🚀 Ethereum Foundation Restructures for Enhanced Protocol Development

🔄 The Ethereum Foundation (EF) has announced a significant shift in its approach to core research and development by launching a restructured unit called "Protocol" on June 2, 2025. This initiative aims to address Ethereum's longstanding scaling bottlenecks and usability issues through a more focused strategy.

🎯 The Protocol initiative will concentrate on three main areas: improving Ethereum's base layer performance, optimizing Layer 2 (L2) data availability, and enhancing the on-chain user experience. To lead these efforts, the EF has appointed specific individuals for each objective. Tim Beiko and Ansgar Dietrichs will oversee improvements to Ethereum's Layer 1 (L1) scalability, while Alex Stokes and Francesco D’Amato will focus on L2 blobspace management. Barnabé Monnot and Josh Rudolf are tasked with enhancing user experience (UX).

🗣 Acknowledged for his contributions to the Ethereum community, Dankrad Feist will serve as a strategic advisor across all three efforts. He has recently emphasized the urgency of scaling to maintain Ethereum's relevance in the face of increasing competition.

📉 As part of the Protocol rollout, the EF has also implemented layoffs within its core development team to streamline operations. While some community members viewed this decision as sudden, the foundation reassured that those affected are encouraged to continue their contributions independently.

📢 In addition to organizational changes, the EF has committed to improving communication regarding network upgrades and technical documentation, responding to long-standing community requests. This commitment coincides with recent developments, such as Ethereum validators supporting a gas limit increase to 60 million units on May 27 and the EF securing a $2 million loan in GHO stablecoins from Aave on May 29.

🔗 The Protocol initiative represents the EF's renewed effort to align Ethereum's infrastructure with its long-term vision amidst rising competition in the layer-1 and L2 landscapes. The focus now is on executing these priorities to benefit both developers and users navigating the chain.

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🚀 Federal Reserve's Commitment to Clear Digital Asset Regulations

🗣 The Federal Reserve is intensifying its efforts to clarify regulations surrounding digital assets, aiming to foster innovation in cryptocurrency and advanced financial technologies. During a speech at Georgetown University, Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle W. Bowman highlighted the need for clearer oversight as part of her initiative to modernize regulatory practices.

🟢 In her address, Bowman presented a pragmatic regulatory approach that supports innovation. She identified uncertainty in digital asset regulations as a significant barrier to progress. Emphasizing the need for evolving supervisory guidance, she stated that it must provide clear expectations to facilitate the safe adoption of digital assets and artificial intelligence by banks. She acknowledged that previous supervisory guidance had unintentionally hindered innovation by creating ambiguity:

Uncertainty in supervisory expectations has long been an obstacle to banks seeking to innovate, including banks engaging in digital asset activities or incorporating new technologies like artificial intelligence to improve efficiency and delivery of products and services.

🔍 Bowman asserted that the Federal Reserve must prevent digital asset innovation from being stifled by vague or outdated supervisory materials. She pledged to review existing guidance, including SR Letters and third-party risk management protocols, to remove any documents that hinder technological adoption without enhancing safety.

💬 Referring to past initiatives like the Fed’s “office hours” sessions, Bowman suggested that such formats should be revisited to encourage constructive dialogue between regulators and financial institutions.

➡️ Looking to the future, Bowman emphasized the importance of enabling innovation while maintaining prudent oversight. She remarked:

Just as it is imperative that banks innovate to remain competitive in the future, it is critical that bank supervisors enable the adoption of new technologies in a manner consistent with safety and soundness.

🔥 Avalon Labs Initiates Deflationary Cycle with Major Token Burn

💰 Avalon Labs has permanently burned 80 million AVL tokens, representing 44% of its circulating supply. This action, valued at approximately $16 million, was taken from the platform's March 2024 airdrop campaign, where over 100,000 users claimed $20 million worth of AVL.

📉 This significant burn marks the beginning of a deflationary cycle aimed at unlocking long-term value and promoting ecosystem growth. Additionally, Avalon has announced the start of a new business expansion phase with promises of further developments.

🏦 Avalon Labs operates as a bitcoin financial services platform and recently completed a strategic funding round led by YZi Labs.

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💼 Maple Finance Integrates stETH for Institutional Stablecoin Lending

🏦 Maple Finance has enhanced its institutional offerings by allowing stablecoin lending against stETH, Lido’s Ethereum liquid staking token. This enables institutions to access liquidity without liquidating their staked ETH, thus maintaining their staking rewards.

➡️ The inclusion of stETH as collateral comes as institutions increasingly seek capital-efficient strategies for treasury management. Through Maple’s platform, borrowers can obtain stablecoin loans backed by stETH for various activities like trading and yield generation, while still benefiting from ETH’s staking yield.

🗣 Kean Gilbert, Head of Institutional Relations at Lido Ecosystem Foundation, stated:

Maple’s support for stETH provides a valuable liquidity solution, directly addressing institutional need for flexible and efficient DeFi strategies.

📈 This development underscores the growing integration of DeFi tools in institutional finance, particularly with liquid staking tokens like stETH. Maple’s adoption of stETH reflects a wider trend of traditional finance and crypto-native players embracing decentralized solutions to enhance balance sheet efficiency.

➡️ Crypto Market Update Amid Rising Tensions

📈 On June 15, 2025, the crypto economy saw a slight increase of 0.92%, reaching a total valuation of $3.29 trillion. Precious metals also experienced gains, with gold rising by 1.37% and silver up by 0.17% against the U.S. dollar. However, the stock market faced challenges due to escalating tensions in the Middle East following an Israeli airstrike on Iran.

📉 Prior to the airstrike, U.S. equities had been on an upward trend. But after the attack, which targeted nuclear sites and military officials, the mood shifted dramatically. By June 13, major U.S. stock indexes closed lower: the Dow Jones fell by 1.79%, the Nasdaq dipped by 1.3%, and the S&P 500 slid by 1.13%. This marked a halt to the recent bull market amid rising tensions.

🗣 In a recent exchange, President Trump was asked about Israel's request for U.S. support against Iran's nuclear program. He stated,

We’re not involved in it. It’s possible we could get involved. But we are not at this moment involved.

On Truth Social, Trump highlighted his past peace-brokering efforts and expressed optimism for a potential Israel-Iran deal. He criticized the Biden administration for its decisions but asserted his ability to restore peace.

📊 Despite the stock market's decline, the crypto market showed resilience. By the end of the day, Bitcoin had increased by 0.52% and Ethereum rose by 1.3%. Among the top ten altcoins, Solana led with a 6% gain. However, global crypto trading volume fell by 7.7% to approximately $78.28 billion.

🔍 As market volatility continues, investors may reconsider their strategies and reallocate their assets. While volatility can present opportunities, the prevailing uncertainty remains a significant factor in decision-making.

➡️ Chinese Bitcoin Mining Giants Shift Production to the U.S.

🔄 Three leading Chinese bitcoin mining rig manufacturers—Bitmain, Canaan, and MicroBT—are relocating their production to the United States. This strategic move allows them to avoid the punitive tariffs imposed on Chinese imports by the U.S. government.

🌍 These companies dominate the global mining rig market, accounting for over 90% of the industry's supply. According to a Reuters report, Bitmain began its U.S. production in December, followed by Canaan shortly after the announcement of the "Liberation tariffs." MicroBT has also started implementing a localization strategy to mitigate tariff impacts.

🗣 Guang Yang, the chief technology officer at Coinflux Network, confirmed that tariffs played a significant role in this decision. He stated,

The U.S.-China trade war is triggering structural, not superficial, changes in bitcoin’s supply chains.

📈 This shift in production is seen as a validation of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policies. Despite skepticism from economists about the U.S. being an ideal manufacturing hub, the relocation of these Chinese companies challenges that narrative.

⚠️ However, this move may raise concerns for U.S. authorities. There is a strong desire to keep certain technologies, particularly in chip making, away from Chinese entities due to national security considerations. Local producers like U.S. mining rig maker Auradine may also be unsettled by this development.

🔗 John Deaton, a prominent pro-crypto lawyer, cautioned that the continued dominance of Chinese rig makers creates vulnerabilities for U.S. miners. He warned,

If China restricts exports or manipulates supply … it could disrupt bitcoin’s network stability and affect U.S. users and investors.

🪙 The Silent Giants of Bitcoin: An Overview of the Top Wallets

📊 As of June 20, 2025, the ten largest bitcoin wallets hold a total of 1.10 million BTC, which is about 5.55% of the current circulating supply of 19.88 million BTC. The leading wallet belongs to Binance, with 248,598 BTC—a figure that has remained unchanged since January 7, 2023. Following Binance is Robinhood, now in second place with 140,575 BTC, which last saw an outgoing transaction on January 8, 2025.

🔄 The Bitfinex wallet has dropped to third place, holding 130,010 BTC after a decrease of 9,000 BTC in the past month. Binance's second cold wallet is fourth with 115,032 BTC, down by 19,249 BTC. The Bitfinex hack recovery wallet takes fifth place with 94,643 BTC.

🟢 In sixth position is the infamous Mt Gox "1Feex" hacker wallet, containing 79,957 BTC. Tether, known for its stablecoin, ranks seventh with 78,647 BTC. The eighth wallet, holding 78,317 BTC, belongs to an anonymous entity. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation occupies the ninth spot with 69,370 BTC seized from the Silk Road hacker.

🔟 Finally, the tenth-largest wallet is also managed by Binance and holds 68,200 BTC as a reserve for its wrapped bitcoin project. The current landscape of bitcoin holdings shows a slight reshuffling among major custodians, indicating a blend of institutional control and mysterious ownership.

📉 The stability of these wallets, along with strategic withdrawals and minimal outbound movements, suggests a calculated approach to custody practices and long-term intentions within the evolving structure of bitcoin circulation.

🚀 Lightning Labs Unveils Taproot Assets v0.6: A Milestone for Bitcoin's Lightning Network

🔗 Lightning Labs has launched Taproot Assets v0.6, marking a significant step as the first multi-asset Lightning protocol on the Bitcoin mainnet. This update enables the minting of assets like stablecoins, which can be transferred instantly through the Lightning Network at low fees, thereby enhancing its functionality and security.

💱 Notably, Tether is integrating USDT with both on-chain transactions and Lightning Network support. This integration allows users to make cost-effective cross-border payments. The new version also introduces a group_key identifier for fungible assets, simplifying transactions and improving user experience.

🔄 Furthermore, improvements to the Request for Quote (RFQ) protocol enable seamless asset conversions, allowing users to send and receive different currencies efficiently. With these updates, Lightning Labs aims to transform the Lightning Network into a decentralized foreign exchange platform, further promoting the adoption of Taproot Assets.

🚀 Unlocking Crypto Liquidity: WLFI and Re7 Labs' Strategic Partnership

➡️ World Liberty Financial (WLFI), a DeFi platform backed by the Trump family, has teamed up with Re7 Labs to introduce a vault for its USD1 stablecoin on Binance’s BNB Chain. This collaboration, announced on June 27, will utilize USD1 on decentralized lending and trading protocols, Euler and Lista. The goal is to enhance USD1’s utility within the BNB Chain ecosystem while improving capital efficiency and transparency in decentralized finance (DeFi).

💼 Re7 Labs, the innovation branch of London-based Re7 Capital, brings valuable technical expertise to this initiative. Re7 Capital recently secured up to $10 million from Hong Kong’s VMS Group, marking its first significant investment in cryptocurrency.

💰 WLFI’s growth is bolstered by substantial capital investments. DWF Labs invested $25 million, while Justin Sun, the founder of Tron and a Chinese crypto entrepreneur, contributed $75 million and joined as an adviser. Additionally, UAE-based Aqua 1 Foundation acquired $100 million worth of WLF tokens, becoming the largest individual investor.

🌍 A significant real-world application of USD1 occurred in May 2025 when MGX, an entity of the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund, used it to facilitate a $2 billion investment in Binance. This event highlights the stablecoin’s practical utility in institutional transactions.

📈 Social media reactions to the partnership emphasized its strategic importance, with industry accounts noting its potential to broaden USD1’s ecosystem on the BNB Chain. Currently, WLFI’s USD1 has a market valuation of $2.205 billion with over 2.157 billion USD1 issued on the Binance Smart Chain (BSC) and also on Tron.

🔗 The announcement stated that this partnership aligns with the growing institutional interest in cryptocurrency and aims to promote the adoption of USD1 in DeFi through reliable infrastructure.

💰 Bitcoin and Ether ETFs See Significant Inflows

📈 Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have recorded their 14th consecutive day of net inflows, attracting an impressive $501 million. Ether ETFs also made a strong comeback with a gain of $77.45 million, driven primarily by Blackrock and Fidelity.

Friday, June 27, marked the 14th day in a row of inflows. This one was big, bringing in $501.27 million in net new capital.

➡️ The surge was led by major players such as Fidelity’s FBTC ($165.52 million), BlackRock’s IBIT ($152.95 million), and Ark 21Shares’ ARKB ($150.25 million). Together, they accounted for the majority of the day's increase. Other contributors included Bitwise’s BITB ($11.63 million), Grayscale’s Bitcoin Mini Trust ($8.05 million), Vaneck’s HODL ($6.05 million), Invesco’s BTCO ($3.73 million), and Franklin’s EZBC ($3.09 million). Trading volumes reached $2.70 billion, while total net assets rose to $133.17 billion.

🔄 On the other hand, ether ETFs rebounded after a dip the previous day, gaining $77.45 million in net inflows. Blackrock’s ETHA led the way with $48.10 million, followed by Fidelity’s FETH with $28.86 million. A small contribution of $481K came from 21shares’ CETH. The ether ETF sector saw a trading volume of $269.81 million and net assets increased to $9.88 billion.

📊 As both bitcoin and ether ETFs regain momentum, investor sentiment remains bullish, particularly with bitcoin ETFs achieving one of the longest streaks of inflows this year.

➡️ Brazil's Tax Policies May Drive Crypto Users Underground

💰 In the latest edition of Latam Insights Encore, we delve into the Brazilian government's recent moves regarding cryptocurrency taxation and their potential impact on users. The government’s intention to impose taxes on all crypto holders could push users to operate in secrecy.

➡️ Over the past year, Brazil's approach to cryptocurrency has been inconsistent. While there has been some openness to integrating stock-linked crypto options, crypto users are still treated as second-class citizens. Recent proposals, such as banning stablecoin withdrawals to self-custody wallets and removing tax exemptions for small traders, indicate a shift away from supporting grassroots crypto adoption.

📉 A significant change is the requirement for all cryptocurrency holders and traders to pay quarterly income taxes on their holdings, even if these assets are not held on exchanges. This move appears to be an attempt to offset a proposed increase in financial transaction taxes but may have the opposite effect.

Instead of incentivizing crypto users to come forward and legalize their holdings, this new 17.5% across-the-board tax will spark an underground movement,

the article states. This means that transactions and holdings may revert to being private.

🔍 The Brazilian tax authority plans to pursue digital assets held in self-custody by users, even though obtaining this data may be challenging. This puts individual traders at risk of exposing their information to state authorities with the first data submission.

🤔 Ironically, this new tax regime may benefit larger holders and traders who previously faced higher tax rates of up to 22% on their crypto income. Smaller traders, on the other hand, are likely to be adversely affected.

🚨 Industry members are already voicing concerns that these changes could lead to a significant shift towards the decentralized side of the crypto ecosystem or to centralized platforms operating outside of regulatory oversight. This could ultimately leave users dependent on unregulated brokers for managing their digital assets.

🚀 Lightchain AI: Pioneering Decentralized AI Infrastructure

🗓 As the Lightchain AI ecosystem gains momentum in the Web3 and AI communities, a prevalent question arises: "When is the official launch date?" We aim to address this with transparency.

🔗 Lightchain AI is more than just a Layer 1 blockchain; it is a permissionless AI infrastructure designed for decentralized model training, inference, and governance. Our unique consensus protocol and testnet-ready dashboard demonstrate our commitment to creating a new paradigm of open, uncensorable artificial intelligence.

⏳ We are committed to launching but will not rush to announce a date for the sake of hype. Our priority is to ensure a smooth and secure launch experience for all stakeholders, including validators, GPU providers, developers, and token holders.

✅ We have achieved significant milestones:

- Mainnet chain development is complete
- Finalizing the AI consensus layer
- Active testing of the inference dashboard
- Ongoing upgrades to the governance system
- The presale bonus round is still live

🔍 Currently, we are rigorously testing and auditing every module to prepare for the upcoming scale. The exact launch date will be announced only when we are fully confident in the Lightchain AI network's readiness.

💰 Ego Death Capital Launches $100 Million Fund for Bitcoin Software Startups

🚀 Bitcoin venture capital firm Ego Death Capital has announced the closing of a $100 million fund dedicated to investing in Bitcoin software startups. This fund will primarily target startups in the seed or series A stage with revenues ranging from $1 million to $3 million. The focus will be on software projects rather than companies dealing with physical products like cold wallets or mining infrastructure.

💼 Ego Death Capital has already made investments in several companies including bitcoin-based exchanges Roxom and Relai, as well as Lightning payments firm Breez.

We see bitcoin as the only decentralized and secure base to be able to build on,

said Nico Lechuga, Founding Partner of Ego Death Capital.

➡️ Robert Kiyosaki's Strategic Bitcoin Buying Approach

➡️ Robert Kiyosaki, the author of Rich Dad Poor Dad, has shared his insights on bitcoin investing amidst current market conditions. He suggests that investors should anticipate panic-driven sell-offs before making significant purchases. Kiyosaki emphasizes the importance of timing and investor psychology during bull markets.

Being a fat pig with enough bitcoin… I will wait for the coming hog slaughter. After the hogs stop squealing and selling and blaming bitcoin for their losses, my fellow pigs and I will buy more bitcoin on sale

said Kiyosaki.

📈 He draws a distinction between disciplined investors, whom he refers to as "pigs," and reckless ones or "hogs." Kiyosaki advocates for a long-term investment strategy and stresses that profits are made at the time of purchase, not sale. This perspective aligns with his view that successful investing requires patience and informed decision-making rather than emotional reactions to market fluctuations.

💰 As a strong supporter of bitcoin, Kiyosaki sees it as a hedge against economic instability characterized by debt and inflation. He consistently advises his followers to diversify their assets with bitcoin, gold, and silver while urging them to resist the fear of missing out (FOMO) and wait for opportune moments to invest.

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🟢 US Marshals Service Bitcoin Holdings Revealed: A FOIA Response Raises Questions

🔍 A recent Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) response obtained by independent journalist L0laL33tz has unveiled that the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) currently controls 28,988 BTC, valued at approximately $3.44 billion as of July 2025. This revelation has ignited curiosity regarding the U.S. government's reported bitcoin reserves, which some believe to be close to 200,000 BTC.

🗣 In the report, L0laL33tz stated,

In March, we filed a FOIA request for the amount of bitcoin held by the US Marshal Service. Today, we publish the USMS answer to our FOIA request, as well as the list of bitcoin it holds, totaling 28,988.35643016 BTC.

Historically, the USMS has managed and auctioned seized cryptocurrencies for various federal agencies, including the FBI and Department of Justice. However, this lower figure suggests that the USMS does not possess the entire government's bitcoin stash.

💰 David Bailey, head of Bitcoin Magazine, offered $10,000 to the first journalist who could confirm the U.S. Marshals' current bitcoin holdings. He later questioned whether the published amount was the complete asset list, indicating that the Marshals might no longer hold that bitcoin.

🔗 Various federal agencies seize bitcoin related to criminal activities and transfer these assets to the USMS for custody. However, some assets may remain under agency control pending legal proceedings. Additionally, the U.S. government has contracted third-party custodians like Coinbase and Anchorage Digital to manage seized cryptocurrencies. These custodians may hold bitcoin on behalf of various agencies, potentially explaining some of the bitcoin not accounted for in the USMS's reported holdings.

📊 The lack of a transparent, blockchain-verified audit from the government raises uncertainty about its claimed bitcoin ownership. A proof-of-reserves audit would provide the public with clearer confidence, especially in light of the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve (SBR) executive order launched by President Donald Trump this year. However, the absence of centralized transparency and the challenges of coordinating seized assets across different agencies complicate this issue.

⚠️ Adding to the confusion, Coindesk reported that the USMS cannot accurately state how much bitcoin it controls. Chip Borman from Addx Corporation warned,

As far as I’m aware, the USMS is currently managing this with individual keystrokes in an Excel spreadsheet. They’re one bad day away from a billion-dollar mistake.

📈 Bullish's Bold NYSE Bid: A New Era for Institutional Crypto

🚀 Digital asset platform Bullish is making waves in the public markets with its recent announcement of a proposed initial public offering (IPO) on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The Cayman Islands-based firm filed a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on July 19, seeking to list its ordinary shares under the ticker symbol 'BLSH'. While the company has yet to disclose the number of shares or a price range, it will benefit from reduced disclosure obligations as a "foreign private issuer."

🔄 This move marks a significant shift for Bullish, which previously attempted to go public in 2021 through a merger with Far Peak Acquisition Corp., a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC). That deal, valued at $9 billion, was ultimately terminated in 2022 due to a decline in crypto markets and increased regulatory scrutiny. Now, alongside other crypto firms like Gemini and Grayscale, Bullish is re-entering the public capital arena.

💼 Backed by billionaire investor Peter Thiel, Bullish operates a regulated digital asset exchange with licenses in Germany, Hong Kong, and Gibraltar. The platform caters to institutional clients by combining an automated market maker with a central limit order book. While it has a global presence, its Hong Kong subsidiaries manage critical services such as custody and compliance. Notably, Bullish does not operate in mainland China and is not subject to Chinese regulatory oversight.

🌍 As investor appetite for crypto resurges and global ambitions expand, Bullish's NYSE bid signals a pivotal moment for the institutional crypto landscape.