Ethereum – Earlybirds Invest https://earlybirdsinvest.com Latest Crypto News Mon, 15 Sep 2025 07:33:35 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.7 https://i0.wp.com/earlybirdsinvest.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cropped-New-Project-2024-12-17T235703.455.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Ethereum – Earlybirds Invest https://earlybirdsinvest.com 32 32 240146708 As Crypto Hacks Surge, Ethereum Founder Vitalik Tests New ‘Invisible Wallet’ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/as-crypto-hacks-surge-ethereum-founder-vitalik-tests-new-invisible-wallet/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/as-crypto-hacks-surge-ethereum-founder-vitalik-tests-new-invisible-wallet/#respond Mon, 15 Sep 2025 07:33:34 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/as-crypto-hacks-surge-ethereum-founder-vitalik-tests-new-invisible-wallet/

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Jeffrey Gogo

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Jeffrey Gogo

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Jeffrey Gogo is a journalist with 20 years of experience in business, finance, cryptocurrency, and climate change news and analysis.

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Key Takeaways:

  • Vitalik Buterin tested Hinkal’s “Invisible Wallet,” a new tool that hides wallet activity to protect users from hacks.
  • Crypto hacks surged to $163 million in August, rising for the third month a row.
  • Analysts say privacy wallets can reduce exposure for high-net-worth holders, but warn they’re not a silver bullet against determined tracking.
  • While zero-knowledge proofs allow for privacy-preserving compliance, experts say legal alignment remains uncertain.

Ethereum cofounder Vitalik Buterin has been testing Hinkal’s new ‘Invisible Wallet,’ a privacy tool that could mark a breakthrough at a time when wealthy wallets are increasingly targeted by hackers.

It comes as losses from crypto hacks soared to $163 million in August, rising for the third month in a row, according to PeckShield. In the last five years alone, crypto investors have lost over $4 billion in targeted attacks.

Web3 firm Hinkal says its wallet allows users to hide their on-chain activity. It claims that users, especially those with big balances, can use the wallet to deter attacks without compromising regulatory compliance.

Hinkal CEO Giorgi Koreli described crypto’s in-built transparency as a “bug”. He says it is not “normal” that over $4 trillion in crypto assets on public blockchains “can be monitored and potentially weaponized by others.”

“Privacy-preserving wallets are the future, because free surveillance and tracking can’t be,” Koreli argues.

In his test transfer in late August, Buterin sent 0.01 ETH ($44) from his wallet to an address owned by Hinkal using its invisible wallet, according to Etherscan data. Buterin’s wallet address is publicly labeled vitalik.eth.

As seen in the image below, Hinkal kept track of the Ethereum founder’s activity but did not share any more of his internal transactions for privacy reasons. Even his well-known address is obfuscated in the transaction record.

“If your assets can be watched, your transaction can be mapped and traced at every interaction,” Koreli wrote in an article posted on X. “It’s not freedom. It’s additional exposure.”

Hinkal’s Invisible Wallet ‘Is Not a Silver Bullet’

The blockchain is, by design, a public ledger that broadcasts wallet activity. As Koreli puts it, every transaction, position, and trading strategy is visible to competitors, as well as cybercriminals.

He says crypto’s “radical transparency” has been a major obstacle, discouraging privacy-focused institutions in traditional finance from investing in the “$50 billion” decentralized finance (DeFi) market.

Slava Demchuk, CEO of blockchain analytics firm AMLBot, said tools like Hinkal’s invisible wallet can raise the bar for personal security by shielding wallet balances and transaction histories from opportunistic attackers.

“For high-net-worth holders, that additional layer of privacy reduces the risk of targeted hacks, phishing attempts, or even physical threats,” Demchuk told Cryptonews, adding:

“Of course, as with any system, ultimate protection depends on adoption, decentralization, robustness of the cryptography behind it, and, most importantly, on users’ own caution.”

Invisible wallets, like Hinkal’s, act as cloaking devices. Transactions can still be validated on-chain, but sensitive details, such as wallet addresses, amounts, or counterparties, remain hidden from public scrutiny, experts say.

Yury Serov, head of investigations at analytics firm Global Ledger, lauded the privacy wallet for removing the most obvious exposure points, namely the appearance of a public address in swaps, lending and routine DeFi use.

But this “invisible” must not be conflated with “invulnerable.” For example, he says, if someone moves unusually large amounts when the liquidity pool is thin, bad actors may easily correlate deposits and withdrawals.

“Timing patterns, transaction sizes, and even metadata from relayers can give away more than users expect,” Serov tells Cryptonews, adding:

“In practice, this means Hinkal makes it much harder for casual observers or opportunistic attackers to track big wallets, but it won’t make a whale completely disappear from a determined investigation.”

According to Serov, Hinkal’s Invisible Wallet “is best viewed as a layer of risk reduction, not a silver bullet.”

Can Privacy and Compliance Coexist?

Hinkal insists that its wallet can be both private and compliant at the same time. Experts aren’t so sure. According to AMLBot CEO Demchuk, it is technically feasible for the wallet to comply with the rules while private.

“Yes, users do pass KYC requirements, and zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs allow them to demonstrate eligibility without exposing personal data,” he noted. “However, from a legal standpoint, it’s not entirely compliant yet.”

Under the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, service providers may still be required to act as data controllers, creating “a gap between technical compliance and regulatory obligations,” he said.

The blockchain analyst brought up PureFi as an alternative framework that verifies compliance checks on-chain while ensuring that service providers retain the role of data controller.

“So, while Hinkal’s approach is innovative, there are still open questions about full regulatory alignment,” said Demchuk.

Global Ledger’s Serov concurred with Demchuk, saying that with ZK proofs, users can prove they have already passed (know your customer) KYC verification with a regulated exchange or that they are not on the sanctions list, to participate.

He explains:

“Historically, regulators and policymakers have sometimes seen privacy as being in direct opposition to financial crime compliance. But today, technological advances are moving so quickly that it may no longer be necessary to sacrifice one goal to achieve the other.”

But not everyone is entirely convinced. Didier Lavallée, CEO of Canadian crypto firm Tetra Trust, says Hinkal’s compliance model is “unclear”.

“You would need some kind of token or verification system to confirm it is compliant,” Lavallée told Cryptonews. Still, the service might be useful for institutions that continue to use permissioned blockchains, he said.

Vitalik Wants Privacy Wired Into the Blockchain

Vitalik Buterin has occasionally revisited the question of privacy in his blogs. He usually breaks down the “moon math” that is required to code privacy protocols such as zero-knowledge proofs into Ethereum.

His simple solution is to wire privacy into the blockchain itself rather than add it on top of the blockchain in the form of a wallet, for example.

“Up until now, making private transfers on Ethereum has required users to explicitly download and use a ‘privacy wallet’, such as Railway (or Umbra for stealth addresses),” Buterin explains in one blog entry.

“This adds great inconvenience and reduces the number of people who are willing to make private transfers. The solution is that private transfers need to be integrated directly into wallets.”

One of his proposed implementations would have wallets store a portion of a user’s assets as a “private balance” in a privacy pool.

“When a user makes a transfer, it would automatically withdraw from the privacy pool first,” says Buterin. “If a user needs to receive funds, the wallet could automatically generate a stealth address.”

Invisible Wallet: Transparency vs. Privacy

Hinkal’s privacy tool challenges crypto’s core ethos of transparency. After all, blockchain was built to let “everyone see everything.” However, some crypto analysts argue the wallet reframes crypto transparency rather than ends it.

“Instead of putting every detail of a user’s balance and trades on-chain, it uses zero-knowledge proofs to make only the necessary facts verifiable,” said Serov, the Global Ledger head of investigations, adding:

“In other words, it tries to preserve the trustless auditability of crypto while reducing the personal exposure that comes with full transparency. Hinkal reflects a shift from ‘everyone sees everything’ to ‘everyone can verify what matters.’”

AMLBot’s Demchuk spoke about balancing transparency with privacy. “Transparency has always been core to blockchain, but privacy is equally fundamental, especially when financial security is at stake,” he detailed.

“Public ledgers can remain auditable, while individual users gain choice over what information they reveal.”

Meanwhile, Hinkal could face much bigger problems. Privacy tools have historically drawn sharp reactions from regulators.

In 2022, for example, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Ethereum-based mixing service Tornado Cash on allegations of facilitating billions in laundered funds. Its cofounder, Roman Storm, was indicted in the U.S. for money laundering.

“There are some legitimate use cases of the (Hinkal) app, like payroll or protection from dusting attacks,” Serov noted. “But this innovation is likely to attract regulators’ attention in advanced regulatory regimes, like the EU.”

Without a MiCA license, or Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation, Hinkal will not be able to offer its privacy-enhanced crypto custody solution in the European Union, according to Serov.

“Under the new AMLR, crypto asset services providers will not be allowed to facilitate transactions with privacy coins or anonymous accounts from July 2027. Such privacy-enhancing solutions will be effectively outlawed.”

Analysts say Hinkal’s wallet will likely be pushed out into jurisdictions that don’t yet have similar regulations in place.

“Unlike mixers, which anonymize flows without checks, Hinkal integrates privacy-preserving KYC and access tokens,” said Demchuk. “That gives regulators a framework to distinguish it from ‘black box’ laundering tools.”

Data from Global Ledger shows that Tornado Cash received roughly $1.5 billion worth of ETH between Jan. 1 and Sept. 5 this year (see image above).

Serov said around 36% of the funds are “high-risk” and come from hacks, such as the Cork Protocol hack and Bybit hack, as well as sanctioned entities like Garantex and other risky sources. “The mixer poses significant AML risks,” he added.


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ETH USD price retesting $4,700 for Prime: Dark Money spinning into Ethereum? https://earlybirdsinvest.com/eth-usd-price-retesting-4700-for-prime-dark-money-spinning-into-ethereum/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/eth-usd-price-retesting-4700-for-prime-dark-money-spinning-into-ethereum/#respond Mon, 15 Sep 2025 02:55:13 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/eth-usd-price-retesting-4700-for-prime-dark-money-spinning-into-ethereum/

Analysts highlight ETH USD priming to retest $4,700 – and amidst the pressure of upside down, is the dark money spinning into Ethereum?

The wallet, tied to a $300 million Coinbase scam, bought $18.9 million worth of ether as ETH was torn apart from $4,700 yesterday.

According to LookonChain, the crypto address linked to the “Coinbase Hacker” campaign purchased 3,976 ETH on September 13 for $18.9 million.

The purchase, made at an average price of $4,756, came as ether was pushed above $4,700.

Analysts tracking the wallet say that before converting to ETH, the funds were attracting attention with DAIs of 189.11 million. Arkham Intelligence data Before swapping, we present the wallet aggregation DAI in amounts ranging from $80,000 to $6 million.

The address has also been active recently, winning 4,863 ETH and 649 ETH in July, and Solana worth around $8 million in August.

Blockchain Investigator Zachxbt Estimated The broader scheme released at least $330 million from the casualties earlier this year.

Called a wide range of social engineering campaigns, this operation targets Coinbase users and maintains the wallet under close surveillance from analysts on the chain.

The latest timing of ETH accumulation has strengthened speculation on ethers in the market rotation.

Traders noted that the wallet movement coincided with ETH/USD’s new momentum, adding weight to the narrative of deep pocket actors moving into assets.

Ethereum Price Analysis: How much higher is the ETH if the $4,700 neckline is rested?

Ethereum shows new strength, with technical signals pointing to breakouts that could send prices to $5,500.

Follow Transaction Data ViewETH trades nearly $4,660, holding above the short-term moving average of the four-hour chart.

(Source – ETH USDT, TradingView))

The 50-EMA is $4,462 and the 100-EMA is $4,421, both facing upwards. This setup suggests that buyers will continue to maintain control despite the minor pullback.

More volume has been seen in recent sessions, supporting movements from the $4,300 range of ETH over $4,650 in just a few days.

The wider structure shows a recovery trend after several weeks of lateral action. Short-term candles reveal signs of fresh purchases, stable demand, following short dips.

Momentum may continue if your ETH holds support above 50-EMA. Otherwise, there is a risk that the price will return to the $4,400-$4,300 zone.

Crypto analyst Titan pointed out the double bottom pattern of Adam & Eve on his daily charts.

(Source – x))

The formation combines a sharp “V” shape low with a round base to indicate a potential inversion. The neckline is below $4,700, close to current levels.

A confirmed breakout in which the neckline projects travel targets measured along historic resistance to $5,500. This adds weight to the view that Ethereum can be set up for a more substantial gathering if pressure is kept.

What are Derivatives saying to us about Ethereum’s next move?

If Ethereum breaks above the neckline, traders could be bullish at $5,500 as their next target. But if that fails, the price could be pulled back to test how solid the recent gatherings are.

The activity of the derivatives indicates an increase in positioning. Coinglass data ETH futures puts a favorable interest of nearly $64 billion, but the funding rate for the final session was stable, hovering about 0.01% in the major exchanges, but not overkill.

(Source – Coinglass))

Spot ETF flow has also been improved. On September 12, Farside investors reported net inflows into US ETH funds after a few days of outflowrefers to fresh institutional demand.

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Jonathan R. Miller is a junior writer based in Columbus, Ohio, with a focus on blockchain technology, digital assets and fintech innovation. In a background in economics and communication, Jonathan began covering cryptocurrency through freelance research projects in 2022… Read More

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Ethereum developers set sight on introducing end-to-end privacy https://earlybirdsinvest.com/ethereum-developers-set-sight-on-introducing-end-to-end-privacy/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/ethereum-developers-set-sight-on-introducing-end-to-end-privacy/#respond Mon, 15 Sep 2025 02:15:12 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/ethereum-developers-set-sight-on-introducing-end-to-end-privacy/

Ethereum developers are endeavoring to ensure that the second-largest blockchain lives up to one of the foundational tenets of the crypto community: end-to-end privacy.

In a post on Friday, the Ethereum Foundation’s ‘Privacy & Scaling Explorations’ team rebranded to ‘Privacy Stewards of Ethereum’ (PSE). The team laid out a roadmap to “make privacy on Ethereum the norm rather than the exception.”

The team aims to ensure that comprehensive end-to-end privacy is embedded across Ethereum’s technical stack, from protocols and infrastructure to applications and wallets. Privacy will become a part of Ethereum’s major use cases, like finance, identity, and governance, the team stated.

At the same time, the team noted that Ethereum’s privacy features will remain compliant with global regulations.

Why privacy on Ethereum matters

According to the PSE team, ensuring privacy on Ethereum is key to protecting the users who rely on the blockchain. The PSE team stated:

“Ethereum is on the path to becoming the settlement layer for the world, but without strong privacy, it risks becoming the backbone of global surveillance rather than global freedom.”

Moreover, without privacy guardrails, users and institutions will move elsewhere, rendering the blockchain redundant.

Private reads, writes, and proving

The PSE team will focus on three core areas: private reads, private writes, and private proving.

Private reads will enable users to read from Ethereum without revealing their identities or intents. In other words, the network-level privacy will ensure there is no surveillance or metadata leakage when users query, browse, or authenticate with Ethereum apps.

Under the private reads umbrella, the team is working on privacy-preserving Remote Procedure Call (RPC) services. Usually, RPCs can leak private data, like IP addresses or which accounts the user is interested in. Therefore, the PSE team has created a private RPC working group consisting of internal researchers and engineers, and external advisors.

The PSE team will also focus on making writing to Ethereum privately feasible and affordable. This means sending private transfers, casting a vote, or interacting with apps will become easier.

For private writes, the team will continue working on PlasmaFold, an experimental Layer 2 chain that will add private transfer features.

Lastly, the team will work towards ensuring that proving any data on Ethereum is private and accessible. The roadmap also includes goals like improving data portability and private identity for private proving.

While the team will focus on these areas for the foreseeable future, it added:

“Specific priorities and initiatives within [these] tracks will vary in their investment timelines and deliverables, and will evolve with the ecosystem, but we expect these general focus areas to persist for the next few years.”

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Ethereum MVRV Hit 1.97 – Can the bull hold the ground? https://earlybirdsinvest.com/ethereum-mvrv-hit-1-97-can-the-bull-hold-the-ground/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/ethereum-mvrv-hit-1-97-can-the-bull-hold-the-ground/#respond Sun, 14 Sep 2025 22:24:59 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/ethereum-mvrv-hit-1-97-can-the-bull-hold-the-ground/ Semilore Faleti is a cryptocurrency writer specializing in the fields of journalism and content creation. He began writing on several subjects, but Semiloa quickly found a trick to crack down on the complexity and complexity of the fascinating world of blockchain and cryptocurrency.

Semilore is attracted to the efficiency of digital assets when it comes to preservation and transfer of value. He is a solid advocate for the adoption of cryptocurrency as he believes it can improve the digitalization and transparency of the existing financial system.

With two years of active cryptowriting, Semilore covers multiple aspects of the digital asset space, including blockchain, distributed finance (DEFI), staking, inappropriate tokens (NFT), regulations, and network upgrades.

In his early days, Semiloa hone his skills as a content writer and curated educational articles for a wide range of audiences. His work was particularly valuable to individuals unfamiliar with the crypto space, providing an easy-to-understand and insightful explanation of the world of digital currency.

Semilore has also curated his work for veteran crypto users to keep him up to date with the latest blockchain, decentralized applications and network updates. This foundation of educational writing continues to inform his work and ensures that his current work remains accessible, accurate and beneficial.

Currently at NewsBTC, Semilore is dedicated to reporting the latest news on cryptocurrency price action, on-chain development and whale activities. He also covers the latest token analysis and price forecasts by top market experts, providing readers with potentially insightful and actionable information.

Through his meticulous research and engaging writing style, Semiloa strives to establish himself as a reliable source of information in the crypto journalism field to inform and educate his audience on the latest trends and developments in the rapidly evolving world of digital assets.

Outside of his work, Semiloa has other passions like all individuals. He is a big music fan who is interested in almost every genre. He can be described as a “music nomad” who constantly listens to new artists and explores new trends.

Semilore Faleti is also a powerful advocate for social justice, preaching fairness, inclusivity and fairness. He actively promotes the involvement of issues centered around systemic inequality and all forms of discrimination.

He also encourages political participation by everyone at all levels. He believes that a positive contribution to government systems and policies is the fastest and most effective way to bring about permanent positive change in any society.

In conclusion, Semilore Faleti illustrates the convergence of expertise, passion and advocacy in the world of crypto journalism. He is an unusual individual and the work of documenting the evolution of cryptocurrency remains relevant for years to come.

His dedication to digital assets in a clear way, adoption advocate and commitment to social justice and political engagement positions him as a dynamic and influential voice in the industry.

Whether it’s meticulous reporting at NewsBTC, through his passionate promotions in equity and equity, Semiroa continues to inform, educate and inspire his audience, striving for a more transparent and inclusive financial future.

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Ethereum Foundation’s Privacy Team Rebrands as PSE, Unveils End-to-End Onchain Privacy Roadmap https://earlybirdsinvest.com/ethereum-foundations-privacy-team-rebrands-as-pse-unveils-end-to-end-onchain-privacy-roadmap/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/ethereum-foundations-privacy-team-rebrands-as-pse-unveils-end-to-end-onchain-privacy-roadmap/#respond Sun, 14 Sep 2025 18:30:14 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/ethereum-foundations-privacy-team-rebrands-as-pse-unveils-end-to-end-onchain-privacy-roadmap/

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Anas Hassan

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Anas Hassan

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Anas is a crypto native journalist and SEO writer with over five years of writing experience covering blockchain, crypto, DeFi, and emerging tech.

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The Ethereum Foundation’s Privacy & Scaling Explorations team rebranded as Privacy Stewards for Ethereum (PSE), unveiling an ambitious roadmap to make privacy the default rather than exception across Ethereum’s technical stack.

The transformation shifts focus from cryptography exploration to problem-first solutions addressing Ethereum’s surveillance vulnerabilities.

PSE’s new mission centers on three core tracks: private writes to make on-chain actions as cheap and seamless as public ones, private reads enabling surveillance-free blockchain queries, and private proving for accessible data verification.

The initiative follows Vitalik Buterin’s April advocacy for privacy as essential to Ethereum’s survival as a global settlement infrastructure.

The roadmap warns that without robust privacy protections, Ethereum risks becoming “the backbone of global surveillance rather than global freedom.”

PSE emphasizes that institutions and users will migrate elsewhere if private transactions, identity, and data remain compromised by public blockchain transparency.

From Cryptography Lab to Privacy Stewardship Mission

PSE abandoned its previous approach of pursuing “cool tech” for concrete problem-solving focused on ecosystem outcomes rather than internal projects.

The rebrand includes website updates to pse.dev and restructured team goals with particular emphasis on subtraction by default and problem-driven resource allocation.

The strategy involves continuous problem mapping, execution decisions across lead-support-monitor engagement levels, and public communication through newsletters, community calls, and working groups.

PSE draws inspiration from Protocol and EcoDev announcement simplicity while addressing feedback from Vitalik Buterin, Silviculture Society, and EF management.

Key initiatives include PlasmaFold development for private transfers using PCD and folding, targeting proof-of-concept by Devconnect.

The team continues to develop the Kohaku privacy wallet, focusing on zk account recovery frameworks and keystore implementation for stealth addresses.

Private governance efforts focus on a “State of private voting 2025” report while collaborating with Aragon on protocol integrations.

The Institutional Privacy Task Force launches with the EF EcoDev Enterprise team to unblock adoption through privacy specifications and proof-of-concepts.

Another key aspect of this new direct is PSE’s data portability. It tracks advances in TLSNotary development for production-ready zkTLS protocols, while building SDKs that enable seamless integration across mobile, server, and browser platforms.

Additionally, network privacy initiatives include Private RPC working groups, ORAM solution integration for privacy-preserving state reads, and sphinx mixing protocol implementation for broadcast privacy.

The team has stated that it will methodically study ORAM and PIR state-of-the-art techniques while translating research into practical wallet and browser experiences.

Industry Experts Warn Public Ledgers Threaten Mass Adoption

The privacy push addresses growing concerns from industry veterans about Ethereum’s transparency model.

In an interview with Cryptonews in August, British Gold Trust’s Petro Golovko argues public blockchains expose salaries, business deals, and balance sheets, making crypto “unusable for regular people and impossible for institutions.

Golovko compares current blockchain transparency to the pre-SSL internet, when users refused to enter credit card numbers due to a lack of encryption.

He maintains that crypto remains stuck in this vulnerable phase, preventing the scaling that transformed e-commerce into a $6 trillion industry.

Institutional adoption concerns center on the exposure of trade secrets and the competitive disadvantage resulting from visible treasury movements.

Golovko warns that no board will approve systems exposing supply chains or financial operations globally, limiting crypto to speculation rather than serious commerce.

Vitalik Buterin’s April privacy advocacy stemmed from similar concerns about AI-driven surveillance and data misuse eroding personal autonomy.

His roadmap outlined four areas for enhancing privacy: anonymous payments, application-level privacy, secure data access, and network obfuscation.

The Ethereum co-founder advocated for wallets to integrate tools like Railgun and Privacy Pools, creating “shielded balances” that enable private-by-default transactions.

He emphasized that separate addresses per dApp would eliminate traceable links between applications while maintaining usability.

European regulatory pressure adds urgency to the development of privacy.

Community member Eugenio Reggianini outlined GDPR compliance practices that require personal data to remain off-chain, with blockchain nodes relaying only encrypted references or proofs, rather than identifiable information.

Looking forward, the team aims to accelerate ecosystem adoption through community initiatives with privacy and robust security at the center of its decentralized identity systems.


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Ethereum Sees High On-chain Activity Amid Rising Institutional Adoption: CryptoQuant https://earlybirdsinvest.com/ethereum-sees-high-on-chain-activity-amid-rising-institutional-adoption-cryptoquant/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/ethereum-sees-high-on-chain-activity-amid-rising-institutional-adoption-cryptoquant/#respond Sun, 14 Sep 2025 14:19:47 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/ethereum-sees-high-on-chain-activity-amid-rising-institutional-adoption-cryptoquant/

The Ethereum network has been on a positive roll for some time, with its momentum extending beyond on-chain activities to increased adoption.

Analysts at the crypto research firm CryptoQuant noted in their weekly report that Ethereum has come a long way since spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) were approved. Like bitcoin (BTC), ether (ETH) is now increasingly being viewed as a long-term strategic asset. This has led to higher demand from market participants.

Rising Institutional Adoption

According to CryptoQuant, demand from institutional investors and large holders drove ether’s recent rally from $1,400 in April 2025 to nearly $5,000 in late August. Ethereum holdings by U.S. spot ETFs have risen to an all-time high (ATH) of 6.7 million ETH. The assets have almost doubled since the price of ETH began to surge.

Likewise, addresses holding between 10,000 and 100,000 ETH have scooped up roughly six million tokens within the same time period. The consistent accumulation has taken their holdings to new highs of 20.6 million ETH.

“This level of institutional endorsement provides a robust long-term tailwind for Ethereum’s price and perceived legitimacy,” analysts explained.

Besides rising demand, selling pressure on ETH has eased up. The amount of ETH flowing into centralized exchanges has declined, particularly since the asset reached its peak near $5,000. Daily inflows have fallen from 1.8 million in mid-August to 750,000 ETH currently. This indicates that investors prefer to hold for further upside rather than cash in current gains – a trend that supports price stability.

Additionally, the amount of ETH staked has surged since May, hitting a record 36.2 million. This rise in validator deposits indicates growing long-term confidence in the network, reduces liquid supply, and adds bullish pressure.

Ethereum Network is Booming

With the Ethereum network booming, total transaction counts and active addresses have reached record highs of 1.7 million and 800,000, respectively, in August. Smart contract calls have also reached new levels, surpassing previous cycles with 12 million daily interactions.

CryptoQuant analysts say such activity growth highlights Ethereum’s growing role as a programmable settlement layer supported by decentralized finance (DeFi) and asset tokenization.

Meanwhile, ETH currently faces resistance at $5,200, a realized price upper band that has remained a critical level in past cycles. A decisive breakout above this level would mark the onset of a strong bullish phase, while sustained consolidation below it could signal a cooling period.

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Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin calls ‘AI governance’ a “bad idea” https://earlybirdsinvest.com/ethereum-founder-vitalik-buterin-calls-ai-governance-a-bad-idea/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/ethereum-founder-vitalik-buterin-calls-ai-governance-a-bad-idea/#respond Sun, 14 Sep 2025 13:13:04 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/ethereum-founder-vitalik-buterin-calls-ai-governance-a-bad-idea/

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin claims it is a “bad idea” to use artificial intelligence (AI) for governance. In an X post on Saturday, Buterin wrote:

“If you use an AI to allocate funding for contributions, people WILL put a jailbreak plus “gimme all the money” in as many places as they can.”

Why AI governance is flawed

Buterin’s post was a response to Eito Miyamura, co-founder and CEO of EdisonWatch, an AI data governance platchorm who revealed a fatal flaw in ChatGPT. In a post on Friday, Miyamura wrote that the addition of full support for MCP (Model Context Protocol) tools on ChatGPT has made the AI agent susceptible to exploitation.

The update, which came into effect on Wednesday, allows ChatGPT to connect and read data from several apps, including Gmail, Calendar, and Notion.

Miyamura noted that with just an email address, the update has made it possible to “exfiltrate all your private information.” Miscreants can gain access to your data in three simple steps, Miyamura explained:

First, the attackers send a malicious calendar invite with a jailbreak prompt to the intended victim. A jailbreak prompt refers to code that allows an attacker to remove restrictions and gain administrative access.

Miyamura noted that the victim does not have to accept the attacker’s malicious invite for the data leak to take place.

The second step involves waiting for the intended victim to seek ChatGPT’s help to prepare for their day. Finally, once ChatGPT reads the jailbroken calendar invite, it gets compromised—the attacker can completely hijack the AI tool, make it search the victim’s private emails, and send the data to the attacker’s email.

Buterin’s alternative

Buterin suggests using the info finance approach to AI governance. The info finance approach consists of an open market where different developers can contribute their models. The market has a spot-check mechanism for such models, which can be triggered by anyone and evaluated by a human jury, Buterin wrote.

In a separate post, Buterin explained that the individual human jurors will be aided by large language models (LLMs).

According to Buterin, this type of ‘institution design’ approach is “inherently more robust.” This is because it offers model diversity in real time and creates incentives for both model developers and external speculators to police and correct for issues.

While many are excited at the prospect of having “AI as a governor,” Buterin warned:

“I think doing this is risky both for traditional AI safety reasons and for near-term “this will create a big value-destructive splat” reasons.”

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Ethereum Foundation introduces 'Privacy Stewards for Ethereum' and roadmap https://earlybirdsinvest.com/ethereum-foundation-introduces-privacy-stewards-for-ethereum-and-roadmap/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/ethereum-foundation-introduces-privacy-stewards-for-ethereum-and-roadmap/#respond Sun, 14 Sep 2025 00:45:31 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/ethereum-foundation-introduces-privacy-stewards-for-ethereum-and-roadmap/

The Ethereum Foundation has released a roadmap to bring end-to-end privacy features to the Ethereum network, a layer-1 (L1) smart contract blockchain, and rebranded its “Privacy & Scaling Explorations” initiative to “Privacy Stewards of Ethereum” (PSE).

PSE said it aims to bring privacy solutions to the protocol, infrastructure, networking, application, and wallet layers in Friday’s announcement, and laid out several key goals for the next 3-6 months.

These included enabling private transfers through the development of the PlasmaFold layer-2 network, confidential voting, and privacy in decentralized finance (DeFi) applications. 

Privacy, Ethereum 2.0
The introduction of the Ethereum PSE privacy roadmap. Source: Ethereum Magicians

The roadmap also proposed exploring a workaround for personal data being broadcast through remote procedure call (RPC) services, and private identity solutions through zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs, a way of verifying information without revealing the specific contents of that information. PSE outlined its mission:

“Ethereum deserves to become core infrastructure for global digital commerce, identity, collaboration, and the internet of value. But this potential is impossible without private data, transactions, and identity. We take responsibility within the Ethereum Foundation for ensuring privacy goals at the application layer are reached.

“We’ll work with protocol teams to ensure that any L1 changes needed to enable strong, censorship-resistant intermediary-free privacy take place,” the announcement continued.

Privacy has always been at the core of the cypherpunk ethos that spawned cryptocurrencies, and as crypto gains widespread adoption and the attention of governments, the crypto community is increasingly concerned about evolving digital financial surveillance methods.

Related: EU Chat Control hinges on Germany’s decision

The US government proposes government identity checks for DeFi

US government officials are currently weighing regulations for the crypto industry and markets, which include potential surveillance measures to track the activity of participants.

The US Department of the Treasury, headed by secretary Scott Bessent, is exploring proposals to add government identity checks to smart contracts, which has drawn backlash from the crypto community.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has repeatedly said that privacy is an essential human right. In April, Buterin warned that transparency is more of a bug, rather than a feature, in the digital age. 

Buterin said that privacy was needed to protect individuals in a time of growing state power and large, centralized corporations. 

Magazine: Ethereum’s roadmap to 10,000 TPS using ZK tech: Dummies’ guide

]]> https://earlybirdsinvest.com/ethereum-foundation-introduces-privacy-stewards-for-ethereum-and-roadmap/feed/ 0 58311 Ethereum Devs Are Underpaid by Over 50%: Report https://earlybirdsinvest.com/ethereum-devs-are-underpaid-by-over-50-report/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/ethereum-devs-are-underpaid-by-over-50-report/#respond Sat, 13 Sep 2025 20:49:48 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/ethereum-devs-are-underpaid-by-over-50-report/

A new report from Protocol Guild has shown that Ethereum’s core developers are being paid far below industry standards.

The survey collected responses from 111 out of 190 Guild members and found that most are earning 50% to 60% less than their peers in similar roles.

Compensation Gap

Median salaries for surveyed Ethereum developers came in at about $140,000, compared with offers averaging $300,000 at rival projects. The report also detailed pay by area of focus, with average salaries at $130,000 for client developers, $215,000 for researchers, and $130,000 for coordination roles.

Additionally, these contributors said that they don’t get any equity or token exposure from their employers. The general allocation was $0, with only 37% of respondents receiving anything. On the other hand, final-stage offers made to their peers at rival organizations in the past year included a median equity or token share of 6.5%. This ranges from cofounder-level allocations of 10% to 30% to early employee grants of 0.1% to 3%.

The gap has created pressure; almost 40% of respondents have received outside job offers in the past year. In total, 108 were disclosed across 42 individuals, with the average package reaching $359,000. Some developers said they had been offered as much as $700,000 to move elsewhere.

Closing the Pay Disparity

Established in 2022, Protocol Guild has become a lifeline for such developers. Backed by the “1% Pledge” from projects including EigenLayer, Ether.fi, Taiko, and Puffer, the group has distributed over $33 million since launch. VanEck also pledged 10% of profits from its spot Ether ETF to the initiative in 2023.

Over the last 12 months, the average Guild member received $66,000 through this funding, while the median distribution was $74,285. That support represented nearly one-third of total annual compensation for many employees, with the mean pay rising from $140,000 to $207,121.

Survey responses show how important this extra support has been, with 59% of participants rating Guild funding as “very” or “extremely important” to their ability to keep working on Ethereum.

The network has secured nearly $1 trillion in value, serves millions of users, and powers thousands of applications reliant on key upgrades. Protocol Guild warned that inadequate compensation puts Ethereum at risk by undermining developer retention, slowing progress on the roadmap, and threatening long-term neutrality.

The group also emphasized that aligning pay with market rates is important to keep talent in place and ensure the ecosystem’s future growth.

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WisdomTree puts $1 trillion private credit market on Ethereum and Stellar for $25 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/wisdomtree-puts-1-trillion-private-credit-market-on-ethereum-and-stellar-for-25/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/wisdomtree-puts-1-trillion-private-credit-market-on-ethereum-and-stellar-for-25/#respond Fri, 12 Sep 2025 17:38:52 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/wisdomtree-puts-1-trillion-private-credit-market-on-ethereum-and-stellar-for-25/

WisdomTree has unveiled a tokenized investment vehicle to bring private credit directly onto blockchain rails.

The WisdomTree Private Credit and Alternative Income Digital Fund (CRDT) launched Sept. 12 on Ethereum and Stellar blockchains. It will be available to investors through the company’s Prime and Connect platforms.

WisdomTree’s CRDT

According to the statement, the fund’s performance mirrors the Gapstow Private Credit and Alternative Income Index (GLACI). Subscriptions settle instantly (T+0), redemptions finalize in two days (T+2), and the minimum investment threshold is set at $25.

Will Peck, Head of Digital Assets at WisdomTree, said:

“CRDT unlocks access to one of the most coveted asset classes – alternatives – directly onchain. By expanding the breadth of our tokenized funds, we’re giving crypto native investors the chance to diversify via exposures that were once reserved for institutions, all within the digital ecosystem.”

The move highlights how asset managers are accelerating the tokenization of real-world assets (RWA). According to RWA.xyz, this trend has already pushed the total value of tokenized instruments on-chain to nearly $30 billion.

By turning private credit into a digital product, WisdomTree aims to shorten settlement cycles, offer greater transparency, and keep markets accessible around the clock.

Bringing Private Credit on-chain

Private credit, a form of debt financing provided outside traditional banks and public bond markets, has become one of the fastest-expanding areas in global finance.

Over the past years, companies have increasingly relied on it for tailored loans and flexible repayment schedules, fueling a market now valued at more than $1 trillion.

According to RWA.xyz data, the sector already dominates tokenized assets, accounting for over half of the $29 billion total. Provenance blockchain’s Figure platform controls the largest share at about $17 billion.

With CRDT, WisdomTree seeks to carve out space in this growing segment by offering a transparent, blockchain-based structure for investors who want exposure to private credit without the hurdles of institutional gatekeeping.

Jeremy Schwartz, Global Chief Investment Officer at WisdomTree, said:

““Private credit has become one of the most talked-about opportunities in today’s market. For four years, we’ve been proud to make this space more accessible to the individual investor through our ETF, and now CRDT is able to deliver yield potential in a modern, tokenized fund.”

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