Token2049 organizers postponed the Dubai edition until 2027, citing safety concerns from escalating Iran-Israel-U.S. military tensions. The decision follows the cancellation of another major industry gathering, the TON Gateway event, also scheduled for Dubai.
Robinhood Crypto Volumes Surge
Robinhood reported February crypto notional volumes increased 9% to $25 billion, while equity, options and event contracts contracted. Crypto trading remains the platform's standout growth driver amid retail demand.
Ethereum Foundation Formalizes Anti-Censorship Mandate
The Ethereum Foundation published an "EF Mandate" formalizing its role as steward of a censorship-resistant, privacy-first, open-source base layer. The document signals zero appetite for surveillance-chain compromises as the protocol scales.
Separately, co-founder Vitalik Buterin clarified his 2021 Shiba Inu donation to the Future of Life Institute. He noted the tokens' peak "book value" exceeded $1 billion during the meme coin boom, prompting him to access cold storage, sell portions for ETH, and donate to multiple causes. Buterin distanced himself from the institute's recent AI policy stances.
Hong Kong Banking Giants Eye Stablecoin Licenses
HSBC and Standard Chartered are expected to be among the first institutions receiving stablecoin issuer licenses in Hong Kong, positioning the city to compete for regulated stablecoin issuance.
DeFi User Loses Millions in Slippage Error
A user attempting to swap $50 million USDT for AAVE on Aave received only 324 AAVE after accepting a quote with extreme price impact. The incident prompted Aave to review safeguards and refund part of the transaction fee.
Prosecutors Oppose Bankman-Fried Retrial
U.S. prosecutors urged a federal judge to deny a new trial for the disgraced FTX founder, arguing he has not shown legal basis for overturning his conviction.
Bonk.fun Domain Compromise
The Solana meme coin launch platform warned users to avoid its website after hackers compromised the domain and deployed a malicious wallet drainer. At least one trader reported losses of $273,000.
Indian Authorities Arrest GainBitcoin Fraud Suspect
The Central Bureau of Investigation arrested Ayush Varshney, co-founder of Darwin Labs, at Mumbai airport for allegedly building technical infrastructure for the GainBitcoin crypto fraud scheme.
Ripple Acquires Australian Payments Firm
Ripple plans to secure an Australian financial services license by acquiring BC Payments Australia, a company linked to the European Banking Circle Group. The deal is expected to close April 1.
Anthropic Sues US Government Over AI Blacklist
AI developer Anthropic filed a lawsuit against multiple U.S. agencies, accusing them of unlawfully blacklisting its technology after it refused certain military uses of its AI systems.