Today in crypto: ZKsync Lite is being sunset in 2026, WisdomTree has expanded its tokenized fund offerings by bringing options income onchain, and French bank BPCE will let millions of customers buy and sell crypto.
Ethereum’s first ZK-rollup, ZKsync Lite, to sunset in 2026
The first-ever zero-knowledge (ZK) rollup network to launch on Ethereum, ZKsync Lite, will have a “planned, orderly sunset” next year, as its creator, ZKsync, says it has “served its purpose.
It added that ZKsync Lite “was a groundbreaking proof-of-concept and validated critical ideas related to building production ZK systems,” and it “did its job: prove what’s possible and pave the way for the next generation.”
Technology company Matter Labs launched the network, then called ZKsync 1.0, in 2020, designing it for fast transfers and minting non-fungible tokens (NFTs), but its use was limited as it didn’t support smart contracts.
Development on ZKsync Lite stopped in early 2023 after Matter Labs launched its zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine (zkEVM) that supported smart contracts, ZKsync Era.
ZKsync’s other products will not be affected, and it added that it would share “concrete details, dates, and migration guidance soon” for ZKsync Lite.
WisdomTree tokenizes options income strategy
Asset manager WisdomTree has launched a tokenized fund that brings a complex options-income strategy onchain, underscoring the growing convergence between blockchain technology and traditional finance.
The WisdomTree Equity Premium Income Digital Fund is designed to track the price and yield performance of the Volos US Large Cap Target 2.5% PutWrite Index, a benchmark “put-writing” strategy often used to generate income and help hedge against market volatility.
Will Peck, WisdomTree’s head of digital assets, said the new product gives investors additional flexibility to trade investment strategies onchain.
With this launch, WisdomTree now operates 15 tokenized funds, including its widely used Government Money Market Fund, which holds more than $730 million in assets.
French banking giant BPCE to launch in-app crypto trading: Report
French banking heavyweight BPCE is preparing to introduce crypto trading to millions of its retail customers, making it one of the first major traditional European banks to offer digital assets.
According to a report from The Big Whale, the group will allow users to buy and sell Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Solana (SOL) and USDC (USDC) directly inside its Banque Populaire and Caisse d’Épargne mobile apps starting Monday.
The initial rollout will cover clients of four regional banks, including Banque Populaire Île-de-France and Caisse d’Épargne Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, reaching roughly 2 million customers. BPCE plans to extend the service gradually across its remaining 25 regional entities through 2026, ultimately making crypto trading available to its full 12-million-strong retail base.
A bank insider reportedly told The Big Whale that the phased approach is intended to “monitor how the service performs at launch” before scaling.
