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Privacy-focused infrastructure provider 0xbow has launched Privacy Pools, a new blockchain tool that lets users protect their transaction history while attempting to follow the law. On a Mar. 31 post on X, 0xbow announced the mainnet launch, stating that Ethereum ( ETH ) users can now achieve on-chain privacy while avoiding illicit funds. Privacy Pools use zero-knowledge proofs to enable private ERC-20 token transfers. gm Ethereum ☀️ It is our great honor to announce the mainnet launch of Privacy Pools! ETH users can now achieve on-chain privacy, while still dissociating from illicit funds It is now up to all of us to Make Privacy Normal Again 🫡 More info in this thread 👇 pic.twitter.com/3nJO0AxoD1 Unlike earlier privacy mixers, this tool screens deposits to prevent stolen or illicit funds from entering the system. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin is one of the co-authors of the initial Privacy Pools research paper and has publicly supported the project. Following the mainnet launch, Buterin was among the first to deposit ETH into the pool. The system works through “Association Sets,” which batch transactions while verifying they aren’t linked to hackers, scammers, or other bad actors. If a deposit is later flagged, it can be removed without affecting others in the pool. If a user’s deposit doesn’t pass the screening process, they can withdraw their funds back to their original wallet through a “ragequit” function, making Privacy Pools a non-custodial solution. According to 0xbow, Privacy Pools had already processed more than 21 ETH from 69 deposits. The initial deposit cap is set at 1 ETH. However, as the system is tested further, the cap will be raised. In recent years, privacy tools have faced regulatory pressure due to concerns over illegal use. A major obstacle has been striking a balance between user privacy and legal compliance. Several countries have taken action to limit the use of privacy coins like Monero and Zcash due to their growing use in criminal activity. In the most well-known case, Tornado Cash was sanctioned by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury for allegedly facilitating illicit transactions. However, a U.S. appeals court ruled in November 2024 that the sanctions were unlawful and reversed them. According to the court’s ruling, Tornado Cash’s immutable smart contracts do not qualify as “property” that can be seized, and the penalties were unfairly imposed on a decentralized protocol. Whether 0xbow’s new strategy will meet global regulatory requirements is still unknown.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has put forward an exhaustive plan that aims to enhance security and finality in Layer 2 (L2) networks. His latest proposal, “A Simple L2 Security and Finalization Roadmap,” outlines three primary methods of enhancing Ether’s scalability and transactional speed. One of the most crucial components of the roadmap that is suggested is increasing blockchain data availability. Buterin identifies the upcoming Pectra upgrade , which will increase the Blob space allocation to six units. This will be complemented by future upgrades, potentially up to 72 units with the Fusaka upgrade later this year or incrementally growing to a band of 12 to 24 units. All the upgrades aim to accommodate higher transaction loads so that L2 rollups can operate effectively and efficiently. Another significant aspect of the proposal involves utilizing a hybrid proof verification system with a combination of multiple security features. In this approach, the use of a mixture of optimistic proofs, zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs, and Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) hardware-based verifications is applied. Once the ZK and TEE methods successfully verify a transaction, finalization is immediate. However, still, in case of inconsistencies, transactions enter a seven-day optimistic challenge period when the network will check and settle any potential security issues. Where proof logic adjustments are warranted, a security committee is authorized to make changes subject to a 30-day mandatory delay, another safeguard against possible exploits. To further enhance Ethereum’s L2 ecosystem even more, Buterin also proposed the creation of a standardized ZK proof aggregation layer. This project seeks to develop a shared protocol permitting a plurality of applications to verify transactions collectively and share the corresponding computational costs. With aggregation proofs and reducing gas charges for separate verifications, which are estimated at around 500,000 Gas per proof, this system aims to lower costs. It seeks to make zero-knowledge verification more affordable and accessible across different L2 solutions and privacy protocols. One of the overall goals of the roadmap is near-instant bridging between chains with the ideal aim of settling transactions in under an hour, as mentioned in our previous post. In the short term, the hybrid proof paradigm will deliver the acceleration without compromising security. Ultimately, Buterin envisions devolving away from reliance on TEE with the eventual long-term goal of achieving a completely decentralized, trustless, but highly optimized L2 setup. Such proposed upgrades are to become the focus of Ethereum development. These upgrades necessitate an even more secure and scalable platform that can accommodate increased demand without compromising high-security guarantees.

Solana (SOL) is struggling to hold its position about the current support level of $125, as it records negative declines across all the notable trading sessions. According to our market data, SOL has fallen by 4% in the last 24 hours, 3% in the last seven days, 10% in the last 30 days, and 35.9% in the last 90 days. Solana’s key market metrics, however, show positive readings with a Positive/Negative Sentiment Ratio currently around 32.87. Comparatively, this level far outshines the sentiment levels of Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Ripple(XRP). Solana’s Open Interest (OI) has also crossed the $5 billion mark, as mentioned in our previous news brief. Based on our research, this reading coincides with the recent report that BlackRock is using Solana’s infrastructure for its yield-bearing tokenized treasury funds. The decision to settle on Solana is reported to stem from its fast transaction and low gas fees. According to the COO of Securitize, Michael Sonnenshein, the network makes “it easier and more convenient for funds like treasuries.” We’re making them unboring. We are advancing and leapfrogging some of the quote-unquote deficiencies that money markets may have in their traditional formats. For now, the 50-day Moving Average (MA) at $133.74 is reported to act as a crucial resistance level. Meanwhile, the Bollinger Bands are said to be tightening, indicating contracting volatility. Also, the current price pattern shows consolidation rather than a breakout. According to analysts, positive developments that are not supported by price and trading volume could be risky. Analyst DonAlt believes that SOL has moved from “beloved” to “hated” after people on the chain lost their money to scams. SOL went from beloved to hated quickly only because everyone on the chain lost all their money to scams. Contrary to this stance, an analyst called “Zero” has predicted that the asset could stage a rebound to $1000. Also, analyst Ali Martinez estimates that SOL could surge to $225 or even $264 once it completes the formation of a rare bullish pattern. In a recent analysis , CNF disclosed that Solana has the potential to stage a rebound to $300. However, this would follow ETH’s reversal to $5000. Ali Martinez believes that the $300 price point is a conservative estimate as the asset has shown the ability to rise as high as $3,800. Market experts have argued that SOL’s future move could be largely fueled by an Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) approval. As we discussed earlier, JPMorgan analysts estimate that SOL ETF could attract between $3 to $6 billion in net assets within the first six months. When applying these so-called “adoption rates” to SOL and XRP, we see SOL attracting roughly $3 billion–$6 billion in net assets and XRP gathering $4 billion–$8 billion in net new assets.

Now tracking Privacy Pools @0xbowio on @ethereum Privacy Pools enables private asset withdrawals using zero-knowledge proofs and commitment schemes, allowing users to deposit and later withdraw without creating an on-chain link between their deposit and withdrawal addresses

Just for education purposes. The example from the above tweet with zero hindsight. 85-84K was never a good long