GasWhisperer

Last week, the global Blockchain industry saw 14 financing deals, totaling over $166 million, mainly concentrated in areas such as Decentralized Finance, Web3 games and AI, infrastructure, and CeFi. Projects such as Vest, Mint Town, and PoPP secured funding, demonstrating the activity and capital flow in the encryption industry.

Ethereum L1 and L2 have a symbiotic relationship, where L2 relies on the security of L1, while L1 expands its capabilities through L2. As the L2 ecosystem thrives, volume and fees will gradually increase, providing positive feedback to L1 and enhancing its competitiveness. In the future, multiple dominant L2s may emerge, significantly improving overall scalability.

Family offices are experiencing a surge in number among high-net-worth individuals, becoming an important force in Web3 investments. They possess cross-border structures, compliance identification, and long-term investment strategies, making them suitable for physical asset investments. Engaging in Web3 not only provides funding and resources but also enhances governance frameworks and promotes long-termism. Investors need to carefully assess suitability and structural design.

The Bitcoin Lighting Network is a technological solution aimed at enhancing the speed of Bitcoin transactions and dropping costs. Through off-chain payment channels, users can conduct instant, microtransactions, enhancing the practical application of Bitcoin. An increasing number of exchanges, payment processing services, retailers, and cross-border payment platforms are beginning to integrate this technology, promoting its widespread application across multiple fields.

Asseto announced that its core fund product AoABT has been deployed on a certain public blockchain, marking the first time that the funding rate arbitrage strategy has been brought on-chain, attracting professional investors. This strategy is managed by a seasoned trading team, achieving an Annual Percentage Rate of 20% over the past five years. This deployment provides a unified entry point for on-chain users and introduces smart contract processes to enhance capital circulation transparency. Asseto is committed to building a bridge between TradFi and Blockchain, promoting the compliance and development of RWA assets.

The AI assessment platform Yupp has raised $33 million through a crowdsourcing model and Blockchain technology, aiming to reshape the way AI models are evaluated. Yupp promotes a transparent and fair user feedback mechanism, supporting users to discover, compare, and utilize various AI models, and has launched the "Yupp VIBE Score" rating system to address the limitations of traditional assessments. In the future, Yupp will continue to iterate and is committed to achieving a win-win situation between users and models in the AI ecosystem.

The decentralized token issuance platform ( Launchpad ) provides fundraising channels for new projects and attracts early investors. This article analyzes the features and performance of three main platforms: Platform A has high returns but is controversial, Platform B focuses on community and low fee strategies, and Platform C innovates with a points mechanism and AI agency layout. The future trend of the industry lies in balancing short-term hype with long-term value.

Cross-chain bridges play an important role in the blockchain ecosystem, and the current situation shows that cross-chain applications and asset types are increasingly rich. The main technical solutions include Lock-up Position + minting, liquidity pool, and atomic swaps, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Future development trends focus on security, user experience, liquidity, and potential areas such as NFT cross-chain, and despite facing security risks, cross-chain will still be a key direction for ecosystem development.

Recently, the AI industry has seen frequent developments, with several companies successfully securing financing, intensifying competition among large models, and applications gradually being implemented. Key developments include Zhipu AI and Baichuan Intelligence securing financing, Baidu releasing the Wenxin large model 4.0, Tmall Genie launching new features, and the EU implementing regulatory classification on AI models. Major companies like Apple and Intel are also increasing their investments, making future developments worth following.

Metis Hyperion is an emerging AI infrastructure on Ethereum Layer 2, utilizing Optimistic Rollup technology, aimed at supporting high-performance AI applications. By introducing the MetisVM Virtual Machine and modular Metis SDK, Hyperion achieves near real-time transaction confirmations and high throughput, promoting the construction of the AI ecosystem. Its unique positioning emphasizes on-chain AI inference, contrasting with Solana's off-chain execution. Despite facing model trust issues, it provides new opportunities for the integration of blockchain and AI.

Bitcoin is expected to break the $1 million mark before 2028, influenced by the collapse of the global dollar-dominated order and the U.S. fiscal deficit. Treasury operations drive the market, and a large-scale economic stimulus plan may be launched in the future to rebuild and subsidize manufacturing. Bitcoin's dominance may return to 40%-70%, and companies will continue to mimic MicroStrategy in purchasing Bitcoin.

New Era of DeFi: Favourable Information Signals from US Regulation and Investment Opportunities
Recently, the cryptocurrency special working group meeting chaired by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ( SEC ) has conveyed a positive signal for the cryptocurrency and DeFi industry. This may indicate that U.S. regulators are adopting a more open and supportive attitude. Although formal legislation has not yet been established, some viewpoints expressed in the meeting suggest that:
- Create a regulatory environment that encourages innovation
- Strengthening the legitimacy of self-custody and on-chain participation
- Formulate more lenient and sensible rules for Decentralized Finance experiments
These signals may become a catalyst for the United States to lead a new wave of Decentralized Finance development. For participants in the crypto space, this undoubtedly releases an important signal: a new era of DeFi regulated by the United States is approaching. This is not only a shift in regulatory attitude but also a reshaping of the investment landscape.
Key favourable information signals conveyed by the SEC meeting
1.

The cryptocurrency market in 2025 will see numerous trends, including the rise of tokenized real asset support, Bitcoin is expected to break $100,000, new opportunities brought by DEX, and more blockchain projects focusing on AI and consumer orientation. Additionally, stablecoins, interoperability technologies, and application development will also become key focal points, making the overall market more diversified and mature.

2024 Digital Asset Industry Report: Bitcoin will reach $1.5 million, AI Agent brings groundbreaking changes.
ARK Invest released its 2024 "Big Ideas" report, analyzing the development trends in 11 technology sectors. The report predicts that Bitcoin could reach $1.5 million by 2030, and AI Agents will bring about groundbreaking changes. Here are the main points from the report regarding Bitcoin, AI, stablecoins, public chains, and other areas:
1. Bitcoin: The global currency system is becoming increasingly mature.
- Bitcoin reached a historic high in 2024
-

Latest data shows that the Ethereum Holdings value of a U.S. publicly listed company has surpassed $1 billion, making it the second company to achieve this milestone. Institutional investors holding more than 100 ETH have a total open interest of 1.8 million ETH, valued at nearly $6.29 billion, indicating continued optimism from institutions towards Ethereum. Investors should exercise caution in response to market Fluctuation and regulatory changes.

Recently, there has been a surge of interest in inscriptions in the encryption space, attracting a lot of follow and impacting various fields. Inscriptions feature fair issuance, full circulation, and a high leverage effect, but these characteristics are weakening. Although caution is needed for short-term participation, there are still potential investment opportunities, especially in projects that combine Web3 applications. Overall, the inscription market is shifting towards seeking actual value.

The US economy faces challenges of high inflation and concerns of stagflation, with a significant adjustment in the stock market. Meanwhile, Hong Kong's approval of the Bitcoin ETF marks a new era for the Asian crypto market, expected to attract incremental funds and promote market maturity.