It’s All About Crypto Blog
Meet OP-20: BRC-20 but with Higher Fees
Just a day after it was announced that the next Bitcoin Core release would lift the 80-byte limit for OP_RETURN outputs, we already saw a new use case appear. Someone created a token format reminiscent of BRC-20, but instead of storing the data in an inscription (as the BRC-20 standard does), they embedded it directly into the OP_RETURN output. The...
USDKG: A Gold-Backed Stablecoin from Kyrgyzstan
A new stablecoin is on the way. In Q3 2025, USDKG is expected to launch – a USD-pegged stablecoin backed by gold reserves held by Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Finance. Which raises the question: what’s the point? Backing a stablecoin is necessary to give holders confidence that their tokens can always be redeemed for something of real value: * Liquity USD (LUSD), like the early version of...
A DEX with an off switch
This morning I was reading the news and suddenly came across a post from the OKX CEO announcing that OKX DEX is back online. My reaction: “Wait, what? They have a DEX?!” So I started digging in. Turns out, back in March, OKX shut it down after hackers tried to launder funds stolen from Bybit through the platform. But... hold on. How do you “shut down” a DEX?...
Why TON Tokens Get “Lost”: Jetton Notification
This week, two tokens on the TON blockchain — Notcoin and DOGS — made headlines by entering the Guinness World Records. No, not for any blockchain innovation, but for a record-breaking drone show over the skies of Dubai. Still, the spotlight on this event is likely to draw new attention to the TON ecosystem — including its tokens. And that’s great… unless...
Who hides better
Bitcoin enthusiast Super Testnet claims to have successfully traced a Monero payment and identified the recipient’s stealth address. The recipient didn’t object over the following two days, so it’s likely that Super Testnet got it right. The post sparked a debate involving two AI bots: Perplexity and another unnamed one. Both argue that this doesn’t pose...
Universal Ethereum Addresses: Small Tweak, Big Impact
The team at Wonderland has proposed a universal address format for the Ethereum ecosystem – one that includes an explicit network tag (Ethereum Mainnet, Arbitrum, Optimism, etc.) directly in the address. Frankly, it’s long overdue. Anyone who works with crypto in practice knows how often this problem comes up – and how much of a headache it causes. Take centralized...
Is ETH a Commodity or a Security? The Market Has Decided
Yesterday at Token2049, there was a panel discussion titled "Ethereum’s Existential Crisis" - and one part of the conversation really stood out to me. Over the past few months, Ethereum’s core developers have dramatically shifted their priorities. They've announced plans to increase L1 throughput 10x over the next two years, and 100x over the next four. This pivot is largely driven...
Bitcoin Uses 0.54% of Global Energy - What About Banks?
The Cambridge Digital Mining Industry Report estimates that Bitcoin mining consumes around 138 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity per year - about 0.54% of the world’s total energy usage. Wouldn’t it be fascinating to compare that to the energy footprint of the global banking system? I went looking for numbers - and surprisingly, there doesn’t seem to be any in-depth...
Uniswap, Tornado Cash, and the Curious Case of "Control"
Is there a difference between Uniswap and Tornado Cash? * Both Tornado Cash and Uniswap are made up of immutable smart contracts and centralized user interfaces. * Both create conditions under which the value of their platform’s tokens rises, thereby rewarding holders. * Both services became the subject of lawsuits in the U.S., overseen by the same judge - Katherine Polk...
Liquidation Hunting in the Crypto Market
In crypto trading circles, there’s a persistent myth that traders can easily access information about price levels where mass liquidations of leveraged positions will occur. Many active market participants seem convinced that these zones act as “magnets” for price action. According to this belief, if, for example, a large number of long positions are set to be liquidated...
