Ethereum Upgrade and Crypto Market updates
Ethereum successfully activated its Pectra upgrade on wednesday. Network finality was achieved at 6:18 am ET,following a tense period after the hard fork. Co-founder Vitalik Buterin proposed using RISC-V architecture to enhance Ethereum’s performance and simplify its operation.
Former Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao has started the process of seeking a presidential pardon from President Donald Trump. He completed a four-month prison sentence for money laundering charges. zhao denied reports of exchanging Binance.US equity for a pardon.
Coinbase CFO Alesia Haas revealed the company purchased $150 million in cryptocurrency, mostly Bitcoin. CEO Brian Armstrong and Haas explained that Coinbase considered putting most of its balance sheet into crypto but opted for a cautious approach. Coinbase also acquired Dubai-based Deribit for $2.9 billion.
MicroStrategy, led by CEO Phong Le and Executive Chair Michael Saylor, acquired 1,895 Bitcoin worth $180 million. The company now holds 555,450 BTC.
Steak ‘n Shake will accept Bitcoin payments across all U.S. locations starting May 16. This move will allow over 100 million customers to use Bitcoin for purchases.
The EU is developing a system to monitor cryptocurrency transfers.Eurogroup President Paschal Donohoe discussed applying anti-money laundering regulations to crypto transactions at the European Anti-Financial Crime Summit 2025.
U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore dismissed most claims against celebrities sued for promoting FTX. The SEC finalized its settlement with Ripple Labs, concluding a four-year litigation. Celsius founder Alex Mashinsky received a 12-year prison sentence for fraud.
Doodles, an NFT project, launched its DOOD token on Solana and distributed airdrops to existing NFT holders. They also unveiled DreamNet, an AI-powered decentralized storytelling platform.
German authorities raided crypto exchange eXch, confiscating servers and cryptocurrency valued at €34 million. The exchange is accused of facilitating money laundering for North Korean threat actors linked to the Bybit hack.</p
