Polygon Reduces Block Production Time to 1.75 Seconds

Blockchain layer-2 (L2) network Polygon reduced its average block time by 250 milliseconds to 1.75 seconds, marking its first block-time reduction since genesis as the network pushes deeper into stablecoin payments and settlement infrastructure. Polygonscan shows that the latest blocks on the network were created in 1.75 seconds. The upgrade means that Polygon can process…

Germany Mulls Crypto Tax Overhaul, 1‑Year Exemption at Risk

Germany is preparing to change how it taxes Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies from 2027, potentially ending one of Europe’s most generous long-term holding exemptions as it seeks to raise additional revenue and tighten tax compliance. Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said at an April 29 press conference on the 2027 federal budget that the government wants…

Amazon’s new AI wallet: AWS, Coinbase, and Stripe build payment rails for bots

Amazon Web Services (AWS) rolled out a new payments infrastructure for AI agents on Thursday which is built in partnership with Coinbase and Stripe. AWS explained that autonomous software agents will be allowed to buy APIs, web content, MCP servers and other online services in real time using stablecoins. It added, however, that future versions…

XRP May Soar to $12 as Price Holds Cycle Bottom Zone for Months

XRP (XRP) is testing a key long-term support level that has historically preceded major rebounds, according to a monthly chart shared by analyst MikybullCrypto. Key takeaways: XRP has jumped by roughly 30% from its February lows. Multiple fractals suggest the price is bottoming out, supported by strong XRP ETF inflows. XRP chart hints at rebound…

Core Scientific Q1 Loss Hits $347M As Mining Revenue Falls

Core Scientific (CORZ) reported a $347.2 million first-quarter net loss as its Bitcoin self-mining revenue fell sharply and high-density colocation became its largest revenue source.  In its earnings report published Wednesday, the company reported a net loss of $1.06 per diluted share for the quarter. A year earlier, Core Scientific reported diluted earnings of $1.24…

Trusted Volumes Confirms $6.7M DeFi Resolver Exploit

TrustedVolumes, an independent market maker and resolver used by 1inch Fusion, confirmed it was exploited and said about $6.7 million in stolen funds are being held across three Ethereum addresses. In a Thursday X post, the market maker said the stolen funds were split across three wallets, with two addresses each holding about $3 million…

OpenTrade Raises $17 Million to Expand Stablecoin Yield Platform

OpenTrade, an institutional-grade platform for onchain and real-world asset (RWA)-backed lending and stablecoin yield products, has raised fresh capital to expand its yield infrastructure. The platform secured $17 million in its latest strategic funding round led by Mercury Fund and Notion Capital, OpenTrade said in a Wednesday announcement seen by Cointelegraph. The new funding will…

Key Bitcoin Metric Suggest BTC Price Has Room for Further Expansion

Bitcoin (BTC) buyers resumed their activity during the early Asian trading hours on Wednesday, pushing the price to a new multi-month high of $82,240. Onchain indicators, including the short-term holder (STH) cost basis, suggest that the BTC price can go higher, with the next big target at $92,000.  Key takeaways: Bitcoin holders are back in…

Quantum Also Adds Proof-of-Ownership Headaches

Blockchain protocols preparing for the quantum computing threat should also consider how to quickly verify ownership on the blockchain if funds are stolen, the development and research team behind the layer-1 NEAR Protocol said. Concerns that quantum computers could eventually break blockchain cryptography have fueled worries about private keys and wallet security, but most of…

BTC lenders say institutions want crypto credit to look more like TradFi

Bitcoin lenders may need to become more like traditional finance firms, not less, if they want institutional capital to keep flowing into the sector. At Consensus 2026 in Miami, Alexander Blume, founder and CEO of institutional bitcoin lender Two Prime, argued that the next stage of crypto credit growth will depend less on decentralized finance…