In this week’s edition of the weekly recap, Token2049 organizers postponed the Dubai edition until 2027 citing safety concerns from escalating Iran-Israel-U.S. tensions, Robinhood reported February crypto notional volumes increased 9% to $25 billion and the Ethereum Foundation published a formal mandate establishing its role as steward of a censorship-resistant, privacy-first protocol.
Summary
- Token2049 Dubai postponed to 2027 due to Iran–Israel tensions.
- Robinhood crypto trading volume rose to $25B in February.
- Ethereum Foundation published a formal censorship-resistant mandate.
Token2049 Dubai delayed amid regional conflict
- Event organizers postponed the Dubai edition until 2027 after citing safety concerns linked to rising geopolitical tensions from the Iran-Israel-U.S. military confrontation.
- The decision follows cancellation of another major industry gathering, the TON Gateway event, which had also been scheduled for Dubai.
Robinhood shows crypto trading dominance
- February data revealed crypto notional volumes increased 9% to $25 billion while equity, options, and event contracts experienced contraction.
Ethereum Foundation establishes written doctrine
- The organization published an “EF Mandate” formalizing its role as steward of a censorship-resistant, privacy-first, open-source base layer.
- The document signals zero appetite for surveillance-chain compromises as the protocol scales to accommodate broader adoption.
Buterin explains 2021 donation circumstances
- Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin clarified the massive 2021 Shiba Inu donation to the Future of Life Institute while distancing himself from the group’s recent artificial intelligence policy approaches.
- Buterin explained the tokens surged in value during the 2021 meme coin boom with peak “book value” exceeding $1 billion, prompting him to access cold storage funds, sell portions for Ether, and donate to various causes.
Hong Kong prepares banking stablecoin licenses
- Banking giants HSBC and Standard Chartered are expected to be among the first institutions receiving stablecoin issuer licenses in Hong Kong.
- The licensing approach positions Hong Kong to compete with other jurisdictions for regulated stablecoin issuance and operations.
DeFi user loses millions in slippage error
- A user attempting to swap $50 million USDT for AAVE through the protocol’s interface received only 324 AAVE after accepting a quote with extreme price impact.
- The transaction prompted Aave to review safeguards and refund a portion of transaction fees following the catastrophic slippage outcome.
Prosecutors oppose Bankman-Fried retrial request
- U.S. prosecutors asked a federal judge to deny a new trial for the disgraced crypto entrepreneur, arguing he has not shown legal basis for overturning his FTX-related conviction.
- As per the report, prosecutors told the court Bankman-Fried’s motion fails to showcase his original trial was unfair or that new evidence would meaningfully alter the verdict.
Bonk.fun warns users of domain compromise
- The Solana-based meme coin launch platform team alerted users to avoid its website after hackers reportedly compromised the domain and deployed a malicious wallet drainer.
- At least one trader claimed losses of $273,000 after connecting their wallet to the compromised interface.
Indian authorities arrest GainBitcoin fraud suspect
- The Central Bureau of Investigation arrested Ayush Varshney, co-founder and chief technology officer of Darwin Labs Private Limited, in connection with alleged GainBitcoin cryptocurrency fraud.
- Investigators allege Darwin Labs helped build technical infrastructure for the scheme including the MCAP token and GBMiners platform.
- Varshney was intercepted at Mumbai airport while allegedly attempting to leave India after a Look Out Circular was issued.
Ripple acquires Australian payments firm
- The company announced plans to secure an Australian financial services license through acquisition of BC Payments Australia Pty Ltd, a payments company linked to the European Banking Circle Group.
- The deal remains underway and is expected to close April 1 after standard closing processes finalize.
Anthropic sues government over AI blacklist
- The artificial intelligence developer filed a lawsuit against multiple U.S. government agencies, accusing federal authorities of unlawfully blacklisting its technology.
- The legal action alleges the blacklisting occurred after Anthropic refused to allow certain military uses of its AI systems.