TRENDING:

XAU/USD

Silver

Vitalik Buterin explains what's in Ethereum 2.0 upgrade; ETH/USD stays under $200

Ethereum's co-founder shares his views for the upcoming network upgrade.
ETH/USD rejected $200.00 handle.

Tanya Abrosimova Independent Analyst

Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin explained the idea behind Ethereum 2.0 upgrade and shared the view on the functionality of the platform.

“It is a combination of a bunch of different features that we have been talking about for the past several years. We have been actively researching, building, and now, finally getting them all together,” he said

He spoke about Casper, the Proof Of Stake [POS] protocol that the platform will be using for the Ethereum 2.0 upgrade. An entire team dedicated to creating Casper and Vlad Zamfir is often credited as being the “Face of Casper.”

According to Buterin, Ethereum 2.0 upgrade will be based on the Proof Of Stake [POS] protocol, while the whole team is working hard on creating Casper. He also spoke about sharding that will help to enhance the performance and achieve scalability and mentioned improvements in the Virtual Machine with WebAssembly [EWASM].

He also explained the functionality Slasher that is aimed to increase the security.

“Slasher is a useful construct to have in our war chest, in case Proof of Stake mining becomes substantially more popular or a compelling reason to switch.”

Meanwhile, Ethereum is changing hands at $197.50, off Wednesday's high of $200. This handle serves as a critical resistance for ETH/USD that needs to be cleared before the recovery gain traction. Ethereum's market value is registered at $20.3B; an average daily trading volume is $1.4B. Ethereum has lost over 70% since the beginning of the year.

ETH/USD, 1-hour

Author

Tanya Abrosimova

Independent Analyst

Starknet unveils strkBTC, shielded Bitcoin transactions on Ethereum Layer 2

Starknet, the Ethereum Layer 2 network developed by StarkWare, today announced strkBTC, a wrapped Bitcoin asset that introduces optional shielding while preserving full DeFi composability.

Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple consolidate with short-term cautious bullish bias

Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple are consolidating near key technical areas on Friday, showing mild signs of stabilization after recent volatility. BTC holds above $67,000 despite mild losses so far this week, while ETH hovers around $2,000 after a rejection near its upper consolidation boundary.

Ethereum Price Forecast: FG Nexus continues distribution amid signs of returning risk-on sentiment

FG Nexus, once dubbed an Ethereum treasury firm, resumed offloading the top altcoin on Wednesday, distributing 7,550 ETH, according to data from smart money tracker EmberCN.

Top Crypto Gainers: Stable and Decred rally, Pippin approaches record highs

Altcoins, such as Stable, Decred, and Pippin, are extending gains so far this week, defying the risk-averse conditions in the broader cryptocurrency market. Stable and Pippin are near record high levels, while Decred extends its breakout rally above $30.

Bitcoin Price Annual Forecast: BTC holds long-term bullish structure heading into 2026

Bitcoin (BTC) is wrapping up 2025 as one of its most eventful years, defined by unprecedented institutional participation, major regulatory developments, and extreme price volatility.

Bitcoin: Another month of losses, and it’s been five

Bitcoin (BTC) price is stabilizing around $68,000 at the time of writing on Friday, but the Crypto King is poised to close February on a fragile footing, marking its fifth consecutive month of losses since October and a rare start to the year with back-to-back monthly corrections.