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Browse page 4 of the DeFi news archive: dated protocol developments, stablecoin updates, regulation and security analysis with source links.
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The GENIUS Act — Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins — passed in early 2026, giving the US stablecoin market its first comprehensive legal framework. Fidelity and major banks have described stablecoins as one of the defining financial themes of the year.
Read analysis →Convex Finance marks its fifth anniversary on 17 May 2026, having grown from a $68 million launch to a $22 billion TVL peak, distributed over $872 million in rewards, and cemented itself as the dominant force in Curve governance — despite a brutal bear market that took CVX from $62 to $1.36.
Read analysis →Chainlink's Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol saw weekly volume surge 260% to over $1.3 billion in late April 2026. Exchange outflows hit a single-day record of 970,430 LINK, cumulative spot ETF inflows crossed $111.5 million, and CCIP v1.5 enters its final security audit before mainnet.
Read analysis →Ethereum's Fusaka upgrade, activated December 3, 2025, raised blob capacity from 6 to 48 per block and lifted the gas cap to 150 million. The result: Layer 2 transaction fees fell by more than 80% and DeFi throughput surged across Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, and Scroll.
Read analysis →The market for tokenized real-world assets — Treasury bonds, private credit, commodities, real estate, and equities — grew from $5.8 billion in January 2025 to over $30.8 billion by April 2026. Ethereum holds 94% of tokenized commodities and the majority of stablecoin supply.
Read analysis →Coinbase announced a 14% workforce reduction affecting approximately 700 employees on 5 May 2026, with CEO Brian Armstrong attributing the cuts to persistent crypto market volatility and accelerating AI-driven automation. The move reflects broader industry consolidation as major exchanges adapt to technological disruption.
Read analysis →Tether's USDT stablecoin market capitalisation has exceeded $189.6 billion as of early May 2026, reinforcing its commanding 58% share of the global stablecoin market. The growth reflects sustained demand for dollar-denominated liquidity across decentralised and centralised trading platforms.
Read analysis →Ethereum recovered toward $2,388 on 4 May 2026, buoyed by sustained developer activity following the Pectra upgrade and record institutional inflows into US-listed ETFs. The recovery marks a continued rebound from early-2026 lows below $2,000.
Read analysis →Strong earnings results from major US technology companies in late April and early May 2026 have reignited risk appetite across global markets, propelling Bitcoin back toward $82,000 and lifting major altcoins 3–5% as institutional investors increase exposure to crypto alongside equities.
Read analysis →XRP trades above $1.40 as Ripple shifts focus from its concluded SEC litigation to aggressive expansion of cross-border payment corridors across Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, capitalising on an improved regulatory environment.
Read analysis →DeFi's total value locked has rebounded to approach $93 billion in early May 2026, recovering from a sharp decline following KelpDAO's $292 million exploit on 18 April. The recovery reflects stabilising market sentiment and renewed confidence in major protocols including Aave, Lido, and Curve.
Read analysis →The global stablecoin market capitalisation surged to $321 billion in May 2026, driven by regulatory clarity from the GENIUS Act and institutional entrants including PayPal, BlackRock and World Liberty Financial challenging USDT's dominance.
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