Vitalik: DeFi is a crucial part of Ethereum's core values and will reclaim the early DeFi spirit in the future
On February 25, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin took to social media to note that decentralized finance (DeFi) is a critical pillar of Ethereum’s core values. Financial empowerment, he said, is a key dimension of achieving autonomy and freedom in today’s world. While finance isn’t Ethereum’s sole purpose, it is vital.
The current DeFi landscape has brought the world’s best savings, risk management, and wealth creation opportunities to global users in a permissionless way. The Ethereum Foundation must continue building on this foundation. What made Ethereum’s early DeFi era great was its willingness to dream big, innovate, and build an entirely new paradigm. DeFi’s future will reclaim this spirit—not just aiming to “build a better stablecoin,” but diving deeper into fundamental issues to propose superior solutions.
The Foundation’s support for “on-chain finance” (and even DeFi) is not unconditional. It has a clear vision for DeFi: a permissionless, open-source, privacy-first,
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Entity: Projected to reach $10 billion in annual market revenue by 2030
February 25
U.S. bank Citizens released a report Monday showing the predicted market’s annual revenue has jumped from roughly $2 billion in December to over $3 billion now, with a projected $10 billion by 2030. Analysts note accelerating trading volume growth, a strengthened market structure, and early institutional participation point to a trajectory mirroring the early days of listed derivatives and digital assets.
The predicted market has quickly evolved from a niche betting space into a complex ecosystem of trading platforms that aggregate real-world event probabilities. Top players include CFTC-regulated firms Kalshi and Polymarket, which cover politics, sports, and economics—drawing widespread attention from mainstream financial and regulatory bodies.
Analysts say asset classes typically progress from retail-driven liquidity to professional market makers, then to institutional capital—and the predicted market is following this path. January trading volume was up 40%+ from
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Crypto Fear & Greed Index Jumps to 11, Market Sees Slight Relief in "Extreme Fear" Sentiment
Per Alternative Data, the cryptocurrency Fear & Greed Index hit 11 on February 25—up from 8 the prior day—easing the market’s extreme fear sentiment slightly.
Note: The index ranges from 0 to 100, with components including:
- Volatility (25%)
- Market Volume (25%)
- Social Media Hype (15%)
- Market Sentiment (15%)
- Bitcoin Dominance (10%)
- Google Trends (10%)
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Fed Official: Interest Rate Likely to Remain Unchanged "for Some Time," Further Rate Cuts Would Require Evidence of Inflation Falling to 2% Target
**Tuesday, February 25**
Boston Federal Reserve President Susan Collins said recent economic data showing labor market improvement and persistent inflation risks mean interest rates will likely stay on hold for some time.
Speaking at a Boston Fed panel discussion Tuesday, Collins noted the labor market is showing “at least somewhat unusual signs of stability” — adding more evidence is needed to confirm inflation is moving toward the Fed’s 2% target.
“After cutting rates by 175 basis points cumulatively over the past year and a half, we’re now in a mildly restrictive range that may be quite close to neutral,” she said. “I think it’s likely appropriate to keep the current rate range unchanged for a period of time.”
Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee echoed that further rate cuts aren’t justified until there’s consistent proof inflation is falling.
Goolsbee said the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down several of former President Trump’s global tariffs could create mo
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WisdomTree Receives SEC Approval, Paving the Way for 24/7 Trading of Tokenized Commodity Fund
On February 25, U.S. asset manager WisdomTree launched the WisdomTree Treasury Money Market Digital Fund—featuring 24/7 trading and real-time settlement—to enable round-the-clock secondary market trading for registered institutional-grade tokenized money market funds within a regulated framework.
WisdomTree noted this marks the first time a registered institutional-grade tokenized money market fund has been permitted to offer 24/7 trading and settlement via a dealer-owned model under the 1940 Investment Company Act. The structure enables instant share settlement, giving investors real-time exposure to U.S. Treasury yields.
To roll out the model, WisdomTree secured exemptive relief from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Its affiliate broker-dealer WisdomTree Securities also got FINRA approval to conduct proprietary trading of the fund’s shares. Liquidity will be provided via the broker-dealer’s inventory (not an exchange), with trade execution tied to the broker’s
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The 21Shares ETP AG Spot SUI ETF is now available on Nasdaq with the ticker symbol TSUI.
On February 25, digital asset management firm 21Shares launched a new ETF this week that tracks the native token of the Sui blockchain: the 21Shares Spot SUI ETF. It is now listed on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol TSUI.
21Shares first rolled out a leveraged SUI ETF in December 2023, and this spot ETF further broadens investors’ exposure to Sui.
This marks another spot ETF tracking Sui’s native token, joining the Canary Stake SUI ETF and Grayscale Sui Staking ETF that launched last week.
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