Base will decouple from the Optimism ecosystem and pivot towards a self-sovereign unified tech stack
February 19th — Per The Block, Base, the Coinbase-incubated Ethereum Layer 2 network, announced it is leaving Optimism’s Superchain ecosystem. The project is shifting to a unified, independently operated tech stack, dropping its reliance on the OP Stack, Flashbots, and Paradigm.
The move aims to cut coordination overhead from multi-team code maintenance and simplify the system via optimizations built on open-source components like Reth — all while retaining Base’s “Stage 1” rollup status.
Base will support the OP Stack in the short term, but future hard forks will require migration to its new native client. Upcoming forks include Base V1 (supporting Fusaka and transitioning to TEE/ZK proofs), with subsequent versions aligning with Ethereum’s Glamsterdam upgrade.
In its blog post, the team emphasizes protocol openness and welcomes alternative client implementations.
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Hanwha Invests $13 Million in Kresus Labs to Advance Seedless Wallet and RWA Tokenization
**February 19th**
CoinDesk reports that South Korean VC firm Hanwha Investment & Securities has invested roughly $13 million in U.S. blockchain infrastructure company Kresus Labs. The funding will advance Kresus’s enterprise digital wallet technology and real-world asset (RWA) tokenization platform.
The investment stems from a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed during December 2023’s Abu Dhabi Financial Week, which aims to expand Kresus’s on-chain financial workflows. Kresus specializes in building consumer and institutional digital asset tools—including “seedless” wallet recovery (no 12-24 word seed phrase), multi-party computation (MPC)-based secure systems, institution-grade wallet infrastructure, and a tokenization platform.
Hanwha plans to leverage this tech to enhance its digital asset services and develop tokenized traditional financial products. The move underscores ongoing institutional interest in blockchain infrastructure, even amid cryptocurrency market volati
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World Liberty Forum Opens, WLFI Rises by 18%, Eric Trump Says Crypto Still in "Starting Gate"
On February 19, WLFI—the platform token of World Liberty Financial—surged roughly 18% on the opening day of the World Liberty Forum at Mar-a-Lago.
Co-founder Eric Trump noted that despite market volatility, the crypto industry’s overall development remains at the “one-yard line” — meaning it’s still in its early stages.
Trump added that more traditional financial institutions are now offering clients exposure to crypto assets and integrating digital assets into their strategic roadmaps, a sign of shifting attitudes among mainstream capital.
Separately, financial services firm Apex Group announced plans to test World Liberty’s USD1 stablecoin in traditional fund management processes to boost settlement efficiency for tokenized assets. USD1, currently the fifth-largest USD-pegged stablecoin by market cap, has a circulating supply exceeding $5 billion.
(Source: The Block)
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OpenAI and Paradigm Release EVMbench to Explore AI Agent Applications in Smart Contract Security
February 19, OpenAI and crypto investment firm Paradigm announced a partnership to launch EVMbench—an initiative aimed at evaluating AI agents’ capabilities in smart contract security, including identifying, patching, and exploiting critical vulnerabilities.
The partners noted that as AI’s code generation and execution capabilities advance, it could be used by attackers while also acting as a defensive tool. Thus, testing AI systems’ security capabilities in an environment with real economic stakes is critical.
EVMbench offers multiple testing modes: vulnerability detection, contract mutation, exploit eradication, and simulation of full attack flows in a sandboxed blockchain environment.
The tool’s launch comes as DeFi protocol Moonwell and cross-chain liquidity platform CrossCurve recently faced smart contract vulnerability exploits—raising concerns about AI-assisted code security. EVMbench is built on 120 curated vulnerability samples, spanning public audits and competition cases.
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Kraken Acquires Token Custody Platform Magna, Continues Expansion Ahead of IPO
CoinDesk reported on February 19 that Payward, the parent company of cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, has acquired token management platform Magna. The move aims to further strengthen Kraken’s product suite and position the firm for potential listing plans. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Upon completion, Magna will continue operating independently, though its token lifecycle management tools will be integrated into Kraken’s institutional client product offerings.
Magna specializes in token vesting, distribution and issuance management services for crypto project teams. It currently serves over 160 clients, with a peak total value locked (TVL) of $60 billion expected by 2025.
This acquisition extends Kraken’s recent mergers and acquisitions (M&A) push. Last year, the firm acquired U.S. futures platform NinjaTrader for $1.5 billion, derivatives trading platform Small Exchange for $1 billion, proprietary trading firm Breakout and tokenized stock issuance pl
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Goldman Sachs CEO: Holds 'a very small amount' of Bitcoin, closely watching Bitcoin's development
Feb. 19 (CoinDesk) — Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon told the World Liberty Forum he holds “a very small amount, but some” of bitcoin, while emphasizing he’s still closely tracking the asset as part of the broader trend of technology reshaping the financial system.
He believes traditional finance and the crypto industry are forging an evolving integrated system, with tokenization poised to play a key role in future market infrastructure. “I’m an observer of bitcoin and still trying to understand how it operates and its volatility mechanisms,” Solomon said.
Solomon noted Goldman Sachs currently has limited crypto exposure, citing what he described as “restrictive regulation.” He warned excessive regulation could drain capital from the financial system, but also called for a cautious, rational approach to oversight.
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