TL;DR

• Bitcoin experienced a V-shaped rebound this week, recovering from a brief dip to $89,261 before entering an upward channel and approaching the $100,000 mark.
• U.S. Senators have made developing a digital asset regulatory framework a key priority for the 119th Congress.
• Saga has formed partnerships with Virtuals, Eliza Labs, and others to launch Metropolis, a cross-chain AI agent protocol.
• Pyth Network has launched Pyth Lazer, its ultra-low latency oracle.
• Solayer has reached a new All-Time High (ATH) with its TVL reaching $434M.
• Rate X’s TVL surged by 208% over seven days to $39.01M.
• Ondo’s upcoming token unlock next week will release 1.94B tokens—134.21% of its circulating supply—warranting close attention from holders.

Market Analysis

Review and Insights

• BTC Market — Bitcoin rebounded swiftly after dropping to $89,261 this week, encountering resistance at $100,000. While overall trading volume decreased compared to last week, bulls demonstrated strong buying pressure at the $90,000 support level. After three tests of the $90,000 support, Bitcoin entered an upward price channel. A successful break and hold above $100,000 could sustain the market’s upward trend. [1]

• ETH Market — ETH recovered quickly after dipping below $3,000 this week, breaking through and stabilizing above the key resistance of $3,340—which became support—before reaching $3,450. While ETH’s movements aligned with BTC, its gains were comparatively modest. The short-term resistance sits at $3,700. A sustained break above this level could boost market confidence and drive prices higher. [2]

• Altcoins — Altcoins saw significant declines around January 13, with overall market performance weakening. Even strong performers showed smaller gains than last week, though sectors like AI Framework, Blockchain Capital Portfolio, and Pantera Capital Portfolio led the market. Several concept tokens posted substantial gains, some doubling in value. [3]
• Option Market — Options open interest stands at $41.71 B, up 57.41%. The notional value of January 31 options has climbed to $6.303 B. [4]
• Macro Data — On January 14, the U.S. December Producer Price Index (PPI) showed a 3.3% year-over-year increase, below the expected 3.4% but above November’s 3.0%. The following day’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) reported 2.9% year-over-year growth, meeting expectations but exceeding the previous month’s 2.7%. These at-or-below-expectation readings strengthened market confidence in potential Fed rate cuts this year. [5]
• Stablecoins — The total stablecoin market cap grew by 0.35% to $206.742B over the past week. [6]
• Gas Fee — Ethereum’s average gas fee fell to 5.4 Gwei, a 50% decrease from last week, suggesting reduced network activity. [7]

Trending Concepts

Bitcoin price fluctuated between $90,000 and $100,000 this week, with varied performance across altcoin sectors. According to CoinGecko data, three sectors led the gains: Contract Derivatives, AI Framework ecosystem, and Blockchain Capital Portfolio, rising approximately 23.4%, 17%, and 14.5%, respectively, over the past seven days. [8]

AI Framework - AI Framework is an ecosystem sector that combines artificial intelligence with blockchain technology to advance AI development through decentralized systems. The framework enables model training, inference services, and smart contract integration, powering AI functionality for decentralized applications (dApps). Projects in this ecosystem leverage large language models, generative AI, and intelligent agents to bring cutting-edge AI capabilities to Web3. As AI and blockchain technologies have evolved in parallel, this sector has emerged as a market hotspot, drawing significant interest from both developers and investors.

The sector demonstrated strong momentum over the past seven days. As of January 16, 00:00 (UTC+0), the AI Framework sector posted a 25.3% gain, reaching a market cap of $4.044 B with 24-hour trading volume surpassing $1.045 B. Within the sector, PIPPIN token surged 275.1% while HINT gained 36.9% over seven days. [9]

Blockchain Capital Portfolio - Blockchain Capital Portfolio is a collection of projects backed by the renowned blockchain investment firm Blockchain Capital, covering multiple core areas including DeFi, NFT, blockchain infrastructure, and Web3 applications. The portfolio’s projects attract attention for their innovation and institutional backing. Blockchain Capital is committed to promoting widespread blockchain technology adoption, with investments often focused on combining cutting-edge technology with practical applications, providing long-term growth momentum for the ecosystem and establishing itself as a key leader in the blockchain space.

The sector rose 16.6% over seven days, reaching a market cap of $195.798B with 24-hour trading volume of $11.796 B. This growth is attributed to continued activity from leading tokens and the investment firm’s deep involvement in blockchain technology. Within the sector, XRP token increased by 23.9% over the past seven days. [10]

Pantera Capital Portfolio - Pantera Capital Portfolio includes projects backed by the leading blockchain investment firm Pantera Capital. The portfolio spans DeFi, NFTs, blockchain infrastructure, and Web3 applications. As an early industry investor, Pantera Capital has backed successful projects like Filecoin, Polkadot, and 1inch, establishing significant market influence. Their portfolio companies are recognized for innovation and growth potential. By providing both technical expertise and financial backing to the blockchain industry, they have attracted a strong community of developers and investors, emerging as a key market trendsetter.

The Pantera Capital Portfolio sector achieved a 14.4% increase this week, with a market cap of approximately $215.689B and 24-hour trading volume reaching $12.360B. Within the sector, GENE token rose by 78% over the past seven days. [11]

Top Performers

According to CoinGecko data, the top-performing tokens over the past 7 days are as follows: [12]

XDC (XDC Network) – 7-day increase of approximately 25%, with a circulating market cap of $1.701B.

XDC Network is a hybrid blockchain specializing in enterprise applications, with a focus on smart contracts and cross-border payments. This week, the network gained significant momentum through its DeFi expansion and growing institutional adoption. The price has shown consistent upward movement with strong capital inflows, strengthening XDC’s position in the enterprise blockchain sector.

XDC launched its subnet C9Chain’s testnet, which focuses on supply chain finance and cross-border payments. The network’s enhanced privacy and customization features have attracted several institutions to its pilot programs. This development boosted market confidence in XDC’s enterprise sector expansion, pushing its token price higher. The network also partnered with decentralized storage project StorX to expand its ecosystem capabilities. [13]

XRP (XRP) – 7-day increase of approximately 20.7%, with a circulating market cap of $162.363B.

As a leader in the cross-border payments sector, XRP’s price surge this week was driven by the easing of legal issues and positive news about the expansion of the Ripple ecosystem. Market confidence in XRP has significantly increased, particularly after further implementation of its payment solutions in the Southeast Asian market. This confidence has led to a continuous rise in trading volume, solidifying its key position in the global payments network.

Ripple, the company behind XRP, recently announced its plans to expand operations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region by collaborating with local banks and payment institutions to strengthen XRP-based payment solutions. Additionally, there has been positive progress in the SEC lawsuit against Ripple in the U.S., with widespread expectations that future legal risks will diminish further. Meanwhile, Ripple’s launch of its CBDC platform has garnered attention from multiple countries, laying a solid foundation for its long-term growth. [14]

Kaspa (KAS) – 7-day increase of approximately 20.2%, with a circulating market cap of $3.503B.

Kaspa is a high-performance blockchain based on BlockDAG technology, focusing on balancing transaction throughput and decentralization. This week’s growth was fueled by strengthened community engagement and increased promotion of its technical capabilities, attracting more developers and users to participate in ecosystem development and boosting market sentiment.

During the week, Kaspa completed an upgrade to its network performance, significantly enhancing transaction confirmation speeds. This technical breakthrough attracted more developers and DApp projects to join the Kaspa ecosystem. Furthermore, a community proposal to initiate a token buyback plan to stabilize market prices and support long-term growth received widespread attention, driving a significant increase in token prices. [15]

Weekly Spotlights

Hot Topic Review

U.S. Senate Prioritizes Digital Asset Regulatory Framework for 119th Congress

U.S. Senator Tim Scott has unveiled the priority list for the 119th Congress, emphasizing the importance of creating a regulatory framework for digital assets. The framework aims to address the lack of clear regulatory guidance under SEC Chairman Gary Gensler, which has previously driven many crypto projects.

This initiative could have a profound impact on the cryptocurrency and digital asset space. By establishing a dedicated regulatory framework for digital asset trading and custody, strengthening consumer protection and education, and fostering an open and inclusive environment for innovative financial products, it could promote financial inclusion and market stability. However, excessively strict regulations could stifle innovation, highlighting the need to strike a balance between protecting investors and encouraging innovation. [16]

Saga Announces Partnership with Virtuals, Eliza Labs to Launch Cross-Chain AI Protocol Metropolis

The Layer 1 blockchain Saga has announced strategic partnerships with Virtuals, Eliza Labs, and Wayfinder to jointly develop the cross-chain AI protocol, Metropolis. The protocol will allow AI agents to autonomously deploy and manage independent Layer 1 blockchain networks (Chainlets) via Saga’s infrastructure. Saga plans to launch the Liquidity Integration Layer (LIL) in Q1 2025 to achieve cross-chain liquidity and interoperability.

The protocol integrates Wayfinder’s multi-chain AI agent framework, Virtuals’ dynamic virtual agents, and Eliza Labs’ ElizaOS system. Metropolis’ core features include ElizaOS integration, autonomous chain deployment capabilities, and a dynamic ecosystem supported by Virtuals’ Butler Agent. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in the deep integration of blockchain and AI technologies, providing more robust infrastructure support for decentralized applications. [17]

Pyth Network Launches Ultra-Low Latency Oracle, Pyth Lazer

On January 15, Pyth Network announced the launch of Pyth Lazer, an ultra-low latency oracle that provides precise price feeds and market data with update times as short as 1 millisecond. Users can select from multiple frequency channels, such as 1 millisecond, 50 milliseconds, or 200 milliseconds, to suit varying market needs. Pyth Lazer is specifically designed for speed-critical protocols, including perpetual contracts and trading applications competing with CeFi.

The launch of Pyth Lazer will significantly enhance real-time performance in decentralized finance (DeFi), particularly for perpetual contracts and trading applications requiring rapid responses. This ultra-low latency oracle will improve market transparency and fairness, offering traders more accurate market data. Additionally, it could drive the development of innovative financial products and further the growth of the blockchain ecosystem. [18]

Security Incident

OpenSea Email Service Provider Breach Exposes Millions of User Addresses

According to a post by SlowMist’s Chief Information Security Officer @im23pds on social media, a 2024 attack on OpenSea’s email service provider resulted in the leak of email information for 7 million users. The exposed data includes email addresses of numerous cryptocurrency professionals, including many prominent individuals, companies, and key opinion leaders (KOLs) within the industry. Attackers may exploit this information to launch targeted phishing attacks, and users are urged to remain vigilant and guard against scams. [19]

Reportedly, on June 30, 2024, OpenSea officially confirmed that the data breach occurred due to an employee of their email automation platform, Customer.io, abusing their access privileges. The employee downloaded user email information and shared the data with unauthorized external parties. [20]

Project Highlights

Sonic Labs Announces S Token Airdrop Details with Three Ways to Earn Points

On January 15th, Sonic Labs (formerly Fantom) released details of their S token airdrop plan, offering users three ways to earn points: First, passive points can be earned by holding whitelisted assets in Web3 wallets (such as Rabby, MetaMask, and hardware wallets), excluding holdings on centralized exchanges; Second, activity points can be earned by participating in projects and providing whitelisted assets as liquidity; Third, DApp points, where developers can compete for “Sonic Gems” allocation and distribute S tokens to users through customized point systems.

The S token is Sonic’s native token, serving multiple roles in the network, including transaction fees, staking, running validators, and governance participation. At Sonic’s launch, the total supply of S will be 3.175 billion, corresponding to FTM’s total supply of 3.175 billion. 6% will be minted six months after Sonic’s launch, specifically for the airdrop program, rewarding Fantom Opera and Sonic users and builders. [21][22]

Data Highlights

Solayer TVL Reaches New All-Time High of $434M

As of January 16, 2025, Solana’s layer-2 chain Solayer has hit a new all-time high TVL of $434M, growing over 12% in the past 7 days. The TVL consists of $400M in Restaking and $31.86M in stablecoin deposits, with both categories showing consistent growth.

This growth trend has profound implications for Solayer and its ecosystem. Firstly, the increase in TVL indicates that more assets and users are being drawn to Solana’s Layer 2 blockchain. This not only enhances the network’s security but also provides greater market potential for applications and protocols built on Solayer. Secondly, as more capital and users join, decentralized applications (DApps) and DeFi services on Solayer will gain broader development opportunities, driving innovation and growth across the entire Solana ecosystem.

Additionally, Solayer’s scalability and efficiency advantages make it an ideal choice for gaming and high-frequency trading applications, which could attract more projects of this kind to the Solana ecosystem, further enriching its application scenarios and user base. [23]

Rate X TVL Increases 208% in 7 Days to $39.01M

According to DefiLlama data, Rate X’s TVL increased by 208% over the past 7 days, reaching $39.01M. Among this, Sonic’s sSol currently holds a TVL of $12.19M, while LRT’s sSol has a TVL of $7.52M. This data reflects the growing market demand for Rate X’s comprehensive yield pools.

As more capital and users join, decentralized applications and DeFi services on Solana’s Layer 2 blockchain will gain broader development opportunities, driving innovation and growth across the entire Solana ecosystem. Additionally, with the increase in staking volume, these platforms may offer more incentives and reward mechanisms, further attracting user participation and creating a virtuous cycle. [24]

Stuttgart Stock Exchange Derives 25% of Revenue from Crypto Trading

Matthias Voelkel, CEO of Boerse Stuttgart Group, recently stated that the trading volume of cryptocurrencies on the Stuttgart Stock Exchange tripled over the past year, accounting for approximately 25% of the company’s total revenue. Bitcoin remains the most significant asset on the platform, making up nearly 50% of the trading volume. Voelkel also highlighted the growing interest in cryptocurrencies from traditional banks and investors, with the European Central Bank estimating that around 10% of investors hold digital assets.

Data from the Stuttgart Stock Exchange indicates that the cryptocurrency market is developing rapidly, with Bitcoin’s dominance remaining strong and interest from the traditional financial sector steadily increasing. These factors are collectively driving the expansion of the cryptocurrency market, suggesting the potential for more financial innovation and market integration in the future. [25]

Market Opportunities

Project Airdrops

Airdrop Project to Watch This Week: Henjin AI

Henjin AI is a community-driven ecosystem built on the Layer 2 blockchain Taiko, integrating decentralized exchange (DEX) and launchpad functionalities. It promotes deep liquidity and sustainability by providing flexible infrastructure for developers and users. Henjin AI emphasizes community co-creation and collaboration, aiming to deliver innovative solutions for decentralized finance (DeFi) and emerging projects. Currently, the project is attracting early users and supporters through an airdrop campaign. [26]

How to Participate:

（1）Sufficient Balance Requirement:

• Before the distribution is completed, participants must ensure their Gate Web3 wallet has a balance of at least $10.
• Accounts with insufficient funds will automatically be excluded from valid entries.

（2）Results Announcement:

• After the airdrop ends, the system will compile all eligible entries and select winners based on probability.
• Winners will receive their Henjin AI airdrop directly in their Gate Web3 wallet or claim it on the project’s official website.

（3）Reward Distribution:

• Airdrop rewards will be distributed within 48 hours after the campaign ends.
• Whitelisted projects may experience delayed distribution, and users may need to manually claim rewards on the Henjin AI official website.

Note:
The airdrop program and participation methods are subject to change. Users are advised to follow Henjin AI’s official channels for the latest updates. Additionally, users should exercise caution, be aware of potential risks, and conduct thorough research before participating. Gate.io does not guarantee the distribution of future airdrop rewards.

Weekly Fundraising Report

This week saw significant fundraising activity across multiple projects spanning infrastructure, DeFi, gaming, and other sectors. RootData reports that from January 11-17, twelve projects secured funding rounds totaling more than $400M. Here are the top three funding rounds by scale: [27]

Helio completed a $175M acquisition on January 12, acquired by MoonPay. Through this acquisition, Helio will integrate its technology into MoonPay, enabling cryptocurrency transactions on e-commerce platforms like Shopify and Discord. Helio is a Web3 payment platform that allows merchants, DApps, and creators to securely accept decentralized crypto payments on Solana, Ethereum, and Polygon, receiving payments directly from customers with low fees and no intermediaries.

Alterya completed a $150M acquisition on January 12, acquired by Chainalysis. Alterya is a Web3 security platform that helps crypto service providers protect their users and prevent authorization fraud by detecting sophisticated scams targeting their real users. Its wallet threat-intelligence bridges on-chain and off-chain signals, enabling institutions to effectively reduce fraud and dispute rates while enhancing trust and mitigating reputational risks.

Sygnum completed a $58M funding round on January 13, led by Fulgur Ventures. The new funding will be used to expand its product portfolio (focusing on Bitcoin technology), enhance its institutional infrastructure, strengthen its compliance team, and explore strategic acquisition opportunities. The proceeds will also support Sygnum’s EU expansion plans and establish regulated operations in Hong Kong. Sygnum is a digital asset bank with Swiss banking and Singapore asset management licenses. Sygnum enables institutions and private qualified investors, corporations, banks, and other financial institutions to invest in the emerging digital asset economy with complete trust. Clients can invest in leading digital assets using their deposited Swiss francs, US dollars, euros, and Singapore dollars.

What to Watch Next Week

Token Unlock

According to Token Unlocks, several significant token unlock events are scheduled for next week (2025.01.18-2025.01.24), with a total unlocked value exceeding $2.711B. [28]

Here are the top 3 token unlock events:

ONDO: Approximately 1.94 billion ONDO tokens will be unlocked on January 18, 2025, at 12:00 AM (UTC+0), accounting for 134.21% of its circulating supply and valued at approximately $2.14B. With ONDO’s recent average daily trading volume at around $191M, this unlock event could significantly impact ONDO’s market price. Investors should exercise caution.

TAO: Approximately 261,300 TAO tokens will be unlocked on January 21, 2025, at 3:00 AM (UTC+0), accounting for 1.03% of its circulating supply and valued at approximately $98.47M. With TAO’s recent average daily trading volume at around $208M, this unlock event is expected to have a moderate impact on the token’s price.

FTN: Approximately 20 million FTN tokens will be unlocked on January 21, 2025, at 12:00 PM (UTC+0), accounting for 4.67% of its circulating supply and valued at approximately $76.6M. With FTN’s recent average daily trading volume at $62.52M, this unlock event could have a substantial impact on the token’s price. Investors are advised to approach with caution.

Crypto Calendar

Several significant events next week (2025.1.18-1.24) will impact the cryptocurrency market, global economy, and energy markets. Polyhedra will launch its Explore Expander Bootcamp on January 20.[29] Also on January 20, Trump and Vance will take their oath of office.[30] On January 24, the U.S. will release its January one-year inflation expectations report—a monthly survey that tracks consumers’ predictions for price changes in goods and labor over the next 12 months.[31]

References

1. Gate.io,https://www.gate.io/trade/BTC_USDT
2. Gate.io,https://www.gate.io/trade/ETH_USDT
3. Gate.io,https://www.gate.io/bigdata/estimate
4. Coinglass,https://www.coinglass.com/zh/pro/options/OIExpiry
5. Cryptocraft,https://www.cryptocraft.com/calendar?day=jan15.2025
6. Defillama,https://defillama.com/stablecoins
7. Etherscan,https://etherscan.io/gastracker
8. Coingecko,https://www.coingecko.com/en/categories
9. Coingecko,https://www.coingecko.com/en/categories/ai-framework
10. Coingecko,https://www.coingecko.com/en/categories/blockchain-capital-portfolio
11. Coingecko,https://www.coingecko.com/en/categories/pantera-capital-portfolio
12. Coingedcko,https://www.coingecko.com
13. Gate.io,https://www.gate.io/zh/trade/XDC_USDT
14. Gate.io,https://www.gate.io/zh/trade/XRP_USDT
15. Gate.io,https://www.gate.io/zh/trade/KAS_USDT
16. X,https://x.com/EleanorTerrett/status/1879521302161297598
17. Saga,https://medium.com/sagaxyz/saga-unites-virtuals-eliza-labs-wayfinder-and-metropolis-to-usher-in-the-future-of-blockchain-e96dcaa39316
18. X,https://x.com/PythNetwork/status/1879545169781166397
19. X,https://x.com/im23pds/status/1878608412457767133
20. Opensea,https://blog-v3.opensea.io/articles/important-update-on-email-vendor-security-incident
21. X,https://x.com/SonicLabs/status/1879222260051165349
22. Soniclabs,https://docs.soniclabs.com/sonic/s-token#tokenomics
23. Defillama,https://defillama.com/protocol/solayer-restaking#information
24. Defillama,https://defillama.com/protocol/ratex
25. Fortune,https://fortune.com/europe/2025/01/15/germany-stock-exchange-banking-trump-fueled-crypto-boom/
26. Henjin AI,https://henjin.xyz
27. Rootdata,https://www.rootdata.com/Fundraising
28. Token Unlocks,https://token.unlocks.app/
29. Gate.io,https://www.gate.io/calendar
30. Prnewswire,https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/polyhedra-in-partnership-with-ethereum-foundation-worldcoin-and-others-announces-a-new-zero-knowledge-bootcamp-302345243.html
31. Jin10,https://rili.jin10.com/

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