The DeFi lending protocol Ionic Protocol has announced that it is ceasing operations, and users are required to withdraw their funds as soon as possible.

June 18 – Hsiao-Wei Wang, the first Chinese-American Executive Director of the Ethereum Foundation, announced her resignation today. In a statement, she said she has decided to prioritize her personal life and future directions, adding, “Now is the right time to step back and I am still contemplating the next steps.” In response to the news, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin praised Wang’s contributions, noting she has been a “steadfast contributor to the Ethereum ecosystem for the past decade” and expressing anticipation for her future adventures. Notably, on March 10, 2025, the Ethereum Foundation promoted Wang to its board of directors – making her the first Chinese leader with a technical background to rise to the board in the organization’s seven-year history.

On June 18, per an official announcement, Bitget launched U-based RE perpetual contracts with up to 20x leverage. The contract trading bot is also available simultaneously. For more details, please visit Bitget’s official platform.

On June 18, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont has unveiled a plan that would require the federal government to take a 50% equity stake in large-scale artificial intelligence companies, according to Axios.

June 18 — With just over a week left before the U.S. Senate recesses for the July 4 holiday, pro-cryptocurrency senators and top government officials are conducting behind-the-scenes negotiations to ready the Clarity Act for a full floor vote when lawmakers return from the break. Multiple sources familiar with the talks reveal that a bipartisan group of senators from the Senate Banking Committee and Senate Agriculture Committee is set to hold a meeting this morning to resolve outstanding issues on the bill. Separately today, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will meet with law enforcement officials as the administration pushes to build support for a key, contentious provision in the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act. This provision would clearly state that developers of certain non-custodial software are not liable for third parties’ use of their code — unless the developers have actual knowledge that the code would be used for illicit activities and intend for that misuse to occ

June 18 — Israel’s i24News reports: Pakistan’s Deputy Foreign Minister will represent Islamabad at the signing ceremony for the U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding.

Per Binance's official announcement on June 18, the crypto platform will list RE across its Futures, Margin, Swap, and VIP Loan services. Effective at 22:00 UTC+8 on June 18, 2026: - RE will be added as a borrowable asset for both Binance Cross and Isolated Margin, alongside new RE/USDT and RE/USDC Cross & Isolated Margin trading pairs. - The REUSDT perpetual contract (with 1-50x leverage) will also launch at the same time.