TL;DR

• Both BTC and ETH show an upward trend today, with BTC challenging the $102,000 resistance level.
• Tonstakers’ Total Value Locked (TVL) has surpassed $326 million, setting a new historical high.
• SOL’s market capitalization has surpassed BNB’s, reclaiming the fifth spot in market cap.
• XRP futures open interest has reached a new record of $7.7 billion.
• Swiss state-owned bank PostFinance AG has launched staking services.
• Puffer Finance has released its Q2 update, introducing a community-driven reward system.

Market Analysis

• BTC — The price of BTC has increased by 1.1% in the past 24 hours, currently standing at $101,476.90. BTC shows an upward trend today, with the price steadily following an ascending channel. The short-term moving averages are still in a bullish alignment, indicating a relatively optimistic market sentiment. The price is currently attempting to break through the $102,000 resistance level, and market sentiment remains optimistic[1].

• ETH — The price of ETH has risen by 1.64% in the past 24 hours, with the current price at $3,357.98. ETH attempted to break above $3,450 yesterday but failed, showing weaker bullish sentiment compared to BTC. The price is currently following an upward trendline, but trading volume has been on the decline, and market sentiment appears more cautious[2].

• ETF — According to Farside Investors data, on January 16th, the total net inflow into U.S. BTC spot ETFs was $626 million[3], while the net outflow from U.S. Ethereum spot ETFs was $166 million[4].
• Altcoins — The Real World Assets, Outler Ventures Portfolio, and Oracle sectors saw changes of +76.0%, +11.9%, and +5.5%, respectively[5].
• U.S. Stock Indices — The S&P 500 index decreased by 0.21%, the Dow Jones index dropped by 0.16%, and the Nasdaq index fell by 0.89%[6].
• Spot Gold — The price of spot gold is $2,711.99 per ounce, a decline of 0.09% on the day[7].
• Fear and Greed Index — The Fear and Greed Index is at 75, indicating that the market is in a state of greed[8].

Top Performers

According to Gate.io market data[9], based on trading volume and price performance over the past 24 hours, the top-performing altcoins are as follows:

XCN (Onyxcoin) — The price increased by approximately 83.48% in a single day, with a circulating market capitalization of $184 million.
The Onyx protocol, powered by its native token $XCN, is a Web3 blockchain infrastructure that focuses on decentralized and efficient transaction solutions. The limited supply and staking mechanism of $XCN not only ensure anti-inflation characteristics but also attract user participation through economic incentives[10].
The Onyx protocol plans to launch the Onyx Improvement Proposal (OIP) on February 1st to incentivize the operation of Onyx Core nodes, with the draft proposal currently under evaluation. Meanwhile, its ambassador program has attracted numerous KOLs to participate, and rewards have already been distributed. With extensive promotion, technological updates, and the distribution of rewards, investor interest in $XCN has increased, driving the price upwards.

MORPHO (Morpho Labs) — The price increased by approximately 34.12% in a single day, with a circulating market capitalization of $670 million.
Morpho is a lending protocol on Ethereum. It is a lending pool optimizer, acting as a peer-to-peer layer on top of lending pools like Compound and Aave. It seamlessly improves interest rates for both lenders and borrowers while maintaining the same liquidity and risk parameters[11].
Recently, Morpho Labs announced the launch of its services for U.S. users, including those in New York, with plans to expand to more regions in the future. Official announcements have also revealed plans to introduce more types of collateral assets. As the business progresses rapidly, its fundamental advantages are becoming increasingly apparent, attracting more investor attention and further pushing the price higher.

LYX (LUKSO) — The price increased by approximately 33.94% in a day, with a circulating market capitalization of $76.99 million.
LUKSO is a next-generation EVM blockchain based on the Casper PoS consensus mechanism, designed to revolutionize the interaction between brands, creators, and users in the new creative economy. Although the network utilizes the ETH 2.0 tech stack, LUKSO is an independent, entirely new Layer 1 blockchain introducing a set of innovative blockchain standards[12].
Recently, LUKSO announced the winning projects from its organized hackathon, with several excellent project ideas attracting significant attention from investors. LUKSO has also collaborated with multiple KOLs to popularize and introduce its Grid architecture, successfully gaining attention and driving up the price.

Data Highlights

Tonstakers TVL Surpasses $326 Million, Reaches All-Time High

Currently, Tonstakers’ Total Value Locked (TVL) has exceeded $324 million, with a daily increase of 35%, reflecting the continued growth in the number of staked users on the Ton blockchain. From the chart, it is evident that Tonstakers’ TVL has shown a significant upward trend since November 2023. This growth is mainly driven by the increase in liquid staking, the activity of decentralized exchanges (DEXs), and the launch of the Open League program. These factors have collectively fueled the rise in Tonstakers’ TVL, highlighting users’ ongoing interest and participation in DeFi solutions[13].

Over 30% of Ethereum Validators Support Increasing Block Gas Limit

According to data compiled by Toni Wahrstätter, a researcher at the Ethereum Foundation, over 30% of Ethereum validators have expressed support for increasing the block gas limit, a key parameter that determines the network’s ability to process transactions. Currently, Ethereum’s gas limit stands at 30 million, and one-third of validators believe the gas limit should be increased from 30 million to 40 million units. Validators proposing and validating blocks can adjust their node configurations to signal support for raising the gas limit without the need for a hard fork. Once more than 50% of validators agree, the block gas limit will automatically be adjusted to the next agreed-upon level, with a target of 40 million gas. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin also suggested a 33% increase last year[14].

SOL Market Cap Surpasses BNB, Reclaims 5th Position

SOL has regained its position as the fifth-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, surpassing BNB. Currently, the market cap of SOL is approximately $104.6 billion, while BNB’s market cap is around $104.3 billion. The Trump administration’s lenient stance on cryptocurrency and potential regulatory policies may influence investors’ views on specific cryptocurrencies. Today, the Trump administration announced that it may adopt policies that support innovation and technological development, which could positively impact blockchain platforms like Solana. As a result, market sentiment toward Solana remains positive, driving up its price[15].

Spotlight Analysis

XRP Futures Open Interest Hits $7.7 Billion Record

Today, the price of XRP once again breaks through its previous high, setting a new all-time high. This surge is driven by multiple favorable factors. Among them, XRP futures open interest has reached a new record of $7.7 billion, indicating a significant increase in market interest in the asset. Additionally, the legal dispute between Ripple and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is progressing in a favorable direction, and the upcoming changes in SEC personnel have led the market to expect a shift in regulatory stance towards a more relaxed approach. Overall, the improvement in the macro and policy environment has further supported investors’ optimistic sentiment toward XRP[16].

The funding rate for XRP perpetual futures open interest shows positive growth, highlighting the optimistic market sentiment surrounding XRP. Over the past 8-hour period, the funding rate for XRP perpetual futures has hovered around 0.01%. This rising funding rate suggests bullish sentiment, as traders are willing to pay a premium to maintain their long positions.

Swiss State-Owned Bank PostFinance AG Launches Ethereum Staking Service

Swiss state-owned bank PostFinance AG has expanded its digital asset offerings by launching Ethereum staking services, allowing Ethereum holders to earn passive income. A statement on Thursday announced that PostFinance will soon add staking services for other tokens in the near future[17]. The Swiss lender introduced cryptocurrency trading and custody services in February 2024 and has become the first systemically important bank to offer staking services.

Puffer Finance Releases Q2 Update, Introducing Community-Driven Reward System

Puffer Finance has released its Q2 update, which introduces a community-driven reward system. The biggest change is that Puffer Points will now be on-chain, with rewards distributed in the form of CARROT tokens. CARROT is an ERC-20 token used to reward activities such as staking, voting, and providing liquidity. The total supply of CARROT tokens is capped at 100 million, and rewards will be dynamically distributed every two weeks based on governance metrics determined by community votes. The distribution of rewards will depend on the support percentage for each metric[18].

CARROT tokens will replace off-chain Puffer Points in Q2. Users can earn CARROT through activities such as staking, providing liquidity, and voting. After the end of Q2, CARROT will be converted to PUFFER tokens at a fixed exchange rate. CARROT rewards can be claimed during the reward period or within a year after the end of Q2. Tokens claimed will have a 30-day lock-up period before withdrawal, and each claim resets the timer.

Funding News

According to RootData, 10 projects have announced funding rounds in the past 24 hours, raising a total of $260 million across various sectors including CeFi, DeFi, and ecosystem protocols. The largest single funding round amounted to $150 million. Below are the details of the top three funding rounds by amount[19]:

Komainu — Komainu raised $75 million in funding, with participation from Blockstream. Komainu is an institutional-grade digital asset custodian. Leveraging market-leading technology and compliant processes for different custodial structures and regulatory environments, Komainu’s infrastructure enables parties to participate, contract, and trade in a trusted environment[20].

GTE — GTE raised $10 million, with investments from Maven11, Wintermute, and others. GTE is a decentralized trading platform incubated by MegaETH Labs, combining AMM (Automated Market Maker) with centralized limit order books. Its goal is to bring CEX-level performance and liquidity to DeFi[21].

Phantom — Phantom raised $150 million, with leading investments from Paradigm and Sequoia Capital. Phantom is a user-friendly cryptocurrency wallet designed to allow users to securely and conveniently store, buy, send, receive, swap tokens, and collect NFTs on the Solana blockchain[22].

Airdrop Opportunities

Castile World

Castile World is a AAA idle RPG and roguelike game set in a fantasy Cthulhu-inspired world. The project has secured $8 million in funding from Hashkey Capital and OKX Ventures. Castile World has announced that its Pioneer Season will run until February 17, 2025, with a confirmed reward pool of 20,000,000 $CAST tokens. The platform has implemented a points system called the Pioneer CAST Points, allowing users to gradually earn rewards through various activities[23].

The $CAST token is the governance token of Castile World, enabling holders to participate in decision-making, gain exclusive memberships, and enhance their gaming experience. The total supply of $CAST tokens is capped at 1 billion, designed to support community involvement and in-game interactions. $CAST tokens are earned through seasonal rewards, staking, and community expansion incentives, rewarding players for their contributions to the Castile ecosystem. They can be used to purchase game packages, resources, and trade in-game assets such as equipment and tarot cards. Revenue generated by Castile World will contribute to a token burn mechanism, gradually reducing the supply of $CAST over time to maintain a balanced and sustainable tokenomics.

How to Participate:

• Visit the official website
• Click the “Login” button, create a new account, and complete registration
• Connect your EVM and Aptos wallets
• Complete Quest platform tasks
• Finish all available daily tasks, social media tasks, and link your Discord and Twitter accounts
• Continuously complete daily tasks on the task platform and actively participate in the Pioneer Season (January 18 to February 17)

Note:
The airdrop plans and participation methods may be updated at any time. It is recommended that users follow Castile World’s official channels for the latest information. At the same time, users should exercise caution and conduct thorough research before participating. Gate.io does not guarantee the distribution of future airdrop rewards.


Reference：

1. Gate.io,https://www.gate.io/trade/BTC_USDT
2. Gate.io,https://www.gate.io/trade/ETH_USDT
3. Farside Investors,https://farside.co.uk/btc/
4. Farside Investors,https://farside.co.uk/eth/
5. CoinGecko,https://www.coingecko.com/en/categories
6. Investing,https://investing.com/indices/usa-indices
7. Investing,https://investing.com/currencies/xau-usd
8. Gate.io,https://www.gate.io/bigdata/homeindex
9. Gate.io,https://www.gate.io/price
10. X,https://x.com/OnyxDAO/status/1878810694763839974
11. X,https://x.com/MorphoLabs
12. X,https://x.com/lukso_io/status/1879952323574722894
13. defillama,https://defillama.com/protocol/tonstakers
14. The Block,https://www.theblock.co/post/334951/30-of-ethereum-validators-signal-higher-block-gas-limit-data-shows
15. Coingecko,https://www.coingecko.com/
16. The Block,https://www.theblock.co/post/334967/xrp-price-breaks-all-time-high-as-futures-open-interest-hits-record-7-7-billion?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social
17. Bloomberg,https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-01-16/swiss-state-owned-bank-postfinance-expands-in-crypto-with-ethereum-staking
18. Medium,https://medium.com/puffer-fi/puffer-season-2-update-faqs-99a3a567e764
19. Rootdata,https://www.rootdata.com/Fundraising
20. Komainu,https://komainu.com/resources/komainu-completes-series-b-fundraising-with-strategic-investment-from-blockstream
21. The Block,https://www.theblock.co/post/335132/megaeth-based-dex-gte-funding-cobie-echo
22. X,https://x.com/phantom/status/1880018917068009527
23. X,https://x.com/Castileofficial

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