Crypto

Blockchains, stablecoins and the tools used to hold and move digital assets.

Illustration of a stopwatch, a chain of linked blocks and a coin with a slice set aside above a jar, standing for faster blocks and a fee reserve.

crypto · Nov 8

Zcash NU7 Upgrade Goes Live With 25-Second Blocks and Fee Reserve

Zcash NU7 activated on November 6: blocks every 25 seconds, 60% of fees held back, and Sprout funds now unspendable.

A shield with a check mark on top of two network layers, with a dotted arrow from the lower layer to the upper one, a locked phone and a stopwatch

crypto · Nov 4

Aztec Tierra Upgrade Fixes the V5 Proving Flaw and Speeds Up Proofs

Aztec's Alpha V6 fixes the critical V5 proving flaw and cuts Ethereum-to-Aztec messages to as little as 12 seconds.

A phone trading screen with candlesticks and up and down buttons, linked to a leverage gauge and a no-expiry infinity badge.

crypto · Oct 28

Crypto.com Perpetual Futures Reach US Traders, Up to 5x

Eligible US users can now trade crypto perps with up to 5x leverage through Crypto.com's app and exchange.

Illustration of a bitcoin coin and coin stack in a glass display case beside a fund document with a risk warning and an approval seal

crypto · Oct 21

Swiss Bitcoin ETF: FINMA Approves First Retail Fund Holding Bitcoin

FINMA approved Switzerland's first retail bitcoin ETF, with a diversification exemption and strict risk warnings.

A stopwatch beside two block timelines: four larger gray blocks above and twice as many smaller blocks below, showing shorter Solana slots.

crypto · Oct 12

Solana 200ms Slot Time Goes Live on Mainnet, Finishing SIMD-0525

Solana's 200ms slot time went live on mainnet on October 9, halving the network's original 400ms target.

A gold coin with a shield and padlock, circled by two orbits, linked by a dotted line to a window showing a lattice grid and an orange check mark

crypto · Oct 4

Shielded Labs Launches Epoch for Post-Quantum Zcash Cryptography

Shielded Labs plans formally verified post-quantum cryptography for Zcash, with an implementation targeted for end-2027.

Conceptual chain and orange lock over a quantum blueprint

crypto · Sep 25

Tezos Quantumnet: What the Post-Quantum Testnet Changes

Tezos Quantumnet tests tz5 ML-DSA-44 accounts, XMSS consensus keys and ZODA. Still a testnet as of November 10.

crypto · Sep 24

Zest Opens a Capped Mainnet Demo for Bitcoin Collateral Vaults

The capped mainnet demo connects bitcoin collateral to USDC borrowing on Ethereum.

Crypto news on Next F9 covers blockchains, stablecoins and wallets, and keeps launches, test networks and plans apart. Recent stories include Tezos’s Quantumnet, an experimental network for post-quantum blockchain components that is separate from mainnet, and Zest’s capped mainnet demo linking bitcoin collateral to USDC borrowing on Ethereum, limited to 0.001 BTC per wallet. For background, read Crypto explained or visit the Crypto desk.