• Vitalik on Ethereum Privacy Roadmap.

• Four EIPs are CFI'd for Fusaka.

• RISC Zero introduces R0VM 2.0.

• EF concludes 5th Protocol Fellowship.

Vitalik Buterin outlined a privacy roadmap that focuses on improving user privacy with minimal changes to Ethereum’s base layer. The roadmap proposes integrating privacy tools such as Railgun and Privacy Pools directly into wallets, enabling shielded balances and making private transactions the default user experience. To prevent linking user activity across applications, the ecosystem should adopt a “one address per application” model. The roadmap also recommends adding TEE-based RPC privacy to wallets as a short-term solution. To further reduce metadata leakage, wallets should connect to multiple RPC nodes. Privacy transactions should also be combined into a single onchain proof to lower gas costs. 

Ethereum core developers have moved four EIPs to the Considered for Inclusion (CFI) list for the upcoming Fusaka upgrade. The proposals include EIP-7823, which sets upper bounds for the MODEXP operation; EIP-7825, which introduces a cap on transaction gas limits; and EIP-7907, which meters contract code size. Developers also agreed to consider either EIP-7762 or EIP-7918—two competing proposals to modify the blob base fee mechanism. All other proposed EIPs were declined for inclusion. Currently, only PeerDAS and EOF are scheduled for inclusion in the Fusaka upgrade, which is expected to activate toward the end of the year.

RISC Zero launched R0VM 2.0, the latest version of its general-purpose zero-knowledge virtual machine (zkVM). The upgrade delivers faster performance, with block proving times reduced to just 44 seconds, and transaction costs as low as $0.0012 for large batches. It also introduces expanded capacity with 3GB of user memory. R0VM 2.0 adds support for BN254 and BLS12-381 precompiles for full Ethereum compatibility and incorporates formal verification to ensure circuit-level security. The system also leverages Boundless, RISC Zero’s decentralized proving protocol, to enable trustless and verifiable computation at scale.

The Ethereum Foundation released a recap of the fifth cohort of the Ethereum Protocol Fellowship (EPF), which involved 30 participants guided by core developers. The cohort contributed to 30 projects, including a proof-of-concept for ePBS in Prysm, a Verkle tree implementation in Reth, enhanced DHT prototyping, SSZ benchmarking and optimization, and PeerDAS integrations across clients such and Nimbus. The EPF is an annual mentorship initiative aimed at helping developers dive into core protocol development. Applications for the sixth cohort are set to open later this month. The EPF Study Group, a ten-week program designed to prepare participants for the main fellowship, also concluded this month.

• Uniswap incentives program

• RISE launches L2 on testnet

• SEC guidance on crypto securities

• Coinbase lists 150 perps

• OP Sepolia testing 

• Morpho App frontend issue

• Lens developer program

• Aerodrome integrates chainlink

See disclosures

• Virgil Griffith is released from prison.

• Across integrates ZKsync’s ZK Stack.

• Biconomy Network goes live on mainnet.

• Rath introduces its DeFi yield protocol.

Virgil Griffith, an Ethereum researcher who was sentenced for violating U.S. sanctions after giving a presentation in North Korea, has been released from prison after serving 56 months. He is currently residing in a halfway house as he completes the final stages of his parole. A photo shared by Brantly Millegan shows Griffith standing with his parents just outside the prison. Griffith traveled to North Korea in April 2019 to attend and speak at the Pyongyang Blockchain Conference. Despite his presentation being based on publicly available information, he was arrested by the U.S. Department of Justice in November 2019 for providing technical knowledge to the regime. In April 2022, he was fined $100,000 and sentenced to 63 months in prison.

Across Protocol, a cross-chain bridge built on an intents-based architecture, integrated support for ZKsync’s ZK Stack, enabling easy deployments and integrations for ZK Stack-based chains. The first to go live is Lens Chain, a SocialFi-focused Validium chain built on ZKsync. The ZK Stack is a modular framework designed for launching custom ZK-powered Layer 2 networks. It offers native account abstraction, data compression, EVM compatibility, and hyperscalability through shared provers and fractal scaling. The infrastructure allows ZK Stack chains to share liquidity and user bases seamlessly. Across now supports all major L2 tech stacks, including OP Stack and Arbitrum Orbit.

Biconomy Network, a permissionless cross-chain execution protocol, is now live on mainnet. The network enables developers to build fully composable, multi-chain applications without needing to write or deploy smart contracts. Using a single API, SDK, and user signature, developers can trigger complex, cross-chain transactions through a unified interface. At the core of the protocol is the Modular Execution Environment (MEE), which abstracts execution away from individual blockchains. The Biconomy Network introduces Supertransactions, a bundled set of instructions across multiple chains, signed once by the user and executed by a decentralized network of nodes.

Rath Finance introduced its DeFi-as-a-service protocol that enables apps, wallets, and fintech platforms to access DeFi yields through a unified backend infrastructure. Rath allows frontends to tap into yield sources across multiple protocols and chains. Rath uses an auctioned liquidity model, where DeFi protocols bid for user capital. Rath will support yield from staking, lending, and structured DeFi products from protocols like Aave, Fluid, Ethena, Resolv, Morpho, Lido, Rocket Pool, and Curve.

• Arbitrum DAO turns 2

• Ethdotorg is accepting stories

• Etherscan transaction highlights

• Pectra upgrade guide

• The Road to Self-Sovereignty

• Beefy introduces Escrowed Sonic

• Magic Eden acquires Slingshot

• Eigen S2 stake drop deadline

• Trump announces 90-day tariff pause

• Lighthouse outlines Holesky incident

• AMA on EIP-7251 MaxEB 

• Synthetix sUSD depeg

See disclosures

• Spire Labs launches a Based L3.

• Ithaca introduces Proto.

• Market response to reciprocal tariffs.

• Eigen summer fellowship

Spire Labs launched a based L3 appchain on testnet with synchronous composability. A based L3 is a chain that leverages the L2’s existing sequencer instead of running its own centralized sequencer. It allows the L3 to interact with the L2 as if it were a native smart contract, enabling synchronous composability. The implementation is lightweight, cost-effective, and reduces infrastructure overhead. Spire Labs is an infrastructure provider building the Based Stack, an open-source framework that lets developers launch customizable appchains on Ethereum, advancing scalability and interoperability across L2s and L3s.

Ithaca released demos for Porto, a new TypeScript library that simplifies the integration of authentication, crypto payments, and account recovery into applications. Porto is modular, supports the latest account abstraction standards like EIP-7702 and RIP-7212, and works across web, mobile, and desktop platforms. The library includes an EIP-1193-compatible provider and integrates with popular tools like Wagmi and Privy. Key features include embedded onboarding with passkeys and WebAuthn, privacy-preserving identity using ZK Passport, built-in access controls, stealth addresses, ERC-7683 cross-chain compatibility, and multi-path recovery.

The price of ETH dropped to a low of $1,431 earlier today, a level not seen since January 2023, as market volatility surged in response to the Trump administration’s ongoing reciprocal tariffs. The broader crypto market saw over $1.5 billion in liquidations, pushing total market capitalization below $1.5 trillion. At the time of writing, ETH has rebounded slightly, trading at $1,585.

• Eigen summer fellowship

• Lens Chain releases Dev Dashboard

• Fee structure for EXECUTE-precompile

• Fed holds emergency meeting

• Interop Testing Call #32

• Read: Rollups & Preconfs

• Base distributes Builder rewards

• Local Ethereum roundup

• Etherealize on Bankless

See disclosures