PoS – Proof of Stake

A year after the Merge made Ethereum even more popular, the network now faces the perils of a staking-fueled liquidity crunch. What are the alternatives?

As part of its February settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the U.S.-based Kraken crypto exchange has submitted the largest Ether withdrawal request since Wednesday’s upgrade to the Ethereum blockchain. The SEC ordered Kraken to shut down what it called unregistered staking programs.

Ether holders withdrew more than US$102 million worth of Ether in the first six hours after the Shanghai upgrade opened the door to cash out the staked token, though analysts see the amount as within expectations.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Silvergate woes spark bankruptcy talk. LDO dips on false enforcement rumors. Chinese leaders push digital development.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is considering a ban on cryptocurrency staking for retail customers in the country, said Brian Armstrong, the chief executive of Coinbase Global Inc.

Like an awkward teen, Bitcoin is facing a crisis of confidence, writes Eddie Hui of MetaComp. What lies in store for the original cryptocurrency in 2023?

Vitalik Buterin identified Ethereum’s next big challenges as scalability and layer 2 implementations at the Converge22 conference.

There are alternatives to just blockchain in the world of distributed ledger technologies – but what are they?

When is a cryptocurrency a security and when is it not? Financial regulators around the world are raising that question. The answer that comes out of the U.S. may set the tone, but South Korea is also ahead in tackling it.

White House says carbon footprint of crypto industry does not align with goals to decarbonize the economy.

Switzerland-based SEBA Bank, a global cryptocurrency lender, has introduced Ethereum staking services aimed at enabling clients to earn staking rewards on Ethereum. See related article: Ethereum’s Bellatrix upgrade now live despite concerns Fast facts Ethereum staking services would enable clients to earn rewards on a monthly basis, with adjustable lock-up periods available post-Merge, SEBA Bank […]

Vitalik Buterin will release a book on proof-of-stake consensus on Sept. 27, compiling various writings by the Ethereum founder over the last 10 years, according to his recent Twitter post. See related article: Vitalik Buterin says he used Tornado Cash to donate to Ukraine Fast facts The book, titled “Proof of Stake, The Making of […]

iFinex Financial Technologies Limited, which operates the Bitfinex cryptocurrency exchange, has announced Ethereum chain split tokens (CSTs) to help prepare for all eventualities as the Ethereum merge nears.  See related article: ‘The Merge’ can make crypto payments mainstream again: Vitalik Buterin Fast facts “The Merge” upgrade involves the Ethereum blockchain’s transition from the proof-of-work (PoW) […]

In a Q&A, the former cryptocurrency miner explains his methods for trying to pull together a band of Ethereum mining brethren in order to keep their rigs running. The idea started at a party at his house.

Bitcoin and Ethereum rose, along with nearly all other top 10 cryptocurrencies, in Thursday afternoon trading in Asia after the U.S. reported slower inflation in July and as Ethereum completed a test run for its upcoming shift to the proof-of-stake (PoS) model. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin, Ether rise with equities as US inflation shows […]

Binance will support Ethereum’s “Merge,” expected in September, and will evaluate if it would list any newly forked tokens, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume said on Wednesday. See related article: USDC, Tether announce support for Ethereum proof-of-stake Fast facts Binance said it is closely monitoring the development of the merge, which could […]

WazirX users head for exits amid a dispute between Binance. Meanwhile, Circle and Tether announce support for the new ETH P-O-S.

Two of the largest stablecoin issuers — Tether and USDC — announced Tuesday that they will support Ethereum’s proof-of-stake (PoS) chain, as Ethereum’s “Merge” looms and crypto miners are banding together against the abandonment of mining.  See related article: Prominent Chinese ETH miner plans proof-of-work fork amid The Merge Fast facts See related article: Ethereum […]

Ethereum Classic’s (ETC) price has rallied since Ethereum developers announced the scheduled date for “The Merge,” which will see the blockchain transition from proof of work (PoW) to proof of stake (PoS), while Messari’s Tom Dunleavy says it won’t see sustained growth. See related article: Prominent Chinese ETH miner plans proof-of-work fork amid The Merge […]

Bank of America (BofA) has said Ethereum needs improvements in scalability in order to retain its market share from newer blockchains such as Binance Smart Chain, Tron, Avalanche and Solana, according to a CoinDesk report.  See related article: Ethereum will soon turn 7 — and its upcoming ‘Merge’ will be well worth the wait Fast […]

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin said on Thursday that Ethereum will be about 55% complete after the “merge,” when the network moves from proof-of-work (PoW) to a proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus system.  See related article: Eth2 merger closer as ninth shadow fork goes live Fast facts “Proof of stake is much more secure than proof of work, […]

The ‘Merge’ will have a major impact on the Ethereum ecosystem and beyond, and getting it right is more important than speed, writes Kevin Loo of IDEG.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin tweeted a defense of the network’s transition to proof of stake (PoS) on Tuesday, responding to arguments suggesting assets secured by such consensus mechanisms are a security. See related article: Ethereum one step closer to Eth2 with Ropsten testnet merger Fast facts “The fact that you can vote on something to […]

Notwithstanding this bear market, Web3’s more pressing issue is its inability to handle large volumes, writes Greg Gopman. Can sidechains offer a solution?

Lack of public trust remain a big barrier to crypto adoption, writes Tristan Roozendaal. Here’s why regulators should ‘move fast and break things.’

Ethereum’s successful merge of the Ropsten testnet overnight Wednesday Asia time brought the world’s largest smart contract blockchain closer to becoming a proof-of-stake (PoS) network. See related article: Vitalik Buterin: Why Eth2 will propel Ethereum’s use in enterprise Fast facts One of Ethereum’s oldest testnets, Ropsten, successfully merged the proof-of-work (PoW) execution layer with the […]

Ethereum’s move to proof of stake (PoS) is inching closer as the network’s oldest testnet Ropsten is expected to transition to PoS on Wednesday night Asia time. See related article: Ethereum PoS move is now being tested on a mainnet shadow fork Fast facts Ropsten’s proof-of-work (PoW) chain will merge with its PoS Beacon Chain […]

Can blockchain embody the values of Earth Day? Consider its growing role in ESG and the energy-efficiency of newer crypto, writes Eddie Hui of MVGX.

A shadow fork of the Ethereum mainnet went live on Tuesday, bringing it a step closer to the transition from proof of work (PoW) to a proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus mechanism for the Ethereum 2.0 upgrade. See related article: Can Ethereum’s proof-of-stake transition save the planet? Fast facts The Ethereum Foundation is currently working on a […]

Ethereum’s transition to proof-of-stake promises to dramatically lower energy consumption, curbing greenhouse gas emissions that would require an annual offset by a forest roughly the size of Belgium.

Ethereum’s merge on the Kiln testnet on Wednesday was a success, as the blockchain passed the final public test before its highly anticipated transition from a proof-of-work (PoW) consensus mechanism to proof-of-stake (PoS), which is expected to happen by the end of Q2, 2022. See related article: The best of Ethereum 2.0 is yet to […]

Top blockchain and crypto news: PoW spared as Europe revamps MiCA rules. Yuga Labs acquires CryptoPunks rights. China’s Mango TV makes NFT debut.

A U.S. taxpayer fighting the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) over whether newly created tokens are taxable income announced Thursday that he has rejected the government’s offer of a refund in order to force the government to clarify its policy. Fast facts On Thursday, Joshua Jarrett shared on Twitter that the IRS had offered him a […]

K-pop fans are waging online campaigns against their favorite artists over NFTs, denouncing the technology’s carbon footprint. How polluting are NFTs?

Looking beyond this year’s headlines like El Salvador’s Bitcoin adoption, here are the key developments in blockchain technology that will have lasting impact in the new year and beyond.

Gaming giant Ubisoft is launching Ubisoft Quartz, a new platform for players to obtain what it calls “Digits” — essentially non-fungible tokens (NFTs) playable in a mainstream game — according to a company statement. Fast facts The first such NFT will appear in beta with Tom Clancy’s “Ghost Recon Breakpoint” on Ubisoft Connect for Windows […]

As the pushback over environmental concerns of the blockchain industry continues, a recent report by Solana says that a single transaction on the network uses less energy than just two Google searches. Fast facts Completed under the guidance of an independent energy and climate advisor, Solana’s November Energy Report found that a single Solana transaction […]

The total amount of Ether — the token of the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency Ethereum — “burned” since the introduction of Ethereum Improvement Protocol (EIP) 1559 as part of the London hardfork has hit the 1 million ETH milestone, according to figures from blockchain data aggregation site WatchtheBurn. Fast facts With the total amount of ETH […]

What are the different kinds of blockchain, and how do they compare? Learn all about public, private and permissioned platforms in this Forkast.News explainer.

As the blockchain industry shifts to ‘proof of stake,’ staking’s bonding period can lock up capital. What are the alternatives?

As ESG drives more corporate agendas, Sonic Capital’s Sphere aims to provide access to blockchain investment opportunities toward a greener future.

Solana prices are soaring to all-time highs and SOL is now a top-10 crypto. In this Forkast.News explainer, learn why investors are heaping love on this Ethereum rival.

London hard fork is live and Ethereum users are hoping high gas fees will be a thing of the past. Will ETH improvements phase out layer-2 scaling protocols? Polygon’s co-founder thinks not.

Ethereum has hit a market-share high of 27% of all digital asset investment fund products following recent price corrections.

Crypto exchange Bybit is launching cloud mining to provide exposure to Ether. What happens when Ethereum moves from proof of work to proof of stake?

The siloed nature of many older blockchains is holding back DeFi’s potential, writes Sarah Kim of Terra. But help with greater interoperability is on the horizon.

Cardano blockchain, a so-called ‘Ethereum killer,’ completes its Mary hard fork upgrade as ADA becomes 3rd largest cryptocurrency behind bitcoin and ether.

CEO of CasperLabs, part of the Blockchain Service Network’s China and international versions, gives an insider’s view of blockchain’s future on the mainland.

Casper Network goes big on its ‘first of many’ expansion ambitions in Asia by receiving the nod to join both BSN China and BSN International.

IOHK and Cardano’s founder also explains why new US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is the ‘single biggest development’ for the crypto industry’s future.

In this edition of Forkast Forecasts, the director of strategic initiatives at ConsenSys and author of “Block Kong” shares his views on CBDCs, stablecoins and Asia’s blockchain space.

Eth2 will run in parallel with Ethereum 1 for now. For how much longer, and will this affect ether inflation and block rewards? Konstantin Richter of Blockdaemon explains.

Ethereum 2.0 has transformed to proof of stake via its new Beacon Chain. When will Eth2 have sharding, smart contracts and more features?

Coinbase and Huobi now support Eth2 staking as the ‘Beacon Chain’ heart of the new platform goes live. What will happens to users of Ethereum 1.0?

ETH 2.0 raises over $300 million from over 16,300 participants, putting it on track for release next week after whales make big investments in the last minute.

In a special interview, Konstantin Richter of Blockdaemon also discusses the critical role of government in encouraging greater blockchain adoption.

ETC’s recent hacks may be an occupational hazard of ‘proof-of-work’ blockchains, including BTC and ETH. Is going ‘proof of stake’ the answer?

Released this week after much anticipation, Eth2 could finally become “the world’s computer” that the original Ethereum aspired to be. What challenges lie ahead?

Many blockchain protocols claim to be decentralized, but industry practices show the opposite. Even Bitcoin is largely controlled by a few.

As Ethereum moves toward its 2.0 upgrade, here is a reflection on the open-source platform’s transformational impact on the blockchain ecosystem.

Other top news: Teen accused of masterminding Twitter VIP hack heads to court. Huobi launches DeFi lab. Fintech VC in Singapore and Indonesia.

Crypto tax expert Vamshi Vangapally explains the impact on coins like NEO, Stellar, VeChain, Ontology, Tezos and soon, ETH 2.0.

Smart-contract platform Ethereum’s new version is set to operate on a Proof of Stake system that may be released in 2020 according to Andrew Keys, co-founder of ConsenSys Capital. Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum explained that Ethereum 2.0 will provide added capacity for users through sharding and scaling, privacy features and more alongside the new Proof of Stake system.

In a 2019 speech, the visionary creator and co-founder of Ethereum describes Eth2’s launch in phases, including proof of stake, data sharding and scaling.