Organizer: Luan Peng, ChainCatcher
"What Important Events Happened This Week (12.23-12.29)"
1. Binance Pool Launches Merged Mining for Junkcoin (JKC) and Pepecoin (PEP)
According to the official announcement, Binance Pool has officially launched merged mining for Junkcoin (JKC) and Pepecoin (PEP). Mine LTC to earn rewards in LTC, DOGE (Doge), BELLS (Bellscoin), LKY (Luckycoin), JKC, and PEP.
2. Trump Refutes Democrats' Claim That Musk is the De Facto President of the U.S.
According to a report by Jinshi citing CNN, U.S. Democrats accused Musk of becoming the "de facto president" after he successfully blocked a bipartisan government funding bill last week. In response, Trump spoke out at the "Turning Point USA" event in Phoenix, stating that Musk is "doing a great job" but added, "No, he will not be president. I like smart people," and "They are starting a new round of attacks and all kinds of lies. The latest is 'President Trump handed the presidency to Elon Musk.' No, that is impossible."
Trump went on to praise Musk's SpaceX for its advancements in space travel and Starlink satellite technology, but reiterated that the South African-born billionaire "will not become president." "No, I can tell you he will not be president," he said. "I am safe, you know why? He cannot, he was not born in this country."
3. ETF Store President: It's Shocking That ETF Issuers Have Not Applied for a Dogecoin ETF
Nate Geraci, president of The ETF Store, posted on X stating, "It's shocking that ETF issuers have not applied for a Dogecoin ETF.
What’s the downside? The worst-case scenario is that it’s a marketing expense. I wonder which issuer has the 'DOGE' ticker."
4. VanEck: Strategic Bitcoin Reserves Could Reduce U.S. Debt by 36% by 2050
According to Beincrypto, asset management firm VanEck predicts that by adopting strategic Bitcoin reserves, the U.S. could reduce its national debt by 36% by 2050. This view aligns with Senator Cynthia Lummis's Bitcoin bill, which proposes that the U.S. accumulate 1 million Bitcoins within five years to alleviate the debt burden.
VanEck's analysis indicates that if the debt grows at an annual rate of 5% while Bitcoin appreciates at 25% annually, by 2049, Bitcoin investments could reduce U.S. debt by approximately $42 trillion, with Bitcoin's value reaching $42 million, becoming a significant asset in global finance. Additionally, VanEck expects Bitcoin to account for 18% of global financial assets by 2049.
VanEck's research director Mathew Sigel believes Bitcoin has the potential to reshape the global financial landscape, becoming a currency for global trade settlements and providing an alternative to the dollar, especially in countries under U.S. sanctions. VanEck suggests that the Trump administration adjust its policies to utilize foreign exchange stabilization funds to purchase Bitcoin.
Binance co-founder Zhao Changpeng posted on X yesterday, stating, "Recently, I have seen some people accepting private keys or hardware wallets to receive cryptocurrency. This is a bad idea because the giver still has access to that cryptocurrency. It should be transferred to an address owned by the recipient, or better yet, just let the giver send it to an address owned by the recipient. Allowing two people to access the same private key (or mnemonic phrase) is a bad idea. When these assets are moved (or hacked), it is nearly impossible to prove who moved it (or was hacked)."
6. Trump's Son: Bitcoin Will Disrupt Traditional Financial Systems, Believes It Will Break $2 Million
According to Bitcoin.com News, Eric Trump, the son of Donald Trump and executive vice president of the Trump Organization, expressed optimism about Bitcoin's future, believing it will disrupt traditional financial systems. He likened Bitcoin to "a freight train speeding down the tracks," noting that when Bitcoin broke $100,000, it garnered widespread attention, and he expects even more focus when the price reaches $1 million, believing Bitcoin will eventually surpass $2 million.
Eric Trump emphasized that the entire cryptocurrency industry is on the rise, and traditional banking is outdated and problematic.
South Korean lawmaker Choi Eun-sik proposed an amendment to the Foreign Exchange Trading Act aimed at preventing money laundering and other forex crimes related to virtual assets. The amendment proposes establishing a monitoring system for virtual asset trading, improving the institutional foundation for fintech forex services, enhancing the convenience of forex trading for individuals and businesses, and strengthening the intelligent construction of the forex monitoring system.
He stated that the rapid development of virtual assets and fintech technologies in recent years has diversified cross-border trading methods, but existing laws have failed to cover these changes, leading to regulatory blind spots, particularly as virtual asset money laundering and illegal forex trading have become increasingly serious.
According to data from the Financial Information Analysis Institute (FIU), the number of suspicious transaction reports from virtual asset merchants increased by 48.8% last year compared to the previous year. The Ministry of Finance plans to add definitions for virtual assets and virtual asset merchants next year and require virtual asset merchants to register before conducting cross-border transactions, regularly reporting user transaction records to the Bank of Korea.
The amendment is expected to be implemented in the second half of next year.
According to GlobeNewswire, Canadian public company Matador Technologies Inc. announced that its board has unanimously approved the addition of Bitcoin and dollar-denominated assets to its company treasury as part of its long-term capital preservation strategy.
It is reported that Matador plans to make an initial allocation of $4.5 million to Bitcoin in December 2024 and will continue to explore additional purchases at the board level through a disciplined buying program.
9. Binance Labs Announces Investment in RWA Stablecoin Protocol Usual
Binance Labs announced an investment in the RWA stablecoin protocol Usual. Usual issues a new type of stablecoin backed by RWA, combining the security of real-world assets with the composability and liquidity of DeFi.
According to RootData, Usual is a stablecoin protocol that has launched USD, a permissionless and fully compliant stablecoin backed 1:1 by real-world assets (RWA). USUAL is a governance token that allows the community to guide the future development of the network. Usual addresses current issues in the stablecoin market by redistributing profits to the community and rewarding token holders with actual earnings generated from RWA.
The RWA stablecoin protocol Usual has completed $10 million in Series A financing, led by Binance Labs and Kraken Ventures. Galaxy, OKX Ventures, Wintermute, IOSG Ventures, echo, Symbolic Capital, M^0, LeadBlock Partners, GSR, and others participated.
According to RootData, Usual is a stablecoin protocol that has launched USD, a permissionless and fully compliant stablecoin backed 1:1 by real-world assets (RWA). USUAL is a governance token that allows the community to guide the future development of the network. Usual addresses current issues in the stablecoin market by redistributing profits to the community and rewarding token holders with actual earnings generated from RWA.
11. Hyperliquid Labs: No Attacks from North Korean Hackers, All User Funds Are Well Managed
According to an official announcement, Hyperliquid Labs stated that it is aware of reports regarding alleged activities of North Korean hacker addresses. In fact, Hyperliquid has not suffered any attacks from North Korean hackers—nor has any form of attack occurred. All user funds are well managed.
Hyperliquid Labs places great importance on operational security. No party has disclosed any vulnerabilities. As always, Hyperliquid Labs offers a generous reward program for vulnerability reports and follows industry best standards for blockchain analysis.
Previously, someone claimed to be a security party and attempted to contact Hyperliquid Labs. To clarify, Hyperliquid Labs has never received any allegations of its platform being attacked. This party added a scam account to the group chat and subsequently communicated with us using insults and profanity. Given the level of professionalism displayed, Hyperliquid Labs confirmed with trusted parties to ensure it is following best practices.
12. Robinhood CEO: The Company Has Discussed the Issue of Establishing Bitcoin Reserves Internally
Robinhood CEO Vladimir Tenev stated during his guest appearance on Anthony Pompliano's podcast that the company has discussed the issue of holding Bitcoin internally, but there are no plans to maintain BTC reserves.
He said, "We do not rule out that possibility. So far, we have not done this, and we are not in the investment management business." The CEO continued to state that although Robinhood has not followed in the footsteps of companies like MicroStrategy and Tesla to include Bitcoin on their balance sheets, the company's stock price "has been highly correlated with Bitcoin even without us incorporating Bitcoin into our inventory." Robinhood's stock (ticker: HOOD) has risen 202% this year, while Bitcoin's return so far this year is 110%.
Sun Yuchen posted on X, stating, "The rumors circulating online about us liquidating ETH are incorrect. It's just a transfer of ETH between our different wallets. We are optimistic about the Ethereum ecosystem in the long term."
14. Binance Adds USUAL as a Flexible Rate Lending Asset
According to the official announcement, Binance has added Usual (USUAL) as a lendable asset for Binance Lending (flexible rate). Users can check the latest rates and the complete list of lendable and collateral assets through the loan data. To place new Binance Lending (flexible rate) orders via the Binance App, please upgrade the app to iOS v2.78.0 or Android v2.78.0 and above. Older versions of the app will no longer support the creation of new Binance Lending (flexible rate) orders.
According to statistics from The Block, the S&P 500 index has risen 25% so far this year, and crypto-related stocks have performed strongly this year.
As of December 23, the best-performing crypto stocks for 2024 are as follows:
- MicroStrategy (MSTR) +402%, Market Cap $83 billion;
- Terawulf (WULF) +142%, Market Cap $2.15 billion;
- Hut 8 (HUT) +75%, Market Cap $2.06 billion;
- Bitdeer Technologies (BTDR) +122%, Market Cap $2.75 billion;
- Iris Energy (IREN) +65%, Market Cap $2.4 billion;
- Coinbase (COIN) +69%, Market Cap $66.5 billion;
- Cipher Mining (CIFR) +28%, Market Cap $1.8 billion;
The worst-performing crypto-related stocks for 2024 are as follows:
- Canaan (CAN) -5%, Market Cap $620 million;
- CleanSpark (CLSK) -6%, Market Cap $2.9 billion;
- MARA Holdings (MARA) -16%, Market Cap $6.5 billion;
- Bit Digital (BTBT) -17%, Market Cap $485 million;
- Hive Digital (HIVE) -32%, Market Cap $522 million;
- Riot Platforms (RIOT) -27%, Market Cap $3.7 billion;
- Bitfarms (BITF) -43%, Market Cap $917 million;
- Greenridge Generation (GREE) -74%, Market Cap $25 million;
- Argo Blockchain (ARBK) -80%, Market Cap $44 million;
- Gryphon Digital Mining (GRYP) -92%, Market Cap $23 million.
16. Six Mutual Funds Tracking Bitcoin Prices to Be Listed in Israel on December 31
After receiving approval from the Israeli Securities Authority (ISA), six mutual funds tracking Bitcoin (BTC) prices will be listed in Israel next week.
These six funds will begin operations on the same day, December 31, as required by the regulators. Executives from the investment companies stated, "The investment companies have been pleading for ETF approval for over a year and began sending prospectuses for Bitcoin funds mid-year. However, the regulators have acted independently. They must check the details."
17. Google Releases Annual Trending Search List, Trump Tops the People List
Google has released its 2024 search rankings, with Trump ranking first in people searches, followed by Kate Middleton from the UK in second place, and Harris and Biden ranking third and fifth, respectively. Algerian athlete Iman Khalif, embroiled in a gender controversy, ranked fourth.
In news search volume, the U.S. election ranked first, extreme weather ranked second, and the Olympics ranked third, with the Trump shooting incident ranking eighth. (Jinshi)
18. Global Blockchain Technology Rankings: Singapore, Hong Kong, and Estonia in the Top Three
According to Cointelegraph, a recent global cryptocurrency jurisdiction study led by the multi-chain liquidity platform ApeX Protocol ranks Singapore at the top for blockchain technology. The study considered blockchain patents, related technology jobs, and the number of domestic cryptocurrency exchanges, with Singapore leading with a high score of 85.4. Specifically, Singapore has 1,600 blockchain patents, 2,433 related industry positions, and 81 cryptocurrency exchanges, which is particularly impressive for a country with a population of less than 6 million.
Hong Kong performed well in the integration of blockchain technology and exchanges, scoring 82.7, thanks to its strong financial infrastructure. Estonia also performed well, with a score of 81.5. Despite having a population of only 1.4 million, Estonia boasts 95 blockchain patents and 52 cryptocurrency exchanges, showcasing its strength. Other countries leading in blockchain technology development include Switzerland, the United States, Canada, Australia, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates.
19. Vitalik: Happy to Be Moo Deng's Guardian, Reserved 88 ETH for Hippos and Friends
Vitalik posted on X, stating, "I am very happy to be Moo Deng's guardian. Over the next two years, she will grow up, and I will donate 10 million Thai Baht to support her, and perhaps even more, as I have reserved 88 ETH for Moo Deng and her friends. May they be healthy and live long."
Previously reported, Vitalik donated 10 million Thai Baht to the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand to develop a dedicated exhibit for Moo Deng.
20. Bitwise Submits Application to the SEC for Listing "Bitcoin Standard Corporations" ETF
According to Cointelegraph, Bitwise has submitted an application to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for listing the "Bitcoin Standard Corporations ETF."
The fund aims to provide exposure to stocks of companies that adopt a Bitcoin standard and hold at least 1,000 BTC in their financial assets.
21. Binance Alpha Launches arc, WHY, APU, HAPPY, FWOG
According to official news, Binance Alpha has announced the eighth batch of project tokens, including arc, WHY, APU, HAPPY, and FWOG.
According to the announcement from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, the "Management Measures for Reporting Bank Foreign Exchange Risk Transactions (Trial)" have been released and are effective immediately. The measures are a supporting document to the "Management Measures for Bank Foreign Exchange Business (Trial)" and aim to strengthen banks' foreign exchange risk management, providing early identification, early warning, and early handling of high-risk transactions related to suspected false trade, underground banks, and illegal cross-border financial activities involving virtual currencies.
Key contents include: clarifying the reporting responsibilities for banks' foreign exchange risk transactions, requiring the establishment of monitoring systems and submission of reports; specifying the scope of information reporting, including activities involving suspected illegal cross-border capital flows; clarifying report contents, such as basic information and proposed measures; and strengthening internal management measures, including internal control systems and data confidentiality management.
23. Bitget to Burn BGB Worth Over $5 Billion, Accounting for 40% of Total Supply
The Bitget team released a new version of the BGB white paper, announcing the introduction of a buyback and burn mechanism. In the first burn, 800 million BGB held by the core team will be burned at once, accounting for 40% of the total supply. Based on the current price of BGB, the value of the burned portion exceeds $5 billion. After the burn, the total supply of BGB will be reduced to 1.2 billion, and it will be 100% fully circulated.
At the same time, BGB will initiate quarterly buyback and burn, starting in 2025, where Bitget will use 20% of the profits from its exchange and wallet business each quarter to buy back and burn BGB. The profits will come from trading fees for spot, futures, and leveraged trading on the Bitget exchange, as well as fees from Swap, futures, and NFT transactions on Bitget Wallet.
The white paper also introduces future rights plans for BGB, which will focus on three areas: on-chain application scenarios, PayFi payment scenarios, and in-platform rights scenarios, allowing BGB to become a mainstream asset deeply integrated into popular public chains and leading DeFi ecosystems.
Bitget CEO Gracy Chen stated, "The Bitget team has chosen to proactively burn over $5 billion worth of platform tokens, demonstrating our firm commitment to long-termism. Over the past decade, centralized exchanges (CEX) have played a crucial role in the development of the crypto industry. As more applications and activities gradually migrate on-chain, Bitget will build an integrated ecosystem centered around BGB, continuing to drive innovation and development in the industry."
24. Solana Co-Founder Accused of Hiding Millions in Staking Rewards in Divorce Settlement with Ex-Wife
According to DLNews, Solana co-founder Stephen Akridge is accused of hiding millions in staking rewards during his "contentious" divorce from ex-wife Elisa Rossi. Rossi has filed a lawsuit in California state court seeking the withheld staking rewards. The couple was married for nearly a decade, during which they accumulated significant wealth, primarily from Akridge's founding role at Solana Labs.
According to the lawsuit, Rossi claims the divorce process has been "long and contentious." As part of the divorce settlement, she was entitled to a share of the profits from SOL tokens, but Akridge did not hand over the staking rewards, resulting in her losing "millions of dollars." After learning that Akridge had concealed these staking rewards, Rossi repeatedly contacted him to request their return but received indifferent responses.
25. Market News: Do Kwon to Be Extradited to the U.S.
According to market news, Montenegrin Justice Minister Bojan Božović has signed a decision for Do Kwon to be extradited to the United States.
26. Trump Requests U.S. Supreme Court to Suspend TikTok Forced Sale Order
According to Caixin, it was reported that on December 27, U.S. President-elect Trump requested the U.S. Supreme Court to suspend the enforcement of the TikTok forced sale order. Trump stated that he hopes the court will give him time to resolve this dispute through political means after he officially takes office on January 20 next year.
On December 18, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it would revisit the bill prohibiting TikTok's operation in the U.S. Reports indicate that the Supreme Court will debate the case on January 10, allowing the court to make a ruling before the law takes effect on January 19.
The bill requires TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, to divest TikTok; otherwise, TikTok will be banned from operating in the U.S. ByteDance has made it clear that it will not sell its TikTok business.
27. U.S. Blockchain Association: Will Take Action to Resist IRS Rule Changes
According to The Block, the U.S. Treasury Department and the IRS finalized tax reporting requirements for certain cryptocurrency brokers this week (RIN 1545-BR39, TD 10021). The Washington D.C.-based industry lobbying group, the Blockchain Association, stated that it will take "proactive action" to resist the changes to the rules.
28. Michael Saylor: 60 Companies Hold Over 590,000 BTC
MicroStrategy founder Michael Saylor tweeted a list of 60 companies that hold BTC and their holdings. As of December 23, these 60 companies collectively hold 591,368 bitcoins, valued at approximately $55.88 billion.
29. ai16z Proposes Tokenomics Update, Including Launchpad and Value Capture Mechanisms
ai16z founder Shaw stated that the HackMD team proposed a discussion on upgrading the ai16z token economic model, focusing on the following key points:
- Launching the official ai16z Launchpad platform for Eliza-based projects in Q1 2025, which will be achieved by acquiring existing market technology teams. It is suggested that the platform charge a certain percentage of startup fees for the buyback of ai16z and the establishment of an ai16z token liquidity pool;
- Implementing community governance processes, which may involve staking and reductions;
- Positioning ai16z as an AI L1 blockchain;
- Incentivizing developers to build on Eliza through ecosystem funds, revenue sharing, and support for third-party launchpads;
- Diversifying DAO funds while avoiding the sale of agent tokens, selectively providing liquidity, and supporting staking.
According to the website of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange of China, in order to better coordinate development and security, facilitate cross-border trade and investment, prevent and curb illegal foreign exchange activities, and maintain order in the foreign exchange market, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange has formulated the "Management Measures for Reporting Bank Foreign Exchange Risk Transactions (Trial)" based on the "Management Measures for Bank Foreign Exchange Business (Trial)" and relevant laws and regulations.
According to the measures, if a bank discovers or has reasonable grounds to suspect that its domestic or foreign institutional and individual clients (hereinafter referred to as trading entities) are engaged in foreign exchange risk trading activities, it must monitor foreign exchange risk trading information and submit foreign exchange risk trading reports.
Foreign exchange risk trading activities refer to those involving suspected false trade, false investment and financing, underground banks, cross-border gambling, fraudulent export tax refunds, illegal cross-border financial activities involving virtual currencies, and other suspected illegal cross-border capital flow activities; foreign exchange risk trading information refers to information related to foreign exchange risk trading activities. Banks must promptly submit foreign exchange risk trading reports to the State Administration of Foreign Exchange through their headquarters or designated institutions.
"What Are the Noteworthy Articles to Read This Week (12.23-12.29)"
Recently, the new version of the RootData App has officially launched. The new version has two major upgrades: first, the addition of essential information for investment research—real-time updates on "token unlocking"; second, a comprehensive update of the UI/UX (user interface/user experience) to provide users with a more tailored and personalized operational experience for investment research interactions.
With the new "token unlocking" feature, users can enhance their efficiency in capturing investment signals by combining the "hot list" with comprehensive token unlocking information and the basic information of structured projects in both primary and secondary markets, allowing them to respond confidently to bull market conditions.
With a smoother interactive experience, RootData helps users achieve a one-stop efficient investment research decision-making experience, creating a more personalized and visually rich data dashboard.
2. What Projects on the Bull Market Dark Horse Hyperliquid Are Worth Participating In?
Every bull market brings forth a dark horse exchange, and Hyperliquid seems to be that dark horse in this round of the bull market.
Although it has not yet listed on CEXs like Binance and Coinbase, Hyperliquid's fully diluted valuation (FDV) has reached $27 billion, entering the top 30 by crypto asset market cap. Its HYPE token has performed remarkably, with the initial token issuance (TGE) setting the starting price at $3.9 per token, and within a month, the price peaked close to $35 per token, making it a highly sought-after asset, leaving many investors who missed out regretting their decisions.
But if you missed Hyperliquid, there are still Hyperliquid ecosystem projects worth checking out.
3. Institutions' 2025 Crypto Predictions Are Coming Out; Did They Get It Right Last Year?
It's grading time—this article provides a one-stop review of the popular predictions and actual performance in the crypto industry for 2024, examining how many of the predictions made by top investment research institutions like Binance Labs, Coinbase Ventures, a16z, Messari, and Pantera Capital came true last year. After all, their predictions for this year have also been released.
Predictions are a battle of intellect and vision, while the market provides the harsh reality as the answer. Get ready to take a look at this year's crypto landscape!
In 2024, the "Crypto+AI" field achieved unprecedented breakthrough growth. At the beginning of the year, this field was composed of only a handful of projects, but it has now become an independent track in the crypto market that cannot be ignored.
According to the latest data compiled by ChainCatcher, as of December 7, the total market capitalization of the crypto AI sector has surpassed $70 billion, reaching a peak market share of 2% in the entire crypto market, with an annual growth rate of 400%.
At the same time, the number of crypto AI projects has also seen explosive growth, currently exceeding 600, covering various categories of products, including decentralized AI infrastructure and AI Dapps.
Looking back at 2024, the narrative of crypto AI underwent several significant changes. At the beginning of the year, the Sora project launched by OpenAI ignited a hype around crypto AI infrastructure. Subsequently, the NVIDIA AI annual conference brought decentralized GPUs into the market spotlight, leading investors to flock to AI decentralized infrastructure. By mid-year, the crypto AI sector experienced an investment boom, with crypto VC firms announcing their involvement, and numerous crypto projects receiving funding, accelerating the development and application of technology. By the end of the year, the explosion of the AI Agent Meme pushed the narrative of crypto AI to a new climax.
5. 2024 Crypto Spot ETF Overview: 1 Year, $40 Billion
2024 was a historic year for the cryptocurrency market. Over the past decade, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission had rejected at least 30 applications for Bitcoin spot ETFs, but on January 11, 2024, a historic turning point was reached. The U.S. Bitcoin spot ETF was officially approved for listing, achieving a trading volume of $4.6 billion and a net inflow of $628 million on its first day. Following this, several countries, including Hong Kong and Australia, also launched Bitcoin spot ETFs, further promoting the legalization of global crypto assets.
As of the time of writing, the total assets under management of U.S. crypto ETFs have surpassed $122.39 billion, with Hong Kong reaching $467 million. In 2024, ETFs listed in the U.S. managed over $10 trillion in total assets, with investors putting approximately $40 billion into the cryptocurrency sector this year. The asset management scale of U.S. crypto ETFs currently accounts for about 1.2% of the overall ETF market.
2024 marked the year when crypto assets truly transitioned to mainstream assets. According to the latest 13-F filings, all types of institutions are now holders of crypto ETFs, including endowment funds, pension funds, hedge funds, investment advisors, and family offices. In this wave of crypto asset mainstreaming, ETFs for other digital assets like Solana and XRP are also gradually coming into the public eye, further laying the groundwork for development in 2025.
This article will review the key milestones of crypto spot ETFs in 2024, analyze the market performance of crypto ETFs over the past year, and look ahead to the development prospects of crypto ETFs in 2025.
In the past two months, the explosion of Agentfi has once again showcased the immense potential of the "AI + Crypto" (also known as crypto AI) fusion. In the recently released 2025 crypto industry trend forecast, well-known industry institutions such as a16z partners, Messari, and Blockworks co-founders all mentioned that the combination of "AI and crypto" will be a mainstream focus in the crypto market in 2025, with the intersection of crypto technology and AI expected to achieve breakthrough progress, driving the rise of numerous AI projects and tokens.
Looking back at 2024, the crypto AI market welcomed unprecedented investment activity, with major investment institutions flooding in and investment amounts skyrocketing. In this field, top venture capital firms in the crypto industry, such as Grayscale, Coinbase Ventures, Binance Labs, and a16z, have actively engaged in "Crypto + AI" projects.
In particular, institutions like Delphi Venture, CoinFund, Coinbase Ventures, Binance Labs, and a16z have not only made public calls but also demonstrated their firm optimism in the crypto AI field through multiple investments.
On December 24, Messari's "2025 Crypto Outlook Report" indicated that crypto AI was the most notable emerging investment theme of 2024, with total financing in the field achieving approximately 100% year-on-year growth, and the number of financing rounds increasing significantly by 138%. This article will systematically outline the layouts of top crypto VCs in the Crypto + AI field in 2024, as well as the fundamentals of the specific projects they invested in.
As a pioneer and gateway for large-scale Web3 applications, SocialFi has garnered widespread attention from users and investors. However, as a censorship-resistant and privacy-focused SocialFi, it faces real issues such as uneven content quality and fraud. While attracting users with flashy economic models like "X to earn," the platform lacks the ability to continuously engage content creators, making it difficult for leading SocialFi protocols to break through user growth bottlenecks and prove market demand.
8. A Year Worth Documenting! Reflecting on the Historic Moments of Crypto in 2024
As 2025 approaches, reflecting on the developments in crypto throughout 2024 reveals numerous historic moments that deserve to be recorded.
This year, the bullish trend in the crypto market was fueled by several catalysts, including Wall Street giants, the U.S. elections, Bitcoin halving, and the Federal Reserve's interest rate cuts.
We witnessed historic moments such as the approval of Bitcoin and Ethereum spot ETFs, the White House welcoming its first "crypto president," Bitcoin surpassing $100,000, and Bitcoin-related stock MSTR joining the Nasdaq 100 index; we also experienced dark moments marked by macro adjustments leading to significant market drops and the evaporation of billions of dollars.
This year, meme coins targeted VC tokens, and the altcoin season arrived late. Memes seemed to create new trends daily, but older altcoins led by Ethereum faced multiple challenges. New gameplay and assets like TG/TON's point-earning mini-games, Pump.fun's one-click token issuance, and AI agents became popular, but reactions varied. "The crypto market with no handovers," "Who is making money in this cycle?" and "Have we outperformed Bitcoin?" became hot topics.
ChainCatcher has compiled major crypto events from the beginning to the end of the year, reflecting on the ups and downs of the year while welcoming and looking forward to 2025.
As one of the oldest cryptocurrency derivatives exchanges in the industry, BitMEX was co-founded in 2014 by Arthur Hayes, Ben Delo, and Sam Reed. Throughout its history, BitMEX has prioritized security and high performance as its main development lines. On one hand, BitMEX has never experienced a security incident in its ten-year history, maintaining an industry record. On the other hand, BitMEX is known as "a peer-to-peer trading platform offering Bitcoin leveraged contracts." It allows users to effectively bet on the future price of Bitcoin with leverage of up to 100 times, making it a handy tool for professional investors.
On the occasion of BitMEX's tenth anniversary, ChainCatcher invited BitMEX CEO Stephan Lutz to discuss the changes, crises, and achievements in BitMEX's development history, as well as the future vision for BitMEX.
10. A Summary of Seven Outstanding Women in the Crypto Field in 2024
With the increase in institutional adoption, the cryptocurrency market is thriving, and the industry continues to expand. Several women have played key roles in achieving this milestone.
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