According to BlockBeats, researchers and developers anticipate that 2026 will be a pivotal year for Ethereum as it leverages zero-knowledge proofs (ZK) to achieve exponential scaling. During this period, some Ethereum validators will transition from re-executing transactions to directly verifying ZK proofs, fundamentally altering blockchain operations. This shift is expected to be comparable in scale to Ethereum's 2022 transition from Proof of Work (PoW) to Proof of Stake (PoS), known as 'The Merge.' Ethereum researcher Justin Drake has indicated that the initial validators will begin verifying ZK proofs for each block instead of re-executing all transactions. This approach will provide immediate scaling benefits for Layer 1 and lay the groundwork for achieving 10,000 transactions per second (TPS) in the future. Currently, the Ethereum mainnet processes approximately 30 TPS. During Devconnect, Drake demonstrated that ZK proof verification could be performed using an old laptop, predicting that by the end of 2026, around 10% of validators will switch to the ZK verification mode, known as Lean Execution Phase 1. This transition is expected to significantly reduce hardware requirements for validation nodes while maintaining network decentralization. Ethereum Besu client engineer Gary Schulte highlighted that future computationally intensive tasks will primarily be handled by block builders and ZK provers, allowing ordinary validators to perform lightweight checks. This development creates conditions for increasing the gas limit and overall throughput. Ethereum's roadmap currently remains in Phase 0, which involves voluntary validation. It is projected to enter Phase 1 in 2026, where some validators will switch to ZK verification, and progress to Phase 2 in 2027, mandating block producers to generate ZK proofs for comprehensive ZK execution.

According to PANews, Whale Alert has reported that the USDC Treasury has minted 90 million USDC on the Ethereum network. This development highlights ongoing activity within the cryptocurrency sector, particularly in stablecoin issuance. The minting of USDC, a widely used stablecoin, reflects its continued demand and utilization in various financial transactions and decentralized finance applications.

According to BlockBeats, the meme coin sector has seen a substantial decline in 2025, nearing its lowest point of the year. As of December 19, the total market capitalization of meme coins fell to $35 billion, marking a 65% drop from the year's peak, before slightly rebounding to approximately $36 billion. In contrast, on Christmas Day 2024, the market capitalization of meme coins had approached $100 billion. Concurrently, trading activity within the sector has also decreased, with annual trading volume dropping 72% to $3.05 trillion, indicating a shift away from highly speculative assets by retail investors. The market generally views meme coins as a "thermometer" of retail risk appetite. The significant contraction in market capitalization reflects a more cautious environment in the current crypto market, with a noticeable decline in investment appeal. CoinGecko highlighted that the surge in meme coins in 2024 was closely linked to the U.S. presidential election, with election-themed tokens gaining rapid popularity on social media, on-chain activities, and launch platforms. However, this political narrative has adversely affected market sentiment in 2025.

According to PANews, BNB Chain developers have announced via Twitter that the BSC mainnet Fermi hard fork upgrade is scheduled to be activated on January 14, 2026, at 10:30 (UTC+8). The supported versions for this upgrade are v1.6.4 and v1.6.5. This upgrade aims to enhance network throughput and transaction processing efficiency by reducing the block interval from 750 milliseconds to 450 milliseconds.

Polymarket and Kalshi achieved multi-billion dollar valuations as investors bet the companies will scale exponentially. source: https://www.theblock.co/post/383360/trump-victory-musk-tweets-nfl-prop-bets-historic-year-predictions-2026?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss

Binance Alpha's page shows that the second round of the SentismAI (SENTIS) airdrop rewards is now open for claiming. Eligible users must hold at least 240 Binance Alpha Points to claim 320 SENTIS tokens on a first-come, first-served basis. If the rewards are not fully claimed, the points threshold will automatically decrease by 5 points every 5 minutes. Claiming the airdrop will consume 15 Binance Alpha Points, and users must complete the confirmation on the Alpha Events page within 24 hours; failure to do so will be considered a forfeiture of the reward.

The lowdown on how the switchover to ZK-proofs is expected to work this year as part of Ethereum’s plan to scale to 10,000 TPS. source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/2026-is-the-year-ethereum-starts-scaling-exponentially-with-zk-tech?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound

In the ongoing battle against digital fraud, South Korea has decided that a simple ID card and a signature are no longer enough to secure a mobile phone. Starting this week, the Ministry of Science and ICT is rolling out a mandatory facial recognition system for anyone signing up for a new mobile number. While the goal is noble: stop “voice phishing” and identity theft, what could possibly go wrong when real-time biometric verification is involved?For years, South Korea has been plagued by sophisticated scams. As of November 2025, over 21,500 voice phishing cases were reported, often involving “burner” phones registered under stolen or fabricated names source: https://medium.com/pivx/your-face-is-now-your-sim-card-09a560037e00?source=rss----430d9242e45e---4

Malicious code was injected into version v2. 68 of TrustWallet Chrome extension. It did not even need authorization to drain your funds. source: https://u.today/multimillion-trustwallet-hack-heres-what-is-known-so-far

A US healthcare firm has agreed to pay out millions of dollars to settle a class action lawsuit filed over a data breach. According to the settlement administrator’s portal, Alabama Cardiology Group will pay $2. 225 million to settle the lawsuit accusing it of negligence in the handling of patients’ data source: https://dailyhodl.com/2025/12/26/healthcare-firm-handing-up-to-5000-to-victims-after-hack-exposed-full-names-social-security-numbers-bank-account-info-and-confidential-medical-details/

Grok, Elon Musk’s AI chatbot on X, has been praised by Vitalik Buterin for giving unpredictable responses that challenge users’ political biases and promote more truthful interactions.

A massive hack has struck Trust Wallet, one of the most widely used crypto wallets, resulting in estimated losses exceeding $6 million.

Italy’s competition authority has ordered Meta to allow rival AI chatbots on WhatsApp while investigating possible abuse of its dominant position. Meta plans to appeal, saying the policy protects its systems, but regulators worry it could limit competition and innovation in the AI market.

Nvidia has announced a $20 billion acquisition of Groq’s core assets, a landmark move that strengthens its already commanding position in the artificial intelligence chip market and reshapes the competitive landscape for AI infrastructure.

Keonne Rodriguez, co-founder of Samourai Wallet, began serving a five-year federal prison sentence and shared a personal account of his first days, describing the intake process and adjusting to prison life just before Christmas.

The Philippines has escalated its crackdown on unlicensed cryptocurrency platforms, with internet service providers beginning to block access to major global exchanges, signaling a decisive shift toward stricter enforcement of local crypto regulations.

Pudgy Penguins projected its animated characters on the Las Vegas Sphere for a week-long holiday campaign, promoting its physical products rather than NFTs. The display helped the crypto-born brand reach mainstream audiences, supporting merchandise sales and boosting recognition despite a struggling NFT market.

Kraken has officially launched the Krak Card, a Mastercard crypto debit card for residents living in the EU countries and the United Kingdom. The Krak card would allow users to spend more than 400 cryptocurrencies and fiat currencies seamlessly.

Trust Wallet confirmed a security incident affecting version 2.68 of its Chrome extension after users reported unauthorised wallet drains following a recent update. The company told users to disable the extension and upgrade immediately, saying its mobile app and other versions were not affected while the investigation continues.

Kyrgyzstan has taken another step toward embedding digital assets into its financial system after cryptocurrency exchange Binance listed the country’s first som-pegged stablecoin, a move that signals growing state-level confidence in blockchain-based payments and infrastructure.