A new documentary titled "Vitalik: An Ethereum Story" follows Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin over two years as he champions the transformative potential of crypto and blockchain beyond mere financial speculation. A pivotal but deleted scene from the film, released exclusively by TIME, features Buterin in war-torn Kyiv playing chess with Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov. The exchange highlights how crypto supported the country following Russia’s 2022 invasion, facilitating nearly $100 million in relief efforts.

EigenLayer, an Ethereum-based restaking protocol, has activated its Slashing Upgrade, introducing a mechanism to penalize validators who act maliciously or fail to meet performance standards. This move aims to enhance the protocol’s security and reliability, potentially attracting more institutional interest in restaking. ​