Looking for the latest crypto news today? Here are the key developments shaping Bitcoin, Ethereum, blockchain, DeFi, Web3 and crypto regulation.
Today’s biggest stories include a major Ethereum interoperability test, new allegations involving crypto laundering for North Korea’s Lazarus Group and fresh regulatory action from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
Ethereum Economic Zone Tests L1-to-L2 Atomic Transaction
The Ethereum Economic Zone, or EEZ, has tested an atomic transaction between Ethereum mainnet and a layer-2 network.
EEZ contributor Eduardo Antuña Díez shared details of the test and described it as the first atomic cross-chain transaction between an L1 and L2 network.
The transaction involved a cross-chain call carrying 0.001 Ether and included a state update for a rollup.
Atomic transactions are designed so that multiple connected actions either succeed together or are completely reversed if one part fails.
This structure can reduce execution risk when transactions involve more than one blockchain network.
Ethereum Developers Aim to Reduce L2 Fragmentation
The EEZ framework is designed to improve interoperability between Ethereum and its growing ecosystem of layer-2 networks.
Developers behind the project have said the system could eventually allow rollups and Ethereum mainnet to interact within a single transaction without relying on traditional bridges.
One of the main goals is to reconnect liquidity and applications that are currently spread across different layer-2 networks.
Fragmentation has become a growing issue within Ethereum because many protocols must maintain separate deployments across multiple L2s.
This can divide liquidity and create separate markets for the same applications and assets.
ZachXBT Links Chinese Crime Network to Lazarus Group
Blockchain investigator ZachXBT has claimed that a Chinese organized crime network helped launder more than $1 billion in crypto stolen through attacks linked to North Korea’s Lazarus Group.
According to ZachXBT, he infiltrated the network in February 2025 by posing as a paying customer shortly after the Bybit hack.
He reportedly supplied around $349,700 in stablecoins and accepted a 5% loss on transactions in order to build trust with an operator using the name “Jimmy Green.”
The investigation allegedly uncovered activity spanning Hong Kong and mainland China.
Bybit-Linked Funds Identified During Investigation
Information obtained during the investigation reportedly helped ZachXBT identify more than $12 million in funds connected to the Bybit exploit.
Tether later froze approximately $442,000 in associated USDT.
The findings provide a closer look at the alleged intermediaries used to move and launder crypto stolen by North Korean hacking groups.
Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis estimates that hackers linked to North Korea had stolen at least $6.75 billion in digital assets through 2025.
CFTC Moves Forward With New Crypto Regulation
Crypto regulation in the United States is also moving forward.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission is advancing plans for a new regulatory framework following the Senate’s failure to move ahead with the CLARITY Act.
CFTC Chair Michael Selig said the agency intends to use its existing authority rather than wait for Congress to approve new legislation.
The CFTC has issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking covering platforms that allow retail investors to trade crypto using margin, leverage or other forms of financing.
New Crypto Asset Market Category Proposed
Under the proposal, the CFTC would establish a new type of designated contract market known as a crypto asset market, or CAM.
Eligible crypto exchanges could use this structure to operate under a more consistent federal regulatory framework.
That could reduce reliance on the current system of different state-level rules.
However, the proposed framework would not generally apply to ordinary spot crypto exchanges.
Those platforms would largely remain subject to state money-transmission regulations, although the CFTC would continue to have authority over fraud and market manipulation.
SEC and CFTC Push Ahead Despite CLARITY Act Setback
The CFTC proposal follows a separate initiative from the Securities and Exchange Commission aimed at creating a more tailored regulatory system for crypto securities.
Together, the moves suggest that both U.S. regulators are prepared to advance digital asset rules even without the CLARITY Act.
However, both agencies are currently operating with unusually limited leadership.
The departure of Hester Peirce has left the SEC with only two commissioners, while Michael Selig remains the sole commissioner and chair of the CFTC.
Overall, today’s crypto market developments highlight three major themes: improving Ethereum interoperability, growing scrutiny of crypto-related money laundering and continued regulatory expansion in the United States.
