Author: John Smith

XRP Ledger has deployed fixes for several software issues after a security review uncovered edge cases and bugs in the network’s core implementation. Summary XRP Ledger fixed multiple software issues in the XRPL 3.2.0 upgrade after Common Prefix uncovered bugs and edge cases during a formal security review. Common Prefix will next conduct formal verification of XRPL’s Single Asset Vault and Lending Protocol proposals as development expands into DeFi and tokenization. XRP rose about 3.6% to an intraday high of $1.16, while debate continued over Ripple’s XRP escrow strategy and future token releases. According to the XRP Ledger Foundation, the…

MoneyGram has joined the Solana ecosystem as a network validator and participant in the Solana Developer Platform, expanding the payments company’s blockchain infrastructure strategy beyond stablecoins and payment services. Summary MoneyGram has become a validator on the Solana blockchain and joined the Solana Developer Platform as it expands its blockchain payments strategy. The company now operates official validator nodes on Solana, Tempo and Midnight while continuing to build stablecoin based payment services. The move follows MoneyGram’s recent launch of its MGUSD stablecoin and broader efforts to integrate blockchain infrastructure into global money transfers. According to a June 22 announcement from…

Ripple’s CEO said the company might do “something special” for XRP holders if it ever goes public. The XRP community heard a promise. What he actually said was a maybe, attached to an IPO he calls a non-priority. Here is the real picture, separated from the hype. Summary Ripple has not promised an IPO reward for XRP holders. Garlinghouse only left the door open to a possible future benefit. Ripple equity and XRP are separate assets with no automatic holder link. The real XRP case still depends on utility, regulation, adoption, and demand. One sentence from Ripple’s chief executive set…

In the days before a key Senate vote, the American Bankers Association sent more than 8,000 letters trying to change one provision of the CLARITY Act. The fight is not really about crypto. It is about whether stablecoins are allowed to compete with bank deposits, and the answer could reshape both industries. Summary Banks are fighting the CLARITY Act mainly over stablecoin yield, not the whole bill. Yield-bearing stablecoins threaten bank deposits by offering a dollar-like product with income. The Tillis-Alsobrooks compromise tries to block passive yield while preserving activity-based rewards. The fight shows crypto has become a direct competitor…

KuCoin has partnered with Husher to improve access to digital asset swaps and strengthen liquidity for users across supported markets.  Summary KuCoin and Husher partnered to improve crypto swap access through deeper liquidity and routing infrastructure. Husher says KuCoin integration will expand user options while supporting a more efficient swap experience. The deal follows KuCoin’s wider push into payments, self-custody tools and regulated market access globally. The agreement connects KuCoin’s global exchange infrastructure with Husher’s non-custodial swap platform. The two companies said the partnership aims to make crypto swaps more accessible and efficient. It also seeks to give users more…

A Chinese network suspected of exporting fentanyl precursor chemicals was also linked to a large crypto fraud operated through Japan, according to a Nikkei investigation.  Summary Nikkei tied a fentanyl-linked Chinese network to Japan-based crypto fraud using a fake Zksync.jp token. The alleged scheme used Japanese domains to gain trust and deceive crypto users worldwide online. Blockchain trails reportedly showed more than 120 transactions involving U.S.-sanctioned entities linked to drug networks. The report said the group used Japanese internet domains and a fake “Zksync.jp” token to deceive crypto users worldwide. Nikkei said losses reached hundreds of millions of yen, or…

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has defended recent AI content tests after users criticized an AI-generated post shared through Input Output’s X account.  Summary Hoskinson said AI agents could help Cardano scale updates, community tasks and Midnight City activity. Midnight City uses autonomous agents to test privacy views for users, auditors and regulators alike. The debate followed backlash over AI-generated influencer content shared through Input Output’s X account recently. The discussion followed his June 20 post titled “AI Slop, IOG X, and the Future of Marketing,” where he addressed how the team is testing new tools for communication. Hoskinson said the…

Ripple is expanding its artificial intelligence focus as the XRP Ledger adds support for AI agent payments using XRP and Ripple USD.  Summary Ripple launched XRPL Starter Kit so agents can pay using XRP and RLUSD through x402. Crypto.news noted USDC still dominates x402 activity despite Ripple’s push into machine payments for now. Ripple’s GenAI role points to internal work on agentic systems, security controls and tooling platforms. The move follows the launch of the XRPL AI Starter Kit, a developer package for autonomous payment workflows. The latest report also points to Ripple’s search for a Staff Software Engineer, GenAI…

Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin defended Vitalik Buterin after some community members questioned Buterin’s decision to write a science-fiction novel focused on decentralized governance. Summary Joseph Lubin called Vitalik Buterin Ethereum’s key steward while defending his governance fiction project publicly. Crypto.news earlier reported Buterin paused regular essays to write science fiction about decentralized governance online. The debate comes as Ethereum faces price pressure and renewed questions over Foundation direction online. Lubin called Buterin “an enormously effective communicator” and described him as “the most important contributor to and steward of the Ethereum ecosystem.” His comments came after online debate over whether the…

A preferred stock that was supposed to behave like a steady, high-yield bond fell to 82 cents on the dollar in a single session. The issuer says it was a leverage flush, not a credit problem. Either way, the new world of Bitcoin-backed “digital credit” just met its first stress test. Summary STRC and SATA showed that Bitcoin-backed preferred stocks can trade violently under stress. Issuers blamed the selloff on forced deleveraging, not credit deterioration. The episode exposed thin liquidity, leverage, and Bitcoin volatility inside digital credit. High yields in these products compensate investors for risks that are now visible.…