OpenAI Launches EVMbench To Test AI's Crypto Hacking Skills

OpenAI and investment titan Paradigm inaugurated EVMbench to rigorously evaluate the offensive and defensive capabilities of AI agents against smart contract vulnerabilities. This strategic diagnostic tool assesses whether autonomous software can reliably protect billions in assets.

The technical debut transpired on 18 February 2026 across the global developer community following a series of high-profile decentralized finance exploits. These rigorous tests utilize 120 vulnerabilities drawn from 40 historical audits and security competitions.

Founders deployed this specific benchmark because they seek to understand the dual-use risks of advanced machine intelligence in economic environments. By simulating sandbox attacks, the protocol measures if agents can effectively detect flaws before malicious actors.

Engineers achieved this milestone by measuring the performance of GPT-5.3-Codex, which successfully drained vulnerable test vaults in 72% of attempts. Consequently, researchers must now prioritize automated patching to prevent AI from becoming a purely predatory force.

Optimism Token Sinks Following Base Technical Pivot

Optimism’s native OP token plunged over 20% following a major announcement from the Layer 2 network Base. The Coinbase-incubated project revealed it is transitioning away from the OP Stack to a self-operated tech stack called base/base. This strategic decoupling ends a three-year dependency and significantly reduces the future sequencer revenue flowing into the Optimism treasury.

The market reacted sharply as the OP price dropped to $0.14 during a period of broader altcoin weakness. Base representatives stated that the switch allows for a faster shipping cadence with up to six scheduled upgrades per year. This development highlights a growing trend where successful scaling solutions seek greater independence to reduce operational complexity and infrastructure costs.

Robinhood Layer 2 Testnet Hits 4 Million Transactions

Robinhood’s new public testnet accumulated over 4 million transactions during its first week of operation this Wednesday. CEO Vlad Tenev confirmed that developers are already utilizing the Ethereum Layer 2 to build high-throughput financial applications. The network is specifically designed to support tokenized equities and real-world assets while leveraging the security of the Arbitrum ecosystem.

This activity suggests strong interest in on-chain financial services despite the recent downturn in retail crypto trading. Robinhood plans to expand its offering to include 24/7 trading and self-custody for various tokenized stock products later this year. The company remains committed to tokenization as a core pillar of its long-term strategy to modernize global market infrastructure.

ETH Denver 2026 Prioritizes Builders Over Hype

The ETH Denver conference officially opened with a noticeable shift toward technical development and serious builder energy. Founder John Paller noted that attendance has fallen to roughly 8,000 people compared to the speculative crowds of previous years. This more intimate setting at the National Western Center focuses on high-signal networking rather than the noise of retail hype.

Attendees observed that the current market slump has trimmed the number of casual visitors while retaining those committed to Web3 infrastructure. The event features specialized zones for art and mental wellness to support the well-being of the decentralized community. Despite the cold Colorado weather, the core nucleus of developers continues to explore new blueprints for the user-owned internet.

Data of the Day

Worldwide Google searches for the phrase "Bitcoin going to zero" reached their highest levels since the 2022 FTX crisis. This spike in retail fear arrived this Thursday as the asset remains almost 50% below its previous October all-time high. Analysts observe that while public anxiety is soaring, institutional buyers like sovereign wealth funds continue to accumulate more BTC through ETFs.

The current panic is largely driven by macro uncertainty and amplified by consistently bearish media commentary from prominent financial analysts. Google Trends data indicates that retail fear typically lags professional sentiment by approximately 10 to 14 days during volatile periods.

More Breaking News

• Uniswap governance is mulling a sweeping plan to activate protocol fees across all v3 pools and expand revenue collection to eight additional chains.
• Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel argued that euro-pegged stablecoins and wholesale CBDCs are essential to prevent the dollarization of the European digital economy.
• CME Group will launch 24/7 cryptocurrency futures and options trading on May 29, providing institutional clients with round-the-clock access to digital derivatives.
• The United Arab Emirates sits on $344 million in unrealized Bitcoin mining profits, producing 4 BTC daily through state-backed, industrial-scale infrastructure operations.
• Soil launched the first compliant yield protocol for Ripple’s RLUSD on XRP Ledger, generating fixed returns backed by diversified real-world financial assets.
• Voltage introduced a programmatic revolving credit line for businesses, enabling instant settlement over Bitcoin rails with flexible USD or BTC repayment options.
• Ledn sold $188 million in securitized bonds backed by Bitcoin, marking a milestone for crypto-backed credit markets despite recent volatility and price drops.
• South Korean prosecutors recovered 320 BTC stolen during a 2025 investigation after an unknown hacker mysteriously returned the funds to a government wallet.
• Ether.fi is migrating its non-custodial crypto card product to OP Mainnet, moving 70,000 active cards and millions in TVL from the Scroll network.

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