On Jan. 21, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin firmly asserted his sole authority over Ethereum Foundation leadership decisions, stating that it will remain until reforms establish a “proper board.”

“The person deciding the new EF leadership team is me. One of the goals of the ongoing reform is to give the EF a ‘proper board’, but until that happens it’s me,” he said on X.

The post came in response to significant backlash against Aya Miyaguchi, the Foundation’s executive director since 2018, with accusations of inefficiencies during her tenure.

“If you ‘keep the pressure on,’ then you are creating an environment that is actively toxic to top talent,” Buterin said in response to the social media backlash.

No. This is not how this game works.

The person deciding the new EF leadership team is me. One of the goals of the ongoing reform is to give the EF a “proper board”, but until that happens it’s me.

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If you “keep the pressure on”, then you are creating an environment that is…

— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) January 21, 2025

EF Backlash Mounts

Buterin announced changes to the Foundation’s leadership on Jan. 18, focusing on supporting dApp developers and promoting decentralization.

However, he emphasized the foundation would not engage in ideological shifts, political lobbying, or take a more central ecosystem role.

There is strong community pressure to promote developer Danny Ryan to a leadership position. On Jan. 22, Ryan, who left the EF in 2024 due to health issues, said, “Some of the discourse has turned counterproductive,” before adding:

“These are real people attempting to sort through and do what is best. With or without me, the EF is evolving and for the better. You’ve been heard, but vitriol is ultimately harmful to this process.”

Just to fill you in: I left the EF last year due to health issues and in an attempt to clear my head after working my ass off exclusively at the EF and on Ethereum for seven years.

I stepped aside, and the EF and the broader Ethereum ecosystem moved on without missing a beat—new…

— dannyryan (@dannyryan) January 21, 2025

Fellow developer Eric Connor announced his departure from the Ethereum ecosystem, stating:

“The Ethereum Foundation is a leftist-driven, anti-winning swamp. 80% of the budget can be cut and Ethereum would function and progress just fine.”

Meanwhile, Ethereum educator Anthony Sassano highlighted all the good things that the EF has done, stating, “Ethereum is much bigger than the EF,”

I am not an EF apologist or think that the EF is perfect and can do no wrong, but I think it’s worth highlighting some of the positive stuff they’ve done recently:

– Revived the @ethereum account (it’s no where near good enough yet, but it’ll get better)
– Moved 50k ETH into a…

— sassal.eth/acc (@sassal0x) January 22, 2025

ETH Price Flounders

Nevertheless, the situation appears to have created tension between Buterin’s desire to reform the Foundation while maintaining control over leadership decisions. Additionally, the dissent and recent EF ETH sales have dampened ETH prices, which have been consolidating for the past month.

ETH has gained 2.4% on the day to reach $3,330 at the time of writing, but most of the other altcoins are still outperforming it.

The asset failed to follow Bitcoin, XRP, and Solana to existing or new peaks and remains down 32% from its 2021 all-time high.

This is all despite US President Donald Trump actively buying ETH and the premise of staked Ethereum ETFs being approved by the SEC soon.

Tension within the Ethereum (and Bitcoin) communities is nothing new, and the ecosystem has survived and improved.

the last time there was this dissent in Ethereum

was February 2020 with the gory fight and eventual rejection of ProgPoW

(this is financial advice) pic.twitter.com/8P8vBJ2qra

— DCinvestor (@iamDCinvestor) January 21, 2025

Edyme’s foray into the crypto universe is nothing short of cinematic. His journey began not with a triumphant investment, but with a scam. Yes, a Ponzi scheme that used crypto as payment roped him in. Rather than retreating, he emerged wiser and more determined, channeling his experience into over three years of insightful market analysis.

Before becoming the voice of reason in the crypto space, Edyme was the quintessential crypto degen. He aped into anything that promised a quick buck, anything ape-able, learning the ropes the hard way. These hands-on experience through major market events—like the Terra Luna crash, the wave of bankruptcies in crypto firms, the notorious FTX collapse, and even CZ’s arrest—has honed his keen sense of market dynamics.

When he isn’t crafting engaging crypto content, you’ll find Edyme backtesting charts, studying both forex and synthetic indices. His dedication to mastering the art of trading is as relentless as his pursuit of the next big story. Away from his screens, he can be found in the gym, airpods in, working out and listening to his favorite artist, NF. Or maybe he’s catching some Z’s or scrolling through Elon Musk’s very own X platform—(oops, another screen activity, my bad…)

Well, being an introvert, Edyme thrives in the digital realm, preferring online interaction over offline encounters—(don’t judge, that’s just how he is built). His determination is quite unwavering to be honest, and he embodies the philosophy of continuous improvement, or “kaizen,” striving to be 1% better every day. His mantras, “God knows best” and “Everything is still on track,” reflect his resilient outlook and how he lives his life.

In a nutshell, Samuel Edyme was born efficient, driven by ambition, and perhaps a touch fierce. He’s neither artistic nor unrealistic, and certainly not chauvinistic. Think of him as Bruce Willis in a train wreck—unflappable. Edyme is like trading in your car for a jet—bold. He’s the guy who’d ask his boss for a pay cut just to prove a point—(uhhh…). He is like watching your kid take his first steps. Imagine Bill Gates struggling with rent—okay, maybe that’s a stretch, but you get the idea, yeah. Unbelievable? Yes. Inconceivable? Perhaps.

Edyme sees himself as a fairly reasonable guy, albeit a bit stubborn. Normal to you is not to him. He is not the one to take the easy road, and why would he? That’s just not the way he roll. He has these favorite lyrics from NF’s “Clouds” that resonate deeply with him: “What you think’s probably unfeasible, I’ve done already a hundredfold.”

PS—Edyme is HIM. HIM-buktu. Him-mulation. Him-Kardashian. Himon and Pumba. He even had his DNA tested, and guess what? He’s 100% Him-alayan. Screw it, he ate the opp.

TRUMP memecoin riches have spurred billions of dollars for the newly sworn-in U.S. President Donald Trump, an amount he termed as “peanuts” compared to corporate bigwigs in his first address of the token since launch.

“I don’t know much about it other than when I launched it. I heard it was successful,” Trump said in a press conference on Tuesday when asked by a reporter. “Where is it today? Several billion?

“That’s peanuts for these guys,” he added, referring to the networth of other businessmen in the room that included SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son, OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Oracle’s Larry Ellison.

Token prices zoomed 25% in the past 24 hours, beating gains in bitcoin (BTC) and other majors, to reverse losses from earlier in the week. It sits at an $8 billion market capitalization as of Wednesday morning, up nearly 900% since going live.

Trump also unveiled a $500 billion joint venture termed Stargate at the event, which aims to build data centers in Texas and would invest in AI infrastructure.

Meanwhile, some see TRUMP as a bet on the Republican’s popularity and policies in his term, with ripple effects on how it may shape up Web3 and memecoin markets.

“Longer term, TRUMP coin could act as a barometer for public sentiment towards Trump’s presidency,” Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands told CoinDesk in a message. “Culture memes and tokens are essentially a highly variable public polymarket of culture and zeitgeist, and we’ve seen this play out accordingly.”

“(However) If the initiative is perceived as a cash grab without further engagement, we may well see a crypto chill for meme tokens, potentially draining attention and liquidity out of the meme space. How the TRUMP token is handled is likely to have a ripple effect on trust and reputation for the entire crypto and Web3 industry,” Siu added.

Shares of Canadian crypto provider Neptune surged 40% after it secured a $20 million credit facility from Sygnum Bank to buy Bitcoin.

Neptune Digital Assets Corp., a public Canadian infrastructure provider, saw its shares climb 40% on over-the-counter markets after locking in a $20 million credit line from Sygnum Bank, the Swiss digital asset-focused lender.

The loan, backed by Neptune’s Bitcoin (BTC) holdings, will help it expand its Bitcoin stash as well as buy other crypto-related assets, and fund strategic investments, the firm said in a Jan. 21 press release.

“The loan is structured to give us ample flexibility while maintaining Swiss banking protections over the Bitcoin collateral. At this pivotal stage in our development, the US$20 million positions us to expand our digital asset portfolio, pursue strategic investments, and strengthen our balance sheet — without diluting shareholders through equity issuance.”

Cale Moodie, Neptune’s CEO

Sygnum Bank also pears confident in Neptune’s plans, with head of credit Benedikt Koedel sharing his excitement to support the firm “as they expand their digital asset portfolio.” The market responded fast, with Neptune’s shares surging over 40% on OTCMarkets to a record high of $1.15. The firm also trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the ticker NDA.

The move followed a wave of activity from other public companies rushing to buy Bitcoin under the first pro-crypto administration in the White House. For example, Oxbridge Re Holdings Limited, a publicly listed reinsurance and tokenized asset firm, announced on Jan. 21 that it added Bitcoin and Ethereum (ETH) to its treasury reserves as a store of value.

[PRESS RELEASE – Hanoi, Vietnam, January 22nd, 2025]

The mini-app will add new utility for User-Owned NFL Rivals Player Digital Assets on the Mythos Chain , proving the interoperability between two different player experiences across two different platforms

Football Rivals will Onboard Millions of Users to Mythos via Koni Stack’s Telegram Mini App-as-a-Service

Koni Stack, the platform that accelerates next-generation Web3 decentralized applications (dApps), today announced the launch of Football Rivals, a new toss-up mini-app. The Telegram app, built using Koni Stack’s mini app SDK, launched today on Telegram.

As a player experience built to be interoperable with and provide added utility for user-owned NFL Rivals player digital assets, which are also used in connection with the hugely popular game from Mythical Games’ title with over six million active players, the Football Rivals mini-app will enable users to utilize such player assets to combine engaging stats-based gameplay with the power of Web3. Players will use digital assets to compete in weekly challenges, with top performers earning MYTH rewards on the Mythos Chain. The app, launched today, is available worldwide to millions of users, making it one of the most accessible and user-friendly blockchain gaming experiences to date!

By tapping into the global Telegram user base, Football Rivals is poised to introduce millions of new players to the Mythos and Polkadot ecosystems. This collaboration between Koni Stack, Mythos, and Polkadot creates an entirely new use case for the blockchain ecosystem, offering a seamless experience for players to now use their owned digital assets across a new experience and platform, proving the interoperability of digital assets and collectibles.

Koni Stack, developed by the team behind SubWallet – the leading wallet in the Polkadot ecosystem – is designed to simplify the onboarding process for users into Web3 via a developer-friendly SDK. With a focus on user-friendly interfaces, SubWallet first revolutionized access to Polkadot with its easy-to-use wallet. Now, through its Telegram mini app-as-a-service, Koni Stack is helping developers create seamless mini apps with low code thus enabling Telegram’s billions of users to seamlessly interact with dApps and blockchain-based experiences.

“We’re thrilled to enable millions of players to utilize their digital assets and collectibles to bring a new experience, Football Rivals, to millions of users on Telegram, leveraging Koni Stack’s mini app SDK,” said Hieu Dao, CEO of SubWallet and Koni Stack, “This effort not only demonstrates the scalability of Mythos and Polkadot but also opens up a new avenue for further application of blockchain technology, creating more fun, accessible ways for players to engage with Polkadot.”

“We’re excited to see Koni Stack release Football Rivals on Telegram,” said John Linden, CEO of Mythical Games. “By using the Mythos Chain’s robust ecosystem and Koni Stack’s mini-app SDK, this mini-app shows the power of web3 and the ability for one group to build extended value for players through interoperability. The fact that Koni was able to build a new player experience*,* enabling interoperability and allowing players to use the NFL Rivals digital assets they earned and purchased in connection with another application, is what web3 is all about, and Football Rivals makes this a reality!”

As Football Rivals takes off, it is expected to drive significant on-chain activity on the Mythos chain, onboarding millions of users to decentralized platforms. The apps integration with Telegram, combined with Polkadot’s scalability and interoperability, will be a powerful tool for introducing the next generation of users to blockchain technology.

For more information about Football Rivals, users can visit t.me/footballrivalsgame.

About Koni Stack

Koni Stack is an all-in-one platform that accelerates the development and deployment of next-gen Web3 dApps. It enables developers to build intent-based dApps for the masses with zero fragmentation, using two key modules: dApp-as-a-service and mini app-as-a-service. The dApp-as-a-service module allows for seamless, unified dApps that can access users and liquidity across multiple networks with one-time deployment, while the mini app-as-a-service module lets you quickly create and deploy Telegram mini apps by simply plugging in ready-to-use modules.

About Mythical Games

Acknowledged by Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas 2021 and recently Forbes’ Best Startup Employers (2024), Mythical Games is a next-generation game company creating world-class games and empowering players to take ownership of their in-game assets through the use of blockchain technology. The team has helped develop major franchises, including Call of Duty, Call of Duty Mobile, World of Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, Magic: The Gathering, EA Madden, Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery, Marvel Strike Force, Modern Warfare 3, and Skylanders. Mythical’s current games Blankos Block Party and NFL Rivals are already played by millions of consumers worldwide and create a new economy for players allowing them to engage in a new way with games but also directly trade and transact safely with other players worldwide.

The Mythical Marketplace, the first in-game blockchain Marketplace on iOS and Android, provides gamers with ownership and control over the purchase and sale of digital assets, while the Mythical Platform protects gamers that may be new to blockchain through a custodial wallet for their digital items.

Need evidence of the crypto market’s maturation? Look no further than Deribit, the crypto exchange that registered record trading volumes in 2024.

Total trading volume in Deribit’s product suite, which comprises crypto options, perpetual futures, volatility futures, and spot market, rose 95% from $608 billion in 2023 to $1.185 trillion in 2024.

Options alone registered a trading volume of $743 billion, a 99% year-on-year growth, accounting for a giant share of the total exchange activity. Deribit listed BTC options in 2016 and has since cemented its position as the world’s leading crypto options exchange.

“Deribit saw an increase in activity throughout the year, particularly in Q4 as institutional investors demonstrated heightened optimism around the U.S. presidential election, as well as the $100k Bitcoin bull run that followed,” Deribit’s Chief Commercial Officer Luuk Strijers, said in a note shared with CoinDesk.

“The rise in total platform volume and across our offered products indicates that Deribit continues to be the go-to derivatives exchange, particularly as more professional traders enter the space,” Strijers added.

This impressive boom in trading activity on Deribit reflects a maturation of the market, mainly as spot ETFs and options tied to those ETFs went live in the U.S., accelerating institutional participation. It is a sign of a growing shift toward more sophisticated multi-legged trading strategies involving options, futures, and volatility bets.