#917 - Safenet Beta Launch
A transaction security network designed to protect Safe account activity by enforcing security checks.
Safe launches Safenet Beta.
x402 Foundation under Linux.
OpenCover Covered Vaults.
Circle announces cirBTC.
[
Listen to this episode from Ethereum News on Spotify. Safe launches Safenet Beta. x402 Foundation moves under the Linux Foundation. OpenCover introduces Covered Vaults. And Circle announces cirBTC. Read more: https://ethdaily.io/917 Sponsor: Lido Earn lets you deploy ETH or stablecoins into curated DeFi strategies for optimised yield.
](https://open.spotify.com/episode/0NsATNluNcdn6U7OrLtshd)
EarnUSD is a stablecoin vault by Lido for earning transparent, onchain USD-denominated rewards. Get started today at stake.lido.fi/earn
Safe launched Safenet Beta, a decentralized transaction security network designed to protect Safe account activity by enforcing security checks before transactions are executed. Safenet works through a network of validators that evaluate proposed transactions against predefined security rules. If a transaction passes, validators issue onchain attestations, which are verified before execution. Transactions that fail the checks are blocked unless users explicitly override them. The system replaces centralized warning tools with protocol-level security enforcement. The beta launch includes six initial validators, such as Gnosis, Safe Labs, and Blockchain Capital, along with features like basic attack protection, a staking interface, and a public attestation explorer. The launch also evolves the SAFE token into a network security asset, allowing validators and delegators to stake SAFE and earn rewards.
Coinbase announced that the x402 Foundation, an initiative to establish the x402 protocol as a universal standard for AI-driven payments, is moving under the Linux Foundation. The shift is intended to ensure vendor-neutral, community-governed oversight of the protocol, with backing from major tech companies including Cloudflare and Stripe. The foundation, established in September 2025, supports x402, an open protocol launched in May 2025 that builds on the HTTP 402 "Payment Required" status code to enable a native payment layer for the web. It facilitates instant, primarily stablecoin-based transactions, along with deferred settlement capabilities.
OpenCover introduced Covered Vaults, a new product for vault-native risk transfer, enabling insurance for vault deposits. It allows users to protect their positions against technical or economic risks by paying a flexible, usage-based premium, without committing to fixed terms. The solution is built on the underwriting infrastructure of Nexus Mutual. Covered Vaults integrates with DeFi protocols like Morpho and Kiln. Users who deposit into existing ERC-4626 vaults can stake their vault shares into Covered Vaults to activate protection. Coverage can be disabled at any time. Initial vaults will be available on Base and OP Mainnet.
Circle unveiled cirBTC, its own version of wrapped Bitcoin backed 1:1 by BTC. The token will initially launch on Ethereum and Circle's Layer-1 blockchain Arc, with plans for multichain support in the future. Circle says cirBTC will be integrated with USDC and Circle Payments. The launch rivals with Coinbase, which introduced its wrapped Bitcoin, cbBTC, in 2024. Skepticism remains around centralized wrapped tokens due to potential censorship risks, as highlighted by USDC, which can be frozen at any time.
Other News
Paragraph launches publish.new
Obol Q1 ecosystem report
Vyper to be formally verified
Geth Keeper performance
Shape takes protocol guild pledge
IMF journal on tokenization
Vitalik on self-sovereign LLM setup
Coinbase conditional OCC charter approval
OpenCover covered vaults
Venice supports x402
OpenAI acquires TBPN
The ETH Daily archive can be purchased as a packaged ZIP file for 2 USDC. ETH Daily remains free on ethdaily.io; this is just a new experimental feature we're testing.
Disclaimer: Content is for informational purposes only, not endorsement or investment advice. The accuracy of information is not guaranteed.
#916 - Franklin Crypto Division Introduced
A new division dedicated to institutional-grade digital asset investment management.
Gm frENS, Happy April Fools Day! The news is a bit light today since not many projects make announcements on April 1st.
Franklin Crypto introduced.
L2BEAT lists Aztec Alpha Network.
Base App release on April 9th.
[
Listen to this episode from Ethereum News on Spotify. Franklin Templeton introduces Franklin Crypto. L2BEAT adds Aztec as a Stage 1 rollup. And Base App will support all standard web apps. Read more: https://ethdaily.io/916 Sponsor: Lido Earn lets you deploy ETH or stablecoins into curated DeFi strategies for optimised yield.
](https://open.spotify.com/episode/79WisMg2rOUHlZ45C9NOMu)
EarnUSD is a stablecoin vault by Lido for earning transparent, onchain USD-denominated rewards. Get started today at stake.lido.fi/earn
Franklin Templeton introduced Franklin Crypto, a new division dedicated to institutional-grade digital asset investment management. The firm is also acquiring crypto investment company 250 Digital to strengthen its capabilities in the space. Part of the deal will be executed using BENJI tokens tied to the Franklin OnChain U.S. Government Money Fund (FOBXX). The move underscores Franklin Templeton's effort to become a leading global digital asset manager, building on its existing $1.8 billion crypto platform and its broader management of over $1.5 trillion in assets.
L2BEAT added Aztec Alpha Network to its L2 tracker as a Stage 1 rollup, noting that its decentralization and censorship resistance more closely resemble Stage 2. Aztec has immutable core contracts, a built-in exit window for users, a permissionless sequencer system, and no security council. In a Stage 1 rollup, only a security council can intervene, whereas a Stage 2 rollup is fully trustless, and no one can interfere with the system. L2BEAT said it classified Aztec as Stage 1 because some critical parameters are still controlled by a DAO, and transaction inclusion delays can reach several days in worst-case scenarios.
Base App, the self-custody wallet from Coinbase, announced that it will support all standard web apps in an upcoming release scheduled for April 9, 2026. Farcaster mini app developers are advised to register their projects on Base.dev, transition authentication from the Farcaster SDK to Sign-In with Ethereum (SIWE), and review their existing Farcaster SDK integrations for compatibility. The move comes as Base App transitions from an onchain social focus to a trading-first experience.
Nethermind v1.36.2 release
Safe presents Private Safes
SEC approves options on crypto commodities
SteakHouse DNS incident update
Circle acquires Liquity
MetaMask TradFi Mode
Ethresearch: SVC upgrade
Disclaimer: Content is for informational purposes only, not endorsement or investment advice. The accuracy of information is not guaranteed.
#915 - Aztec Launches Alpha Network
A fully functional upgrade that brings native privacy to data, identity, and computation to mainnet alpha.
Aztec launches Alpha Network.
Quantum breakthrough threatens crypto.
Fe relaunches with Fe 26.0.
Ethereum UX curated mapping.
[
Listen to this episode from Ethereum News on Spotify. Aztec launches the Alpha Network. New quantum breakthrough threatens elliptic curve signatures. And Fe relaunches its smart contract language with Fe 26.0. Read more: https://ethdaily.io/915 Sponsor: Lido Earn lets you deploy ETH or stablecoins into curated DeFi strategies for optimised yield.
](https://open.spotify.com/episode/1fN4HD3p77jVl8cLTuYiXG)
EarnUSD is a stablecoin vault by Lido for earning transparent, onchain USD-denominated rewards. Get started today at stake.lido.fi/earn
Aztec Network, a privacy-focused Layer 2 on Ethereum, launched its Alpha Network, a fully functional upgrade that brings native privacy to data, identity, and computation. Developers can now build smart contracts and apps where privacy is the default, from execution to settlement. The launch follows nine years of development on a privacy-first architecture. Aztec first rolled out Aztec Ignition in November 2025. While further upgrades are planned before Beta, developers can start building on the network. Aztec also opened sign-ups for a smart contract course.
Justin Drake highlighted two new research papers that show quantum improvements that make future quantum attacks on modern cryptography, such as the elliptic curve signatures used by Ethereum, more plausible. Drake emphasized that the breakthroughs suggest that private keys for 256-bit elliptic curves, such as secp256k1, could be recovered in minutes on quantum computers. The technical details from Google Quantum AI's paper were sensitive enough that they were released using a zero-knowledge proof generated by Succinct's SP1 zkVM. He estimates there is roughly a 10% chance that quantum computers could break real cryptographic keys by 2032. Drake underscored the growing urgency around post-quantum cryptography. Ethereum is already working on a coordinated, multi-year transition toward quantum resistance, with phased upgrades across protocol layers.
Fe released version 26.0, a complete overhaul of its smart contract programming language, introducing a stronger type system and improved safety model. The update adds a new effect system that requires functions to explicitly declare side effects, such as storage access or external calls. It also adopts immutability by default. The relaunch includes a redesigned contract architecture, giving developers more precise control over EVM behavior and low-level operations. It also introduces a new compiler backend built on SSA. Fe combines Python-like syntax with a Rust-inspired design, featuring generics, traits, algebraic data types, and a simplified ownership and borrowing model. Fe version 26.0 is still experimental and not yet ready for production use.
EthUX curated map
Base releases 2026 mission
Teku v26.4.0 release
TheDAO Security Fund QF round
Fake NFT scam at EthCC
AltLayer SOC 2 compliance
Privacy Pools roadmap
Aligned TGE tokenomics
Disclaimer: Content is for informational purposes only, not endorsement or investment advice. The accuracy of information is not guaranteed.