Hi May is finally behind us and summer is getting dangerously close. Historically, June has been the month when the crypto market picks the pace up, so let’s see if anything changes this year! For today, we prepared a couple of exciting stories for crypto fans, both newbies and veterans, so let’s get this show going.

Here are today’s stories:

• Ethereum LSD centralization risk with Lido
• Sui signs a multiyear deal with Oracle Red Bull Racing F1
• Mercedes announces Machina - a new AI-powered NFT collection
• Y2K Finance hits V2
• Shanghai police detains stablecoin issuers

Ethereum LSD Centralization Risk with Lido

The Ethereum community is voicing concerns about the risk of centralization posed by the staking protocol Lido, which currently controls a significant percentage of Ethereum's total staked value. According to one alarmed investor, Lido manages over 36% of all Ethereum staked, more than twice that of its nearest competitor. The protocol also leads the Ethereum network as the largest with a Total Value Locked (TVL) of over $13 billion, which accounts for nearly 6% of all Ether in existence.

This dominance extends to its control of validators on the Ethereum network, where Lido is used by over 32% of all validators. This exceeds Ethereum founder, Vitalik Buterin's recommended limit, which suggests no single entity should control more than 15% of all validators. Despite these figures, the investor laments the lack of community initiative to curb Lido's influence, pointing to the successful reduction of Prysm's share in the consensus client market as a model. With Lido's influence continuing to grow, Ethereum investors and stakeholders are being called to action to preserve the decentralized ethos of the platform.

Here is a tweet touching on this issue from Anthony Sassano, a prominent Ethereum educator.

‍

Sui signs a multiyear deal with Oracle Red Bull Racing F1

Layer 1 blockchain Sui has signed a multiyear agreement to be the official blockchain partner of Formula 1’s Oracle Red Bull Racing team. In a tweet announcing the news, the team did not hide their excitement, describing the move as “huge news”. 

The details are scarce, but the company did state that F1 fans will get new ways to connect with Oracle Red Bull Racing, as the team will be working on a new way to “build immersive digital experiences.”

‍

Mercedes announces a new NFT collection

German powerhouse in the automotive industry, Mercedes, recently announced its new NFT collection on Twitter. In a series of posts, the company introduced “Maschine” - an art collection built by generative artist 

Harm van den Dorpel and art collectors FingerprintsDAO. What makes this collection unique is the fact that van den Dorpel used generative AI, and created and trained a neural network to “identify and select” generated outputs. “Maschine“ will be available on Fingerprints DAO’s website, exclusively, on June 7, so if you don’t want to miss it, make sure to check the website out at 18:00 CET.

‍

Y2K Finance hits V2

Y2K finance, a structured products suite built for exotic peg derivatives, has hit V2. Announcing the news via Medium, the protocol provided its users with both a YouTube and Medium user guides, as well as a detailed explanation of how to participate. 

The second version of the protocol brings “powerful upgrades”, the developers wrote in the blog post, including interacting with three initial V2 markets (MAI .9630, USDD .9700, and USDC .9970), and a linearly increasing deposit fee.

‍

Shanghai police detain stablecoin issuers

Shanghai law enforcement has detained the crew developing CNHC and HKDC, two stablecoins pegged to the values of the offshore yuan and the Hong Kong dollar, respectively. As reported by the local news media outlet, PANews, the Trust Reserve team was apprehended on Monday by the police, which also seized the company’s office.

At press time, we still don’t know the reasons why the team was detained. Generally speaking, China is known for its strict policies toward cryptocurrencies. The industry was “banned” multiple times, and even today, trading cryptocurrencies is forbidden in mainland China.

‍

Other breaking news

• The number of divorces including digital assets on the rise
• Qredo reveals new self-custody wallet platform
• Multichain suspends multiple cross-chain services
• LayerZero rolls out zkLightClient
• Elon Musk sued for alleged Doge insider trading

‍

Wrapping up

June greets us with an exciting mix of developments in the crypto world. Concerns around Ethereum's centralization, Sui's collaboration with the Oracle Red Bull Racing F1, and Mercedes' AI-powered NFT collection all highlight the dynamism of this space. Regulatory actions in Georgia and China emphasize the evolving landscape, while Y2K Finance's upgrade showcases constant technological advancements.

Stay informed and engaged as we navigate this fascinating digital frontier together. See you in the next issue for more crypto updates.