Circle launched cirBTC on the Ethereum network
Circle has launched cirBTC, a new tokenized Bitcoin (BTC) backed 1:1 by real BTC, on the Ethereum network. The new asset is primarily designed for institutional clients and is intended for use in DeFi protocols, over-the-counter trading, market making, settlements, and corporate liquidity management.
The company stated that the BTC backing cirBTC are held in custody by a regulated entity and are completely segregated from Circle's own funds. The tokens are issued and redeemed through the Circle Mint service.
The issuer is Circle International Bermuda Limited, a Class F licensee in Bermuda. Reserve transparency is ensured through the Chainlink Proof-of-Reserve system. Circle noted that the launch on Ethereum is the first stage of the project's development. Going forward, the company intends to integrate cirBTC with the Arc infrastructure and expand support to other blockchain networks.
Zcash plans Ironwood upgrade
The Zcash team has agreed on the Ironwood upgrade, which will introduce a new secure pool and should permanently address the risks associated with a recently discovered vulnerability in Orchard, according to project developer Sean Bowe.
After the upgrade is activated, interaction with Orchard will be gradually phased out. New users will be unable to use the old pool, and wallets will stop accepting incoming transfers to it, automatically redirecting funds to Ironwood.
According to Bowe, the new rules will help control the circulating supply of ZEC and eliminate any scenarios where the system could have more coins than the protocol allows.
Ironwood is scheduled to launch in July. The Zcash Open Development Lab noted that the migration process will be as simple as possible, requiring only a few steps from users. The upgrade will also undergo additional independent security audits before release.
The launch of Ironwood was necessitated by the discovery of a critical bug in Orchard in late May. The vulnerability could theoretically be used to secretly mint an unlimited supply of ZEC, although the developers believe the likelihood of its exploitation is extremely low.
The team had previously conducted an emergency soft fork to disable the affected functionality, and then released a hard fork, restoring the pool to safe mode.
BTC price drop and weak capital inflow into Bitcoin
After Bitcoin's fall below $62,000, there are no signs yet of capital returning to the market. Wintermute attributes the correction to weakening demand, institutional selling, and ongoing outflows from spot ETFs.
BTC lost about 14% over the week, returning to September 2024 levels. Analysts believe it's too early to talk about a bottom; a reversal requires a sustained influx of buyers. Experts also noted the sale of 32 BTC by Strategy. Although the transaction was small, it marked the company's first Bitcoin sale since 2022.
Since May 30, US spot ETFs have recorded ten consecutive trading sessions with net outflows. During this period, investors withdrew almost $3 billion, making May the worst month of 2026 by this indicator.
According to Wintermute, retail investors have been reducing their cryptocurrency positions and switching to stocks. Analysts also pointed to weak support in the $50,000-$59,000 range and noted that the market needs new capital inflows for a sustainable recovery.
Joseph Lubin: There is no crisis at the Ethereum Foundation
Ethereum co-founder and ConsenSys CEO Joseph Lubin stated that the Ethereum Foundation's reorganization is not a sign of a crisis. In an interview with CoinDesk, he attributed the cost-cutting and personnel changes to the foundation's desire to focus on developing the underlying protocol and core principles of the network.
According to Lubin, the Ethereum Foundation must remain neutral and focus solely on fundamental infrastructure, while mass adoption of the technology and working with institutional clients are the responsibility of other ecosystem participants.
He also dismissed claims of Ethereum stagnation, citing the proliferation of autonomous AI agents and the continued expansion of institutional demand as potential growth drivers. Recent cost-cutting and changes to the foundation's structure prompted the discussion. Network activity remains stable, at approximately 2 million transactions per day.
Tether invests in NEURA Robotics
German company NEURA Robotics has raised up to $1.4 billion in a Series C round with participation from Tether, Nvidia, Amazon, and Qualcomm. The investment will be used to develop its "physical AI" platform and scale up production of humanoid robots. The company expects to produce millions of devices by 2030.
NEURA is developing the Neuraverse ecosystem, where robots share skills and learn from each other's experiences. The company's solutions are targeted at applications in households, medicine, and logistics. As part of the partnership, Tether plans to integrate decentralized payment tools into robots, allowing them to independently perform financial transactions. According to the company, pre-orders have already exceeded $1 billion. NEURA also plans to open specialized centers for training AI to interact with the physical environment.
After 14 years, an address with 35.55 BTC has become active
A Bitcoin wallet with a balance of 35.55 BTC, inactive since March 2011, made its first transaction in over 15 years. According to CoinDesk, the address may be involved in a legal dispute over the rights to millions of bitcoins stored in long-dormant wallets. On June 2, the owner transferred 15 BTC and sent the remaining 20.55 BTC to another address under his control. At the time these coins arrived, Bitcoin was trading below one dollar.
Journalists believe the wallet is connected to a lawsuit in which the claimants are claiming 3.8 million BTC stored in 39,069 dormant addresses. They are seeking to have these assets declared abandoned property. As part of the lawsuit, the court allowed notification of the alleged owners via "dust" transactions with OP_RETURN messages. This address received one such signal in the summer of 2025.
Galaxy Research reported that it had tracked the wallet as one of the defendants in the case. The transfer of funds occurred several months after the lawsuit was filed, which some observers believe is a possible response by the owner to court notices.
