Justin Drake Proposes Beam Chain Overhaul to Modernize Ethereum's Consensus Layer

Daily Top Performer — Ripple (XRP)

The S&P 500 fell 0.29%, led by declines in materials, healthcare, and real estate, while tech and consumer staples rose. Investors are awaiting economic reports, including the Consumer Price Index, which could influence Fed rate expectations. Coindesk Indices, an index measuring broader cryptocurrency market performance was down by 0.91%, with Bitcoin rising by  2.77% and Ether dropping by 1.40%, in the past 24 hours.

Today’s top performer is XRP, which surged 13.3% following the release of insights on how institutional custody solutions can transform crypto exchanges.

Ripple (XRP), launched in August 2012, is a blockchain technology company focused on improving international payments with its cryptocurrency, XRP. Institutional crypto custody is poised to transform crypto exchanges, enabling them to securely and compliantly manage tokenized assets. As tokenization grows, Ripple’s custody guide emphasizes that exchanges adopting institutional-grade custody solutions can attract institutional clients, comply with evolving regulations, and unlock new revenue opportunities in digital asset markets.

Check Out the Latest Prices, Charts, and Data of XRPUSDT Perp and XRP/USDT Spot  Contracts!

Talk of the Town

Justin Drake, an Ethereum Foundation researcher, proposed a major overhaul of Ethereum's consensus layer called "Beam Chain" during a presentation at DevCon in Bangkok. The Beam Chain would replace the existing Beacon Chain, modernizing Ethereum's staking mechanism, block production, and cryptography. Key changes include reducing the validator bond from 32 ETH to 1 ETH, enhancing censorship resistance, speeding up transaction slots, and integrating zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs to improve scalability and future-proof the network against quantum computing threats. Drake emphasized that Beam Chain would be implemented as a single major upgrade rather than incremental changes. The overhaul aims to accelerate Ethereum's evolution, with plans for development beginning in 2026 and testing in 2027.

Check Out the Latest Prices, Charts, and Data of ETHUSDT Perp and ETH/USDT Spot Contracts!

Bitcoin Spot ETF Flows

Yesterday, the BTC Spot ETF data shows a total flow of $39.2 million, with $17.8 million in GBTC and $57.0 million in non-GBTC investments.

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Airdrop to Watch

XION has launched the "Believe in Something" airdrop checker, allowing community members and industry participants to verify their eligibility for XION token rewards ahead of the mainnet launch. The airdrop, which allocates up to 5% of the total $XION supply, recognizes long-time supporters and contributors to the XION ecosystem. 69% of the tokens are dedicated to the XION community, with 31% going to broader supporters from other Web3 ecosystems. The initiative aims to reward those who have shown unwavering belief in XION’s vision and Web3's transformative potential.