Balancer’s community approved a proposal to offer up to 10% as a bounty for information or returned assets tied to the decentralized automated market maker’s exploit in November, with the vote reaching quorum and passing in this round of governance.

Proposal BIP-908 passed unanimously in a Feb. 10 snapshot vote, with 100% of participants in favor and a quorum of 158%, although only nine votes were cast and a single vote represented over 76% of the total voting power.

The proposal, submitted by Balancer DAO executor Maxyz, sets the bounty at a maximum of 10% of the recovered value. It’s worth noting that the Balancer security team initially offered a 20% one-time whitehat bounty right after the hack, which this proposal cuts in half.

The November 2025 attack drained roughly $128 million from Balancer V2 pools by exploiting a rounding and precision bug in composable stable-pool math and using batch-swap mechanics to quickly extract funds. The losses affected several networks, including Ethereum, Polygon, Base, Arbitrum, Optimism, Sonic and Berachain.

As The Defiant reported earlier, Gnosis Chain, also affected by the Balancer hack, chose to implement a hard fork to return funds that had been frozen because of the exploit.

While recovery teams have already returned some funds, a significant portion still sits in attacker addresses.

Balancer is currently ranked 11th among DEXs by daily volumes, with just over $203 million traded in the past 24 hours.

HONG KONG — Robinhood launched its public testnet for its own Ethereum layer-2 blockchain on Wednesday with plans for broader launch later this year as the brokerage app aims to move more trading activity onchain.

The new network, called Robinhood Chain, is built on Arbitrum and is designed to support tokenized real-world assets, including equities, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and other assets. Developers will be able to publicly build on the network for the first time after six months of private testing, ahead of a future mainnet launch, the company announced at CoinDesk’s Consensus Hong Kong conference.

With the chain, Robinhood aims to allow users to trade 24/7 and self-custody their assets in Robinhood’s own crypto wallet. Users will also be able to bridge across different chains and to decentralized finance (DeFi) applications on Ethereum ETH$2,024.24, the company said in a press release.

The timing comes as Ethereum’s core roadmap shifts more attention back to the base layer. Certain upgrades have already lowered transaction costs, and further improvements are expected to continue easing congestion, a development that weakens the case for layer-2s as a pure scaling necessity.

Robinhood’s approach suggests it is already operating under that assumption.

“I think Vitalik [Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum] was always pretty clear on this, that L2s were not just here to scale Ethereum,” said Johann Kerbrat, Robinhood’s senior vice president and general manager of crypto, in an interview with CoinDesk.

“For us, it was never really about scaling Ethereum or doing faster transactions,” Kerbrat added.

The move builds on Robinhood’s earlier steps into tokenization. Last year, the company rolled out token versions of U.S. stocks and ETFs for European users with dividend payments and extended market hours.

Those assets — almost 2,000 stocks and ETFs, according to data by Entropy Advisors on Dune Analytics — were initially issued on Arbitrum. However, the $15 million in total value of the equity tokens Robinhood minted is lagging behind leading issuers xStocks and Ondo Global Markets.

When rollups — ways of processing transactions on layer-2 networks to ease congestion on the base network — first gained traction, they were widely framed as Ethereum’s answer to high fees and limited throughput. As Ethereum’s layer-1 capacity improves, that narrative is giving way to a different one: layer-2s as customizable, application-specific environments that can embed features difficult to implement on Ethereum itself.

“What we wanted was the security of Ethereum, the liquidity that is available on EVM chains and the Ethereum ecosystem,” Kerbrat said. “But we were also wanting to have a way to customize the chain and to make it really optimized for traditional assets being tokenized.”

Rather than competing with other high-speed trading-focused rollups, Robinhood Chain is being designed around tokenized equities and other regulated financial products, where compliance requirements vary by jurisdiction.

“The complexity to recreate the entire financial system, and on top of that to bring more things on it, makes it that I think chains are going to specialize,” Kerbrat said. “You’ll see chains that are more specialized for payments, and you’ll see chains like ours that are going to be more specialized around tokenized equity.”

Buterin has recently argued that some rollups may need to accept different decentralization trade-offs, particularly when compliance or real-world assets are involved, a view that has stirred debate across the ecosystem.

For Robinhood, Kerbrat said, that shift does not materially change its strategy.

“It doesn’t really change anything for us,” he said. “We’ve always been building with the idea that there are different compliance requirements based on the jurisdiction, and all these things can be embedded into the chain.”

Robinhood first announced plans for its own blockchain in June 2025, positioning the project as part of a broader push into tokenization and onchain finance. Since then, development has largely taken place out of public view.

With the testnet now live, developers can access network entry points, documentation, and standard Ethereum development tools. Ahead of mainnet, Robinhood plans to expand testnet functionality to include test-only assets, including stock tokens, along with deeper integrations with its wallet and other onchain financial tooling.

Read more: Robinhood explains building an Ethereum layer-2: ‘We wanted the security from Ethereum’

TLDR:

• Doppler Finance and OpenEden integrate tokenized U.S. Treasuries rated AA+ by S&P Global onto XRPL 
• USDO stablecoin regulated by Bermuda Monetary Authority offers yield-bearing options for XRP holders 
• Partnership enables direct access to Treasury-backed yield through XRPL-native infrastructure gateway 
• Collaboration aims to strengthen RLUSD adoption and expand real-world asset utility on XRP Ledger

Doppler Finance and OpenEden announced a strategic partnership on February 10, 2026, to expand institutional-grade real-world asset yield opportunities on the XRP Ledger.

The collaboration will integrate OpenEden’s tokenized U.S. Treasury Bills and regulated stablecoin into Doppler’s XRPL-native yield protocol. This partnership aims to provide XRP and RLUSD holders with access to Treasury-backed yield opportunities.

The initiative centers on making institutional financial products more accessible through blockchain infrastructure.

Integration of Tokenized Assets into XRPL Infrastructure

The partnership focuses on bringing OpenEden’s TBILL and USDO tokens to the XRP Ledger through Doppler’s yield protocol. TBILL represents tokenized U.S. Treasury Bills with an S&P Global rating of AA+.

Meanwhile, USDO operates as a yield-bearing stablecoin under prudential regulation by the Bermuda Monetary Authority. Both assets will connect to XRPL-native liquidity through Doppler’s on-chain gateway infrastructure.

OpenEden shared details about the partnership on social media platforms. The company emphasized the integration of institutional-grade RWA yield products into Ripple’s ecosystem.

The announcement mentioned RLUSD, which currently trades around $0.99, as a key component of the collaboration.

The technical integration will enable XRP and RLUSD holders to access U.S. Treasury-backed returns directly on-chain.

This approach removes traditional barriers that previously required institutional infrastructure for such financial products. The structure maintains regulatory compliance while expanding access to a broader range of participants.

The collaboration also addresses the growing demand for yield-bearing options within the XRP Ledger ecosystem.

By connecting real-world assets to blockchain infrastructure, the partnership creates new pathways for capital deployment. This connection bridges traditional finance instruments with decentralized ledger technology.

Ecosystem Development and Market Education Initiatives

Beyond product integration, both organizations plan to collaborate on research and educational initiatives. These efforts will explore how regulated tokenized assets can enhance XRPL’s functionality and liquidity depth. The partnership seeks to establish best practices for RWA implementation within blockchain ecosystems.

Speaking about the partnership’s vision, Rox, Head of Institutions at Doppler Finance, stated that “real-world assets will play a critical role in bringing institutional-grade financial infrastructure on-chain.”

The executive added that “by working with OpenEden, we aim to help make RWA-backed yield opportunities more accessible to XRP and RLUSD holders through transparent, XRPL-native structures.”

Commenting on the collaboration’s strategic direction, Jeremy Ng, Founder and CEO of OpenEden, explained that “the partnership with Doppler Finance reinforces our view that the next phase of on-chain finance will be driven by regulated, real-world assets integrated into native blockchain ecosystems.”

He further noted that “beyond access to Treasury-backed yield, our joint focus is on making regulated, institutional-grade RWAs composable on XRPL to support its evolution into a more robust financial settlement layer.”

The collaboration reflects a commitment to expanding blockchain finance’s practical applications. Both companies focus on connecting traditional financial instruments with native blockchain infrastructure.

This approach prioritizes transparency and accessibility while supporting long-term ecosystem development. The partnership positions RLUSD as a crucial stablecoin within the XRPL framework through enhanced utility and yield opportunities.

HONG KONG — Hong Kong is a growing locale for Web3 and crypto innovation, its chief executive said on Wednesday.

John KC Lee, the chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, opened CoinDesk’s Consensus Hong Kong conference with a brief speech about the city’s work to grow its crypto communities and businesses.

“The HKSAR Government is committed to establishing Hong Kong as a global hub for innovation in digital assets,” he said in taped remarks. “That’s why over the past few years, Hong Kong has been actively building the regulatory framework to promote the steady and sustainable development of our Web3 ecosystem.”

Hong Kong is positioned to take advantage of both growing crypto efforts and its existing position operating close to China and the broader financial markets, Lee said.

“Under the unique ‘one country, two systems’ principle, Hong Kong is the only city that converges both the China advantage and the global advantage,” he said. “… What’s more, Hong Kong’s financial regulatory system is robust, and our financial market stands out for its deep liquidity, innovative products and world-class investor protection.”

More specifically, he pointed to Hong Kong’s efforts in crypto, including last year’s policy statement on digital asset regulation and stablecoin work.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority is close to issuing licenses for stablecoin issuers, he said, saying that the first licenses may come out in the next month.

Similarly, Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission is working to grow the region’s virtual asset market liquidity to further “facilitate the development of this vibrant area of growth.”

“Hong Kong is in a strong position in promoting Web3 development,” he said. “Hong Kong will continue to go all out to stay at the forefront of this pivotal shift in finance and technology. We welcome companies and institutions from around the world to join hands with us, and build a brighter digital future together.”

Robinhood has launched the public testnet for Robinhood Chain, an Ethereum Layer 2 network built on Arbitrum, which has a total value locked (TVL) of over $2.3 billion.

The testnet enables developers to start building apps and infrastructure on Robinhood Chain, which the company said is designed to support tokenized real-world assets (RWAs), lending platforms, perpetual futures exchanges, and other on-chain financial services, according to a press release viewed by The Defiant.

Johann Kerbrat, Robinhood’s head of crypto, said in an exclusive interview with The Defiant that the testnet is an early step toward building a broader on-chain financial ecosystem.

“We think that it’s really going to accelerate all the development of on-chain financial services and all this tokenization future that we’ve been talking [about] for a long time,” Kerbrat told Camila Russo, founder of The Defiant. “So the testnet is really the first step to lay down the groundwork for an ecosystem that will help define all the tokenized reward assets that we’re planning on launching.”

The move comes as more financial firms adopt on-chain technology and begin integrating products directly on blockchain networks. One area seeing especially fast growth is tokenized RWAs. Distributed Asset Value has reached $23.8 billion, up about 11% over the past month, according to RWAxyz data.

According to the release, the testnet gives developers access to basic network tools, documentation, and Ethereum development software built on Arbitrum. Robinhood said some infrastructure providers are already connecting to the network, with more expected to join as testing continues.

Developers will also gain access to testnet-only assets, including stock tokens, along with direct testing through Robinhood Wallet in the coming months.

Kerbrat described Robinhood Chain as permissionless, meaning anyone can deploy applications. However, apps that appear inside the Robinhood app would still need to meet internal product requirements, he said.

Robinhood also plans to be one of the first major builders on the network, Kerbrat said, and ultimately wants to move more of its own infrastructure on-chain.

“The first developer to build on the chain is really going to be Robinhood,” he said. “And our vision is not just to have one or two products there, but to have the entire Robinhood infrastructure to be slowly replaced by the blockchain.”

Kerbrat revealed that early partners involved in the launch include Alchemy, LayerZero, and others, which are helping support the first phase of the public testnet.

“But the more we continue to build, the more we’re going to also launch our own products that are going to be either in partnership or directly revenue-made product,” he added. “But I think for us, the idea is that it’s not just a revenue chain only, but also something that other developers can actually build on top of.”

Robinhood has already rolled out tokenized stock products in Europe, with the offerings expanding quickly – Kerbrat said they grew from about 200 assets at launch last June to roughly 2,000 today.

“So we [grew] 10x in less than a year. And that really shows how flexible our tokenization engine is,” Kerbrat said. “And we think that coming from there, we are really going to be able to use this engine for anything.”

Robinhood Markets Inc. reported fourth-quarter 2025 earnings showing revenue of $1.28 billion, representing a 27% increase compared to the same period in the previous year, according to the company’s financial results.

However, the company missed its $1.33 billion forecast. The shortfall was largely due to a slump in the cryptocurrency market, with crypto-related revenue falling 38% year over year to $221 million.

Still, Robinhood’s Q4 earnings per share came in at 66 cents. That’s slightly above analyst expectations of 63 cents.

The revenue growth was driven primarily by increased trading activity and subscription services, the company stated.

For the full year 2025, Robinhood reported total revenue of $4.5 billion, a 52% year-over-year increase, according to the earnings report.

The financial technology company, led by CEO Vlad Tenev and co-founder Baiju Bhatt, has seen sustained growth throughout the fiscal year, the results indicated.

The quarterly and annual figures reflect continued expansion in the company’s core business segments, including transaction-based revenue and recurring subscription income, according to the financial disclosures.

The fact that Robinhood’s revenue from crypto-related transactions plummeted 38% year over year underscores how lower digital asset prices continue to cut into trading activity.

Robinhood’s stock price slipped more than 7% after hours on Tuesday, trading at around $79.48 per share. 

Key takeaways:

• The Bitcoin long-to-short indicator at Binance hit a 30-day low, signaling a sharp decline in bullish leverage demand.

• US-listed Bitcoin exchange-traded funds reversed a negative trend with $516 million in net inflows following a period of heavy liquidations.

Bitcoin (BTC) has fluctuated within a tight 8% range over the last four days, consolidating near $69,000 after an abrupt slide to $60,130 on Friday. Traders are currently grappling with the primary catalysts for this correction, particularly as the S&P 500 holds near record highs and gold prices have climbed 20% over a two-month period.

The uncertainty following the 52% retreat from Bitcoin’s $126,220 all-time high in October 2025 has likely prompted an ultra-skeptical stance among top traders, stoking concerns of further price declines.

Whales and market makers on Binance have steadily pared back bullish exposure since Wednesday. This shift is reflected in the long-to-short ratio, which dropped to 1.20 from 1.93. This reading represents a 30-day low for the exchange, suggesting that demand for leveraged long positions in margin and futures markets has cooled, even with BTC hitting 15-month lows.

Meanwhile, the long-to-short ratio for top traders at OKX hit 1.7 on Tuesday, a sharp reversal from its 4.3 peak on Thursday. This transition aligns with a $1 billion liquidation event in leveraged bullish BTC futures, where market participants were forced to close positions due to inadequate margin. Importantly, this specific data point reflects forced exits rather than a deliberate directional bet on further downside.

Strong ETF demand suggests Bitcoin whales are still bullish

Demand for spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) serves as strong evidence that whales haven’t flipped bearish, despite recent price weakness.

Since Friday, US-listed Bitcoin ETFs have attracted $516 million in net inflows, reversing a trend from the previous three trading days. Consequently, the conditions that triggered the $2.2 billion in net outflows from Jan. 27 to Feb. 5 appear to have faded. A leading theory for that pressure pointed to an Asian fund that collapsed after leveraging ETF options positions via cheap Japanese yen funding.

Franklin Bi, a general partner at Pantera Capital, argued that a non-crypto-native trading company is the most likely culprit. He noted that a broader cross-asset margin unwind coincided with sharp corrections in metals. For instance, silver faced a staggering 45% decline in the seven days ending Feb. 5, erasing two months of gains. However, official data has yet to be released to validate this thesis.

The Bitcoin options market followed a similar trajectory, with a spike in neutral-to-bearish strategies on Thursday. Traders pivoted after Bitcoin’s price slipped below $72,000 rather than anticipating worsening conditions.

Related: Bitcoin sentiment hits record low as contrarian investors say $60K was BTC’s bottom

The BTC options premium put-to-call ratio at Deribit surged to 3.1 on Thursday, heavily favoring put (sell) instruments, though the indicator has since retreated to 1.7. Overall, the past two weeks have been marked by low demand for bullish positioning through BTC derivatives. While sentiment has worsened, lower leverage provides a healthier setup for sustainable price gains once the tide turns.

It remains unclear what could shift investor perception back toward Bitcoin, as core values like censorship resistance and strict monetary policy stay unchanged. The weak demand for Bitcoin derivatives should not be interpreted as a lack of confidence. Instead, it represents a surge in uncertainty until it becomes clear that exchanges and market makers were unaffected by the price crash.