Welcome to the Protocol, Coindesk’s weekly wrapping of the most important stories in cryptocurrency tech development. I am Margaux Nijkerk, Coindesk’s Tech & Protocol’s reporter.
In this number:
- Ethereum developer suggests 6-second blocking times to increase speed
- Zksyncs Airbender ZKVM proves Ethereum -Block in 35 seconds
- Norway is planning a ban on new crypto mining data centers
- XRP Ledger brings Token Escrow, Other Upgrades To Dexs In New Release
Network news
New Ethereum -suggestions that could make the network faster: Ethereum could soon run twice as fast. According to a new proposal, it is fled by core developer Barnabé Monnot to reduce the network’s castle time from 12 seconds to six seconds, which effectively doubles the number of blocks produced per day. Minute. The idea, part of EIP-7782, could be included in the upcoming Glamsterdam upgrade intended for 2026. Suggestions or publicly discussed ideas are common in the blockchain world and may not necessarily move to testing. If it was implemented, the proposal would reduce the time spent across three important consensustrin: block suggestions (3 seconds)certifications (1.5 seconds)and aggregation (1.5 seconds). It would shave six seconds from the current 12-second cycle. Faster blocks mean faster confirmations, fresher on-chain data for wallets and apps and a more trouble-free experience for users. – Shaurya Malwa Read more.
Zksync’s new saying ‘Airbender’: Matter Labs, the developer company behind the Layer-2 network Zksync, revealed its new cryptographic saying “Airbender.” A saying is a key component of LAG-2’s as it generates zero-knowledge evidence that is then sent to the base layer blockchain (In this case Ethereum) – A crucial process to connect the two chains and ensure its security. The ZKSync team claims that Airbender is the fastest of its kind that delivers Ethereum Block Proofs in 35 seconds with a single GPU that surpasses its competitors benchmarks. Having fast speeds can save on transaction fees. “We enter the fraction of a cent territory that is critical of key use cases, including micropayments, high -frequency trade and decentralized social,” said Alex Gluchowski, co -founder of Matter Labs, in an interview with Coindesk. “Faster evidence unlocks faster finality, cheaper apps and crucial, evidence that can be generated everywhere, not just in massive GPU farms.” – Margaux Nijkerk Read more.
Norway is planning a ban on new crypto mining data centers: Norway’s Labor Party government has revealed plans to impose a temporary ban on any new crypto -mine mine data centers using energy -relative proof -OF -Work systems, per. Reuters. The proposed rule could kick in the fall of 2025 if approved, and aims to preserve electricity capacity for more productive industries. “Cryptocurrency mining is very power-intensive and generates a little in the way of jobs and income for the local community,” said Minister of Digitization Karianne Tung, adding that the move reflects the government’s “clear intention to limit mining of cryptocurrency in Norway as much as possible.” Norway, with its enormous sustained hydroelectric resources, has long attracted bitcoin miners seeking low cost, pure energy. Companies like Kryptovault have established operations outside Oslo – running data centers up to 40 MW, recycled heat for dry wood or hot buildings nearby. – Shaurya Malwa Read more.
XRP Ledger Release brings new features and upgrades: Ripplex, which supports developers of the XRP headbook, has released version 2.5.0 of “curved”, its reference implementation of the network. The new version comes with a number of changes that expand the network’s functionality and management tool. The new changes are now open to voting according to the XRP headbox’s change process, which enables protocol changes after two weeks of support from more than 80% of trusted validators. The seven changes include “Tokenescrow”, which enables Escrows for Iou and Multifunction tokens, “Batch”, allowing nuclear performance of grouped transactions; and “Permissionsx” which lets DEX operators check the participation of regulatory compliance. Ripplex has asked Validators to upgrade to the latest version as soon as possible to ensure service continuity. The update lands as XRPL continues to develop into a more flexible, permit-conscious platform driven by both defi-use cases and compliance-conscious business developers. – Shaurya Malwa Read more.
In other news
- Strategy (Mstr) Is currently experiencing its lowest 10-day realized volatility when it first added Bitcoin BTC to its balance in 2020, according to Jeff Park, head of Alpha Strategies at Bitwise Asset Management. Realized volatility refers to the actual historical movement of an asset’s price over a specified period, in this case ten days. It is calculated using previous price data and indicates how much the price has fluctuated in reality, as opposed to how much it is expected to fluctuate in the future. In addition to muted historical price fluctuations, Mstr’s implied volatility (IV) Currently, 48.33 percent is among the lowest levels registered for the share in recent years. In addition to muted historical price fluctuations, Mstr’s implied volatility (IV) Currently, 48.33 percent is among the lowest levels registered for the share in recent years. – James van Straten Read more.
- Crypto Exchange Coinbase (COIN) is still one of the most misunderstood companies in the digital assets space, Wall Street broker Bernstein said in a research report. Bernstein raised his coin base price to $ 510 from $ 310 and repeated his “better than” rating on the stock. The shares Wednesday morning were more than 4% higher at about $ 360 in early trade. While broader mood leans Bearish, Coinbase cements its role as Crypto’s “Universal Bank” and bridge offenses retail, institutional and on-chain infrastructures on a scale that is unmatched by peers, the report said. – Will Canny Read more.
Legislative and politics
- The top US senators have shared an overview of the rules for domestic crypto markets that release a set of principles as they prepare for further hash out their intentions in an afternoon hearing. The Crypto industry is excited about the recent progress in stablecoin legislation, but the legislation to create the structure of fully regulated crypto activity is what the sector is most pressing. The chairman and three other Republicans in the Senate Bank Committee offered this framework, representing half the team, which eventually had to clear a bill, which will also pass through the Senate Agricultural Committee. – Jesse Hamilton Read more.
- Texas has become the first US state to create a publicly funded, Stand-Alone Bitcoin reserve after governor Greg Abbott signed the Senate’s Bill 21 of the law this weekend. The bill requires the state to establish a bitcoin reserve that is administered independently of the most important treasury, where he joins a small but growing group of states exploring digital asset reserves. Unlike Arizona and New Hampshire, which passed similar legislation, Texas not only approved the reserve but actively funds. The state will award $ 10 million to buy Bitcoin for the reserve. – Tom Carreras Read more.
Calendar
- 24-26. June: Permitted, Brooklyn
- June 30. July: ETHCC, Cannes
- July 16-18: Web3 Summit, Berlin
- 22-28. September: Korea Blockchain Week, Seoul
- 1-2 October: Token2049, Singapore
- November 17-22: DevConnect, Buenos Aires
- 11-13. December: Solana Breakpoint, Abu Dhabi
- 10-12. February 2026: Consensus, Hong Kong
- 5-7 May 2026: Consensus, Miami
