Ethereum

Also today, El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele wants to run for re-election — but according to the constitution, he isn't allowed.

It's the weekend edition of CoinMarketRecap! Connor Sephton and Molly Jane Zuckerman chew over some of the biggest crypto stories from the past seven days.

Bitcoin maximalists have been up in arms about these revelations. They argue that this proves Ethereum is becoming more centralized, and censorship resistance is at risk.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Gary Gensler believes cryptocurrencies that operate on PoS chains may be classified as securities.

Environmental ETH naysayers can take a break — by some estimates, Ethereum's switch to Proof-of-Stake is equivalent to Finland shutting down its entire power grid.

Plus — Craig Wright makes a big revelation during a trial in Norway, and South Korean officials attempt to void Do Kwon's passport.

This is a significant development, because it means GPU miners are no longer responsible for verifying transactions and adding them to the blockchain.

With the Ethereum Merge set to be the most significant upgrade ever — we took a look back at the most notable events in Ethereum's colorful history.

Also today, MicroStrategy is still determined to snap up as much Bitcoin as possible.

The Tron co-founder even suggested that Tether and Circle — the two biggest stablecoin issuers — may even reconsider their support for Proof-of-Stake.

Ethereum's Merge is especially significant given how it's the most ambitious upgrade in the blockchain's history — and it's set to be achieved without any downtime.

The latest figures suggest 13.6 million ETH is staked right now — and questions have been raised about whether there's a danger this could all be unlocked at once.

Chris Anatalio, a software engineer and platform advocate for ConsenSys, told the CoinMarketRecap podcast that — for everyday holders — "no news is good news."

Chainalysis has helped recover $30 million stolen in March's Ronin Network hack — and they're vowing to stop the Lazarus Group from cashing out the rest.

We're joined by four top guests — two who are supporting the switch to Proof-of-Stake, and two who are against.

Those against Ethereum's imminent move to a Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism are being accused of acting in their own financial self-interest.

Chandler Guo told the CoinMarketRecap podcast his opposition to PoS isn't about money — instead, he's worried this consensus mechanism will affect Ethereum's censorship resistance.

The merge looks to address current challenges faced by Ethereum by significantly reducing the amount of energy required to maintain the network and paving the way for further upgrades.