Recapping the past 24 hours’ top crypto headlines:

  • Microsoft’s Azure Blockchain gets a Solidity smart contract formal verification tool.
  • Largest-ever number of open interest in CME bitcoin futures.
  • Justin Sun and up to seven friends to dine with Warren Buffet after successful bid.

At the time of writing, bitcoin (BTC) and ether (ETH) are trading at $7,951.7 (-7.4%) and $247.5 (-7.1%), respectively. As for the MVIS CryptoCompare Digital Assets 10 Index, it is currently tracking at 3,883.4 (-5.8%).

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Solidity Smart Contract Verifier by Microsoft

Microsoft’s research arm – Microsoft Research – unveiled a new, open-source formal verification tool designed to enhance the quality of smart contracts written in a subset of Solidity, the programming language built for the Ethereum blockchain.

The new tool, named VeriSol (i.e., Verifier for Solidity) is described an academic paper which outlines design and application of smart contract verification for Microsoft’s Azure Blockchain. The authors stressed the need for smart contract correctness, explaining: “vulnerabilities in smart contracts have resulted in several high-profile exploits that undermine trust in the underling blockchain technology.”

The paper was authored by seven different researchers from Microsoft Research, Microsoft Azure, and the University of Texas at Austin.

Interestingly, a Microsoft Research blog post published on Monday mentioned that, “while VeriSol is still a prototype primarily driven so far by smart contracts in Azure, the researchers have lofty goals for the verification tool and encourage open collaboration to help bring advances in formal verification to mainstream smart contract development.”

CME Bitcoin Futures Clock New All-Time High

The open interest in Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) bitcoin futures hit an all-time high last Friday, according to CoinDesk.

Referring to data shared by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CTFC), the crypto news publication reported “the total figure of 5,190 for the period between May 27 and June 3 represents the largest number of open interest, or contracts outstanding, in CME bitcoin futures ever and a 7 percent gain on the week prior.”

Less than two weeks ago, CME issued an email to clients declaring “May is shaping up to be the strongest month ever for CME Bitcoin Futures.” On May 13, it facilitated the trading of an all-time high 33,677 bitcoin futures contracts. At the time, this was roughly equivalent to $1.3 billion (USD).

Warren Buffett to Dine with TRON’s Justin Sun

Justin Sun, founder and chief executive of the TRON Foundation, and up to seven friends will soon sit down with famed investor Warren Buffet for a private lunch at a New York steakhouse.

The news emerged on Monday afternoon (UTC) when it was revealed Sun had bid a record-breaking $4,567,888 to win the charity auction, which was hosted in cooperation with the ‘eBay for Charity’ initiative. This is the twentieth year Buffett has auctioned off the so-called ‘Power Lunch’ for the benefit of the Glide Foundation.

Formed in 1929 and based in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district, the Glide Foundation serves the poor, homeless and/or those battling substance abuse.