Day: February 4, 2026

CIRO Formalizes Interim Crypto Custody Framework in Canada

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The Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) has formalized its interim framework governing the custody of crypto and tokenized assets. The move outlined how dealer members are expected to safeguard client holdings while permanent crypto-specific rules remain under development. In a Tuesday notice, CIRO said the framework sets out its supervisory expectations for investment dealers operating crypto trading platforms, including custody limits, segregation standards, reporting obligations and tiered requirements for third-party crypto custodians. The self-regulatory organization said the framework operates through binding terms and conditions of membership, rather than through amendments…

Ethereum L2 Builders Debate Scaling Role After Vitalik’s Rollup Rethink

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Several layer-2 builders responded after Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin said the original vision of L2s as the primary scaling engine “no longer makes sense,” calling for a shift toward specialization. In a Wednesday post, Buterin argued that many L2s have failed to fully inherit Ethereum’s security due to continued reliance on multisig bridges, while the base layer is increasingly capable of handling more throughput via gas-limit increases and future native rollups. The comments prompted responses from Ethereum layer 2s, who broadly agreed that rollups must evolve beyond being cheaper versions…

Ethereum L2 Builders Debate Scaling Role After Vitalik’s Rollup Rethink

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Several layer-2 builders responded after Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin said the original vision of L2s as the primary scaling engine “no longer makes sense,” calling for a shift toward specialization. In a Wednesday post, Buterin argued that many L2s have failed to fully inherit Ethereum’s security due to continued reliance on multisig bridges, while the base layer is increasingly capable of handling more throughput via gas-limit increases and future native rollups. The comments prompted responses from Ethereum layer 2s, who broadly agreed that rollups must evolve beyond being cheaper versions…

Tether Cuts $20B Funding Plan Amid Investor Caution: Report

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Tether, the issuer of USDt — the largest stablecoin by market capitalization — has reportedly scaled back an ambitious $20 billion funding plan announced last fall amid investor skepticism. The company’s advisers have suggested reducing the raise to as little as $5 billion, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter. Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino downplayed earlier reports that the company aimed to raise between $15 and 20 billion, calling them a “misconception.” “That number is not our goal. It’s our maximum we were ready…

Base Fixes Transaction Delays After Config Error, Maintains L2 Lead

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Coinbase’s Ethereum layer-2 network Base said recent slow or missing transactions were caused by a configuration error that has been fixed. Over the weekend, Base users experienced elevated transaction drops and delays in getting transactions included onchain. Despite the slowdown, blocks continued to be produced and the network remained operational, suggesting that the incident didn’t cause a full outage. In a Wednesday post on X, Base explained that a change to transaction propagation led the block builder to repeatedly fetch transactions that could not be executed as base fees climbed…

Binance completes second batch of Bitcoin conversion, acquires $100M in BTC

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Binance has completed the second batch of its Bitcoin conversion for the Secure Asset Fund for Users (SAFU), acquiring an additional $100 million in BTC. The crypto exchange announced the transaction via its official X account, providing the public wallet address and transaction ID for verification. #Binance SAFU Fund Asset Conversion progress update. Binance has completed the second batch of Bitcoin conversion for the SAFU Fund, amounting to 100M USD stablecoins. Our SAFU BTC address:1BAuq7Vho2CEkVkUxbfU26LhwQjbCmWQkD TXID: https://t.co/xm87A7Zd9T We’re continuing to… pic.twitter.com/i3H2cCYYB2 — Binance (@binance) February 4, 2026 Binance launched the…

Spot Bitcoin ETF AUM Hits Lowest Level Since April 2025

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Assets in spot Bitcoin (BTC) ETFs slipped below $100 billion on Tuesday following a fresh $272 million in outflows. According to data from SoSoValue, the move marked the first time spot Bitcoin ETF assets under management have fallen below that level since April 2025, after peaking at about $168 billion in October. The drop came amid a broader crypto market sell-off, with Bitcoin sliding below $74,000 on Tuesday. The global cryptocurrency market capitalization fell from $3.11 trillion to $2.64 trillion over the past week, according to CoinGecko. Altcoin funds secure…

Bitwise to Acquire Chorus One as Crypto Staking Demand Accelerates

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Bitwise Asset Management is reportedly acquiring institutional staking provider Chorus One, extending its push into cryptocurrency yield services. The acquisition adds a major staking operation to the crypto asset manager’s platform as demand for onchain yield products increases among both retail and institutional investors. Chorus One provides staking services for decentralized networks and currently has $2.2 billion in assets staked, according to its website. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing statements from both companies. Cointelegraph reached out to Bitwise and Chorus One…

Tether scales back $20B fundraising bid amid valuation concerns: Report

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Tether, the world’s largest stablecoin issuer, is reconsidering the scale of its planned funding round amid skepticism over its $500 billion valuation, according to a report from the Financial Times. The El Salvador-registered company initially explored raising as much as $20 billion, a move that would have placed it among the world’s most valuable private firms like SpaceX or OpenAI. However, it is now considering a far smaller amount, possibly as little as $5B, following pushback from investors. Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino dismissed the original figure as a misunderstanding, saying…

Aave Shutters Avara Brand and Family Crypto Wallet

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Aave Labs says it is sunsetting its “umbrella brand” Avara in the company’s latest move to refocus on decentralized finance and simplify its branding. Aave founder and CEO Stani Kulechov posted to X on Tuesday that Avara, a company encompassing projects including the Family crypto wallet and previously the social media platform Lens, “is no longer required as we go all in on bringing Aave to the masses.” Kulechov said the Apple iOS-based Family crypto wallet was also being wound down as the team has “learned that onboarding millions of…