The Monero Moon (Issue 80)

Table of Contents:

• Development, Releases, and Technology

• General News

• Events and Meetings

• Exchanges and Merchants

• Community Crowdfunding

• Trading and Speculation

• Network Metrics

• Entertainment

Development, Releases, and Technology

P2Pool v4.6 has been released with support for Tari merge mining donations, new features like a local API wallet address display, and several bugfixes. This follows a slowdown in development due to a lack of donations, prompting SChernykh—one of the main XMRig developers—to implement a donation system via Tari merge mining to help fund future work, including FCMP++ and RandomX v2. By default, updated nodes not already merge mining Tari will contribute tasks to his Tari donation wallet; however, you can opt out of this. Full changelog, README, and donation details are available on GitHub. You can also check out SChernykh’s PSA in the MoneroMining subreddit.

P2Pool now holds a significant portion of Monero’s network hashrate, contributing over 19% earlier this week and briefly becoming the second-largest pool—a major milestone for decentralized mining. As a peer-to-peer mining pool with no central operator, P2Pool helps prevent hashrate centralization and payout censorship, while improving network resilience. Its growing adoption is a strong win for Monero’s privacy and decentralization ethos, helping ensure that no single entity can dominate block production or influence consensus.

Monero’s hashrate reached a new all-time high of 5.70 GH/s on May 18, 2025, at block 3,414,733, marking a major milestone in network security and miner participation. A rising hashrate means more computational power securing the network, making Monero more resistant to attacks and censorship. This continued growth highlights increasing confidence in Monero’s long-term resilience and privacy-focused protocol.

Since the launch of Tari, the Monero network has seen a notable influx of new nodes, pushing the total count to over 13,000. This surge highlights growing interest and participation in Monero’s decentralized infrastructure, further strengthening its resilience and privacy guarantees.

It is highly recommended you run a node to help secure the Monero network. You can also solo mine via the official Monero GUI wallet which can be found here or partake in the decentralized and permission-less P2Pool. The official Monero website getmonero.org or sethforprivacy.com are fantastic places to find help to get started running a node or mining. You can also check out the YouTube videos below.

hinto-janai has released Gupax v1.3.11, a new update to the easy-to-use Monero mining GUI. This version includes remote node improvements (adding node.hinto.rs), UI fixes, better P2Pool sync detection, and updated bundled versions of P2Pool (v4.6) and XMRig (v6.22.2). For more details, visit gupax.io or check out the source on GitHub.

Gupaxx v1.10.0 has been released by Cyrix126 with support for the new P2Pool Nano sidechain, which enables more frequent share submissions on P2Pool. The update includes a new submenu, nano chain selection button, default nano mode for simple mining, and upgraded P2Pool codebase to v4.5. Gupaxx is a Gupax fork integrating the XvB Raffle and is currently seeking funding to support ongoing development. Changelog, source, and verification files are available on GitHub.

Schmidt has released MoneroEcosystem v7.4, adding a new Infrastructure category page, info icons for each section, and WIP/BETA/ALPHA status indicators to better highlight project maturity across the Monero landscape.

Justin Berman has published his first CCS progress report after logging 199 hours of full-time development on his latest proposal for FCMP++ and Seraphis. Highlights include merged changes to the PoW hash, output restrictions, and tree composition, plus work on transaction weight analysis, FFI cleanup, and optimization tasks. A possible stressnet alternative is being discussed with jeffro256, including clear run instructions and an issue tracker.

SyntheticBird45 has submitted their first progress report for their CCS proposal to integrate native Tor support into Cuprate via Arti. The update includes one month of work, laying the foundation for Cuprate to support alternative networks like Tor. Development highlights include merged abstraction of TCP methods, IO timeout helpers, and the addition of onion addressing and Tor zone definitions.

MrCyjaneK has posted a final progress report for their Unnamed Monero Wallet CCS proposal. The update outlines extensive work over seven months, including a redesigned build system, Rust bootstrapping from source, multiple rebases on the latest Monero release, and major updates to both monero.dart and monero.ts. For more context, see MrCyjaneK’s blog posts and previous coverage thanks to Monero Observer.

0xFFFC has posted a progress report for January 2025, completing the first milestone of their full-time Monero CCS proposal. The report details work on the new transaction relay protocol, along with multiple pull requests including dynamic block sync sizing, taskflow integration, and P2P improvements. In their spare time, 0xFFFC is also developing a Monero benchmark project. A full list of contributions is available on GitHub.

acx has posted a second progress report for their CCS proposal to develop and maintain the Monfluo Android wallet. Recent work includes updating to Monero v0.18.4.0, onboarding Monfluo to Weblate for translations, and implementing OpenAlias support. A full list of commits is available on Codeberg.

Cake Wallet v4.28.0 is now available and features UI enhancements, Monero improvements, various bug fixes, and Bitcoin Payjoin support. A new version of the Monero.com wallet was also released. The Monero.com wallet is a dedicated Monero-only wallet (iOS, Android, macOS), while Cake Wallet is a multi-coin wallet available on iOS, Android, Linux, and macOS.

Edge Wallet, which supports Monero, has introduced Duress Mode, a new feature that lets users log into a decoy wallet using a separate PIN in high-pressure situations like travel or coercion. The mobile wallet remains self-custodial—users control their private keys and Edge cannot censor access. The decoy wallet behaves like a real one, offering plausible deniability while keeping real funds hidden. Designed with input from privacy-conscious users, the update reinforces Edge’s focus on practical privacy tools for Monero users.

Monerochan has published a new article by Spirobel titled “How the upcoming Monero Browser Wallet turns multi signature Escrow practical”, exploring how Monero’s browser-based wallet could finally make multisig escrow usable for everyday online shopping. By integrating Serai’s flexible multisig protocol into a modular checkout experience, the browser wallet could help decentralize ecommerce, allowing buyers to choose trusted escrows across independent vendors—without relying on centralized marketplaces.

Monero Observer has published a new Monero Dev Activity Report to provide a big-picture view of Monero’s development activity throughout the past week. If you’re interested in the nitty gritty, check it out here.

General News

A recent research paper identifies a privacy vulnerability in the Haveno DEX, showing that certain XMR/BTC trades can be linked across the Monero and Bitcoin blockchains. The paper, “Monero’s Decentralized P2P Exchanges: Functionality, Adoption, and Privacy Risks,” authored by Yannik Kopyciok, Friedhelm Victor, and Stefan Schmid, systematizes the emerging landscape of Monero-focused DEX platforms and highlights architectural weaknesses in cross-chain swaps involving transparent assets like Bitcoin. While the issue lies with Bitcoin’s traceability, not Monero’s protocol, the findings underscore Monero’s strength as a privacy-first blockchain and reinforce the need for caution when interacting with non-private assets. As more users seek tools to transact outside surveillance frameworks, Monero’s fully private on-chain design remains a critical foundation for building robust, censorship-resistant systems.

A blog post from Bitfinex titled “Are Privacy Coins Gaining Momentum?” explores the growing resurgence of privacy coins like Monero, driven by mounting global concerns over surveillance, regulatory overreach, and the rise of CBDCs. As much of the crypto space moves toward institutional compliance, Monero has stayed true to its cypherpunk roots—building a resilient, peer-to-peer ecosystem that resists censorship and prioritizes user privacy. The article highlights how delistings from major exchanges have only strengthened Monero by encouraging adoption of decentralized tools like DEXs, encrypted messengers, and circular economies. Notably, it’s reported that a number of early Bitcoin adopters are now turning to Monero, seeing it as a continuation of Bitcoin’s original vision of financial autonomy and resistance to centralized control. Monero’s independence from traditional financial rails also makes it less correlated to broader market trends, enhancing its appeal as a sovereign alternative in an increasingly surveilled digital world.

Finance Monthly published an article titled “XMR vs. the Dollar: Can a Ghost Coin Outrun Inflation in 2025?”, exploring whether Monero’s privacy, fixed supply, and decentralization give it an edge over fiat currencies in today’s inflationary environment. The article highlights growing interest in XMR as an alternative to gold or Bitcoin, especially among those seeking financial privacy and resistance to monetary policy distortions. Despite regulatory headwinds, Monero is portrayed as a quiet but resilient hedge in an increasingly surveilled financial world.

The latest Monerotopia episode featured a guest segment with EatFatChips, who now sells beef tallow chips for Monero. Episode 215 also covered price updates, XMR adoption news, and privacy tech developments, with over three hours of packed content. Check it out below.

Doug announced there will be no new Monero Talk episode this week and possibly no Monerotopia livestream on Saturday either. Regardless of this, viewers won’t be left empty-handed, Monerotopia24 Conference videos will begin streaming Thursday at 9am EST through Sunday on both X @Monerotopia and the Monero Talk YouTube channel.

Sovereign Syndicate is a new YouTube channel from Monero Mavrick, focused on freedom, privacy, and Monero, offering weekly commentary on crypto news, digital IDs, and economic shifts. In the latest Freedom & Privacy Weekly episode, MoneroMavrick covers a wide range of topics including RetoSwap’s ATH, XmrBazaar’s rental growth, crypto liquidations, and Monero node expansion. Check out the latest video below.

ditatompel has issued a warning about a phishing campaign targeting Monero users. The scam email, posing as an official “Monero Interface Update,” links to a fake site mimicking getmonero.org, with altered download links that install ConnectWise Control, a remote access tool. Once installed, the attacker could potentially take control of the victim’s device. As always, only download wallet software from official sources and stay alert to increasingly deceptive phishing tactics.

Revuo Monero Issue #238 has been published. Check it out for a weekly dose of Monero news.

Events and Meetings

MoneroKon 2025 is coming to Prague on June 20–22! Join privacy advocates, developers, researchers, and enthusiasts from around the world for three days of talks, workshops, and community building—all focused on digital freedom and financial privacy. Tickets are available now.

RevuoXMR is giving away three general admission tickets to MoneroKon, thanks to a partnership with Trocador. To enter, simply like, repost, and follow @RevuoXMR and @TrocadorApp on X.

The next MoneroKon 2025 Planning Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, May 24, 2025, at 17:00 UTC in the #monerokon Matrix/IRC channels. The agenda will be available on agenda.monerokon.org.

Douglas Tuman has announced that MoneroTopia 2025 will take place at Porcfest in Lancaster, New Hampshire this June. Held during one of the largest liberty gatherings in the U.S., MoneroTopia will feature a dedicated tent with talks, panels, and workshops focused on privacy, freedom tech, and opt-out tools beyond Monero. It will run concurrently with MoneroKon in Prague, with live streams connecting both events so attendees at either location won’t miss out. No separate ticket is needed—just get your Porcfest pass. If you’re keen to sponsor, speak, host a workshop, or volunteer, reach out to MoneroTopia@protonmail.com.

The next Monero Research Lab meeting is likely to be scheduled for Wednesday, May 28, 2025, at 17:00 UTC in the #monero-research-lab IRC and Matrix channels. Logs from a previous meeting are available on Monero Observer and more info can be found here.

The next Monero Tech meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 26, 2025, at 18:00 UTC in the #no-wallet-left-behind IRC/Matrix channels. Chaired by rbrunner7, the agenda will likely cover topics such as Seraphis/JAMTIS, Full-Chain Membership Proofs (FCMPs), and other long-term Monero development. More information and previous meeting chat logs can be found here.

The next Cuprate Meeting is set for Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at 18:00 UTC in the #cuprate Matrix and IRC channels. Cuprate is an initiative to build an alternative Monero node in Rust. Boog900 is expected to moderate the meeting, with an agenda including greetings, project updates, a discussion on next steps, and other business. Explore the Cuprate repo or catch up on the previous meeting thanks to Monero Observer.

Exchanges and Merchants

gr8ful4 has posted a comprehensive update on the Monero exchange ecosystem, detailing current risks, exchange reliability, and wallet recommendations. Highlights include the Exodus delisting XMR in August 2025, growing volume on RetoSwap, and warnings about high-risk platforms like MEXC and XT.COM. The post urges users to avoid custodial exchanges and instead opt for audited, open-source wallets like Feather or decentralized options such as Haveno and UnstoppableSwap. It also flags shady actors and emphasizes the importance of self-custody in preserving financial privacy. Check it out here.

RetoSwap has surpassed $40 million in total volume with over 6,000 completed swaps, marking 100% month-over-month growth in 2025. An Android app is on the way, and trading is currently free of charge until at least December 31, 2025, thanks to a community-funded fee suspension. To celebrate, RetoSwap has launched bi-weekly giveaways starting with a $100 reward split between a randomly selected buyer and seller in a “Cash by Mail” trade.

Meanwhile, OkAstronaut330 pointed out a steep drop in recent XMR volume on RetoSwap, sparking community discussion around possible causes like Tor issues, price volatility, and shifting arbitrage opportunities.

Premium cigar retailer 1689 Cigars Co. has announced that it now accepts Monero (XMR) payments, offering privacy-conscious customers a new way to purchase handcrafted cigars. The company has listed its products on XmrBazaar, a peer-to-peer Monero marketplace, with items like the 1689 Maduro Super Premium Nub 4×40—a bold, compact cigar featuring Brazilian Maduro wrappers and Nicaraguan fillers.

MoneroZone is clearing out around 100 Seed Capsules at a batch price as they move on from their workshop. If you’re interested and want to store your seed phrase in a secure way, reach out via DM.

XmrB4U is back online after a two-year hiatus, as announced by IndependentTax4533. The service allows users to purchase items from any online store using XMR—while protecting their identity from the merchant. Community members on r/Monero welcomed the return and suggested improvements like I2P integration and decentralized proxy functionality. Some raised concerns about JavaScript injected by Cloudflare, but the developer responded promptly and confirmed plans for both Tor and I2P support. As with any new or revived service, users are encouraged to exercise caution.

Mynymbox has shared updated payment stats, showing Monero leading with 45% of transactions on their platform—well ahead of Bitcoin (25%), Lightning (19%), and TrocadorApp swaps (11%).

Community Crowdfunding

Several crowdfunding proposals are awaiting community feedback before they can start accepting funds through the Community Crowdfunding System (CCS). For now, they are just proposals, but if they receive some positive feedback from the community they will be moved to a “Funding Required” stage so that they can accept Monero donations through the CCS.

CCS proposals currently open:

Funding required:

Trading and Speculation

Monero Talk Episode 351 features a deep dive into technical analysis with UK market analyst Kevin Wadsworth of NorthstarCharts. While the show usually focuses on fundamentals, this episode explores price trends and correlations across gold, Bitcoin, and Monero, with Kevin highlighting Monero’s technical strength and long-term uptrend. The discussion touches on Monero’s unique role in inflation protection and financial autonomy, offering a rare market chart perspective for the privacy coin.

On the XMR/BTC weekly chart, a bullish T-K cross and a potential close inside the cloud for the first time since March 2023 suggests Monero is primed to move toward the upper boundary of the cloud, targeting the 0.0055 BTC level for a potential 65%+ gain.

According to CoinMarketCap, at the time of writing Monero was the second-best performing crypto asset over the past 7 days.

Monero is on track for its second-highest monthly close of all time.

Network Metrics

Monero briefly flipped Litecoin in market cap this week, hinting at a broader shift toward real-world utility and privacy-focused use cases. If the trend continues, its quiet rise up the rankings may be just beginning.

Total Monero in Circulation — 18,597,346 XMR

Monero Total Marketcap — $7,298,784,264

Coinmarketcap Ranking — #23 (last week #24)

XMR ‘street price’ from RetoSwap – $399

XMR/USD Price —  $394

XMR/BTC Price — 0.003555 BTC

Monero Network Hashrate — ~4.68 Ghash/s

Monero Mining Pools Hashrate Distribution —

Entertainment

If you enjoy the newsletter and want more of this content, shout me a beer by donating some spare Monero you didn’t lose in your boating accident. I’m completely independent and rely solely on donations, with no sponsorship. A massive thank you to everyone who supports my work!

8C2xtdsCmJGhUgvMWYLayRR1wFgrjtQ2wNvzgFfrAfbjW7gatQDiNjUfFX7K5cm9UVefrVPFmxiM4jhhybsLQGpG1aeRzfD

Have we missed something?

If we’ve missed something important, let us know! As this is our first issue after a few months, we might have overlooked some news. Feel free to DM if there’s anything you’d like included in a future issue.

Support Monero

Want to contribute to the Monero Project? Developers, marketers, event coordinators, translators, Instagram personalities, meme creators, and public speakers — whatever your skills may be, it is extremely likely there is something you can do to assist. Reach out to the Monero community on Reddit, IRC/Matrix, GitHub, Twitter, or Telegram. The official Monero website is GetMonero.org.

Past Issues

Issue 79 / Issue 78 / Issue 77 Issue 76 / Issue 75 / Issue 74 / Issue 73 / Issue 72 / Issue 71 / Issue 70 / Issue 69 / Issue 68 Issue 67 Issue 66 / Issue 65 / Issue 64 / Issue 63 / Issue 62 / Issue 61 / Issue 60 / Issue 59 / Issue 58 / Issue 57 / Issue 56 / Issue 55 / Issue 54 / Issue 53 / Issue 52 / Issue 51 / Issue 50 / Issue 49 / Issue 48 / Issue 47 / Issue 46 / Issue 45 / Issue 44 / Issue 43 / Issue 42 / Issue 41 / Issue 40 / Issue 39 / Issue 38 / Issue 37 / Issue 36 / Issue 35 / Issue 34 / Issue 33 / Issue 32 / Issue 31 / Issue 30 / Issue 29 / Issue 28 / Issue 27 / Issue 26 / Issue 25 / Issue 24 / Issue 23 / Issue 22 / Issue 21 / Issue 20 / Issue 19 / Issue 18 / Issue 17 / Issue 16 / Issue 15 / Issue 14 / Issue 13 / Issue 12 / Issue 11 / Issue 10 / Issue 9 / Issue 8 / Issue 7 / Issue 6 / Issue 5 / Issue 4 / Issue 3 / Issue 2 / Issue 1

Socials

If you have suggestions, corrections, or feedback, please contact me on X @johnfoss69 or Reddit u/johnfoss68.

DISCLAIMER: This publication contains opinions for informational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Information may contain errors and omissions; use it solely at your own risk. The author of this publication and/or the authors of articles linked to or from this site may have financial investments that could bias their opinions, including ownership of Monero currency. No website, service, or product mentioned in the newsletter constitutes an endorsement; use them at your own risk. Always do your own research, form your own opinions, and never take risks with money or trust third parties without verifying their credibility.

Read More

The Monero Moon

[crypto-donation-box type=”tabular” show-coin=”all”]