Weekly Report | U.S. Department of Justice Approved to Sell $6.5 Billion in Seized Silk Road Bitcoin; Trump "Hush Money" Case Verdict: 34 Counts Found Guilty, No Punishment Imposed; Nasdaq Applies to Raise BlackRock Bitcoin Spot ETF Position Limit to 250,000 Shares
The U.S. Congress officially certified Trump's election as president, and Vance was elected vice president; the cryptocurrency exchange VOOX Exchange received a $50 million investment from Pinnacle Capital; after the USD0++ decoupling, Usual plans to activate the yield switch function and launch a 1:1 early unstaking to stabilize the ecosystem.Organizer: Luan Peng, ChainCatcher
"What Important Events Happened This Week (1.6-1.12)"
Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin published a long article titled "d/acc: one year later," reviewing the development of the d/acc (decentralized acceleration) concept proposed last year. The article focuses on three key issues: AI safety regulation, the role of cryptocurrency in d/acc, and public goods financing.
Vitalik proposed two major strategies for AI safety: first, establishing accountability by setting reasonable legal responsibilities for AI users, deployers, and developers; second, implementing a global "soft pause" mechanism at the industrial hardware level, which could reduce global computing power by 90-99% if necessary. Vitalik stated that d/acc has three major connections with cryptocurrency: value extension, early adopter community, and technological complementarity, particularly highlighting the contributions of the crypto community in areas like prediction markets and zero-knowledge proofs. The article also mentions innovative mechanisms including quadratic financing, retrospective public goods financing, and deep financing, emphasizing the importance of decentralized financing in promoting the development of open-source projects. Vitalik believes that despite the challenges posed by rapid technological development and reduced global cooperation, new tools like AI and biotechnology provide humanity with the capability to address these challenges.
2、Binance Launches Third Phase of Megadrop Project Solv Protocol (SOLV)
Binance launched the third phase of the Megadrop project, the Bitcoin staking protocol Solv Protocol (SOLV). Binance will list Solv Protocol (SOLV) at 18:00 Beijing time on January 17, and open trading pairs SOLV/USDT, SOLV/BNB, SOLV/FDUSD, and SOLV/TRY. Seed labels will be applied to SOLV.
3、Michael Saylor Willing to Serve as Cryptocurrency Advisor in Trump Administration
According to Bitcoin.com, MicroStrategy founder Michael Saylor is willing to serve as a cryptocurrency advisor in the Trump administration, but he declined to disclose whether he has met with President Trump to discuss the matter.
When asked about the possibility of serving as a cryptocurrency advisor on the upcoming cryptocurrency advisory committee, Michael Saylor stated, "I am always willing to provide ideas for constructive digital asset policy, either privately or publicly, and if someone invites me to be a member of some digital asset advisory committee, I might do that."
Previous news reported that Trump’s son Eric Trump met with Michael Saylor at Mar-a-Lago and mentioned Bitcoin.
4、U.S. Congress Officially Certifies Trump as President-Elect, Vance as Vice President
According to Xinhua News Agency, U.S. Vice President Harris announced on January 6 local time during a joint session of Congress that members of both the House and Senate officially certified the electoral vote count for the 2024 U.S. presidential election, confirming that Trump received 312 electoral votes and was elected as the next President of the United States, with Vance elected as the next Vice President.
5、Nasdaq Applies to Increase BlackRock Bitcoin Spot ETF Holdings Limit to 250,000 Shares
According to a public regulatory document, Nasdaq has submitted an application to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to increase the holdings limit for BlackRock's spot Bitcoin ETF (IBIT) from 25,000 shares to 250,000 shares. It is important to note that this application still requires SEC approval to take effect, and the holdings limit refers to the maximum number of shares that a single investor or institution can hold in the ETF.
The head of Bitwise Alpha Strategies commented, "Given the increasing trading volume of this ETF, it would be reasonable to raise the holdings limit to at least 400,000 shares. Nasdaq and BlackRock's request is reasonable and supported by facts."
6、Cipher Mining: 234 BTC Mined in December, Currently Holds 1,344 BTC
According to Globenewswire, Bitcoin mining company Cipher Mining released an unaudited production and operational update report for December 2024, disclosing that its Bitcoin mining output for the previous month was 234 BTC, having sold 271 BTC, with an end-of-month balance of approximately 1,344 BTC.
7、Sources: Trump to Announce $20 Billion Investment in New Data Centers
According to CNBC, citing sources, President-elect Trump plans to announce a $20 billion investment in new data center construction. Hussain Sajwani, a billionaire real estate developer from the UAE and founder and chairman of Damac Properties, will be an investor in the new data centers proposed by President-elect Trump.
8、Binance Adjusts Leverage and Margin Tiers for Multiple U-Based Perpetual Contracts
Binance contracts updated the leverage and margin tiers for U-based perpetual contracts ALPACAUSDT, MASKUSDT, PENGUUSDT, VIRTUALUSDT, FARTCOINUSDT, AGLDUSDT, AIXBTUSDT, and AI16ZUSDT on January 8, 2025, at 16:30 (UTC+8).
9、Zhao Changpeng: DeSci Can Help Fund Scientific Research Labs
Binance co-founder Zhao Changpeng responded to a community question on the X platform, "After completing the academy for children, will you consider raising funds to support disease prevention? For example, donating to labs?"
Zhao Changpeng stated that DeSci can help scientific research labs raise funds.
10、U.S. Justice Department Approved to Sell $6.5 Billion in Seized Silk Road Bitcoin
An official confirmed to DB News today that the U.S. government has been authorized to liquidate 69,000 Bitcoin ($6.5 billion) from the Silk Road. Notably, this comes less than two weeks after the new administration took office, which had vowed not to sell any Bitcoin.
11、Binance Alpha Adds FAI, VERTAI, VADER
According to official news, Binance Alpha has added FAI, VERTAI, and VADER.
12、Zhao Changpeng: Binance Avoided Over $4 Billion in Losses in 2024 Through Enhanced Security Measures
Zhao Changpeng stated on social media that Binance avoided losses exceeding $4 billion in 2024 through enhanced security measures.
13、Circle Donates $1 Million to Trump Presidential Inaugural Committee
Circle co-founder and CEO Jeremy Allaire announced on the X platform that Circle has donated $1 million to Trump’s presidential inaugural committee.
He also stated that the Trump presidential inaugural committee accepts USDC payments.
14、U.S. House Financial Services Committee Appoints Bryan Steil as Chair of Digital Assets Subcommittee
Fox Business reporter Eleanor Terrett disclosed on social media that U.S. Congressman French Hill announced that the Financial Services Committee has determined several key positions, including:
- Vice Chair of the Committee: Bill Huizenga (MI-04)
- Chair of the Digital Assets, Fintech, and AI Subcommittee: Bryan Steil (WI-01)
- Chair of the National Security and Illicit Finance Subcommittee: Warren Davidson (OH-08)
ai16z co-founder Shaw stated on the X platform that he finds the idea of DePIN agents quite interesting. Although still in the early stages, one can imagine how it will develop. Additionally, Shaw revealed that projects being built on Polygon using Eliza can contact for integration, and they are currently setting up some grants but want to first understand who is already developing.
16、148th Ethereum ACDC Meeting: The Name of the Seventh CL Fork or Upgrade Should Be Named "Gloas"
Christine Kim, Vice President of Galaxy Research, summarized the 148th Ethereum core developer consensus (ACDC) conference call. This week, developers unanimously agreed that the name of the seventh CL (Ethereum Consensus Layer) fork or upgrade should be named "Gloas"; EF engineer Parithosh Jayanthi pointed out an open issue in the CL specification that developers need to resolve before launching Pectra Devnet 5; additionally, the hive tests for EL and CL clients have been updated, with most clients performing well in these tests.
According to Beijing Business Today, the Ministry of Public Security reported at a press conference on January 10 that as of the end of 2024, over 53,000 Chinese suspects involved in telecom fraud from northern Myanmar have been arrested, successfully dismantling the "Four Big Families" crime group in northern Myanmar.
The Ministry pointed out that despite significant achievements in combating crime, the situation remains severe. Fraud groups are continuously upgrading their criminal tools using new technologies such as blockchain, virtual currency, and AI intelligence. These groups are well-organized and engage in illegal activities such as app development, traffic promotion, and money laundering through cross-border collaboration.
Fraudsters tailor their scams to different age, occupation, and education groups, resulting in a wide range of victims. Although the telecom fraud parks near the Chinese border in northern Myanmar have been cleared, there are still many fraud dens abroad disguised as "technology parks" or "development zones."
According to the official website, the Shenzhen Development and Reform Commission launched a call for innovative application projects on January 9. The plan solicits projects related to new technologies such as artificial intelligence large models, generative AI, and blockchain from government departments, enterprises, and institutions.
In the financial sector, the focus is on application scenarios such as big data risk control for small and micro enterprises, intelligent anti-fraud, blockchain cross-border convenient payments, and digital RMB business circles. The project submission deadline is January 22, 2025, and selected projects will be included in the application scenario opportunity list and receive "online + offline" promotion support.
19、Grayscale Considers Adding Various Digital Assets Including KAS and APT to Its Investment Products
According to official news, Grayscale announced various digital assets it is considering for future investment products, including but not limited to:
$KAS, $APT, $ARB, $TIA, $HBAR, $MNT, $SEI, $S, $STRK, $TON, $TRX, $AERO, $BNB, $ENA, $INJ, $JUP, $ONDO, $PENDLE, $RUNE, $DOGE, $IMX, $AKT, $FET, $AR, $EIGEN, $HNT, $JTO, $PYTH, $WLD.
Additionally, Grayscale listed assets not included in its cryptocurrency sector as of December 31, 2024:
$HYPE, $AI16Z, $VIRTUAL, $FLOCK, $GRASS, Hyperbolic, Prime Intellect, Sentient, Space and Time, Story Protocol.
20、Cryptocurrency Exchange VOOX Exchange Receives $50 Million Investment from Pinnacle Capital
According to Cointelegraph, AI cryptocurrency exchange VOOX Exchange has received a $50 million investment from Pinnacle Capital. This round of financing will primarily be used for infrastructure development, enhancing security measures, and strengthening marketing efforts.
Additionally, Pinnacle Capital will provide strategic guidance to ensure VOOX meets key regulatory compliance requirements while optimizing its business model for sustainable growth.
VOOX Exchange was established in 2022 and is headquartered in Singapore. The platform offers a comprehensive set of features designed to enhance the trading experience for both novice and advanced traders, including spot trading, margin trading, futures trading, copy trading, and advanced AI trading strategies.
RootData released the 2024 Upbit listing category chart, showing that among the tokens listed on Upbit in 2024, infrastructure (Infra) tokens lead with 20 tokens, far exceeding other categories, followed by decentralized finance (DeFi) tokens. This trend may indicate Upbit's strong confidence in infrastructure projects.
Binance Wealth Management, One-Click Buy, Flash Exchange, and Leverage will launch AIXBT by Virtuals (AIXBT), ChainGPT (CGPT), and Cookie DAO (COOKIE).
AIXBT, CGPT, and COOKIE principal-protected earning products will be available on Binance's principal-protected earning platform starting January 10, 2025, at 21:00 (UTC+8) for subscription. Binance's full and isolated margin will add AIXBT, CGPT, and COOKIE as borrowable assets at 23:30 (UTC+8) on January 10.
23、U.S. December Adjusted Non-Farm Payrolls at 256,000, Significantly Exceeding Expectations
U.S. December adjusted non-farm payrolls were at 256,000, with expectations of 160,000, and the previous value revised from 227,000 to 212,000, reaching a new high since March 2024.
24、U.S. December Unemployment Rate at 4.1%, Expected 4.20%, Previous Value 4.20%
According to Jin10, the U.S. December unemployment rate was 4.1%, with expectations of 4.20% and the previous value at 4.20%.
25、U.S. Regulators Plan to Strengthen Customer Protection for Cryptocurrency Accounts
U.S. regulators plan to strengthen customer protection for cryptocurrency accounts.
U.S. consumer banking regulators have suggested that U.S. cryptocurrency companies should be responsible for refunds when customer accounts are hacked, aligning the standards for digital wallets with those of bank accounts.
The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau stated on Friday that it hopes to mandate service providers to compensate consumers who lose funds due to hacking or unauthorized transactions. This move will force digital asset companies to enhance security and reserves to address operational threats.
The CFPB is seeking to expand the scope of the Electronic Funds Transfer Act to protect customers from payment fraud. The agency aims to broaden the term "funds" to include any asset that "acts or is used like money." The proposal states that this would include stablecoins, cryptocurrency tokens similar to digital dollars, and "any other similar fungible assets that serve as a medium of exchange or a means of payment for goods or services."
26、Trump "Hush Money" Case Verdict: 34 Counts Found Guilty, No Punishment
According to CNN, Judge Juan Merchan ordered the unconditional release of Donald Trump.
According to Jin10, a judge in New York State ruled on the "hush money" case involving President-elect Trump, finding him guilty on 34 counts, but due to his important position during the presidential transition process, he was released unconditionally and received no punishment.
27、Pump.fun Founder: Dune Analysis Data is Incorrect, Many Addresses Are Bots and AI Agents
The founder of Pump.fun responded to the previous claim that "only 0.408% of Pump.fun traders made over $10,000 in profit," stating that the analysis data has many issues.
- It did not account for token purchases that have been bound to Raydium. Most profits were generated after the tokens were bound.
- It did not consider unrealized profits.
- The over 13 million traders counted in the data include many bots and AI agents. About 30% of wallets have only made one transaction, which cannot be real people.
The founder of Pump.fun told the data publisher that they should create what people want rather than destroy a platform with millions of users on-chain. For others, the founder stated that trading tokens carries risks, and if one chooses to trade, they should consider the potential losses.
ChainCatcher previously reported that according to Dune data, most Pump.fun traders have not realized profits exceeding $10,000, with only about 55,296 addresses (0.408%) out of a total of 13,547,736 Pump.fun wallet addresses achieving profits over $10,000.
RWA stablecoin issuer Usual announced on the X platform that it has recognized the significant community reaction caused by its staked stablecoin USD0++ decoupling from $1, and will launch a series of measures to address user concerns and stabilize the ecosystem.
It is reported that the "Revenue Switch" function is planned to be launched on January 13, allowing Usual Protocol to share its earnings from real-world assets and protocol operations with the community. The team expects monthly revenue of approximately $5 million, with an annual return rate exceeding 50% under current conditions. These distributions will occur weekly to solidify the actual value of USUAL, balance its economic model, and the income generated by the protocol. (The revenue switch function will officially activate when over 50% of USUAL tokens are staked as USUAL x. If the requirement is not met, it will automatically activate on February 1, 2025. Once activated, 100% of the revenue (up to $5 million per month) will flow to USUALx stakers in the form of USD0.)
Additionally, the Usual Protocol team stated that it will launch the "1:1 Early Unstaking" function next week, allowing users to exchange USD0++ at a rate of $1, but requiring them to forfeit part of their accumulated rewards as a penalty.
29、Kenya's Cryptocurrency Legislation Draft to Seek Public Opinion Before January 24
According to Cointelegraph, Kenya's Treasury Secretary John Mbadi stated that the government is working to establish a legal and regulatory framework for cryptocurrency and has drafted a proposal for the "National Policy on Virtual Assets and Virtual Asset Service Providers." The draft aims to create a fair, competitive, and stable market for cryptocurrencies while addressing risks such as money laundering, terrorism financing, and consumer protection.
The draft proposes building a comprehensive legal and regulatory framework to manage virtual asset activities and their service providers (VASP) and to establish relevant standards and procedures. Its goal is to promote the healthy development of Kenya's virtual asset market.
The proposal will accept public feedback before January 24. If approved, Kenya will join the ranks of countries like South Africa and Nigeria that have implemented cryptocurrency regulations.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin responded to a community user stating, "Everyone in the tech world underestimates the importance of efficient capital formation for building the future," saying, "For me, what truly matters is creating funding structures that persistently incentivize open source, open standards, and security, suppressing closed-mindedness and extractive behavior, and universally promoting participation as positive-sum players in a broader ecosystem."
"What Great Articles Are Worth Reading This Week (1.6-1.12)"
1、What Possibilities Are AI Agents Bringing to the Metaverse and Web3 Games?
From open-source tools to persistent AI-driven environments, we are witnessing the rapid evolution of virtual worlds in terms of construction, experience, and monetization.
2、The Next Dogecoin and SHIB? A Brief Discussion on Murad's SPX and GIGA
Have you seen this person?
With a muscular build, a wide and plump chin, and a toothy grin displaying a mysterious smile.
Yes, this is the kind of thing that may not fit your definition of a "handsome man," but in today’s internet, his hardware conditions define the term "handsome man," he is "Gigachad."
We all know that "Meme Theologian" Murad became famous for SPX, and the meme coin GIGA, sharing the same name as Gigachad, is also one of Murad's favored meme coins. Recently, Murad stated on his social media that "#SPX6900 and GIGA will become the DOGE and SHIB of this cycle."
In the past week, SPX and GIGA have performed well. According to Coingecko data, SPX currently has a market cap of about $1.4 billion, ranking in the TOP 10 meme coins, and has risen over 80% in the past week, leading the gains, even surpassing the currently popular ai16z. The performance of $GIGA is slightly weaker, with a market cap of about $800 million, ranking as the 15th largest meme coin, having risen about 40% in the past week.
3、Final Thoughts on Crypto + Agent: Necessity, Intersection Points, and Development Stages
Without crypto, AI agents and other intelligent agents as "silicon-based life" would lack independent identities, asset accounts, and commercial interaction capabilities. Agents would be isolated individuals, unable to truly cooperate, exchange ideas, or develop higher wisdom. Without crypto, a true AI economy or even an AI "nation" cannot form.
4、Dialogue with DeFiance Capital Founder: Cold Reflections Behind the Bull Market Craze
This dialogue revolves around the current bull market craze, the cyclical characteristics of the crypto industry, new narratives, and investment strategies.
5、Lies, Deception, Incentives: The USD0++ Decoupling Incident
Usual's USD0++ is currently trading below one dollar, yet it is said that this has always been part of the plan. Before the decoupling incident, I was writing an article about Usual, as it has recently gained widespread attention. It is one of the fastest-growing stablecoin protocols and has recently partnered with Ethena, earning significant profits for many YT miners on Pendle. However, if you ask people what Usual does, you often get a variety of answers. "It provides you with yields based on RWA (real-world assets)." So naturally, the question arises: "How is this different from Ondo?" "Oh, it decentralizes RWA yields," well, isn't Maker or Sky doing that too? And so on. If you look closely, @usualmoney's product is a token, not any actual product. Essentially, if the risk-free rate that users receive exceeds 4%, then the source of the yield is the users themselves. But how did we get here? Why did a protocol with over a billion dollars in TVL suddenly collapse so rapidly? What exactly is Usual's operational mechanism?
If you are truly affected by wildfires, it is more reliable to rely on news agencies reporting events rather than crypto prediction websites.
7、"How True is the News That the U.S. Justice Department Approved the Sale of Silk Road Bitcoin?
On the morning of January 9, amidst a market downturn, various cryptocurrency media reported a bearish news item stating that "the U.S. Justice Department approved the sale of $6.5 billion in seized Silk Road Bitcoin." Upon this news, Bitcoin promptly fell below $94,000.
As if the roof was leaking, the cries within the community were incessant. However, after verifying this news, Golden Finance found that the credibility of the news source was low, and the reporter could not find official confirmation from the U.S. Justice Department. Even if the news were true, based on past procedures for the Justice Department's sale of seized Bitcoin, it would be nearly impossible for the department to sell these Bitcoins in the short term, especially before Trump takes office, as Trump has promised that the U.S. will not sell any Bitcoin during his presidency.
In summary, the U.S. Justice Department will not actually sell coins at this stage, and it will not exert selling pressure on the market.
$LLM is not just a token; it is more like an experiment, existing in a self-deprecating manner, inviting everyone to join in the laughter.
On January 3, Musk posted on his social media: "A customer bought cumrocket worth $7,000 and staked it for 3 months to earn a 6900% yield. Then they sold and withdrew profits to invest in NFTitties, but the developers rug-pulled the project, and they only managed to liquidate 10% of the funds. Can the customer deduct the gas fees for minting to balance the short-term capital gains tax?"
10、From AI Agents to AI L1: Virtuals, ai16z, and Zerebro Dance Together
AI agents are far from being simply chatbots. Especially at the intersection of Crypto and AI, a brand new narrative—AI Layer 1 (AI L1)—is quietly emerging.
Here, "Layer 1" does not refer to public chains but rather to the foundational layer of AI technology, encompassing the foundational tech stack and framework of AI agents, and even including platforms for launching AI agent tokens similar to pump.fun, which can capture immense value for their tokens.
