Ethereum co‑founder Vitalik Buterin proposed adding native distributed validator technology to streamline staking. In a Wednesday forum post, he outlined a design that lets a validator create up to 16 independent keys that the chain treats as one, aiming to cut downtime penalties and improve security for self-stakers.

On Tuesday, Patrick Witt said the crypto market structure bill will need concessions to reach 60 votes in the U.S. Senate. The Banking and Agriculture Committees delayed Thursday markups to build bipartisan support, while Coinbase's Brian Armstrong withdrew backing, saying he'd "rather have no bill than a bad bill." The proposal aims to define SEC and CFTC oversight, and Witt urged pragmatism to keep momentum.

Chainlink said on Tuesday it will add 24/5 U.S. equities data feeds, enabling blockchain-based trading of stocks and ETFs outside standard hours. The firm claims this could help bring the $80 trillion U.S. market on-chain, with eight protocols already integrating the streams and more exchanges exploring always-on markets.

Memecoin launchpad Pump.fun has unveiled Pump Fund, a new investment arm introduced alongside a $3 million hackathon initiative. The program will support up to 12 projects with $250,000 each at a $10 million valuation and will include mentorship from the platform's founders.

On Jan. 12, a draft US crypto market structure bill incorporating Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act provisions sparked opposition from Senate Judiciary leaders Charles Grassley and Richard Durbin. They urged Senate Banking Committee chair Tim Scott and Elizabeth Warren to remove protections for crypto developers, warning the language would weaken unlicensed money transmitting laws and create an enforcement gap for decentralized platforms. The bill must clear the Banking and Agriculture Committees and secure 60 votes in the Senate, while major industry lobbyist Coinbase has already withdrawn its support over multiple provisions.

Crypto mining hardware maker Canaan Inc. disclosed on Friday that it received a Nasdaq notice on Wednesday after its shares traded below $1 for 30 consecutive business days. The firm has until July 13 to lift its closing bid to at least $1 for a minimum of 10 straight trading sessions or risk being removed from the exchange, with a possible extension involving a reverse stock split.

Kalshi can continue operating in Tennessee after a federal judge granted its request for a temporary restraining order against state regulators. The ruling blocks enforcement of cease-and-desist demands over alleged unlicensed sports event contracts until a preliminary injunction hearing set for Jan. 26.

Seven Labour MPs who chair UK parliamentary committees have written to Prime Minister Keir Starmer asking for a ban on political donations in cryptocurrency to be written into an upcoming elections bill. They argue that crypto-based funding can obscure the source of money, enable undisclosed micro-donations and increase the risk of foreign interference, a move that could particularly impact Reform UK's previously announced plans to accept crypto.

New York Assembly member Clyde Vanel has reintroduced the ORACLE Act, a bill seeking to curb which event contracts platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket can list in the state. The proposal would prohibit certain prediction markets tied to sports matches, political outcomes, deaths, catastrophic events and public company stock prices, while imposing fines of $1 million per day on noncompliant operators. It also requires platforms to offer user self-exclusion tools and limits on time and money spent.