some crypto-assets. The breach is part of a growing list of vulnerabilities afflicting the ecosystem, and adds to the tally as at least five DeFi exploits have been reported this month. Blockchain security firm Blockaid attributed the hack to an attacker who managed to successfully drain 1,291.16 WETH, 206,282 USDT, 16.939 WBTC and 1,268,771 USDC, all transacted on Ethereum network. When news first broke, the scale of the breach was staggering, but even more staggering is that it happened as DeFi protocols are facing increased scrutiny for their security. Blockaid's exploit detection system has identified an on-going exploit on TrustedVolumes (1inch market maker / resolver, @trustedvolumes ). Chain: Ethereum Victim contract: TrustedVolumes resolver — 0x9bA0CF1588E1DFA905eC948F7FE5104dD40EDa31 Exploiter:… — Blockaid (@blockaid_) May 7, 2026 The attack is said to still be ongoing, which has created an urgency within security teams and the crypto community at large to stop any further losses. As money continues to change hands, investigators have begun tracking on-chain movements in real time. Attacker Linked To Previous 1inch Fusion Hack In a troubling turn of events, Blockaid has linked the exploit of TrustedVolumes to the same actor that perpetrated the 1inch Fusion V1 March 2025 Attack. The connection suggests a pattern of serial attacks and raises tantalising questions about how established threat actors continue to exploit vulnerabilities across multiple DeFi underbelly. This attacker’s return highlights an industry-wide systemic error of insufficient deterrence and improper coordination of defense strategies between protocols. The attacker had previously used them for attacks but has learned from mistakes and now specialised in conducting operations against new targets, using these natural weaknesses of liquidity infrastructures. This is not a pattern that is rare to come by in DeFi. After identifying exploitable logic or systemic defects, an attacker often can improve their techniques and come back with more advanced methods. That’s the path that breaches like TrustedVolumes tend to follow, which is why it’s important to think about how to build a proactive security framework instead of a reactive one. 1inch Clarifies No Direct Impact On Protocol Or Users The protocol issued an unambiguous notice in the wake of speculation regarding the exploit’s connection to 1inch. Its core systems, underpinning infrastructure and users’ funds are reported to be unaffected, said 1inch. We are aware of misleading reports relating to an exploit involving TrustedVolumes. We can confirm that neither 1inch nor any of the 1inch protocols are involved. There is no impact on 1inch systems, infrastructure or user funds. TrustedVolumes operate independently as a… — 1inch (@1inch) May 7, 2026 This arises from TrustedVolumes providing liquidity, being the protocol that interfaces with 1inch and others. Still, 1inch stressed that TrustedVolumes is a standalone dapp and not exclusive to its platform. This distinction is crucial. Interconnectedness in DeFi means that third-part liquidity providers often deal with several platforms, forming an overlap of relations which leads to lapses in tracing security breaches. Although 1inch’s infrastructure is still unaffected by this incident, the exploitation has shown that reading channels emanating directly from adjacent entities can be diverted and subsequently result in market distortion and user distrust. The 1inch token continues to trade at normal conditions with no significant impact on the price or volume, currently trading at $0.098. Multifaceted Drain Sheds Light On The Complexity Of Modern Attacks This breakdown of stolen assets expands on the increasing sophistication of DeFi exploits The attacker targets four different tokens, WETH, USDT, WBTC, and USDC, which showcases an advanced understanding of liquidity flows and the interoperability of assets that exist within Ethereum. This multi-asset approach allows attackers to spread out their risk and maximize recovery efficiency. Stablecoins (USDT, USDC) are instantly freshly liquid while wrapped assets (WETH or WBTC) offer deeper protocol level integration with DEXes/lending protocols. Such attacks are rarely opportunistic. These usually involve extracting smart contracts and liquidity and usually require precise timing. This exploit pattern seems the playbook for TrustedVolumes, leveraging technical weaknesses and capital market structures to conduct impactful attacks. Increasing Monthly Share of Exploits Indicates Systemic Weakness The most worrying fact is that this is the fifth DeFi exploit in the same month. This indicates that it is more systemic than isolated, which may put many layers of the decentralized ecosystem in jeopardy. Every exploit chips away at precisely that confidence not only in the afflicted actors, but all of DeFi. Repeated security breaches present significant worries for risk management, regulatory oversight, and the long term viability of the sector to institutional investors as well as newcomers. Auditing, bug bounty programs and formal verification have all advanced yet attackers keep finding entry points. This suggests that existing security measures, even though getting better, are still not effective against bad actors who are still evolving towards more sophisticated behaviours. One thing the industry is currently faced with is whether it can evolve its security standards faster than new threats rise. Response From the Industry and Continued Monitoring 1inch acknowledged that it is carefully following the situation and working with its security partners in response to the exploit. These types of coordinated responses are the new norm in DeFi, where speed and information sharing are essential elements to containing the damage. Meanwhile, blockchain analytics firms and security platforms track the attackers’ on-chain activity to detect patterns of exploitation and allow forensic investigations that may be used to freeze the effort when possible. However, due to the pseudonymous nature of blockchain transactions, recovery is a tedious process. Details surrounding the incident with TrustedVolumes further highlights why we should be transparent. Addressing this breach upfront is an important step and reassures users, do your homework to mitigate misinformation during these times. A Defining Moment For The Maturity Of Security In DeFi With the growth of the DeFi ecosystem, TrustedVolumes exploit serve as stark reminders of dangers inherent to open monetary systems. Innovation and accessibility come along with a set-in-stone trade-off, and security happens to be one of them. The return of familiar attackers, the increase in monthly exploits, and the sophistication of multi-asset breaches suggest that this is both an industry maturing and a hint into vulnerability. Going forward greater cooperation between protocols, liquidity providers and security companies will be needed. In the end, sustainable growth in DeFi will depend on the sector’s ability to create scalable, yet resilient systems. Disclosure: This is not trading or investment advice. Always do your research before buying any cryptocurrency or investing in any services. Follow us on Twitter @nulltxnews to stay updated with the latest Crypto, NFT, AI, Cybersecurity, Distributed Computing, and Metaverse news !
