• Core developers consider splitting Pectra into two forks.

• Coinbase launches cbBTC.

• Proposal to deploy Treasure Chain on ZK Stack.

• Aragon introduces gasless onchain voting.

Ethereum core developers are considering whether to split the upcoming Pectra upgrade into two separate hard forks, aiming to accelerate deployment compared to a prolonged timeline for a single large fork. Pectra, as currently planned, is the largest fork in Ethereum's history, with 20 EIPs scheduled for inclusion. A split would enable developers to ship the EIPs currently in Devnet3 as part of the first Pectra upgrade in early Q1 2025, with the remaining EIPs will postponed to the Fusaka hard fork. Core developer Alex Stokes advocated for the split, arguing that smaller forks reduce development time and security risks. ACD lead Tim Beiko asked client teams to form a position on whether to split Pectra ahead of the next ACDC call, where a decision will be made.

Coinbase launched cbBTC, a wrapped version of Bitcoin backed 1:1 by Bitcoin held by Coinbase. As an ERC-20 token on Base and Ethereum, cbBTC enables Bitcoin holders to access the broader DeFi ecosystem, including Aerdrome, Aave, Compund, and Spark. Users can easily convert BTC to cbBTC through Coinbase. To convert, users can send Bitcoin on Base or Ethereum from their Coinbase account, and Coinbase automatically converts it into the cbBTC token. If users want to unwrap cbBTC, sending it back to Coinbase will convert it back to Bitcoin. cbBTC does not have a separate order book on Coinbase.

ZKsync proposed for TreasureDAO, the leading gaming platform on Arbitrum, to deploy its gaming-focused rollup as an Elastic Chain on the ZK Stack. ZKsync says it will provide technical support, strategic assistance, and access to a dedicated team for Treasure. ZKSync aims to offer unified liquidity and seamless UX for users. The Treasure L2 aims to serve as a decentralized gaming console. MAGIC, Treasure's native token, will be used for fee payments and underpinning economic security. ZKsync will host an AMA with TreasureDAO to discuss the potential of Treasure L2 as an Elastic Chain.

DAO infrastructure provider Aragon introduced support for gasless onchain voting as part of its multichain governance plugin, enabling DAO members to vote onchain without incurring gas fees The implementation is powered by LayerZero V2, ZKsync’s account abstraction, and txSync’s Tsuko paymaster. The plugin allows DAOs to designate any EVM chain for voting, while LayerZero seamlessly aggregates votes back to the source chain.

• Succinct Labs introduces OP Succinct.

• Optimism activates the Granite Network Upgrade.

• Aave governance proposes to onboard cbBTC.

• Nethermind launches Nethermind Security.

Succinct Labs formally introduced OP Succinct, a solution that enables the upgrade of any OP Stack chain from an optimistic rollup to a ZK rollup with minimal development effort. Developers can easily integrate ZKPs into their OP Stack chain using Rust, resulting in a zkEVM rollup. OP Succinct offers sub-cent transaction costs, fast finality, reduced transaction proving times, and full EVM compatibility. The implementation reuses the OP Stack's proven components and requires only minimal code changes, ensuring both security and ease of maintenance. OP Succinct is fully open-source under an MIT license.

The Granite Network Upgrade is now live on OP Mainnet, restoring permissionless fault proofs for the rollup. The upgrade addresses security vulnerabilities discovered in the network’s Fault Proof System during audits by Spearbit, Cantina, and Code4rena. The upgrade involved changes to the L1 smart contracts. While user assets were not at risk, OP Labs activated the permissioned fallback mechanism as a precaution. The fallback temperarily restricted output proposals to be handled by the Optimism Foundation. 

Aave governance proposed to onboard Coinbase's new wrapped Bitcoin asset, cbBTC, to the Aave V3 markets on both Base and Ethereum Mainnet. With Coinbase planning to launch cbBTC in the coming weeks, the proposal aims to diversify DeFi options for Bitcoin holders on Aave v3 by providing an alternative to WBTC. The move comes as Aave has previously considered reducing its exposure to WBTC, following BitGo’s announcement of transferring control of WBTC to a joint venture involving BitGo, Justin Sun, and the Tron ecosystem. MakerDAO has already disabled new loans backed by WBTC collateral as a precautionary measure.

Ethereum research firm Nethermind launched Nethermind Security, a specialized unit focused on providing comprehensive security services such as smart contract security audits, architecture assessments, formal verification, and real-time monitoring. Nethermind Security will build real-time monitoring bots aiming to safeguard projects by identifying early vulnerabilities.

• EtherFI releases a Season 3 update

• A rare Cryptopunk sells for 10 ETH

• Sky Aave Force will list USDS

• Hardhat VSCode extension release 

• Privy releases account manager

• Stakestark LST on Starknet

• PayPal and Venmo now support ENS domains.

• ZeroDev introduces Magic Account.

• Eigen Labs introduces a new security model.

• Zora releases its mobile app for all users.

Payment platforms PayPal and Venmo now support ENS domains, enabling users to send crypto directly to .eth addresses from the apps. The integration automatically translates ENS names into their corresponding hexadecimal wallet addresses, simplifying transactions. The feature is initially available to U.S. users. Users can also save frequently used ENS names in an address book for easier access. By replacing complex hexadecimal addresses with easy-to-read names, ENS reduces the risk of errors and phishing attempts when executing transactions. So far, over 2 million primary ENS domains have been registered.

ZeroDev introduced Magic Account, a chain-abstracted smart wallet that offers a unified balance across multiple chains, allowing users to spend tokens on any chain without the need to bridge or manage gas tokens. The implementation leverages intents powered by Socket Protocol, allowing solvers to batch bridge transactions. According to ZeroDev CEO Derek Chiang, the system works on a "spend first, repay later" model, where solvers first fulfill a user's intent and later claim the funds from the source chain. ZeroDev also uses the ERC-7579 standard to ensure interoperability across different wallets. A demo of the Magic Account wallet is now live for L2 transactions.

Eigen Labs introduced the EigenLayer Security Model, a redesign for handling slashing events on the protocol. It focuses on three main components: Operator Sets, Total Stake, and Unique Stake. The model weighs votes from both Total and Unique Stakes to increase the cost of attacks while ensuring a slashing penalty for misbehavior. Operator Sets are groups of operators given delegated staked ETH to perform tasks for AVSs. Operators can earn rewards or face penalties based on their performance. Total Stake is the combined ETH delegated to all operators in a set, while Unique Stake is the portion of an operator's ETH that can be slashed if they misbehave. Slashing is not yet live on EigenLayer mainnet.

Zora launched its mobile app for all users, enabling easy onchain onboarding and content posting with just an email address. The app includes a seedless wallet powered by Privy, allowing users to fund their accounts via Apple Pay and publish NFTs for free on Zora Network. Creators can also withdraw funds directly to Coinbase. The app is designed to streamline the minting process, minimizing popups and reducing friction.

• EF AMA responses

• Nansen acquires Stakewithus

• Fabric real-time zk for Agglayer

• USDC daily volume hits $7b

• Basenames hits 400k registrations

• Brian Armstrong on why Base