Features TheBitTimes.com

Ethereum developers have re launch ed the Holesky testnet after its initial rollout on Sep. 15 failed due to significant network misconfigurations. Data from Holesky’s dashboard showed a steady block production including client activity from entities like Google Cloud, Lighthouse, and Teku. Holesky, the largest test network launched on Ethereum since the Merge, was successfully released on Sep. 28. At press time, the testnet ran smoothly and was not stalled by issues reported by developers after the first attempt. Additionally, sentiment from a YouTube livestream organized by a developer known as EthStaker suggested that Ethereum builders are satisfied with Holesky’s launch. “Not going to have to build a third one,” one developer said on the call. Holesky is positioned as a key component of Ethereum’s testnet ecosystems where builders simulate important updates like proto-danksharding to slash transaction costs and run trials for decentralized applications (dapps). Apart f...

CME reported nearly half of its crypto volume year to date came from non-U.S. trading hours and around 11% from the Asia Pacific region. Derivatives marketplace CME Group is launching Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) reference rates for the Asia Pacific region, in another sign of growing institutional interest in crypto from Asia. On Aug. 16, derivatives marketplace CME Group said it’s partnered with crypto indices provider CF Benchmarks and on Sept. 11 to launch the two Asia Pacific-focused crypto reference rates. Reference rates are used as a credible source of a cryptocurrency’s price and are used — in CME’s case — to price settlements of crypto futures contracts. CME Group said from Sept. 11, Asia-based crypto institutions and investors will get two reference rates that will track BTC and ETH, which will be published once a day at 4 pm Hong Kong time. CME Group has existing reference rates for the two cryptocurrencies, but they are published at times more suitable to investors in...

Representative Patrick McHenry, the US House Financial Services Committee chair, endorsed PayPal’s stablecoin , PYUSD, as a key pillar for modern payments. The endorsement was given on Aug. 7, shortly after PayPal announced the stablecoin launch in partnership with Paxos. #NEW: Chairman @PatrickMcHenry releases a statement following the announcement of PayPal's payment stablecoin launch . Read more https://t.co/LOF9ayUNnG pic.twitter.com/sRfSfLYbXQ — Financial Services GOP (@FinancialCmte) August 7, 2023 In his statement, McHenry emphasized that PayPal’s stablecoin , issued under a clear regulatory framework, holds significant potential for the US financial ecosystem. This comes amid the Financial Services Committee’s effort to enact the Clarity for Payment Stablecoins Act, a bipartisan bill passed by the committee on July 27 but still awaiting enactment. The Clarity for Payment Stablecoins Act aims to recognize state-level regulation of crypto compa...

Circle, the company behind the second-largest stablecoin USDC, has announced the beta testing of a new service enabling developers to integrate web3 wallets into their applications. USDC stablecoin issuer, Circle, has initiated a wallet-as-a-service program targeted at developers. The innovative service provides a platform for developers to integrate web3 wallets seamlessly into their applications, boasting a user-friendly design. The wallets have interoperability with any blockchain, thus broadening users’ accessibility to a spectrum of web3 digital assets like non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and cryptocurrencies. We quietly released the first major milestone of @circle Web3 Services into production beta this week. Circle Programmable Wallets is our new Wallet-as-a-Service developer platform. https://t.co/YmnAc2dsU7 — Jeremy Allaire (@jerallaire) July 6, 2023 “Developers on the more technical side can start exploring the platform and start integrating apps immediate...