Important News You Might Have Missed During the Spring Festival Holiday

marsbitPubblicato 2026-02-25Pubblicato ultima volta 2026-02-25

Introduzione

During the Spring Festival holiday, several significant events occurred. Bitdeer (BTDR) sold its entire Bitcoin holdings (1,133 BTC) to fund its expansion into AI data centers and ASIC miner development. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin sold 1,869 ETH, worth approximately $3.67 million. A new concept, Web 4.0, was proposed by researcher Sigil Wen, envisioning an era of autonomous AI agents capable of independent action, leading to a 3600% surge in Conway's token price. The U.S. Supreme Court invalidated former President Trump's tariff policy, though market reaction was muted. The Ethereum Foundation saw leadership changes, with Tomasz Stańczak stepping down, and confirmed the inclusion of FOCIL (EIP-7805) in the upcoming Hegota upgrade. Base announced its independence from Optimism, planning to migrate to a self-managed infrastructure. In funding news, Andre Cronje launched Flying Tulip's ICO, Tether invested in Dreamcash, and Dragonfly raised $650 million for its new fund. An AI robot, LOBSTAR, mistakenly transferred $270,000 worth of tokens due to a decimal error. Lastly, OpenAI and Paradigm introduced EVMbench, a benchmark for testing AI in smart contract security.

Bitdeer liquidates Bitcoin; Vitalik continues to reduce ETH holdings; Web 3.0 is over, Web 4.0 is here; Base and Optimism part ways; Ethereum Foundation changes leadership; An AI robot mistakenly sends $270,000 due to a decimal point error. What major events happened during the Spring Festival holiday? Let's take a look with The BlockBeats.

Bitdeer Liquidates Bitcoin

Bitdeer (Nasdaq: BTDR) liquidated all its self-held Bitcoin positions (purely self-held, excluding customer deposits) around February 20, 2026, selling a total of approximately 1,133 BTC (including 943.1 reserve Bitcoin and 189.8 newly mined Bitcoin).

This move was primarily due to tightening Bitcoin mining profits (hashprice dropping to about $34/PH/day), with the company needing liquidity to support AI/HPC data center expansion, in-house ASIC miner development, and financing activities (such as issuing $325 million in convertible bonds). Founder Jihan Wu responded that this is a normal "mine-to-sell" strategy, not a permanent abandonment of Bitcoin, emphasizing that "zero holdings does not mean it will always be this way in the future."

Have You Learned About Web 4.0 Today?

Researcher Sigil Wen, who proposed the concept of Web 4.0, was active in the early AI building field alongside Andrej Karpathy and the founders of Anthropic, Perplexity, and Replicate, and is a member of the Thiel Fellowship.

Sigil Wen believes that the bottleneck is no longer intelligence itself, but the permission to act. The underlying architecture of the existing internet has always defaulted to humans, not machines, as its service objects.

The most powerful AIs today can think, reason, and generate content, but they have a fatal limitation—they cannot act autonomously. Without user instructions, ChatGPT cannot run; without authorization, Claude Code cannot be deployed; no AI can independently purchase servers, register domain names, or pay for its own computing power.

And Web 4.0 is the solution.

This is precisely the starting point for his proposal of Web 4.0. If Web 1.0 was about reading, Web 2.0 about writing, and Web 3.0 about owning, then Web 4.0 is the era where AI agents autonomously read, write, own, earn, and trade.

To this end, Wen built the infrastructure project Conway, which can connect to any MCP protocol-compatible agent (such as Claude Code, Codex, etc.) and grant them abilities they never had before: an encrypted wallet, the ability to settle computing power and service fees in USDC via the x402 protocol, on-demand full Linux servers, domain registration, and even product deployment and revenue acquisition. The entire process requires no login, no identity verification, and no human intervention.

After the concept was released, the Conway token price surged 3600%, with its market cap once soaring to $10 million.

Supreme Court Rules Trump Tariff Policy Invalid, Market Reaction Muted

The long-awaited judicial ruling has finally landed. Last Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the broad "Emancipation Day" tariffs implemented by President Trump under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act exceeded his statutory authority and were invalid. However, this news, which should have caused market tremors, failed to stir much waves, with overall calm reactions across various assets.

Vitalik Sells Consecutively, Cashing Out Over $3.67 Million in Two Days

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin sold 1,869 ETH over the past two days, cashing out approximately $3.67 million. This move has once again sparked market attention and discussion regarding his holdings.

Ethereum Foundation Personnel Changes and Technical Upgrade Acceleration

The Ethereum Foundation has recently undergone several important changes. Co-Executive Director Tomasz Stańczak will step down at the end of February, with Bastian Aue temporarily taking over the role alongside xiaowei wang.

Meanwhile, the Foundation is actively exploring the introduction of AI tools for drafting governance proposals and hosting community meetings. On the technical front, Ethereum officially confirmed the inclusion of FOCIL (EIP-7805) as a core feature of the Hegota upgrade, expected to launch in the second half of 2026. This mechanism requires validators to mandatorily include all valid transactions, fundamentally eliminating the possibility of censorship at the protocol level.

Base and Optimism Part Ways

Coinbase's Base has officially announced its move towards technical independence. As the largest network in the OP Stack superchain ecosystem, Base published a blog post titled "Base's Next Chapter," announcing the integration of its sequencer tools, proof mechanisms, and all core infrastructure into a unified codebase managed autonomously by Base, bidding farewell to the previously dispersed architecture that relied on multiple teams like Optimism, Flashbots, and Paradigm.

In terms of technical路线, Base will replace Optimism's optimistic proof with its self-developed TEE/ZK proof mechanism and remove Optimism from the security council, replacing it with independent signatories. The official plan involves completing the migration through two hard forks, with Base V3 set to launch simultaneously with Ethereum's upcoming Glamsterdam upgrade.

ICO, Airdrops, and Financing

1. Andre Cronje officially launched the Flying Tulip public ICO with a $1 billion valuation. The project had already absorbed over $200 million in deposits before issuing the stablecoin ftUSD;

2. Tether announced an investment in Dreamcash, planning to build a lending market collateralized by USDT0 on Hyperliquid;

3. Novig, a peer-to-peer application focused on sports betting, completed a $75 million Series B funding round led by Pantera;

4. Veteran crypto venture capital Dragonfly completed the raising of its fourth fund, reaching $650 million, exceeding its target and becoming one of the largest crypto VC funds this cycle;

5. DBA Fund announced raising $62 million for its second crypto fund;

6. Additionally, Logan Paul's rare Pokémon card sold for $16.5 million at auction, setting a new world record.

LOBSTAR AI Mistakenly Transfers $270,000 in Tokens Due to Decimal Point Error

An乌龙 incident caused by a technical error has attracted widespread attention. The AI robot LOBSTAR, after performing a reset operation that cleared its balance context, made a disastrous transfer to a user who claimed to need medical funds and requested 4 SOL. Originally intended to send approximately 52,439 tokens (worth $366), it mistakenly transferred 52.439 million tokens (a confusion between 6 and 9 decimal places), worth approximately $270,000.

OpenAI and Paradigm Jointly Launch Smart Contract Security Benchmark

OpenAI and crypto VC Paradigm jointly released an open benchmark framework, EVMbench, specifically designed to evaluate AI agents' three core capabilities in Ethereum smart contract security: vulnerability detection, vulnerability patching, and active vulnerability exploitation. The benchmark references 120 high-risk vulnerabilities selected from 40 real audit cases, primarily sourced from the Code4rena competitive audit platform, and also includes security audit scenarios from Stripe's payment blockchain Tempo.

Domande pertinenti

QWhy did Bitdeer sell all of its Bitcoin holdings?

ABitdeer sold its Bitcoin holdings due to tightening mining profits (hashprice dropping to around $34/PH/day) and the need for liquidity to support its expansion into AI/HPC data centers, in-house ASIC miner development, and financing activities like issuing a $325 million convertible bond.

QWhat is the core idea behind Web 4.0 as proposed by Sigil Wen?

AThe core idea of Web 4.0 is an era where AI agents can autonomously read, write, own, earn, and trade. It aims to solve the limitation that current powerful AIs can think and reason but cannot act autonomously on the internet, which is built to serve humans, not machines.

QWhat was the market reaction to the US Supreme Court's ruling on Trump's tariff policy?

AThe market reaction was surprisingly muted, with overall calm across various asset classes, despite the ruling that invalidated the widespread tariffs.

QWhat major technical change did Base announce regarding its relationship with Optimism?

ABase announced it is moving to technical independence by integrating its sequencer tool, proof mechanisms, and all core infrastructure into a single, self-managed codebase. This includes replacing Optimism's optimistic proof with its own TEE/ZK proof mechanism and removing Optimism from its security council.

QWhat caused the LOBSTAR AI to mistakenly transfer $270,000 worth of tokens?

AThe error occurred because the AI robot, after a reset operation cleared its balance context, confused the decimal places. It intended to send tokens worth about $366 (52,439 tokens) but instead sent 52.439 million tokens due to a mix-up between 6 and 9 decimal places.

Letture associate

Qualcomm: AI Hype Subsides, When Will Smartphones Emerge from the Gloom?

Qualcomm reported its Q3 FY2026 results (ending June 2026), with revenue of $9.95B, down 4% YoY but above expectations. Gross margin declined to 53.1%, pressured by rising costs across manufacturing and memory. Key business segments showed mixed performance: Handset revenue fell 19.6% YoY to $5.09B, dragged by an 11% decline in non-Apple Android shipments and weaker high-end mix. Conversely, Automotive revenue surged 61% to $1.59B, and IoT grew 9% to $1.83B. Core operating profit dropped 41% YoY due to margin compression and higher expenses. Management's Q4 FY2026 guidance projects revenue of $9.7B-$10.5B, in line with consensus, but Non-GAAP EPS guidance of $2.05-$2.25 fell short of expectations. Amidst persistent weakness in its core handset market, Qualcomm is pursuing growth in AI, focusing on Edge AI (smartphones, PCs, automotive) and Data Center AI. Its data center strategy includes four pillars: AI accelerators (e.g., AI200), commercial CPUs (Dragonfly C1000), custom silicon, and connectivity solutions. While these initiatives initially boosted its stock, concerns over AI capital expenditure sustainability have since erased those gains. The company targets $5B in data center revenue for FY2027 and $15B for FY2029. The report concludes that with the traditional handset business still under pressure, the data center opportunity is currently viewed as a longer-term option, and a more conservative valuation based on core operations may be warranted until AI contributions materialize.

marsbit4 min fa

Qualcomm: AI Hype Subsides, When Will Smartphones Emerge from the Gloom?

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From TPU to Self-Evolving Agents: How Jeff Dean Predicts the Next Step in AI

At the 2026 YC Startup School, Jeff Dean outlined his vision for AI's next phase, shifting focus from simply scaling models to building intelligent, autonomous systems. He believes AI's progress is no longer just about creating smarter models, but about integrating them into systems capable of long-term, iterative work, automated experimentation, and continuous learning. This evolution moves the competition from "who has the bigger model" to "who can best organize intelligence." Dean suggests AI capabilities are now comparable to a junior engineer, enabling the automation of complex workflows. However, the true challenge and opportunity lie in managing these AI "workers" at scale. He emphasizes the importance of **context engineering**—structuring tools, memory, and feedback loops—over raw model power. For startups, this means building deep expertise in niche domains where general models currently fail (near 0-1% success rates), leveraging proprietary data, specialized tools, and domain-specific evaluators. A recurring theme is re-examining fundamental constraints. Dean's past work, like moving Google's search index to memory or creating the TPU, stemmed from questioning outdated assumptions about hardware and cost. He sees similar inflection points today, particularly in **specialized inference hardware** to drastically reduce latency and energy consumption for real-time Agent operation. Notably, he points out that in modern AI systems, the dominant cost is often not computation but **data movement**. Reliable, long-running Agents require robust system design, borrowing concepts from distributed computing like checkpointing, state management, and parallel exploration to handle failures and maintain progress over days or weeks. As AI automates execution, the scarcest human skills will shift to **defining clear specifications**, **judging what problems are worth solving** (taste), and designing effective feedback loops. Ultimately, Dean's framework prioritizes understanding the problem deeply, identifying the true bottlenecks, and systematically building closed-loop systems where AI can not only perform tasks but also improve AI itself.

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From TPU to Self-Evolving Agents: How Jeff Dean Predicts the Next Step in AI

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Coldcard exploit sparks Bitcoin flight, ‘bullish’ crypto consolidation: Hodler’s Digest, August 2

A Coldcard hardware wallet exploit led to estimated losses of 1,367 BTC ($88.6 million), causing a spike in small Bitcoin transfers as users moved funds to centralized exchanges and other custody methods. In U.S. politics, the Clarity Act faces hurdles with time running out for a Senate vote, amid debates over ethics rules and crypto regulation. Major crypto firms like Coinbase reported disappointing Q2 earnings, while an analyst notes the industry is entering a significant consolidation phase, with revenue concentrating in a few dominant protocols like Hyperliquid and Pump.fun. Bitcoin's price decline continued, though some analysts suggest the market may have bottomed. Other news includes Telegram's legal troubles in Russia and Australia, layoffs at Pump.fun ahead of token distributions, and a White House staffer accused of insider betting leaving his post.

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Coldcard exploit sparks Bitcoin flight, ‘bullish’ crypto consolidation: Hodler’s Digest, August 2

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LATEST NEWS: Donald Trump makes a sharp statement regarding Iran! He has halted attacks

U.S. President Donald Trump announced he called off planned military strikes against Iran after Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and Iran itself requested a delay. Trump stated the planned operation would have been large-scale and powerful but was suspended to allow time for diplomatic negotiations. He added that regional allies believe an agreement is near, with initial talks focused on security and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Negotiations on Iran's nuclear program would follow once that is settled. The Strait of Hormuz is a vital global chokepoint for oil and gas shipments, and conflict there could significantly impact energy prices and world trade. Trump further announced that new talks with Iran will begin tomorrow. Separately, Trump commented on events involving the Japanese yen, stating the U.S. intervened in the market due to good relations with Japan, asserting Washington's consistent support for Tokyo and mutual economic benefits from the relevant rules. *This is not an investment recommendation.

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LATEST NEWS: Donald Trump makes a sharp statement regarding Iran! He has halted attacks

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Bank of Italy Finds No Systemic Advantages of Stablecoins in Transfers

A study by the Bank of Italy found that stablecoins do not offer a consistent advantage in cost or speed for cross-border money transfers. The research compared sending 200 USDC in 10 bilateral corridors (Italy to Brazil, Argentina, Japan, UAE, and South Africa) against standard money transfer services. While the final cost of stablecoin transfers ranged from 0.3% to nearly 9%, and were often cheaper than the global average cost of 6.65%, they only outperformed services like Wise in three out of seven comparable corridors. Key costs and delays were attributed to fees for converting to and from fiat currency and the quality of local payment infrastructure, not blockchain fees. Transfer times varied from under 20 minutes in corridors with instant payment systems to one or two business days where such infrastructure was lacking. The authors concluded that stablecoins' benefits would be more significant if they could be spent directly without conversion and noted that overly restrictive regulations complicate retail use without eliminating demand.

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Bank of Italy Finds No Systemic Advantages of Stablecoins in Transfers

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