Ethereum

The Ethereum blockchain was built to serve as a single source of truth backed by a public transaction database and to function as a platform for a variety of decentralized applications ranging from financial services to games. Ether is the native token for the Ethereum ecosystem.

The Ethereum blockchain is preparing a significant upgrade, called the Ethereum Merge, tentatively scheduled for Sept. 13-16, 2022.

The Merge reflects a shift in Ethereum’s protocol in which the blockchain will move from a “proof-of-work” to “proof-of-stake” system.

Miners validate transactions by solving complex calculations before a new block can be added to the chain. This is the mechanism that Bitcoin ($BTC) runs on.

Miners are replaced by “validators,” who stake the ETH they own to validate new blocks on the chain. Avalanche ($AVAX) and Solana ($SOL) are proof-of-stake.

The Ethereum Foundation reports that moving to a proof-of-stake model will reduce the blockchain’s energy consumption by more than 99%.

Ether ($ETH) is Ethereum’s native crypto asset, while Ethereum is the underlying blockchain. No disruptions to ETH are expected following the Merge.

Unlike Bitcoin, the founder of Ethereum is publicly known. Vitalik Buterin published Ethereum’s introductory paper in 2013 and launched the project in 2015.

The Ethereum blockchain was built to serve as a single source of truth backed by a public transaction database and to function as a platform for a variety of decentralized applications ranging from financial services to games.

The Ethereum Foundation

*This content is for educational purposes and is not investment advice.

Bitcoin

Dogecoin

Solana

Bitcoin held below $60,000 as a surging dollar kept crypto pinned. Onchain demand stayed quiet through the week's losses, and Strategy's plan to possibly sell bitcoin added to the caution.

Ether, solana and dogecoin slide as Strategy's bitcoin sales plan pressures market

Hyperliquid

The crypto exchange-traded fund (ETF) market entered the final week of June with one foot on the brake and the other still searching for growth. Bitcoin and ether funds suffered another bruising stretch of redemptions, yet the same market continued to send capital into XRP and HYPE products, underscoring a sharp split in investor appetite.

HYPE ETFs Pull in $111 Million as Bitcoin and Ether Funds Lose Over $2 Billion

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin published a detailed technical breakdown on Monday, calling cryptographic obfuscation the “final boss of cryptography” and laying out why solving it would let developers build nearly any trustless protocol imaginable.

Ethereum Co-Founder Vitalik Buterin Says Cryptography's Hardest Problem Is Still Unsolved

Bitmine now holds 5.70 million ETH, accounting for about 4.7% of ethereum's total supply, bringing it close to its stated goal of holding 5%. The company also joined the Russell 1000 and began trading its preferred stock on the NYSE under BMNP. Bitmine Stakes 4.

Bitmine Raises Ethereum Holdings to 5.70 Million ETH, Reaching 94% of 5% Supply Goal

BitMine Immersion Technologies continued adding to its Ethereum stockpile, even as its Bitcoin counterpart Strategy stood pat.

Tom Lee's BitMine Adds $43 Million in Ethereum as Strategy Halts Bitcoin Buys

Bitmine added 27,084 ETH last week, bringing total holdings to 5.70M coins worth $8.9B as the company hits 94% of its 5% ETH supply target.

Bitmine lifts Ethereum treasury to 5.7 million ETH through ‘challenging' weekly slide, joins Russell 1000

Bitmine made its smallest purchase since early May as Lee pointed to investors cutting losses before the start of the second half of the year.

Tom Lee blames crypto weakness on quarter-end 'window dressing' as Bitmine adds another $43 million of ETH

Vitalik Buterin said obfuscation is cryptography's “final boss,” citing impractical iO schemes with “literally galactic” runtimes.

Vitalik Buterin calls obfuscation cryptography's ‘final boss,' but says current approaches remain wildly impractical

Loopring

Loopring plans to return all remaining user funds through a smart contract upgrade, without requiring users to cover transaction costs.

Ethereum zkRollup project Loopring sunsets DEX, citing lack of meaningful adoption

AI and Big Tech stocks sold off, and Strategy's $16 billion unrealized loss added to investors' concern that Bitcoin could sink lower next week.

Bitcoin, Ethereum Price Hit New 2026 Lows as Big Tech, AI Sell-Off

According to onchain data, the publicly listed firm Sharplink Gaming received roughly 5,000 ether this week, marking its first such inflow since last year. Onchain analysts at Lookonchain flagged the transaction, noting that Sharplink holds 876,285 ETH on its balance sheet. Lookonchain Spots Sharplink Recieving 5,000 ETH With 876,285 ETH valued at $1.

Sharplink Breaks 8-Month ETH Drought With Silent $18M Buy Through FalconX

U.S. spot bitcoin and ether exchange-traded funds (ETFs) recorded a seventh consecutive day of net outflows on June 26, with bitcoin products alone shedding $445 million in a single session. The run marks one of the heaviest stretches of redemptions since the funds began trading. A Seventh Straight Day in the Red U.S.

Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs Bleed for a Seventh Day as Blackrock's IBIT Sheds $445 Million

While retail investors react to short-term market volatility and macro-economic anxieties, smart money from traditional financial institutions is quietly executing a highly calculated re-accumulation strategy.

A Multi-Factor Collapse: The Hidden On-Chain Re-Accumulation of Bitcoin and Ethereum

Four Ethereum OG wallets that held 37,602 ETH since 2018 finally sold after watching $150M in unrealized profit evaporate at peak prices.

Ethereum OG wallets finally sell after 8 years, locking in estimated $27M profit after $150M unrealized peak: onchain analysts

The second-largest corporate ether holder received 5,000 ETH worth about $7.85 million on Thursday, its first inflow since October, even as it sits on a paper loss of roughly $1.8 billion.

Ethereum treasury firm Sharplink takes in ether for the first time in eight months

Bitcoin slipped near $58,000 before recovering, and CF Benchmarks says the $50,000 to $60,000 zone is where buyers have always stepped in.

Ether, XRP and dogecoin lead a broad crypto selloff as tech stocks tumble

The buy came days after a group of former Ethereum Foundation researchers launched Ethlabs, a nonprofit Sharplink helped fund.

Sharplink buys Ethereum for first time in 8 months, adding 5,000 ETH: onchain analyst

Ethereum layer-2 network Base was down for more than two hours as it ran into an issue with block production ahead of a planned upgrade.

Coinbase-Backed Ethereum Network Base Recovers After Block Production Issue

Bitcoin touched its lowest price in 21 months early Thursday—and prediction market users don't see the crypto carnage ceasing imminently.

Traders Predict More Pain for Bitcoin and Ethereum After Monthly Drops Above 20%

Ethereum's price has recovered above the $1,500 support level for the second time.

Coinidol.com: Ethereum Slides but Remains below $1,700

Tron

The top five altcoins trade 60% below their all-time highs. What no one knows is whether another altcoin rally will ever return.

What's Next For Altcoins In 2026?

A liquidation flush took bitcoin to its lowest since early June before Micron's blowout earnings and SK Hynix's U.S. listing plans steadied the AI trade that crypto had been sliding alongside.

Live markets: Bitcoin, ether lead $1 billion liquidation losses as AI trade keeps going

The token fell to about $59,000 before buyers stepped in, but the week's losses are steep across the board. A blowout Micron forecast lifted stocks and oil kept sliding, yet crypto did not follow.

Bitcoin back above $60,000, ETH, SOL recoup losses as AI stocks stage rebound

Bitcoin's slide to its lowest point in 21 months slammed the price of leading altcoins, while pressuring crypto stocks on Wall Street.

'Painful' Bitcoin Sell-Off Drags Ethereum, XRP and Dogecoin Lower as Crypto Stocks Dive

In this week's edition of The Protocol Newsletter, we're looking at Ethereum's eventful week that started off with the launch of EthLabs, plus the layoffs at the Ethereum Foundation, and what this all means for the network.

News for Ethereum Crypto (ETH)