Latest Crypto News | Bitcoin, Ethereum and Altcoin Updates

On-chain analyst Ai monitored a whale address previously profiting $99.22M from ETH trades that, over the past 8 hours, accumulated 2,500 cbBTC (coinbase-wrapped BTC) valued at roughly $182M. Since Feb 2 the same address has withdrawn a total of 4,000 cbBTC from Coinbase at an average withdrawal price of $74,003.9. The address currently shows an unrealized loss of about $2.995M and has not purchased any ETH for two consecutive days. The activity highlights large-scale cbBTC flows from Coinbase and concentrated accumulation by a single whale, which may affect cbBTC liquidity and short-term BTC-related derivatives pricing.

Senate Democrats held a closed-door meeting to discuss the CLARITY Act, with attendees describing the tone as positive and productive. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer attended, stressed the importance of industry engagement, and urged lawmakers to maintain momentum to finalize CLARITY Act legislation as soon as possible. The session was characterized by constructive discussion and was called one of the most effective Democratic meetings to date. No legislative text or timeline was announced in the briefing. Main keyword: CLARITY Act; secondary keywords: Chuck Schumer, Senate Democrats, crypto regulation, industry engagement.

Trend Research sold 188,500 ETH (~$426 million) at an average price of $2,263 this month to repay ~$385 million in USDT loans and reduce leverage. After the sale the firm still holds 463,000 ETH (≈$998 million at current prices) with an average cost basis of $3,180, producing a realized loss of $173 million and an unrealized loss of about $474 million. The deleveraging raised its liquidation threshold to roughly $1,640, lowering the risk of forced liquidations. Analysts view the move as defensive risk management rather than a directional bet — reducing systemic leverage in DeFi/centralized lending and protecting the balance sheet amid volatile macro conditions. Key metrics: ETH sold 188,500; sale value ~$426M; USDT debt repaid ~$385M; remaining ETH 463,000; average cost $3,180; realized loss $173M; unrealized loss ~$474M. Traders should watch whether this is an isolated rebalancing or part of broader institutional exits, as large-scale sales can exert short-term selling pressure but also reduce systemic liquidation risk.

Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez announced new rules to require online age verification and set a minimum social‑media age of 16, saying the measures will protect children and curb harmful content and disinformation. Telegram CEO Pavel Durov publicly condemned the plan as a threat to privacy and free speech, warning it could de‑anonymize users and enable state surveillance and censorship. The announcement — expected to start implementation next week — drew criticism from privacy advocates, journalists and tech figures including Elon Musk. Industry reactions included calls for privacy‑preserving alternatives: Concordium’s CEO recommended blockchain‑based identity/personhood solutions instead of intrusive ID checks. Critics also warned strict verification will push users toward VPNs and other circumvention tools. No detailed technical rollout or enforcement timeline was provided. For crypto traders: the dispute highlights renewed regulatory attention on online identity, privacy and decentralized tools; proposals to use blockchain identity could spur interest in projects focused on privacy‑preserving on‑chain identity, while heavier ID mandates risk driving users to off‑chain circumvention or privacy layers.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman publicly and sharply criticized Anthropic after the rival ran four Super Bowl ads mocking OpenAI’s plan to test conversation-specific ads in ChatGPT’s free tier. Anthropic’s spots depicted exaggerated scenarios—such as inappropriate product promotions during sensitive chats—to highlight privacy and ethical risks, and announced Claude would remain ad-free. Altman first acknowledged the humour but then posted a long thread accusing Anthropic of dishonest, elitist, and authoritarian tactics, defending OpenAI’s position that clearly labeled, non-intrusive ads are necessary to fund free access for billions. The exchange exposes strategic differences: OpenAI prioritizes broad accessibility funded partly through ads and tiered subscriptions ($8, $20, $200), while Anthropic pitches a premium, safety-focused Claude ($17, $100, $200) with no advertising. Analysts say the feud underscores deeper monetization and trust challenges as AI scales—running LLMs is costly (estimates cited ~ $700,000/day for ChatGPT). Regulators (EU, FTC) are already scrutinizing AI transparency and may target advertising practices. For traders: the spat is a reputational and regulatory signal rather than a direct crypto-market driver, but it could affect investor sentiment for AI-adjacent tokens and public tech equities, and influence platform monetization models that integrate crypto services in future.

After a pullback that bottomed near $74,000, Bitcoin (BTC) is showing signs of recovery and is set to test resistance around $80,600, according to analyst Tara. She says BTC formed a double bottom at $74,000 and outlined a three-step move: a climb toward Wave A resistance near $80,600, a minor retracement to about $77,600, then a bullish reversal targeting ~$83,700 (the 0.382 macro Fibonacci). Tara also highlighted invalidation/support levels: a 0.5 macro Fibonacci around $70,700 as Wave 4 invalidation and a Wave 5 target near $150,000 (adjusted to ~$145,000 if BTC revisits $70,700). The analyst noted BTC has filled 0.236 and 0.382 macro Fib supports and is now targeting the 0.5 Fib. Traders are advised to watch resistance at $80,600, short-term pullbacks to $77,600, and the critical support/invalidation zone near $70,700 for trade management and risk controls.

Kyle Samani, co‑founder and longtime managing partner at crypto venture firm Multicoin Capital, is stepping down from full‑time duties after roughly a decade to “take some time off and explore” adjacent technologies including AI, longevity and robotics. He will remain a personal crypto investor and retain his chairmanship at public vehicle Forward Industries, which holds a notable Solana (SOL) treasury. Multicoin (reported $5.9bn AUM as of May 2025) and co‑founder Tushar Jain say the firm’s conviction in crypto remains strong and point to regulatory clarity and infrastructure maturation as drivers for adoption. Samani’s tenure included a strategic pivot from Ethereum to concentrated, thesis‑driven exposure to Solana — a position he says he remains bullish on and will hold personally. A deleted social post reportedly showed earlier disenchantment with web3, but his public note emphasizes continued support for portfolio companies. For traders: the departure removes a high‑profile day‑to‑day voice in crypto VC but does not signal Multicoin’s retreat; Samani’s ongoing personal SOL exposure via Forward Industries could sustain institutional support for Solana. Primary SEO keywords: Kyle Samani, Multicoin, Solana, crypto investment. Secondary/semantic keywords included: AI, robotics, venture capital, regulatory clarity, CLARITY Act, portfolio companies. The main keyword "Solana" appears multiple times to improve search relevance.

Cipher Mining’s AI unit Black Pearl Compute priced a $2 billion five-year high-yield (junk) bond at a 6.125% yield after receiving subscription interest of about $13 billion. Proceeds will fund construction of a Texas data centre leased to Amazon Web Services (AWS) under a deal signed in November with at least a 15-year term and estimated contracted revenue of $5.5 billion; funds will also repay roughly $232.5 million of prior equity into Black Pearl and other corporate needs. The bond issuance is secured by first-priority liens covering nearly all of the issuer’s and guarantor’s assets. Cipher has previously announced partnerships with FluidStack and Google as it diversifies from bitcoin mining into high-performance computing. Despite heavy demand for the bond, Cipher’s stock fell 12.36% to $14.25 amid broader crypto market selling. Cipher is the fourth-largest publicly traded bitcoin miner by market cap.

IG Group has completed its acquisition of Australian crypto exchange Independent Reserve after receiving regulatory approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore. IG acquired a 70% stake for about USD 72.4 million, bringing Independent Reserve’s licensed Singapore operations, custody, spot trading and institutional services under IG’s control. IG says the deal will ensure continuity of service for existing users and avoid material operational disruption. The acquisition aims to integrate Independent Reserve’s compliance-focused infrastructure into IG’s online trading platform and roll out new crypto trading solutions targeted at the Asia-Pacific and Middle East markets, with product launches planned in Singapore, Australia and the UAE in H2 2026. The move strengthens IG’s regulated crypto footprint in high-growth regional markets and leverages Independent Reserve’s local licences and operational experience amid ongoing industry consolidation and regulatory focus in Asia.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Congress the federal government will not prop up Bitcoin by ordering private banks or agencies to buy BTC during market downturns. He said neither the Treasury nor the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) has authority to mandate such purchases. Bessent disclosed that Bitcoin obtained through law-enforcement asset forfeitures—initially valued at roughly $50 million—has appreciated to more than $15 billion while in government custody. A 2025 executive order signed by President Trump limits the government’s ability to add to strategic Bitcoin holdings: further acquisition is allowed only via asset forfeiture or budget-neutral swaps (for example converting seized oil or metals), not by open-market purchases. The announcement clarifies legal constraints and removes the prospect of U.S.-led direct intervention to buy BTC, a point some in the crypto community view as insufficient while others warn that U.S. accumulation could encourage other countries to build strategic Bitcoin reserves — potentially altering demand dynamics and price. This is informational and not investment advice.

The Crypto Fear & Greed Index fell into the ‘Extreme Fear’ zone, registering a score around 12 on April 10, 2025. Alternative.me’s index aggregates six weighted signals — volatility (25%), trading volume (25%), social media sentiment (15%), surveys (15%), Bitcoin dominance (10%) and Google Trends (10%) — and the low reading reflects sharp price swings, elevated sell volume and pessimistic social sentiment. The reading is close to levels seen during the 2022–23 crypto winter and echoes extremes that preceded the March 2020 crash. Analysts attribute the slump to regulatory uncertainty, macroeconomic pressure (notably interest-rate concerns), geopolitical tensions and technical breakdowns, including Bitcoin slipping below key moving averages. Historically, such extreme fear can signal capitulation and possible buying opportunities for long-term holders, but it also implies heightened downside risk and volatile, liquidity-constrained markets in the near term. Traders should treat the index as a contrarian sentiment gauge rather than a standalone signal: combine it with on-chain metrics, fundamentals and macro analysis, reduce leverage, tighten risk management and downsize inventory until sentiment and on-chain indicators stabilize.

ZK (ZK/USDT) shows a clear bearish market structure on multiple timeframes (1D/3D/1W) with Lower Highs (LH) and Lower Lows (LL). Current price: $0.02379; 24h volume ~$95M. Key levels: support $0.0200 (critical daily swing low) and $0.0235; resistances $0.0245, $0.0277 and $0.0374. Price trades below EMA20 (~$0.03); Supertrend, MACD histogram and RSI (~40) signal selling pressure. A daily close below $0.0200 would confirm a bearish Break of Structure (BOS) and open larger downside targets. Conversely, a sustained close above $0.0277 (and EMA20) would create a Change of Character (CHoCH) and the first bullish signals, targeting $0.0448. Bitcoin weakness (BTC ~ $73,246, -3.6% 24h) increases downside risk for ZK; BTC reclaiming ~$74k would improve ZK’s upside prospects. Traders should watch $0.0200 for stop-loss/short confirmations and $0.0277 for a trend-invalidating breakout. Analysis emphasizes multi-timeframe level validation, use of EMA20, RSI, MACD and Supertrend for entry/exit and risk management. Not investment advice.

On-chain data shows BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes deposited 332,226 PENDLE (~$500,000) to a Binance address and simultaneously moved 3.63M ENA (~$500,000) to Galaxy Digital as part of a concentrated two-day portfolio reshuffle. At the same time Hayes aggressively accumulated 96,116 HYPE for about $3.42 million, raising his HYPE holdings to ~161,271 tokens (~$5.78M). Analysts view the PENDLE deposit to Binance as a likely precursor to selling, custody change, or use in exchange services, while the large HYPE buy indicates a high-conviction shift toward Hyperliquid’s perpetuals infrastructure. Key figures: 332,226 PENDLE (~$500K) to Binance, 3.63M ENA (~$500K) to Galaxy Digital, 96,116 HYPE (~$3.42M) purchased. Market implications for traders: potential short-term selling pressure on PENDLE/ENA, increased attention and possible short-term bullish sentiment for HYPE, and higher concentration risk in Hayes’s portfolio. Traders should treat these moves as a data point — useful for liquidity and sentiment signals but not as direct trading advice.

Numerous online rumours and conspiracy claims circulated recently asserting Russian President Vladimir Putin had died. The article reviews how these reports emerged, attributing them to social-media speculation, misinterpreted official absences, and deliberate disinformation campaigns. It notes no authoritative government confirmation of Putin’s death; Kremlin communications and state media continue to show Putin in public roles, while Western and independent outlets find no verifiable evidence supporting the death claims. The piece highlights typical drivers of such false reports — high-profile public absences, rapid spread via platforms like Telegram and X, and actors seeking strategic influence — and explains why uncertain information about a major geopolitical figure can spike market volatility and information risk. It recommends relying on primary, verifiable sources (official statements, direct footage, reputable wire services) and cautions traders to avoid reactive trades based solely on unverified social-media claims. Primary keywords: Putin death rumours, misinformation, Kremlin, social media. Secondary/semantic keywords included: disinformation, verification, market volatility, geopolitical risk. (Word count: 169)

U.S. crypto firms have proposed a compromise in negotiations over the CLARITY Act that would permit regional and community banks to issue stablecoins and require stablecoin issuers to deposit a large share of reserves with qualifying banks. The framework aims to decentralize issuance, channel stablecoin reserves into federally regulated banks, and allow limited consumer rewards while imposing guardrails (caps on yields, reserve composition rules favoring U.S. Treasuries and cash, and disclosure requirements). Major issuers such as Circle (USDC) and Tether (USDT) are named as affected parties. Banking groups, including the American Bankers Association, remain concerned about deposit outflows and “disintermediation” that could raise borrowing costs and strain regional banks. Negotiations involve the White House, Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott, and other Congressional stakeholders as lawmakers seek a bipartisan market-structure deal before the election cycle narrows the legislative window. The compromise could set U.S. regulatory precedent for stablecoins globally and is contingent on details: the percentage of reserves required in banks, bank eligibility, and caps on permissible rewards. If finalized, the plan could bring stablecoin reserves onto regulated bank balance sheets, reducing run risk but also creating integration points between crypto and traditional banking. Key keywords: stablecoin rewards, CLARITY Act, reserve mandate, bank-issued stablecoins, USDC, USDT.

Benchmark Research maintains a ’Buy’ rating on Galaxy Digital and sets a $57 price target (about 170% upside from current ~$21). The analyst note argues the market has overreacted to Galaxy’s Q4 loss of $482 million and is underestimating longer-term catalysts: the Helios AI/data center in Texas (1.6+ GW approved power capacity) and the prospect of U.S. crypto market-structure legislation, which Galaxy CEO Mike Novogratz estimated has a 75–80% chance of passing. Helios has a lease agreement with AI cloud provider CoreWeave expected to start generating revenue this year; Benchmark says Helios alone could be worth more than Galaxy’s current market cap. Galaxy’s lending business continues to expand (total loans ≈ $1.8B) and the firm holds about $2.6B in cash and stablecoins, supporting further infrastructure and institutional partnerships planned for coming quarters. Benchmark’s bullish view rests on AI-data-center monetization, potential inflows from clearer U.S. regulation, and ongoing growth in institutional services.

MultiversX has integrated OpenAI’s Agent Commerce Protocol (ACP) and Stripe’s payment protocol to enable AI-driven on‑chain commerce. ACP is an open standard that lets AI agents discover, buy and pay for products within chat interfaces without wallet operations or Gas fees. MultiversX implemented ACP via an open-source adapter and introduced Relayed v3 to provide native gasless transactions so users can transact without holding EGLD. The project also added support for Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), covering the full shopping flow from discovery to after‑sales. Together with the upcoming Supernova upgrade (which promises sub‑second finality), these integrations aim to enable automated service contracts and machine‑to‑machine economic activity, bridging on‑chain and off‑chain payment rails and creating new financial infrastructure for AI agents. The announcement is positioned as infrastructure development rather than investment advice.

ZetaChain has launched TwoThumbs, a messaging-based AI assistant that lets users chat with AI characters and helpers directly through iMessage and SMS without installing a separate app. Built on ZetaChain 2.0 infrastructure, TwoThumbs supports switching between different AI models without losing context, preserves long-term conversation history, and emphasizes user privacy. The tool offers personalized AI assistants useful for planning, research, decision-making and collaborative tasks in group chats. ZetaChain describes TwoThumbs as part of its strategy to unify AI and Web3, and plans to provide developers with more building tools in future.

CryptoAppsy is a lightweight mobile crypto app (iOS/Android) that consolidates real-time prices, portfolio tracking, tailored news and macroeconomic indicators to help traders act on sudden market moves. The app refreshes prices every 5 seconds using global exchange data, shows newly listed coins with market caps and historical charts, and aggregates multi-currency portfolios (USD, EUR, TRY, JPY, GBP, CNY, AUD, CAD, CHF, HKD, SGD). A dedicated Index/Macro Data card displays Fed meeting dates, Fed rate expectations, U.S. 10-year Treasury yields, the DXY dollar index and U.S. unemployment — all with interactive historical charts. Smart push alerts run in the background to notify users when price triggers are hit; the news feed can be filtered by portfolio holdings and language (English, Spanish, Turkish). The app highlights daily earning/deal opportunities, requires no registration, and reports high user ratings (5.0 App Store, 4.6 Google Play). Publisher disclaimer notes content is not investment advice. Primary keywords: crypto app, real-time prices, macro data, price alerts, portfolio tracking.

Shiba Inu (SHIB) is trading near a historically important support zone between $0.0000067 and $0.00000521 after volatility and a >32% correction from an early‑January peak of $0.00001009. The token remains in a longer‑term downtrend from its March 2024 high of $0.0000456, forming lower highs and lower lows. Trading has calmed, and analysts — notably TradingView user KlejdiCuni — point to the historical September 2021 low near $0.00000510 that preceded a sharp rally to the October 2021 all‑time high of $0.0000885. If the current support holds, cited upside targets are $0.0000170, $0.0000320 and $0.0000420, though no timelines were provided. Analysts describe the setup as a long‑term accumulation opportunity but caution that timing is uncertain and the support may fail; a break below the zone could accelerate declines. Traders should weigh accumulation strategies against broader market risks and use position sizing and stop management. This is informational only and not financial advice.

Peter Schiff renewed his long-running public dispute with Michael Saylor as MicroStrategy’s large bitcoin position showed limited near-term gains. Schiff criticized MicroStrategy’s roughly $54 billion cumulative BTC purchases, noting the company sits near an average purchase price of about $76,000 and is carrying an unrealized loss of roughly 3% (reported as over $900 million). He argued the flat returns underscore Bitcoin’s risk and lack of productive value. Supporters countered that MicroStrategy’s BTC accumulation spans multiple cycles and that judging performance during a macro drawdown is misleading. At the time of reporting, MicroStrategy (MSTR) stock traded near $133.26, down about 6.4% on the day, while BTC hovered near $76,119, down ~2.6% in 24 hours. Despite current losses, MicroStrategy remains the largest corporate holder with more than 713,500 BTC. The debate frames a wider split: Saylor’s view of bitcoin as long-term inflation/currency hedge versus Schiff’s characterization of it as speculative and unproven given short historical data.

Market indicators suggest a potential recovery window as many assets reach oversold conditions. XRP remains trapped below a key resistance at $1.60, forming lower highs and lows inside a descending channel; repeated failed bounces and volume spikes on sell-offs indicate sellers still control short-term momentum. A decisive break above $1.60 on strong volume — likely requiring broader market stabilization and capital inflows — would be needed to invalidate the bearish structure. Shiba Inu (SHIB) is outlining a possible recovery path: buyers are stepping in and price is stabilizing, but SHIB must first reclaim the 26 EMA, then the 50 EMA, and ultimately clear $0.0000078 to confirm a sustainable trend reversal. Ethereum (ETH) is at one of its most oversold daily RSI readings in 300 days, suggesting selling momentum may be exhausted. ETH has repeatedly broken supports and trades below major moving averages; a relief rally or consolidation is plausible if buyers step in around current supports, but sustained recovery depends on restored volume and broader market sentiment. Overall, the report highlights oversold technicals across major coins, sets clear technical milestones for XRP and SHIB, and signals a conditional rebound scenario for ETH pending market-wide stabilization.

Wintermute founder Evgeny Gaevoy criticized the current direction of the cryptocurrency industry, warning that growth has been driven by speculation and leverage rather than sustainable product-market fit. Gaevoy said recent years’ risk-taking, amplified by high leverage, has produced fragile market structures that could amplify shocks. He argued firms should prioritize capital efficiency, rigorous risk management and clearer incentives over short-term revenue growth. The founder also questioned the value created by many token projects and noted regulatory scrutiny and on-chain transparency increase accountability for market participants. Gaevoy’s comments come as the digital-asset sector continues to face consolidation, higher compliance costs and recurring liquidity stresses — issues likely to shape hiring, fundraising and trading activity across exchanges, market makers and DeFi protocols.

Whale Alert flagged a 206,951,227 USDT (~$207M) transfer from an OKX-controlled wallet to an unknown private address on the Tron network. The move is among the largest stablecoin transfers this quarter and temporarily reduces USDT liquidity on OKX. Possible motives cited by analysts include allocation to DeFi (lending, liquidity pools, yield farming), preparation for an OTC trade, custody shift to self-custody, or portfolio rebalancing prior to asset conversion. Blockchain records show the receiving address had minimal prior activity; the transfer did not trigger immediate sharp moves in BTC, ETH or stablecoin pegs, suggesting a strategic repositioning rather than forced selling. Traders should monitor the destination address for outgoing transactions (which could signal market deployment), watch OKX and other exchanges’ USDT balances and order books for signs of buy pressure or OTC flows, and avoid overreacting to a single large transfer since historical large stablecoin moves have produced mixed market outcomes. Keywords: USDT transfer, OKX whale, Tron network, stablecoin withdrawal, exchange liquidity.

The CLARITY Act, a comprehensive U.S. crypto market-structure bill focused heavily on stablecoin oversight, has prompted a heated privacy debate. Independent analysis shows roughly 78% of the draft targets stablecoin regulation and revenue mechanisms while under 12% addresses privacy. The bill would broadly define "financial intermediaries," impose mandatory reporting and "reasonably designed" transaction-monitoring requirements on virtual asset service providers, and lacks explicit protections for privacy-preserving technologies. Experts warn this creates a "compliance paradox" that forces developers and exchanges to choose between privacy features (e.g., Monero, Zcash, mixers, zero-knowledge tools) and regulatory compliance, likely accelerating delisting of privacy coins and wider adoption of blockchain-analysis surveillance tools (e.g., Chainalysis, Elliptic, TRM Labs). Comparative notes highlight EU and Swiss frameworks as more privacy-balanced. Proposed fixes include privacy-by-design mandates, proportionality standards, technical neutrality, sunset clauses, and independent oversight. Traders should monitor legislative progress and potential exchange delistings, as institutionalized surveillance could reduce demand for privacy tokens and alter on-chain behavior.

Alphabet reported stronger-than-expected Q4 2025 results and record full-year revenue above $400 billion, with Q4 revenue up 18% YoY to nearly $114B, net income up 30% to $34.5B and EPS $2.82 — all beating forecasts. Google Cloud reached a roughly $70B annual run rate as Q4 cloud revenue rose ~48% YoY to about $18B. YouTube revenue (ads + subscriptions) topped $60B for the year. The company highlighted AI momentum: Gemini users grew past 750 million after Gemini 3 launched, and the Gemini app and AI products are driving higher engagement and paid subscriptions. Management raised 2026 capital expenditure guidance to $175–$185B — roughly double 2025’s ~$91–$93B — to expand AI models and data center capacity. Shares initially jumped after the results but then fell ~1.2% as investors reacted to the aggressive AI capex outlook. For crypto traders: Alphabet’s heavy AI investment and cloud growth can increase demand for GPU/TPU infrastructure and cloud services used by AI and crypto projects, potentially lifting cloud-related infrastructure providers and on-chain compute plays. However, the elevated capex raises near-term earnings risk and market volatility; traders should watch vendor partnerships (OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta), cloud spend trends, and any announcements tying Google Cloud to crypto mining or node hosting services. Key SEO keywords: Alphabet earnings, Google Cloud growth, AI investment, Gemini AI, capital expenditures.

Fundstrat co-founder Tom Lee reportedly suffered an estimated paper loss of $5.8 billion on his Ethereum (ETH) holdings following ETH price weakness. Despite the mark-to-market loss, Lee has continued to buy ETH, signalling conviction in the asset’s long-term prospects. The report highlights a substantial unrealized loss tied to ETH’s recent volatility, but notes Lee’s buying activity — including continued accumulation through market dips — as a vote of confidence. Market observers expect such high-profile positioning to influence trader sentiment; however, the article does not detail exact buy volumes, timing, or wallet addresses. Key names and figures: Tom Lee, Fundstrat; main asset: ETH. Primary keywords: Tom Lee, Ethereum, ETH, unrealized loss, buy the dip.

Ethereum co‑founder Vitalik Buterin said relying on Layer‑2 (L2) rollups purely for scaling “no longer makes sense” and urged L2s to specialize beyond cheap transactions — for example by supporting creator tokens, DAOs and prediction markets, and adopting native rollup precompiles and improved Stage 2 proofs. His remarks prompted public responses from major rollup teams. Karl Floersch (Optimism Foundation) agreed rollups must broaden features and highlighted operational gaps: long withdrawal times, immature Stage 2 proofs, and weak cross‑chain tooling; he suggested simpler, built‑in Ethereum verification for rollups. Steven Goldfeder (Offchain Labs/Arbitrum) defended rollups’ continued focus on scaling, arguing Ethereum mainnet upgrades cannot match L2 throughput and noting peak combined throughput above 1,000 TPS across Arbitrum and Base during busy periods. Jesse Pollak (Base) said mainnet improvements help the ecosystem and that Base is progressing toward Stage 2 decentralization with account abstraction and privacy features. StarkWare’s Eli Ben‑Sasson indicated Starknet already occupies a specialized, non‑EVM rollup niche. The debate highlights a pivot point for Ethereum infrastructure as mainnet capacity grows and L2 teams must clarify differentiated roles, security models and developer roadmaps — factors that could shift developer attention and short‑term sentiment for Ethereum and L2 tokens. Key keywords: Vitalik Buterin, Layer‑2, rollups, Optimism, Arbitrum.

Alphabet remained visibly evasive on its new AI partnership with Apple during its Q4 earnings call, declining to answer investor questions about the deal that will see Google power Siri with Gemini models. Reports indicate Apple may pay Google roughly $1 billion annually — a reversal of the historical search agreement in which Google paid Apple about $20 billion to remain the default search engine. Executives instead offered tightly controlled statements describing Google as Apple’s “preferred cloud provider” and a partner in developing Apple foundation models. The company called AI ad formats “experiments,” noting that AI Mode changes ad placement and user behaviour versus traditional search ads, creating measurement and monetization challenges. Key risks flagged include regulatory scrutiny (DOJ investigations and the EU Digital Markets Act), competitive pressure from providers such as OpenAI, Microsoft and Anthropic, and uncertainty over how AI-driven search will affect Google’s core advertising revenue. For traders: the deal signals strategic positioning by Google within Apple’s ecosystem but leaves immediate financial upside unclear; the reported $1B figure is small versus Google’s ad revenue, while longer-term implications for ad monetization and market competition remain significant.