[News Brief] Apr 22, morning | Vitalik Buterin Unveils 3–4 Year 'Lean Ethereum' Roadmap

Vitalik Buterin Unveils 3–4 Year 'Lean Ethereum' Roadmap

According to Wu Blockchain, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has presented a 'Lean Ethereum' roadmap to be pursued over the next three to four years.

The core proposals include introducing recursive STARKs as a native verification component and replacing existing cryptographic techniques vulnerable to quantum computers with post-quantum alternatives.

The roadmap also includes a new 'scalable state' type targeting 100TB by 2030, with the goal of reducing transaction costs for certain tokens to less than one-tenth of current levels.

Buterin said Ethereum is exploring a RISC-V or LeanISA virtual machine to implement programmable privacy, and added that the upcoming Glastardam upgrade is expected to significantly raise Ethereum’s gas limit.

Kraken Expands Collateral Support for Tokenized Stocks and ETFs

Kraken has allowed eligible users outside the United States to use certain tokenized stocks and ETFs as collateral for futures and margin trading.

According to Odaily, the initial supported assets include 10 instruments such as Apple, Nvidia, Tesla, Strategy, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF, and the Invesco QQQ Trust. Users can open leveraged positions without selling their holdings.

Kraken has also set collateral limits by asset. Large ETFs can be recognized for up to $1 million in collateral value, most individual stocks up to $250,000, and tokenized gold and Circle stock up to $100,000. Collateral caps and haircuts may be adjusted regularly depending on market conditions.

ETH Breaks Above $1,800

ETH has surpassed the $1,800 mark, according to OKX market data.

PANews reported that ETH is currently trading at $1,802.43, with a daily gain of 0.62%.

Speculative Frenzy Around BSC Meme Coins Spreads After CZ Mention

According to Odaily, speculation around CZ-themed meme coins on BSC intensified after CZ shared a cryptic post from a crypto influencer and replied, “Drop water into the BNB wallet.”

As a result, several CZ-themed meme coins on the BSC chain surged sharply in the short term. CZ (The Final Form Bull) at one point exceeded a market capitalization of $41 million before pulling back to $29.82 million. Its 24-hour trading volume reached $28 million, while its 24-hour gain was reported at 182x.

Market participants are seeing capital flows attempting to recreate on BSC the so-called 'Anthem effect' previously observed on Solana, where meme coins surged on issues tied to prominent KOLs or public figures. However, these tokens remain highly volatile and carry rug-pull risks, so caution is warranted.

Net New Listings at South Korea’s Top 5 Exchanges Down 74% in H1

The net increase in new listings at South Korea’s five largest crypto exchanges fell about 74% year-over-year in the first half of this year.

According to Odaily, Etoday analyzed data from Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit, and Gopax, finding that the net number of additions—new trading support minus delistings—was 49 in the first half, down sharply from 191 in the same period last year.

During the same period, new listing support declined 44% year-over-year, while delistings rose 258%.

The report said that as trading volumes decline and fee revenue remains under pressure, the competitive focus of domestic exchanges is shifting away from expanding listings and toward liquidity management, asset screening, and regulatory compliance.

Hashdex and Charles Schwab: Bitcoin’s Relative Underperformance May Be Temporary

Hashdex and Charles Schwab said bitcoin’s recent relative weakness compared with the continued strength of U.S. equities may be temporary.

According to Odaily, Hashdex CIO Samir Kerbage said market capital is currently flowing more toward AI infrastructure, IPOs, and rate trades than digital assets, describing the trend as a reallocation of capital rather than a deterioration in crypto fundamentals.

He added that stablecoin transaction volume in the first half of this year has already exceeded the full-year level of 2025, while the size of tokenized real-world assets has grown more than 60% this year. He also said on-chain network activity remains elevated, widening the gap between on-chain fundamentals and market pricing.

Charles Schwab’s head of digital asset research, Jim Farioli, said bitcoin’s price action still aligns with historical post-halving cycles. He estimated that the production cost for inefficient miners is around $95,000 and the market’s average holding cost is around $80,000, suggesting that some selling pressure could emerge during a rebound.

BTC Whale’s 40x Short Partially Liquidated Four Times in 24 Hours

According to Odaily, Onchain Lens said a whale was partially liquidated four times over the past 24 hours on a BTC short position.

The liquidations totaled 97.99 BTC, worth about $6.18 million, with realized losses amounting to $298,750.

The trader still holds a 67.98 BTC short position with 40x leverage. The position is worth about $4.26 million, and the unrealized loss currently stands at $179,220. The liquidation price is $902 above the current BTC price.

U.S. National Debt Reaches $39 Trillion, Roughly Equal to GDP

According to Odaily, U.S. national debt has risen to about $39 trillion, roughly matching the country’s GDP.

Annual interest payments are reported to be around $1 trillion, exceeding the defense budget.

U.S. Treasuries are regarded as core assets supporting the dollar’s reserve currency status and serving as key holdings for global financial institutions.

However, continued debt growth is raising concerns about long-term fiscal sustainability.

The Penn Wharton Budget Model estimates that when the debt-to-GDP ratio exceeds roughly 210%, the fiscal system may face unsustainable risk.

The current U.S. ratio is about 100%, and the Congressional Budget Office projects it could rise to 175% by 2056.

New York Life Investments: Blockchain Can Enable Personalized Portfolios at Scale

According to CoinDesk, Thomas C. E. Sy, head of multi-asset solutions at New York Life Investments, said blockchain could enable asset managers to build personalized portfolios at scale.

He said the future of asset management lies in personalization, and blockchain is the technology that can make that possible on a large scale.

Tokenization can simplify back-office processes such as transfer agency and settlement, reducing costs and improving investor access, according to the analysis.

New York Life Investments has previously been working with Centrifuge to bring part of a high-yield corporate bond strategy on-chain.

Adam Back: Bid to Buy All 21 Million BTC at $0.02 Each

A bitcoin historian account said Adam Back has placed an order to buy all 21 million BTC at $0.02 each.

The comment was intended to suggest that bitcoin will not go to zero and does not represent a new disclosure or policy announcement likely to directly affect the market.

Source: @pete_rizzo_