Blockchain privacy tools such as zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs will become increasingly necessary to protect online user data in the age of artificial intelligence, according to Eran Barak, CEO of Shielded Technologies, the developer behind the Midnight privacy chain.

In an interview with Cointelegraph at Consensus 2025, Barak said corporate service providers and centralized servers are expected to become honeypots for AI-assisted hackers and malicious actors looking to steal valuable data, including private keys, financial metadata, medical records, and government documents.

Hackers targeting centralized entities have a “massive” return on investment (ROI) and are incentivized to hack centralized targets that contain millions of valuable records, the CEO told Cointelegraph. Barak added that ZK-proofs, a way of verifying onchain data without revealing it, solve this problem:

“Blockchain is going to improve cybersecurity around the world, because, for a hacker to get to actual data, they need to hack individual wallets, but their ROI would be one record instead of millions — not worth it. They are going to go elsewhere.”

Privacy solutions have become a major focus for many Web3 developers, as the need to shield metadata from AI algorithms grows and large institutions demand privacy tools to protect sensitive data as a prerequisite to bringing their business operations onchain.

Midnight generates shielded assets that provide users with onchain privacy while maintaining compliance. Source: Midnight

Related: EU to ban anonymous crypto accounts and privacy coins by 2027

Cardano’s Hoskinson teases multichain airdrop

Speaking at Consensus 2025, Cardano co-founder Charles Hoskinson announced an upcoming Midnight token airdrop for holders of Avax (AVAX), XRP (XRP), Bitcoin (BTC), Brave Attention Token (BAT), and others. Midnight is a partner chain of the Cardano network.

Hoskinson the multichain airdrop will unite the industry through cooperative tokenomics and will promote collaboration. “We have a chance to come together again, and I think in this divisive era, the industry absolutely needs that.”

Charles Hoskinson at Consensus 2025. Source: Cointelegraph

Barak also told Cointelegraph that Midnight would invite interested users across the entire Web3 ecosystem to mine the Midnight token following the initial multichain airdrop.

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Semler Scientific, a medical device company, purchased of $50 million worth of Bitcoin between May 13 and May 22, bringing the market value of the company’s Bitcoin (BTC) holdings to $474.4 million, keeping it within the top 13 of BTC Treasury companies.

According to a May 23 disclosure, Semler bought a total of 455 BTC for an average purchase price of $109,801. To buy the Bitcoin, Semler Scientific used proceeds from an at-the-market stock offering program. So far, the company has sold roughly 3 million shares of common stock for net proceeds of $115 million.

Semler Scientific’s shares have fallen 1.36% on the same day as the disclosure, though the decrease in its share price is largely in line with the Nasdaq’s performance. That index, which follows top tech stocks, is down 1% on the day.

Semler Scientific share price. Source: Google Finance

In its Q1 2025 earnings report released on May 13, the company revealed a 44% drop in revenue year-over-year. Despite the claimed success of its Bitcoin treasury plan, Semler Scientific’s shares have dropped 18% in 2025, according to Google Finance.

Bitcoin treasury companies, or companies that traditionally sell equity or issue debt to buy BTC, had been drawing the interest of investors looking for exposure to Bitcoin price fluctuations.

Michael Saylor’s Strategy debuted its BTC reserve in August 2020, when it started purchasing Bitcoin. Bitcoin is up 181.6% year to date, while Semler Scientific shares rose 53% since announcing the BTC approach in May 2024.

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Texas Governor Greg Abbott has signaled support for a bill recently passed by the state House of Representatives that would establish a strategic cryptocurrency reserve.

In a May 22 X post, Abbott posted a Techstory article about Texas state lawmakers’ efforts to create a Bitcoin (BTC) reserve. The story pointed out that the decision for the passage of SB 21, the bill in question, now rests on Abbott’s shoulders, roughly three months after it was introduced. 

Since taking office, Abbott referred to himself as a “crypto law proposal supporter” in 2021 and suggested that he would support policies to establish Texas as a “crypto capital” in 2024. Texas was one of a handful of state-level governments that proposed setting up a strategic crypto reserve after the 2024 federal elections.   

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On May 6, New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte was the first to sign a Bitcoin reserve bill into law. Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs later approved a law allowing the state to claim ownership of unclaimed crypto. Some jurisdictions have rebuffed efforts to pass similar legislation, with roughly half of the 50 state governments considering a Bitcoin reserve.

New administration working to have the US government hodl

At the federal level, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order (EO) in March for a “Strategic Bitcoin Reserve” and a “Digital Asset Stockpile,” but Congress had not codified the order as of May 23. Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis has led efforts in the chamber to pass the Boosting Innovation, Technology, and Competitiveness through Optimized Investment Nationwide, or BITCOIN, Act, reintroduced a few days after Trump’s EO.

As of March 11, the bill has been referred to the Senate Banking Committee, and it was unclear if or when the chamber would consider a vote. The Senate will likely first move forward with debate on a bill to regulate payment stablecoins, the GENIUS Act, with some lawmakers anticipating a vote by Memorial Day, May 26.

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