Bitcoin infrastructure protocol Echo Protocol announces it will gradually shut down.
Bitcoin infrastructure protocol Echo Protocol announced on social media that it will gradually wind down its operations due to business adjustments. The project team thanked the community, partners, and users for their long-term trust and support in the announcement, and pledged to complete subsequent liquidation work transparently and responsibly. Currently, all core businesses of Echo Protocol have stopped accepting incremental funds. Its lending protocol has halted new deposits, new borrowings, and interest accruals, while strategy and LSD businesses have also suspended new deposits and new staking. The team has opened repayment, withdrawal, and necessary asset liquidation channels, urging users to act promptly: Borrowers must repay debts, release collateral, and withdraw assets as soon as possible; strategy and LSD users should initiate exits and claims early; users holding aBTC can still redeem via the Aptos-to-B2 cross-chain bridge. To ensure orderly liquidation, the announcement specified key deadlines: All borrowers with outstanding debts must repay by November 14, 2026. Unpaid loans after this date will trigger collateral liquidation, with proceeds used to repay lenders. The final deadline for users to complete repayment, withdrawal, and unstaking is 23:59 UTC on November 19, 2026. After this date, Echo Protocol will officially cease operations, with all remaining positions entering the final liquidation and settlement process, and only the Aptos-to-B2 cross-chain bridge redemption service will remain active. Notably, as LSD and Strategy assets depend on the timing of underlying staking/unstaking requests, users' actual claim timelines will be subject to this factor.
8 minutes ago
Ethereum falls below $2,400
According to HTX market data, Ethereum has fallen below $2,400 and is currently trading at $2,399.
8 minutes ago
Bitcoin falls below $82,000
According to HTX market data, Bitcoin has fallen below $82,000, currently trading at $81,981.
8 minutes ago
BlackRock ETF-associated addresses transfer $143 million worth of BTC and ETH to Coinbase.
According to monitoring by Onchain Lens, a wallet linked to BlackRock’s ETF has just transferred $143.04 million in assets to Coinbase Prime, including 883.001 BTC (worth $72.64 million) and 28,957 ETH (worth $70.4 million).
8 minutes ago
U.S. Department of Homeland Security orders DeepSeek products excluded from civilian government agency systems.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Monday that it is ordering the exclusion of information technology products and services developed by Chinese AI firm Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Basic Technology Research Co., Ltd. (DeepSeek) and its affiliated entities from procurement by federal civilian executive branches, and their removal from IT systems of relevant agencies. The notice adds that the order also mandates the removal of all DeepSeek and its affiliates’ products, as well as third-party products and services implemented using DeepSeek’s technology. Issued under the 2018 Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act and its relevant implementing rules, the order follows a review of recommendations and supporting evidence from the Federal Acquisition Security Council.
8 minutes ago
US stock market opens, storage sector rallies across the board.
According to market data from BIT (bit.com), the U.S. stock market opened with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 0.05%, the S&P 500 up 0.54%, and the Nasdaq up 0.9%. SK Hynix (SKHY.O) rose 4.5%, SanDisk (SNDK.O) gained 4.6%, Micron Technology (MU.O) rose 3.7%, Western Digital (WDC.O) gained 3.1%, and NVIDIA (NVDA.O) added 1.4%.
GIBRALTAR, Oct. 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aurora Intents, the cross-chain execution solution built by Aurora Labs, now powers deposits intoElara Finance directly from Solana. Solana users can now deposit into Elara, a treasury product from the Brila ecosystem, with one signature from their Solana wallet. Staked as sELUSD, Elara's stablecoin elUSD earns yield from stablecoin market making, giving Solana users a way to put idle stablecoins to work without leaving their wallet.
Moving tokens across chains is only half the problem. The harder part is doing something with them once they arrive: minting, staking, depositing. Intents Connect handles that last step, so an app can let users act on another chain from the wallet they already use.
Funds move to Ethereum, where Elara mints elUSD. From there, the user stakes it into sELUSD with a second signature from the same Solana wallet. Both tokens stay on Ethereum in an account controlled by the user’s Solana wallet. Aurora Intents never holds the funds.
"Every extra step between a user and a product costs that product deposits," said Declan Hannon, CEO of Aurora Labs. "Bridging and buying gas are two steps most Solana users would rather skip. Elara can now accept those users as they are, and Aurora Intents handles everything in between."
The return trip works the same way. Users unstake sELUSD, redeem ELUSD for stablecoins, and Aurora Intents returns the funds to their Solana wallet.
“Our job is to make idle stablecoins productive, and a lot of that capital is held on Solana,” said Sebastien Davies, Head of Strategy, Elara. “Aurora Intents gives those holders a direct route into Elara without bridging or managing a second wallet. It brings our yield to them, wherever their funds are.”
Today’s launch connects Solana wallets to Elara, with deposits and withdrawals handled from the same wallet. The Solana route is live now at app.elara.fi.
Aurora Intents powers that connection through NEAR Intents, a solver network that has processed more than $34 billion in transactions.
About Aurora Intents
Aurora Intents is the cross-chain execution layer for on-chain applications. It enables users and systems to move assets, execute actions, and access liquidity across chains - without bridging screens, wallet switching, or per-chain gas management. Aurora Intents is built on top of NEAR Intents, the underlying solver network developed by NEAR Protocol.
About Elara Finance
Elara Finance is a treasury management product from the Brila ecosystem. Users deposit stablecoins to mint elUSD, a dollar-referenced treasury asset, and stake it as sELUSD to earn yield from stablecoin market making.
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Maha Shah
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heyAura is integrating Aurora Intents, a cross-chain execution layer powered by NEAR Intents. The result: more routing options for swaps and bridges, simpler cross-chain workflows, and lower gas fees on batched transactions.
heyAura integrates Aurora Intents for better cross-chain swaps and bridges and lower gas fees heyAura is integrating Aurora Intents, a cross-chain execution layer built by Aurora and powered by NEAR Intents.
The integration expands the infrastructure that heyAura uses for swaps and bridges, with three main benefits for users: more competitive quotes, simpler cross-chain workflows, and lower gas costs for compatible transactions.
Benefits of integrating Aurora Intents
More competitive quotesAurora Intents uses a solver network powered by NEAR Intents, in which independent solvers compete to fulfill transaction intents at competitive prices. Its cross-chain swap infrastructure also provides best-rate routing across its supported networks.
By adding Aurora Intents to heyAura's execution infrastructure, heyAura can access more available quotes and routing options when preparing eligible swaps and bridges.
This gives users a wider execution pool and can result in better quotes depending on the assets, networks, available liquidity, and current market conditions.
Simpler swaps and bridgesCross-chain transactions usually involve several infrastructure components, including liquidity sources, bridges, network-specific transactions, and settlement mechanisms
Aurora Intents combines these components into a single cross-chain execution layer. Its infrastructure handles routing and conversion across supported networks and supports multi-step, composable transaction flows.
heyAura interprets the requested action and prepares the transaction using the available execution infrastructure. The user retains control and provides final approval before execution.
Lower gas fees and faster executionAurora Intents combines multiple transactions and supports multi-step execution within a single coordinated flow. Gas still depends on the network, route, and conditions, but combining transactions lowers fees.
This is particularly relevant for heyAura, as the assistant can prepare batch transactions with a single prompt that would otherwise require several separate onchain operations. This workflow removes complexity, saves transaction time, and reduces gas fees.
One prompt. One approval. Cross-chain.
Here's Aurora Intents inside @heyAura:
→ "Bridge 1,000 USDC from Arbitrum to Base"
→ heyAura finds the route via Aurora Intents
→ Review, confirm, done
No bridge app. No chain switching. pic.twitter.com/TwO2VaShId
— Aurora (@auroraisnear) October 14, 2026 What is Aurora Intents?Aurora Intents provides infrastructure for executing transactions across different blockchain networks. It currently supports more than 30 chains and uses NEAR Intents together with Aurora's execution engine for cross-chain swaps and multi-step flows.
The system is based on intent-driven execution. An intent describes the outcome a user wants to achieve, while the underlying infrastructure handles routing, conversion, liquidity, and settlement.
Expanding heyAura's execution infrastructureAurora Intents joins the growing set of infrastructure providers behind heyAura's transaction capabilities.
The integration gives heyAura access to additional cross-chain liquidity and routing through the NEAR Intents solver network, while Aurora's execution engine adds support for composable multi-step flows.
For heyAura users, the result is straightforward: more routing options, simpler swap and bridge workflows, and more efficient transactions where batching is available.
This integration is another step towards our goal to provide better, more cost-effective, and time-saving services within heyAura.
Interested in heyAura? Follow us:
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CME Group shares slide 1.18% despite faster Globex cloud performance test results.
Google Cloud testing delivers faster trading response times for CME Globex systems.
Aurora Cloud Region construction advances ahead of schedule for 2027 testing.
CME Group targets late 2027 for its livestock market migration to Aurora cloud.
Dallas disaster recovery testing continues as CME drops interim relocation plans.
CME Group (CME) stock fell 1.18% to $277.24 on Monday, October 12, losing $3.32 despite progress on its cloud migration. The company completed initial performance testing for CME Globex on Google Cloud, achieving faster trading response times. Meanwhile, CME Group confirmed an accelerated construction schedule for its Aurora Cloud Region, supporting its planned market migration.
CME Group Inc., CME
CME Group Stock Declines Despite Cloud Trading Milestones
CME Group shares reversed earlier gains during Monday’s session as selling pressure increased throughout trading. The decline came as the company announced progress toward modernizing its global derivatives trading infrastructure. However, the announcement did not prevent the stock from ending the session lower.
CME Group completed initial performance tests for CME Globex, its electronic trading platform, using Google Cloud infrastructure. The tests achieved faster round-trip times, which measure how quickly trading systems process and return messages. Consequently, the results marked progress toward delivering ultra-low-latency trading through cloud technology.
The company also reported faster construction progress at its Aurora Cloud Region and co-location facility. Google Cloud will provide specialized infrastructure designed to support the trading requirements of CME Group’s markets. CME Group expects the Aurora facility to become available for client testing by mid-2027.
Google Cloud Migration Advances Toward 2027 Launch
CME Group Chairman and CEO Terry Duffy said the migration program continues to advance faster than initially expected. He attributed the accelerated schedule to construction progress and strong results from initial performance testing. Furthermore, the company expects its cloud infrastructure to support ultra-low-latency trading services ahead of its original schedule.
CME Group plans to move its livestock markets to the Aurora Cloud Region during late 2027. Previously, the company considered an interim relocation to Dallas before completing the transition to Aurora. However, faster construction progress eliminated that requirement and allowed CME Group to simplify its migration plans.
CME Group’s Dallas disaster recovery facility has supported client testing since June 2026. The facility remains part of the company’s broader infrastructure modernization program. Additionally, CME Group expects clients to access Google Cloud-managed services and co-location capabilities in Aurora during late 2027.
CME Group Expands Cloud Infrastructure for Global Markets
CME Group operates one of the world’s largest derivatives marketplaces, serving participants across several major asset classes. Its exchanges provide futures and options tied to interest rates, equities, currencies, cryptocurrencies, energy, agricultural commodities, and metals. The company also operates BrokerTec, EBS, and CME Clearing across its trading and clearing businesses.
CME Globex supports electronic futures and options trading, making reliable infrastructure essential to CME Group’s daily operations. The Google Cloud migration aims to combine specialized computing systems with the speed requirements of electronic markets. The transition will provide clients with managed cloud services and physical co-location options.
The latest milestones strengthen CME Group’s planned transition while establishing clearer testing and deployment targets for 2027. However, Monday’s stock decline contrasted with the operational progress outlined in the company’s announcement. CME Group will continue preparing its Aurora infrastructure as it advances the next stages of cloud migration.
Aurora co-founder Alex Shevchenko says his team has identified the NEAR Intents hacker. He gave the attacker 48 hours to return funds from the $3.8 million exploit.
The public ultimatum lists Bitcoin, BNB Chain, Ethereum, and Solana addresses for repayment. However, Shevchenko made a similar claim after another NEAR exploit earlier this year.
Will the NEAR Intents Hacker Take the Exit Offer?
We have identified you, sir.
Please return the funds to the following addresses:
— Alex Shevchenko 🇺🇦 (@AlexAuroraDev) October 2, 2026
Shevchenko posted the warning a day after the NEAR Intents hack, which hit the cross-chain swap service on October 1. Aurora runs an Ethereum-compatible network on top of NEAR Protocol.
NEAR Price Performance (1M). Source: BeInCryptoIn his post, Shevchenko addressed the attacker directly and listed three wallets. One of them covers both BNB Chain and Ethereum, since the two networks share the same address format.
Shevchenko’s post also points the attacker toward responsible disclosure. That practice lets hackers report flaws privately, often in exchange for a bounty.
He added that the attacker knows how that process works “better than most.” According to Shevchenko, the 48-hour deadline is the final chance to take that route.
Notably, Shevchenko did not name the NEAR Intents hacker or explain how his team traced them. He also did not say what happens once the deadline passes.
Why the Rhea Finance Case Matters HereIn April, Rhea Finance, a decentralized finance (DeFi) hub on NEAR, lost $18.4 million in an exploit, according to QuillAudits. Initial estimates of the Rhea Finance exploit put the damage at $7.6 million.
Shevchenko then publicly confirmed that the attacker had been identified, the security firm says.
Later, the attacker returned about 3.36 million USDC, 1.56 million NEAR, and roughly $4.4 million in Zcash (ZEC), among other assets. In addition, Tether froze about $3.29 million in USDT tied to the attack.
Those returns and freezes left a shortfall of about $400,000, which the Rhea team has committed to cover.
Two exploits on NEAR-linked services within six months raise questions about the ecosystem’s security. However, the Rhea case shows that a public warning can precede large returns. If the NEAR Intents hacker also returns the funds, public identification threats could become a standard recovery tool across DeFi.
LayerZero has announced it is phasing out offchain support for a number of low-activity blockchains, covering 13 networks: Aurora, Taiko, Japan Open Chain, LightLink, Viction, Animechain, XPLA, Merlin, Gnosis, Zora, Otherworld Space, XAI, and opBNB. These chains will no longer be able to use LayerZero’s DVN and Executor services. The move will also cause Stargate Hydra to discontinue support for some of these blockchains. LayerZero is reminding users to redeem Hydra assets on the affected chains, including USDC.e, wETH, and Hydra USDT. Specific affected networks and effective dates are subject to the official announcement.
PANews reported on September 26 that LayerZero has officially reminded users that, due to low activity on certain networks, it will continue to discontinue off-chain service support for the relevant chains in batches, and LayerZero DVN and Executor services will no longer cover these networks. The 13 chains affected starting September 30 are Aurora, Taiko, Japan Open Chain, LightLink, Viction, Anime, XPLA, Merlin, Gnosis, Zora, Otherworld Space, XAI, and opBNB.
As a result, Stargate Hydra will no longer support some of these networks. The official notice reminds affected users to redeem or bridge out assets such as USDC.e, WETH, and Hydra USDT from these chains as soon as possible; among them, Stargate's support for Aurora, Taiko, LightLink, and Gnosis already ended on September 23. According to a September 25 update, LayerZero's off-chain services for Gravity, Camp, Lisk, GOAT, and Metis will be discontinued on October 30, with the corresponding Stargate asset support ending on October 23. The official recommendation is to bridge assets to networks with deeper liquidity that remain supported, such as Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, or BSC, to avoid losing access to funds.
Aurora and Its Native Token Are Moving@Auroraisnear, the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) built on top of @NearProtocol, is one of the standout movers in crypto markets today. The protocol's native asset, $AURORA, has surged more than 200% in the past 24 hours and is up approximately 670% over the past 30 days, according to CoinGecko data.
, with
On-Chain Activity Backs the Price ActionThe price move is not happening in a vacuum. According to DefiLlama, Aurora's total value locked (TVL) rose 11% in the past 24 hours, with DEX volume up 234%, driven by decentralised applications including Trisolaris and WannaSwap. That level of on-chain activity suggests genuine user engagement rather than speculation alone.
The broader NEAR ecosystem is also showing momentum.
Still, context matters. and was positioned as a key entry point for Ethereum developers building on NEAR. meaning today's activity, while notable, reflects a recovery from deeply depressed levels rather than a new peak. As with any sharp altcoin move, traders should weigh the momentum against the broader context before drawing conclusions.
Sources:
CoinGecko: Aurora (AURORA) Price and Market Data
CryptoTimes: Aurora Mainnet Recovers From Brief Outage With TVL 99% Below Peak
InteractiveCrypto: NEAR Protocol Utility Soars Amid Price Dip
Aurora Intents has processed more than $19 million across 1,718 swaps for the zkSNARKS auction, accounting for over half of the assets converted and deposited into the ZEC-denominated sale.
Summary
More than $19 million of the auction’s $36.94 million submitted volume passed through Aurora Intents. USDC accounted for 27% of Aurora’s routed volume, while native ETH contributed 21%. NEAR Intents solvers converted assets from several chains into ZEC at rates approved before signing. Zcash shielded the destination-side bids, but source-chain transfers remained publicly visible. Aurora Intents handled half of the auction volume Aurora Labs CEO Declan Hannon told crypto.news that Aurora Intents processed just over $19 million of the $36.94 million deposited for the zkSNARKS auction, with the conversions completed through 1,718 swaps.
“It’s the value, the dollar value of assets converted into ZEC. Aurora Intents processed over 50% of the total volume swapped and deposited for the auction. Just over $19M out of $36.94M moved through us across 1718 swaps,” Hannon said.
The figure measures the value routed through Aurora’s cross-chain infrastructure, rather than the number of bids or completed NFT purchases. Some of the assets were attached to unsuccessful bids and later became eligible for refunds under the auction rules.
Auction results showed that participants submitted 16,971 bids for 8,000 available zkSNARKS assets. Total submitted volume reached 25,305 ZEC, worth approximately $36.94 million at the time, while the sale cleared at 1.5 ZEC per asset.
Under the sealed, uniform-price format, bidders placed offers without seeing the full order book. The 8,000 successful bidders paid the same clearing price, regardless of the maximum amount entered in their original bids.
Multiplying the clearing price by the 8,000 allocations gives 12,000 ZEC in completed sales. Approximately 13,309 ZEC, valued at about $19.43 million at the auction’s reported exchange rate, was allocated for refunds to unsuccessful bidders or for amounts submitted above the final price.
Stablecoins led cross-chain ZEC conversions Stablecoins supplied much of the value that Aurora Intents converted into ZEC, according to Hannon. USDC alone accounted for 27% of the funds routed through the system and arrived from four networks, with Solana contributing the largest portion.
Native ETH ranked as the next-largest individual source asset, representing 21% of Aurora’s auction volume. Participants could also enter with BTC, SOL, BNB, and other supported assets rather than acquiring ZEC through a separate exchange transaction.
“Most people bidding on a ZEC-denominated auction don’t already hold ZEC and did not want to go buy some just to bid. Aurora Intents powered the cross-chain swaps,” Hannon said.
The source-asset mix placed stablecoins at the center of the conversion flow while also showing demand from users holding assets on other networks. Instead of bridging an asset manually, finding a ZEC market and making another transfer, each bidder could request a specified ZEC output through one transaction instruction.
Cross-chain access has also become part of NFT marketplace competition. In September, OpenSea added Solana NFTs to its OS2 platform, allowing users to trade supported collections within a marketplace that already covers more than 25 networks.
Stablecoin issuers have taken a similar multichain route. In June, Ripple expanded RLUSD access to more than 40 networks through Wormhole, including Base, Optimism, Ink, Unichain and the XRP Ledger EVM sidechain.
NEAR Intents solvers locked the quoted ZEC output For the zkSNARKS auction, a bidder signed an intent stating how much ZEC the transaction should produce and the maximum source-asset amount the bidder was willing to spend. NEAR Intents solvers then competed to fill the request at the quoted rate, Hannon said.
“The user signs one intent—bid this much in ZEC up to the amount specified. Now the solver network, NEAR Intents, comes into play. Solvers compete to fill it at that quoted rate.”
According to Hannon, the rate was fixed before the user signed the transaction, while the quote included a minimum ZEC output. A market move beyond the approved range caused the transaction to fail instead of filling at a worse price.
“If the market moves past it, the trade simply doesn’t execute. If anything fails, funds return automatically to a refund address supplied up front,” he added.
Although the setup removed post-signature slippage, it did not remove every dependency from the transaction path. Hannon said users relied on the NEAR Intents settlement contract, market makers issuing quotes and bridges holding the underlying source assets.
Settlement took place through the NEAR Intents 1Click Swap API, which Hannon said has processed more than $30 billion. He added that 1Click did not take custody of user funds during the process, while Aurora neither acted as a counterparty nor handled the assets directly.
Non-custodial execution does not eliminate smart-contract, bridge, or liquidity-provider exposure. In Hannon’s description, each component still performed a specific role before the converted ZEC reached the auction.
For U.S. users, cross-chain execution does not settle whether an NFT sale or marketplace activity falls under federal securities rules. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission closed its OpenSea investigation in February 2025 without filing charges, but the decision did not create a blanket exemption for NFT issuers or trading platforms. The legal treatment of an asset can still depend on its sale terms, promised benefits, and promotion.
Zcash privacy started after source-chain activity While the auction used Zcash for private settlement, Hannon drew a line between the shielded ZEC transaction and the activity that occurred before assets reached the network.
“Zcash’s shielded pool does what it says on the destination side; the bid itself isn’t visible,” Hannon said.
“What I won’t do is tell you the whole path is invisible, because the leg before it lands on a public chain, same as it would if you sent that asset anywhere else.”
A user entering with ETH, SOL, BNB, or a stablecoin first initiated a transaction on the asset’s source network. Public blockchains record wallet addresses, transferred amounts, and transaction times, leaving the initial leg visible even when the resulting ZEC bid enters a shielded pool.
On the Zcash side, shielded transfers use zero-knowledge proofs to verify that a transaction is valid without publishing the sender, recipient or transferred amount. The protection applies to the shielded ZEC transaction, not automatically to every preceding action on another blockchain.
The auction offered 8,000 assets from a 10,000-item zkSNARKS collection. Project information assigned another 1,000 assets to early Snarklist participants and reserved 1,000 for grants, contributors, artists, and the team.
Following the sale, on-chain investigator ZachXBT alleged that the project lacked practical utility and compared its structure with previous NFT “money grabs,” according to ChainCatcher. The report said he questioned the roughly $17 million retained after refunds, as well as the collection’s team allocation and royalty structure.
Two unbeaten squads face off today at PGL Wallachia Season 9, with NAVI and Aurora Gaming meeting in a best-of-3 series after both teams opened the tournament with wins on day one. The match is scheduled for around 15:00 local time at the PGL Studio in Bucharest, Romania.
The stakes are straightforward but meaningful. A $1,000,000 prize pool sits at the center of a 16-team Swiss-system group stage, and the winner of this matchup moves to 2-0, positioning themselves favorably for the double-elimination playoffs that follow.
Day one set the stage NAVI looked sharp in their opener, dispatching Hokori with a clean 2-0 sweep. Aurora’s path was less tidy, needing three maps to edge past Pipsqueak+4 with a 2-1 result.
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PGL Wallachia Season 9 runs from September 19 through September 27, 2026, making it the first significant Dota 2 LAN event of the 2026-27 competitive season. The playoffs will use a double-elimination bracket featuring best-of-3 matches throughout, capped by a best-of-5 grand final.
Aurora’s new weapon The most compelling storyline entering this matchup is Aurora’s roster overhaul. The organization brought in Oliver “skiter” Lepko as their new carry player, replacing Nightfall. Skiter is a two-time The International champion.
The tournament is classified as a Tier 2 event, partly because several top-tier organizations are absent and partly because there were no open qualifiers for spots.
Why this tournament matters beyond the scoreboard The timing of PGL Wallachia Season 9 is what gives it outsized importance relative to its tier classification. Coming immediately after The International 2026, this is the first event where the competitive community gets to see how post-TI roster shuffles are playing out in actual matches.
The tournament is being held without a live audience, with all matches streamed on official PGL channels.
Visa delays have also affected the tournament’s composition, with some teams forced to use stand-ins rather than their full rosters.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
The companion app connects to the ERA hardware wallet to add portfolio management, swaps, and dApp access across 14 networks — while private keys never leave the device. The release follows a full independent security audit by Cure53, and lands alongside a major update to ERA Lens, ERA’s on-device scam-warning system, plus new hardware-side capabilities including Bitcoin multisig and on-device 2FA.
ERA, the maker of the air-gapped ERA hardware wallet, today announced the launch of the ERA Software Wallet, a companion mobile app for iOS and Android that turns its air-gapped hardware device into a full self-custody ecosystem. The move addresses one of the most common trade-offs in crypto self-custody: hardware wallets are secure but often clunky to use day-to-day, while software wallets are convenient but hold keys online.
ERA’s model keeps the two roles separate by design — the phone prepares transactions, the hardware device signs them, and the private keys never touch the phone at all.
“People don’t abandon self-custody because they don’t believe in it – they abandon it because it’s inconvenient,” said Alex Devyatkin, founder and CEO of ERA. “The Software Wallet doesn’t change what secures your assets. It changes how easy it is to actually use that security every day.”
What’s in the ERA Software WalletThe app gives users a single interface to manage assets across 14 networks – Bitcoin (SegWit, Taproot, and Legacy address types), Ethereum, Solana, Tron, Base, Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon, BNB Chain, Avalanche, Gnosis, zkSync, Kaia, and Aurora – while every transaction is still confirmed and signed on the ERA hardware device via QR or NFC.
Inside the app, users can:
View portfolio balances across all supported networks, with each token clearly tagged by network
Send and receive assets, with a network guard that prevents funds from being sent to the wrong chain
Buy and sell crypto through integrated providers, with automatic KYC/country detection and side-by-side rate comparison
Swap and bridge across chains in a single flow, powered by Rango’s routing, with a full quote shown before signing
Connect to dApps via WalletConnect, with sessions still requiring hardware-signed approval
Get proactive protection: warnings on unused token approvals, a spam-token filter, alerts on pending or stuck transactions, and full transaction history
App-level security includes PIN and biometric unlock (Face ID / Touch ID / fingerprint), auto-lock when the app is backgrounded, and screen-privacy protections that hide app content from the system app switcher and block screenshots and screen recording.
Backed by an Independent Security AuditAhead of launch, ERA commissioned a full white-box security audit from Cure53, a cybersecurity firm with an established track record auditing wallets and crypto infrastructure. Cure53 was given access to source code, builds, documentation, and internal components, and tested the mobile app, API, transaction construction, and QR/BC-UR signing flows. Every finding was fixed by ERA’s team and then retested by Cure53 to confirm the fix held.
The summary and full technical reports are public:
Summary report (PDF)
Full pentest report (PDF)
The Headline Device Update: ERA Lens’s New Scam-Warning SystemThe main update on the device side is to ERA Lens, ERA’s built-in transaction-decoding layer, which translates what a transaction actually does into plain language before signing rather than showing raw hex data.
This release adds a new scam-warning display, expands coverage to more DeFi and bridging protocols (including Rango, imToken, Rabby, MetaMask Portfolio Bridge, Mayan, Squid, LayerSwap, Stargate V2, GasZip, and Magpie), and can now decode newer, harder-to-read transaction formats such as EIP-7702, ERC-7821, and Safe multicalls — flagging unlimited approvals to unfamiliar addresses automatically.
The team also added 37 real transactions drawn from known incidents – including Bybit, WazirX, Radiant, Inferno Drainer, and PREMINT – to its automated test suite, so every new firmware release is checked against these attack patterns before shipping.
Extended Protection, Built Into the AppOn the mobile side, the Software Wallet adds extended protection aimed at scams that target wallet users directly rather than the underlying blockchain. The home screen now surfaces a plain-language warning for unused token approvals, with a dedicated screen showing exactly which contract can spend how much of which token, in which network, revocable in one confirmation.
The app also guards against address poisoning — fake transaction records designed to trick users into copying a lookalike address from their own history. Between July 2 and August 1, 2026, ERA tracked 66 such fake entries across 24 poisoned addresses, spanning 8 wallets and 8 networks; if a recipient address is a near-identical copy of one of a user’s own addresses, sending is blocked outright, with no override.
Also New: Progressive Security on the Hardware DeviceAlongside the software wallet launch, ERA is rolling out further capabilities to the hardware device itself, continuing its “wallet you never outgrow” model — meaning users can move to more advanced security setups without switching devices.
Bitcoin multisig support – the ERA device can act as one cosigner in a Bitcoin multisig setup, for example holding one key in a 2-of-3 arrangement, removing any single point of failure.
On-device two-factor authentication – TOTP authentication codes can now be stored directly on the ERA hardware device, adding a second layer of digital security on the same hardware that protects private keys.
Device authenticity verification – separately from how transactions are signed, the ERA device can prove it is a genuine, unmodified unit by signing a one-time challenge with a factory-burned key, a check that takes under a minute.
About ERAERA (HWLT FZE) is a Dubai-based digital security company building the ERA Wallet ecosystem: an air-gapped hardware wallet, a companion multichain software wallet, and a built-in transaction-protection layer, ERA Lens.
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Aurora Innovation has signed a commercial agreement with McLane Company, a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary, to launch fully driverless trucking operations on the Dallas-Houston corridor in Texas. The deal, announced on May 6, 2026, transitions what was previously a supervised pilot program into unsupervised commercial hauling, a distinction that matters enormously in the autonomous vehicle world.
The pilot phase wasn’t exactly a warm-up lap. Aurora logged over 280,000 autonomous miles and completed 1,400 loads for McLane, all with a 100% on-time delivery rate.
How the partnership actually works The operational model is a hybrid approach that splits the work between machine and human. Aurora’s self-driving technology handles the long-haul interstate segments between Dallas and Houston, roughly 240 miles of highway driving. McLane’s own drivers then take over for last-mile deliveries, navigating the trickier urban streets and loading docks that still challenge autonomous systems.
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McLane operates one of the largest distribution networks in the US, serving convenience stores, restaurants, and mass merchants.
Aurora’s growth targets and revenue outlook Aurora isn’t treating this as a one-route curiosity. The company has laid out aggressive expansion plans, targeting additional routes across US Sun Belt distribution-center corridors by the end of 2026.
On the fleet side, Aurora aims to have over 200 driverless trucks in operation by year-end 2026.
The financial projections reflect that ambition. Aurora has guided for $14 to $16 million in revenue for 2026, with an annual run-rate potential reaching $80 million once operations hit full scale.
Looking further out, Aurora is preparing to launch a Driver-as-a-Service model in 2027. Rather than selling trucks or software licenses outright, DaaS would essentially let logistics companies pay per mile or per load for autonomous capability.
What this means for the autonomous trucking race For investors in Aurora, which trades under the ticker AUR, the McLane deal offers commercial traction with a credible counterparty. The 100% on-time delivery rate across 1,400 loads is the kind of operational data that procurement teams at other major shippers will scrutinize when deciding whether to sign their own contracts.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
G2 Esports opened their BLAST Open Porto 2026 campaign with a convincing 2-0 sweep of Aurora Gaming on August 26, taking Inferno 13-5 and Anubis 16-12. The result drops Aurora into the lower bracket of the double-elimination group stage while G2 advance comfortably in a tournament carrying a $1.1 million total prize pool.
The headline performance belonged to r1nkle, G2’s primary AWPer since joining the roster in June 2026. He finished the series with a staggering 28-10 kill-death ratio across both maps.
Map breakdown: Inferno was a clinic, Anubis was a contest The first map was barely competitive. G2 rolled through Inferno with a 13-5 scoreline. Anubis told a different story, with Aurora keeping things contested through the middle rounds. The 16-12 final score reflected a genuine back-and-forth that Inferno never offered.
For a team ranked roughly ninth in the world heading into the event, G2 played with authority. Aurora, sitting around 11th globally, managed to make it competitive on one map. That wasn’t enough.
A revenge game for G2 Aurora had beaten G2 in both of their previous meetings during 2026, making this opener a chance for G2 to settle an uncomfortable trend.
G2’s full lineup of r1nkle, MATYS, huNter-, NertZ, and HeavyGod looked cohesive throughout the series. On Aurora’s side, woxic and XANTARES couldn’t generate enough impact to overcome G2’s structural advantages. Jimpphat and kyxsan filled their roles, but the team’s T-side on Inferno was particularly lifeless, managing just five rounds across the entire map.
What’s at stake in Porto The BLAST Open Porto 2026 uses a double-elimination format for its group stage, which runs through August 31 at BLAST Studios in Copenhagen. The playoffs then relocate to Porto, Portugal, from September 4-6. The winner takes home $150,000 from the $1.1 million prize pool.
Aurora’s tournament isn’t over, but the lower bracket means they’ll need to string together consecutive wins to survive. The margin for error is essentially gone after one series.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Japan Bitcoin Industry Co., Ltd. has debuted a self-custodial Bitcoin payments platform designed to help Japanese companies sell to international fans who are often shut out by traditional payment systems.
Using this week’s Bitcoin Asia conference in Hong Kong to introduce the product, JPI dropped Aurora — aiming to reach an audience that could not be serviced before.
The pitch is simple: anime, manga, games, and other Japanese content have a massive global following, but the payment rails supporting that content haven’t kept pace.
Aurora aims to close that gap by letting international customers pay in Bitcoin over the Lightning Network, while giving Japanese merchants a simple point-of-sale and API layer to manage invoicing, payment tracking, and integrations.
According to JBI, the market for Japanese anime content outside Japan reached ¥2.17 trillion in 2024, up 26% year-over-year — yet many overseas fans still struggle to pay for streaming subscriptions, digital merchandise and limited-access drops due to geographic payment restrictions.
The platform’s core design principle is that JBI never touches the money. Each merchant runs its own self-custodial Lightning node, receiving Bitcoin directly from customers.
JBI says this setup gives businesses cleaner regulatory footing, since the company isn’t acting as a custodian, while still handling the harder operational lift — node uptime, liquidity, accounting and auditing, and conversion to fiat — that has historically kept enterprises from adopting Bitcoin payments on their own.
JBI says aurora draws on lessons from its existing consumer business, UseBitcoin.jp, which has let customers buy digital gift cards — including au PAY, V-Preca and Kyash cards — using Lightning payments for the past two years.
The company is inviting media, prospective merchants and wallet providers to connect with the team at Bitcoin Asia 2026 in Hong Kong.
Mathew Di Salvo
Mathew is a reporter who's covered the space since 2019, reporting on everything from Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele's Bitcoin bet to crypto exchange FTX's bankruptcy.
Japan Bitcoin Industry Co., Ltd. (JBI) has introduced Aurora, a new self-custodial Bitcoin payments platform designed to help Japanese content producers reach fans around the world, especially those unable to access traditional payment services.
Bitcoin Asia debut for AuroraJBI formally announced the launch of Aurora during the Bitcoin Asia conference held in Hong Kong this week. The platform targets international fans of Japanese anime, manga, and games, aiming to address payment challenges that have limited access to Japanese digital content.
Demand for Japanese content continues to grow worldwide, but many international consumers still encounter obstacles when trying to purchase subscriptions, exclusive drops, and merchandise due to restrictions and complexity in cross-border payments.
How Aurora worksAurora enables customers outside Japan to pay with Bitcoin through the Lightning Network, an off-chain scaling solution allowing fast and low-cost transactions. Japanese merchants can use Aurora’s point-of-sale interface or integrate its API for handling invoicing, payment tracking, and platform integration.
Mini dictionary: Lightning Network — A payment protocol layered on top of Bitcoin, the Lightning Network enables near-instant transactions and lowers fees by conducting most transactions off-chain before settling on the main Bitcoin blockchain.
JBI emphasized that Aurora’s design ensures the company itself never holds client funds. Merchants run their own self-custodial Bitcoin Lightning nodes, receiving payments directly from overseas customers.
JBI stated that this self-custodial approach gives businesses direct control of assets and reduces regulatory risk. The company said it will handle technical operations like maintaining node uptime, managing liquidity, and supporting accounting and audits, which have previously been barriers to enterprise Bitcoin adoption.
Aurora’s self-custody structure means merchants receive Bitcoin directly, while JBI oversees technical and operational aspects like node management, liquidity, and fiat conversion.
Sector growth and market potentialAccording to JBI, the global market for Japanese anime content outside Japan grew 26% year-over-year, reaching ¥2.17 trillion in 2024. Many fans, however, remain unable to access content or collectibles due to payment system limitations.
YearMarket Value (¥ Trillion)Year-over-Year Growth (%)20231.72–20242.1726%JBI noted that Aurora is built on insights gained from the company’s UseBitcoin.jp platform, which has provided Lightning-based payments for digital gift card purchases since 2024. These cards include popular options such as au PAY, V-Preca, and Kyash.
Mini dictionary: Japan Bitcoin Industry Co., Ltd. (JBI) — A Japanese company specializing in Bitcoin payment solutions for businesses and consumers. JBI aims to facilitate crypto adoption by providing regulatory compliant and user-friendly platforms.
With Aurora, international fans can buy Japanese digital products directly with Bitcoin, while merchants retain full control of their funds throughout the process.
Industry outreach and future plansJBI is inviting media, merchants, and wallet providers to engage with its team at Bitcoin Asia 2026 in Hong Kong to explore the platform’s capabilities and potential collaborations.
By creating a pathway for smoother international payments, the company seeks to increase the accessibility of Japanese content worldwide for a growing base of global fans.
Anime and manga producers, digital merchandise sellers, and overseas fans stand to benefit from the expanded reach and simplified payment experience that Aurora offers through Bitcoin and the Lightning Network.
Japan Bitcoin Industry (JBI) has unveiled Aurora, a $BTC payment platform aimed at helping Japanese content creators and merchants sell to international audiences, without the friction of traditional cross-border payment systems. The platform was introduced at Bitcoin Asia 2026 in Hong Kong.
Targeting Anime, Manga, and GamingAurora is designed specifically for Japanese merchants selling anime, manga, video games, and other digital content overseas. JBI says conventional payment infrastructure has long left international fans underserved, creating a gap between global demand and the ability of Japanese sellers to capture it.
That gap is growing. Aurora positions itself as a direct solution for merchants looking to convert that international interest into sales.
Self-Custodial Lightning PaymentsPayments on Aurora run through the Bitcoin Lightning Network, a layer-two protocol that settles transactions off-chain, enabling faster processing and significantly lower fees than on-chain Bitcoin transfers.
Each merchant on Aurora operates its own self-custodial Lightning node, meaning JBI handles operational tasks but never takes custody of merchant funds. Buyers transact directly with the seller's node, keeping control of funds on the merchant side throughout.
The platform includes a point-of-sale system and an API, allowing merchants to manage invoices, track payment status, and integrate Aurora into their existing technology stack. JBI invited potential merchants, media, and wallet providers to connect with its team during the Hong Kong conference.
The launch adds to a broader push toward Bitcoin adoption in Japan, where Lightning Network use among exchanges and enterprises has been expanding in recent years.
SourcesJapan Bitcoin Industry (JBI) Official Site
Variety: Japan's Anime Market Hits Record $25 Billion
Aurora Gaming’s BLAST Open Porto campaign looked like it was heading for the exit door after a lopsided 0-2 loss to G2 Esports on August 26. Then the squad did what any team with its back against the wall does: it won the map that mattered most, taking Mirage to stay alive in the lower bracket of the $1.1 million tournament.
How Aurora ended up in the lower bracket The opening match against G2 was not pretty. Aurora fell 5-13 on Inferno, a scoreline that suggests the team was barely competitive on one of CS2’s most storied maps. Anubis was closer at 12-16, but “closer” and “winning” are very different things.
G2, ranked #9 globally heading into the event, flipped the script on a head-to-head rivalry that had tilted Aurora’s way earlier in 2026. Aurora had beaten G2 twice before this tournament.
The loss dropped Aurora, ranked around #11 in the world, straight into the lower bracket.
What’s at stake in Porto The BLAST Open Porto 2026 features 16 teams competing across a group stage currently running in Copenhagen through August 31. The playoffs move to Porto, Portugal, from September 4-6, where the surviving teams will fight over a first-place prize of $150,000.
For Aurora’s roster of woxic, XANTARES, Wicadia, Jimpphat, and kyxsan, the tournament represents a chance to validate a year that has included strong performances at both the IEM Cologne Major and the 2026 Esports World Cup.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Uber sold 67.5 million shares of Aurora Innovation through a block trade in June, according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
Neben Holdings, a wholly owned Uber subsidiary, sold the Class A shares to a financial institution for $7.10 each on June 2.
The transaction was worth about $479.3 million, based on the price and number of shares disclosed in Uber’s Form 4 filing.
Uber reported the sale in an amended Schedule 13D filed on June 4. Aurora develops autonomous-driving technology and trades on Nasdaq under the ticker AUR.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Cross-chain funding has long been treated as a bridging problem — but Aurora Labs CEO Declan Hannon argues it’s actually a fragmentation problem, one that multiplies with every new chain a consumer product has to support. In this interview, Hannon walks through how Aurora Intents, built on the NEAR Intents protocol, is addressing that fragmentation for COCA, a fintech platform serving more than a million users across 75 countries. He discusses the mechanics of persistent deposit addresses, the solver-based execution model behind Aurora’s routing, and why he believes reducing user-facing complexity — not adding more chains — is what will ultimately drive crypto adoption into mainstream finance.
Q1. How is the partnership between Aurora Intents and COCA a significant landmark for Aurora Labs in the simplification of on-chain funding?
On-chain funding was never really a bridging problem. It’s a fragmentation problem. The problem is that every chain adds another funding path a consumer product has to account for. Coca has over a million users across 75 countries who would otherwise hit that, one chain at a time. Instead, Aurora Intents provides a single reusable address per user whilst managing that fragmentation underneath.
Q2. What important fundamental changes is Aurora Intents making to the overall consumer experience?
Put simply: no bridging, no waiting, no checking whether it landed, no retrying if it doesn’t. One signature, and our infrastructure manages the rest, the way people are already used to from traditional banking, just applied to something crypto’s never quite delivered on. Underneath, that’s Intents Deposits doing the work: a persistent deposit address, so a COCA user can top up their balance from USDC on Stellar, USDT on Tron, wherever the funds already sit, without touching a bridge themselves.
Q3. How is COCA clients’ ability to fund accounts via a persistent deposit address beneficial?
A persistent deposit address removes a repeated decision from the funding flow. A COCA user can save the address for a supported chain and use it again and again, whilst Aurora Intents handles the routing after the funds arrive. The routing complexity should stay inside the infrastructure because asking users to solve it on every deposit creates unnecessary friction and, more importantly, significant risks of losing assets or making a mistake.
Q4. What is the role of the solver-based model in enhancing cross-chain liquidity access and execution?
So Aurora Intents runs on the NEAR Intents protocol, which uses solvers competing to fulfil each intent. COCA, or any other integrator for that matter, do not need a direct liquidity relationship on every chain. Instead, the request is broadcast to the Solver network, which then competes to provide the best execution available. “Best” in this context is a combination of factors including the cost of the route, the speed of execution or the requirements of the integrated Partner. For COCA, this allows liquidity coverage to grow with the solver network whilst its own team avoids maintaining a separate liquidity route for every chain.
Q5. How is the elimination of blockchain complexity from the consumer interface crucial to expand the mainstream adoption of crypto products?
Adoption hasn’t been slow because there’s nothing to do on-chain. It’s slow because of what you need to understand before you can do it. Gas. Bridges. Which chain an asset actually lives on. None of that is the product. With the risk of mistakes being so high and the cost of mistakes potentially enormous, it has created a real roadblock for adoption, which we are now solving with products like Aurora Intents that banks and financial companies like Coca can easily leverage.
Q6. As Aurora Intents is widening intent-based execution beyond conventional DeFi utilities like liquidity routing and swaps, is user banking as well as payments the next key growth area?
Payments and account funding are important areas because users have very little tolerance for routing decisions in those moments. Depositing, transferring and spending from one place like Coca using Aurora Intents already transforms that user experience into what they are used to with neo-banks like Revolut and Monzo rather than traditional DeFi.
What’s more, though, we can actually take that further; for example, the interesting part about Intents Connect is it changes the fundamental thinking of “get funds to the right chain” to simply “get funds to the right product.” This means you can now stake on a chain you’ve never held gas for; get into a vault strategy on an ecosystem you’ve never bridged into or even rebalance a position across chains without ever holding the asset the destination actually needs. Users shouldn’t need to care about how to bridge, switch networks, or know where the yield even lives, which is exactly how fintech companies already operate today.
Q7. How has your professional experience changed your approach to developing Aurora in line with crypto and enterprise technology?
Having come from the fintech banking space, I understand how important UX and simplicity are to the user. Of course it’s not the only factor, cost and speed also matter. Take Revolut, for example; they started as a travel card that you could sign-up for and fully KYC in just 9 steps compared to the 78 steps HSBC used to demand. They made every aspect of banking simple and convenient, which is why they saw such big numbers. I try to take the same approach to Aurora, Our Intents product removes all the steps of bridging, routing, managing gas and wallets so that the only thing the user needs to care about is what they came to do in the first place. I believe fragmentation and silo’d networks have been one of the core issues with this industry ever since I entered in 2021 and at Aurora the core mission statement of our company is “making cross-chain convenient”. Aurora Intents delivers that.
Q8. What are the key challenges posed to Aurora Labs while broadening Aurora Intents to back more users, fintech entities, wallets, user applications, and chains?
A wallet like Solflare and a consumer app like COCA aren’t the same integration, or even sitting on the same infrastructure. Wallet users expect crypto-native behaviour and tolerate more visibility, whereas Fintech users often don’t know they’re touching a blockchain, and won’t forgive a failed transaction the way a crypto-native user might.
As a result, we often see that clients need very specific and nuanced features or tweaks to ensure seamless integration with more traditional tech stacks. This means working closely and collaboratively with our clients and Partners and also building out our infrastructure and Products to support an extremely wide set of use cases. This requires careful planning and flawless execution to deliver properly.
Q9. With reliability and security being the leading concerns for users when shifting assets across chains, how does Aurora Intents tackle this while maintaining a smooth user experience?
I think the biggest part of reliability and security is actually reducing the number of things a user has to get right.
In a typical cross-chain transaction, you’re asking the user to choose a bridge, switch networks, manage gas across different chains, approve multiple transactions, and sometimes make another swap once the bridge is complete. Every one of those steps is another point where something can go wrong.
With Aurora Intents, we flip that around. The user tells us what they want to achieve and signs that intent. From there, the infrastructure handles the complexity of getting them to that outcome, including finding the appropriate execution path through the NEAR Intents network.
So rather than asking users to understand all of the infrastructure underneath, we keep the interaction simple while still making sure the execution is based on exactly what they authorised. For me, that’s really the goal: cross-chain shouldn’t feel like using five different pieces of infrastructure. It should feel like one transaction.
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Max delves deep into the cryptocurrency realm, with a passion for altcoins and NFTs. Convinced of crypto's transformative potential, he envisions a decentralized financial future. Max's background in the financial sector grants him unique insights into global monetary systems. In his leisure, Max embraces the thrill of adventures and is an avid sports enthusiast, finding balance and rejuvenation away from work.
BIG kicked off the Esports World Cup 2026 with a convincing 13-9 victory over Aurora Gaming on Cache, winning the Best of 1 upper bracket quarterfinal in Group A. The result sends BIG deeper into the winner’s bracket while Aurora drops to the lower bracket, where the margin for error shrinks considerably.
The match, played on August 12, marked the beginning of what promises to be a grueling 12-day tournament running through August 23 at two venues in Paris: the Accor Arena and the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles. Thirty-two teams are competing for a $2M prize pool.
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How the match unfolded BIG’s roster featured tabseN, JDC, faveN, and gr1ks under the in-game leadership of blameF, with xenn and tiziaN serving as coaches. The squad looked cohesive despite what reports describe as recent roster adjustments heading into the tournament.
Aurora, meanwhile, fielded a lineup headlined by XANTARES and woxic. Jimpphat and Wicadia rounded out the fragging roles, with kyxsan calling the shots as IGL and ashhh coaching from behind the scenes.
What’s at stake in Paris The Esports World Cup 2026 uses a GSL-style double-elimination format across four groups of eight teams each. The top four from every group advance to the playoffs. Losing in the upper bracket quarterfinals means Aurora now faces a do-or-die lower bracket match.
Two rosters in transition Both organizations entered this tournament with recently retooled lineups. BIG’s decision to build around blameF as captain and IGL appears to be paying early dividends, with tabseN serving as a cornerstone of the lineup. Aurora’s collection of individually talented players, particularly XANTARES and woxic, suggests a team built to win aim duels.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Key Highlights Curaleaf Holdings has publicly disclosed its intention to acquire Aurora Cannabis for US$4.00 per share The proposal represents a 45% premium above Aurora’s 30-day volume weighted average trading price of US$2.75 The transaction structure includes 0.3463 Curaleaf shares combined with US$0.75 in cash for every Aurora share Following the announcement, Aurora’s stock price climbed 18%, reaching approximately $4.76 per share Aurora’s board rejected two private acquisition approaches from Curaleaf on June 23 and July 7, 2026 In an unexpected move, Curaleaf Holdings has publicly disclosed its acquisition proposal for Aurora Cannabis, valued at US$4.00 per share, following Aurora’s board’s refusal to participate in confidential negotiations.
Aurora Cannabis Inc., ACB
The announcement triggered a significant market response on Tuesday, with ACB shares climbing more than 18% during trading hours to reach $4.76. Even before the opening bell, pre-market activity showed a 15% increase in the stock price.
Under the proposed transaction terms, Aurora shareholders would receive 0.3463 Curaleaf subordinate voting shares alongside US$0.75 cash per Aurora share held. Using current market valuations, this package equals the stated $4.00 per share offer price.
We intend to acquire Aurora Cannabis. It’s a win-win for all. For $ACB shareholders, the transaction provides a 45% premium over the 30-day VWAP and upside in the strongest global cannabis company. For $CURLF shareholders, the transaction bolsters the supply chain, is immediately…
— Curaleaf (@Curaleaf_Inc) August 11, 2026
The proposed acquisition price reflects a substantial 45% premium compared to Aurora’s 30-day volume weighted average of US$2.75. Additionally, it marks a 38% premium relative to Monday’s closing share price.
The offer includes a protective ceiling on the equity component. Should Curaleaf’s shares experience significant appreciation before deal closure, the stock consideration will be limited to ensure total value doesn’t surpass US$5.00 per Aurora share, calculated using Curaleaf’s 20-day VWAP.
According to Curaleaf’s disclosure, the company initially contacted Aurora’s management on June 23, 2026, followed by a second outreach on July 7, 2026. Aurora’s board declined both overtures.
Curaleaf’s CEO Boris Jordan spoke candidly about the rebuff. “We approached Aurora privately and constructively on multiple occasions,” Jordan stated. “We were very disappointed that the Board refused to meaningfully engage.”
Jordan went on to explain that the company would now present the offer directly to Aurora’s shareholder base, characterizing the premium as “compelling” while suggesting continued postponement would be “unjustified.”
Projected Combined Entity Metrics A merged entity would generate total revenue exceeding US$1.5 billion based on the last twelve months, with adjusted EBITDA approaching US$350 million during the identical timeframe.
Curaleaf projects minimum annual operating synergies of US$40 million resulting from the combination.
Transaction Requirements and Schedule Currently, no official takeover bid documentation has been submitted. Curaleaf has explicitly stated that the actual offer may not materialize.
The company retains the right to withdraw if unfavorable material information about Aurora emerges during examination, if Aurora implements protective measures, or if Aurora pursues alternative transactions.
Should the formal offer proceed, it would stay open for a 105-day period. Notably, it would not require due diligence clearance or financing approvals, eliminating two frequently encountered obstacles to deal completion.
Complete offer documentation will be submitted to Canadian securities authorities and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission when the official bid commences.
Canaccord Genuity has been retained as Curaleaf’s financial advisor for the transaction. Dentons is providing legal representation.
ACB shares closed at $4.76, representing a gain of $0.73, or 18.11%, for the trading session.
Aurora, a popular blockchain infrastructure platform, has collaborated with Solflare, a Solana-based non-custodial crypto wallet. The partnership includes the integration of Aurora’s Aurora Intents into Solflare Bridge for smooth cross-chain transfers.
Both Aurora and Solflare mentioned in their official social media announcements that the integration permits consumers to fund Solflare wallets from diverse key blockchains without depending on conventional bridge workflows. Rather than connecting wallets, manually choosing routes, and authorizing several transfers, consumers can now utilize a consistent deposit address.
Aurora Intents Drives Cross-Chain Transactions in Integration with Solflare Bridge Aurora and Solflare’s partnership takes into account Aurora Intents’ integration into Solflare Bridge. Particularly, NEAR Intents powers the respective feature, enabling a seamless experience for Solflare clients across chains. The integration is currently live across the web, mobile application, and browser extension of Solflare.
The exclusive development is set to eliminate several of the prevailing complexities linked with cross-chain asset transactions. Conventionally, consumers shifting capital to Solana required locating a compatible bridge, authorizing multiple transfers, connecting wallets, and waiting for the successful completion of transactions.
Such steps often led to friction, specifically for newcomers becoming a part of the Solana network. With Solflare’s latest Bridge feature, it replaces the above-mentioned procedure with a consistent deposit address. Users need to generate it only once for a specific token pair and blockchain for recurrent usage for transfers.
Supporting Multi-Chain Transfers Alongside 30-Day Fee-Free Bridge Usage The Aurora Intents infrastructure drives the whole experience by enabling unparalleled funding via many of the top blockchain ecosystems into Solflare. The project supports transactions from Base, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other major blockchains.
Consumers can select a specific asset, such as $USDC, $SOL, and other supported tokens, in which they want to receive funds on Solana. According to Aurora, the integration streamlines the transfer process into straightforward steps. They include the selection of the blockchain for sending assets and the selection of a token for the transfer to Solana.
After that, Solflare generates a permanent address for deposits for the respective pair. Following copying that address, consumers can smoothly send crypto assets to it. Moreover, to expand adoption, Solflare Bridge is going live without any bridge fees for 30 days. This represents nearly $125,000 in fees, benefiting the community.
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Crypto journalist with years of experience providing in-depth analysis and news on blockchain and decentralized finance. With a keen eye for detail, Shahzaib delivers insightful articles that explore the latest trends, market movements, and innovations within the crypto and blockchain ecosystem. His work focuses on educating readers while offering expert commentary on the evolving landscape of digital assets, DeFi protocols, and the broader impact of blockchain technology.
Aurora Labs has launched native cross-chain funding for Solflare wallets through Aurora Intents, allowing users to move assets from Bitcoin, Ethereum and other leading blockchains directly into Solana without interacting with traditional bridge interfaces.
Aurora Intents is powered by NEAR Intents, which settles more than $23 billion in total transaction volume and processes over $2.3 billion each month.
The integration introduces permanent deposit addresses for each supported blockchain and token. According to the projects, users simply transfer assets to the assigned address, while Aurora Intents automatically manages cross-chain routing, liquidity sourcing and token conversion using NEAR Intents infrastructure before delivering assets to Solflare.
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Aurora Labs says transfers from Ethereum-based networks generally complete in under one minute, while Bitcoin deposits take about 14 minutes.
The initial release supports Bitcoin, Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, Polygon, BNB Chain, Tron and NEAR. SOL and stablecoins are the primary destination assets, with additional tokens supported depending on liquidity availability.
The platform charges a 0.1% fee for stablecoin transfers and 1% for other assets, although all deposits will be fee-free during the first month after launch, subject to a combined $125,000 fee waiver.
Aurora Labs said replacing bridge applications with reusable deposit addresses removes one of crypto’s biggest onboarding friction points.
“Bridging has always carried too much anxiety — too many steps, too much that can go wrong. We chose Aurora Intents because its intent-based model removes all of that: you state what you want on Solana, and you receive the real token, on one permanent address for each source-chain-and-token pair that you can reuse forever. No dApp to connect, no wrapped assets,” Vidor Gencel, co-founder and co-CEO of Solflare, stated.
“We think this turns the hardest part of getting onto Solana into something as simple and trusted as a send — and makes Solflare the natural gateway to Solana for funds flowing in from every major chain,” he added.
Solflare said the approach provides users with a simpler and more trusted way to bring assets into the Solana ecosystem.
“Exchanges trained users to copy a deposit address and send funds, and Aurora Intents now brings that same action to a self-custodial wallet,” Declan Hannon, CEO of Aurora Labs, noted. “Apps lose users at the funding step, and most of those users already hold assets somewhere else. Aurora Intents turns that into a deposit address, and both the funds and the users arrive on Solana.”
The rollout follows continued growth across the Solana ecosystem, where monthly active addresses rose approximately 50% during Q1 2026. Solflare currently has more than 4 million active users and over $15 billion in assets under self-custody.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Aurora suffered a full outage of the mainnet, which stopped block production and smart contracts. The outage is a clear demonstration of a massive contraction in the capitalization of the project by 99 percent since 2022. Aurora suffered a full outage of the mainnet in the early hours of July 20, 2026, following the unexpected halt of block production at 2:16:11 a.m. UTC, as reported by Onchain Lens. This caused an immediate interruption of transactions and smart contract executions on the network.
Aurora acts as a compatible Ethereum Virtual Machine layer running on NEAR Protocol. It allows developers to launch Solidity-based smart contracts and gain the advantages of low transaction fees and increased throughput. The platform has secured investment from top venture capitals such as Pantera Capital, Electric Capital, and Dragonfly Capital, which contributed $12 million to Aurora’s fundraising process. While many projects were impacted by the downtime, Aurora’s team chose to remain silent regarding the issue for several hours following the crash.
Aurora’s project has failed to release a detailed technical statement about what caused the crash and a timeframe for when the network will be back up and running. Due to the lack of information released by Aurora, the platform’s operations were paused, leaving developers and users in suspense while all blockchain activity on Aurora was suspended.
Aurora Experiences Operational Difficulties The current outage suffered by Aurora is part of a growing trend of diminished activity in the NEAR-based scaling ecosystem. As per DefiLlama, the total value of funds locked on Aurora was close to $2.5 billion during the crypto market cycle of 2022. The number of funds since then has dropped by more than 99%, dropping to around $4.65 million.
The long period of low liquidity has made it such that there have been fewer users in the ecosystem at the time of the surprising shutdown of the mainnet. Unlike other outages experienced in major blockchain ecosystems, the outage experienced by Aurora received little response from the greater crypto market, demonstrating the diminished market presence of the platform.
Next Comes the Task of Rebuilding Confidence As Aurora’s development team has not yet offered a solution for the network outage and recovery timeline, developers and users keep watching the status of the network and evaluating the risks involved. Block production, root cause analysis, and proper communication will be essential to rebuild confidence.
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Aurora, an Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatible blockchain network running on the NEAR Protocol, reportedly experienced access issues on its mainnet. According to information shared by Onchain Lens, the Aurora mainnet became unavailable at 05:16:11 and the outage was ongoing at the time of writing.
Aurora stands out as a layer that enables Ethereum-based decentralized applications (dApps) and smart contracts to run on the NEAR Protocol infrastructure with lower transaction costs and higher scalability. Thanks to EVM compatibility, developers can migrate existing Ethereum applications to the Aurora network without making significant changes.
In its 2021 funding round, the project raised a total of $12 million from investors including leading venture capital firms in the sector such as Pantera Capital, Electric Capital, and Dragonfly Capital.
At the time, Aurora, which offered alternative solutions to Ethereum’s high transaction fees, stood out and achieved significant growth in the decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem.
However, DeFiLlama data shows that the network has shrunk significantly in recent years. Aurora’s total value of assets locked (TVL) peaked at approximately $2.5 billion in 2022, but subsequently declined by about 99 percent to $4.65 million due to market contraction and decreased user interest.
Aurora has not yet released an official statement regarding the cause of the main network outage. It remains unclear whether the problem was due to a technical malfunction, scheduled maintenance, or another reason.
Experts say that such outages on blockchain networks can temporarily affect user transactions, decentralized finance applications, and smart contracts. While the Aurora team is expected to continue working to resolve the issue, users are advised to follow announcements from official channels.
*This is not investment advice.
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Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
Aurora, the Ethereum-compatible blockchain layer built on NEAR Protocol, went dark at 02:16 UTC on July 20, 2026. Hours later, the network remains completely unavailable, with no official statement from Aurora Labs explaining what happened or when service might resume.
For a network that once locked up $2.5 billion in total value, this would have been a five-alarm fire. Today, with Aurora’s TVL sitting at roughly $4.65 million, the outage reads more like a quiet alarm going off in an increasingly empty building.
What we know so far On-chain monitoring flagged the outage shortly after it began in the early morning hours UTC. Aurora’s mainnet, which allows developers to deploy Ethereum-compatible smart contracts and decentralized applications at lower costs than Ethereum mainnet, has been completely inaccessible since.
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The @auroraisnear account has not issued any public explanation. No root cause has been identified publicly, and there’s no estimated timeline for restoration.
The long decline of Aurora’s TVL When Aurora launched in 2021, it had genuine momentum. The project raised $12 million from a roster of over 100 investors that included Pantera Capital and Electric Capital. It was positioned as the bridge between Ethereum’s massive developer ecosystem and NEAR Protocol’s scalable architecture.
By 2022, things were looking solid. Aurora’s TVL peaked at approximately $2.5 billion, and the broader NEAR ecosystem initiated a $90 million developer fund, allocating 25 million AURORA tokens to boost DeFi activity on the platform.
From $2.5 billion to roughly $4.65 million represents a drop of about 99%. The month preceding the outage was unremarkable. Aurora had been quietly pushing routine updates related to its Virtual Chains and Intents features, but nothing that suggested a major technical crisis was brewing.
What this means for investors and developers For anyone still holding positions on Aurora or building applications on the network, this outage demands a serious reassessment. Extended downtime without communication from the team is one of the clearest warning signals in crypto infrastructure.
A 99% decline in TVL tells you that capital has already voted with its feet. An unexplained, multi-hour mainnet outage tells you that operational resilience may also be deteriorating.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
The FIFA World Cup has come to a close, with FIFA generating over $9 billion in revenue.
According to CNBC, the largest and most talked-about World Cup in history has come to a close. Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 in extra time to lift the FIFA World Cup trophy, the highest honor in international football. Off the pitch, FIFA is undoubtedly the biggest winner of this tournament. As the global governing body of football, FIFA hosted the most lucrative sports event in history. According to its own projections, the 2026 World Cup will generate over $9 billion in revenue. This World Cup is also the first in history to expand to 48 participating teams, a significant increase from 32 teams four years prior; the number of matches has risen from 64 to 104, and the tournament schedule has been extended from 4 weeks to 6 weeks. More matches mean more content to sell to broadcasters, more tickets to sell to fans, and more commercial partnership opportunities for advertisers, while also attracting a larger global audience. FIFA President Gianni Infantino has been a core figure driving the commercialization of the World Cup. As the tournament’s scale expands further, FIFA is maximizing the World Cup’s commercial value in an unprecedented manner.
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【Whale Tracking】 $107 million BTC long position reduced by 40%, remaining position placed with a break-even sell order.
According to Hyperinsight monitoring, the largest BTC long position holder, who previously held $107 million worth of BTC long positions, has started taking profits via position reduction and placed a break-even stop-loss order for remaining positions near their entry cost. Over the past hour, the entity sold a total of 903.4 BTC through 10 limit sell orders, generating approximately $58.424 million in trading volume at an average execution price of ~$64,666.1, realizing a profit of $554,400. Minor additional positions added during the period resulted in a net position reduction of 668.2 BTC. As of press time, the whale still holds 994.2 BTC in long positions, valued at ~$64.195 million, with an average entry price of $64,052 and an unrealized profit of $510,000. Its liquidation price has fallen to $61,604.3. The whale has set stop-loss orders for all remaining long positions: a break-even liquidation will trigger if BTC drops below $64,050—meaning it will lock in the $554,400 realized profit and exit if the price falls back to entry cost; if the price continues to rise, it will hold for further gains, making this setup overall defensive. Previous update: [Whale Alert] A whale opened BTC long positions worth $107 million, becoming the largest BTC long holder.
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China Software International rises more than 30%
According to Bitget's market data, China Software International rose more than 30%. As reported today, the company announced it has signed a token revenue sharing and joint innovation cooperation agreement with Moonshot.
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Circle's CEO has sold CRCL shares 10 times since the company's IPO, cashing out over $30 million.
According to Form 4 filings, Circle President Heath Tarbert has sold CRCL shares 10 times in total since June 2025, netting roughly $30.77 million in proceeds with no additional stock purchases made. Earlier reports noted that Tarbert recently told Fox Business Network, "the company’s stock price will take care of itself," while emphasizing "Circle is in it for the long haul."
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South Korea's KOSPI Index plummeted 5% intraday.
According to Bitget market data, South Korea's KOSPI index plunged 5% intraday, currently trading at 6479.20 points.
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Prediction markets now account for 27% of total World Cup sports betting transactions, marking the first time traditional betting giants have seen their market share significantly eroded.
According to Bloomberg, during this unprecedentedly popular World Cup, trading volume on prediction markets surged sharply, growing far faster than traditional sports betting platforms, further highlighting the competitive threat that prediction market platforms like Kalshi pose to the sports betting industry. As a leading player in the space, Kalshi broke its own trading records multiple times during the World Cup. Its peak trading volume not only doubled the mark set in the week before the World Cup and during the New York Knicks’ playoffs, but also reached nearly 10 times its average trading level for most of early this year. Research firm H2 Gambling Capital estimated, based on public data from the first month of the World Cup, that prediction market trading volume now accounts for roughly 27% of total U.S. legal sports betting volume, up sharply from 9% at the start of the year. While this comparison is not entirely precise—due to differing trading metrics used by prediction markets and traditional bookmakers, and as bookmakers have not yet released their latest internal data—it still reflects that prediction markets are rapidly eroding market share from traditional sports betting. Another clear sign of the shifting competitive landscape is that, per Apptopia data, Kalshi’s mobile app daily active users (DAU) surpassed those of the two largest U.S. online sports betting platforms, DraftKings and FanDuel, during the World Cup, demonstrating that prediction market platforms are rising rapidly and posing direct competition to traditional sports betting giants in user scale.
Oklo just went shopping again. The nuclear energy company completed its acquisition of Creative Engineers, Inc. (CEI) on June 30, bringing aboard roughly 20 engineers, fabricators, and welders who specialize in exactly the kind of sodium and alkali-metal systems that Oklo’s Aurora reactor technology depends on.
This is Oklo’s second acquisition in a matter of weeks. Stock reaction was mixed, with some price slips observed around the announcement.
Why sodium experts matter for a nuclear startup Oklo’s Aurora reactor is a compact, modular design that uses liquid sodium as a coolant instead of water. CEI has been doing alkali-metal work for nuclear-related projects for years, and the acquisition brings liquid-metal handling, safety training, and reactor component development capabilities in-house rather than relying on external contractors.
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CEI has reportedly been generating positive free cash flow for over five years, which makes this more than a talent acquisition. It’s a profitable business being folded into Oklo’s operations, adding manufacturing capability and applied R&D capacity. The financial terms of the deal remain undisclosed.
The broader Aurora timeline is taking shape On June 18, Oklo announced a letter of intent with Centrus Energy to secure high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel supply for upcoming Aurora units. Initial fuel deliveries are projected for 2029, timed to support what Oklo has described as a 1.2 GW clean energy campus.
The company is targeting its first operational Aurora unit at Idaho National Laboratory by late 2027 or early 2028.
What this means for investors watching the nuclear-AI energy nexus Oklo’s chairman is Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI. The company has been positioned at the intersection of nuclear energy and AI infrastructure.
Oklo hasn’t generated meaningful revenue yet, and its first reactor is still at least 18 months from operation. Nuclear regulatory approval processes are famously unpredictable, and the HALEU fuel supply chain remains nascent. Investors should watch regulatory milestones over the next 12 months, the progression of the Centrus Energy fuel supply arrangement toward binding commitments, and whether Oklo announces additional acquisitions ahead of the 2027-2028 launch window.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Engin “MAJ3R” Küpeli, the 35-year-old in-game leader who transformed Aurora Gaming into a legitimate CS2 contender, has officially stepped down from the team’s active roster. He’s not leaving the building, though. Aurora confirmed he’ll remain with the organization in a yet-to-be-announced role.
The move, effective July 2, 2026, comes after roughly 14 months of competitive play during which MAJ3R guided Aurora to a championship at PGL Masters Bucharest 2025 and runner-up finishes at the Esports World Cup 2025 and ESL Pro League Season 23. His reason is refreshingly human in an industry that tends to burn through talent: he wants to spend more time with his family.
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What MAJ3R built at Aurora MAJ3R joined Aurora in April 2025, arriving from Eternal Fire alongside several core teammates. The PGL Masters Bucharest 2025 win was the crown jewel, putting Aurora on the map as a team that could compete with the established CS2 elite under MAJ3R’s tactical direction as IGL.
His departure leaves Aurora with XANTARES, woxic, Wicadia, and soulfly still on the roster. The timing also coincides with broader roster adjustments at Aurora. Coach Fabre has already departed, and rumors are circulating about potential international recruits being brought in.
This isn’t being framed as a retirement. MAJ3R has been careful to call it a pause from professional gaming.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Key HighlightsStrategic Acquisition Delivers Critical Sodium Technology CapabilitiesTransaction Accelerates Development Timeline and Mitigates Technical UncertaintiesTransaction Expands Oklo’s Comprehensive Nuclear Technology EcosystemGet 3 Free Stock Ebooks OKLO climbs in pre-market sessions following 1.19% gain to reach $53.39
Company acquires Creative Engineers to enhance Aurora reactor sodium capabilities
Transaction delivers liquid-metal expertise, manufacturing capacity, and validation capabilities
Approximately 20 specialized professionals join Oklo’s technical workforce
Strategic move accelerates timeline and minimizes development uncertainties
Shares of Oklo Inc. (OKLO) advanced in early trading following the company’s announcement of its Creative Engineers, Inc. acquisition, which enhances its sodium engineering capabilities for the Aurora powerhouse initiative. The stock increased 1.19% to $53.39 in pre-market activity after finishing the previous session 5.52% higher at $52.76. This strategic transaction provides Oklo with enhanced oversight of critical liquid-metal technologies as commercialization approaches.
Strategic Acquisition Delivers Critical Sodium Technology Capabilities Oklo announced that the transaction incorporates CEI’s chemical process engineering capabilities into its advanced nuclear technology platform. The acquisition delivers enhanced competencies in sodium-based systems, manufacturing operations, component engineering, and applied scientific research. Consequently, this strategic move directly reinforces the technical infrastructure supporting Oklo’s sodium-cooled Aurora reactor platform.
Creative Engineers brings nearly three decades of specialized experience with sodium, sodium-potassium compounds, and lithium-based systems since establishing operations in 1996. The firm’s portfolio encompasses remediation and deactivation activities associated with prominent nuclear sodium initiatives. These landmark projects include the Fast Flux Test Facility, Fermi 1, and Experimental Breeder Reactor II programs.
The relationship between Oklo and CEI extends back multiple years prior to this formal acquisition. Previous collaborative efforts encompassed sodium circulation systems, measurement instrumentation, pumping equipment, and specialized safety protocols. Therefore, Oklo is now integrating a proven technical collaborator directly into its core development operations.
Transaction Accelerates Development Timeline and Mitigates Technical Uncertainties Oklo anticipates that CEI will enable accelerated engineering processes and improved availability of sodium-handling competencies. The company further projects that this acquisition will minimize uncertainties surrounding specialized infrastructure, validation procedures, manufacturing operations, and workforce development. This strategic importance stems from sodium systems serving as foundational components in Aurora’s planned commercialization strategy.
The Aurora platform utilizes a sodium-cooled fast reactor architecture featuring liquid-metal thermal management and inherent safety mechanisms. The engineering approach incorporates natural convection principles to facilitate residual heat dissipation following reactor shutdown. CEI’s specialized sodium experience aligns precisely with Oklo’s reactor development and operational deployment requirements.
The acquisition delivers approximately 20 specialized professionals—including engineers, manufacturing technicians, and welding specialists—to Oklo’s technical and production operations. The business unit also contributes positive free cash flow generation, according to company statements. CEI will maintain service relationships with its established commercial clients throughout the nuclear industry.
Transaction Expands Oklo’s Comprehensive Nuclear Technology Ecosystem Oklo focuses on developing fast fission energy systems designed to deliver clean, dependable, and economically viable power generation on a worldwide scale. The organization also pursues critical isotope production capabilities and advanced nuclear fuel reprocessing technologies. Its fuel recycling strategy targets the conversion of spent nuclear materials into viable energy resources.
The company maintains a site authorization permit issued by the U.S. Department of Energy for advanced fission facility deployment. It has also obtained fuel materials from Idaho National Laboratory to support its development initiatives. Oklo has filed a customized combined license application with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Creative Engineers functions as a process engineering and modular fabrication enterprise with specialized reactive metals proficiency. Its operational scope encompasses pilot-scale research apparatus, liquid-metal infrastructure, and chemical manufacturing systems. Through this transaction, Oklo reinforces its Aurora development trajectory while simultaneously acquiring specialized nuclear production capabilities.
Oliver Dale
Editor-in-Chief of Blockonomi and founder of Kooc Media, A UK-Based Online Media Company. Believer in Open-Source Software, Blockchain Technology & a Free and Fair Internet for all. His writing has been quoted by Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Investopedia, The New Yorker, Forbes, Techcrunch & More. Contact [email protected]
Risk Disclosure: Guides, news, articles and analyzes on Bitcoinsistemi.com do not constitute investment advice. Keeping in mind that Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies are high-risk products, you should do your own research for each investment decision. Otherwise, you may come to the point of losing your entire investment. In this context, you should know that you are responsible for the losses that may arise from all your transfers and transactions.
Bitcoinsistemi.com is a news site, does not provide investment advice and does not recommend investing in any projects or digital assets. In this context, the content and content authors on Bitcoinsistemi.com cannot be held responsible for the investment decisions you make.
Risk Disclosure: Guides, news, articles and analyzes on Bitcoinsistemi.com do not constitute investment advice. Keeping in mind that Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies are high-risk products, you should do your own research for each investment decision. Otherwise, you may come to the point of losing your entire investment. In this context, you should know that you are responsible for the losses that may arise from all your transfers and transactions.
Bitcoinsistemi.com is a news site, does not provide investment advice and does not recommend investing in any projects or digital assets. In this context, the content and content authors on Bitcoinsistemi.com cannot be held responsible for the investment decisions you make.
Risk Disclosure: Guides, news, articles and analyzes on Bitcoinsistemi.com do not constitute investment advice. Keeping in mind that Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies are high-risk products, you should do your own research for each investment decision. Otherwise, you may come to the point of losing your entire investment. In this context, you should know that you are responsible for the losses that may arise from all your transfers and transactions.
Bitcoinsistemi.com is a news site, does not provide investment advice and does not recommend investing in any projects or digital assets. In this context, the content and content authors on Bitcoinsistemi.com cannot be held responsible for the investment decisions you make.
TLDRFederal Authorization Opens Door to Isotope Production BusinessBuilding Domestic Isotope Infrastructure AdvancesFederal Partnership Propels Aurora Reactor InitiativeGet 3 Free Stock Ebooks First NRC materials license approval enables Oklo’s entry into isotope processing sector. Stock advances 2.35% as regulatory milestone validates commercial expansion strategy. Atomic Alchemy subsidiary authorized to handle and distribute critical isotopes. DOE safety design approval propels Aurora reactor initiative forward. Multi-reactor isotope facility planned for healthcare and technology applications. Shares of Oklo Inc. (OKLO) climbed 2.35% to reach $61.09, rebounding from earlier session fluctuations as the company announced significant regulatory achievements. The nuclear technology firm obtained crucial federal authorization and solidified reactor development partnerships. These milestones mark critical progress in Oklo’s evolution from development stage to active market participant in nuclear energy and isotope production.
Oklo Inc., OKLO
Federal Authorization Opens Door to Isotope Production Business The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted Oklo its inaugural materials license via the company’s Atomic Alchemy division. This authorization permits the subsidiary to manage, process, and supply essential radioactive isotopes. The approval represents Oklo’s formal entry into commercial isotope operations.
Under the license terms, Atomic Alchemy can work with controlled amounts of radium-226 and sealed calibration materials. The authorization encompasses chemical processing, secure storage, and repackaging activities within regulatory parameters. Consequently, Oklo now possesses the legal framework to initiate isotope recovery and preparation procedures.
Operations will initially center at the Idaho Radiochemistry Laboratory facility. The site will handle distribution to federally authorized customers according to compliance standards. This regulatory approval creates a foundation for developing domestic isotope production capabilities.
Building Domestic Isotope Infrastructure Advances Oklo intends to transform unused radioactive materials into viable feedstock for medical isotope manufacturing. This methodology addresses critical shortages affecting healthcare institutions and research organizations. The approach also diminishes dependence on international isotope suppliers.
Reclaimed materials will enable applications including targeted alpha therapy treatments and industrial diagnostic procedures. Moreover, the recycling process improves resource utilization by repurposing materials previously designated as waste products. This operational model supports wider nuclear industry sustainability objectives.
Knowledge gained from Idaho laboratory operations will guide upcoming large-scale production facilities. The organization envisions constructing a multi-reactor isotope foundry featuring multiple compact reactors. These integrated systems will serve varied applications spanning medical treatments, defense requirements, and aerospace technologies.
Federal Partnership Propels Aurora Reactor Initiative Oklo formalized an agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy supporting its inaugural reactor installation. The arrangement addresses design specifications, construction protocols, and operational parameters within a federal demonstration program. This collaborative structure expedites deployment schedules for next-generation nuclear systems.
The Department of Energy granted Nuclear Safety Design Agreement approval for the Aurora reactor at Idaho National Laboratory. This clearance launches the subsequent phase of technical evaluation and project implementation. The approval also facilitates comprehensive safety assessment under federal supervision.
Oklo maintains concurrent development of its fuel manufacturing facility in Idaho. The plant will produce initial fuel assemblies for Aurora reactor operations. Collectively, these initiatives bolster domestic nuclear infrastructure and facilitate eventual commercial licensing objectives.
PANews reported on April 6th that, according to Prnewswire, Nasdaq-listed BTC Digital announced a joint development and operation agreement with Aurora Energy to build an off-grid natural gas-powered computing infrastructure project in Alberta, Canada. The project aims to explore the integration of energy and AI computing power. The first phase of the project plans to construct 5–10 MW of natural gas-powered computing facilities, utilizing local idle natural gas resources to generate electricity on-site, providing stable and low-cost power for Bitcoin mining. The project also reserves the capability to expand to AI computing, data centers, and high-performance computing (HPC) applications. BTC Digital will reportedly provide Bitcoin mining equipment, computing power operation experience, and digital infrastructure solutions, and will prepare for the subsequent introduction of AI computing equipment and modular data centers.
Database maintenance is an important challenge for us given the high uptime expectations of always-on asset trading. Paxos powers regulated infrastructure that institutions and consumers rely on to move, convert, and hold assets 24/7 — so even planned downtime has real consequences for the people and businesses that trust us. Blue-Green upgrades have fundamentally changed how we approach it at Paxos. The complexity was real, especially around Temporary Roles and CDC, but the 50X downtime reduction and month of saved coordination made it worth it.
Customers were challenging us to think big about uptime: Does the downtime have to be every year? Can you achieve four nines all the time? Could you do a hot-cold failover to reduce impact?
The honest answer to all three questions was "not with our current approach." We were running 60+ Postgres clusters with traditional upgrade processes—30 to 120 minutes of downtime each.
Aurora Blue-Green upgrades promised to fix this. What I didn't anticipate from reading the docs is that CREATE ROLE statements involved in our Vault-based temporary roles for human logins would break every single upgrade attempt.
But, after dealing with DDL issues, working through how to not lose much data when replication slots drop, and grinding through a lot of databases, we now have a reusable pattern that keeps us up and meets our customer expectations.
How Blue-Green WorksInstead of the traditional dump/reload or pg_upgrade process that takes your database offline, Blue-Green leverages PostgreSQL's logical replication to create a parallel environment. Your blue cluster keeps serving production traffic while a green cluster is created with the new version. Logical replication keeps them synchronized in real time. When replication catches up, the switchover happens in about a minute—writes pause briefly, everything syncs, and traffic moves to green.
For the full technical details, see AWS's Blue-Green documentation.
ChallengesBlue-Green upgrades are transformational, but they're not without friction. Here's what we ran into.
The Ephemeral Roles TrapThe first staging environment upgrade failed with an error saying DDL couldn't be replicated. I knew schema changes were off-limits during a Blue-Green upgrade—that's documented. But when I pulled down the actual Postgres logs from the AWS console, I found the culprit: a CREATE ROLE statement for a human trying to access the database.
We use Vault for temporary database credentials. Every time someone logs in to troubleshoot or run a query, Vault creates a short-lived role. That CREATE ROLE is DDL. And it breaks the upgrade.
I immediately realized this was going to be painful. We had to disable Vault-based role management entirely during upgrade windows and be much more careful about who accessed what. Even with those precautions, we hit retries on multiple clusters.
If you're using Vault or any dynamic role management system, deal with this before you start your upgrade project.
Replication Slots Must Drop (Pre-PG17)This was the most significant challenge. Before PostgreSQL 17, replication slots must be dropped during a Blue-Green upgrade. If you're using Change Data Capture—and we rely heavily on it—this means data loss from the CDC perspective.
We use Debezium-based CDC for two critical purposes: replicating data to our warehouse, and powering event-driven workflows where database writes trigger downstream processing for API responses. When replication slots drop, we lose events during the gap. Recovering requires per-table, per-use-case backfill strategies that can take 3-30 hours per cluster to design and implement.
InstantDB wrote about hitting similar replication slot issues during their Postgres upgrade—they ultimately chose a different approach because of it. We decided to push through with Blue-Green and absorb the backfill cost, but it's the sharpest edge of this feature.
IAM Cluster IDs ChangeWhen the green cluster becomes primary, it gets a new cluster ID. If you're using RDS IAM authentication, every client needs to be updated. This added 1-2 hours of work per cluster—not difficult, but it adds up across 60+ clusters.
The ResultsDowntime dropped from 30-120 minutes per cluster to about one minute (roughly 50X improvement).
More importantly, this changed what's operationally possible. With traditional upgrades, we'd struggle to maintain 99.9% monthly uptime during maintenance periods. With Blue-Green, we can do upgrades without breaching 99.99% uptime SLOs on most products.
The customer coordination impact was equally significant. Hour-long downtimes meant weeks of coordination—meetings to review contingency plans, requests to reschedule, extensive documentation. Sub-five-minute downtimes reduced this to FYI notifications. Across 60+ clusters, that saved us at least a month of coordination work.
What's Coming: PostgreSQL 17PostgreSQL 17 addresses our biggest pain point. Starting with upgrades from PostgreSQL 17, users don't have to drop logical replication slots. This means future upgrades (17 to 18, etc.) can preserve CDC continuity.
To be clear: our upgrades to PG17 still required dropping slots. But once you're on version 17, the path forward is much cleaner. This is a compelling reason to prioritize getting to PostgreSQL 17 if you rely on replication-slot-based CDC.
What I'd Tell Someone Starting ThisTwo things I wish I'd known:
Deal with Vault Auth first. Or at minimum, have a clean way to disable dynamic role creation during upgrade windows. The DDL sensitivity is documented, but the implication for Vault-based auth isn't obvious until it breaks your first upgrade.
Push AWS on replication slot support from readers. Being able to maintain CDC from a reader during the upgrade window would eliminate the backfill problem entirely. If enough customers ask for this, it might happen.
Infrastructure reliability isn't glamorous, but it's foundational to the trust that makes regulated digital assets work. If you're working through similar challenges with Postgres upgrades at scale, I'd be interested to hear what you've learned. You can reach me on LinkedIn.
Key Takeaways Oklo shares climbed more than 13% following NRC clearance of its Principal Design Criteria topical report for the Idaho-based Aurora powerhouse reactor The NRC used a fast-track review timeline, marking progress toward simplified licensing procedures for next-generation reactors Texas Capital Securities maintained its Buy recommendation with a $120 price objective after the announcement The company will report Q1 2026 financial results on May 12, providing another potential catalyst Fellow nuclear stocks including NuScale and Nano Nuclear posted gains alongside Oklo’s rally Shares of Oklo experienced a sharp uptick exceeding 13% during Tuesday’s midday session after the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted approval for a critical design framework related to the company’s Aurora powerhouse reactor being developed in Idaho.
Oklo Inc., OKLO
The equity peaked at $79.03 during intraday activity before settling near $78.45.
The regulatory body greenlit Oklo’s Principal Design Criteria topical report using an expedited evaluation timeline. This accelerated approach demonstrates the commission’s commitment to establishing streamlined authorization processes for advanced nuclear technologies.
This PDC clearance establishes the core safety standards, reliability benchmarks, and operational specifications that will inform subsequent licensing submissions and reactor engineering efforts. The approval also allows the document to serve as a reference point for upcoming applications, eliminating redundant regulatory assessments.
Chief Executive Jacob DeWitte characterized the development as a significant achievement, noting the approval demonstrates “strong work by the Oklo team and timely engagement by the regulator.” He emphasized that “performance-based licensing, clear criteria, and efficient reviews are important to advancing modern nuclear projects safely and responsibly.”
Analyst Maintains Bullish Stance Following the regulatory news, Texas Capital Securities analyst Nate Pendleton reaffirmed a Buy recommendation and $120 valuation target on Oklo. Pendleton characterized the PDC clearance as “another incremental step forward” while highlighting the “increasingly efficient regulatory path for advanced reactor solutions.”
The stock maintains a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating, bolstered by recent analyst coverage additions from Tigress Financial and HSBC.
The expedited NRC evaluation process connects directly to executive directives signed by President Trump in May 2025, designed to accelerate pathways for advanced nuclear energy initiatives. The approach also corresponds with the ADVANCE Act, legislation promoting streamlined deployment of innovative nuclear technologies.
Skeptics of Oklo have historically pointed to potential regulatory obstacles as a primary risk factor. Tuesday’s NRC determination weakens that bearish argument, although additional approvals remain necessary before commercial operations can commence.
As a pre-revenue enterprise, regulatory milestones serve as critical indicators of operational progress for investors monitoring the company’s development.
Broader Nuclear Industry Benefits The positive momentum extended beyond Oklo. NuScale Power and Nano Nuclear also posted gains as nuclear energy stocks experienced consecutive sessions of strength. General market conditions also provided support, with the S&P 500 advancing 1.08%, the Dow climbing 1.07%, and the Nasdaq rising 1.46%.
In addition to the Idaho facility, Oklo is collaborating with Meta Platforms on a 1.2 gigawatt nuclear energy initiative in Ohio designed to power Meta’s regional data infrastructure.
Oklo has scheduled its Q1 2026 earnings release and conference call for May 12.
TLDR Oklo reported a Q1 net loss of $33.1 million ($0.19 per share), significantly higher than last year’s $9.8 million loss, generating no revenue. The company received Nuclear Regulatory Commission approval for Aurora powerhouse Principal Design Criteria last week. CEO Jacob DeWitte reaffirmed plans to launch commercial operations no later than 2028. The company held $1.59 billion in cash plus $614.5 million in marketable debt securities at quarter-end, accounting for roughly 82% of total assets. Following Q1 earnings, H.C. Wainwright maintained its Buy rating with a $90 price target. Oklo stock edged 0.6% higher during Wednesday’s premarket session following the nuclear technology firm’s first-quarter earnings release and announcement of a significant regulatory breakthrough — despite mounting losses.
Oklo Inc., OKLO
The nuclear startup disclosed a Q1 net loss of $33.1 million, equivalent to $0.19 per share. This represents a substantial increase compared to the year-ago loss of $9.8 million, or $0.07 per share. Wall Street analysts had projected a $0.20 per share loss, meaning the company narrowly beat consensus estimates.
Oklo remains revenue-free. As a pre-commercial company, it doesn’t yet generate income, making conventional valuation methods challenging to apply.
Capital expenditures totaled $32.8 million during the quarter on infrastructure and equipment investments — exceeding the $29.8 million analyst consensus. Operating expenses reached $51.5 million, reflecting a roughly 10% decline from the prior quarter’s $57.1 million.
The company closed the first quarter holding $1.59 billion in cash alongside $614.5 million in marketable debt securities. Combined, these liquid assets comprise approximately 82% of Oklo’s total asset base.
Shares had declined 5.8% in the prior session before Wednesday’s premarket recovery.
NRC Greenlights Critical Aurora Design Framework The major regulatory development: the Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted approval for the Principal Design Criteria governing Oklo’s Aurora powerhouse facility at Idaho National Laboratory last week.
This approval establishes the fundamental safety and operational standards for the facility. While representing significant progress in the licensing journey, full commercial authorization remains outstanding.
CEO Jacob DeWitte has repeatedly stated in interviews with Barron’s that the company expects to commence commercial operations by 2028 at the latest.
Alternative Revenue Streams Begin Emerging As Aurora progresses through regulatory channels, Oklo is developing additional revenue generation avenues.
The company’s Atomic Alchemy subsidiary obtained licensing approval earlier this year to commence sales from its Idaho-based radiochemistry facility. During Tuesday’s announcement, Oklo revealed its first isotope customer was “pending.”
The nuclear startup has also bolstered its credibility through strategic collaborations. In recent weeks, Oklo partnered with Nvidia’s AI infrastructure division to enhance nuclear fuel modeling and simulation capabilities alongside Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Meta Platforms counts among Oklo’s current customer roster, lending additional legitimacy and investor appeal to the company.
Following its May 2024 public debut, Oklo has traded primarily on future potential. The stock skyrocketed 238% throughout 2025 while the S&P 500 advanced 16%. Performance has moderated in 2026 — shares are up just 2.6% year-to-date compared to the S&P 500’s 8.1% climb.
Despite producing zero revenue, the company commands a $12.81 billion market capitalization — a valuation multiple some analysts have characterized as potentially excessive.
H.C. Wainwright reaffirmed its Buy rating and maintained its $90 price target on Oklo shares following the first-quarter report.
Key Highlights The U.S. Department of Energy granted Preliminary Documented Safety Analysis approval for Oklo’s Aurora facility at Idaho National Laboratory. Shares increased 5.4% during premarket hours Thursday, reaching $56.92, despite a roughly 47% decline over the preceding six-month period. The DOE authorization encompasses hazard evaluation, accident mitigation design, and safety protocols for the Aurora-INL facility. The company participates in a federal pilot initiative aimed at operating a minimum of three experimental reactors at U.S. national laboratories by early July. Analyst outlook includes four upward earnings revisions, with UBS maintaining a Neutral stance and Wedbush rating the stock Outperform with a $110 target. Oklo achieved a significant regulatory advancement Thursday when the U.S. Department of Energy granted approval for the Preliminary Documented Safety Analysis concerning its Aurora facility at Idaho National Laboratory. Shares jumped 5.4% during premarket hours, reaching $56.92 following the announcement.
Oklo Inc., OKLO
The authorization originated from the DOE’s Idaho Operations Office and encompasses the preliminary safety framework for Aurora-INL, addressing hazard evaluation, accident modeling, safety systems, and engineering specifications.
Chief Executive Jacob DeWitte described the development as “an important milestone for Aurora-INL” and noted it “helps establish a foundation for future Aurora deployments.”
This authorization forms part of the DOE’s Reactor Pilot Program, which establishes a regulatory structure for constructing and operating next-generation nuclear facilities under federal supervision.
Oklo secured selection for the initiative in 2025 alongside approximately a dozen competing firms. The program operates under demanding time constraints, targeting operational status for at least three experimental reactors at U.S. national laboratories before early July.
Earlier in the week, the DOE announced that a design from competitor Antares Nuclear would become the first reactor to achieve criticality before the July 4 target date — a noteworthy development considering the competitive dynamics of the pilot initiative.
Aurora-INL: Project Specifications Aurora-INL represents Oklo’s inaugural fast fission energy facility. The plant will utilize recovered fuel from the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II, a reactor that ceased operations in 1994 following a governmental policy revision and congressional budget cuts.
Oklo secured rights to this recovered fuel material via a competitive DOE selection process initiated in 2019, coinciding with the company’s receipt of site authorization at Idaho National Laboratory.
The Aurora facility is under construction adjacent to Oklo’s Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility, also situated at Idaho National Laboratory. That fabrication facility obtained its DOE safety authorization in December 2025, establishing it as the inaugural approval under the DOE’s Fuel Line Pilot Program.
Oklo is additionally investigating plutonium utilization as an interim fuel solution during the establishment of domestic high-assay low-enriched uranium supply infrastructure.
Latest Corporate Developments On June 4, Oklo finalized its purchase of ARMEC, a precision manufacturing and mechanical engineering company headquartered in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The transaction brought approximately 40 engineering and technical professionals into Oklo’s workforce.
The organization also conducted its 2026 annual stockholder gathering, during which three Class II board members were elected for terms extending through 2029.
Notwithstanding Thursday’s premarket increase, the stock has experienced a challenging period. OKLO closed at $54.02 before the announcement, representing nearly a 48% decrease across the previous six months, with a market capitalization around $9.4 billion.
Analyst perspectives remain divided. UBS recently lowered its price objective to $55 while maintaining a Neutral recommendation, highlighting capital needs and implementation challenges. Wedbush preserved its Outperform designation and $110 price objective, emphasizing Oklo’s operational approach as a strategic differentiator.
Four analysts have adjusted their earnings projections upward for the upcoming period, based on InvestingPro information.
Oklo remains engaged in NRC licensing procedures to facilitate future commercial deployments extending beyond the DOE pilot structure.
Aurora Gaming opened its IEM Cologne Major 2026 run with a commanding 2-0 victory over Monte on June 11, taking Nuke 13-10 before closing things out on Anubis. The result was expected. The context surrounding it, however, is what makes it interesting for anyone watching the intersection of esports and crypto.
One day before the match, Aurora announced a sponsorship partnership with Polymarket covering its CS2 and Dota 2 rosters. That makes the timing of this first Major win feel like a proof-of-concept demo for both sides of the deal.
The match and the market Aurora sits at No. 6 globally on HLTV’s rankings, while Monte occupies the No. 22 spot. The scoreline reflected that gap without much drama.
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Prediction markets had Aurora priced as an 83% favorite heading into the match. Roughly $193K in trading volume was recorded on the specific match outcome on Polymarket, a substantial figure for a single opening-round game in the Swiss stage.
For context, the entire IEM Cologne Major 2026 carries a prize pool estimated between $1.17 million and $1.25 million. That means prediction market volume on a single group-stage match approached nearly a fifth of the tournament’s total prize money.
The Swiss format means Aurora’s 2-0 start puts them in a strong position for advancement. Monte, meanwhile, now faces an uphill path through the lower bracket rounds. The tournament runs through June 21.
Why Polymarket cares about esports The Aurora-Polymarket sponsorship is specifically designed to expand Polymarket’s user base by tapping into Aurora’s competitive presence across CS2 and Dota 2.
The $193K in volume on a single match suggests the platform is already finding traction with this audience.
The bigger picture for crypto and competitive gaming The IEM Cologne Major 2026 is the first CS2 Major of the year, which makes it the de facto flagship event for the competitive Counter-Strike calendar. For Polymarket, having a sponsored team competing at this level of visibility is about as good as advertising gets in the esports world.
The strategic logic works in both directions. Aurora gets financial backing from a well-funded crypto platform. Polymarket gets access to Aurora’s competitive audience across CS2 and Dota 2.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Engin “Maj3r” Küpeli is 35 years old, which in esports years makes him roughly the equivalent of a 50-year-old NFL quarterback. And yet the Turkish-French in-game leader is proving that experience still matters, guiding Aurora Gaming through the early stages of the IEM Cologne Major 2026 with a string of convincing results.
Aurora has advanced to Stage 3 of the tournament, which runs from June 11 to June 21 in Cologne, Germany. The team has posted multiple 2-0 victories in early matches, a level of dominance that suggests this isn’t just a hot streak.
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What’s happening in Cologne The IEM Cologne Major is one of the crown jewels of the Counter-Strike calendar. Organized by ESL, the 2026 edition features 32 teams, a prize pool estimated between $1.17 million and $1.25 million, and an expanded format for its third stage, raising the stakes for teams that survive the earlier rounds. Aurora Gaming earned their spot through VRS ranking, which is the competitive qualification system that determines which teams deserve a seat at the table.
Aurora’s roster features some serious firepower alongside Maj3r. The team includes XANTARES and woxic, two seasoned Turkish players with reputations for explosive individual performances.
The veteran’s long road to this moment Born on January 25, 1991, Maj3r has been competing professionally for years across multiple organizations. His career earnings in esports are estimated to exceed $180,000, a figure that reflects sustained relevance rather than a single breakout tournament.
What this means for Aurora’s future Aurora Gaming currently operates without any cryptocurrency-related sponsorships or partnerships, which is worth noting given the broader trend of crypto companies investing in esports organizations over the past few years. The team’s identity is rooted squarely in traditional competitive gaming, and their current success is built on roster construction and tactical preparation.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Aurora Gaming walked into the IEM Cologne Major 2026 Swiss stage on June 12 with a brand-new logo on their jerseys. Polymarket, the crypto prediction market platform, had signed on as the team’s primary sponsor just 48 hours earlier.
Polymarket enters the esports arena The sponsorship deal, finalized on June 10, 2026, positions Polymarket alongside Aurora’s existing partner 1xBet. That means the Serbian esports organization now counts two betting-adjacent brands as its headline sponsors.
Aurora Gaming was founded in 2022, but the current CS2 roster looks very different from its early days. After roster changes in 2025, the team transitioned to a Turkish-heavy lineup featuring MAJ3R, XANTARES, and woxic, with Fabre serving as coach. The squad competes across multiple titles including CS2 and Dota 2.
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The IEM Cologne matchup The match against Team Spirit carried extra weight for Aurora beyond the sponsorship debut. The two teams met at IEM Cologne 2025, where Spirit dismantled Aurora in a clean 0-2 sweep. Dust2 and Nuke were the pivotal maps in that earlier encounter, and both showed up again in the 2026 map pool alongside Anubis.
Team Spirit’s roster is anchored by donk and sh1ro. Spirit does not appear to carry any cryptocurrency-related sponsorships, which creates an interesting visual contrast: one team wearing a prediction market logo, the other running on more traditional partnerships.
The map selections — Dust2, Anubis, and Nuke — revisit familiar territory. Dust2 and Nuke had already been decisive in their 2025 meeting. Anubis added a wildcard element as a map that has become a proving ground for tactical creativity in the current CS2 meta.
What this means for crypto and esports sponsorships Traditional sportsbooks offer fixed odds set by bookmakers. Prediction markets let users trade on outcomes with prices set by the crowd. By sponsoring a Major-level CS2 team, Polymarket gets direct access to an audience already comfortable with concepts like expected value, probability assessment, and risk management.
The dual sponsorship structure with 1xBet is also worth noting. Having both a traditional betting platform and a prediction market as co-sponsors could signal that Aurora sees these as complementary rather than competing revenue streams.
The risk is regulatory. Prediction markets exist in a grey area in many jurisdictions, and esports betting regulations vary across the markets where Major tournaments draw their audiences.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
TL;DR: Upgrade to mainnet-3.0.4 before June 23. Just one command, a 5 minute migration, and your node is ready for both hardforks.
Irys's first two hardforks are scheduled. Aurora activates on June 23, and Borealis follows on June 30. Support for both ships in mainnet-3.0.4, which is out now and already running on Irys-operated mainnet mining nodes.
A hardfork is a coordinated change to the network's rules, where every node moves to the new rules together at a set time. Some changes can ship in a regular release, but changes to the rules every node uses to agree on the chain need everyone to switch at the same moment, or nodes on different rules would drift apart. That is why these two changes arrive as scheduled hardforks with activation times, and why a network's first hardforks are a milestone: they are the first proof that the network can change its own rules with every node switching together and staying in consensus. It is a capability every long-lived chain depends on, and this month Irys exercises it for the first time.
If you operate a node, upgrade to mainnet-3.0.4 before June 23. Nodes running older versions will stop following the chain when Aurora activates, so the upgrade is what keeps your node in sync.
What the hardforks do Aurora activates on June 23, 2026 at 12:00 UTC.
Commitment transactions are how miners register their obligations to the network: staking an address, pledging storage. They are part of how the chain knows who is responsible for what.
Until now, an encoding bug made these transactions hard to construct outside our own tooling, which kept most outside developers from building them.
Aurora corrects this. It introduces V2 commitment transactions with the fixed encoding and closes off new V1 transactions, so there is one correct format going forward. With the fix in, developers can build, sign, and submit commitment transactions from any language ecosystem.
Borealis activates on June 30, 2026 at 12:00 UTC.
Today, a miner's income arrives at two addresses: transaction fees for getting data into the submit ledger go to the miner address, while block rewards go to the reward address. After Borealis, every form of reward goes to the reward address.
Borealis also adds a new commitment transaction type that lets miners set and update their reward address directly. Previously, changing it meant re-staking the address. Now it is a single transaction.
How to upgrade Run the new version in place of the old one. No configuration changes are needed.
On first start, the node performs a one-time database migration that takes about 5 minutes. The node is offline for the duration, with no consensus participation or API access, and comes back up on its own once the migration completes.
The release is here: mainnet-3.0.4
If you run into anything during the upgrade, reach out to our team in the Irys Discord.
