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- Bitcoin, Ethereum, Cosmos and more Week 14 2025
Bitcoin, Ethereum, Cosmos and more Week 14 2025
Keeping you updated on crypto, web3 and blockchain
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TL;DR
Grayscale Launches Two Bitcoin Income ETFs
Tether Boosts Bitcoin Holdings
Fidelity Offers BTC, ETH, LTC in New No-Fee Crypto IRA
Ethereum Targets May 7 for Pectra Upgrade
Akash Launches MCP Server for AI-Driven Deployments
Nolus v2 Launches with Major DeFi Upgrades
Markets Plunge on New Tariff Plans
Crypto Investors Lost $1.67B in Q1 Hacks
and much more!
Market, Airdrop & Memecoin Update
Before we dive in, make sure to check out our recent Market, Airdrop and Memecoin updates:
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Bitcoin Highlights of the Week
Tether made headlines this week with a $735 million Bitcoin purchase, acquiring 8,888 BTC and pushing its total holdings to 100,521 BTC, valued at $8.29 billion. The acquisition, executed at the end of Q1 2025 and withdrawn from Bitfinex, signals Tetherâs continued strategy of bolstering reserves with hard assets.
While some market participants view this as a strong vote of confidence in Bitcoin, others are calling for increased transparency around the transaction. Regardless, this move highlights growing institutional adoption and reaffirms Bitcoinâs role as a reserve asset in cryptoâs evolving financial infrastructure.
Lawmakers in Alabama and Minnesota have introduced new bills aiming to allow their states to hold Bitcoin in their reserves, joining 24 other U.S. states in similar efforts. Minnesotaâs Bitcoin Act proposes allowing state investments in Bitcoin, crypto in retirement accounts, tax exemptions on gains, and crypto-based tax payments.
Alabamaâs twin bills, while not naming Bitcoin directly, restrict crypto holdings to assets with at least $750 billion in market valueâcurrently only met by Bitcoin. Arizona remains the closest to enacting such legislation, while other states like Pennsylvania and Montana have already rejected similar proposals.
Grayscale has introduced two new Bitcoin ETFs designed to generate revenue from BTCâs volatility: the Bitcoin Covered Call ETF (BTCC) and the Bitcoin Premium Income ETF (BPI). BTCC aims to capture premiums by writing near-the-money calls, complementing Bitcoin exposure with income. BPI targets out-of-the-money strikes on Bitcoin ETFs, blending potential upside with dividend-like returns.
Both funds promise monthly distributions and systematic options strategies, offering uncorrelated income streams. The move comes as Grayscale expands its ETF offerings, including recent filings for multi-asset and Avalanche-based ETFs, with several spot products awaiting regulatory approval.
First Trust Advisors has launched two Bitcoin strategy ETFs aimed at traditional investors seeking structured exposure to Bitcoin with risk mitigation. The FT Vest Bitcoin Strategy Floor15 ETF (BFAP) caps upside gains but limits losses to around 15%. Meanwhile, the FT Vest Bitcoin Strategy & Target Income ETF (DFII) targets higher-than-Treasury yields by selling call options on BTC, leveraging its volatility.
These ETFs join a growing wave of outcome-oriented Bitcoin products, reflecting rising institutional interest in crypto with built-in protections. The launch follows similar offerings from Grayscale and Bitwise, highlighting the sector's rapid financial innovation.
Japanese investment firm Metaplanet has ramped up its Bitcoin accumulation strategy, purchasing 160 BTC for $13.3 million just one day after acquiring 696 BTC. This brings its total holdings to 4,206 BTC, worth roughly $356.2 million at current market prices.
Since adopting its Bitcoin-focused strategy in April 2024, Metaplanet has become the largest corporate BTC holder in Asia and ranks ninth globally. The firm aims to hold 10,000 BTC by the end of 2025 and 21,000 by 2026. Despite the bullish move, Metaplanetâs stock fell 0.98% during Japanâs morning trading session.
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Ethereum Highlights of the Week
Ethereum developers have scheduled May 7 as the mainnet deployment date for the long-awaited Pectra upgrade, following successful testing on the Hoodi testnet. This hard fork introduces 11 Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) to enhance usability, staking, and scalability.
Key upgrades include EIP-7702 for wallet improvements, EIP-7251 to raise validator limits from 32 to 2,048 ETH, and EIP-7691 to increase the maximum blob count for better rollup support. While the date is now official, developers note it may shift pending final tests. The new timeline gives validators and infrastructure providers more room for coordination and implementation.
Ethereum regained its spot as the top blockchain for decentralized exchange (DEX) trading volume in March, surpassing Solana for the first time since September. This shift occurred amid bearish market conditions, especially in the memecoin sector, which impacted Solana-based DEXes like Raydium.
Uniswap played a key role in Ethereumâs resurgence, recording over $30 billion in monthly trading volume. Despite this dominance, ETH declined 18% in March, driven by concerns over inflationary tokenomics and increased Layer 2 migration. Ethereumâs lead reflects shifting momentum in DEX activity back to the ecosystemâs original frontrunner.
Fidelity has introduced a no-fee crypto IRA that allows U.S. adults to invest directly in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin. The assets are custodied by Fidelity Digital Assets and held in cold storage. Available through Roth, traditional, or rollover IRAs, the product caters to rising demand for tax-advantaged crypto exposure.
This move aligns with a trend among financial advisorsâ57% plan to increase crypto ETF allocations, with a strong focus on crypto equity ETFs. Fidelity continues expanding its digital asset offerings, recently filing for a Solana ETF, reinforcing its commitment to meeting evolving investor interests in the crypto space.
EigenLayer will activate slashing on April 17, marking the final step toward its feature-complete restaking model. This security mechanism penalizes misbehaving node operators while rewarding good performance, enabling a marketplace for verifiable services. Restakers and operators can opt in gradually.
Over 30 Actively Validated Services (AVSs), including EigenDA and ARPA Network, are already live. The move brings EigenLayer closer to supporting high-throughput DeFi and gaming apps, with long-term goals of expanding beyond Web3. Slashing introduces accountability to restaking and solidifies EigenLayerâs position as foundational infrastructure for the Verifiable Cloud.
Privacy Pools officially launched on Ethereum on March 31, offering onchain privacy with regulatory safeguards. Built by 0xbow.io and backed by Vitalik Buterin, the tool allows users to make private transactions while proving they're not linked to illicit activity.
Using dynamic âAssociation Sets,â it screens deposits and enables a âragequitâ function for disqualified funds. Initial deposits are capped at 1 ETH, with 69 deposits totaling 21 ETH so far. Inspired by a 2023 whitepaper co-authored by Buterin, the protocol aims to normalize compliant privacy in crypto and has passed audits by Audit Wizard.
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Cosmos Highlights of the Week
Nolus Protocol has rolled out v2, a major upgrade introducing advanced trading tools and a refined user experience. Key features include a redesigned UI for improved position management, stop-loss and take-profit orders, and network fee abstraction allowing gas payments in multiple tokens.
The update also debuts Kai, an AI assistant offering behavior-based insights, and enhanced platform performance with faster execution and smoother interactions. This release positions Nolus as a more intuitive and powerful platform for DeFi users, marking a significant step forward in usability and risk management across the protocol.
Babylon has announced its Early Adopters Airdrop, allocating 600 million BABY tokensâ6% of the total supplyâto reward core contributors. The airdrop targets Phase 1 stakers, Finality Providers, Pioneer Pass holders, and GitHub contributors.
Key allocations include 335M BABY for Phase 1 staking rewards and 200M BABY as bonuses for those continuing into Phase 2. Airdrops will be automatically distributed, though users must sign the Airdrop Terms after launch to receive their rewards. Additional initiatives, including wallet campaigns, will be announced separately. This marks a major milestone in Babylonâs commitment to its early supporters.
Elliptic has integrated MANTRA Chain into its compliance suite, granting over 500 financial institutions access to MANTRAâs Layer 1 blockchain. This integration enables real-time monitoring, cross-chain intelligence, and AML compliance through tools like Lens, Navigator, and Investigator.
MANTRA, focused on real-world asset (RWA) tokenization, offers a permissionless chain supporting permissioned applications, aligning with global regulatory standards. The partnership enhances institutional confidence in MANTRAâs infrastructure, reinforcing its mission to bring the financial ecosystem onchain.
Persistence One is set to debut its DEX on Babylon from genesis, positioning it as the BTCFi Liquidity Hub within the Bitcoin-backed network. Purpose-built for stablecoins, LSTs, and Bitcoin assets, the DEX will support native swaps for $BABY, BTC LSTs, and bridged tokens.
Built using CosmWasm, it enables permissioned liquidity pools, LP incentives, and aggregator integrations for optimal routing. The launch solidifies Persistence DEXâs role in powering on-chain Bitcoin finance across Babylonâs growing ecosystem, offering a robust and compliant trading infrastructure from day one.
Akash Network has introduced the "Akash MCP Server," enabling users to deploy on the Akash Supercloud directly from any MCP client, including popular AI tools like Claude and Cursor. This development streamlines cloud access and integration for AI developers, enhancing usability across multiple platforms.
The Akash MCP Server is fully open-source, inviting community contributions and broader ecosystem participation. By bridging AI and decentralized cloud computing, Akash continues to push forward as a key infrastructure layer for scalable, permissionless deployments in the Web3 and AI space.
Other Highlights of the Week
Global markets tumbled after President Trump unveiled aggressive new tariffs, including a 10% base rate on all imports and steeper penalties for nations with trade imbalances. The S&P 500 fell 3.4%, the Nasdaq dropped 5%, and the Dow plunged 1,200 points.
Major corporations like Apple and Nike led the downturn, reflecting investor concerns about rising costs, disrupted supply chains, and a potential global slowdown. The sharp selloff marks one of the steepest single-day losses in recent years, highlighting the high sensitivity of traditional markets to geopolitical and economic policy shifts, contrasting with cryptoâs growing appeal as an alternative.
The U.S. House Financial Services Committee has passed the STABLE Act with a 32-17 vote, including support from six Democrats. The bill introduces a federal framework for stablecoins, requiring full reserve backing, regular audits, and strict AML compliance.
Seen as a pivotal step in crypto regulation, the legislation aims to bring stability and oversight to the growing stablecoin market while preserving innovation. The act now moves to a full House vote. With the Senate's GENIUS Act also advancing, bipartisan momentum is building for comprehensive digital asset regulation in the U.S.
Crypto hacks and exploits led to $1.67 billion in investor losses during Q1 2025âa staggering 303% increase from the previous quarter. The Bybit exploit alone accounted for $1.45 billion, making it the dominant incident. Ethereum was hit hardest, with 98 of 197 total reported hacks.
Attack methods included phishing (81 cases) and private key compromises (15). Recovery efforts were minimal, with just 0.38% of stolen assets retrieved, compared to 42% last quarter. These figures highlight an urgent need for enhanced security infrastructure as exploit sophistication continues to grow across major blockchain networks.
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