Ether price surged to $3,000 on Tuesday, but lagged behind the US stock market rally as muted demand for ETH derivatives and growth in competing blockchains kept traders skeptical. Key takeaways: The ETH futures premium and the put options skew indicate that traders are hedging aggressively despite an 8% price rebound. Ethereum’s weekly fees slid 49% amid weakened DEX activity, while Tron and Solana fees rose 9%. Read more
The move combines Everstake’s validator infrastructure with Taurus’ regulated custody stack, adding a staking pathway for institutional clients. Taurus has entered into a partnership with Everstake that will integrate enterprise staking into its custody system for institutional clients, offering access to yield generation across proof-of-stake networks. Taurus, a Swiss FINMA-regulated digital asset infrastructure provider, will integrate Everstake’s non-custodial staking services into its custody stack, according to Tuesday’s announcement from the company. The move enables banks and institutional clients using Taurus to delegate assets such as Solana (SOL), Near Protocol (NEAR), Cardano (ADA), and Tezos (XTZ) to Everstake’s validators while keeping private keys and operational control within their existing custody workflows. Read more
The entity formed by 10 banks is working on obtaining regulatory approval from the Dutch Central Bank to launch a stablecoin “in the second half of 2026.” A group of 10 banks plans to introduce a euro-pegged stablecoin in 2026 under an entity authorized by the Dutch Central Bank. In a Tuesday notice, BNP Paribas said it would join nine other EU-based banks in an effort to launch a euro-backed stablecoin “in the second half of 2026.” The Amsterdam-based entity formed by the banks, Qivalis, will launch a stablecoin compliant with the region’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework, subject to regulatory approval. “A native euro stablecoin isn’t just about convenience — it’s about monetary autonomy in the digital age,” said Qivalis CEO Jan-Oliver Sell. “Presenting new opportunities for European companies and consumers to interact with onchain payments and digital asset markets in their own currency.” Read more
The acquisition will give Kraken full control of the xStocks tokenized-equity platform, strengthening the exchange’s push into regulated real-world assets. US-based crypto exchange Kraken has agreed to acquire Backed Finance AG, the company behind the issuance of xStocks, adding to a string of acquisitions the exchange has made this year while bringing the tokenized-equities platform under its roof. According to Tuesday’s announcement, Kraken plans to integrate xStocks’ issuance, trading and settlement more tightly into its products, including its global money app, while expanding support to additional blockchains and markets. XStocks is a platform that issues tokenized versions of publicly traded equities, such as stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). It currently offers over 60 tokenized products and has recorded more than $10 billion in combined exchange and onchain volume since launching earlier this year. Read more