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- Bitcoin, Ethereum, Cosmos and more Week 3 2025
Bitcoin, Ethereum, Cosmos and more Week 3 2025
Keeping you updated on crypto, web3 and blockchain
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TL;DR
Thailand Eyes Bitcoin ETFs and Stablecoins
BlackRock Introduces Bitcoin ETF in Canada
Ethereum's Pectra Upgrade Set for March
Sony Launches Soneium Mainnet for Fan-Driven Web3
THORChain Expands Cross-Chain Swaps with Base Integration
AI Agent Integration Boosts Injective
Crypto Under Trump: New Era
Dubai's 17-story Crypto Tower Project
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
Thailand's SEC is evaluating the approval of spot Bitcoin ETFs on local exchanges to position the country as a regional cryptocurrency leader. This initiative aligns with discussions on introducing stablecoins and addressing illegal activities on platforms like Polymarket.
While marking a step toward mainstream crypto adoption, the plan emphasizes balancing innovation with regulatory frameworks to ensure economic stability. The move reflects Thailand's ambition to integrate cryptocurrencies responsibly, potentially shaping its role in Asia's evolving digital asset landscape.
El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele has announced an ambitious plan to install Bitcoin nodes in every household by 2025, reinforcing the nation's commitment to cryptocurrency adoption. This initiative aims to enhance decentralization and integrate Bitcoin further into the economy, following its 2021 decision to recognize Bitcoin as legal tender.
The move underscores El Salvador's push to position itself as a leader in digital currency innovation, encouraging grassroots adoption. By equipping homes with Bitcoin nodes, the country seeks to promote a decentralized financial ecosystem, showcasing its dedication to advancing blockchain technology and economic transformation on a national scale.
BlackRock, managing $11.5 trillion in assets, has launched the iShares Bitcoin ETF (IBIT) on the CBOE Canada exchange. This Spot Bitcoin ETF offers investors a simplified route to gain Bitcoin exposure through traditional brokerage accounts, aligning its value with Bitcoin's performance.
The move represents a significant step towards mainstream crypto adoption, addressing investment and custody challenges. By leveraging its influence, BlackRock’s entry into the Bitcoin ETF market signals growing institutional confidence in cryptocurrencies and a push for broader acceptance.
Intesa Sanpaolo, Italy’s largest bank, has entered the Bitcoin market with a $1 million purchase of 11 BTC, becoming the first Italian bank to do so. CEO Carlo Messina described the move as a cautious test to address high-net-worth clients' potential demands while warning against household investments in Bitcoin due to risks.
This aligns with the bank’s broader digital assets strategy, including blockchain initiatives like a €25 million digital bond on Polygon. Occurring amid Italy’s tax reductions on digital assets, the investment reflects increasing institutional interest in Bitcoin, signaling a growing shift in traditional finance toward cryptocurrency adoption.
Ethan Peck, a shareholder and National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR) member, has urged Meta to allocate part of its $72 billion reserves into Bitcoin, citing inflation resistance, better returns, and alignment with innovation. He highlighted Bitcoin’s 1,265% five-year growth compared to bonds and pointed to firms like MicroStrategy and Tesla as examples.
Peck argues that Bitcoin could protect shareholder value and align with Meta's forward-thinking image. While Meta has yet to respond, institutional interest in Bitcoin is growing, with BlackRock endorsing small allocations. If adopted, Meta's move could set a precedent for other corporations.
Ethereum Highlights of the Week
Ethereum developers plan to launch the Pectra upgrade in March 2025, following hard forks on testnets Sepolia and Holesky in February. This upgrade, delayed from late 2024 due to expanded scope, includes significant Ethereum Improvement Proposals.
Key changes involve enhancing crypto wallet usability, increasing validator stake limits from 32 to 2,048 ETH, and refining deposit and exit mechanisms. Developers have conducted short-duration devnets and launched the Mekong testnet in November 2024 to test critical components. If testnet forks proceed smoothly, the mainnet rollout is expected to follow, promising improved network efficiency and user experience.
Sony has officially launched the Soneium mainnet, building on the success of its 2024 testnet, Soneium Minato. This new blockchain platform aims to provide creators with faster, cost-efficient blockchain solutions to connect with fans via NFTs and crypto.
Key features include the S.BLOX exchange, simplifying crypto acquisition for Web3 applications, and an NFT-based Fan Marketing Platform launching in February 2025. Soneium serves as a layer-2 solution for Ethereum, addressing data processing and fee issues. The platform leverages the Optimism stack for scalability, and Sony Block Solutions Labs’ 2024 partnership with Startale Group supported the infrastructure.
PostFinance, a Swiss state-owned bank, has launched an Ether (ETH) staking service for its 2.7 million customers, allowing users to stake starting from just 0.1 ETH. The service offers a fixed term of 12 weeks, with staking rewards available for sale.
This move aligns with the growing interest in crypto among traditional banks, following in the footsteps of Anchorage Digital's Ether staking service in the U.S. PostFinance's staking is directly integrated into its existing services, providing customers with seamless access to staking rewards alongside other crypto assets. The bank plans to offer additional coins in the future.
EigenLayer has announced the formation of its Protocol Council to enhance decentralized governance, ensuring protocol security and evaluating EigenLayer Improvement Proposals (EIPs). The council will play a crucial role in overseeing the development of new features, such as the restaking of staked ETH to secure decentralized services like sequencers, oracles, and data availability layers.
The protocol also allows the restaking of ERC-20 tokens, including AVS tokens, stablecoins, and Bitcoin-denominated assets, to secure additional networks. With these developments, EigenLayer aims to foster community-driven growth and broader ecosystem development.
Uniswap Labs and Ledger have announced a new integration allowing users to swap tokens directly within the Ledger Live app while maintaining full control of their assets via Ledger hardware wallets. The integration features clear signing, ensuring users can verify transaction details before approval, enhancing security.
Initially supporting Ethereum token swaps, the integration eliminates the need for hot wallets and intermediaries, aligning with the mission to offer secure self-custody DeFi transactions. This collaboration aims to simplify the user experience while maintaining decentralization and asset security.
Cosmos Highlights of the Week
THORChain has integrated Coinbase’s Ethereum Layer 2 network, Base, enhancing its cross-chain ecosystem. This update enables seamless swaps of Base assets, including BASE.USDC and BASE.ETH, alongside major chains like Bitcoin and Ethereum.
The move, supported by interfaces like ShapeShift and THORSwap, boosts accessibility for users. Base’s secure, low-cost design aligns with THORChain’s mission to democratize DeFi. With collaborations like Strangelove Labs and Nine Realms, THORChain plans further integrations, solidifying its leadership in cross-chain innovation and advancing a connected, robust DeFi ecosystem.
Allora Network is integrating its decentralized intelligence platform with Injective's iAgent SDK, enabling the creation of more advanced on-chain AI agents. This partnership enhances AI agents' decision-making abilities, allowing them to adapt to market conditions and recognize subtle patterns.
It promises improvements in user experience, developer tools, and task reliability within the Injective ecosystem, giving it a competitive edge in AI-driven finance. With the AI agent sector's market cap at $15.7 billion, this collaboration positions Injective and Allora to lead the sector's growth, offering innovative tools for developers and a new standard for self-improving AI agents.
The Secret Network Foundation (SNF) and Synk have teamed up as part of Secret’s Builders’ Program to enhance privacy in decentralized applications (dApps). Synk, specializing in encrypted browsing, data storage, and VPN services, will integrate Secret Network’s confidential computing features to develop privacy-centric solutions.
This collaboration aims to scale privacy tools for Web3 developers and users, ensuring enhanced security. Synk aspires to become the default private browser for Web3 projects, while also creating an app store for privacy-focused dApps, strengthening the privacy-first ecosystem and advancing Web3’s security.
Intergaze is transforming NFTs by enabling seamless multi-chain trading and connectivity across any virtual machine (VM). Built on Stargaze’s Launchpad with Initia's Interwoven Stack and Celestia’s infrastructure, Intergaze eliminates gas fees, offers random minting, and provides tiered whitelists for enhanced user experience.
Its unique Interwoven NFT technology allows NFTs minted on Intergaze to be instantly sent to other IBC-enabled chains, adapting to various NFT standards (ERC721, Move, CW721). The first Interwoven NFT collections, including TeamTuzi, RcoonsNFT, and ANYO_nft, are set to mint, marking a significant step in the multi-chain NFT ecosystem.
Side Protocol's audit has been successfully completed, marking a key milestone ahead of its mainnet launch. Conducted by the industry-leading BlockSec Team, the audit reviewed the protocol’s core contracts, including Shuttler, FROST, and Side Chain. The audit uncovered 8 potential issues, 3 of which were high-risk.
All identified issues, including improper sender address validation and potential nonce reuse, have been promptly addressed by the Side Protocol team. The audit also included recommendations for optimization and noted concerns like potential centralization risks and reliance on external mechanisms.
Other Highlights of the Week
The cryptocurrency community is celebrating the end of what they describe as four years of regulatory challenges under the Biden administration. With Donald Trump’s upcoming presidency, many anticipate a more crypto-friendly environment, highlighted by the appointment of David Sacks as AI and crypto czar and Paul Atkins as SEC Chair.
Trump's promised executive orders, including a Bitcoin reserve and the end of debanking, are expected to revitalize the industry. This shift is already prompting crypto startups to return to the U.S., sparking optimism for a more supportive regulatory framework and a thriving crypto ecosystem.
Dubai's government, in collaboration with the DMCC and REIT Development, is constructing a 17-story Crypto Tower in Jumeirah Lake Towers, slated for completion by 2027. The tower will span 150,000 square feet, housing offices for crypto startups, blockchain incubators, and AI innovation.
Additional features include an NFT art gallery, gold bullion shop, exotic car dealership, and secure vault. The project aims to position Dubai as a blockchain, DeFi, and Web3 hub, with every expense recorded on the blockchain and tenant selection determined through on-chain voting, highlighting the city’s commitment to cryptocurrency and blockchain.
Tether, a leading stablecoin issuer, has announced plans to relocate its headquarters to El Salvador after acquiring a Digital Asset Service Provider (DASP) license. The decision aligns with the country’s progressive stance on cryptocurrency and offers Tether the opportunity to operate in markets with more favorable regulations.
This move highlights Tether's strategy to expand its influence in emerging markets and solidify its presence in regions with pro-crypto policies, reinforcing its commitment to global innovation. Tether's CEO, Paolo Ardoino, expressed enthusiasm about the move, praising El Salvador’s leadership and vision for the future.
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