[ANN] Ethereum: Welcome to the Beginning

[zasad@]

https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/crypto-crime-2024-pump-and-dump/
"54% of ERC-20 Tokens Listed on DEXes in 2023 Display Patterns That May Be Suggestive of Pump and Dump Schemes, but Represent just 1.3% of DEX Trading Volume

For most of the research that we publish in our annual Crypto Crime Report, the data tells a clear story. For instance, funds sent to ransomware operators, darknet markets, or sanctioned entities can be measured and trends can be analyzed with Chainalysis labeling and data. But blockchain data can also be used to detect suspicious trading patterns. In these cases, the evidence on the blockchain is less definitive. Instead, on-chain data can provide a starting point for deeper investigations, usually combined with other, off-chain information. For this reason, we do not include possible market manipulation proceeds or estimates of victim losses in our count of total illicit transaction volume — there isn’t enough information to determine whether the activity is criminal or not without additional context. "

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[DStefanov]

ETH 0.01401 = 29.99 EURO

[r_victory]

Introducing the EPF Study Group

The Ethereum Protocol Fellowship (EPF) is a program designed to reduce the barrier to entry for developers interested in working on the core protocol. As core developer (and EPF creator) Piper Merriam likes to say, the door is comically wide open. EPF helps you walk through it.

Read the full article here…

[zasad@]

https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2024/02/12/ethereum-validator-entry-queue-signals-renewed-interest-in-staking/
Ethereum Validator Entry Queue Signals Renewed Interest in Staking
"The validator entry queue has jumped to 7,045, the highest since Oct. 6, according to data source ValidatorQueue.
The waitlist for new Ethereum validators is now the longest since early October.
The renewed interest in staking is noteworthy as the yield on staked ether remains below 4%."

[r_victory]

Academic Grants Round 2024

The Ethereum Foundation is sponsoring a wave of grants to support Ethereum-related academic work. These grants round has $1M in total available funds. Proposals are due 23:59 UTC, March 4th, 2024.

All the details you’ll need to apply can be found here…

[zasad@]

https://twitter.com/VitalikButerin/status/1759365739671412841
@VitalikButerin(C)
"I'm really looking forward to Verkle trees. They will enable stateless validator clients, which can allow staking nodes to run with near-zero hard disk space and sync nearly instantly - far better solo staking UX. Also good for user-facing light clients."

Verkle Trees for Statelessness
https://verkle.info

[zasad@]

Countdown to Dencun Upgrade
https://www.blocknative.com/ethereum-dencun-upgrade-countdown

https://decrypt.co/221500/ethereum-l2-arbitrum-optimism-polygon-dencun-upgrade
"Just hours to go until the Dencun upgrade goes live on Ethereum mainnet, the tokens of layer-2 scaling solutions like Arbitrum, Optimism, and Polygon have all seen hefty gains.

Arbitrum is the only one to have seen double-digital gains as the Ethereum community counts down the minutes to Dencun. Its ARB token has risen 11% in the past day and 7.5% compared to this time last week. ARB rose as high as $2.25 early Wednesday morning, but has since settled to $2.20 at the time of writing."

[batang_bitcoin]

I am hoping that with this Dencun upgrade will have its purpose play on the ecosystem to make all of the fees on ETH's blockchain to be lesser and cheaper soon. I've seen some progress a bit after its upgrade but that's not the kind of effect I am expecting, I like more of it to have it seen like it was cents long time ago and I don't know if it's possible to see that happen back then when everything was so cheap but then the demand has increased and made even the gas fees quite expensively.

[JollyGood]

If you keep aside the fact it is a centralised tracker, the aspects of smart contracts still make Ethereum stand out from other crypto. ETH provides a function that has launched thousands of ICOs (and later unfortunately unnecessary NFTs) therefore it remains in demand. If Bitcoin remains the gold standard for crypto, Ethereum has sustained a number two position for a long time.

In that process things will not always work the way people would expect therefore high gas fees is one of the issues they need to work on but let us not forget Bitcoin had a recent time where tx fees were excessive.

I am hoping that with this Dencun upgrade will have its purpose play on the ecosystem to make all of the fees on ETH's blockchain to be lesser and cheaper soon. I've seen some progress a bit after its upgrade but that's not the kind of effect I am expecting, I like more of it to have it seen like it was cents long time ago and I don't know if it's possible to see that happen back then when everything was so cheap but then the demand has increased and made even the gas fees quite expensively.

[zasad@]

I am hoping that with this Dencun upgrade will have its purpose play on the ecosystem to make all of the fees on ETH's blockchain to be lesser and cheaper soon. I've seen some progress a bit after its upgrade but that's not the kind of effect I am expecting, I like more of it to have it seen like it was cents long time ago and I don't know if it's possible to see that happen back then when everything was so cheap but then the demand has increased and made even the gas fees quite expensively.

Dencun only affected the commission in L2 ecosystems.

https://cryptopotato.com/spot-ethereum-etfs-will-be-ultimately-denied-following-latest-delays-analysts/
"Odds that spot Ethereum exchange-traded funds will be approved in May have plunged following the latest round of delays from the SEC.

On March 19, the US Securities and Exchange Commission delayed its decision on whether to approve spot Ethereum ETFs from Hashdex and Ark 21Shares.

Both products have now been postponed until a final SEC decision is made in late May. The Ark 21Shares deadline is May 24, and Hashdex will get its application approved or disapproved on May 30.

The first final deadline, however, is for the VanEck spot ETH ETF, which is on May 23. This will set the precedent for the rest of them."

[FP91G]

Ethereum Foundation Faces Inquiry From a Government; Fortune Says SEC Investigating ETH
After the publication of this article, Fortune reported the SEC seeks to classify ETH as a security.
The Ethereum Foundation – the Swiss non-profit organization at the heart of the Ethereum ecosystem – is facing questions from an unnamed "state authority," according to the group's website's GitHub repository.
The confidential inquiry comes during a time of change for Ethereum's technology and at a possible inflection point for its native asset, ETH, which many American investment companies are seeking to offer as an exchange-traded fund. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has slow-walked their efforts despite recently approving a series of Bitcoin ETFs.
After the publication of this article, Fortune reported the SEC is seeking to classify ETH as a security, a move that would have major implications for Ethereum, an ETH ETF and crypto as a whole. The financial regulator has sent investigative subpoenas to U.S. companies in the past several weeks, according to Fortune's reporting.
https://www.coindesk.com/business/2024/03/20/ethereum-foundation-under-investigation-by-state-authority/

[JollyGood]

It seems there is a new investigation being launched by the SEC every two to three months. How much of their statement is based on them being concerned about the actual case regarding ETH or ETF and more about the SEC trying to exert some form of control over the second biggest crypto by market cap?

Ethereum Foundation Faces Inquiry From a Government; Fortune Says SEC Investigating ETH
After the publication of this article, Fortune reported the SEC seeks to classify ETH as a security.
The Ethereum Foundation – the Swiss non-profit organization at the heart of the Ethereum ecosystem – is facing questions from an unnamed "state authority," according to the group's website's GitHub repository.
The confidential inquiry comes during a time of change for Ethereum's technology and at a possible inflection point for its native asset, ETH, which many American investment companies are seeking to offer as an exchange-traded fund. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has slow-walked their efforts despite recently approving a series of Bitcoin ETFs.
After the publication of this article, Fortune reported the SEC is seeking to classify ETH as a security, a move that would have major implications for Ethereum, an ETH ETF and crypto as a whole. The financial regulator has sent investigative subpoenas to U.S. companies in the past several weeks, according to Fortune's reporting.
https://www.coindesk.com/business/2024/03/20/ethereum-foundation-under-investigation-by-state-authority/

[zasad@]

https://en.bitcoinsistemi.com/shocking-statements-from-vaneck-ceo-for-ethereum-etfs-this-will-probably-happen-in-may/
Shocking Statements from VanEck CEO for Ethereum ETFs: “This Will Probably Happen in May”
"VanEck CEO, who has applied for Ethereum Spot ETF, made a surprising statement about the ETH ETFs that are expected to be approved.

The SEC has until the end of May to complete its review of the Ethereum Spot ETF, following a delay in its original decision date in March. Companies like BlackRock, Fidelity and VanEck, which have launched spot Bitcoin ETFs this year, were eagerly awaiting approval for an ETH product.

However, some applicant companies are not sure that the SEC will green light their ETH applications. “We were also the first to apply for Ethereum in the US, and we and Ark Invest CEO Cathy Wood back in May,” VanEck CEO Jan van Eck told CNBC's Arjun Kharpal at the Paris Blockchain Week cryptocurrency event in France. “We are probably the first in line to be rejected,” he said.

Van Eck added that the regulatory process involves regulators commenting on applications, and this process occurs weeks before Bitcoin ETFs are approved. Currently, “there is complete silence when it comes to Ethereum,” he said."