Father of Smart Contracts Reflects on the Decentralized Experiments Before Bitcoin's BirthNick Szabo, "father of smart contracts," recalled at a 2021 Bitcoin conference that the 1995 Extropy magazine discussed concepts like virtual banks and a digital currency called "Hayeks," though they were still theoretical. That year, he proposed smart contracts. He cited David Chaum's DigiCash, which used "blind signatures" for minimal trust, with its test token Cyberbucks seen as history's first true private digital ...

The EVM opened the door to smart contracts.The Chainlink Runtime Environment unlocks their full potential.Across any system. Any data. Any chain. https://t.co/tv2QXqxZsw ...

RT BSCN (@BSCNews)⛏️ Kaspa has speed. Now it's getting smart contracts.@Igra_Labs brings EVM to Kaspa's BlockDAG. No centralized sequencer. Full PoW security inherited. Deploy Solidity contracts unchanged.First L2 built directly on Kaspa. Here's how it works ⬇️ ...

RT Cointelegraph Decentralization Guardians (@CTDG_DevHub)🚨 UPDATE: Polkadot's runtime upgrade goes live with smart contracts and caps $DOT supply at 2.1B tokens, delivering faster apps, instant confirmations, and massive inflation reduction.A game-changing update for $DOT. https://t.co/sMTSEAAG6o ...

RT BSCN (@BSCNews)⛏️ Kaspa has speed. Now it's getting smart contracts.@Igra_Labs brings EVM to Kaspa's BlockDAG. No centralized sequencer. Full PoW security inherited. Deploy Solidity contracts unchanged.First L2 built directly on Kaspa. Here's how it works ⬇️ ...

⛏️ Kaspa has speed. Now it's getting smart contracts.@Igra_Labs brings EVM to Kaspa's BlockDAG. No centralized sequencer. Full PoW security inherited. Deploy Solidity contracts unchanged.First L2 built directly on Kaspa. Here's how it works ⬇️BSCN (@BSCNews):https://t.co/s6vLMtUB02 ...

“The Chainlink Runtime Environment is accelerating the creation of cross-chain, cross-system institutional-grade smart contracts.”—@blockworksres ↓https://t.co/Xn36c91rpG ...

Core Insights - Ethereum continues to build long-term value despite short-term price struggles, with ongoing core upgrades and adoption milestones being overshadowed by market volatility [1] - The Shanghai upgrade in 2023 resolved major liquidity issues by allowing users to unstake and withdraw ETH freely, with only 5% of validators exiting, and no anticipated mass sell-off occurring [2] - Recent network upgrades, including the Fusaka upgrade, have significantly increased Ethereum's transaction activity and reduced costs, with daily transactions reaching a record 2.9 million in January 2026 [3] Future Developments - The upcoming Glamsterdam upgrade is expected to enhance execution efficiency and proposer-builder separation, followed by the Hegota upgrade targeting state growth management and long-term node sustainability [4] - The Ethereum Foundation is investing in post-quantum cryptography research, allocating $2 million in prizes to ensure future security [4] Institutional Interest - Institutional interest in Ethereum has been growing, with the launch of Spot Ethereum ETFs in 2024 providing a regulated pathway for traditional finance to gain ETH exposure [5] - In early 2026, 82% of surveyed institutional investors indicated plans to increase their ETH exposure, with significant purchases made by firms like Bitmine, which added over $116 million in ETH [6] - More than 35 major players have expanded their deployments on the Ethereum network, further solidifying its position as the preferred base layer for tokenizing real-world assets [6]

Core Insights - Cardano (CRYPTO: ADA) is currently not recommended for investment until it demonstrates a specific competitive advantage that distinguishes it from other cryptocurrencies [1][5] - The blockchain has focused on a rigorous research and development process, but lacks a strong economic moat that would protect it from competitors [3][5] Current Positioning - Cardano is involved in decentralized finance (DeFi) and stablecoins but is only marginally competitive in these areas, which may not lead to significant investor returns [4][5] - The lack of a unique niche or superior outcomes compared to rivals has resulted in Cardano's underperformance relative to other major cryptocurrencies over the past three years [5] Metrics to Monitor - Investors should monitor two key metrics to assess Cardano's potential for improvement: 1. An increase in total value locked (TVL) over multiple quarters [7] 2. The attraction of long-term applications, indicated by app revenue, the number of new apps launched monthly, and the count of monthly active wallet addresses [7] Investment Considerations - Cardano is designed for smart contracts but must outperform its peers to succeed in the competitive blockchain landscape [9] - Current recommendations suggest exploring other investment opportunities until Cardano shows significant progress in the aforementioned metrics [8][10]

"For institutions, CRE provides the connective tissue needed to execute real operational systems onchain."Messari (@MessariCrypto):The @Chainlink Runtime Environment (CRE) is the all-in-one orchestration layer that streamlines deployment of institutional-grade smart contracts from months to hours.It’s why teams like Kiln, LlamaRisk, and Swapper say they couldn’t ship what they’re building without it. ...