Ripple’s General Counsel Exits Startup, Spokesperson Says 4656

Ripple general counsel Brynly Llyr has exited the blockchain payments startup, a spokesperson told on Friday. Llyr joined the company in 2016 as its top legal officer, remaining a part of the team for two and half years. While no reason was provided for her departure, a Ripple spokesperson told CoinDesk that her leaving was a “mutual decision” between her and the firm. Quartz first reported the news.

“We’re grateful to all that she did to help build an incredible team that will continue the work they’ve been focused on for the past year and beyond. We wish Brynly all the best in her next endeavor and the team here at Ripple looks forward to the next chapter where we will continue to pave the way in this ever-evolving and unchartered industry.”

Prior to joining the firm, she “advised fintech companies … [and] led litigation teams and partnered on matters including commercial deals, [mergers and acquisitions] and [intellectual property] protection” with PayPal and eBay, according to her company biography.

The news comes as Ripple prepares to fight multiple class-action lawsuits claiming the XRP token is a security distributed by the company.

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Turtle Club raises $6.2M to advance on-chain liquidity distribution protocol 690

Turtle Club today announced the close of a $6.2 million seed funding round to advance its on-chain liquidity distribution protocol. The funding supports the project’s mission to improve how liquidity is coordinated and deployed across decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystems.

The round was led by THEIA, with participation from Susquehanna (SIG), Laser Digital, Consensys, Selini, RE7 Capital, L2IV, Archimed Capital, Trident Digital, Bodhi Ventures, Shorewoods, Triton Liquid, AUROS Global, Chorus One, Frachtis, Moonhill Capital, Tulipa Capital, and others. Notable angel investors include Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin, Wintermute co-founder Yoann Turpin, and Ryan Fang of Ankr.

Turtle Club enables on-chain liquidity distribution by allowing liquidity providers (LPs) to earn rewards across multiple protocols. The protocol also helps projects and distribution partners align incentives, create visibility into liquidity costs across chains, establish risk-adjusted benchmarks for protocol categories, and design more sustainable incentive models. Capital providers benefit from transparent metrics that guide strategic deployment.

Since its launch in March 2024, Turtle Club reports:

  • 315,000+ registered wallets
  • $2.3 Billion+ in total value bootstrapped
  • 51 integrated protocols
  • $550 million deployed in 45 days via its first chain bootstrapping campaign

“As liquidity becomes more fragmented across chains and protocols, the need for structured, transparent distribution has never been greater,” said Essi Lagevardi, CEO of Turtle Club. “This round allows us to continue building mechanisms that reward capital providers fairly, help protocols design sustainable incentive programs, and support a more efficient, transparent DeFi liquidity environment. At the end of the day, our mission is simple: deliver the best-quality dealflow and the best possible service to LPs. When you consistently do both, everything else follows.”

Turtle Club will use the proceeds to expand its engineering team, support new protocol integrations, and grow its distribution network.

About Turtle Club

Turtle Club is a protocol for on-chain liquidity distribution, designed to connect LPs, protocols, and partners through sustainable and transparent incentive models. Operated by Phantom Protocol AG and launched in March 2024, Turtle Club has become one of the fastest-growing liquidity coordination layers in Web3.

Website: https://turtle.club
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TurtleClub
Docs: https://docs.turtle.club

MyStonks Launches Industry-Leading On-Chain U.S. Stock-Token Marketplace with 100% Custody Backing 901

MyStonks.org, a decentralized trading platform, announced the official launch of a fully custody-backed, on-chain U.S. stock token marketplace in the crypto industry. Cryptocurrency users can purchase U.S. stocks on MyStonks. Global asset management giant Fidelity provides custodial services for platform users, with an initial custody asset total of $50 million.

MyStonks has successfully established a complete operational cycle that links U.S. stock assets under Fidelity Custody to the Base blockchain for token minting and burning. Users can initiate purchases of Stonks100 stock tokens on MyStonks by transferring USDC or USDT from their self-custodied crypto wallets. Upon confirmation, MyStonks converts these stablecoins into USD and purchases the corresponding stock shares. These are then tokenized 1:1 into ERC-20 tokens via Base smart contracts. For example, when buying Apple shares, users receive AAPL.M tokens minted by MyStonks.org, representing the exact number of shares held. Token pricing utilizes Chainlink oracles.

If users wish to redeem their stock tokens, they can initiate a sell request for AAPL.M or other supported assets directly from their wallets. MyStonks will then convert the tokens back into stablecoins and burn the equivalent tokens in a 1:1 ratio.

To ensure the security of user assets, MyStonks has partnered with Fidelity, which provides custody services (Fidelity Custody) for platform users’ U.S. stock holdings.

According to a custodial statement dated April 29, 2025, Fidelity Custody holds over $50 million in U.S. equities ($50,473,199.00) on behalf of MyStonks Holding Limited. The initial batch of 95 tokenized equities includes major names such as AAPL, AMZN, DIS, GOOGL, META, MSFT, NFLX, and NVDA, each of which is mirrored on-chain by its respective token.

A representative from MyStonks explained that when users purchase U.S. stock tokens on the platform, the corresponding stocks are managed by Fidelity Custody, ensuring the authenticity, compliance, and auditability of assets. Through integration with Fidelity Custody’s infrastructure, MyStonks has achieved a seamless connection between on-chain tokens and off-chain stock assets.

As a trusted institution in TradFi, Fidelity plays a key role in safeguarding asset security and compliance, making it an important partner for MyStonks in the tokenization of stock trading.

Additionally, MyStonks has upgraded its on-chain trading security and user experience. When users initiate buy or sell orders, the platform executes the corresponding operations on the blockchain, including cross-chain asset management, real stock transactions, and the minting or burning of tokens. The entire process is transparent, traceable, and decentralized, enabling users to purchase U.S. stocks in a fully digital and tokenized manner.

All trading operations are governed by smart contracts to ensure immutability and auditability. A Decentralized Identity System (DID) safeguards account uniqueness and prevents fraudulent transactions. Core smart contracts have undergone security audits and are modularly designed to isolate risk. According to MyStonks.org, off-chain fund transfers require multisignature (multisig) wallet authorization to avoid single points of failure. Cross-chain asset movements are executed through audited protocols. Additional protections include a time-lock mechanism for transaction confirmation and HTTPS/HSTS enforcement for frontend encryption.

New user experience upgrades include support for on-chain limit orders, improved wallet connectivity, a refined user account dashboard, and optimized UI layouts.

“The launch of the Stonks100 tokenized U.S. stock marketplace marks an important milestone in our ongoing journey of innovation. As we continue to expand access to tokenized equities, our focus remains on offering secure, professional, and transparent trading infrastructure. We believe MyStonks users and our global community will grow alongside us as we push the boundaries of decentralized finance,” a MyStonks.org representative said.

About MyStonks.org

MyStonks.org is a decentralized crypto asset trading platform born out of a Community Takeover (CTO) effort by the Stonks community. It is an industry-leading platform to offer fully custody-backed, 1:1 tokenized U.S. equities on-chain. MyStonks aims to become the decentralized “NASDAQ” of the crypto world—supporting new token projects and reshaping the DeFi landscape for healthier market growth.

About the Stonks Community

The Stonks community draws inspiration from the GameStop ($GME) movement and the ethos of crypto resistance. The rallying cry: FIGHT! HODL!

Whitepaper: https://main.mystonks.org/pc/whitepaper.html
Fidelity Custody Report: https://main.mystonks.org/static/pdfjs/web/viewer.html?file=/static/Proof.pdf

Space and Time Launches on Mainnet to Power a New Generation of Data-Driven Crypto Apps 1180

Microsoft-backed Space and Time is the blockchain for ZK-proven data.

Space and Time, the Microsoft-backed blockchain for zero-knowledge (ZK)-proven data, is live on its public, permissionless mainnet.

Space and Time is designed to deliver ZK-proven data to smart contracts to power a new generation of data-driven crypto applications. It indexes data from other major blockchains, including Ethereum, and stores it across a decentralized network of database validators. Developers can access, query ZK-prove and connect this data back to their smart contract using Proof of SQL, Space and Time’s sub-second ZK coprocessor for SQL database queries.

“Prior to Space and Time, onchain applications had no way to query basic user data from a database of blockchain activity without introducing security risks and tampering. In addition, enterprises had no way to securely connect their cloud databases with smart contracts. Today we’re thrilled to announce the mainnet launch of Space and Time, which will empower developers to build sophisticated, data-driven onchain applications secured by cryptographic proofs,” said Scott Dykstra, Contributor #001 at Space and Time.

Smart contracts today can’t natively access historical, cross-chain or offchain data, which limits the complexity of onchain apps. Chainlink pioneered external data access for smart contracts with secure oracles and cross-chain messaging, solving key pieces of the context problem. The next wave of onchain innovation—spanning everything from dynamic financial instruments to data-rich AI agents and tokenized real-world systems—will require a trustless database layer for complex data retrieval. Space and Time enables this with a verifiable, decentralized database network that gives smart contracts the ability to query the full history of Ethereum and beyond.

“Smart contracts need context to make decisions, whether it’s real-time market data, cross-chain messaging or historical onchain activity. Chainlink provides the connective tissue for data to move securely across systems, and Space and Time brings powerful new compute capabilities that complement that vision. Together, we’re pushing the boundaries of what developers can build onchain,” said Sergey Nazarov, Co-Founder of Chainlink.

Space and Time was created by MakeInfinite Labs, a frontier protocol research lab that is backed by Microsoft and working alongside major financial institutions. In addition to its work on Space and Time, the firm has developed key technologies to the broader crypto ecosystem, such as Proof of SQL, Blitzar, an Elastic Network ZK Chain for Space and Time, and Chainlink DeFi Yield Index.

“At MakeInfinite Labs, we’re focused on building foundational infrastructure to enable the next generation of crypto applications. Contributing core technologies like Proof of SQL and the original architecture of Space and Time is part of that vision. We’re excited to see the ecosystem take this work forward and unlock new possibilities for verifiable, data-driven applications,” said Nate Holiday, CEO of MakeInfinite Labs & Co-Founder of Space and Time.

Space and Time is secured by a decentralized set of validators, and anyone can contribute to the network by providing high-quality datasets, staking or running a validator node.

About Space and Time

Space and Time is the blockchain for ZK-proven data, which enables smart contracts to trustlessly access and compute over data from any chain or source. Powered by Proof of SQL, a sub-second ZK coprocessor, Space and Time empowers developers to build more intelligent, data-rich applications with verifiable data.

About MakeInfinite Labs

MakeInfinite Labs is a frontier protocol research lab contributing to some of the most prominent protocols and ecosystems across crypto, including the creation of Space and Time. MakeInfinite Labs raised $50 million from Microsoft’s M12 Ventures and other leading investors to build the infrastructure that enables developers and creators to build data-driven applications, tokenize and monetize and win in the AI economy.

Introducing AIVM: ChainGPT’s Layer-1 Blockchain to Power Verifiable AI at Scale 1285

ChainGPT, a pioneer in blockchain AI solutions, today announced the release of its highly anticipated AIVM Whitepaper, a comprehensive technical and strategic vision for building the foundation of the AI Crypto Economy. The Artificial Intelligence Virtual Machine (AIVM) is a purpose-built Layer-1 blockchain designed to seamlessly integrate decentralised AI development, compute infrastructure, and monetisation, bringing Web2 and Web3 together under one unified, scalable AI ecosystem.

AIVM represents a major technological breakthrough, bridging the long-standing gap between artificial intelligence and blockchain infrastructure. AIVM turns AI into an open, trust-minimised public utility. As the first unified solution to offer decentralised compute, agent-based AI execution, tokenised data marketplaces, and developer tooling, AIVM lays the groundwork for an open, fair, and scalable AI ecosystem free from the grip of Big Tech monopolies.

Key Highlights from the AIVM Whitepaper:

The Problem:

  • AI is centralised: Controlled by Big Tech, limited transparency, and riddled with bias
  • Compute is exclusive: Cloud giants dictate access and pricing for AI infrastructure
  • Developers are stuck: Building decentralised AI is complex, fragmented, and slow.
  • Users lack control: Data is exploited without fair compensation or privacy guarantees

Reimagining AI x Blockchain Integration

AIVM introduces a robust Layer-1 architecture purpose-built to support AI execution, verifiable inference, decentralised model deployment, and cross-chain interoperability. This solves key challenges like scalability, privacy, and compute fragmentation.

A Plug-and-Play AI Infrastructure Stack

From decentralised compute and AI agent frameworks to model storage and data marketplaces, AIVM delivers a plug-and-play ecosystem for developers, enterprises, and Web3 projects to build, deploy, and monetise AI at scale.

Core Innovations

  • Dual-Path Execution: Simple models run transparently on-chain; complex workloads execute off-chain with cryptographic proofs via ZKML and TEEs.
  • GPU Compute Marketplace: AIVM provides permissionless access to scalable, low-cost compute without vendor lock-in. Developers can source GPUs directly or via integrated networks like io.net. By combining a native marketplace with external aggregator support, AIVM maximises global compute availability and pricing flexibility.
  • AI Model & Dataset Marketplace: Developers can publish, monetise, and reuse models/data with full transparency.
  • Developer Toolkits: SDKs, APIs, CLI tools, and monitoring dashboards to accelerate AI deployment. These tools are designed for AI devs, not blockchain engineers, with Python SDKs, CLI tools, and dashboards that simplify onboarding and deployment.
  • Privacy-Preserving AI: Zero-Knowledge Proofs, Federated Learning, and secure enclaves for sensitive data protection

AIVM is the only Layer-1 blockchain with native validator roles for AI, Compute, and Data, each enforcing trust across model execution, resource availability, and data integrity.

Token Utility & Validator Incentives

AIVM is powered by a single asset, $CGPT, which serves as both the gas token and the currency of the ecosystem. Users pay $CGPT for compute, storage, model access, and transaction fees. Validators, including consensus, AI, Compute, and Data Validators, stake $CGPT to secure the network and earn rewards for maintaining execution integrity, performance, and data privacy. This design aligns economic incentives across all protocol layers while ensuring AIVM remains scalable, decentralised, and trust-minimised.

Designed for Everyone in the AI Economy AIVM empowers:

  • AI Developers & Researchers with decentralised tools and compute access
  • Web3 Projects & dApps with intelligent agents and on-chain AI capabilities
  • Enterprises & AI-enabled businesses with privacy-first AI APIs and cost savings
  • GPU Providers & Data Contributors with new monetisation models via tokenised incentives

Commenting on this innovative launch, Ilan Rakhmanov, Founder of ChainGPT and CEO of ChainGPT Software, said, “Today, AI is locked in centralised silos data, models, and compute are monopolised by a few. At the same time, blockchain lacks the speed and tooling required for real AI execution. AIVM changes that. We’re not just launching another chain; we’re building the decentralised AI cloud. Think AWS for AI, but open, verifiable, and powered by crypto.”

The whitepaper outlines high-impact applications across AI-powered DeFi, predictive trading, fraud detection, decentralised identity, DAO governance, generative NFTs, and more. This makes AIVM a catalyst for the next wave of AI + blockchain innovation.

AIVM is advancing toward a decentralised AI future through a clear, phased roadmap designed to deliver robust infrastructure, real-world scalability, and widespread adoption. Here’s a look at the journey ahead:

AIVM Roadmap (3 Phases)

Phase 1: Establish the blockchain foundation with core infrastructure, lightweight on-chain models, and verified execution.

Phase 2: Scale the platform with advanced model management, dual-path execution, hybrid storage, and decentralised resource marketplaces.

Phase 3: Mature the ecosystem with enterprise integrations, developer toolkits, analytics frameworks, and workflow orchestration—paving the way for mass adoption.

A detailed AIVM roadmap will be published shortly after the whitepaper’s release.

About ChainGPT

Incepted in 2023, ChainGPT is a leading provider of AI-powered tools for the blockchain and Web3 industries. It emerged as a project to bridge the gap between blockchain technology and AI, creating innovative solutions for the Web3 ecosystem. Leveraging advanced AI techniques, ChainGPT enhances blockchain functionality with its tools and applications, including SDKs and APIs for automated smart contract generation, a Web3 AI chatbot, an NFT generator, and an IDO launchpad. With established partnerships and collaborations with industry leaders such as Google, Nvidia, and BNB Chain, ChainGPT continues to pioneer efficient and user-friendly AI solutions in the blockchain space.

As a relatively young but rapidly growing project, ChainGPT’s mission is to revolutionize the intersection of blockchain and AI, with a vision to unlock the potential of autonomous AI agents in Web3.

Learn more at: https://www.chaingpt.org/

Monetary Metals Partners with ORO Labs 1337

Monetary Metals is pleased to announce a partnership with ORO Labs. ORO has created the first yield-bearing blockchain gold token, providing a new distribution channel for Monetary Metals.

While most gold tokens simply provide custody, ORO has developed something more valuable: a token that enables savers to earn a yield on gold.

“We’re proud to be working with Monetary Metals, the creators of the precious metals fixed income category,” said Dubai-based ORO CEO Usman Saleem. “Their Gold Yield Marketplace platform connects our token with real-world gold financing flows,” he added. “Together we’ve transformed gold from a passive holding into a yield-bearing blockchain asset.”

Top Solana engineers and business leaders helped design ORO’s architecture to support compliance, legal clarity, and integration with gold markets. ORO leverages Solana’s high transaction throughput and low fee structure to attain massive scale.

“We are impressed by ORO’s focus on composability, and by their sustainable tokenomics,” said Monetary Metals Dubai Manager Mark Pey. He added, “The crypto industry is shifting its focus to Real World Assets (RWA). With this partnership we’ve created an even more powerful category: Real World Productive Assets (RWPA).”

The ORO gold token is currently in an invite-only private beta phase with institutional and other participants. It will be open to the public in Q3, 2025.

About Monetary Metals

Monetary Metals is Unlocking the Productivity of Gold by offering a Yield on Gold, Paid in Gold to investors, and Gold Financing, Simplified to gold-using businesses (mints, miners, refiners, jewelers, etc.). Since 2016, individuals and institutions around the world have been earning interest in gold and silver every month through their Gold Yield Marketplace. For more information, visit www.monetary-metals.com.

About ORO Labs

ORO is a U.A.E.-based technology company that is building modern financial infrastructure for gold. Its technology transforms vaulted gold into a programmable asset — enabling yield, liquidity, and integration across both traditional and emerging financial systems. For more information, visit https://orogold.app/

fomo Debuts Groundbreaking Social Crypto Trading App, Aiming to Onboard 10M+ Users 1453

Self-Custodial, Gasless, and Social-First, fomo Launches Public Beta To Simplify and Humanize Crypto for the Next Wave of Users

Crypto startup fomo has announced the public beta of its social-first crypto trading app, built to make digital asset trading simple, social, and accessible to everyone.

Based in New York and developed by a team with roots at Uniswap, Opensea, dYdX, Square, and Google, fomo’s beta is now live for an initial 1,000-user cohort, with a full public launch on Tuesday May 6th, 2025. The mission: to onboard the next 10 million users to crypto by removing the friction that’s held mainstream adoption back.

The platform will allow users to trade across chains with gasless swaps, embedded wallets, and stay connected to friends and top traders via curated social feeds and copytrading features — all within an intuitive, modern interface. With attention-based assets continuing to dominate and real-world assets increasingly tokenized, fomo aims to be the all-in-one place to explore and trade digital assets without complexity or compromise.

“We believe digital assets will eat the world,” said Paul Erlanger, founder and CEO of fomo. “But crypto is still too hard for everyday people. With fomo, we’re stripping away the pain points — no gas fees, no technical barriers — and making crypto feel as easy and human as using your favorite app.”

Users in the beta can log in using Apple ID, fund their accounts quickly, connect X to find friends, and start trading across chains like Solana in seconds. fomo’s vision is to build not just a trading tool but a trusted social network around crypto, similar to how Strava built a community around fitness.

To sign up, invite friends, and explore the future of digital asset trading, visit fomo.family.

About fomo

fomo is a social-first crypto trading app built to bring the next 10 million users into digital assets. By removing blockchain friction and layering in community-driven features, fomo delivers a fast, self-custodial, and intuitive experience for everyday users. The platform is backed by $2M in pre-seed funding and built by a team with experience from Uniswap, Opensea, Square, Google, and more.