Base is scheduled to activate its B20 token standard on Wednesday at 6 pm UTC, allowing developers to begin creating native tokens on the network. Coinbase-backed Ethereum layer-2 network Base is set to activate its B20 token standard on mainnet, introducing a native framework for stablecoins, tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) and other fungible tokens. According to Base documentation, B20 is scheduled to go live at 6 pm UTC on the mainnet, enabling developers to begin creating tokens under the new standard. The activation will enable developers to use Base's native token standard to create stablecoins, RWAs, tokenized equities and other fungible tokens without requiring them to build and audit custom ERC-20 contracts. Read more
So-called “chat control” rules could be revived in the EU, with lawmakers again set to vote on the legislation Thursday. EU lawmakers are set to vote again on controversial legislation dubbed “chat control” by its critics, which would allow tech firms to scan messages for child sexual abuse material. On Tuesday, the European Parliament voted through a rarely used urgent procedure that will bring lawmakers to a vote Thursday on whether to extend the legal framework, which expired in early April. “Today's vote violates our own rules of procedure, the European Parliament decided to use an urgent procedure for Chat Control 1.0,” Pirate Party MEP Markéta Gregorová said on Tuesday. “This means that on Thursday, we will once again vote on extending the derogation that allowed online platforms to scan our private communications.” Read more
StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson argued that Bitcoin private keys get lost over time, meaning the amount of usable Bitcoin diminishes over time. Many disagree. The debate over whether Bitcoin's fixed supply cap should be lifted has resurfaced after StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson suggested Tuesday that it should replaced with a 4% annual issuance rate. In a post to X on Tuesday, Ben-Sasson said the current 21 million cap “doesn't make sense” because private keys are lost over time and “as time goes to infinity, all keys will be lost.” Crypto wallet hardware provider Ledger estimated in November that up to 4 million Bitcoin had been burned or permanently lost. Ben-Sasson said he still supports a hard upper bound on Bitcoin's supply, and that a 4% annual inflation rate roughly tracks the growth of the human population. Read more
Swyftx interim co-CEO Andrea Yuen says the company "won’t be a pure crypto spot exchange in future,” after it secured a license allowing it to offer payment services. Australian crypto exchange Swyftx says it will be seeking opportunities in the crypto payments space after securing a license from Australia’s market regulator. Swyftx said on Wednesday that it received its Australian Financial Services License (AFSL), joining the likes of Coinbase, BTC Markets and Crypto.com. The license allows it to offer derivative products, such as crypto options or futures, to retail customers, as well as non-cash payment facility authorization, setting up the fintech to offer payment services to business and retail clients. It does not hold an AFSL to offer spot crypto. “Swyftx won’t be a pure crypto spot exchange in future,” Swyftx interim co-CEO Andrea Yuen told Cointelegraph. “In particular, we see a lot of opportunity in the payments space following local changes to credit card surcharging.” Read more
“The security risk is the part we take most seriously,” the team said, citing old code and AI exploit risks. Privacy-focused layer-1 blockchain Secret Network is proposing to move from its longtime home on Cosmos to Ethereum layer-2 Arbitrum, citing security risks from artificial intelligence, among other reasons. Secret Network has been running privacy-preserving smart contracts on Cosmos since 2020, as the ecosystem had strong momentum back then, but the “environment has changed,” the team said Tuesday. “The security risk is the part we take most seriously,” it said. “Old code is becoming dramatically easier to analyze … With AI, the cost of attacking stale code is falling across the board.” Read more
The CFTC has launched a rare crypto-related enforcement action against a commodity pool operator that allegedly defrauded investors of more than $14 million. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission has sued a North Carolina man, accusing him of operating a commodity pool featuring crypto that defrauded investors of more than $14 million. The CFTC’s lawsuit, filed in federal court on Tuesday, alleged that Trevor Vernon and his company, Argent Capital Management, operated a commodity pool featuring equity index futures, options on equity index futures and crypto. The agency alleged that from March 2022 to February 2026, Vernon solicited $14.8 million from at least 60 investors and falsely claimed he was a successful trader, even though his trading actually “resulted in consistent and catastrophic losses” for the pool’s investors. Read more
The cost of eliminating margin calls and forced liquidations is an interest rate as high as 14.2% and an obligation to pay on time, Strike CEO Jack Mallers said. Bitcoin financial services platform Strike has launched a “volatility-proof” Bitcoin-backed loan that eliminates margin calls and forced liquidations amid the depths of a bear market, but only for those who can pay on time and handle a 14% interest rate. In an announcement on Tuesday, Strike CEO Jack Mallers said the offering came in response to broad customer feedback on Strike’s first Bitcoin loan product, which launched in May 2025 and triggered many liquidations during a timeframe in which Bitcoin (BTC) dropped 54% from peak to trough. “No margin calls. No price liquidations. No matter how far bitcoin falls, your bitcoin doesn't move,” Strike CEO Jack Mallers said of the new Bitcoin loan product. The trade-off is an expensive interest rate, a shorter six-month loan term, and an obligation to pay on time to avoid liquidation, Mallers said. Read mo...