Odaily Planet Daily reports that TON has rolled out an update for mainnet validators as fresh capital flows into the validation network. The protocol said both the minimum and maximum effective staking thresholds required to participate have increased, and may rise further. Validators are advised to review whether their current allocations remain sufficient to stay active and, where possible, consolidate staking positions. For the current round, the minimum effective stake is 824,000 TON and the maximum is 2,425,000 TON. TON expects these thresholds to climb in the near term to 1,000,000 TON and 3,000,000 TON. For validators that cannot meet the staking requirements for both rounds at the same time, TON recommends using staking services or setting up a 1of2 round validation configuration to improve capital efficiency.

NEAR Protocol is quietly reshaping its narrative around becoming the infrastructure layer for the "agentic economy." The network's NEAR Intents has surpassed $10B in all-time cross-chain volume, while a newly launched superapp offers a single-account experience spanning more than 35 blockchains, including BTC, SOL, ZEC, ADA, and major EVM networks. On the technical side, Nightshade 3.0 separates consensus from execution and introduces a live private shard, aiming to push NEAR's architecture beyond 1M+ transactions per second. NEAR AI has also joined NVIDIA's Inception Program, focusing on verifiable, privacy-preserving AI inference within Trusted Execution Environments.

OpenTensor's Q1 2026 update delivered fresh institutional signals for Bittensor. Nvidia took a $420M position in TAO, with 77% of the stake locked. Polychain Capital increased exposure by $200M. The network posted $43M in revenue from real AI usage last quarter, supported by productive subnets such as Chutes. Grayscale and Bitwise have active spot TAO ETF filings on record, with decisions expected later in 2026. To accommodate incoming builders, subnet capacity is set to double from 128 to 256.

After losing momentum in March, spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tied to XRP—the second-largest non-stablecoin altcoin—rebounded in April with their strongest showing since December. The token itself made only modest progress, leaving traders focused on what could come next. Spot XRP ETFs return to net inflows XRP-focused spot ETFs started with a standout run. Following the November 13 launch of Canary Capital's XRPC, the products attracted their first $1 billion in roughly a month. Daily flows stayed consistently positive through January 7, with no day seeing net outflows exceed inflows. That pace slowed as global uncertainty weighed on risk appetite. Net inflows dropped from $500 million in December to $15.6 million in January. February improved to $58 million, but March turned negative for the first time, posting more than $31 million in net outflows. SoSoValue data also showed several sessions with no reportable activity. April again included a handful of quiet days, but the month closed firmly positive. Net inflows totaled $81.59 million, marking the best month since December, though still well below the records set in November and December. Cumulative inflows reached a new all-time high of $1.3 billion on April 29 before edging lower on April 30. XRP price remains under pressure XRP has struggled since spot XRP ETFs launched. The token traded above $2.40 on the debut day and now battles to hold above $1.40. Crypto analyst BATMAN described the current area as a "make-or-break" level, saying XRP is repeatedly testing a key trendline. A decisive breakdown could extend the bearish trend and open the door to lower lows. Holding the bullish trendline, in their view, could support a bounce. Another analyst, CW, called XRP's price action "boring," while arguing that upside potential in the futures market continues to build. They suggested that once the market breaks out of the current range, that accumulated potential could unwind into a sharp move.

Arbitrum governance has advanced a proposal to release 30,765 ETH—roughly $71 million—to help stabilize liquidity and support DeFi protocols affected by disruptions tied to Kelp DAO. The ETH was frozen on April 21 by Arbitrum's Security Council and is now set to proceed to a DAO vote, with the release framed as part of a post-incident recovery effort following the April 18 exploit. The governance plan, outlined in accompanying documents, targets 30,765 ETH held at a designated address. It was coauthored by Aave Labs, Kelp DAO, LayerZero, EtherFi, and Compound, and stipulates that funds will move only after governance approval. Early voting signals show unanimous support from participating tokens, representing more than 34 million ARB. If approved, the ETH would be transferred to a recovery wallet protected by a 3-of-4 Gnosis Safe. The proposed signers are Aave Labs, Kelp DAO, Certora, and EtherFi. The process also includes a Snapshot temperature check ahead of final onchain submission through Tally, adding an additional layer of oversight before execution. The proposal addresses only a portion of the broader liquidity mismatch created by the April 18 incident. According to the documents, the exploit resulted in 116,500 restaked ETH being released without a corresponding burn, creating a gap between issued rsETH and the collateral backing it. Current figures show about 152,577 rsETH issued against roughly 40,373 held, implying a shortfall of around 76,127 rsETH—valued near $174.5 million. The 30,765 ETH release would cover part of that deficit, with the recovery effort aimed at easing near-term liquidity pressure rather than fully closing the gap. Additional support has been pledged across the ecosystem. Mantle, EtherFi Foundation, Golem Foundation, Lido DAO, Ethena, LayerZero, Ink Foundation, and Tyrdo have committed about 43,000 ETH in total, as protocols seek to limit spillover risks across interconnected DeFi systems. Arbitrum's approach also underscores the growing role of DAO-led crisis response, with the timing of fund movement now dependent on the outcome of the governance vote.

CoinDesk reports: ## Market overview Investors are weighing the implications of Ethereum's upcoming Glamsterdam upgrade after developers agreed to a sharp increase in the network's gas limit. Pricing in the market points to expectations that stronger scalability and utility could support a higher ETH valuation. ## Key points - Ethereum's higher gas limit is being read as a step toward improved scalability and greater on-chain utility. - Market pricing suggests participants see the upgrade as potentially supportive for Ethereum's price. - May ETH forecasts broadly match a scenario where network upgrades translate into rising demand. ## What's changing Ethereum is preparing a significant protocol upgrade dubbed Glamsterdam that would raise the gas limit from 60 million to about 200 million. The change is expected to more than triple Layer 1 execution capacity, materially increasing throughput. More than 100 core developers backed the proposal at the Soldøgn Interop conference. The stated target is to move toward processing speeds of 10,000 transactions per second. Ethereum community member Hasufl said gas fees are likely to stay low unless demand accelerates in tandem with the added capacity. The upgrade fits into Ethereum's broader roadmap focused on performance optimization and lower transaction costs. ## Market analysis Price action following the Glamsterdam announcement has been consistent with a more constructive outlook for ETH. Expectations for better utility and reduced fees are seen as potential demand catalysts, reinforcing May projections that lean bullish. The upgrade's market impact is being characterized as moderate, suggesting sentiment is improving but not yet euphoric. ## What to watch Key signposts include real-world network performance after the upgrade and whether low transaction fees persist. Comments from major figures such as Vitalik Buterin and any developments tied to Ethereum-related ETFs could also sway sentiment. Traders are watching for broader crypto-market shifts that may shape Ethereum's near-term trajectory.

PiCoreTeam said Pi Network now has 421,000 active mainnet nodes, with more than 10 billion $PI migrated to mainnet—what it describes as the largest validator footprint among major Layer-1 networks. Protocol 23, which will enable full smart contract functionality, has been brought forward by one week to May 11. In recent weeks, about 3 million $PI has moved onto centralized exchanges as holders position for the upgrade. After years of being dismissed as a "fake mining app," the network's on-chain metrics are beginning to draw closer scrutiny.

Nexo has broadened its Zero-Interest Credit line to include XRP and Solana, allowing users to borrow at 0% APR using either token as collateral. The update adds XRP and SOL to the program's existing collateral options of Bitcoin and Ethereum, underscoring a push to make digital assets more usable as day-to-day financial tools rather than holdings kept on the sidelines. The product centers on accessing liquidity without selling crypto. Users pledge XRP or SOL and borrow stablecoins while maintaining exposure to their underlying positions. Nexo says the structure is built to provide more certainty, with liquidation risk at maturity removed under specific conditions and a more predictable route through market volatility. Nexo reports its Zero-Interest Credit offering has already facilitated more than $170 million in loans. The company adds that 66% of borrowers have returned for additional borrowing, pointing to sustained demand from users seeking cash flow without exiting long-term bets. Nexo described the move as a strategic expansion of its credit ecosystem, bringing XRP and Solana fully into its collateral framework and extending built-in downside protection across a wider set of assets. The expansion lands as crypto lending infrastructure develops across both centralized and on-chain channels. In late March, Evernorth indicated plans to introduce native XRP lending on the XRP Ledger, a step it said could help mobilize as much as $100 billion in sidelined capital by moving lending activity fully on-chain. Coinbase has also widened its own credit program, adding XRP, Dogecoin, Cardano, and Litecoin as eligible collateral for U.S. users. The offering allows borrowing of up to $100,000 in USD Coin, highlighting intensifying competition among major platforms for crypto-backed loan demand. Taken together, the shifts reflect a broader trend: digital assets are increasingly being positioned as collateral and yield-generating tools. From centralized lenders such as Nexo and Coinbase to emerging on-chain initiatives like Evernorth's XRPL effort, crypto's credit layer is evolving into a more structured, accessible, and capital-efficient market.

Shiba Inu's layer-2 network Shibarium has surpassed 1 billion cumulative transactions, a milestone reached after the chain's launch in late 2023. On-chain data also pointed to heavier self-custody flows. Roughly 505 billion SHIB tokens were moved from exchanges to private wallets over the past week, pushing SHIB exchange reserves to record lows. Separately, T. Rowe Price filed to add SHIB to its active crypto ETF. For a memecoin that spent 2025–2026 trying to position itself as a layer-2 settlement network, crossing the 10-digit transaction mark adds momentum to the project's push beyond its meme roots.