HashBandit

The Ethereum Foundation announced the winners of the x402 Hackathon. Superfluid's x402-sf enables on-chain subscription payments, peterssson.eth's Cheddr optimizes high-frequency small payments, and BackTrackCo's x402r addresses refund process issues. These projects demonstrate the diversification of DeFi payment layer explorations.

A major exchange announced the delisting of USDT perpetual contracts for four tokens: BID, DMC, ZRC, and TANSSI, leading to mixed market reactions. TANSSI experienced a significant increase, while ZRC temporarily declined, and DMC and BID remained stable. Contract delisting typically affects market re-pricing.

Recently, the wave of funding for crypto startups has continued, especially in the fields of payments, exchanges, and trading infrastructure. In the first two weeks of 2026, funding has reached $588 million, with trading infrastructure attracting significant attention, indicating the market's optimistic outlook on future trading volumes. Projects that address real-world problems are gaining more attention.

ElizaOS founder Shaw shared the latest progress in developing a continuous reinforcement learning system, which is used for real-time monitoring of data performance of agents on the Babylon chain. By ranking and evaluating to optimize the system, it achieves the integration of AI and blockchain, promoting ecological self-iteration and efficient development.

On January 17th, on-chain data shows that a whale transferred $7.9 million USDC to the HyperLiquid platform through two wallets, preparing to go long on Ethereum (ETH) and Cardano (ADA), indicating an optimistic outlook on the market.

【Crypto World】This week's cryptocurrency market performance can be described as a tale of two extremes. According to data platform Santiment's monitoring data, the holdings of large Bitcoin holders have shown a significant increase, with institutions and major investors actively positioning themselves. In stark contrast, small retail investors are showing clear signs of exiting the market. The market has experienced a typical polarization—funds are concentrating in the leading assets, while small and medium investors are gradually withdrawing. This shift in pattern often indicates that the market is searching for a new direction.

【Crypto World】There are new developments in the Federal Reserve's policy direction. Market "barometer" Nick Timiraos recently stated that Trump intends to keep Kevin Hasset as the Director of the National Economic Council. The significance behind this personnel arrangement is that—Kevin Waugh, a former Federal Reserve Board member, has become the strongest contender to be the next Federal Reserve Chair.
This is no small matter for the market. The choice of the Federal Reserve Chair directly influences the upcoming monetary policy direction, which in turn affects the entire asset market trend. What kind of policy tone will Waugh's appointment signify? The market is waiting for the answer.

【Blockchain Rhythm】Bitcoin broke below the $95,000 mark today, with a 24-hour decline of 1.42%. This is a more noticeable correction since January 16, and market sentiment has adjusted in the short term.

A Bitcoin Layer-2 network project aims to build an ecosystem similar to Solana, using only BTC as trading pairs, with the goal of transforming meme coins into more standardized tools. This network employs standardized bridges and zero-knowledge proof technology to enhance transaction transparency and security, and launches the HYPER token, offering up to 38% annualized return, attracting investor attention.

【ChainWen】Spot silver faces downward pressure, breaking below the $88/ounce psychological level. The intraday decline reaches 4.72%, hitting a new stage low. This correction in traditional safe-haven assets reflects a subtle shift in market sentiment. For investors with diversified asset allocations, the trend of precious metals is also worth paying attention to.

The Life K-line project has completed the deployment of donation and fortune features. The donation mechanism is unique, with contributions evenly split between Giggle Academy and token buyback and burn. The project's market cap is approximately $8.6 million, with a 24-hour trading volume of $12 million, up 16.3%. Participants are advised to carefully consider investment risks.

Strategy Inc (NASDAQ: STRF) will announce its Q4 2025 financial results on February 6, 2026, and hold an online webinar to share financial and strategic updates. As the world's largest corporate Bitcoin holder, its report is worth paying attention to and could influence Bitcoin market trends.

Singapore-based on-chain financial service provider Veera completes $10 million funding, with the funds to be used for product iteration and service expansion. The platform has been downloaded over 2 million times, with more than 220,000 monthly active users, and has launched the Veera Card supporting on-chain asset consumption to enhance user experience.

As artificial intelligence applications mature, AI-assisted trading will rapidly develop on Ethereum smart contracts and DeFi protocols, driving increased demand for stablecoins and thereby boosting ETH valuation. In a long-term deflationary cycle, ETH staking yields will become more attractive to institutional capital, making it a strategic reserve asset with characteristics of high dividends and high-tech growth.

Newrez announces recognition of cryptocurrencies for mortgage loans without the need to convert to fiat currency first, marking a shift in traditional financial institutions' attitude towards cryptocurrencies. This provides token holders with a new way to utilize their assets and may encourage more institutions to follow suit, expanding liquidity application scenarios for cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin breaks through $95,000, attracting investors' attention to new projects. The Pepeto project has garnered significant attention during its fundraising period. Currently, the presale price is $0.000000177, with over $70 million raised. The project features DEX, cross-chain Bridge, and exchange functionalities, with an expected annualized return of 215%, but caution is advised when assessing risks.

Bloomberg surveyed 52 economists on the Bank of Japan's policy, with a general consensus that the benchmark interest rate will remain at 0.75%. Most economists expect a rate hike in July; however, yen depreciation may force the central bank to act earlier. The final interest rate forecast has been raised to 1.5%, indicating that yen weakness and inflation pressures are influencing the policy timeline.

A cryptocurrency asset company holds $13 billion worth of Ethereum and expects to generate $400 million in pre-tax income annually through staking. Although there is still an unrealized loss of $2.3 billion since last year, the company remains optimistic about the long-term benefits of Ethereum and invests in creative projects to attract young users.

BitMine has recently made a large purchase of Ethereum, spending $80.57 million to acquire 24,068 ETH, and has already staked over 1.7 million tokens, demonstrating their confidence in the long-term value of Ethereum. This strategy reflects ongoing institutional confidence in the Ethereum ecosystem.