Category: crypto

Cardano activated the van Rossem hard fork, moving its mainnet to Protocol Version 11 after governance approval. The upgrade improves Plutus costs and prepares for Ouroboros Leios. This intra-era hard fork introduces new Plutus capabilities and cost model changes. The upgrade process was controlled by onchain governance, marking a milestone for Cardano.

South Korean financial authorities investigated over 40 cases of unfair crypto trading in the first two years of the Virtual Asset User Protection Act, identifying 25 suspects. Average unlawful gains were around $940,000 per case. Regulators plan to enhance surveillance with AI and expand oversight of the high-risk crypto market.

The United States plans to impose a 25% tariff on most Brazilian imports due to unfair trade practices related to Brazil’s Pix instant-payment system. The tariff targets dollar-backed stablecoins dominating Brazil’s digital asset market, creating a trade dispute between the two countries. The move follows a U.S. investigation into digital trade and electronic payments.

Spreadefi is a DeFi platform facing scrutiny for trust and transparency. Users question if it is a scam due to past fraudulent projects. However, Spreadefi is registered in the US, expanding its ecosystem, regularly updating its products, and showing no confirmed fraud accusations. Investors should still assess risks before investing.

Uniswap governance is set to vote on proposals to expand the UNI burn by adding new fee sources from Uniswap v4 and Robinhood Chain. The proposals aim to direct protocol fees into the TokenJar system for burning UNI tokens. Robinhood Chain has become a significant source of Uniswap trading activity.

A prediction made in 2014 about traditional payment firms partnering with Bitcoin startups now reflects the current payments market. Visa and Mastercard work with crypto firms on cards, settlement, and stablecoins. BitPay, the first digital currency company to join the payments trade group, continues to expand regulated crypto payment services.

South Korea’s FSS has initiated sanctions against Dunamu, the operator of Upbit crypto exchange, following a wallet breach in November 2025. The current law lacks direct penalties for hacking, leading to uncertainty about the severity of sanctions. Upbit reimbursed affected users and regulators are closely examining the incident. The FSS will review Dunamu’s response before…

Circle President Heath Tarbert defended the company’s long-term strategy after Circle shares dropped from their post-IPO peak. Tarbert emphasized the difficulty for new stablecoin competitors to replicate USDC’s scale and network effects. Despite concerns about competition and margins, Tarbert remains focused on building financial infrastructure and delivering on Circle’s wider mission.

Zcash founder Zooko Wilcox explained how the network’s July 28 Ironwood hard fork will address a critical flaw in the Orchard shielded pool by sealing the old pool, limiting ZEC withdrawals, and preventing excess hidden supply. Temporary disruptions may occur, but the upgrade aims to ensure ZEC’s security and privacy.

Japanese logistics group AZ-COM Maruwa Holdings plans to introduce the JPYC stablecoin for payments to 2,300 partners and drivers. They will invest ¥1 billion in JPYC and form a business partnership with the stablecoin issuer. JPYC is gaining use in retail trials and lending projects, expanding into regular business payments.