Bitcoin News Today TheBitTimes.com

1. Reuters: Russia Uses Cryptocurrency in Oil Trade with India to Evade Western Sanctions link Insiders have disclosed that Russia is employing cryptocurrencies in its oil trade with India so as to evade Western sanctions. Some Russian oil companies are making use of cryptocurrencies such as BTC, ETH, and USDT to convert Indian rupees into Russian rubles. According to the insiders, even if the United States lifts the sanctions against Russia in the future and dollar transactions are restored, the Russian oil trade is likely to persist in using cryptocurrencies, for it represents a convenient instrument that contributes to accelerating the transaction process. 2. Singapore Exchange to Launch Bitcoin Perpetual Futures Contracts link The Singapore Exchange (SGX) plans to introduce Bitcoin perpetual futures contracts in the second half of 2025, further expanding the traditional exchange’s presence in the cryptocurrency derivatives market. A spokesperson for the SGX stated via email that th...

1. 30% of Ethereum Validators Support Raising Block Gas Limit to 40 Million link According to Ethereum Foundation researcher Toni Wahrstätter, over 30% of Ethereum validators currently support raising the block gas limit from the existing 30 million to 40 million. Validators can express their support by modifying their node configurations without the need for a hard fork. Once over 50% of validators agree, the block gas limit will automatically adjust to the target value of 40 million. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin suggested a 33% increase last year. The “Pump the Gas” initiative, launched by Ethereum developer Eric Connor and former MakerDAO smart contract lead Mariano Conti, also advocated for increasing the gas limit to accommodate the network’s scaling needs. 2. NASDAQ Files 19b-4 Application for Canary Litecoin ETF link The Nasdaq exchange has submitted a 19b-4 filing for the Canary Litecoin ETF, officially initiating the SEC’s regulatory review process for the product. Fox ...