Weekly hot project updates: Nasdaq chooses Pyth to distribute data, Securitize lists on NYSE, Symbiotic shifts to collateral market, etc. (0628–0704)

1. Nasdaq Selects Pyth to Distribute TotalView Depth Order Book Data link

Nasdaq has selected Pyth for data distribution, providing Nasdaq TotalView depth order book and order imbalance data via the Pyth Data Marketplace for on-chain applications, institutions, and other software-based financial scenarios. Pyth stated that Nasdaq will join the Pyth Data Marketplace as a data publisher, initially offering Nasdaq TotalView; Pyth also claims to be the first on-chain network to distribute Nasdaq market data. Nasdaq TotalView displays full order book depth, orders at each price level, and order imbalance data related to opening and closing auctions.

2. EtherFi Proposes Deploying Aave V4 Exclusive Instance on OP Mainnet to Support EtherFi Cash link

EtherFi has submitted a Temp Check, applying to deploy an Aave V4 exclusive white-label instance operated by itself on OP Mainnet, serving as the credit backend for its Visa card product EtherFi Cash, replacing the current Debt Manager. This instance will share liquidity with Aave while being isolated from other markets, with EtherFi responsible for configuration, risk parameters, liquidity, and operations, while Aave provides the V4 deployment and operational license and receives 20% of the reserve factor income. Commercial terms also include integrating GHO, deploying GHO GSM on OP Mainnet, introducing up to $175 million in assets at launch, and granting EtherFi Cash exclusive use of the Aave V4 lending market. The proposal will collect community feedback for at least 5 days; if passed, it will enter the ARFC stage, with a target deployment date of July 2026.

3. Zcash Ironwood Mainnet Upgrade Expected to Activate Around July 21 link

Zcash core developer Sean Bowe tweeted that the Zcash Ironwood activation has entered a progressing phase, with all consensus rule changes implemented and entering the audit phase, and related specifications and ZIPs published and nearing final status. He stated that Ironwood is expected to activate around July 21. Sean Bowe noted that sufficient hashrate is now signaling technical readiness for the mainnet upgrade, and the main unresolved issue is that some wallets may not complete upgrade preparations in time. However, due to existing alternatives and sufficient testnet time, this does not constitute a reason to delay Ironwood.

4. Humanity Protocol Founder: Project to Shift to Enterprise AI, Downplaying Blockchain and DID Positioning link

Humanity Protocol founder Terence Kwok, in his first public interview after the project suffered an attack of approximately $36 million, said the team will reposition its business direction, gradually downplaying the blockchain and decentralized identity (DID) positioning and shifting toward enterprise-level AI products and services. Kwok stated that the attack resulted from a developer device private key leak, not a smart contract vulnerability, and the possibility of recovering the stolen funds is low. The team is currently focusing on the new token migration and compensation process. He also revealed that the project has been planning a strategic shift over the past few months and has attracted approximately 10 million registered users, with millions having completed identity credential verification.

5. Securitize Announces Official Listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) link

Digital asset tokenization platform Securitize announced its official listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker "SECZ." The company's primary business involves providing tokenization infrastructure services for capital markets, supporting the tokenized issuance and trading of various real-world assets. As a tokenization platform achieving a public listing in a regulated financial market, Securitize's listing represents a milestone for the industry in traditional financial markets. The funds raised are expected to be used to further optimize its compliance infrastructure and expand its tokenization business scope.

6. Ondo Finance Launches Tokenized BlackRock IVV ETF and Micron Technology Stock Under U.S. Regulatory Framework link

Ondo Finance announced the launch of tokenized versions of the BlackRock iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) and Micron Technology (MU) stock. The product is built on the third-party custody framework outlined by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in January this year, marking the first time a third party has tokenized U.S. listed securities on a public chain while maintaining existing U.S. regulatory and market infrastructure. Under this model, the underlying securities remain in the traditional U.S. custody chain, and Ondo's SEC-registered transfer agent subsidiary, Oasis Pro TA, mints 1:1 pegged tokens. Token holders receive the same shareholder rights as traditional brokerage accounts.

7. dYdX Foundation: Arcus Does Not Affect dYdX Chain Operations and Governance Mechanisms link

dYdX Labs announced the launch of Arcus, a decentralized exchange built on Robinhood Chain, offering 7×24 trading of 95 tokenized stocks and perpetual contract products. Subsequently, the dYdX Foundation explained that Arcus will not affect the operation of the dYdX Chain, which remains governed by DYDX token holders and secured by a validator network. The foundation stated that all trading, deposits, withdrawals, staking, governance, and validator operations on dYdX Chain continue as normal; the DYDX token, as the governance and staking token of dYdX Chain, has unchanged mechanisms, supply, and operational procedures. The foundation also noted that any adjustments to the validator set or related requirements still require approval through dYdX community governance.

Cosmos Labs co-CEO Barry tweeted that dYdX has proven that large-scale exchanges can operate fully on-chain, but it has recently faced competition from next-generation perpetual exchanges like Hyperliquid and Lighter, a general DeFi downturn, and threats from Web 2.5 platforms like Kalshi. Therefore, pivoting to RWA through a partnership with Robinhood, which has distribution capabilities, is a reasonable choice. He stated that the dYdX Chain has always been a sovereign chain; although it uses the Cosmos tech stack, its fees, security, and value capture do not materially impact ATOM, and this move does not harm ATOM. Cosmos Labs will continue to double down on ATOM and the Hub ecosystem and build new solutions for banks to issue and use tokenized deposits; dYdX's announcement will not change its direction.

8. Paradigm-Backed Symbiotic Launches Core V2, Shifting from Restaking to Collateral Market link

Paradigm-backed Symbiotic has launched Core V2, officially shifting from a restaking protocol to a collateral market, with a future focus on collateral market infrastructure and products. Core V2 supports DeFi use cases such as insurance, credit, and RWA sharing a common collateral base. Each vault can independently set risk parameters, allocation caps, collateral types, and loss conditions, all executed on-chain. Symbiotic stated that when vault funds are idle, they can be routed to lending protocols like Aave and Morpho to generate yield and automatically recalled when related obligations arise. The shared collateral model improves capital efficiency by approximately 70% compared to independent liquidity pools. The first product based on Core V2, Liquid Lane, was launched last month for instant RWA settlement.

9. BNB Agent Studio Officially Launches on BNB Chain Mainnet link

BNB Chain announced the launch of BNB Agent Studio, allowing developers to generate and deploy AI agents via prompts in AI IDEs such as Cursor and Claude Code. The system supports automatic wallet creation, identity registration, and on-chain deployment. Each agent obtains an on-chain identity through ERC-8004, provides a task interface through ERC-8183, and can use the x402 protocol to pay LLM call fees via pre-funded wallets. The product runs on AWS Bedrock AgentCore hosting, with the SDK already supporting Python, and is now live on the BNB Smart Chain mainnet.

10. Lighter Tokenomics Update: Buyback Tokens to Be Permanently Burned, Staking Yield Target of 6% link

Decentralized exchange Lighter has published a tokenomics update. Regarding buybacks, Lighter announced that approximately 15.5 million LIT (6.3% of the circulating supply) previously purchased through programmatic buybacks will be permanently burned, with the first burn scheduled to occur within weeks after the end of Q2 2026. Regarding staking, the source of staking rewards will shift from early revenue to the ecosystem token reserve, with an initial target annualized staking yield of 6%. Based on the current staking volume of approximately 125 million LIT, it is estimated that about 7.5 million LIT will be distributed annually.