Base

Blast is winding down a little over two years after launch, saying the cost of maintaining the Ethereum layer-2 now exceeds the revenue it generates. The closure follows a 98% drop in assets from a June 2024 peak and underscores growing pressure on smaller blockchain networks.

Coinbase users can now borrow USDC against bitcoin with the interest rate and repayment date set at the time of origination. The fixed-rate product runs through Morpho Midnight and settles on Base, adding a DeFi-based alternative to Coinbase’s existing variable-rate lending business.

Coinbase, Robinhood and Circle could be early beneficiaries as U.S. regulators test a pathway for tokenized stocks to trade on public blockchains. Analysts say the opportunity spans custody, tokenization infrastructure, stablecoin settlement and broker products, though compliance demands and market limits remain significant.

Ethereum and Coinbase backed Base have stopped efforts to merge their next generation wallet standards after months of discussions. The decision leaves cross network wallets and apps preparing to support EIP 8141 on Ethereum and EIP 8130 on Base.

Ripple is positioning RLUSD for deeper use in corporate treasury, payments and capital markets as circulation reaches $2.4 billion. The company is also pursuing a MiCA compliant route into Europe while selectively expanding the stablecoin across additional blockchain networks.

Arbitrum’s ARB token rallied more than 30% after Robinhood Chain posted record 24-hour revenue and sent fresh payments to the Arbitrum ecosystem. The move highlights growing trader interest in downstream exposure, even though revenue currently flows to treasury channels rather than directly to tokenholders.

Bitwise is launching Automated Token Portfolios built with Coinbase’s tokenized U.S. stocks, giving eligible investors outside the U.S. a new way to hold and rebalance equity baskets in crypto wallets. The rollout highlights how tokenization may move portfolio management beyond traditional pooled funds and ETFs.

Coinbase has launched tokenized U.S. stocks on its Base blockchain, beginning with Apple, Nvidia, Meta and Alphabet for eligible investors outside the U.S. The move adds Coinbase to a fast-growing race among crypto exchanges and market operators to bring equities onto blockchain rails.

Coinbase is building an international tokenization hub in Abu Dhabi after receiving permission from the Abu Dhabi Global Market regulator. The move gives the exchange a regulated base to offer tokenized securities backed by underlying shares outside the U.S.

Coinbase shares fell in after-hours trading after the crypto platform reported second-quarter revenue below Wall Street expectations. Weak digital asset trading, lower transaction revenue and pressure on subscription and services revenue kept investor attention on the company’s push beyond spot trading fees.

Ethereum remains central to decentralized finance, but the rapid growth of perpetual futures has shifted much trading activity toward faster venues such as Hyperliquid, Solana, Arbitrum and Base. Market participants increasingly frame Ethereum less as the main execution venue for high speed perps and more as a settlement, collateral and liquidity foundation for onchain markets.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong pushed back on crypto companies that abandon blockchain branding to reposition around artificial intelligence. He argued that crypto infrastructure could become a key foundation for autonomous software agents, while critics warn that machine-speed money still needs stronger safeguards.

Ripple is expanding the institutional infrastructure around RLUSD with a new automated minting platform and a compliance network integration through Notabene. The moves come as RLUSD holder activity improves, even as monthly transfer volume falls about 25% to roughly $11 billion.

Mubadala Capital has launched a tokenized version of a private markets strategy for qualified investors using KAIO infrastructure. The fund is live across Base, Solana and Sui, has attracted about $75 million in onchain assets, and has drawn balance sheet exposure from Coinbase.

Robinhood Chain has quickly drawn attention after a sharp burst of decentralized exchange activity, but early usage remains concentrated in memecoin speculation. The company’s bigger ambition is to bring millions of retail users into tokenized assets, onchain lending and derivatives through a familiar consumer wallet experience.

Coinbase’s Jesse Pollak is stepping back from leading the Base app after acknowledging that his onchain social strategy did not produce the adoption wave he expected. Jordan Fish, known on X as Cobie, will now oversee the Base app as Pollak refocuses on positioning Base as blockchain infrastructure for global finance.

Large bitcoin holders accumulated more than 270,000 BTC over the past two weeks even as U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs posted record June outflows. The split between whale accumulation and institutional selling has drawn attention because similar divergences have appeared near past cycle lows.

Coinbase-backed Base has resumed operations after a roughly two-hour outage that disrupted block production and transaction processing. The team says an invalid block caused the issue and investigations are ongoing.

Aerodrome is introducing Predictive Allocation, a real-time mechanism that shifts liquidity incentives toward pools expected to see future demand. The upgrade is designed to make DeFi markets more efficient while broadening Aerodrome’s ambitions beyond Base.

A Base team member refutes claims that Coinbase’s sequencer has been selling ETH, stating that Coinbase has actually accumulated over $300 million in ETH.