Aya Miyaguchi Is Ethereum Foundation’s New President
Aya Miyaguchi, executive director of the Ethereum Foundation since 2018, stepped up to the role of president, promising to boost institutional relationships and expand Ethereum’s use.
“This new opportunity”, wrote Miyaguchi, “will allow me to continue supporting EF’s institutional relationships and to expand the reach of our vision and culture more broadly”.
Miyaguchi spent 10 years as a high school teacher before joining the crypto exchange Kraken, where she became managing director of the Japanese office. She later became executive director of the Ethereum Foundation (EF) in 2018. During her stay at EF, Miyaguchi helped the crypto transition to proof-of-stake, prioritised decentralisation, and promoted her concept of “subtraction,” which means a more hands-off approach to allowing developers more freedom.
In 2022, Under Miyaguchi, Ethereum transitioned to proof-of-stake, reducing its carbon footprint by 99%. Miyaguchi further focused on layer 2 technologies, expanding the coin’s scaling capabilities.
Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum co-founder, supports Miyaguchi and claims she creates an environment conducive to innovations.
“As I see it, the role of an ED is to create an environment where others can shine and do their best work, and so every success of the EF – the steady execution of Ethereum hard forks, client interop workshops, Devcon, Ethereum’s culture and steadfast commitment to its mission and values, and more – is in part a result of Aya’s stewardship”.
However, some Ethereum community members oppose Miyaguchi, claiming that she is not an effective leader and does not attract new developers to the project, losing talent to rival coins like Solana. Some even blame Miyaguchi for the lagging Ethereum price, even though she has only just become president. Others welcome a leadership change because a new direction may help the project rebound.
A restructuring of the EF may also help address issues related to the treasury and the spending of funds on new projects.
The Ethereum faction that calls for Miyaguchi’s resignation also wants Danny Ryan to replace her. Ryan is an Ethereum researcher and developer. Although, despite being a developer, Ryan may lack Miyaguchi’s leadership skills, having technical skills but possibly lacking in management skills, a common issue with developer leaders, focusing too much on the trees and not focusing on the larger forest (i.e. big picture, company vision, business scaling).
There have also been toxic attacks on Miyaguchi, prompting Buterin to condemn these actions and to remind the community that he still has a lot of say regarding the foundation’s decisions.
Miyaguchi has further claimed that the move to place her as President fits in with the Ethereum Foundation’s broader strategy, which includes other issues concerning sustainability and a long-term vision for the project.
One of those issues, as highlighted by Miyaguchi, involves the project’s decentralized design, which separates the foundation from other projects with special interests.
“We must avoid evolving like a traditional corporation”, wrote Miyaguchi, “because our goal isn’t for EF to ‘win’-it is for Ethereum to win over the long term while staying true to its core values. Ethereum doesn’t grow like a machine; it grows like a garden, strengthened by its biodiversity”.
Miyaguchi further references Stewart Brand’s “pace layering” framework to explain Ethereum’s different levels of growth and sustainability. From this perspective, cryptocurrency makes a lot of sense when applied to real-world problems like poverty, access to banking, pollution, and financial security. Like a garden providing relief from an urban environment, cryptocurrency offers relief from corrupt governments.
Several controversies within the Ethereum Foundation have negatively affected mainstream adoption. One such prominent case was when EF researchers Justin Drake and Dankrad Feist took paid for advisory roles from the EigenLayer Foundation. Such conflicts of interest have angered community members.
A lack of transparency regarding funds has exacerbated the problem. Buterin has stepped in to provide interim leadership until someone can be found to manage the EF treasury properly.
[Satire] Donald Trump Makes Territorial Claim for El Salvador’s Bitcoin Reserves
Donald Trump has issued a claim for El Salvador’s Bitcoin reserves with the intention of annexing them to form the “51st US state.” Trump believes the US has a legitimate territorial claim to the BTC custodied by El Salvador, claiming that many of the coins held in the reserve were “made in the USA.”
Promising to “bring them back home” and incorporate the coins into the nation’s proposed Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, Trump insists that the move is legally justified. When pressed for evidence that El Salvador’s holdings are American in origin, Trump cited an expert report claiming that a handful of UTXOs within the fund can be traced back to Silk Road, whose recently pardoned founder, Ross Ulbricht, is a US citizen.
Blockchain Battlelines Are Drawn
The next phase of the ambitious annexation plan, codenamed Operation Anschluss, will see the US Department of Defense deploying cyber units to “secure Bitcoin’s magical borders,” before repatriating the coins. According to one senior official, a new federal agency, the Bureau of Blockchain Boundaries, will also be established to research potential claims to other digital assets. “Think of it as mapping uncharted digital territory,” the official said, “Only instead of discovering a new continent, we’re discovering, well, some very old Bitcoin transactions.”
To reinforce its claim to El Salvador’s digital reserves, Trump’s team is now proposing to mint a series of commemorative “Made in America” physical Bitcoins. Each coin will bear an encrypted signature attesting to its “patriotic provenance.”
Meanwhile, government officials in El Salvador appear taken aback by the sudden move by President Trump. “What next?” pondered a spokesman for President Bukele. “Annexing our memes?” Legal experts have been equally animated. “We’re witnessing a collision of 18th-century territorial doctrine with 21st-century blockchain technology,” noted a constitutional law professor from Georgetown. “In practical terms, it’s as if someone tried to apply maritime law to Wi-Fi signals.”
The professor continued, “While blockchain’s immutable ledger might record every transaction with near-perfect fidelity, it doesn’t exactly come with a zip code. The argument that some coins are ‘American-made’ because of their digital breadcrumbs is both innovative and, frankly, a little absurd.”
Digital Dystopia
As the political and legal debates ramp up, industry insiders are speculating about the long-term implications of this trend. Some futurists envision a world where blockchain assets come with their own citizenship status – a kind of digital passport for UTXOs. “Imagine logging into your bank account and being asked for your crypto citizenship ID,” mused one tech analyst. “If Trump’s annexation of Bitcoin is a rehearsal, then the real spectacle might be when states start bidding for digital territory on the metaverse. It’s borderless, yet even more contentious.”
“We’re sleepwalking into a dystopian future in which everyone’s avatar could be drafted to defend their virtual homeland,” they added. “I fear for the current generation. If Trump’s warmongering continues, we’re looking at a cyberspace massacre that’ll rival anything the 20th century produced.”
Top Cryptos with 100x Potential: The Blockchain Projects Changing How We Work & Earn
From Bittensor’s collaborative AI revolution to Propy’s seamless real estate deals, Stronghold’s lightning-fast financial tools, and StormX’s crypto cashback perks, these cutting-edge projects TAO, PRO, SHx, and STMX are redefining how we work, trade, and earn. Dive into the world where machine learning meets blockchain, transactions get smarter, and rewards go digital
Current price: $322.87
Market cap:$2.72B
Bittensor empowers collaborative training of advanced machine learning models across global borders. Developers and researchers tap into this decentralized network using the TAO token, actively shaping its evolution to address specific needs and demands. This innovative approach fosters a dynamic, transparent, and accessible marketplace for cutting-edge artificial intelligence solutions, bridging technology and community-driven development.
Current price: $0.9619
Market cap:$95.91M
Propy streamlines property deals by integrating blockchain technology for secure, transparent transfers. The platform leverages PRO tokens to facilitate payments, cutting out middlemen in international sales and reducing costs. also, smart contracts enforce terms automatically, boosting trust and order among traders, buyers, and sellers. This creative approach simplifies complex processes, enhances security, and accelerates global real estate transactions.
Current price: $0.01301
Market cap:$75.41M
Stronghold revolutionizes financial transactions with lightning-fast tools powered by SHx currency and developer-friendly APIs. Businesses benefit from real time settlements, reduced fees and seamless integration. Plus, Stronghold supports decentralized finance solutions like merchant cash advances, empowering businesses with smarter, faster financial options.
Current price: $0.004494
Market cap:$55.45M
StormX transforms shopping into a crypto-earning experience with its innovative app and browser extension. Partnering with top brands like Samsung and Nike, users earn STMX tokens on every purchase. Staking boosts rewards even further, maximizing earnings effortlessly. Backed by major investors like the Litecoin Foundation, StormX is revolutionizing cashback—crypto style.
DISCLAIMER: The information on this website is provided as general market commentary and does not constitute investment advice. We encourage you to do your own research before investing.