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Bitcoin exchange balances have fallen below 2.9 million BTC to set a new 6-year record amid supply shock expectations. As the number of BTC on exchanges falls, bulls are rubbing their hands in glee at the prospect of a rally for the flagship cryptocurrency. Bitcoin Exchange Balances Tumble Below 2.9 million On-chain data from Glassnode
The post Bitcoin Exchange Balances Hit 6-Year Low, Sparks Supply Shock Expectations appeared first on CoinGape.
Web3’s future is being shaped by those who bridge technology and sustainability. As blockchain matures, real-world utility has become the currency of trust for both individuals and institutions. In this pivotal moment, VeChain CEO Sunny Lu offers a unique perspective on his company’s mission—and the larger transformation unfolding in crypto.
Sunny Lu is the CEO of VeChain, a pioneering enterprise blockchain platform recognized for its commitment to sustainability and mass adoption. BeInCrypto interviewed Lu in June 2025 to discuss the rollout of Stargate, VeChain’s new decentralization engine, and how the project’s evolving strategies aim to move beyond speculative hype into measurable impact.
Their conversation, held at the launchpad of VeChain’s most significant upgrade yet, illuminated ambitions for a truly democratized and utility-driven future, covering protocol upgrades, compliance, developer opportunities, and VeChain’s global reach.
The following interview reveals VeChain’s multi-layered approach, from grassroots ESG incentives to staking innovations that open decentralization to everyone. Lu makes it clear: this is VeChain’s renaissance—and its boldest step forward.
VeChain has gone through three major phases, each shaped by a white paper. The first, in 2017, focused on building the core infrastructure. By 2019, we had moved to enterprise adoption, working with companies like Walmart, BYD, and others on food safety and sustainability.
In 2023, we launched our third white paper, “Web3 for Better,” which marks our current focus: building sustainability-driven applications. We launched vBetterDAO to encourage people to take better daily actions—so far, we’ve reached 2.7 million users and over 40 applications.
Now, we’re entering what we call the VeChain Renaissance, the most significant upgrade in our history. Its first milestone is the Stargate platform, launching July 1, designed to enable decentralization at scale.
Stargate is the first step of the VeChain Renaissance. It includes major protocol and tokenomics upgrades aimed at true decentralization. Most users can’t run validators because they require technical skills. Stargate introduces a staking system using NFTs to simplify participation.
Users can stake VET into smart contracts, mint NFTs of different levels based on their stake, and delegate those NFTs to validators, without giving up control of their funds. This approach removes technical barriers and brings in real rewards.
Validators can earn up to 15% APY, and delegators up to 12%.
Importantly, VET and VSO have been deemed MiCA compliant by the Central Bank of Ireland since March 2025, and we also ensure our model aligns with SEC guidance.
We’ll support 101 validators, as we do now with our Proof of Authority model, but we’re evolving to include up to 500,000 delegators through a weighted delegated Proof-of-Stake system.
Legacy XNode and Econode holders can swap into new NFTs, while new users can mint from seven NFT tiers based on staking amounts. The system is flexible and deflationary—users can unstake and burn their NFTs anytime.
It’s still a pillar. Our vBetterDAO fosters both startups and big corporations to build decentralized applications that incentivize sustainable behaviors. For example:
These applications are highly engaging—some have over a million users with exceptional retention.
We acknowledge that ESG can be politicized or used as greenwashing. Traditional ESG is top-down, driven by big corporations or financial institutions. We do the opposite.
Our approach is bottom-up, empowering individuals to make daily sustainable choices. These actions accumulate into real impact. Our vision complements traditional ESG with grassroots action and technology.
We offer several entry points:
Ultimately, vBetterDAO acts as an incubator, offering developers everything they need to launch and scale.
We’ve mapped our users worldwide: the U.S., Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa—you name it. We’re present almost everywhere, except a few sensitive regions.
We started in 2024. Johnny Garcia, formerly of Vanguard and Bitwise, joined us to lead our institutional strategy. We’re onboarding institutions not just as investors, but as validators.
These are long-term supporters, not speculators. They’re contributing to network security and aligned with our sustainability vision.
Everything is possible. We’re keeping our options open.
2025 is a turning point. Regulations are becoming clearer—MiCA in Europe, and increasing clarity from the SEC in the U.S.
Institutions are looking for real-world utility, not just narratives. That’s what we offer—real applications, real users, and real value.
We’re transitioning from a narrative-driven market to a fundamentals-driven one. It’s just like the evolution of the internet. I’m confident and bullish about where VeChain is headed.
Sunny Lu’s vision for VeChain is centered on accessibility, transparency, and measurable utility. Stargate’s NFT-based staking and global compliance drive VeChain to the forefront of decentralization.
Through sustainability initiatives and bold partnerships, VeChain continues to empower both individuals and institutions to generate tangible impact, one step at a time. As regulations clarify and technology matures, Lu’s confidence signals a new chapter where fundamentals and real-world value define blockchain’s next wave.
The post Sunny Lu: VeChain’s 2025 Renaissance, Real Utility, and the Path to Decentralized Sustainability appeared first on BeInCrypto.
Ethereum will launch the Hoodi testnet on March 17, addressing Pectra testing issues encountered on the Holesky and Sepolia testnets.
This move comes as developers work to troubleshoot bugs that could potentially delay the Sepolia fork.
The Ethereum network has been working on the Pectra upgrade to introduce key Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs). These proposals will enhance staking mechanisms and improve the wallet user experience.
However, Ethereum conducts tests in the run-up to its various EIPs. These probes ensure seamless upgrades and mainnet launches, citing methodical testing strategies.
The Sepolia testnet upgraded to Pectra just a week ago, marking a significant milestone in the development process. Additionally, Ethereum launched the Mekong testnet in early November to preview Pectra fork updates. This allowed developers to evaluate its features ahead of broader implementation.
However, in a February 25 post, Christine Kim, a researcher at Galaxy, highlighted the challenges faced in the testing phase of Ethereum’s Pectra Upgrade.
“Pectra is live on Holesky…Seeing a slight uptick in missed blocks but the network participation rate looks strong…some client teams are reporting issues with invalid blocks in the Eth R&D discord… lots more missed blocks and the network isn’t finalizing…Devs are troubleshooting what the issues are. Depending on the scale of the bugs, devs could delay the Sepolia fork… network is still not finalizing, the participation rate has dropped to ~50%,” Kim explained.
To establish whether these creases have been ironed out, Ethereum will launch the Hoodi testnet on Monday, March 17. If testing on Hoodi proves successful, the Pectra upgrade could go live on Ethereum’s mainnet by late April. However, according to Tim Beiko, a key Ethereum developer, delays extending into May remain possible.
“A new testnet, Hoodi, is going live Monday to wrap up Pectra testing. If you need to test validator exits, be on the lookout for it! Everything else can be tested on Sepolia & Holesky. Pectra will be scheduled 30+ days after Hoodi forks successfully, pending infra and client testing. Fusaka planning will run in parallel, with a deadline of March 24 to propose EIPs, and a tentative date of April 10 for a scope freeze,” Beiko articulated.
This means that the Ethereum Pectra Upgrade is contingent on successful testing on Hoodi after previous testnets. With the Hoodi testnet slated for March 17 and Pectra Upgrade at least 30 days thereafter, the update could go live as soon as April 17 or later. Some users expressed dissatisfaction with this delay.
“Pectra delayed by a month. Core devs really can’t ship anything in time,” one user remarked.
Nevertheless, others seemed unsurprised by the timeline, an understanding that likely appreciates the rigorousness of delivering seamless mainnet launches. The launch of the Hoodi testnet next week represents a crucial step in ensuring the stability and effectiveness of the Pectra upgrade.
With developer scrutiny intensifying and planned improvements in staking and user experience, Ethereum’s roadmap focuses on long-term scalability and security enhancements for its network.
“I’m stoked this could make ETH even sharper and more efficient,” a user on X remarked.
Fusaka, the next major upgrade, will follow in 2026. While details remain scarce, Fusaka promises to refine Ethereum’s scalability and efficiency further. This will advance the network’s evolution toward greater usability and adoption.
The post Hoodi Testnet to Test Ethereum’s Pectra Upgrade Before Mainnet Launch appeared first on BeInCrypto.
Over the past week, XRP’s price has remained range-bound amid the broader market’s recovery attempt.
However, with a growing bullish bias toward the altcoin, XRP may be on the brink of breaking free from this range and trending upward. This analysis explains why.
The momentum shift towards the bulls has become evident, particularly within the futures market, where long bets on XRP are now surpassing short positions. This is reflected by the token’s XRP’s long/short ratio, which is currently at 1.07.
The long/short ratio measures the proportion of long positions (bets on price increases) to short positions (bets on price declines) in the market.
When its value is below one, it indicates that the number of short positions outweighs long positions in the market, suggesting bearish sentiment or a lack of confidence in the token’s future price performance.
As with XRP, when an asset’s long/short ratio is above one, it means there are more long positions than short ones. It indicates that traders are predominantly bullish on XRP and hints at a higher likelihood of an upward breach of its narrow range.
In addition, XRP’s relative strength index (RSI) has climbed steadily, indicating a gradual rise in demand for the token. The key momentum indicator, at 50.77, currently rests above the neutral line and is in an uptrend.
The RSI indicator measures an asset’s overbought and oversold market conditions. It ranges between 0 and 100. Values above 70 suggest that the asset is overbought and due for a price decline, while values under 30 indicate that the asset is oversold and may witness a rebound.
At 50.77, XRP’s RSI signals a shift toward bullish momentum. It indicates that buying pressure is starting to outweigh selling pressure, and the asset may be poised for further price increases.
XRP currently trades at $2.13, just 3% away from its next significant resistance level, $2.18. If buying pressure intensifies and the altcoin successfully flips this price point into a support floor, it could trigger further price growth. In this scenario, XRP could potentially climb to $2.29.
However, if demand weakens and the bears regain control, XRP may remain range-bound. It could even break below the $2.03 support and fall to $1.99.
The post XRP Bulls Take the Wheel: Rising Long Bets Hint at Imminent Breakout Above $2.18 appeared first on BeInCrypto.