Foundation is shutting down after a failed sale to Blackdove, having processed about $230 million in NFT primary sales since its launch in 2021. Foundation, one of the better-known Ethereum-based non-fungible token (NFT) marketplaces of the 2021 boom, is shutting down after the sale that was supposed to keep it operating fell apart. Kayvon Tehranian, Foundation’s founder and CEO, took to X on Wednesday to announce the marketplace’s closure following a failed acquisition by the digital art distribution platform Blackdove. Although Tehranian did not directly mention Blackdove, he said the original goal of the sale was to ensure the platform would continue operating under new ownership. “That’s no longer possible,” he said, adding that Foundation is not in a position to bring the marketplace back online. Read more
EIP-8105 proposes a scheme-agnostic encrypted mempool for Ethereum, designed to hide transaction payloads until after inclusion and reduce harmful MEV. Sandwich attacks cost Ethereum users an estimated $60 million per year. Transactions broadcast to the public mempool are publicly visible before inclusion, which gives MEV bots the ability to affect the order of transactions and insert their own for profit. This problem has persisted on some level in spite of years of discussion and various out-of-protocol mitigation attempts. Encrypting mempool transactions would be one of the most compelling solutions to prevent MEV. While this idea has been actively discussed for years, it has not yet been implemented at the protocol level. In our earlier research, we examined several proposals based on threshold-encryption, including Shutter, Batched Threshold Encryption, and Flash Freezing Flash Boys. In this article, we turn to a meta proposal titled “Universal Enshrined Encrypted Mempool (EIP-8105)“. Universal Enshrined...
Will quantum-safe cryptography slow Ethereum? It is likely to affect gas fees, validator load and network efficiency, prompting Ethereum to pursue a broader redesign strategy. Ethereum relies on cryptographic systems that remain secure against classical computers. However, sufficiently advanced quantum machines could one day break these systems, potentially exposing private keys and putting billions of dollars in value at risk. Ethereum’s post-quantum initiative sends a clear message: there is no immediate threat, yet delaying action is not an option. Upgrading a global, decentralized network is a complex, multiyear effort that requires: Read more
Ethereum could see $850 billion in “new flows” by 2030 if the trend continues, according to Token Terminal. The onchain value of stablecoins on the Ethereum network has reached an all-time high of $180 billion, according to blockchain analytics firm Token Terminal. Ethereum holds 60% of the stablecoin supply at $180 billion, which is up 150% over the past three years, the firm reported Tuesday. The company projected that around $1.7 trillion is expected to come onchain across all networks over the next four years and that Ethereum could see $850 billion in “new flows” by 2030, if it grows 470% in that time. Read more
Ethereum analysts said buyers were back in control, but holding the $2,000 support was key to reversing the market structure. Market analysts say Ether (ETH) could be ready for a “regime shift” as buying pressure builds up, but bulls must hold $2,000. Key takeaways: Ether shows resilience above $2,000, as onchain data shows signs of returning demand, suggesting a possible “regime shift”. Read more
Edward Felten said Ethereum L2s need responsive pricing to scale, as Arbitrum’s new model tests an alternative to EIP-1559-style fee swings. Ethereum layer-2 networks need “responsive pricing” to scale to billions of users and reduce the fee swings that still accompany congestion, Offchain Labs co-founder Edward Felten said during a keynote at EthCC 2026. Ethereum’s EIP-1559 upgrade launched in August 2021, as part of the London hard fork. It reformed the Ethereum fee market by modifying the gas fee limit and introduced a feature that burns part of the transaction fees, removing them permanently from circulation. Felten said gas-price swings are still the main mechanism for protecting networks from being overrun during periods of heavy demand, even though that produces the kind of fee volatility mainstream users tend to reject. Read more
A sharp drop in Ether’s realized volatility could result in significant ETH price moves if history repeats, making $2,000 a key support level to keep an eye on. Ether (ETH) price is down 6% over the last seven days to trade at $2,040 on Tuesday. Declining price volatility is also suggesting that a deeper correction could be in store. Key takeaways Ether’s realized volatility on Binance has dropped sharply to its lowest level since mid-January. Read more
The Ethereum Economic Zone promises to stitch fragmented rollups back into a single system, but a similar model struggled to gain traction on Cosmos. Ethereum builders are pushing a new way to unify the ecosystem after years of fragmentation caused by the very networks designed to scale it. On Sunday, veteran Ethereum builder Gnosis and zero-knowledge virtual machine project Zisk unveiled the Ethereum Economic Zone (EEZ), a framework aimed at linking layer-2 rollups more tightly to the base network. The proposal positions Ethereum as the central hub, with Ether (ETH) remaining the gas token and settlement layer. It also introduces a model where smart contracts can interact across mainnet and EEZ rollups with atomic execution. Read more
Coinbase's Ethereum layer-2 Base said it will be upgrading its chain to allow AI agents to use it the same way developers or traders would. Coinbase's Ethereum layer-2 network Base said it is upgrading key systems in preparation for an AI agent economy as part of its newly released 2026 roadmap, joining the race to support the growing agentic AI ecosystem. AI agents are discovering crypto markets as their native economy, “building, owning, and trading alongside us,” said Base in its 2026 mission, vision, and strategy update on Tuesday. Base added that its goal is to build a foundation for an AI agent economy by focusing on building global markets, scaling payments and stablecoins and attracting more developers. Read more
The rollout includes Aave Pro for advanced users and integrates Chainlink to provide oracle data for V4 markets. Decentralized finance (DeFi) lending platform Aave has launched its V4 protocol on Ethereum after a binding onchain governance vote cleared its deployment. On Monday, Aave announced the launch of its V4 protocol on Ethereum, introducing infrastructure designed to “expand onchain markets into real-world credit markets.” The company said this includes structured lending, fixed-rate borrowing and tokenized asset-backed credit. The rollout follows a Snapshot vote that gained near-unanimous support for a subsequent Aave Improvement Proposal (AIP), a binding onchain vote that opened on March 26 and closed on Sunday. The proposal passed with about 433,000 votes in favor, or roughly 60%, versus about 282,000 votes against, or nearly 40%. Read more
Developers from Gnosis and Zisk propose a framework to connect fragmented rollups, amid growing debate over Ethereum’s scaling model and interoperability challenges. Developers from Gnosis and Zisk, with backing from the Ethereum Foundation, have proposed a new framework aimed at unifying Ethereum’s fragmented layer-2 ecosystem by enabling rollups to interact seamlessly with each other and the mainnet in a single transaction. According to an announcement shared with Cointelegraph, the proposed “Ethereum Economic Zone” (EEZ) would allow smart contracts on different rollups to execute synchronously across networks without relying on bridges. The initiative targets a key trade-off in Ethereum’s scaling strategy, where dozens of layer-2 networks have improved throughput but split liquidity, infrastructure and user activity across separate environments. Read more
Polymarket traders now see a real risk of ETH losing its number-two crypto ranking in 2026, with odds jumping from 17% to over 59% this year. Ether’s (ETH) grip on the cryptocurrency market’s number-two spot is weakening, not because it is getting any closer to overtaking Bitcoin (BTC), but because the stablecoin economy is booming. Key takeaways: Ether’s hold on crypto’s number-two spot weakens as Tether’s growth accelerates. Read more