Welcome to the Protocol, Coindesk’s weekly wrapping of the most important stories in cryptocurrency tech development. I am Margaux Nijkerk, Ethereum Protocol Reporter on Coindesk’s Tech Team.

In this number:

• Vitalik Barterin suggests to replace Ethereums EVM with RISC-V
• Matter Labs, ZKSync developer, defendant for alleged intellectual property theft
• Scrolls Euclid -Upgrade pushes it into ‘Phase 1’ decentralization era
• Eigenlayer adds key ‘Slashing’ feature that ends original vision

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Network news

Replace EVM to RISC-V?: Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Barterin shared a new proposal that would radically review the system that drives its smart contracts. Barterin’s proposal, which he sent on Ethereum’s primary developer forum, involves replacing Ethereum Virtual Machine, the software engine, which operates programs on the network, with RISC-V, a popular open source frame that offers built-in encryption and other benefits. EVM has long played a significant role in Ethereum’s development. Other chains that use it may seamlessly connect with apps at Ethereum, and developers on EVM-based networks can surpass more smoothly to build applications directly within the Ethereum ecosystem. Butterin claimed that the transition of Ethereum to a RISC-V architecture “improves the effectiveness of the Ethereum execution layer to a large extent that solves one of the primary scaling bottle neck and can also greatly improve the simplicity of the execution layer.” – Margaux Nijkerk Read more.

Material Laboratories Defendant for alleged intellectual property theft: Matter Labs, the company behind the Layer-2 Blockchain Zksync, has been sued by Bankex, a closed digital asset banking platform, for intellectual property theft. According to a complaint that was filed on March 19 to the New York State Supreme Court, former Bankex staff stole Alexandr Vlasov and Petr Korolev allegedly the company’s technology to start drug laboratories, which received over $ 450 million in venture capital financing and has become a major player in the blockchain industry. The complaint, which names Bankex CEO Igor Khmel and Bankex Foundation as plaintiffs, alleged Bankex was contacted by Ethereum-Med Founder Vitalik Butterin to build operational software for “plasma”, a technology that was seen as a way of making Ethereum’s cheaper to use. – Margaux Nijkerk Read more.

Roll Euklide Upgrade Brings Phase-1 Decentralization era : Scroll, Ethereum Layer-2 network, shared that it has launched its Euclid upgrade, which the team called its most significant protocol transformation to date. According to Roller Laboratories, an important consequence of the upgrade is that it surpasses that it rolls from a “phase 0” to a “phase 1” roll, which means the network will withdraw some central controlled security functions in an exertion that is more concerning. “Euclid represents the biggest leap forward for rolling since the start,” the team wrote in a blog post that was shared with Coindesk. “It is a statement of Scroll’s future and its obligation to push the boundaries of what is possible in the ZK Rollup Arena.” – Margaux Nijkerk Read more.

Eigenlayer ‘Slashing’ feature finally goes live: Almost a year to the day after Ethereum Protocol Eigenlayer launched his “Restrogen” network to hitherto unprecedented industry danger, the network has finally added a core function that was so far in staring: “Slashing.” Eigen labs hope that they will eventually realize the system of the year to keep “residue” honest by reviving together if they deal with Malicly-will finally realize the annual that the annual annual is to keep “residue” honest by turning with colliding if they act vicious protocol’s original pitch. “We are happy to say now that the whole promise has been delivered,” said Eigenlayer -founder Sreeram Kannan. – Sam Kessler Read more.

In other news

• Traders Shorting Strategy (MSTR), Bitcoin buyer, whose share price got 13% in March, can fight to find enough shares to repay the lenders who supported their efforts that the company’s value would fall. More than $ 180 million trading in Mstr stock could not run last month, data from sec and fine show. These events, which are known as mistakes to deliver (FTDs), happen when a seller does not supply shares to the buyer within the time limit, now only one working day after the trade (t+1). – James Van Straten and Ai Boost Read more.
• Bitcoin (BTC) has become the fifth largest asset at market value when $ 1.86 trillion and surpasses Google (Goog) as it breaks through $ 94,000. This marks the highest position that Bitcoin has ever achieved in locations, although its market capital previously exceeded $ 2 trillion as the price was over $ 109,000. At that time, however, tech shares were significantly more elevated than they are at the moment. – James van Straten Read more.

Legislative and politics

• Paul Atkins has taken oath to formally become chairman of the US security and exchange commission, which returns Mark Uida to his previous role as a Republican Commissioner after three busy months of service as the agency’s stand-in manager. Atkins permanently replaces former chairman Gary Gensler, whom the crypto industry had largely seen as his main antagonist in the US government. – Jesse Hamilton Read more.
• Fundraising for sophisticated cryptoin -investing vehicles has not yet fully experienced the expected positive headwind of the Donald Trump presidency, according to a new Crypto Insight Group report. Momentum “remains positive but slower than [fund] Leaders expected during the new Trump Administration, “said Hedge Fund Outlook 2Q25 -Report. – Jamie Crawley Read more.

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