The Ethereum Foundation's Funding Coordination team has announced a joint initiative with Keyring Network to introduce a new approach to impact funding within the Ethereum ecosystem.
This partnership represents a strategic collaboration aimed at improving how funding is distributed and managed for projects that create meaningful impact in the Ethereum space.
Key highlights:
- Joint initiative between two major ecosystem players
- Focus on impact-based funding methodology
- New approach to funding coordination
The collaboration builds on the Foundation's ongoing efforts to support ecosystem development, following their recent launch of the 2025 Academic Grants Round with $2M+ in dedicated funding.
This partnership could signal a shift toward more collaborative and impact-focused funding mechanisms in the Ethereum ecosystem.
🤖 AI Companions Manage Crypto

**Replicats** launches on Base, offering AI Smart Wealth Companions that autonomously manage and grow crypto portfolios. The Ethereum-based mini-app will showcase at **Devconnect's App Showcase** this November, demonstrating how AI agents are evolving from simple chatbots to active portfolio managers. This follows a broader trend of AI agents integrating directly into DeFi platforms: - **Rhea Finance** embedded agents for borrowing, lending, and swapping - **TrebleSwap** deployed branded agents for seamless transactions - **Bitte's embeddable chat** enables real actions across 12+ blockchains These developments signal AI's shift from answering questions to **executing real financial actions** through conversational interfaces. *Experience live demos at Devconnect to see how AI companions could transform portfolio management.*
Ethereum Ecosystem Ships 27 Major Updates: Tokenized Stocks, Mobile Devices, and Record-Breaking Milestones
The Ethereum ecosystem delivered significant developments across multiple sectors in recent weeks. **Traditional Finance Integration** - Ondo Finance launched Global Markets with 100+ tokenized U.S. stocks and ETFs - ChinaAMC, a major asset manager, launched on Ethereum - FG Nexus became the first NASDAQ-listed company to bring dividend-paying preferred equity fully onchain - Kraken announced xStocks coming to Ethereum via xStocksFi **Infrastructure and Technical Upgrades** - Fusaka upgrade successfully deployed to Holesky testnet, preparing for mainnet scaling - Ethereum Phone started shipping dGEN1 devices with built-in wallets and native dapp support - Celo executed Ice Cream hardfork, activating EigenDA v2 for improved performance **Record-Breaking Metrics** - Stablecoin transfer volume surpassed $5T in Q3 2025 - Layer 2 networks processed 25M daily transactions (all-time high) - Worldcoin reached 16M verified users - Arbitrum One stablecoin supply hit $9B - Safe processed 600M+ transactions **DeFi and Applications** - Aave protocol now holds more assets than the 36th largest U.S. bank - Coinbase rolled out DeFi lending powered by Morpho Labs - American Express launched passport stamps on Base - $1.3B streamed onchain with Superfluid (2x year-over-year growth) **Innovation Highlights** - Aragon and MetaLeX launched BORGs - programmable legal entities bridging code and law - Pudgy Penguins launched mobile game globally - $2.5B in tokenized gold moved to Ethereum - Art Blocks artists raised $50M+ for charity The developments demonstrate Ethereum's expanding role in traditional finance, gaming, and institutional adoption.
🔒 Privacy Redefined
Privacy isn't about hiding - it's about **control**. Just like closing a door or whispering to a friend, privacy means choosing what you share, when, and with whom. Online, this fundamental freedom becomes more complex. Digital interactions often lack the natural boundaries we expect in physical spaces. **Key insight**: Privacy equals choice, not secrecy. It's about maintaining agency over your personal information in an increasingly connected world. This principle applies whether you're casting a vote, having a private conversation, or managing your digital footprint.
🔍 ZK Tech Breakthrough
**ZK-SYNC's Atlas** brings major advances to Ethereum scaling through zero-knowledge technology. Key improvements: - **Cheaper transactions** with near-instant processing - **Enhanced scalability** for better user experience - **Lightweight verification** - millions of transactions verified by mobile devices The breakthrough maintains Ethereum's **security and neutrality** while dramatically improving performance. ZK technology compresses multiple transactions into single proofs, enabling unlimited throughput. *This could transform smartphones into full Ethereum nodes.*