Introduction Injective Protocol’s community-approved tokenomics overhaul marks a pivotal shift toward a stricter deflationary path for its layer-1 DeFi ecosystem. In a governance vote powered by staked voting weight, IIP-617 passed with 99.89% support, enabling reduced issuance for the INJ token while preserving the network’s buyback-and-burn program. The move is designed to accelerate token removal from circulation over time, aligning issuance with recurring burn mechanisms as Injective pushes to attract institutional attention and broader DeFi adoption. Key Takeaways IIP-617 reduces native INJ issuance while preserving the buyback-and-burn program to support long-term deflationary dynamics. Approximately 6.85 million INJ have already been removed from circulation through token burns, with the proposal intended to quicken this pace by syncing issuance with buybacks. The changes are live and framed by proponents as moving INJ toward becoming one of the more deflationary crypto assets o...

Surge in Onchain Perpetual Futures Activity Highlights Growing Crypto Derivatives Market Cryptocurrency derivatives trading experienced a significant uptick in 2025, primarily driven by increased activity in decentralized perpetual futures. According to research from Coinbase analyst David Duong, decentralized exchanges processed over $1 trillion in monthly perpetual futures volume by the year's end, underscoring the expanding influence of onchain derivatives markets. Duong explained that this growth was partly fueled by the absence of a traditional altcoin season, prompting traders to seek higher returns through leverage rather than spot trading. The unprecedented levels of leverage available in perpetual futures allowed traders to amplify their exposure with relatively small capital outlays, leading to a surge in trading activity. Most of this activity is concentrated on decentralized platforms, with exchanges such as Aster and Hyperliquid accounting for substantial portions of t...

Berachain Responds to Refund Report, Clarifies Investor Terms The founder of Berachain has challenged recent reports suggesting that Brevan Howard's crypto fund, Nova Digital, was granted a $25 million refund rights linked to its Series B investment, emphasizing that the details were incomplete and misleading. Unchained reported that Nova Digital was granted a one-year period to seek a refund on its $25 million investment made during Berachain’s April 2024 Series B funding round. An accompanying side letter, signed by Berachain's general counsel Jonathan Ip and Nova director Carol Reynolds, indicated that Nova could recover "some or all" of its funds within twelve months following the blockchain’s token generation event (TGE). The TGE occurred on February 6, suggesting Nova’s refund window extends until February 6, 2026. Berachain Founder Denies Special Treatment for Brevan Howard Smokey The Bera, Berachain's anonymous founder, dismissed the notion that Brevan How...