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Ethereum devs prepare final Pectra test before mainnet launch

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Ethereum developers are under pressure as the Pectra upgrade rolls out to a new testnet following several unexpected issues that have delayed its deployment to the mainnet.

The Pectra upgrade, which was expected to hit the Ethereum mainnet in March, was deployed into the network’s Holesky testnet on Feb. 24. However, the upgrade failed to finalize on the network, prompting developers to investigate and address the causes. 

On March 5, the update was rolled out to the Sepolia testnet. However, developers again encountered errors, which were made worse by an unknown attacker who used an “edge case” to cause the mining of empty blocks

To better prepare for the upgrade, Ethereum core developers created a new testnet called “Hoodi.”

Ethereum developers “exhausted” from Pectra preparations

Hoodi was launched on March 17, and the Pectra upgrade will roll out on Hoodi on March 26. If the upgrade runs smoothly, Pectra may hit the mainnet as early as April 25. 

In an interview with Cointelegraph’s Felix Ng, Ethereum Foundation’s protocol support team member Nixo Rokish said developers have been through a lot while preparing for the Pectra upgrade. Rokish told Cointelegraph: 

“I think that people are nervous because we just had two testnets in a row basically have really unexpected issues that were not fundamentally related to how it would have gone on mainnet.”

Rokish added that exhaustion is setting in, especially for the consensus layer developers, as Hoodi marks the third attempt to test Pectra.

“I think the consensus layer devs especially, but also like somewhat the execution layer devs are exhausted right now,” Rokish told Cointelegraph. 

Related: Ethereum devs agree to stop forking around and accelerate the roadmap

Ethereum devs solved what needed to be solved

According to Rokish, the Holesky testnet failed in part because it had never been tested with such a small validator set on the canonical chain.

“As decentralized as Holesky is, it has never been tested at so few validators on the canonical chain,” she said. 

When about 10% was left on the canonical chain, the validators overloaded their RAM and memory as they kept the state for 90% of validators on the non-canonical chain. 

Rokish said they had never seen this before. “And so the consensus layer devs all of a sudden had this problem where they had to change a bunch of things, and I think that that was really tiring for them,” she said. 

Despite the recent testnet challenges, Ethereum’s broader development continues to show progress.

On March 13, 2024, the network rolled out the Dencun upgrade, which implemented many changes in the blockchain. 

High gas fees, which were once a huge problem for the network, have become a thing of the past. A year after its Dencun upgrade, Ethereum’s gas fees dropped by 95%. On March 23, average gas prices reached historic lows of 0.28 gwei.

Magazine: What are native rollups? Full guide to Ethereum’s latest innovation

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Coin Market

US recession 40% likely in 2025, what it means for crypto — Analyst

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The United States has a 40% chance of a recession in 2025 amid the potential for a protracted trade war and macroeconomic uncertainty, according to market analyst and Coin Bureau founder Nic Puckrin.

In an interview with Cointelegraph, the analyst said that while a recession is not probable, a recession and the current macroeconomic uncertainty will create an environment where risk-on assets like cryptocurrencies suffer. Puckrin said:

“Trump and his advisors have said they have not completely dismissed the recession, which means it is definitely possible, but right now, I would not say it is probable, but the odds have climbed a lot.”

The analyst added that US President Donald Trump is not actively attempting to engineer a recession, but that the things the Trump administration is doing, including cutting federal jobs and spending to balance the budget can lead to recessions as a side effect.

Macroeconomic uncertainty is the primary cause of the recent decline in the US Dollar Index (DXY), as investors shift capital to better opportunities in European capital markets and seek an escape from the economic uncertainty currently plaguing US markets, Puckrin told Cointelegraph.

The DXY, which tracks the strength of the US dollar, took a nosedive in March 2025. Source: TradingView

Related: Timeline: How Trump tariffs dragged Bitcoin below $80K

Trade war fears drag the price of Bitcoin down

President Trump’s tariffs on US trading partners sent a shockwave through the crypto markets, leading to a steep decline in altcoin prices and a 24% correction in Bitcoin’s (BTC) price from the Jan. 20 high of over $109,000.

The tariffs and fears of a prolonged trade war also reoriented market sentiment toward extreme fear — a sharp contrast from the euphoric highs felt after the re-election of Donald Trump in the United States in November 2025 and the January 20 inauguration.

The price of Bitcoin has been struggling amid the trade war headlines and is currently trading below its 200-day exponential moving average (EMA). Source: TradingView

According to Nansen research analyst Nicolai Sondergaard, crypto markets will feel the pressure of tariffs until April 2025.

If countries can successfully negotiate an end to the tariffs or the Trump administration softens its stance then markets will recover, the analyst added.

10x Research founder Markus Thielen recently said that BTC formed a price bottom in March 2025, as US President Donald Trump softened the rhetoric around trade tariffs — signaling a potential price reversal.

Magazine: Bitcoiners are ‘all in’ on Trump since Bitcoin ’24, but it’s getting risky

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Potential Bitcoin price fall to $65K ‘irrelevant’ since central bank liquidity is coming — Analyst

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Bitcoin’s (BTC) 7% decline saw the price drop from $88,060 on March 26 to $82,036 on March 29 and led to $158 million in long liquidations. This drop was particularly concerning for bulls, as gold surged to a record high at the same time, undermining Bitcoin’s “digital gold” narrative. However, many experts argue that a Bitcoin rally is imminent as multiple governments take steps to avert an economic crisis.

The ongoing global trade war and spending cuts by the US government are considered temporary setbacks. An apparent silver lining is the expectation that additional liquidity is expected to flow into the markets, which could boost risk-on assets. Analysts believe Bitcoin is well-positioned to benefit from this broader macroeconomic shift.

Source: Mihaimihale

Take, for example, Mihaimihale, an X social platform user who argued that tax cuts and lower interest rates are necessary to “kickstart” the economy, particularly since the previous year’s growth was “propped up” by government spending, which proved unsustainable.

The less favorable macroeconomic environment pushed gold to a record high of $3,087 on March 28, while the US dollar weakened against a basket of foreign currencies, with the DXY Index dropping to 104 from 107.40 a month earlier.

Additionally, the $93 million in net outflows from spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on March 28 further weighed on sentiment, as traders acknowledged that even institutional investors are susceptible to selling amid rising recession risks.

US inflation slows amid economic recession fears

The market currently assigns a 50% probability that the US Federal Reserve will cut interest rates to 4% or lower by July 30, up from 46% a month earlier, according to the CME FedWatch tool.

Implied rates for Fed Funds on July 30. Source: CME FedWatch

The crypto market is presently in a “withdrawal phase,” according to Alexandre Vasarhelyi, the founding partner at B2V Crypto. Vasarhelyi noted that recent major announcements, such as the US strategic Bitcoin reserve executive order mark progress in the metric that matters the most: adoption.

Vasarhelyi said real-world asset (RWA) tokenization is a promising trend, but he believes its impact remains limited. “BlackRock’s billion-dollar BUIDL fund is a step forward, but it’s insignificant compared to the $100 trillion bond market.”

Vasarhelyi added:

“Whether Bitcoin’s floor is $77,000 or $65,000 matters little; the story is early-stage growth.”

Gold decouples from stocks, bonds and Bitcoin

Experienced traders view a 10% stock market correction as routine. However, some anticipate a decline in “policy uncertainty” by early April, which would reduce the likelihood of a recession or bear market.

Source: WarrenPies

Warren Pies, founder of 3F Research, expects the US administration to soften its stance on tariffs, which could stabilize investor sentiment. This shift may help the S&P 500 stay above its March 13 low of 5,505. However, market volatility remains a factor as economic conditions evolve.

Related: Bitcoin price falls toward range lows, but data shows ‘whales going wild right now’

For some, the fact that gold decoupled from the stock market while Bitcoin succumbed to “extreme fear” is evidence that the digital gold thesis was flawed. However, more experienced investors, including Vasarhelyi, argue that Bitcoin’s weak performance reflects its early-stage adoption rather than a failure of its fundamental qualities.

Vasarhelyi said,

“Legislative shifts pave the way for user-friendly products, trading some of crypto’s flexibility for mainstream appeal. My take is adoption will accelerate, but 2025 remains a foundation year, not a tipping point.”

Analysts view the recent Bitcoin correction as a reaction to recession fears and the temporary tariff war. However, they expect these factors to trigger expansionist measures from central banks, ultimately creating a favorable environment for risk-on assets, including Bitcoin.

This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

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Kalshi sues Nevada and New Jersey gaming regulators

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Prediction market Kalshi filed a lawsuit against the Nevada Gaming Control Board and the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement after both state regulators sent cease and desist orders for the firm to pause all sports-related contracts in the states.

Kalshi’s legal team argued that the contracts fall under the jurisdiction of the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and, therefore, cannot be regulated by state-level authorities.

The team also contends that the cease and desist orders fail to recognize that Kalshi’s event contracts are two-sided markets that trade as swaps as opposed to the sports-betting book model where the house controls the market. Kalshi co-founder Tarek Mansour said:

“Prediction markets are a critical innovation of the 21st century, and like all innovations, they are initially misunderstood. We are proud to be the company that has pioneered this technology and stand ready to defend it once again in a court of law.”

Additionally, the Nevada Gaming Control Board sent Kalshi a cease and desist order for its election contracts, which a United States judge ruled were legal in September 2024 — allowing the contracts to trade freely in the US.

Kalshi lawsuit against Nevada Gaming Control Board. Source: Kalshi

Related: Massachusetts subpoenas Robinhood over sports prediction markets

CFTC commits to ending regulation by enforcement

On Feb 4, acting CFTC director Caroline Pham issued a notice signaling a major regulatory pivot at the CFTC and ending regulation through enforcement actions, choosing to focus on fraud instead.

“The CFTC is strengthening its enforcement program to focus on victims of fraud, as well as remaining vigilant for other violations of law,” Pham said

This major change at the CFTC was welcomed by industry firms as a breath of fresh air following a torrent of regulatory lawsuits and enforcement actions under the Biden administration.

The regulator also initiated a probe into Super Bowl event contracts offered by Kalshi and Crypto.Com on the same day the notice was sent out.

The goal of the CFTC’s probe was to ensure that the Super Bowl event contracts complied with existing derivatives laws in the US, and the CFTC ultimately took no action to ban the contracts.

Magazine: Train AI agents to make better predictions… for token rewards

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