US Border Officials to Test Blockchain 5899

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) plans to trial blockchain technology to verify North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) certificates.

CBP Division of Business Transformation and Innovation head Vincent Annunziato said the agency was beginning a “live fire testing” of a blockchain platform to certify that imported products originated where they claim during CBP’s 2018 Trade Symposium in Atlanta, according to the American Shipper.

The new system, which will launch in September, is going to help CBP verify information about imported goods and check how foreign suppliers act toward American importers, he said. The system can also be used to authenticate trademarks and check on an item’s physical properties.

“I can even go in and say, ‘hey, I need a little information on the stitching,’ or, ‘I need information on what colors are viable,'” Annunziato said.

Annunziato said the blockchain system could be used in a mobile app, which would replace a paper-based manual process for verifying such information, thereby streamlining the agency’s work.

He also provided an update to the agency’s work with the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC). As previously reported by CoinDesk, COAC formed a special group advising the Secretaries of Treasury and Homeland Security on the agency’s commercial operations last November. The body was said to focus on emerging technologies in general and on blockchain in particular.

This week, Annunziato confirmed that the committee was working to develop a proof-of-concept blockchain platform to verify intellectual property by confirming the relationship between licensees and licensors. The technology could ultimately eliminate paper processes, manuals and databases, CPB hopes.

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Aave Integrates Chainlink SVR on Ethereum Mainnet to Recapture Liquidation MEV and Increase Protocol Revenue 2171

Chainlink, the standard for onchain finance, BGD Labs, a Web3 development initiative focused on the Aave ecosystem, and Aave Chan Initiative, one of the driving forces behind the Aave protocol, announced today that the Aave DAO community has officially integrated Chainlink Smart Value Recapture (SVR) on Ethereum Mainnet to recapture oracle-related MEV, affirmed in a recent onchain vote that is now in the timelock execution stage. This integration establishes a new standard for how DeFi apps can reclaim oracle-related MEV previously leaked to blockchain networks, further increasing their revenue and creating sustainable economics for both DeFi protocols and oracle infrastructure.

Chainlink SVR is a novel oracle solution that enables DeFi applications to recapture the Maximal Extractable Value (MEV) derived from their use of Chainlink Price Feeds. Also referred to as Oracle Extractable Value (OEV), this category of MEV is commonly generated when undercollateralized loans are liquidated within DeFi lending protocols. Historically, tens of millions of dollars worth of liquidation OEV has been leaked and captured by participants of the block building process, with none of the value returning back to the DeFi protocols or oracle infrastructure that generated it.

Built in collaboration with BGD Labs, Flashbots, and other Aave DAO contributors, Chainlink SVR recaptures oracle-related MEV using a combination of Chainlink oracle networks and Flashbots’ MEV-Share service. SVR is underpinned by the same time-tested and battle-hardened decentralized infrastructure that has powered Chainlink Price Feeds for the past 5+ years—which have successfully secured $75 billion in DeFi TVL at its peak and enabled $20T+ in transaction value. Chainlink SVR is built specifically for backrunning liquidations, and therefore cannot be used for frontrunning or sandwich attacks.

Aave has integrated Chainlink SVR to recapture liquidation MEV, starting with an initial set of markets, including tBTC, LBTC, AAVE, and LINK, and plans to expand to additional markets. Recaptured OEV revenue will be split between the Aave and Chainlink communities, starting with an initial 6-month discounted rate of 65% to the Aave ecosystem and 35% to the Chainlink ecosystem as confirmed in an Aave DAO vote.

Chainlink SVR is also the first Chainlink service to be connected to Payment Abstraction—a cross-chain enabled payment system that reduces payment friction in the Chainlink Network by enabling service fees to be automatically converted into LINK using Chainlink services (CCIP, Automation, Price Feeds) and a decentralized exchange. The Chainlink Network portion of SVR fees will be converted to LINK and made available to Chainlink Network service providers. More information on the use of Payment Abstraction for SVR fees will be provided in the near future.

“Optimizing liquidation algorithms on DeFi while keeping the protocols financially and technically secure is a massive endeavor. But once again, the Aave-Chainlink partnership delivers, innovating responsibly on the edge with SVR and its OEV recapturing model.” — Ernesto Boado, Co-Founder of BGD Labs

“Just use Aave, Powered by Chainlink.” — Marc Zeller, Aave Chan Initiative

“This Chainlink SVR integration increases revenue for the DAO, strengthening the Aave ecosystem.” — Stani Kulechov, Aave Labs Founder

“Efficient markets for MEV help create sustainable economics for lending protocols and DeFi infrastructure. Flashbots is proud to support Aave’s integration of Chainlink SVR with MEV-Share.” — Shea Ketsdever, Product Lead, Flashbots

“The partnership between Chainlink and Aave has played a fundamentally important role in shaping, developing, and pioneering blockchain innovations since the early days of DeFi. The depth and scale of what Aave has become is a great example of the intuitive and innovative aspects of this industry. Chainlink SVR is another milestone along that shared path, establishing a new standard in DeFi economics, where liquidation MEV value is returned back to DeFi apps in a highly secure, efficient, and transparent manner as well as helps support oracle infrastructure. SVR is a big step toward creating a truly long-term sustainable DeFi economy. We look forward to continuing to work with Aave to increase the security and efficiency of our industry as a whole.” — Johann Eid, Chief Business Officer at Chainlink Labs.

A future upgrade to Chainlink SVR is planned featuring increased decentralization, enhanced gas efficiency, cross-chain capabilities, and more. For DeFi protocols interested in recapturing non-toxic MEV via Chainlink SVR, reach out here. More information about Chainlink SVR can be found in the original announcement and follow-up research article.

About Chainlink

Chainlink is the standard for onchain finance, verifiable data, and cross-chain interoperability. Chainlink is unifying liquidity across global markets and has enabled over $20 trillion in transaction value across the blockchain economy. Major financial market infrastructures and institutions, such as Swift, Fidelity International, and ANZ Bank, as well as top DeFi protocols including Aave, GMX, and Lido, use Chainlink to power next-generation applications for banking, asset management, and other major sectors. Learn more by visiting chain.link.

About Aave

Aave Protocol is a non-custodial, open-sourced decentralized liquidity protocol that enables users to supply and borrow crypto assets.

About BGD Labs

BGD Labs (Bored Ghosts Developing https://bgdlabs.com/) is a Web3 initiative of enthusiasts in decentralized finance (DeFi), governance, and other blockchain technologies. Currently, BGD Labs is fully focused on contributing to the Aave ecosystem.

About the Aave Chan Initiative

Established in the dawn of 2023, the ACI stands as one of the driving forces behind the Aave protocol. They amplify your voice within the Aave DAO community and want to lead by example, catalysing progress with a steadfast focus on results.

Plume Powers Everything Pay with the Enhanced PayFi Nest Vault 2115

Plume, the first full-stack L1 RWA Chain, today announced a significant expansion of their PayFi vault on Nest, welcoming three key partners: Trensi, MANSA, and Credit Coop. This expansion is a major step forward in their vision to make PayFi an essential part of the RWAfi ecosystem, providing new opportunities for yield and liquidity for users.

Trensi, MANSA, and Credit Coop specialize in areas like tokenized receivables, invoice financing, and last-mile liquidity solutions. They leverage the Nest PayFi vault’s liquidity to empower businesses and drive global trade.

The Nest PayFi vault is designed with composability and liquidity in mind, enabling seamless access to funds while generating sustainable yields. This is different from many other PayFi yield platforms that often feature limited liquidity and long lockup periods.

  • Trensi: Trensi revolutionizes global liquidity settlement for cross-border payments via its Liquidity-as-a-Service mechanism, leveraging stablecoins to deliver last-mile liquidity on demand.
  • MANSA: Mansa specializes in cross-border payments backed by Tether. Mansa addresses the liquidity challenges of payment providers worldwide by leveraging real-time settlement via stablecoins.
  • Credit Coop: Credit Coop is an onchain structured finance protocol transforming business cash flows into programmable collateral through transparent, 24/7/365 settlement.

The Power of Last-Mile Liquidity

A key aspect of PayFi is “last-mile liquidity.” In simple terms, this means providing immediate access to liquidity for businesses, when they have payment obligations in the future. This is vital for:

  • Instant Capital Access: Enabling quick cash flow for day-to-day operations, particularly for SMEs.
  • Reducing Delays: Bypassing the delays of traditional payment systems with blockchain and fintech solutions.
  • Supporting Trade: Facilitating faster and more efficient global trade.
  • Financial Inclusion: Expanding financial access in underserved markets.

The Role of PayPal USD

PayPal USD plays a crucial role in the PayFi vault, acting as the critical liquidity buffering layer. This allows users to redeem their funds quickly from Nest vaults, which otherwise involve long lockup periods due to the nature of PayFi from ongoing lender needs on real-world payment financing.

Looking Ahead

The expansion of Plume’s PayFi vault is more than just another source of yield, it’s also about leveraging onchain liquidity to empower global payments. By providing liquidity and enabling access to capital, Plume is helping businesses thrive and participate fully in the global economy. Nest’s composable and liquid vaults ensure that PayFi isn’t just a concept but a reality.

Plume is committed to bridging the gap between the payments industry and RWAfi by advancing PayFi, and building a more open, accessible, and efficient onchain economy.

About Plume

Plume is the first full-stack L1 RWA Chain and ecosystem purpose-built for RWAfi, enabling the rapid adoption and demand-driven integration of real-world assets. With 180+ projects building on the network, Plume offers a composable, EVM-compatible environment for onboarding and managing diverse real-world assets. Coupled with an end-to-end tokenization engine and a network of financial infrastructure partners, Plume simplifies asset onboarding and enables seamless DeFi integration for RWAs so anyone can tokenize real-world assets, distribute them globally, and make them useful for native crypto users.

Users can learn more at https://plumenetwork.xyz/

Everstake Joins Northstake’s ETH Validator Marketplace as Node Operator 2066

Northstake A/S has announced that Everstake, a leading global non-custodial staking and blockchain solutions provider, will join its ETH Validator Marketplace as a node operator. This partnership underscores Northstake’s commitment to delivering institutional-grade staking solutions by integrating Everstake’s proven expertise and robust node operations.

Everstake will contribute its deep experience in managing scalable, secure validator infrastructure to Northstake’s platform, further enhancing the confidence of institutional clients. Recognized as one of the leading validators on Ethereum, Everstake brings a strong track record in operational excellence and reliability, supporting +$7 billion in staked value locked and reinforcing network security.

Jesper Johansen, CEO and Founder of Northstake, commented: “The evolving institutional staking landscape requires partners who can deliver both innovation and robust scale. By welcoming Everstake to our ETH Validator Marketplace, we are reinforcing our mission to provide secure, compliant staking solutions and unlocking new avenues for institutional investors.”

Everstake is trusted by over 730,000 users, running +40,000 nodes for more than 80 blockchains. With the company’s push to the institutional space, Everstake has cemented itself as a reliable institutional-grade node operator delivering 99.9% uptime across all networks.

Bohdan Opryshko, COO at Everstake said: “Partnering with Northstake marks a significant step in advancing institutional staking by integrating Everstake’s enterprise-grade infrastructure with Northstake’s ETH Marketplace. Our shared commitment to security, regulatory compliance, and operational excellence ensures a seamless staking experience for institutional investors. Together, we are redefining industry standards and delivering tangible value to our clients.”

As Northstake continues to revolutionize the staking market with its innovative model—enabling asset managers to trade ETH validators seamlessly—the addition of Everstake marks another significant milestone. This strategic collaboration joins a growing list of partnerships with industry leaders, further solidifying Northstake’s role in advancing total return ETH products and elevating the broader staking ecosystem.

About Northstake A/S

Northstake A/S is a regulated, EU-based virtual asset service provider offering compliant staking products to institutions. Northstake has demonstrated a new staking model allowing institutional investors to trade Eth validators on a marketplace with industry-leading market markers. Northstake aims to build a tokenized ETH validator marketplace for institutions. Northstake A/S (VASP, FTID: 17520) is regulated under the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority (DFSA).

About Everstake

Everstake, founded in 2018 by blockchain engineers, is a leading global provider of staking and blockchain solutions. Operating across 80+ networks with over 735,000 delegators, Everstake ensures high uptime through its robust global infrastructure and expert team. Beyond staking, the company builds L1 infrastructure for networks like Ethereum and Solana and supports the growth of projects such as Wormhole. Everstake is also committed to blockchain education, empowering users with valuable insights into Proof-of-Stake and Web3 technologies.

Everstake is a software platform that provides infrastructure tools and resources for users but does not offer investment advice or investment opportunities, manage funds, facilitate collective investment schemes, provide financial services, or take custody of, or otherwise hold or manage, customer assets. Everstake does not conduct any independent diligence on or substantive review of any blockchain asset, digital currency, cryptocurrency, or associated funds. Everstake’s provision of technology services allowing a user to stake digital assets is not an endorsement or a recommendation of any digital assets by it. Users are fully and solely responsible for evaluating whether to stake digital assets.

Mira Reaches Major Milestone: 2.5M Users and 2B Daily Tokens Processed 2311

Mira, the pioneer in decentralized AI verification technology, announces unprecedented growth with 2.5 million users and two billion tokens processed daily across its ecosystem applications.

The milestone demonstrates growing market demand for AI that can operate autonomously without human oversight. Processing two billion tokens daily is equivalent to approximately half of Wikipedia’s content, generating 7.9 million images, or processing over 2,100 hours of video content per day.

“This growth confirms we’re addressing the critical barrier to AI’s transformative potential,” said Karan Sirdesai, Co-founder and CEO of Mira. “Today’s AI remains constrained by the need for human verification—we’re removing that bottleneck to enable truly autonomous intelligence capable of operating independently in high-stakes scenarios.”

Enabling the Shift from ‘Baby AI’ to Autonomous Intelligence

Current AI systems excel at generating content and solving problems, but their probabilistic nature makes them fundamentally unreliable. This creates a paradox: the more powerful AI becomes, the more human hours are required to verify its output, severely limiting AI’s potential.

Mira is addressing this challenge through decentralized verification that enables AI systems to operate autonomously in consequential domains. By transforming the verification process from a human bottleneck to a scalable, trustless system, Mira is paving the way for AI’s next evolutionary leap.

Applications Demonstrating the Vision

This vision is coming to life through several applications built on Mira’s verification infrastructure:

Klok — A multi-LLM chat application providing access to leading AI models including DeepSeek-R1, GPT-4o mini, and Llama 3.3 70B Instruct within a unified interface. Klok treats each AI model as a trustless independent node, with verification features set to roll out in coming weeks.

WikiSentry — An AI agent that autonomously fact-checks Wikipedia articles against verified sources, identifying hallucinations, biases, and misinformation—a task previously requiring extensive human oversight.

Astro — A guidance platform helping users navigate life’s important decisions through personalized, AI-powered insights that leverage verified information for reliable advice.

Amor — A supportive AI companion offering conversation and emotional connection for those seeking meaningful interaction, with verification ensuring consistent and trustworthy responses.

Public Testnet Enables Developer Innovation

Mira has today launched its Public Testnet, enabling developers, enterprises, and users to explore its blockchain-based verification network at explorer.mira.network, where all AI inferences are recorded as transparent, verifiable events.

Strategic Partnerships Expanding the Ecosystem

Mira has integrated with leading agent frameworks including Eliza, SendAI, Arc, ZerePy, and FereAI, while establishing partnerships with blockchain networks like Monad and Plume Network. Infrastructure collaborations with io.net, Aethir, Hyperbolic, Exabits, and Spheron, along with industry partnerships with KernelDAO and Delphi Digital, further strengthen Mira’s ecosystem.

Backed by $9 million in funding from Framework, Accel, Mechanism, and Bitkraft, with angel investors including Balaji Srinivasan and Sandeep Nailwal, Mira is positioned to transform how AI systems operate at scale.

About Mira

Mira is building the foundational verification layer that enables trustless AI systems through advanced consensus mechanisms. The network combines sophisticated claim transformation and distributed verification protocols to achieve reliable AI execution at scale. By solving the fundamental challenge of error rates in AI, Mira is establishing new standards for reliability—paving the way for autonomous intelligence that can operate without human oversight, unlocking AI’s transformative potential across society.

For more information, visit mira.network.

IoTeX Welcomes Xangle as Validator to Accelerate DePIN Ecosystem Expansion 2591

IoTeX, the leading blockchain building Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network (DePIN), has announced that Korean blockchain infrastructure company Xangle will be joining as a network validator. With Xangle’s participation, IoTeX expects to further enhance its community-driven ecosystem expansion and technical stability.

Xangle is a blockchain infrastructure and research company that provides ecosystem-oriented community hubs, explorers, and Web3 analytical reports. Since 2018, Xangle has operated Xangle Portal, Korea’s leading Web3 platform. Recently, Xangle has expanded its role within the Web3 space, actively participating as a validator for major global blockchain projects such as Aptos, Babylon, and Initia.

In 2024, IoTeX took a leading role in the DePIN sector, as a result of these efforts, the IoTeX network has processed over 150 million transactions and 340 million blocks, recording an annual growth rate of over 25%. Furthermore, more than 360 million IOTX tokens are staked, accounting for approximately 40% of the total supply, reinforcing network security and governance. These achievements have solidified IoTeX’s position as a leading infrastructure provider in the DePIN space.

Lihan Lee, Co-CEO of Xangle, stated, “Our participation as an IoTeX validator goes beyond simple network validation—it represents a key milestone in making innovative Web3 infrastructures like DePIN more accessible to users and accelerating their mainstream adoption. Leveraging our expertise in ecosystem-focused community hubs, explorers, and research, Xangle will enhance the credibility and visibility of the IoTeX network while actively contributing to the expansion and sustainable growth of the DePIN ecosystem.”

“At IoTeX, we are committed to building the most robust and transparent DePIN ecosystem, and Xangle’s participation as a validator is a testament to that vision,” commented Jing Sun, co-founder of IoTeX. “Their expertise in blockchain infrastructure and data integrity will further strengthen our network’s stability while driving mainstream adoption of Web3.”

About IoTeX

IoTeX is DePIN’s only modular infrastructure platform connecting smart devices and real-world data to blockchains. As the leading provider of DePIN infrastructure, IoTeX facilitates new rewards from devices and on/off-chain activity for users, turns personal devices into communal economies, and tokenizes the “data of everything.”

About Xangle

Xangle is Korea’s leading Web3 research and infrastructure provider, operating Xangle Portal, the country’s most representative Web3 platform with 400K+ user base. Since 2018, Xangle has built trust by bridging blockchain projects with users through institutional-grade research, analytics, and infrastructure. Its key offerings include a Korea Go-to-Market strategy, custom blockchain explorers combined with white-labeled community hubs, and enterprise-grade validator services.

ETH staking simplified: Simply Staking presents Ethereum staking dashboard 2779

Simply Staking’s new Ethereum staking program makes ETH staking easier than ever. Users can stake without holding 32 ETH, thanks to a user-friendly dashboard, secure Tier 3 data centers, and seamless wallet integration – removing barriers for both beginners and experienced crypto holders.

In the fast-paced blockchain world, running a validator or node is costly and complex – especially for ETH staking. Simply Staking’s dashboard tackles this challenge, making staking simple and accessible, helping decentralize Ethereum through broader participation from both new and experienced users.

ETH staking as simple as it gets

The trusted crypto staking provider Simply Staking manages nearly $1 billion in staked assets across networks like Polkadot and Cosmos. Known for reliable validator operations, it now brings that expertise to ETH staking, strengthening its commitment to a secure, inclusive blockchain ecosystem across multiple protocols.

The new ETH Staking dashboard streamlines onboarding and ensures top security through advanced data centers. By joining the staking pool, you earn rewards while supporting Ethereum 2.0’s scalability. Simply Staking welcomes all users, regardless of holdings, encouraging broader participation and driving the ongoing growth of the crypto economy.

Key highlights:

  1. Effortless staking: Simply Staking lets you stake ETH in a few steps – no specialized software needed, making crypto staking accessible to everyone.
  2. No 32 ETH requirement: Traditional staking needs 32 ETH to validate. Pooled staking lets users combine funds, enabling smaller holders to stake Ethereum and earn rewards together.
  3. Competitive reward rate: Through StakeWise, participants enjoy attractive staking rewards, appealing to both large investors and everyday enthusiasts.
  4. Unmatched security: Simply Staking operates Tier 3 data centers with 99.9% uptime, ensuring nodes stay secure and always online.
  5. Seamless ETH staking with direct wallet integration: Connect your crypto wallet directly to the dashboard – no extra logins or exchanges needed, reducing security risks and simplifying staking.

Why stake Ethereum with Simply Staking?

Staking needs reliable infrastructure and trusted partners. Simply Staking ensures strong performance across blockchains, backed by advanced data centers for secure Ethereum staking.

Simply Staking supports Ethereum 2.0’s consensus, helping secure and decentralize the network. With deep experience in large-scale crypto operations, we built a resilient system to balance workloads efficiently. Users enjoy reliable, high-performance staking across Ethereum, Polkadot, Cosmos, and more.

How the ETH staking dashboard works

  1. Visit the Platform: Navigate to the staking Dashboard on stake.simplystaking.com/eth to begin. The site is user-friendly, with key functions clearly accessible.
  2. Connect Your Wallet: The dashboard seamlessly integrates with your preferred crypto wallet, removing the need for third-party websites or bridge services. You stay in control of your private keys throughout the process.
  3. Select Your Amount of ETH you want to stake: Since the platform no longer requires 32 ETH, you’re free to stake ethereum with the amount of ETH that meets your goals – whether it’s a modest portion of your holdings or a larger investment.
  4. Confirm and Stake ETH: A few clicks finalize your participation. You start to earn rewards at a competitive reward rate almost immediately, with real-time updates available on staked balances and yields.
  5. Start earning rewards and participate in staking Ethereum.

This five-step process ensures simplicity for newcomers while offering experienced stakers strong security and clear metrics – all in one place. Easily track your ETH holdings and see exactly how much is staked at any time.

Supporting Ethereum’s growth

Ethereum staking strengthens the network by validating transactions, enhancing scalability, and supporting decentralization. As the second-largest blockchain, Ethereum powers countless decentralized applications, making it essential to the broader crypto ecosystem and ensuring its long-term security and resilience.

Historically, staking was often dominated by large holders or centralized platforms. Simply Staking changes this with a user-friendly, decentralized model. It offers easy onboarding while preserving asset custody, supporting Ethereum’s vision of an open, accessible network driven by diverse, active participants.

Start staking ETH today

Experience the future of ETH staking with Simply Staking. By removing historical barriers, delivering an appealing token reward rate, and prioritizing security through Tier 3 infrastructure, the company reimagines stake opportunities in the digital asset world.

This user-first design positions Simply Staking at the cutting edge of staking innovation, where trust and ease of use are paramount. Every aspect of the platform – from the polished interface to robust security protocols – reflects a commitment to providing the best possible staking environment. Crucially, participants are no longer compelled to need 32 ETH to contribute to the network’s evolution, aligning with Ethereum’s wider push for accessibility.

Ultimately, the platform’s mission is to ensure that anyone who wants to stake can do so securely, transparently, and profitably. As the ethereum 2.0 upgrade continues, more opportunities will arise for validators, and Simply Staking aims to remain an industry leader in facilitating these possibilities. For media inquiries or further details, visit stake.simplystaking.com/eth or simplystaking.com.

From veteran traders to newcomers, the platform stands as a testament to how thoughtful infrastructure and user-focused design can redefine digital asset engagement. Its proven reliability, commitment to decentralization, and active role in multiple blockchains make Simply Staking an ideal staking service provider for anyone looking to stake eth, expand their crypto portfolio, or simply explore the evolving potential of Ethereum’s consensus mechanism.

About Simply Staking

Simply Staking is a globally recognized leader in blockchain infrastructure provision and development, dedicated to the advancement and security of decentralized technologies. Founded in 2013 it focused on Proof of Work and Proof of Stake technologies. Over the years, it became one of the key contributors within the blockchain ecosystem since the genesis validator role in the Cosmos Hub in 2019. Their services span across validating, node operations, blockchain development, infra-monitoring tool creation, and data infrastructure management, catering to a wide array of networks and ecosystems.