Reports showed four security companies conducted 11 audits of Balancer’s smart contracts starting in 2021, but a bad actor was still able to drain millions in staked Ether. Many cryptocurrency traders are seeking answers after a successful exploit at the decentralized exchange and automated market maker Balancer resulted in more than $100 million in digital assets being stolen. In a Monday X post updating users on the exploit, Balancer said the incident was “isolated to V2 Composable Stable Pools and does not impact Balancer V3 or other Balancer pools.” The platform added that it had “undergone extensive auditing by top firms, and had bug bounties running for a long time to incentivize independent auditors,” calling into question how the exploit was accomplished. Read more
Banco Inter and Chainlink test cross-border trade finance using Brazil’s Drex and Hong Kong’s Ensemble networks in landmark blockchain pilot. Brazilian digital bank Banco Inter has completed a blockchain-based international trade finance pilot with Chainlink, the Central Bank of Brazil and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), showcasing how distributed ledger technology can simplify cross-border settlement. The experiment took place under Phase 2 of Brazil’s Drex central bank digital currency (CBDC) project and simulated the settlement of export transactions between Brazil’s Drex network and Hong Kong’s Ensemble platform, a blockchain system developed under the HKMA’s Project Ensemble initiative. Chainlink provided the interoperability infrastructure connecting the two networks, according to Banco Inter. Read more
The advocacy organization filed a brief opposing prosecutors’ arguments that two brothers presented themselves as “honest validators” to allegedly pull off a $25-million exploit. Cryptocurrency advocacy organization Coin Center has weighed in on the ongoing criminal trial of two brothers who allegedly exploited the Ethereum blockchain using maximal extractable value (MEV) bots. In a Monday amicus curiae brief — a document filed by an entity that is not a party to the case — Coin Center argued against one of the prosecutors’ key case theories involving Anton and James Peraire-Bueno. The two individuals are allegedly responsible for a $25 million MEV exploit in April 2023. According to Coin Center, the US government’s claims of “honest validation” lack merit and should be rejected by the court. Read more
Grants will now be distributed through a wishlist and requests for proposals, aligning funding with the Ethereum ecosystem’s goals. The Ethereum Foundation (EF) has overhauled its grants program, shifting from an open application model to a new funding approach under its Ecosystem Support Program. According to a blog post on Monday, grants will now be distributed through two main channels: a wishlist outlining focus areas set by the Foundation and requests for proposals (RFPs), targeting specific needs within the Ethereum ecosystem. The previous open grants program, which was paused earlier this year, stretched the Foundation’s resources, it said. The new model will take a more selective approach by coordinating with internal teams to direct funds toward defined ecosystem priorities. Read more