Author: NBTC

The SEC has clarified that certain liquid staking models do not constitute securities offerings, providing a clearer regulatory framework for Ethereum-based staking protocols. Summary The SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance issued a staff-level statement clarifying that properly structured liquid staking arrangements do not qualify as securities under federal law. Liquid staking models that rely on smart contracts and avoid discretionary control by providers may operate outside the scope of the Howey test. Receipt tokens such as stETH and rETH are not considered securities when they reflect ownership of non-security assets and are issued through administrative processes. The SEC’s interpretation offers…

Sentient, a New York-based artificial intelligence company, has introduced The GRID, an open-source network designed for building and monetizing artificial general intelligence (AGI) systems. The company says the platform is aimed at providing a decentralized alternative to closed AI marketplaces from firms such as OpenAI. Developers can plug in their AI agents, models, or tools and earn token-based rewards, with usage fees and subscriptions available as optional monetization routes. At the time of its debut, The GRID hosts over 40 AI agents, 50 data sources, and more than 10 models, spanning both Web2 and Web3. These include tools like Napkin,…

Five years ago today, Curve Finance — now one of DeFi’s longest-running protocols — saw the launch of its governance token CRV in what remains one of the most unusual moments in crypto history. On August 13, 2020, an anonymous Twitter account, @0xc4ad, announced that they had gone ahead and deployed the CRV token and DAO contracts before the Curve team themselves had done so. “Yo, @CurveFinance! Saw your DAO is ready to rock and I gots to MAXIMIZE MY ALPHA! So I went ahead and deployed it for you,” the account posted. Loading Tweet.. They linked to the deployment…

U.S. stocks tied to Ethereum treasuries surged in pre-market trading today, driven by Ethereum’s 5.5% price rally and record highs in on-chain metrics. Here’s what this momentum might mean for Ethereum ETFs. Summary U.S. ETH-linked stocks, including SBET, BMNR, and BTCS, surged in pre-market trading today with gains up to 10%. The premarket enthusiasm is likely fueled by Ethereum’s 5.5% price surge and strong on-chain activity, incl. record transaction volumes and nearly 30% of ETH supply now staked. Analysts say that ETH treasury stocks may be a better buy than ETH ETFs, with SBET standing out due to its normalized…

Offchain Labs, the company behind Arbitrum, has acquired smart account infrastructure provider ZeroDev in a move that signals its ambitions beyond scaling infrastructure. The deal, which brings ZeroDev’s five-person team fully into Offchain Labs, represents what CEO Steven Goldfeder calls “a very logical next iteration” of the company’s mission. Founded in 2018, Offchain Labs initially focused on scaling Ethereum with optimistic rollups. But Goldfeder says the broader goal has always been “to solve the hardest problems that are standing in the way of bringing blockchain technology to mass adoption.” In that light, the acquisition isn’t a pivot, Goldfeder told Blockworks.…

MetaMask has unlocked on-chain incentives for Card users. Individuals can earn 2.4% fixed APR on Aave USDC borrowing and lending through Linea. AAVE price has extended daily gains following the news. Crypto wallet MetaMask has partnered with Brevis and Linea to launch a unique reward program for users of its digital Card. The initiative allows individuals to earn passive income, starting with a 2.4% fixed annual percentage (APR) on USDC borrowing and lending through Aave on the Linea platform. 🦊 @MetaMask Card just got a ZK Turbocharge — powered by Brevis. Boost your USDC lending or borrowing on @Aave @LineaBuild…

Crypto traders betting against a price increase for Ethereum (ETH), the second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap, just took a hit. In the last 24 hours alone, Ethereum short liquidations rose to $111.27 million, significantly outpacing Bitcoin’s $34.71 million. This marks a staggering 370% higher, indicating that ETH bears were caught flat-footed. Ethereum rose sharply to a high of $3843 in the early Thursday session, with bulls building on an earlier rebound in the Wednesday session from a low of $3,563. The intraday surge from $3,647 to $3,843 caught bearish traders off guard, resulting in significant liquidations. CoinGlass highlighted the wipeout…

Spheron Network is excited to announce its support for HeLa Labs to transform the future of blockchain performance. HeLa Labs aims to establish a modular Layer 1 architecture that brings flexibility, long-term evolution, and performance. Through this collaboration, Hela Network is set to build a modular layer-1 for artificial intelligence (AI), gaming, and finance with decentralized GPU power. Imagine building a next-gen blockchain, one that adapts to new tech, runs AI workloads, and scales across real-world sectors like gaming, DePIN, and finance.That’s what @Hela_Network is doing with their modular Layer-1 network. Their architecture is built for flexibility and… pic.twitter.com/ijNbZhqSOG —…

This is a segment from the Lightspeed newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe. Lightspeed has exclusively learned that Maple — one of Solana’s largest onchain asset managers — is bringing its yield-bearing syrupUSDC stablecoin into perpetual futures markets operated by Drift, Solana’s flagship perps DEX. Drift, known for its deep onchain liquidity and capital-efficient margins, will accept syrupUSDC as margin collateral, allowing traders to earn a 7-8% APY on their margin while trading. This will be the first time the exchange has allowed a collateral asset to serve dual purposes, earning yield while backing positions — sweetened by $100,000 in…

Key Takeaways SharpLink Gaming secured $200 million to expand its Ether holdings. The company’s ETH treasury is expected to exceed $2 billion after the funding deployment. SharpLink Gaming secured $200 million in funding from four global institutional investors through a registered direct offering, the company announced today. “SharpLink is proud to be joined by globally-recognized institutional investors, augmenting our strong existing investor base and further validating our mission to be the world’s leading ETH treasury,” said Joseph Chalom, SharpLink’s Co-Chief Executive Officer, in a statement. A.G.P./Alliance Global Partners is serving as the lead placement agent, with Société Générale as a…