Research

This report summarizes blockchain industry developments from December 28 to January 3. Ethena and Berachain launched pre-deposit vaults supporting stablecoin deposits with multiple rewards; Bitcoin's store-of-value market size reached $1.03 trillion, up 85% this year, underscoring its appeal as digital gold; Elon Musk's username change sparked a surge in meme tokens, highlighting the influence of social media on the crypto market; and Uniswap announced the upcoming release of v4 with features like dynamic fees to enhance trading flexibility. The industry continues to see innovations, decentralized ecosystems are growing, and the market outlook remains promising.

This week's featured projects include Sentient AI, Humanity Protocol, OpenLoop, and Kaito. Krain focuses on the AI intelligent agent ecosystem, where users can earn airdrop points by completing tasks; Sentient AI introduces a human-like empathetic AI agent, supporting staking and governance; Humanity Protocol implements non-invasive identity verification to enhance proof of humanity in Web3 applications; OpenLoop focuses on a decentralized wireless network, allowing users to participate in the airdrop program by sharing bandwidth; Kaito leverages AI to transform crypto research, with users earning rewards for completing tasks. These projects provide users with diverse early participation opportunities, showcasing strong innovation and vitality, and are worth keeping an eye on.

Between December 28, 2024, and January 3, 2025, the blockchain and cryptocurrency sector experienced numerous significant events demonstrating market vitality and industry trends. Key developments from projects like Sophon and Hyperliquid—including platform launches, service expansions, feature introductions, mainnet activations, and mining activities—showcased innovation while driving technological and community growth, giving the industry fresh momentum. On the regulatory front, the European Union's dedicated cryptocurrency regulation, the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA), came into effect on December 30. This marks a significant step forward in the EU's approach to cryptocurrency regulation.

This report reviews the key events surrounding enforcing the EU MiCA regulation and releasing U.S. economic data. MiCA provides a unified regulatory framework for the crypto asset market, enhancing market confidence and compliance. The U.S. PMI shows a rebound in manufacturing activity, while the decline in initial unemployment claims reflects improvements in the labor market. These dynamics have an impact on the global economy and investment decisions.

Gate Research Weekly Report: This week, BTC found strong support around $92,500, with the market in a wait-and-see phase. ETH traded in a narrow range between $3,300 and $3,400, with overall trading volume declining. The AI Agent sector showed impressive performance over the New Year, with AI16Z gaining approximately 136.5% in the past 7 days. Elon Musk briefly changed his X platform account name to "Kekius Maximus" before reverting it within 48 hours. Shiba Inu plans to launch the TREAT token in early 2025. Base chain reached a new daily transaction volume record, exceeding 13.3 million on January 1st. Unichain mainnet plans to go live with permissionless fault proofs on January 6th, 2025.

In December 2024, the blockchain and cryptocurrency space witnessed numerous significant events demonstrating the market's dynamism and emerging trends. Projects like StakeStone, EigenLayer, Magic Eden, Stacks, Sophon, and LayerZero achieved major milestones through platform launches, service expansions, token generation events, feature rollouts, mainnet deployments, fee governance, and mining initiatives. These developments showcased the industry's innovative spirit while driving technological advancement and community engagement, ultimately propelling the sector's continued evolution.

In December 2024, the Web3 crypto industry was significantly influenced by a combination of policy updates, economic reports, and market activity. U.S. economic data releases, Hong Kong's legislative process regarding stablecoins, the decline in U.S. consumer confidence, and the implementation of the EU's MiCA regulation collectively shaped the industry’s policy landscape and influenced market expectations. The implementation of MiCA is of particular significance, marking a significant step forward for the EU in crypto-asset regulation. By providing clear rules and expectations for the market while imposing higher compliance requirements on industry participants, MiCA is expected to contribute to enhanced market stability, increased credibility, and promote healthy development within the Web3 crypto space in the long term.

Gate Research Daily Report: BTC dropped by 1.35%, and the double-bottom support level remains under test. ETH fell by 2.36%, with market sentiment staying cautious and showing no signs of a breakout. In 2024, total crypto venture capital reached $13.7 billion, marking a 28% year-on-year increase, reflecting strong confidence from the capital markets in the industry. DEX trading volume hit a historic high, highlighting the strong vitality of the decentralized ecosystem. The estimated storage value of Bitcoin has reached $1.03 trillion, reflecting an 85% increase this year. The Hyper mainnet staking function has been launched, offering users more opportunities to participate and earn. The industry is experiencing both innovation and market momentum, and its future outlook remains promising.

Gate Research Daily Report: Over the past 24 hours, BTC price dropped by 1.63%, exhibiting a clear downward trend, while ETH price slightly declined by 0.48%, remaining within a consolidation range. The total stablecoin market cap surpassed $200 billion, with USDT continuing to dominate the market. Managed token pools' TVL exceeded $1.1 billion, reflecting increased ecosystem activity. Ethena partnered with Berachain to launch deposit Vaults, introducing a new ecosystem reward model. Meanwhile, Sophon's mainnet entered Phase Two mining, optimizing reward mechanisms to drive ecosystem growth. Despite market volatility, the crypto market remains active as ecosystem platforms continue to innovate, injecting new growth momentum into the market.

Gate Research Daily Report: BTC attempted to break through the 99,000 resistance level, but failed to effectively establish a foothold, falling back to $95,860. Ethereum staking volume exceeded 54 million ETH, with restaking accounting for nearly 10%. GT reached a maximum price of $17.69, setting a new all-time high. The monthly trading volume of the Uniswap protocol on the Base chain reached $15.65 billion, setting a new all-time high. US-listed company KULR launched a Bitcoin reserve, purchasing approximately 217 Bitcoins. The market value of the MIRA token soared to $80 million, becoming a new paradigm for rare disease fundraising. The decentralized AI infrastructure project ChainOpera completed a $17 million seed round of financing, led by Finality Capital Partners.

This week's featured projects include Krain, EXIUM, Gasp, MindDAO, and TaoCat. Krain focuses on the AI agent ecosystem, allowing users to earn airdrop points by completing tasks. EXIUM promotes the integration of AI and blockchain, using social tasks to attract developer participation. Gasp is dedicated to building a cross-chain asset network, offering users an early experience through interactive tasks. MindDAO specializes in mental health data, rewarding early contributors with task-based points. Network3 has already launched its airdrop campaign, requiring wallet binding before the TGE. These projects offer users diverse early opportunities and are worth paying attention to.

This report summarizes blockchain industry trends from December 23 to December 27. Wormhole announced the upcoming launch of its DAO, driving governance and staking rewards. The dYdX community approved a $4 million DEP funding plan to strengthen the decentralized derivatives ecosystem. Gate Group acquired Japan's Coin Master to expand localized services. BIO Protocol proposed “bridge $BIO to Solana“ to enhance liquidity and ecosystem impact. KULR introduced a Bitcoin treasury and purchased approximately 217 bitcoins, reflecting the growing adoption of Bitcoin among enterprises. These developments highlight the convergence of cross-chain ecosystems and traditional enterprises in the crypto space.

Gate Research Weekly Report: This week, BTC fluctuated between $99,000 and $92,600, repeatedly testing resistance levels in its upward movement. ETH displayed an ascending triangle convergence pattern, with significant resistance near $3,540. Gate.io's quantitative fund achieved a record-breaking annualized return in the industry. Runes' transaction share on the Bitcoin network fell to a new low. The BIO Protocol community proposed "Bridge BIO to Solana". Investors should monitor upcoming significant token unlocks for SUI, OP, and ZETA from public blockchains next week. Additionally, the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation will take effect on December 30.

Why has RWA become a hotspot in 2024, and which sectors hold high growth potential? This article analyzes the characteristics of various underlying assets and provides a panoramic view of the RWA industry.

Gate Research Daily Report: In the past 24 hours, BTC rose by 3.93%, showing signs of a bottoming rebound. ETH increased by 3.31%, maintaining an upward trend. The total value locked (TVL) of Real World Assets (RWA) surpassed $8.2 billion, setting a new all-time high. Decentralized exchange (DEX) trading volume on the Solana blockchain once again exceeded $100 billion, continuing to lead the market. The Base Network's active addresses have surged over 40-fold year-to-date. Gate Group has officially entered the Japanese market by acquiring Coin Master. MicroStrategy plans a significant stock expansion to support its Bitcoin strategy, increasing Class A shares to 10.3 billion. Gasp has launched its Alpha version and first DEX while announcing a GASP token airdrop plan to attract community participation.