ChainCatcher news, the Pando Fund released a research report titled "Decentralized AI Changed by Deepseek," which points out that the narrative of decentralized AI is continuously reshaping. Web3 AI companies can focus on replicating DeepSeek's success while offering new advantages such as multimodality, user ownership, censorship resistance, and privacy. It is expected that the number of projects on the supply side will continue to grow, while consumer-facing projects will begin to compete with Web2 counterparts by building community-participated networks. In the coming year, AI models developed based on a complete Web3 AI stack will emerge one after another.In addition, companies combining AI and crypto are gradually adjusting their strategies to focus on infrastructure building rather than model development. For example, companies in the GPU market like Akash, Render, IoNet, and Exabits have developed sustainable revenue models. Meanwhile, businesses like Grass and Gradient, which allow users to share network bandwidth, have found their market positioning by providing distributed network services to Web2 clients. In inference tasks, the performance gap between small models and large models is narrowing, which means that Web3 does not need to rely on the massive computing power of traditional AI giants and can utilize these streamlined models for efficient inference operations. As this trend develops, we may see more inference endpoints driven by decentralized computing networks in the future.

ChainCatcher message, Federal Reserve's Goolsbee stated that the path to a 2% inflation rate looked good before new uncertainties emerged.

ChainCatcher news, former Coinbase CTO Balaji stated that as traditional IPO and merger & acquisition (M&A) paths are obstructed, Security Token Offerings (STO) on the blockchain may become a new avenue for tech companies to raise funds. He pointed out that the SEC's regulatory rules make it difficult for small companies to go public, and the recent tough stance of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on large-scale mergers further limits the exit routes for startups. This policy environment may weaken the funding flow and competitiveness of the startup ecosystem.However, he believes that changes in the crypto policy landscape have opened the door for STOs, and the new government's supportive attitude towards cryptocurrencies makes blockchain-based financing models more attractive. STOs can not only reduce the listing costs for small businesses but also provide startups with a source of capital independent of large tech companies. Balaji emphasized that this model aligns with the government's goal of keeping small businesses independent while also offering global investors the opportunity to participate without directly owning control of the enterprise.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, the Ethereum official execution client Geth (go-ethereum) development team issued an emergency announcement on February 18, requiring validators using version v1.15.1 to upgrade immediately to version v1.15.2. This update aims to prevent network stability issues and interruptions in validator operations.The development team pointed out that version v1.15.1 has a regression issue that may cause block creation failures on the Ethereum mainnet, leading validators to miss block production opportunities, resulting in the loss of block rewards and transaction fees.It is reported that Geth is the most widely used execution layer client for Ethereum, with over 40% of validators using this software. This update follows a previous patch that fixed a vulnerability that could lead to denial-of-service attacks on nodes.

ChainCatcher news, THENA proposes a soft merger with the lending platform Venus Protocol. The plan is awaiting approval from the Venus DAO and aims to create an integrated DeFi ecosystem that simplifies trading and lending processes, with the merged entity positioned as the premier "DeFAI super application" on the BNB chain.This merger will combine THENA's deep liquidity infrastructure with Venus's lending capabilities, creating a unified DeFi hub.

ChainCatcher news, investment research firm PitchBook stated in a report that in the fourth quarter of 2024, financing in the cryptocurrency sector increased by 13.6% quarter-on-quarter, reaching $2.5 billion across a total of 351 transactions. Investors made larger investments in a few startups with soaring valuations, with the average pre-money valuation in the seed stage increasing by 70.2% year-on-year.The report noted that while the total financing in the cryptocurrency sector remained stable at $10 billion in 2024, the number of transactions declined. Investors primarily directed funds towards early-stage startups, with the median valuation doubling year-on-year to $52 million, while later-stage companies only received 5% of all funding rounds.PitchBook described 2024 as a year of "increasing selectivity among investors" and anticipated that there would be consolidation among infrastructure providers, exchanges, and custodians this year, with VCs particularly enthusiastic about the areas of stablecoins and artificial intelligence.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, two companies in the field of encrypted data storage, Textile and 3Box Labs, have announced a full stock merger agreement. The merged company will retain the Textile brand and will be led by current CEO Andrew Hill.3Box Labs co-founder Michael Sena stated that the two companies previously had overlapping products and will work together to build blockchain data infrastructure in the future. The new company plans to create a "smart layer for the multi-agent economy," providing data storage, access, and verification services for AI agents. Hill emphasized that blockchain provides a natural platform for AI agent operations, enabling data interaction and alpha trading between agents.

ChainCatcher news, according to The block, the supply of Ether has risen to its highest level since January 2023, comparable to the levels before the merge update on September 15, 2022. Data from ultrasound.money shows that the current supply of Ether is 120,521,523 ETH, which is about 383 ETH higher than the supply on the day of the merge upgrade.Presto Research analyst Jaehyun Ha stated that last year's Dencun upgrade was the reason for the expansion of Ether supply, and the status of Ether as "ultrasound money" (a deflationary asset that makes it a superior store of value compared to Bitcoin) may be at risk.Jaehyun Ha said, "With the launch of the Dencun upgrade, Ethereum increased support for blob transactions, aimed at handling large data loads more efficiently (especially L2)." "These transactions use a separate fee unit called 'blob gas,' which is different from the standard gas fees applicable to regular transactions." This change has led to a decrease in the proportion of burn fees due to a significant shift of transaction activity to blob transactions. "The reduction in fees means that even if overall network activity remains high or grows, the balancing effect that previously limited the net supply of ETH is now less pronounced."

ChainCatcher news, according to Ultrasound data, the current circulating supply of ETH has exceeded the levels before the Ethereum PoS merge. The data shows that the current supply of ETH is 120,521,291 coins, an increase from 120,521,140.92 coins at the time of the merge on September 15, 2022.Since Ethereum completed its transition to the Proof of Stake (PoS) mechanism, a total of 1,947,607.01 ETH has been burned, while 1,947,757.18 ETH has been newly issued, resulting in a net supply increase of 150.17 ETH.

ChainCatcher news, Matrixport released today's chart stating that since the merger in 2022, ETH's market performance has significantly lagged behind Bitcoin. Most of Ethereum's upgrades have had limited impact on ETH prices; rather than being major positives, they are more like stepping stones in the blockchain's journey towards widespread adoption.Wall Street's interest in Ethereum ETFs has also remained unstable, and Ethereum faces considerable pressure in responding to emerging market trends. For example, an increasing number of users prefer to issue Meme coins on lower-cost blockchains.However, Ethereum still has highlights, such as the issuance volume of the USDT stablecoin. Although Tron has lower transaction fees, the recent issuance of USDT on Ethereum has surpassed that on Tron, showing a certain advantage.Overall, Ethereum still faces many challenges in further consolidating its market positioning and value proposition.

ChainCatcher news, Perplexity AI has officially launched a takeover bid for TikTok, submitting an acquisition proposal to its parent company ByteDance, aiming to merge Perplexity, TikTok's U.S. operations, and new capital partners into a new entity.A source revealed that the new structure will allow most of ByteDance's existing investors to retain their equity and will bring more video content to Perplexity.Perplexity AI is an AI search engine startup competing with OpenAI and Google, attracting increasing interest from investors against the backdrop of a booming AI sector. The company's valuation was approximately $500 million in early 2024, with an estimated valuation of around $9 billion by the end of that year.

ChainCatcher news, ai16z founder Shaw posted on the X platform that Eliza v2 is currently being developed in a private repository, with some users already granted access. After finalizing the details, it will be merged back into the main repository and the migration of all clients and plugins will begin.Due to the need for extensive testing and community feedback, it is expected to replace the current branch in about 2 months. Unlike the v1 version, which was mainly developed by individuals, the core version of v2 is being developed collaboratively by internal and external teams.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cryptonews, due to the reduction of "humanitarian electricity" supply from Moscow to Abkhazia, it is expected that the emergency electricity provided by Russia will be exhausted by February 18. Abkhazia's only major hydroelectric power station has been shut down due to low reservoir water levels, and the government is unable to prevent crypto miners from continuing to operate large-scale mining farms through legal loopholes. Residents believe that law enforcement agencies are aware of the locations and owners of the mining farms but have not taken effective measures. This has led to anger among the Russian public and media regarding Abkhazia's energy consumption, as Russian taxpayers have to foot the bill, while domestic electricity prices in Russia are also rising.Timur Dzhindzholiya, head of the electricity supplier Chernomorenergo, stated that according to "Abkhazia's current consumption rate," the "electricity supply from Russia" can only "last until February 18." It is impossible to "extend" the emergency electricity supply for a "long time." Therefore, the provider has decided to extend the existing rolling blackout plan to six hours a day.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, the company The Giving Block, which collaborates with non-profit organizations to promote cryptocurrency donations, has launched an emergency fundraising campaign for the victims of the wildfires in Los Angeles, Southern California.Ben Pousty, Chief Operating Officer of The Giving Block, stated that the goal of this fundraising campaign is to raise $2 million, and Jared Isaacman, CEO of The Giving Block's parent company Shift4, will donate $1 million to the charity. Since its inception, its platform has raised approximately $200 million in cryptocurrency donations.

ChainCatcher news, scammers have stolen $2.2 million worth of cryptocurrency from New Yorkers through a new job scam. The suspects claimed via text messages to help find remote work and asked job seekers to deposit dollars into cryptocurrency accounts. Victims were told to purchase cryptocurrency on legitimate platforms (such as Coinbase, Gemini) and then transfer it to an unmanaged digital wallet.New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed a lawsuit to recover the frozen cryptocurrency and hold the scammers accountable. Investigations show that this scam spans multiple jurisdictions, with victims primarily being individuals eager to find remote work.

ChainCatcher news, according to CNN, four informed sources say that Trump is considering declaring a national economic emergency to provide a legal basis for imposing a large number of universal tariffs.The declaration would allow Trump to utilize the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to establish a new tariff plan, which unilaterally authorizes the president to manage imports during a national emergency.One of the sources noted that Trump likes this law because it grants broad jurisdiction over how to implement tariffs without strict requirements to prove that the tariffs are for national security reasons. Trump's transition team did not respond to requests for comment.

ChainCatcher news, Bitwise CEO Hunter Horsley posted on X: "The Trump administration may unfreeze merger and acquisition (M&A) deals. Large companies (like the Big Seven) may ultimately be able to leverage their market value. Amazon could acquire Instacart, Google could acquire Uber, and so on.Big companies may become bigger, while medium-sized companies may shrink. If this happens, I believe it will accelerate the development of cryptocurrency. The premise of cryptocurrency is the distrust that large institutions will act in your best interest. The growing size of big companies underscores this point. 2025 will be fascinating."