• ZKsync launches the Airbender zkVM.

• Chainlink partners with Mastercard.

• OP Futarchy experiment results.

• Term goes live on Base.

ZKsync launched Airbender, a high-performance, general-purpose zero-knowledge (ZK) prover designed to advance decentralization, interoperability, and scalability. Airbender is the fastest open-source RISC-V zkVM, which delivers ~3-second proofs, outperforming proof systems like RiscZero and Succinct's SP1 Turbo. Airbender enables real-time settlement and cross-chain coordination, supports local proof generation on consumer hardware, and reduces proving costs to just $0.0001 per transfer. It integrates with ZKsync OS, a modular execution environment supporting EVM, WASM, and custom runtimes. Developers can now build verifiable apps on the Airbender beta.

Decentralized oracle provider Chainlink partnered with Mastercard to build a secure fiat-to-crypto conversion system, enabling over three billion current Mastercard cardholders to purchase crypto directly onchain. Chainlink verifies and synchronizes key transaction details to enable secure, seamless fiat-to-crypto asset conversions. The initiative is supported by zerohash, Swapper Finance, Shift4 Payments, and XSwap, and leverages the Uniswap protocol for onchain execution. Chainlink provides the interoperability infrastructure bridging traditional finance with DeFi applications, while Mastercard contributes access to its global payments network.

• OP Futarchy experiment results

• Term Labs goes live on Base

• Argent rebrands to Ready

• $100m net ETH ETF flows

• Devconnect ARG scholars deadline

• EigenLayer VIBEscore competition

• Powell on banks and crypto

Disclaimer: Content is for informational purposes only, not endorsement or investment advice. The accuracy of information is not guaranteed.

• Agglayer v0.3 goes live on mainnet.

• Lodestar architecture built with Zig.

• Federal Reserve ends reputational risk.

• Aave DAO votes on Chainlink SVR Phase 3.

Agglayer, a unified network aggregation layer, deployed its v0.3 upgrade to mainnet. The update enhances pessimistic proofs with a new execution proof mode, enabling chain-agnostic interoperability without requiring chains to alter their existing architecture. The upgrade allows non-CDK-based chains to join the Agglayer by proving their own state using ZK proofs. The v0.3 upgrade also verifies state finality, ensuring a sending chain has finalized its state before interop. Katana, a new DeFi-focused L2, will be the first to launch using the Execution Proof Module, combining the OP Stack with ZK-based security. Polygon PoS will connect to Agglayer by the end of Q3 using a proof-of-consensus.

Lodestar, the Ethereum consensus client maintained by ChainSafe, is transitioning from a browser-focused JavaScript architecture to a high-performance hybrid architecture using Zig and JavaScript, with Bun as its new runtime. Bun, a fast JavaScript runtime written in Zig, will replace Node.js in Lodestar 2.0. Lodestar will retain browser support through TypeScript and WebAssembly. Zig is a low-level programming language known for its performance, predictability, and fine-grained control, enabling better memory management and native performance. The transition enables faster execution and streamlined tooling.

The Federal Reserve Board announced it will no longer include reputational risk as a formal component in its bank examination programs. Instead, supervisory materials will shift focus to more specific, objective financial risks. The change reduces informal barriers for banks considering relationships with crypto firms. It removes a subjective factor that has previously been cited in prior decisions to avoid the crypto sector. The move follows an April decision by U.S. federal banking regulators to rescind earlier guidance requiring pre-approval for bank involvement in crypto-asset and stablecoin activities.

A new AaveDAO governance proposal aiming to activate Chainlink Smart Value Recapture (SVR) feeds for ETH-correlated assets and USDC on the Aave V3 Ethereum Core instance is now open for voting. Chainlink SVR is an advanced oracle system that helps DeFi protocols recapture non-toxic Maximal Extractable Value (MEV) from liquidations using Chainlink Price Feeds. This proposal represents Phase 3 of the SVR rollout on Aave, building on two earlier phases that successfully integrated SVR for BTC-related and select ETH-related assets. The system has generated $51,000 in revenue for the Aave DAO through 51 SVR-driven liquidations.

• L2Beat adds historical liveness data

• Sky goes live on OP Mainnet

• Ethresearch: Using Portal for history-expiry

• Ethresearch: Blob Sharing for Based Rollups

• Macro: Ceasefire between Israel and Iran

Disclaimer: Content is for informational purposes only, not endorsement or investment advice. The accuracy of information is not guaranteed.

• The case for 2x shorter slot times.

• Ethereal launches its public testnet.

• Optimism extends its bug bounty.

• ZKsync tests its Guardian system.

Ethereum researcher Barnabé Monnot published a post advocating for EIP-7782, a proposal to reduce Ethereum’s slot time from 12 to 6 seconds. Monnot proposed making shorter slot times a headliner feature of the upcoming Glamsterdam upgrade, which he argues improves user experience by enabling faster transaction inclusion. EIP-7782 enhances Ethereum’s role as a confirmation engine, benefiting users, applications, rollups, and cross-chain protocols. The change results in reduced latency, lower arbitrage losses on DEXs, predictable staking rewards, and more efficient network and validator performance. Monnot notes that the proposal is technically feasible; however, clients must implement conditional logic to handle both old and new slot times.

Ethereal, an EVM appchain and perpetuals DEX, is now live on testnet. Users can now add the Ethereal testnet and RPC to their wallets, request testnet USDe, explore the Ethereal block explorer, and begin trading testnet perpetuals on the DEX. The chain uses Ethena’s USDe stablecoin as the network’s native token and margin asset. Ethereal is built on Converge, leveraging Arbitrum for execution, Celestia for data availability, and a custom application-specific sequencer integrated via Conduit for ultra-low-latency order matching. The network offers sub-20 ms latency for high-frequency trading. A mainnet alpha launch is expected in the coming months.

OP Labs extended its $2 million bug bounty program on Immunefi to include Superchain Upgrade 16, an upgrade that prepares the Superchain for native interoperability Upgrade 16 introduces interop-ready contracts, increases the gas limit from 200M to 500M, and includes updates to meet L2Beat’s latest Stage 1 standards. The bounty scope now includes calldata. Optimism has already paid $2.6 million in bounties since 2022. The upgrade is anticipated to go live on July 24, 2025, following approval from the Optimism Token House. The Superchain secures over $16 billion in total value and includes three of the top five Ethereum L2s.

• EIP-7732 breakout notes

• ZKsync tests its Guardian system

• Zora launches Creator Coins

• Extending Sandboxes to New MEV Types

• EF Protocol research updates

• CoinMarketCap front-end compromised

• Polygon ZKEVM sunsets in 2026

• NasdaqBTCS acquires 1,000 ETH

• Renzo introduces Flow Vaults

Disclaimer: Content is for informational purposes only, not endorsement or investment advice. The accuracy of information is not guaranteed.