The Biggest Tweets in Crypto This Week: SEC vs Ripple Updates & More

Follow along as we spotlight 3 of the most popular discussions.

1. Is the SEC vs Ripple Case Ending? Eleanor Terrett Shared Updates  

Journalist and Crypto America podcast host Eleanor Terrett reported that the legal battle between the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Ripple is nearing its conclusion.

She notes that it’s not just a theory; two “well-placed sources” provided this information.

The case, filed in December 2020, has been one of crypto’s most high-profile lawsuits. The SEC accused Ripple of raising $1.3 billion through unregistered sales of their XRP token.

According to Terrett, Ripple’s legal team is seeking more favorable terms than the district court ruling from August 2024, which ordered Ripple to pay a $125 million penalty for improperly selling XRP to institutional investors.

Ripple’s team may look to vacate or modify this ruling, especially with the new SEC leadership’s apparent shift in its approach to crypto enforcement.

2. OPNX Exchange Founder Zhu Su Believes Do Kwon Deserves Pardon 

Another discussion on X is whether Terraform Labs co-founder and CEO Do Kwon should be pardoned. Zhu Su (@zhusu) thinks he should be.

In a recent X post, he writes: “I’m surprised there aren’t more calls to pardon Do Kwon”. Zhu Su emphasized that before the failure of Terra’s Luna and UST cryptocurrencies in 2022, the project was one of the largest in the industry and saw massive activity from VCs.

Su argues that Kwon’s mistake was his arrogance and failure to listen to criticism, but believes the industry shouldn’t scapegoat him. He even compares Kwon’s actions to Vitalik Buterin’s role in the Ethereum DAO hack in 2016, where a smart contract vulnerability resulted in a $50 million loss.

3. DeFi, NFTs, and AI Agents Are Set to Bloom: Chris Burniske 

Blockchain technologies are rapidly evolving, with sectors like DeFi (finance), NFTs (culture), and AI agents (automation) expected to grow, says Chris Burniske, co-founder of New York-based VC Placeholder.

Burniske points out that these trends have already passed their proof-of-concept stages, emerging in 2017, 2021, and 2024, respectively.

He believes each of these sectors will take 5-10 years to mature into stable, user-friendly systems, much like Bitcoin’s 17-year journey. It’s a mistake, according to Burniske, to think the initial boom is the final one. He suggests that DeFi’s next surge could be on the horizon.

In 8 years, Burniske predicts DeFi will evolve into an “Integrated Financial System” (IFS), providing financial infrastructure for blockchains and seamlessly integrating into everyday life.

4. CZ Denies Report of Trump Family’s Binance Stake Acquisition

Binance founder and former CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) has denied reports from the Wall Street Journal and other media outlets claiming that former President Trump’s family is in talks to acquire a stake in Binance’s U.S. arm.

According to the WSJ, the alleged deal was in exchange for a presidential pardon for CZ. However, CZ dismissed the claims, stating that the article felt like an attack on both Trump and the crypto industry, possibly influenced by the previous administration.

For context, in November 2023, CZ pleaded guilty to violating the Bank Secrecy Act by failing to enforce anti-money laundering measures, which allowed illicit transactions on Binance.

As part of the plea deal, he stepped down as Binance’s CEO and agreed to a $50 million fine. He also served four months in prison. Binance, meanwhile, paid a massive $4.3 billion in a settlement with U.S. authorities.

5. Biggest Ethereum UX Upgrade on the Way: Uttam Singh Says 

Alchemy engineer Uttam Singh (@uttam_singhk) says Ethereum’s EIP-7702 upgrade is just weeks away from hitting the mainnet.

Part of the Pectra hard fork, EIP-7702 is designed to enhance Ethereum’s user experience and developer capabilities. Singh describes it as Ethereum’s biggest UX upgrade yet.

The upgrade will allow externally owned accounts (EOAs) to gain smart contract-like features, improving transaction handling and flexibility.

Singh said he’d keep the community updated on the latest developments.