Edel Finance Unveils Community Airdrop Details Ahead of Canton Expansion
Tokenized stock platform Edel Finance has outlined its EDEL airdrop, allocating 3% of total supply to community rewards. 0.5% has already gone to BankrBot users, while 1% is for testnet participants and 1.5% for users of the upcoming Canton product.
Eligibility follows a pro-rata point system, redistributing disqualified allocations to real users. Only validated activity across lending, borrowing, spins, and referrals counted, while batch wallets, shared funding, and scripted loops were reduced or removed.
The airdrop will launch with Edel’s Canton Network rollout, once LayerZero cross-chain infrastructure is live. Users will connect Base wallets to Canton via a dApp, with added CC rewards and boosted EDEL earnings as the ecosystem expands.
👉 x.com/edeldotfinance/status/2046915047771779288?s=20
Tokenized stock platform Edel Finance has outlined its EDEL airdrop, allocating 3% of total supply to community rewards. 0.5% has already gone to BankrBot users, while 1% is for testnet participants and 1.5% for users of the upcoming Canton product.
Out of 57,842 testnet signups, under 5,000 wallets qualified after Sybil and activity checks. Over 90% showed no meaningful engagement or failed the 500-point minimum, while farming clusters and automated activity were filtered or penalized.
Eligibility follows a pro-rata point system, redistributing disqualified allocations to real users. Only validated activity across lending, borrowing, spins, and referrals counted, while batch wallets, shared funding, and scripted loops were reduced or removed.
The airdrop will launch with Edel’s Canton Network rollout, once LayerZero cross-chain infrastructure is live. Users will connect Base wallets to Canton via a dApp, with added CC rewards and boosted EDEL earnings as the ecosystem expands.
👉 x.com/edeldotfinance/status/2046915047771779288?s=20
Ongoing Testnets Map: Projects to Watch
Testnet activity remains one of the clearest signals of where early ecosystem momentum is forming. We gathered a cross-sector list of projects currently live in testnet and worth keeping on the radar.
Testnet activity remains one of the clearest signals of where early ecosystem momentum is forming. We gathered a cross-sector list of projects currently live in testnet and worth keeping on the radar.
ARK completed its first lead investment — and it isn’t AI
ARK Invest has taken the lead in Lucra’s $20 million Series B funding. Lucra builds a platform that turns loyalty programs into competitive, game-like experiences for brands including Five Iron Golf, Chess Kings, and Dave & Buster’s.
👉 techcrunch.com/2026/04/22/cathie-woods-ark-makes-its-first-lead-investment-in-startup-lucra-and-it-isnt-ai/
ARK Invest has taken the lead in Lucra’s $20 million Series B funding. Lucra builds a platform that turns loyalty programs into competitive, game-like experiences for brands including Five Iron Golf, Chess Kings, and Dave & Buster’s.
The move is notable because ARK’s venture vehicle is structured as an SEC-regulated interval fund rather than a traditional VC fund, allowing broader participation but limited liquidity windows. ARK had already invested in Lucra earlier and helped build conviction for a larger bet.
👉 techcrunch.com/2026/04/22/cathie-woods-ark-makes-its-first-lead-investment-in-startup-lucra-and-it-isnt-ai/
Flying Tulip (FT) introduces Lending Circuit Breakers
The mechanism works as a rate limiter on capital leaving. Deposits and withdrawals work normally, but unusually large outflows begin to queue once they cross predefined threshold. That threshold is set as a % of TVL, so the protection scales with the size of protocol.
The framework gained relevance after the Kelp DAO exploit on April 18, when stolen rsETH was posted as collateral on Aave to borrow out WETH before emergency actions could contain the damage.
👉 x.com/DunkingSquirrel/status/2046632318186426421
The mechanism works as a rate limiter on capital leaving. Deposits and withdrawals work normally, but unusually large outflows begin to queue once they cross predefined threshold. That threshold is set as a % of TVL, so the protection scales with the size of protocol.
The framework gained relevance after the Kelp DAO exploit on April 18, when stolen rsETH was posted as collateral on Aave to borrow out WETH before emergency actions could contain the damage.
Flying Tulip is a Andre Cronje-backed financial system on Sonic network that combines several DeFi primitives into one stack: ftUSD as its settlement/stable asset, plus spot trading, lending, perpetuals, and insurance.
👉 x.com/DunkingSquirrel/status/2046632318186426421
GSR Launches Multi-Asset Crypto ETF (BTC, ETH, SOL)
GSR launched the Crypto Core3 ETF (NASDAQ: BESO), a U.S.-listed multi-asset crypto ETF covering Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana.
Core3 combines exposure to BTC as a macro asset with ETH and SOL as leading smart contract platforms, enabling access to both price appreciation and onchain yield in a single product.
👉 x.com/GSR_io/status/2046942228468093214?s=20
GSR launched the Crypto Core3 ETF (NASDAQ: BESO), a U.S.-listed multi-asset crypto ETF covering Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana.
The fund is actively managed, rebalances weekly based on research signals, and may generate staking yield where applicable. Management fee is 1.00%.
Core3 combines exposure to BTC as a macro asset with ETH and SOL as leading smart contract platforms, enabling access to both price appreciation and onchain yield in a single product.
Framework Digital Advisors acts as investment adviser, with the product structured for both institutional and retail investors seeking regulated access to crypto.
👉 x.com/GSR_io/status/2046942228468093214?s=20
Top Blockchains by 30-day Total Value Locked growth
Capital is moving fast across crypto, and TVL growth helps show which ecosystems are gaining traction. OP Mainnet stands out this month, boosted by Ether fi bringing over $220M in TVL and thousands of users.
Capital is moving fast across crypto, and TVL growth helps show which ecosystems are gaining traction. OP Mainnet stands out this month, boosted by Ether fi bringing over $220M in TVL and thousands of users.
Tether Freezes Over $344M in USDT With U.S. Authorities
Once the flagged addresses were identified, Tether froze the funds before they could be transferred further. The action effectively locked the USDT in place, cutting off the ability to move assets while investigators continue to examine the activity tied to those wallets.
👉 x.com/tether/status/2047297827374514629?s=20
Once the flagged addresses were identified, Tether froze the funds before they could be transferred further. The action effectively locked the USDT in place, cutting off the ability to move assets while investigators continue to examine the activity tied to those wallets.
Tether says its cooperation with law enforcement has now led to the freezing of more than $4.4 billion in assets globally. It also says over $2.1 billion of that was connected to U.S. authorities.
👉 x.com/tether/status/2047297827374514629?s=20
Microsoft-Backed Dreamspace Launches AI App Builder for Base
Dreamspace has rolled out its AI-powered app builder for Coinbase’s Base L2, allowing users to create fully functional apps using simple text prompts. The platform generates working products with integrated smart contracts, no coding required.
Dreamspace has already gained traction, with over 34,000 apps built during beta. It aims to lower the barrier to entry for non-technical users entering on-chain development.
As competition grows from tools like Coinbase’s AgentKit and AI platforms such as Claude or Venice AI, Dreamspace is positioning itself as a simple, full-stack solution for building apps across the Base ecosystem.
👉 theblock.co/post/398614/microsoft-venture-unit-supports-public-rollout-ai-builder-base-applications
Dreamspace has rolled out its AI-powered app builder for Coinbase’s Base L2, allowing users to create fully functional apps using simple text prompts. The platform generates working products with integrated smart contracts, no coding required.
The project is backed by Microsoft’s venture arm M12, with infrastructure powered by Space and Time, a data blockchain previously funded by Microsoft. This setup enables verifiable, real-time data processing secured by zero-knowledge proofs.
Dreamspace has already gained traction, with over 34,000 apps built during beta. It aims to lower the barrier to entry for non-technical users entering on-chain development.
As competition grows from tools like Coinbase’s AgentKit and AI platforms such as Claude or Venice AI, Dreamspace is positioning itself as a simple, full-stack solution for building apps across the Base ecosystem.
👉 theblock.co/post/398614/microsoft-venture-unit-supports-public-rollout-ai-builder-base-applications
MegaETH Hits Key Milestone With Brix Launch, Triggering TGE Countdown
MegaETH has hit its second KPI milestone, driven by the Brix public launch and key ecosystem progress. KPI-2 requires 10 “MegaMafia” apps with real usage, including verified contracts, live frontends, and 100K+ transactions across 25K+ wallets.
The Brix launch plays a key role in this progress, bringing real-world asset tokenization (starting with Turkish lira yield products) into the ecosystem and expanding MegaETH’s “real-time finance” thesis.
Focus now shifts to the TGE rollout and early token utility, including buybacks powered by USDM yield and onchain demand. Further KPIs—like $500M USDM supply and sustained app activity—will unlock additional tokens post-launch.
👉 megaeth.com/token
MegaETH has hit its second KPI milestone, driven by the Brix public launch and key ecosystem progress. KPI-2 requires 10 “MegaMafia” apps with real usage, including verified contracts, live frontends, and 100K+ transactions across 25K+ wallets.
With this milestone now met, MegaETH’s model activates a 7-day countdown to the Token Generation Event (TGE). Unlike traditional launches, only one KPI needs to be achieved to trigger the process, aligning token issuance with real ecosystem traction.
The Brix launch plays a key role in this progress, bringing real-world asset tokenization (starting with Turkish lira yield products) into the ecosystem and expanding MegaETH’s “real-time finance” thesis.
Focus now shifts to the TGE rollout and early token utility, including buybacks powered by USDM yield and onchain demand. Further KPIs—like $500M USDM supply and sustained app activity—will unlock additional tokens post-launch.
👉 megaeth.com/token
Cryptomarket Check-In. Major Events & Headlines
Bridge security returned to the spotlight this week after the KelpDAO exploit triggered one of the first large-scale L2 interventions on record.
Meanwhile, stablecoins continued their quiet expansion into mainstream payment infrastructure, and TradFi convergence moved forward in small but structurally meaningful steps.
🔎 Recent Updates & Developments
– KelpDAO was exploited via a forged LayerZero bridge message, releasing $292M in rsETH due to a validator flaw
– Arbitrum froze 30K ETH from the exploit, executing a rare L2-level intervention in bridge infrastructure
– Tether froze $344M USDT with U.S. authorities, reinforcing its compliance role in financial enforcement
– Japan's JSCC tested government bond settlement on blockchain with Mizuho and Nomura, advancing onchain collateral in TradFi
– MoneyGram expanded its Stellar partnership, scaling stablecoin adoption across cross-border payment rails
– DoorDash integrated stablecoin payouts via Tempo, extending blockchain payments into large-scale commerce
– GSR launched a multi-asset ETF covering BTC, ETH, and SOL, enabling active institutional crypto exposure
– Gensyn launched its mainnet for decentralized AI compute, enabling trustless execution of ML workloads
Bridge security returned to the spotlight this week after the KelpDAO exploit triggered one of the first large-scale L2 interventions on record.
Meanwhile, stablecoins continued their quiet expansion into mainstream payment infrastructure, and TradFi convergence moved forward in small but structurally meaningful steps.
🔎 Recent Updates & Developments
– KelpDAO was exploited via a forged LayerZero bridge message, releasing $292M in rsETH due to a validator flaw
– Arbitrum froze 30K ETH from the exploit, executing a rare L2-level intervention in bridge infrastructure
– Tether froze $344M USDT with U.S. authorities, reinforcing its compliance role in financial enforcement
– Japan's JSCC tested government bond settlement on blockchain with Mizuho and Nomura, advancing onchain collateral in TradFi
– MoneyGram expanded its Stellar partnership, scaling stablecoin adoption across cross-border payment rails
– DoorDash integrated stablecoin payouts via Tempo, extending blockchain payments into large-scale commerce
– GSR launched a multi-asset ETF covering BTC, ETH, and SOL, enabling active institutional crypto exposure
– Gensyn launched its mainnet for decentralized AI compute, enabling trustless execution of ML workloads
Machine-to-Money Rails: Frameworks, Settlement and Teams Building the Agent Economy
x402 moved from experiment to infrastructure in 2025-2026. The framework layer is set: Stripe MPP, Linux Foundation governance, Google AP2, OpenAI ACP, Mastercard + Visa agent protocols.
We mapped the Agentic Commerce stack, 38 names across 6 layers.
x402 moved from experiment to infrastructure in 2025-2026. The framework layer is set: Stripe MPP, Linux Foundation governance, Google AP2, OpenAI ACP, Mastercard + Visa agent protocols.
We mapped the Agentic Commerce stack, 38 names across 6 layers.
Cluster Protocol Raises $5M to Advance AI-Powered Web3 Development
Cluster Protocol has raised $5M to accelerate development of CodeXero, a browser-native AI coding IDE for the EVM ecosystem, bringing total funding to $7.75M. The round included participation from dao5, Paper Ventures, JPEG Trading, Mapleblock, and Maven.
👉 x.com/ClusterProtocol/status/2047353715989086270?s=20
Cluster Protocol has raised $5M to accelerate development of CodeXero, a browser-native AI coding IDE for the EVM ecosystem, bringing total funding to $7.75M. The round included participation from dao5, Paper Ventures, JPEG Trading, Mapleblock, and Maven.
CodeXero brings “vibe coding” to onchain development, helping developers turn ideas into deployable smart contracts within a single environment.
It's powered by Cluster’s decentralized compute infrastructure and trained on over 200 audited smart contract patterns – parses the intent and generates deployment-ready smart contracts, DeFi logic, tokenomics models, and launch flows.
👉 x.com/ClusterProtocol/status/2047353715989086270?s=20
Succinct (PROVE) Launches iPhone App to Fight AI Fakes
ZCAM, an iPhone camera app, uses cryptography to help prove whether photos & videos are real, original, and captured by an actual device. The app creates a cryptographic fingerprint at the moment of capture, giving users a way to verify media before it spreads.
Succinct, backed by Paradigm, is an infrastructure company building ZK proof systems that allow developers to verify data and computation without revealing the underlying inputs.
👉 x.com/SuccinctLabs/status/2047346557222056154?s=20
ZCAM, an iPhone camera app, uses cryptography to help prove whether photos & videos are real, original, and captured by an actual device. The app creates a cryptographic fingerprint at the moment of capture, giving users a way to verify media before it spreads.
For Succinct, ZCAM extends its cryptographic proof technology into a consumer-facing use case: turning authenticity into something that can be checked, not just trusted.
Succinct, backed by Paradigm, is an infrastructure company building ZK proof systems that allow developers to verify data and computation without revealing the underlying inputs.
👉 x.com/SuccinctLabs/status/2047346557222056154?s=20
Price Discovery Board: Fluent (BLEND)
BLEND trading starts today at 13:00 UTC, backed by $11M in funding. This board compares potential FDV scenarios using benchmarks from other Layer 2s like Linea, ZKsync, Katana, and Optimism.
BLEND trading starts today at 13:00 UTC, backed by $11M in funding. This board compares potential FDV scenarios using benchmarks from other Layer 2s like Linea, ZKsync, Katana, and Optimism.
a16z Leads Seed Round for Glif, an AI Creative Agent Platform
Glif, a generative AI platform, positions itself as a “Claude Code for creative work” for building images, videos, music, text, and other media workflows from a single interface.
The platform integrates a wide range of models across image, video, audio, music, voice, and text, bringing multiple creative workflows into a single environment. A key feature highlighted by a16z is “Skills,” a reusable creative recipes built from millions of AI runs.
👉 a16z.com/announcement/investing-in-glif/
Glif, a generative AI platform, positions itself as a “Claude Code for creative work” for building images, videos, music, text, and other media workflows from a single interface.
The platform integrates a wide range of models across image, video, audio, music, voice, and text, bringing multiple creative workflows into a single environment. A key feature highlighted by a16z is “Skills,” a reusable creative recipes built from millions of AI runs.
👉 a16z.com/announcement/investing-in-glif/
KelpDAO Exploit Recovery: 74.2K ETH (~$172M) Restored
KelpDAO and Aave are coordinating a recovery effort after the rsETH incident, with support from Arbitrum, Mantle, ether fi, Lido, Golem, and others. The current confirmed recovery pool stands at 74,266 ETH, while additional commitments remain undisclosed.
KelpDAO and Aave are coordinating a recovery effort after the rsETH incident, with support from Arbitrum, Mantle, ether fi, Lido, Golem, and others. The current confirmed recovery pool stands at 74,266 ETH, while additional commitments remain undisclosed.
Google to Invest Up to $40B in Anthropic as AI Race Heats Up
Google is set to invest up to $40 billion in AI company Anthropic, deepening a strategic relationship where the two firms act as both partners and competitors. The initial commitment includes $10 billion in cash at a $350 billion valuation, according to Anthropic.
Anthropic’s growth has been fueled by tools like Claude Code, which is widely used in software development and has boosted its position in Silicon Valley. The company is also reportedly exploring an IPO as early as October, while concerns persist about circular investment dynamics in the AI sector.
👉 bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-24/google-plans-to-invest-up-to-40-billion-in-anthropic
Google is set to invest up to $40 billion in AI company Anthropic, deepening a strategic relationship where the two firms act as both partners and competitors. The initial commitment includes $10 billion in cash at a $350 billion valuation, according to Anthropic.
A further $30 billion investment is contingent on performance milestones and growing compute demand. The funding is aimed at rapidly scaling Anthropic’s infrastructure as demand for its AI models continues to surge across enterprise and developer markets.
The deal strengthens Anthropic’s reliance on Google Cloud and TPUs, with plans to scale up to 5 gigawatts of computing capacity over the next five years. It comes alongside similar large-scale commitments from Amazon, highlighting intensifying competition among cloud giants for leading AI model providers.
Anthropic’s growth has been fueled by tools like Claude Code, which is widely used in software development and has boosted its position in Silicon Valley. The company is also reportedly exploring an IPO as early as October, while concerns persist about circular investment dynamics in the AI sector.
👉 bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-24/google-plans-to-invest-up-to-40-billion-in-anthropic
Ronin Returns to Ethereum With Major L2 Migration & Tokenomics Overhaul
Ronin Network announced it will officially “come home” to Ethereum on May 12, marking a major shift from its standalone chain architecture to an Ethereum-aligned L2 stack. The upgrade is built in collaboration with Optimism, Conduit, EigenDA, and others, leveraging OP Stack infrastructure.
A key economic change is the drastic reduction in RON inflation, dropping from over 20% to below 1%. This shift significantly reduces token emissions while redirecting value toward staking rewards, sequencer profits, and increased marketplace fee inflows to the treasury.
👉 x.com/Ronin_Network/status/2046976476009132160?s=20
Ronin Network announced it will officially “come home” to Ethereum on May 12, marking a major shift from its standalone chain architecture to an Ethereum-aligned L2 stack. The upgrade is built in collaboration with Optimism, Conduit, EigenDA, and others, leveraging OP Stack infrastructure.
The migration will be executed via a hardfork at block #55,577,490, temporarily halting block production. Developers and RPC operators are required to upgrade infrastructure ahead of the transition, with Ronin moving toward reth and op-node-based L2 operations.
A key economic change is the drastic reduction in RON inflation, dropping from over 20% to below 1%. This shift significantly reduces token emissions while redirecting value toward staking rewards, sequencer profits, and increased marketplace fee inflows to the treasury.
Additionally, Ronin introduces “Proof of Distribution,” an automated reward system distributing RON to builders based on on-chain activity like gas usage, DEX volume, NFT activity, and user growth, aligning incentives with ecosystem contribution and long-term growth.
👉 x.com/Ronin_Network/status/2046976476009132160?s=20
DeepSeek V4 Drops With Massive Efficiency Leap, Underpricing GPT-5.5 by Up to 98%
DeepSeek has released V4-Pro and V4-Flash just hours after OpenAI launched GPT-5.5, intensifying the global AI race. Both models are open-weight, support up to 1M token context, and are designed for extreme efficiency at scale, with pricing dramatically undercutting Western competitors.
On pricing, the gap is stark: V4-Pro costs $1.74 per 1M input tokens and $3.48 output, while V4-Flash drops to $0.14 & $0.28. In comparison, GPT-5.5 ranges up to $30 input & $180 output per 1M tokens for Pro-tier usage, making DeepSeek up to ~98% cheaper depending on workload.
DeepSeek claims V4 cuts compute usage to ~27% of its predecessor at 1M tokens while reducing memory demand to ~10%. Combined with ultra-low pricing and open-weight access, V4 positions itself as one of the most aggressive challengers yet in the global AI cost-performance war.
👉 decrypt.co/365455/deepseek-v4-launch-pro-version-costs-less-gpt-5-pro
DeepSeek has released V4-Pro and V4-Flash just hours after OpenAI launched GPT-5.5, intensifying the global AI race. Both models are open-weight, support up to 1M token context, and are designed for extreme efficiency at scale, with pricing dramatically undercutting Western competitors.
V4-Pro is the flagship model with 1.6T total parameters (49B active per inference), while V4-Flash is a lighter, faster version with 284B total / 13B active. Both use an improved Mixture-of-Experts architecture and new attention mechanisms that drastically reduce compute and memory costs at long context lengths.
On pricing, the gap is stark: V4-Pro costs $1.74 per 1M input tokens and $3.48 output, while V4-Flash drops to $0.14 & $0.28. In comparison, GPT-5.5 ranges up to $30 input & $180 output per 1M tokens for Pro-tier usage, making DeepSeek up to ~98% cheaper depending on workload.
DeepSeek claims V4 cuts compute usage to ~27% of its predecessor at 1M tokens while reducing memory demand to ~10%. Combined with ultra-low pricing and open-weight access, V4 positions itself as one of the most aggressive challengers yet in the global AI cost-performance war.
👉 decrypt.co/365455/deepseek-v4-launch-pro-version-costs-less-gpt-5-pro
Frontier AI Models: Benchmark Breakdown
The AI model race is no longer about one clear winner. Each frontier model is building an edge across different workloads, from software engineering and terminal tasks to long-context reasoning.
The AI model race is no longer about one clear winner. Each frontier model is building an edge across different workloads, from software engineering and terminal tasks to long-context reasoning.
In just seven days, two flagship AI models reshaped the race: Anthropic launched Claude Opus 4.7 on Apr 16, and OpenAI followed with GPT-5.5 on Apr 23. Neither model dominates every benchmark, which is exactly what makes it so interesting.