ChainCatcher news, Social Capital CEO billionaire Chamath Palihapitiya stated that the adoption of stablecoins will soar in 2025, becoming a key tool for wholesale transactions. He pointed out that by 2024, the use of stablecoins will decouple from cryptocurrency trading, with over 1.1 billion transactions and a settlement amount of $8.5 trillion, more than double Visa's transaction volume.Palihapitiya believes this growth will challenge the duopoly of Visa and Mastercard, especially in the context of rising credit card rates. He also discussed regulatory issues, emphasizing that blockchain technology provides transparency and traceability for transactions. Last year, he predicted that Bitcoin would achieve mainstream adoption in 2024.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bitcoinist, multiple companies in the United States are entering the stablecoin space. For example, Visa has launched a tokenized asset platform that allows banks to issue stablecoins. Robinhood Crypto General Manager Johann Kerbrat revealed that the company is collaborating with Paxos to create an open network for stablecoins, emphasizing that stablecoins can bring significant value to its platform.Fintech company Revolut is exploring the possibility of launching its own stablecoin, while Stripe has acquired the fintech platform Bridge, which specializes in stablecoin transactions.CMT Digital Investment Partner Augustus Ilag stated, "The issuance of stablecoins is now a highly attractive business model." Rob Hadick, General Partner at digital asset venture firm Dragonfly, emphasized that large companies operating in underserved payment sectors have an increasing demand for stablecoins.The success of companies like Circle and Tether has prompted many businesses to consider launching their own stablecoins as a way to provide new revenue streams and diversify their products.

ChainCatcher message, according to the RWA monitoring platform RWA.xyz data, as of January 5, 2025, the global on-chain RWA assets exceeded $15 billion, reaching $15.31 billion, with a 30-day increase of 11.97%.The number of asset holders surpassed 80,000, reaching 81,495, with a 30-day increase of 2.6%; the total number of asset issuers grew to 119; the value of stablecoin assets is $203.66 billion, with a 30-day increase of 4.21%, and the number of stablecoin holders reached as high as 141 million.In addition, the scale of tokenized U.S. Treasury assets surpassed $4 billion, reaching $4.09 billion, with a 7-day increase of 0.27%; the number of holders decreased to 12,205, with a 7-day decrease of 2.32%.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, HashKey Capital CEO Deng Chao stated that crypto projects will attract more venture capital funding in 2025. Venture capital firms are focusing on stablecoin products, real-world asset (RWA) tokenization, artificial intelligence, and infrastructure.Chao mentioned that the rise in digital asset valuations in 2024 and the favorable conditions of Trump’s re-election in the U.S. will attract more venture capital into crypto projects. Chao stated, "As we enter a supportive macro environment driven by U.S. stimulus policies and the formalization of crypto regulatory frameworks, these macro tailwinds will drive more venture capital into 2025."Despite the optimistic outlook, Deng Chao warned that macro risks, including geopolitical tensions and increased deficit spending, could exacerbate price volatility and uncertainty in the new year.

ChainCatcher news, according to Whale Alert monitoring, at 00:35:11 Beijing time, USDC Treasury minted an additional 149,077,359 USDC on the Ethereum chain, just 2 hours after the last minting.Yesterday at 22:32:11 Beijing time, USDC Treasury minted an additional 51,677,295 USDC on the Ethereum chain;Yesterday at 19:12:35 Beijing time, USDC Treasury minted an additional 55,231,133 USDC on the Ethereum chain.

ChainCatcher news, according to CryptoSlate, data from DeFiLlama shows that the on-chain revenue of the cryptocurrency industry in December 2024 is quite substantial, with stablecoin issuers taking the largest share.These issuers collectively earned over $664 million, accounting for more than 40% of the total revenue of $1.5 billion generated by crypto protocols. The issuer of the USDT stablecoin, Tether, became the largest contributor, with revenue reaching $532.1 million. Following closely is the USDC issuer, Circle, with revenue of $132.77 million. Together, these two issuers dominate the stablecoin space, holding nearly 90% of the market share, with a market valuation exceeding $200 billion.

ChainCatcher news, according to a tweet from DefilLama on X platform, DeFi and on-chain protocols have generated over $1.5 billion in total revenue in the past 30 days.Of this, over 80% went to stablecoin issuers, chains, decentralized exchanges, Telegram Bots, and Launchpads. Among them, stablecoin issuers alone accounted for 43.7% of the revenue.

ChainCatcher news, Delphi researcher Robbie Petersen released a cryptocurrency market forecast for 2025 on the X platform, with the following key points:As the MEV supply chain matures, roles such as exchanges and validators will face more competition, while the front end will maintain its monopoly; the total market value of the DePIN market will grow fivefold by 2025; the application of crypto payment infrastructure in proxy trading is limited, and traditional payment channels will continue to prevail in 2025; stablecoins will no longer just be the lubricant for DeFi but will become a true medium of exchange; the number of active stablecoin addresses will exceed 50 million by 2025, with the stablecoin market experiencing multifaceted warming; the boundaries between wallets and applications are becoming blurred; chain abstraction at the wallet layer is gradually becoming irrelevant as practical applications of universal L2s emerge.

ChainCatcher news, Tether and Bitfinex announced on Thursday that as the stricter regulations of MiCA came into effect at the end of last year, Bitfinex's General Counsel Stuart Hoegner has retired, with Michael Hilliard taking over the legal affairs of the stablecoin issuer and exchange.According to a statement, Hoegner and Hilliard have jointly led the legal work of both companies for several years.

ChainCatcher news, Securitize previously proposed to use BlackRock's BUIDL token as collateral for the Frax Finance USD stablecoin, a proposal that has been approved by the governance department, paving the way for the launch of the frxUSD stablecoin. BUIDL will serve as the collateral asset for minting and redeeming frxUSD.According to the statement, the stablecoin will be exclusively backed by assets held in BlackRock's BUIDL, which are invested in cash, U.S. Treasury bills, and repurchase agreements. Frax Finance founder Sam Kazemian stated in a press release, "FrxUSD combines the transparency and programmability of blockchain technology with the trust and stability of BlackRock's core treasury products."

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, Dragonfly General Partner Rob Hadick stated: "2025 will definitely be a more active year for cryptocurrency mergers and acquisitions, but the deal between Stripe and Bridge (this October, payment company Stripe acquired stablecoin platform Bridge for $1.1 billion) is unique and unlikely to be replicated."Hadick expects that large merger and acquisition deals in the stablecoin/payment sector will decrease, as many payment service providers will build their own platforms or form partnerships rather than pursue acquisitions. However, he anticipates that at least one unicorn-sized deal will emerge in this sector in 2025. Key industries for consolidation include trading platforms, brokerage firms, mining companies, and data providers. Many large companies in these categories have been looking for potential targets that might be interested in being acquired, but so far, very few companies have seriously pushed for consolidation and paid the price for this privilege.

ChainCatcher message, RWA stablecoin protocol Usual hinted on Twitter that the token fee switch will be activated: "The era of fee switches begins. 2025 marks a turning point for DeFi: real value, real distribution. On January 7, get ready with your USUAL."

ChainCatcher news, CryptoQuant contributor Darkfost stated that Binance's stablecoin reserves reached $31 billion on December 11, setting a new all-time high. Notably, Binance's stablecoin reserves were only $7 billion in June 2023, which means they have increased nearly fivefold since then.The increase in stablecoin reserves typically indicates that buying pressure is rising. The current reserve level remains around $30 billion, suggesting that investors are still actively engaged in the market, potentially maintaining strong buying pressure.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, Galaxy Ventures remains optimistic about the growth potential of stablecoins and tokenization in 2025. The company's general partner, Will Nuelle, stated that stablecoins (especially in the payments sector) continue to demonstrate strong product-market fit and remain a key focus area for capital deployment.Although tokenization still lags behind the adoption of stablecoins, Nuelle believes it has enormous potential. Galaxy Ventures plans to further explore these opportunities. However, Nuelle is less optimistic about metaverse-related projects, expecting that funding in 2025 will be delayed due to a lack of clear adoption signs.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, Hoolie Tejwani, head of Coinbase Ventures, stated in an interview with The Block that the company expects to be "very active in 2025 and beyond" and is prepared to seize market opportunities. Coinbase Ventures is optimistic about constructive regulatory progress in the U.S., believing that the supportive Donald Trump administration and the new Congress will drive this process forward.Tejwani pointed out that Coinbase Ventures will continue to invest broadly in the on-chain economy, focusing on "the time and energy invested by the best and brightest builders." The company is optimistic about the development of the application layer, believing that the maturity of infrastructure makes internet-scale applications feasible, with a focus on stablecoin payments and finance, the intersection of crypto AI, on-chain consumer applications (such as social, gaming, and creator applications), and DeFi innovations.At the same time, Tejwani stated that Coinbase Ventures has not completely abandoned the infrastructure layer, as there are still unresolved challenges and new opportunities in the tools space.

According to ChainCatcher news reported by The Block, Dragonfly general partner Rob Hadick stated that cryptocurrency venture capital is expected to grow significantly by 2025, mainly benefiting from improvements in the U.S. regulatory environment, continuous appreciation of token prices, and increased institutional funding.Dragonfly will focus on investing in areas with mature product-market fit, including decentralized finance (DeFi), scaling platforms, centralized finance (CeFi), and stablecoin payments.Regarding emerging fields such as crypto AI and DePIN, Hadick believes they are still in the "experimental stage." He also anticipates that investments in areas like security, tokenization, and cross-chain interoperability may decrease, while decentralized social media faces challenges due to scalability and product fit issues.

ChainCatcher news, Binance Labs stated on social media that as we transition to 2025, the Year of the Wood Snake, Binance Labs expects the crypto industry to enter a vibrant phase. The wood element symbolizes growth and creativity, heralding a mature year for innovation and development. The anticipated supportive stance of the incoming Trump administration towards cryptocurrencies is expected to create a more favorable regulatory environment.This shift may enhance institutional interest and investment in the crypto space, aiding the maturation of the industry and building a stronger foundation on solid ground. Binance Labs' main focus areas for 2025 are crypto/blockchain, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology, and they are also excited to see innovations emerging at the intersection of these three fields.It is expected that underperforming sectors such as gaming, ZK technology, and privacy solutions may make a comeback as they transition from development to production, thereby supporting new use cases. Additionally, existing narratives such as DeSci, RWA/stablecoins, and AI agents should continue to perform well with strong momentum.

ChainCatcher news, Franklin Templeton Digital Assets releases the 2025 outlook for the cryptocurrency industry. Franklin Templeton states that as the underlying technology of cryptocurrencies becomes an indispensable part of global financial and operational systems, 2025 will mark a shift from speculation to practicality. Stakeholders should pay attention to regulatory dynamics, institutional initiatives, and the progress of the integration of artificial intelligence and cryptocurrencies to navigate this dynamic landscape.The specifics are as follows:In 2025, there may be key advancements in the cryptocurrency space, influenced by regulatory clarity, institutional adoption, and technological evolution.U.S. regulatory bodies, such as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), will play a leading role in diversifying financial or investment products related to cryptocurrencies (such as ETFs or tokenized securities).A favorable regulatory environment will help the U.S. reestablish its position as a global center for crypto innovation.Traditional finance (TradFi) participants are beginning to intersect with crypto infrastructure. The U.S. is expected to introduce a stablecoin regulatory framework, opening the door for major financial institutions to issue their own stablecoins.The adoption of token products and stablecoins will continue to expand and become a major driving force behind the growth of global decentralized finance (DeFi).As sovereign nations and institutions adopt Bitcoin, it will solidify its status as a global financial asset for digital value storage. Some countries are expected to increase their BTC strategic reserves.As various industries prioritize providing decentralized and efficient solutions for real-world applications like logistics and the Internet of Things (IoT), the demand for decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN) will increase.The integration of artificial intelligence and cryptocurrencies will accelerate. Blockchain will provide transparency and verification, which are crucial for expanding the AI-driven economy.AI Agents will leverage blockchain tracks to automate on-chain transactions and portfolio management, combining digital content and social media with on-chain activities.