The creators of the Bitcoin scaling solution Bitcoin Virtual Machine (BitVM) have floated the second iteration of their sidechain, dubbed “BitVM2,” and the BitVM Bridge, which they say now offers “major improvements” to the original system. In an Aug. 15 post to X, BitVM co-founder Alexei Zamyatin shared an overview of a new whitepaper that introduces a…

As of Aug. 15, EigenLayer, a restaking platform built on Ethereum, has the leading position in the restaking ecosystem, with a total value locked (TVL) of $12.9 billion. According to IntoTheBlock (ITB) data, EigenLayer TVL witnessed an 11% increase from $11.6 billion one week prior, indicating growth in the restaking sector. Restaking involves users repurposing their…

The first Bitcoin-related leveraged exchange-traded fund (ETF) has debuted in the United States in another significant development for institutional crypto adoption. The new leveraged MicroStrategy ETF, MSTX, seeks to provide 175% long daily targeted exposure to MicroStrategy. The ETF could help offer more leveraged exposure to Bitcoin, according to Sylvia Jablonski, the CEO of Defiance…

Decentralized finance protocols appear to be showing signs of recovery, with lending and borrowing platform Aave hitting a new record in weekly active borrowers. In a post on X on Aug. 14, Aave founder Stani Kulechov reported that the lending and borrowing protocol has reached around 40,000 active weekly borrowers, eclipsing the previous high in late 2022. Data…

Popular decentralized finance (DeFi) wallet MetaMask has partnered with Mastercard and digital payments company Baanx to launch a self-custody debit card pilot program for select users in the United Kingdom and the European Union, with plans to roll out the product in other regions over time. The card allows users to self-custody their funds until…

The first Solana spot exchange-traded fund (ETF) could officially debut for trading on the Brazilian stock exchange, ahead of all the other global jurisdictions. The first spot Solana ETF is currently awaiting approval by the Brazilian stock exchange, B3, after it was reportedly approved by Brazil’s Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM) on Aug. 7. According to Manthan Dave,…