Welcome to the protocol, the weekly conclusion of Coindesk of the most important stories of the technological development of cryptocurrencies. I am Margaux Nijkerk, the journalist of the Ethereum protocol in the Coindesk technological team.
In this issue:
- Ethereum activates the “pectra” upgrade, increasing maximum participation to 2,048 ETH
- Bitcoin developers plan to remove the OP_return limit in the next version
- Sam Altman’s World Crypto project is launched in the United States with orbs scanning in 6 cities
- Aztec’s confidentiality rollup strikes the testnet in the middle of growing demand
Network news
Pectra is finally online on Ethereum: Ethereum has activated its “Pectra” upgrade long -awaited on Wednesday, marking the most significant overhaul of blockchain since merger in 2022. The update aims to rationalize implementation, improve the functionality of the portfolio and improve global efficiency. It then happens that Ethereum is faced with growing competition and internal debates on its management. A key element of the upgrade is to increase the amount of eTh that can be put from 32 to 2,048. This change could help accelerate and rationalize operations for stakers, the large network of companies and individuals who help keep the Ethereum -free Ethereum network. Previously, scaling required to configure several validators; Now stakers can consolidate this amount under one knot. – Margaux Nijkerk Learn more.
Bitcoin core of developers to delete the OP_return limit, sparkling the debate: The Bitcoin op_return debate warms up, because Bitcoin Core developers – the most popular node software – said they planned to completely delete OP_return in the next version. The op_return limit is a ceiling of 80 bytes on the amount of arbitrary data which can be integrated into a Bitcoin transaction using a special and unfounded output field. The debate was centered on the fact that the lifting of the OP_return limit of 80 bytes promotes transparency and simplifies the use of data on Bitcoin, or if it opens the door to mistreatment, spam and a change in the financial objective of Bitcoin. – Sam Reynolds Learn more.
Worldcoin arrives in 6 American cities: Sam Altman’s Blockchain project World, World, is launched in the United States – and said that he intended to deploy 7,500 “Orbs” scanning in the cities of the country by the end of the year. Global Orbs – Chrome -shaped bowling balls that scan a person’s eyeballs to confirm their identity – will initially be available for Americans in six “key innovation centers”, said society: Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville and San Francisco. Those who decide to take the plunge and look in the ORB will have access to the global application and will receive an air card from the WLD token in the world. At the end of the year, the project aims to distribute enough orbs in the United States to give 180 million Americans, more than half of the population, access to the global network. Cheyenne Ligon and Margaux Nijkerk Learn more.
After 8 years, Aztec Testnet is live: Aztec, a Rollup of Layer-2 focused on confidentiality, shared that his testnet was finally posted. The announcement arises as a wave of new solutions focused on privacy is starting to seize the interests of large institutions that need confidentiality with major transactions. The team behind Aztec said it has been working on the product for over 8 years, bringing the cutting -edge technology closer to the Pointe du Mainnet technology. – Margaux Nijkerk Learn more.
In other news
- Movement Labs, the Network Movement Development Company, renamed “movement industries” and reduced links with the co-founder Rushi Manche after the controversy surrounding the uncluttered moving transactions. The announcement came by the company X of the company on Tuesday, declaring that “Movement Labs dismissed the employment of Rushi Manche and all the affiliations with the company in force immediately”. The decision follows a Coindesk report which revealed for the first time secret agreements between the entities linked to the movement and the market manufacturers when the project was launched. – Shaurya Malwa Learn more.
- The price of gold jumped almost 29% this year, firmly defeating 3.8% in Bitcoin (BTC). Even so, this has not dissuaded investors wishing to add the largest cryptocurrency to their wallets. According to the start of the year, the sixth largest part of all funds, Eric Balchunas, Eric Balchunas, Eric Balchunas, Eric Balchunas, Eric Balchunas. SPDR GOLD TRUST (GLD), the largest gold ETF physically supported in the world, slipped to position number seven on Monday with net entries of $ 6.5 billion. The outperformance of Ibit indicates the persistent confidence of institutions in the long -term perspectives of Bitcoin despite the performance of relatively austere prices. – Omkar Godbole Learn more.
Regulation and Policy
- The Democrats of the American House of Representatives have derailed what was supposed to be a joint audience on cryptographic policy efforts on Tuesday, insisting that the personal transactions of President Donald Trump were too urgent to allow other discussions on the establishment of industry regulations. – Jesse Hamilton Learn more.
- New Hampshire has become the first state to allow the investment of its public funds in cryptographic assets, its governor signing the new law on Tuesday. The state has beaten a number of other people with a punch this year when what had started as a wave of the dynamics of the state legislator had encountered roadblocks in recent weeks. As the first to authorize its treasurer to set up such a reserve, the New Hampshire could very well beat the US government to form a stock too. – Jesse Hamilton Learn more.
Calendar
- May 14-16: Consensus, Toronto
- May 19-23: Solana Accelerate, New York City
- May 20-22: Avalanche Summit, London
- May 27-29: Bitcoin 2025, Las Vegas
- May 27-29: Ethprague, Prague
- June 8-22: Berlin Blockchain Week, Berlin
- June 30-July 3: ETHCC, Cannes
- September 22-28: Korea Blockchain Week, Seoul
- October 1-22: Token2049, Singapore
- December 11-13: Solana Breakpoint, Abu Dhabi
