The Lightning Network has grown 75% in size over the past year, hitting a record high 8,900 nodes for the first time on Feb. 8, according to LN monitors at Bitcoin Visuals. A significant proportion of the increase occurred more recently, suggesting that some Bitcoiners are gravitating toward the layer-two solution, potentially as a means of escaping ever-increasing transaction fees. The total BTC locked in LN channels has remained in the 1,000 to 1,100 range since Aug. 2020 — however the total dollar value has risen 250% in the intervening months, translating to a record $42.72 million currently locked on …

Twitter founder and CEO Jack Dorsey has fired up his own Bitcoin (BTC) node. On Feb. 5, the tech billionaire posted a screenshot of the Bitcoin node software Bitcoind running on his computer, meaning Dorsey now lends a hand in validating Bitcoin transactions. Dorsey posted the screenshot along with the words, “Running #bitcoin”. The photo shows Dorsey’s computer in the midst of synchronizing with the Bitcoin blockchain, which requires that a user download the entire history of the chain to date. The Bitcoin blockchain is around 325GB in size at time of writing. Running #bitcoin pic.twitter.com/W51ga3yrKb — jack (@jack) February …

Staking infrastructure provider Staked said it had learned “an expensive lesson” after 75 of its Eth2 validators were slashed on Feb. 4 from the staking pool as punishment for producing competing blocks. In a statement, Staked took the blame for the “technical issue” and said its customers would be “fully compensated”. The company will pay the penalty of 18 ETH, which is around $29,000 at current prices. An unanticipated reaction to configuration changes caused several nodes managed by Staked to restart in error, leading them to incorrectly sign a second version of a previously-signed block. This introduced the potential for …

The number of Bitcoin nodes is at an all-time high, with 11,558 reachable nodes currently active, according to Bitnodes.io. Another Bitcoin network statistics tracker, coin.dance, calculates the total number of Bitcoin nodes at 11,613, which is just above the previous high of 11,250 set one year ago this month. The Bitcoin Core software update 0.21.0 was released for public download on Jan. 14 2021 and is currently the fourth most utilized version of the software among nodes There are currently 619 nodes running this version of the software, which represents about 5.5% of all nodes running some version of Bitcoin …

The daily volume of transactions on the Ethereum (ETH) network is now 28% greater than on Bitcoin (BTC), according to crypto analytics firm Messari. On Jan. 19, Messari’s Ryan Watkins tweeted that Ethereum’s daily transaction volume “is going parabolic” alongside a chart indicating that Ethereum and Ethereum-powered stablecoins have processed $12.3 billion in transactions over the past 24 hours — dwarfing Bitcoin and Omni-based USDT’s $9.3 billion. Ethereum's daily transaction volume is going parabolic. It now settles $12 billion in transactions daily - $3 billion more than Bitcoin. Imagine not being bullish $ETH. pic.twitter.com/3NfOz1ruiM — Ryan Watkins (@RyanWatkins_) January 19, …

The Bitcoin (BTC) network has been steadily recovering in terms of running BTC nodes after a major outage on the Tor network. According to the latest data from node monitoring resource Bitnodes, Tor-enabled Bitcoin (BTC) nodes are back to normal following almost a full-swing crash in early January 2021. As of Jan. 13, the number of reachable Tor-based BTC nodes amounted to 2,581, up from as few as 122 nodes on Jan. 9. Based on Bitnodes data, Tor-enabled Bitcoin nodes make up a significant part of the Bitcoin network, normally accounting for about 25% of totally reachable running nodes. According …

Yes, yes, I know: You’re an excellent Twatter, and omitting from this list your one zinger that got 50 likes borders malfeasance. Likewise, this reporter is a negligent compiler of listicles for overlooking some spicy day where your favorite trader-nee-influencer colorfully described Brad Garlinghouse’s anatomy. If it’s any consolation, please know that I hate the hellsite just as much as you do. The year was terrible for almost all of the planet, and even though crypto enjoyed a strong secular bull market, everyone still managed to come together, rise above adversity, and treat each other horribly anyway. I looked up …

A blockchain platform says big data has a big problem — and has launched cutting-edge nodes that aim to solve the issues associated with existing storage solutions. SINOVATE, a decentralized cloud data storage provider that is underpinned by blockchain technology, has created Deterministic Infinity Nodes (known as DIN) to deliver levels of security and scalability superior to what’s offered by rivals. According to the platform, major cloud computing networks are currently confronted by millions of unauthorized login attempts, some of which are successful. Data breaches have also resulted in sensitive data being compromised — undermining consumer confidence and damaging businesses, …

Two announcements from Huobi Global on Friday indicate that the cryptocurrency exchange is angling to become a key player in the growth of the Polkadot network. In a pair of blog posts, the Seychelles-based exchange announced a Polkadot Sponsorship program, as well as a $5 million Tether stablecoin fund from the Huobi Innovation Lab to support “developers, event organizers, content creators, and ambassadors” throughout the Polkadot ecosystem. The Sponsorship program allows individuals to recommend Polkadot projects for listing in the “Polkadot ecological zone,” a special asset listing section of the Huobi exchange. Sponsors are also reportedly granted an invite to …

How does this ecosystem work? There are three key roles within the Stkr ecosystem. Providers deliver the computing resources that drive the Eth2 nodes — and they pay insurance that acts as a guarantee against poor hardware performance. These funds will be used to compensate stakers if there is an outage, but providers also stand to gain rewards if their infrastructure runs without a hitch. By building a good reputation, they are prioritized whenever new staking funds need to be allocated. Requesters, otherwise known as stakers, are those who want to lock up their ETH without hosting a node themselves. …

Ethereum 2.0 genesis stakers have pushed the total number of Ethereum nodes past the number of Bitcoin nodes for the second time this year. According to Ethernodes.org, 11,259 Ethereum nodes are currently active, giving it a roughly 1% lead over Bitcoin’s 11,136. Ethereum’s node count last surpassed Bitcoin’s in early September. The number of Ethereum nodes has increased by more than 50% in the past two weeks or so, spiking from 8,086 on Nov. 15, just 11 days after the Eth2 deposit contract went live. Ethereum’s node count overtook Bitcoin’s on Nov. 30. According to Blockchain Center’s “Flippening” index, which …

First announced in September, Monero developers today went live with a network update featuring a new version of its node software, codenamed 'Oxygen Orion.' The product of 30 contributors, the update promises significant improvement across nearly all aspects of the privacy-focused cryptocurrency’s performance. The highlight of the new update is the compact linkable spontaneous anonymous group (CLSAG) feature. According to the Monero blog, CLSAG will reduce transaction sizes by 25% and improve transaction times by 10% while maintaining transactional privacy. The developers wrote: "CLSAG enables smaller and faster transactions with rigorous security." In addition to CLSAG, the new update brings …