• EF Open Intents Framework.

• Bitwise donates $100k to Ethereum development.

• The SEC dismisses its dealer rule.

• Privacy Pools initiates its ZK Circuit Ceremony.

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The Ethereum Foundation launched the Open Intents Framework, a modular stack designed to standardize intents and enhance the cross-chain user experience on Ethereum. Intents are signed constraints that allow users to outsource their orders to a network of independent fillers. Intents enable fast and frictionless asset transfers, enabling a unified experience across chains. The framework provides developers with modular components like solving and settlement, enabling them to build custom intent-based applications. Key features of the Open Intents Framework include a suite of composable smart contracts, a production-ready implementation of ERC-7683, and an open-source solver application. The framework is a community-driven effort supported by over 30 teams, including Arbitrum, Optimism, Scroll, Polygon, ZKsync, Gnosis, and Namechain.

Bitwise donated $100,000 to the Protocol Guild and the Proposer Builder Separation (PBS) Foundation, marking its first annual contribution for 2024. The donation follows a commitment made last year by both VanEck and Bitwise to allocate 10% of their profits from their Ethereum ETFs to support Ethereum development over the next decade. The Bitwise ETHW ETF was launched on the NYSE Arca in July 2024, offering investors a way to invest in Ethereum without having to own the asset directly. The fund currently holds more than 100,000 Ether. The Protocol Guild is a collective comprised of over 150 Ethereum core contributors.

The SEC voluntarily withdrew its appeal against a lawsuit concerning the dealer rule, initially brought by the Crypto Freedom Alliance of Texas and the Blockchain Association. A Texas court had previously sided with the Blockchain Association in November, which argued that the rule unfairly targeted entities in the DeFi markets. Introduced last year, the dealer rule aimed to extend broker regulatory requirements to DeFi protocols. However, the rule was deemed unenforceable by the court. The SEC's decision to step back today represents a significant victory for DeFi, following a series of challenges under the previous administration.

Privacy Pools, a tool designed to facilitate anonymous transfers, initiated its ZK circuit ceremony. The ceremony is open for 9 days and invites participants to contribute signatures to the protocol’s trusted setup, To participate, individuals must have a GitHub account.  Privacy Pools enables users to deposit ETH into a smart contract and withdraw it later using a zero-knowledge proof, which keeps the deposit and withdrawal addresses unlinked. Privacy Pools offers configurable privacy sets, allowing users to avoid association with known bad addresses during withdrawals. 

• Fluent raises $8m

• Superfluid unveils $SUP token

• Binance U.S. restores USD services

• Superchain Interop on devnet

• Ohara Base app creation tool

• SEC acknowledges staking for ETFs

• Introducing Y crypto app

• KAITO claim goes live tomorrow

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• LI.FI introduces LI.FI 2.0.

• Abstract post-mortem on Cardex incident.

• Applications open for OP Onchain Builders.

• Coinbase releases cbBTC proof of reserves

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LI.FI, a bridge aggregation protocol, introduced LI.FI 2.0, an upgrade that enhances its liquidity aggregation by integrating an intents protocol and supporting any interop token standard. LI.FI 2.0 incorporates Catalyst, an intents protocol that streamlines order execution across various virtual machines through an open marketplace of solvers. LI.FI also developed Pioneer, an in-house solver capable of supporting any chain, regardless of the virtual machine used. The upgrade will facilitate permissionless participation and incorporate Glacis to assist interop token standards, enabling smooth asset transfers across different chains without compromising liquidity. 

Abstract, a consumer-oriented rollup built on ZKsync's ZK Stack, released a post-mortem regarding a breach involving a private key leak at Cardex, a gaming app featured on the Abstract Portal, resulting in over $400k in user funds being compromised. The issue stemmed from Cardex exposing the private key on their website front end. Using a single session signer shared across all users, an attacker managed to siphon ETH from approximately 9,000 wallets. Notably, ERC-20s and NFTs remained unaffected due to their exclusion from the session keys' permissions. Abstract is advising all users to revoke any open session keys via a dedicated portal and is currently working with security teams on fund recovery efforts.

Applications are now open for the Optimism Onchain Builders retroactive funding round. The round features 8 million OP tokens in retroactive grants to builders who have launched contracts on specified OP Stack chains. The initiative seeks to reward projects that enhance cross-chain asset transfers through interop and grow the Superchain. To qualify, smart contracts must have engaged with at least 420 qualified addresses, maintained active contract operations for a minimum of 10 days, and at least 1,000 transactions over the past 180 days. Rewards will be awarded on a monthly basis from now until July 2025.

• Beam Call #1 progress

• Family supports World Chain

• Aave hits $30b TVL across Ethereum & L2s.

• Devcon SEA Scholars recap

• Coinbase releases cbBTC proof of reserves

• Holesky validators must update clients

• EigenLayer Rewards v2 are live

• Grayscale introduces Pyth Trust

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• Geth v1.15.2 urgent update.

• Blockscout unveils OP Interop Explorer.

• Aztec announces cross-chain bridge grants.

• Stablecoin TVL hits $123b.

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Node operators using Geth v1.15.1 are urgently advised to upgrade to v1.15.2 to prevent potential financial losses due to a regression that disrupts block creation. The latest release ensures that block building on mainnet is operational and resolves previously affected peer discovery and configuration settings. The release also tackles a previously overlooked issue in the consensus engine. The update follows closely on the heels of an emergency patch released two weeks ago, which addressed a critical vulnerability in v1.14.0. Geth is the oldest and most popular Ethereum execution layer client used by approximately 42% of Ethereum validators.

Blockscout introduced the OP Interop Explorer, a new block explorer designed for indexing and monitoring cross-chain transactions and message transfers across Optimism’s Superchain. The interop explorer provides a consolidated view of the source and destination transactions, sender, and target address. It features details about relays, message status, facilitates automatic verification and supports cross-chain message searches. The explorer allows applications to access state data with minimal latency and removes the need for users to switch between different block explorers to track a cross-chain transfer. The OP Interop Explorer is currently in an alpha release.

Aztec Network is seeking request for proposals for the development of cross-chain bridge applications that extend Aztec’s privacy and decentralization features across Layer 2 networks. Applicants must present a cross-chain bridge application, elaborating on its design, technical challenges, and how it upholds privacy and interoperability standards. Proposals are due by March 16, 2025, with grant recipients announced by April 1, 2025. Aztec Network is a privacy-centric Layer 2 platform, currently live on devnet. The network facilitates private, client-side smart contract execution while ensuring public verifiability.

• 2025 Academic Grants Round

• Stablecoin TVL hits $123b

• AltLayer releases Autonome whitepaper

• ETHDublin speaker application

• EIP-7732 finalizing on devnet

• 500 ETH sent to burn address

• Abstract achieves 1m Global Wallets

• Bulloak contract testing tool

• Linea sybil appeals update

• Origin introduces Pool Booster

• Javier Milei charged with fraud

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