WhiteboardCrypto Newsletter - Jun 8

Welcome back to this week's edition of our WhiteboardCrypto Newsletter!

Starkware scaling Bitcoin

StarkWare is planning to scale Bitcoin using zero-knowledge (ZK) technology, building on the OP_CAT proposal, which would allow Bitcoin to handle more complex transactions by enabling the combination of different transaction parts, which can support advanced features like smart contracts. They aim to use the same StarkNet network for both Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Learn more here.

Base booms amid Coinbase smart wallet news

Base, Coinbase’s Layer 2 blockchain, has reached a record high in total value locked (TVL), jumping from $1.3 billion to $7.41 billion in 90 days. This is in anticipation for Coinbase's new smart wallet and the implementation of EIP-4844, which reduces gas costs. The smart wallet aims to simplify onchain transactions for users, potentially onboarding millions into DeFi.

Learn more here.

Cosmos system outage

Cosmos Hub had a four-hour outage because of a bug during their v17 upgrade on Wednesday, which is meant to lower costs for smaller validators. The issue in the Liquid Staking Module could've let users avoid penalties. Validators quickly patched it, and block production resumed after most validators updated. Despite the glitch, Cosmos's ATOM token stayed pretty stable.

Learn more here.

Avalanche users get better security

Avalanche's Core wallet just integrated Blockaid's security features to protect users from phishing scams and hacks. Blockaid screens transactions against a database of known threats, alerting users before signing. This update aims to give users peace of mind while using Avalanche. Similar security features are in wallets like MetaMask, Coinbase, Rainbow, and Zerion, making them good alternatives if you want robust protection.

Learn more here.

Polkadot upgrade

The Polkadot blockchain is boosting its transaction throughput by 10x using two key techniques: async backing and proof-of-validity (PoV). Async backing speeds up block production by better using network resources, making the whole process faster. Proof-of-validity (PoV) reclaim optimizes block space by adjusting proof sizes dynamically, allowing more transactions to fit into each block. These innovations make Polkadot's network much more efficient and scalable.

Learn more here.

Thanks for reading and I hope you learned something!

- Theodore