The biggest crypto news of the past week
The crypto world is still a place of big changes, new tech, and shifting rules. It is a place for new ideas, but also for fights about money and rules. Here's a quick look at the main news from last week, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Binance, Solana, and Ripple.
Trump Announces Crypto Reserve: Market Jumps!
On March 2, 2025, Donald Trump said the U.S. would create a reserve of cryptos. This includes Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), XRP, Solana (SOL), and Cardano (ADA). The first announcement left out BTC and ETH, which worried people. The project wants to make the U.S. a leader in crypto after past "attacks." Prices went up after the news. XRP rose (+21%), SOL (+12.5%), and ADA (+37%). This could help more big groups use crypto and make the U.S. a leader in digital money. 🔗 Read the full article
BlackRock Adds Bitcoin to Investment Choices
BlackRock, a large investment firm ($10 trillion managed), added its Bitcoin ETF (IBIT) to its model portfolios. The amount is small, only 1-2%. But, this could push other firms to do the same. BlackRock holds 576,046 BTC, which is 2.9% of all Bitcoin. This could speed up Bitcoin use by regular funds, despite recent ETF withdrawals and market changes. 🔗 Read the full article
Ethereum Faces Problems: Upgrade Fails!
The Pectra upgrade, meant to improve Ethereum, failed on the Holesky test network. Transactions could not finish. The error was due to a problem with deposit contracts. This raises concerns about the network's reliability. The upgrade, which includes EIP-7702 to turn wallets into smart contracts, is now delayed. Developers are under pressure. Pectra must also include EIP-7251, raising the staking limit from 32 ETH to 2,048 ETH. Ethereum needs to fix these issues fast. If not, it could lose ground to Solana and other blockchains. 🔗 Read the full article
MetaMask Drops Gas Fees, Adds Bitcoin and Solana!
MetaMask announced big changes. It will add Bitcoin and Solana, remove gas fees, and redesign its interface. Starting in May 2025, users can pay for transactions with any token. This solves the problem of changing fees. The wallet also introduces batch transactions (ERC-5792). This speeds up transfers and lowers costs. With 30 million users, MetaMask aims to be the best Web3 wallet, challenging Phantom and other multi-chain options. 🔗 Read the full article
Bybit Hack: $600 Million Laundered!
The Lazarus group laundered $605 million from the Bybit hack ($1.4 billion stolen). They used THORChain, a cross-chain system without KYC. Despite efforts to stop them, hackers used the protocol's speed to avoid detection. The FBI and exchanges are working together to track the funds. The situation raises questions. Should DeFi be monitored to prevent money laundering, or should transactions be free? 🔗 Read the full article
Coinbase Wins Against SEC!
After a legal fight, the SEC dropped its case against Coinbase. This is a big win for the exchange. Coinbase says this shows its practices are legal. It is now asking for clear rules for the crypto industry. This decision could affect cases against Binance, Ripple, and Kraken. It may also strengthen the crypto