Morning Edition · Wednesday, June 24, 2026
Crypto
Ethereum Foundation Cuts Staff and Budget as Usage Climbs and Ether Falls
The nonprofit that funds Ethereum's development eliminated 54 roles and reduced spending by about 40 percent, exposing the widening distance between network activity and token value.
Crypto
MiCA's Authorization Deadline Forces a Reckoning for Europe's Crypto Firms
Europe's securities regulator told unlicensed companies to wind down before July 1 as a small number of firms secure full licenses and the rest face forced exits.
Crypto
Privacy Layer-Twos Push Live Networks as Confidentiality Becomes the Pitch
Aztec and Miden are building confidential-execution networks and arguing that who controls the privacy switch is the central design question.
Crypto
Fresh Exploit Reproductions Underline a Steady Drip of DeFi Losses
Newly published proof-of-concept reconstructions document thefts and a rounding flaw across vault and royalty contracts, the routine end of an elevated cycle of losses.
Macro
Two Roads on State Digital Money: A US Ban and a Privacy-Minded Digital Euro
US lawmakers moved to bar a Federal Reserve digital currency through 2030 as European legislators advanced a digital euro built around zero-knowledge privacy.
Geopolitics
Senate Democrats Seek Hearings on $500 Million UAE Stake in Trump Crypto Venture
A foreign investment in World Liberty Financial draws scrutiny over whether it influenced US policy decisions.
Crypto
Analysts Urge Strategy to Pause Bitcoin Buying as Cash Cushion Thins
CryptoQuant says the cash backing Strategy's preferred funding has shrunk from seven years of coverage to about 14 months, with a multibillion-dollar paper loss on recent purchases.
Crypto
Runes Activity Pushes Bitcoin Transaction Counts to a Multi-Year High
A revival in the Runes protocol drove daily Bitcoin transactions past 820,000 and raised fee generation, even as the coin's price fell.
Crypto
XRP Ledger Lending Clears a Re-Audit With No Critical Flaws
Ripple's native lending protocol passed a Halborn re-audit, moving on-chain credit on the XRP Ledger closer to launch.
Crypto
Banks From Tokyo to Seoul Wire Stablecoins Into Cross-Border Payments
SBI launched a yen stablecoin, a South Korean digital bank tested Solana-based transfers, and Chainlink moved to connect dozens of banks.
Markets
Bitcoin Holds Near $62,500 as a Second Day of Chip Selling Hits Risk Assets
A renewed selloff in semiconductor stocks pulled crypto lower, with ether and smaller tokens falling more than Bitcoin.
Crypto
An L2 Winds Down, Testing How DeFi Handles Abandonment
Swell told users to bridge out by June 23, turning a planned layer-2 shutdown into a live test of exit procedures and bridge risk.