Abstract

• BTC price has dropped 9.31% in the past 24 hours, currently trading at 84,208 USDT. ETH price has fallen 14.34%, now at 2,077 USDT.
• Maple Finance protocol’s TVL has surpassed $400 million, reaching an all-time high.
• Soneium public blockchain’s TVL has exceeded $50 million, setting a new record.
• The Bybit hacker has laundered 499,000 ETH within 10 days.
• The SEC has announced its crypto task force members, aiming to clarify the digital asset regulatory framework.
• CME will launch SOL futures on March 17.
• Aave has expanded to the Sonic mainnet, deploying its V3 lending market.

Market Analysis

• BTC – BTC price has dropped 9.31% in the past 24 hours, currently trading at 84,208 USDT. Earlier today, BTC rebounded to around 95,000 USDT but briefly pulled back after testing the 95,000 USDT resistance level for the second time, forming a short-term downtrend channel. Trading volume has slightly decreased compared to before. The blue MACD line is currently at -1760.2, below the signal line, indicating that bearish momentum still dominates the market.[1]BTC may test the support level again in the near future. Additionally, according to Coinglass data, BTC futures contracts saw a total of $398 million in liquidations in the past 24 hours, contributing to a total market-wide liquidation of $1.008 billion, with the majority being long positions.[2]

• ETH – ETH price has dropped 14.34% in the past 24 hours, currently trading at $2,077 USDT. On March 3, ETH saw a temporary rebound to around $2,500 USDT following Donald Trump’s remarks on cryptocurrency storage strategies. However, the price quickly retraced, forming a descending triangle convergence pattern in the short term. [3]

• ETF – According to SoSoValue data, on March 3, U.S. Bitcoin spot ETFs saw a total net outflow of $74.19 million[4], while U.S. Ethereum spot ETFs recorded a total net outflow of $12.10 million[5]. Data as of March 4, 1:30 PM (UTC+8).
• Altcoins – The overall performance of altcoins has been weak recently, with a general market pullback. Over the past 24 hours, most sectors have experienced declines, and there are no clear signs of capital inflows, indicating that investor sentiment remains cautious. In the short term, altcoins are still under pressure[6].
• U.S. Stock Market – On March 3, the S&P 500 Index fell 1.76%, the Dow Jones Index declined 1.48%, and the Nasdaq Index dropped 2.64%[7].
• Spot Gold – The price of spot gold is at $2,890 per ounce, with an intraday decline of 0.09%. Data as of March 4, 12:00 PM (UTC+8)[8].
• Fear & Greed Index – The Fear & Greed Index stands at 15, indicating an extreme fear sentiment in the market[9].

Top Performers

According to Gate.io market data [10], based on trading volume and price performance over the past 24 hours, the top-performing altcoins are as follows:

LAYER (Solayer) – Up 14.33% Daily, Market Cap: $208M

Solayer is a restaking protocol built on the Solana blockchain, designed to enhance on-chain transaction throughput (TPS) through stake-weighted quality of service (swQoS) and hardware optimization. Additionally, Solayer has launched the sUSD stablecoin and established staking infrastructure on Solana, initiating native SOL staking and accumulating a total value locked (TVL) of $350M.

On March 4, Solayer introduced the LAYER/SOL liquidity pool on Orca and has been steadily expanding in the South Korean market, attracting more investor attention and driving the token’s price upward[11].

UDS (Undeads Games) – Up 9.52% Daily, Market Cap: $71.36M

Undeads Games is an Ethereum-based MMORPG survival game that integrates in-game NFTs. Set in a post-apocalyptic metaverse where humans and zombies battle for survival, players can engage in combat, crafting, and trading unique NFT assets, participating in a borderless in-game economy.

On the night of March 3, Undeads Games announced that its flagship game will launch on Steam within six months, along with a published roadmap. This announcement boosted community and investor confidence, leading to a positive market response and a rise in the token price[12].

AIC (AI Companions) – Up 7.61% Daily, Market Cap: $282M

AI Companions is an innovative blockchain platform that combines AI, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and blockchain technology to offer users highly personalized virtual companion services for social, entertainment, and personal growth purposes.

The recent significant increase in token price has been primarily driven by a series of multi-dimensional strategic initiatives implemented by the project team. Firstly, an ongoing million-dollar token buyback and burn program has reinforced deflationary expectations. Secondly, community-led global marketing campaigns have continuously expanded user engagement. Thirdly, the official listing of the AIC spot trading pair on a centralized exchange (CEX) has broadened liquidity access, further boosting market attention and creating a positive feedback loop for value growth. [13]

Data Highlights

Maple Finance Protocol TVL Surpasses $400 Million, Reaching an All-Time High

The total value locked (TVL) in the Maple Finance protocol has reached $416 million, marking a more than 20% increase in the past 24 hours and setting a new historical high. Maple Finance is an on-chain institutional capital marketplace that provides undercollateralized loans to institutional borrowers while offering fixed-income opportunities to lenders. The protocol is governed by the Maple (MPL) token, which allows token holders to participate in governance, share fee revenue, and provide equity insurance for lending pools.

On February 18, Maple partnered with CoreDAO to launch a new BTC-native yield product (lstBTC), which has contributed to the steady growth of its TVL. Overall, Maple Finance’s success highlights the potential of DeFi platforms in addressing traditional financial needs, which may encourage more traditional financial institutions to explore partnerships or investments in the DeFi space. [14]

Soneium Public Blockchain TVL Hits Record High, Surpassing $50 Million

The total value locked (TVL) on the Soneium public blockchain has reached an all-time high of $52.08 million, marking a daily increase of over 9.6%. Developed by Sony Blockchain Solutions Labs, a subsidiary of Sony Group, Soneium is an Ethereum Layer 2 blockchain ecosystem designed to bridge blockchain technology (Web3) with everyday internet services (Web2), simplifying user experience and driving large-scale blockchain adoption.

The Soneium ecosystem has been expanding rapidly, recently integrating protocols such as SuperVol, waveX, and Kyo, while also upgrading node operators with the Soneium Minato Pectra update. This TVL milestone not only reflects the ecosystem’s active growth but also positively impacts the DeFi market and the broader blockchain industry. [15]

Bybit Hacker Launders 499,000 ETH in 10 Days

In just 10 days, the hacker successfully laundered all 499,000 ETH stolen from Bybit. During this period, ETH’s price dropped by 23%, falling from 2,780 USDT to 2,130 USDT. The hacker primarily used THORChain for money laundering, with the protocol recording $5.9 billion in transaction volume and generating $5.5 million in fee revenue.

This incident not only intensified selling pressure on ETH but also exposed the potential risks of cross-chain protocols in fund movement, raising concerns about the compliance and security of decentralized protocols. Since the hacker leveraged permissionless cross-chain liquidity to quickly transfer funds, regulators may tighten scrutiny on similar protocols, potentially leading to a stricter regulatory environment for decentralized cross-chain transactions. Additionally, some market participants may adopt a more cautious investment strategy due to concerns over further sell-off pressure, which could keep ETH prices under pressure in the short term and impact overall market liquidity. [16]

Spotlight Analysis

SEC Announces Crypto Task Force Members, Advancing Clarity in Digital Asset Regulation

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced the members of its Crypto Task Force, which will advise the commission on cryptocurrency-related matters. The task force includes members from the Office of the Acting Chair and other SEC divisions. SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce said, “The Crypto Task Force exhibits deep expertise and an enthusiastic commitment to identifying—with the help of other talented staff across the Commission and interested members of the public—workable solutions to difficult crypto regulatory problems.”

The establishment of the SEC Crypto Working Group is expected to accelerate the clarification of the U.S. regulatory framework for digital assets. By defining the securities classification of assets such as Proof-of-Stake (PoS) tokens and NFTs and setting compliance standards for exchanges, this initiative aims to reduce market uncertainty and attract traditional institutional capital. However, stricter regulations may squeeze out small and mid-sized projects as well as decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols, limiting their survival space. Additionally, this move could drive regulatory coordination with frameworks like the EU’s MiCA and Hong Kong’s VASP regime, potentially fostering cross-jurisdictional regulatory sandbox trials. However, competition among nations over stablecoin issuance rights and exchange licensing standards may intensify market fragmentation, forcing small platforms with weaker compliance capabilities to seek offshore regulatory havens.[17]

CME to Launch SOL Futures on March 17

Solana’s official X account has announced that the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) will launch Solana (SOL) futures on March 17, marking further recognition of SOL in the traditional financial market. As one of the world’s largest derivatives exchanges, CME already offers Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) futures. The addition of SOL futures will enable more institutional investors to participate in the Solana ecosystem in a compliant manner.

Overall, the launch of SOL futures is a significant milestone for the growth of the Solana ecosystem, enhancing its acceptance in traditional finance over the long term. However, short-term market fluctuations driven by speculative trading are expected, and investors should closely monitor trading volumes and market sentiment.[18]

Aave Expands to Sonic Mainnet, Deploying Its V3 Lending Market

Aave Protocol has expanded by deploying its decentralized lending market on the high-performance blockchain Sonic. This cross-chain deployment was approved through the Aave DAO governance proposal (AIP-365) and executed under the leadership of the Aave Chan Initiative, a core contributing entity. Aave’s expansion on Sonic is backed by liquidity commitments, including $15 million in funding from the Sonic Foundation, up to 50 million native Sonic (S) tokens, and an additional $800,000 in stablecoins and migration incentives from Aave.

Aave’s multi-chain strategy enables it to attract Sonic’s existing DeFi users while leveraging Sonic’s fee-sharing mechanism to enhance liquidity provider (LP) yields, pushing Sonic’s total value locked (TVL) closer to the $1 billion milestone. Additionally, a joint incentive program by Aave and Sonic could incentivize leading protocols such as Uniswap to migrate, potentially reshaping the Layer 1 ecosystem landscape. However, Aave must differentiate itself with a unique interest rate model to compete for existing users while remaining cautious about cross-chain bridge security risks and the inflationary pressure of SONIC tokens. If ecosystem growth fails to meet expectations, short-term liquidity expansion may lead to long-term value dilution risks.[19]

Funding News

According to RootData, one project announced funding within the past 24 hours, raising a total of $6 million in the MEV sector.[20]

FastLane – The project secured $6 million in funding, led by Figment Capital and DBA. The funds will be used to expand the team, accelerate product development, and strengthen collaborations with blockchain networks and validators. FastLane Labs focuses on developing MEV-related technologies aimed at optimizing blockchain transaction execution efficiency and fairness.

Airdrop Opportunities

AGNT Hub

AGNT Hub is a decentralized platform that combines AI and blockchain technology to facilitate the creation, deployment, and trading of AI agents. The platform offers various functional modules covering areas such as enterprise workflow optimization, personalized language learning, and multimodal interaction.

AGNT Hub has announced an airdrop of 30 million AGNT tokens, which will take place alongside its token generation event. Users can earn experience points (XP) by completing designated social tasks and activities, which can then be exchanged for AGNT tokens through the airdrop. This airdrop is designed to reward early adopters and community members who actively participate in platform activities and accumulate XP.[21]

How to Participate:

1. Visit the AGNT Hub website.
2. Complete all social tasks to view your initial points and access the dashboard.[22]

Notes:
The airdrop program and participation requirements may be updated at any time. Users are advised to follow AGNT Hub’s official channels for the latest information. Participants should exercise caution, assess potential risks, and conduct thorough research before engaging in the airdrop. Gate.io does not guarantee the distribution of future airdrop rewards.


References:

1. Gate.io,https://www.gate.io/trade/BTC_USDT
2. Coinglass,https://www.coinglass.com/LiquidationData
3. Gate.io,https://www.gate.io/zh/trade/ETH_USDT
4. Sosovalue,https://sosovalue.com/assets/etf/us-btc-spot
5. Sosovalue,https://sosovalue.com/assets/etf/us-eth-spot
6. CoinGecko,https://www.coingecko.com/en/categories
7. Investing,https://investing.com/indices/usa-indices
8. Investing,https://www.investing.com/currencies/xau-usd
9. Gate.io,https://www.gate.io/bigdata
10. Gate.io,https://www.gate.io/price
11. X,https://x.com/solayer_labs/status/1896614885494239415
12. X,https://x.com/Undeadscom/status/1896557070654255404
13. X,https://x.com/AIV_Companions/status/1896434139685171249
14. DefiLlama,https://defillama.com/protocol/maple-finance
15. DefiLlama,https://defillama.com/chain/Soneium
16. THORChain,https://thorchain.net/dashboard
17. SEC,https://www.sec.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2025-49
18. X,https://x.com/solana/status/1896618164743794981
19. X,https://x.com/aave/status/1896640279224168537
20. Rootdata,https://www.rootdata.com/Fundraising
21. X,https://x.com/agnt_hub
22. AGNT Hub ,https://agnthub.ai/

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Disclaimer
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