ZachXBT Accuses Axiom Staffer of Misusing Private Wallet Data

Hi! In today’s edition:

• 🕵️ ZachXBT alleges Axiom employee accessed and shared private wallet data

• 🛡️ Vitalik unveils Ethereum’s long term quantum defense plan

• 🎙️ Tushar Jain and Mike Ippolito make the bull case for Solana amid rising competition

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ZachXBT Alleges Axiom Employee Misused Internal Data

Blockchain investigator ZachXBT has accused a senior employee at trading platform Axiom of abusing internal tools to access private user wallet data and potentially profit from it. 

In a detailed thread, he alleged that the employee used internal dashboards to look up wallet addresses tied to specific users and shared that information with a small group tracking high profile traders, particularly those active in memecoins.

According to the report, screenshots of internal data were circulated and several individuals named in the material confirmed that the wallet details were accurate. ZachXBT said he was retained to independently investigate the claims, though he did not disclose by whom. He cautioned that proving specific insider trades would require access to Axiom’s internal logs.

Axiom said it was surprised and disappointed by the allegations, removed employee access to the tools in question and pledged a full investigation.

The episode adds to growing scrutiny around data access and trading ethics in crypto, where transparency onchain does not always extend to internal platform controls.

Vitalik Buterin Lays Out Quantum Defense Plan for Ethereum

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has unveiled what he calls a “quantum roadmap” aimed at shielding the network from the long term threat of quantum computers. While practical quantum machines capable of breaking modern cryptography do not yet exist, researchers have made enough progress to spark concern across the industry.

Vitalik outlined several areas of vulnerability, including validator signatures, wallet signatures, data availability systems and certain zero knowledge proofs. A key proposal is to replace Ethereum’s current signature schemes with hash based signatures that are considered resistant to quantum attacks. He also supports adding more flexible account structures that would allow users to adopt new signature algorithms in the future.

Some of these ideas could begin rolling out as early as this year through the proposed Hegota upgrade, which developers are currently debating. The Ethereum Foundation recently formed a dedicated post quantum research team and launched new initiatives to accelerate work in this area. The transition would require significant engineering, but developers appear determined to prepare before the threat becomes urgent.

How Will Solana Fare Amidst Greater Competition From Ethereum and Hyperliquid?

Tushar Jain and Mike Ippolito make the bull case for Solana as competition heats up.

With Ethereum refocusing on L1 and Hyperliquid adoption growing, Solana is arguably facing stronger competition than ever. Can it thrive still?

Multicoin co-founder Tushar Jain and Blockworks co-founder Mike Ippolito share several reasons to be excited about Solana, including Alpenglow and anticipated market microstructure design flexibility.

Find out why Tushar and Mike say Firedancer has not been a flop despite seemingly low adoption, why they don't see block building issues stopping Solana from challenging Hyperliquid, and why they say the network doesn't have to do anything to specifically attract AI agents. Plus, why they both believe that the RWA race is too early to call despite Ethereum's dominance.

Meanwhile, with Alpenglow still months away, Mike says the wait doesn’t matter — for the next 12 to 18 months BD and marketing matter more than tech for adoption.

Iran’s future in 2026 hangs in the balance

Nuclear talks, sanctions, domestic unrest, and geopolitical risk are all colliding.

Charles Meyers joins Steven Ehrlich 2:30pm ET on Bits + Bips: The Interview 🔴

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• 🏛️ The U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency proposed sweeping stablecoin rules under the GENIUS Act that could restrict reward and yield programs, potentially pressuring arrangements like the Circle–Coinbase partnership and complicating broader crypto legislation as regulators scrutinize whether third-party incentives indirectly bypass interest bans.

• 📅 A federal judge gave U.S. prosecutors until March 11 to respond to Sam Bankman-Fried’s motion for a new trial, as the former FTX CEO continues appealing his 25-year sentence while speculation about a presidential pardon persists despite repeated White House denials.

• 🪙 Circle revealed it is exploring a native token for its Arc blockchain, a network designed specifically for stablecoin issuance and faster settlement, with CEO Jeremy Allaire signaling the token could support governance and incentives though no launch timeline has been set.

• 🔐 Starknet introduced strkBTC, a privacy-focused Bitcoin wrapper that enables shielded balances and transfers within decentralized finance, allowing users to interact with DeFi apps while keeping transaction details private without relying on mixing services.

• 🦊 Mastercard and MetaMask launched a self-custodial crypto spending card across 49 U.S. states, including New York, allowing users to spend digital assets directly from their wallets at 150 million merchants without pre-loading funds onto an exchange.

• 🏘️ Grant Cardone announced plans to tokenize his firm’s $5 billion real estate portfolio, aiming to convert property ownership into blockchain-based shares that could improve liquidity and secondary trading, even as regulatory uncertainty and thin trading volumes remain barriers to large-scale adoption.

• 🏗️ Bitcoin miner MARA partnered with Starwood Capital’s digital infrastructure arm to convert select mining sites into AI-focused data centers, sending shares up 17% as the company leveraged its power-heavy facilities to tap surging demand for artificial intelligence computing while keeping Bitcoin as a core strategy.

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