BlockBeats will organize the key industry news of the week (2.17-2.23) in this article and recommend in-depth articles to help readers better understand the market and industry trends.

Important News Recap

Bybit Hacked, Over $1.4 Billion ETH Stolen, Withdrawal System Now Operational; Initiates "Bounty Recovery Plan" with a 10% Reward

On the evening of February 21, Bybit exchange experienced a hack, with over 490,000 ETH stolen, resulting in a loss of over $1.4 billion. The hacker used a malicious contract to control Bybit's specific ETH cold wallet and dispersed the funds through transfers. About one and a half hours later, Bybit's CEO conducted a live stream to address community concerns, stating that the other cold wallets were secure, the platform remained solvent, and normal withdrawal services had been restored. To cope with liquidity pressure, multiple exchanges like Bitget provided funding support. Currently, several institutions are investigating the incident, and some of the stolen funds have begun to be laundered through mixers and cross-chain bridges. The incident is believed to be orchestrated by the North Korean hacker group Lazarus Group and is considered one of the largest hacks in the history of the crypto industry. Relevant parties are actively tracing the flow of funds.

On February 22, Bybit officially launched the "Bounty Recovery Plan," where contributors to successfully recovering the funds will receive a 10% reward. Regarding the stolen ETH, some community members have suggested the possibility of recovering the funds by rolling back Ethereum to a state before the theft. Ethereum core developer Tim Beiko responded that from a technical standpoint, this is nearly impossible to achieve. Related readings: "$1.5 Billion Stolen, Largest Hack in Crypto History, Was Multisig Also Breached?", "Bybit Incident Timeline | Withdrawal System Restored, 490,000 ETH Stolen Transferred"

CZ Responds to Binance Sale Rumors: Will Not Sell Binance, Considering Single-Digit Equity Investment

On February 17, Binance founder CZ posted to deny the rumors of Binance's sale, stating, "Some low-level, self-proclaimed Asian competitors are spreading FUD about Binance being sold. As a shareholder, I won't sell Binance. Top investors have always been interested in Binance. Over time, we may allow some investors to hold single-digit percentages of equity."

Trump: Ended Biden Administration's War on Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency

On February 20, U.S. President Trump stated, "I have signed an executive order to position America as a leader in the field of artificial intelligence and to end the Biden administration's war on Bitcoin and cryptocurrency," marking the dawn of a new era for digital assets.

Kanye to Launch Official Meme Next Week: Personal 70% Share, YEEZY Aiming to Create a True Currency

On February 21, according to insider sources, renowned rapper Kanye West plans to launch the meme token YZY. In the token distribution plan, Kanye personally will receive a 70% share, liquidity supply will hold 10%, and investors will have 20%. The project information was disclosed via email by Yeezy's Chief Financial Officer, Hussein Lalani. The YZY token will serve as the official meme coin of the Yeezy brand and can be used for payments on its website.

On the 22nd, popular cultural icon Kanye posted on social media stating that all current Ye-related memes in the market are fake and that he will be launching his own meme coin next week. In the early hours of the 23rd, Kanye retweeted CZ multiple times, briefly followed CZ's account, then unfollowed CZ and followed Polychain founder Olaf Carlson-Wee. Kanye later tweeted mentioning meme coins, including JAILSTOOL, and stating, "YEEZY Aiming to Create a True Currency." Additionally, according to crypto influencer @lokithebird, Kanye may have transferred (or custody) his X account to BarkMeta Doginals for $17 million. The evidence provided by this influencer includes account followings and interactions between the two, emoji usage patterns, and Kanye's account brightness settings.

Programmer HULEZHI Destroys Over 500 ETH and Claims to Be "Brain-Controlled"; Wand Investment Responds to "Brain-Control Weapons Persecuting Employees" Rumors

On February 17, a programmer named HULEZHI sent three transactions from their wallet to a black hole address, destroying over 500 ETH, with a message stating, "A new criminal pattern of enslaving victims with brain-machine control has emerged, where the victim's desire senses are gradually deprived until they become a complete digital machine slave. If one day I become a victim in the final stage, I will choose to leave this world." This action sparked widespread community attention. The meme token named after HULEZHI, HULEZHI, saw its market value surpass $15 million and reached a trading volume of $21.8 million within three hours of its launch. On-chain data shows that HULEZHI also made significant donations to organizations such as WikiLeaks and Endaoment, but some donations were refunded.

Regarding the "Mind Control Weapon Harassment of Employees" statement, KuanDe Investment responded on February 18th, stating that the statement was made by a former employee and is not true, and the company was not involved.

HyperEVM Mainnet Launched This Tuesday

On February 18th, according to the Hyperliquid official Discord, the HyperEVM mainnet has now launched, bringing general programmability to Hyperliquid's high-performance financial system. The initial release of HyperEVM on the mainnet includes: HyperEVM blocks built as part of L1 execution, inheriting all security of HyperBFT consensus; on-chain transfer between native spot HYPE and HyperEVM HYPE; a specification-compliant WHYPE system contract suitable for DeFi applications. Related Reading: "HyperEVM Goes Live in Chaos, Will the 'Price Oracle Master' Win This Round?"

Sonic Ecosystem Soars, Reviving the DeFi Craze

This week, as Meme hype cooled down, Sonic led DeFi back into the market, with its top projects seeing an average increase of 4-10x in the past week. The hottest sector is the Shadow Exchange, with its native token $SHADOW's market cap rising from around $5M to over $31.84M in a week, a surge of over 500%. According to Sonic Labs founder Andre Cronje's explanation, SHADOW's project positioning and token model follow an x(3,3) model, an improvement over the ve(3,3) model, allowing holders to earn fees without the need for staking; locking xSHADOW can provide additional incentives. Related Reading: "Ecosystem Surges by 100%, What Other Wealth Secrets are Worth Following on Sonic?", "Up 500% in a Week, Understanding Sonic's 'DeFi Engine' Shadow Exchange"

Argentina's "Presidential Coin" LIBRA Farce Update: Jupiter Responds, Stating No Involvement in LIBRA Issuance; Milaie Retweets LIBRA Purchase Guide, Argentine Regulatory Body Says No Authority to Intervene in LIBRA Incident

On February 17th, Jupiter issued a statement in response to the LIBRA controversy: "The Jupiter team was completely unaware of the transaction between Milaie himself and the market maker, nor did they participate in any form. In the memecoin community, rumors about a certain 'Argentina coin' being issued have long been an open secret, and many related tweets have already been made public. However, out of respect for confidentiality, Jupiter has not discussed this matter in any online or offline forums. On the same day, KIP Protocol also released a statement stating that they did not profit from the issuance of the LIBRA token, but only acted on direct instructions from Kelsier Ventures."

In the early hours of February 18, Argentine President Milei retweeted a tutorial on purchasing LIBRA tokens posted by Argentine economic and political commentator Dario Epstein. LIBRA surged over 130% in 10 minutes. On the same day, Argentine President Milei also responded on a TV show, stating that he was simply acting "in good faith" by sharing cryptocurrency information and mentioning that "the vast majority of investors are Chinese and American, they participate voluntarily and understand the risks involved."

On the same day, Jupiter founder Meow posted on social media stating that neither Jupiter nor Meteora were involved in any insider trading or financial misconduct, or improperly received any tokens. They have hired an independent third party to conduct an investigation and produce a report that they will independently release.

On February 20, according to Argentine local media outlet Infobae, the National Securities Commission (CNV) has so far chosen "not to intervene" in the LIBRA event, "because the current regulatory framework does not cover token advertising on decentralized platforms." However, the CNV stated it would "accelerate measures" aimed at "preventing further cryptocurrency fraud cases that harm investors." In addition, according to crypto lawyer wassielawyer, 74,698 traders suffered losses from the LIBRA token, with a total loss of approximately $286 million. Related reads: "Argentina Coin After Cut 100 Million, What Insiders Have Mined in 36 Hours", "Unveiling Kelsier Ventures, a 'Crab Family' that Harvested $200 Million"

Insider: Tencent Leads Wintermute's Latest Funding Round

On February 19, according to Bloomberg, cryptocurrency market maker Wintermute Trading Ltd. is seeking to expand its business to the United States, including opening an office in New York and offering new products in the U.S. Wintermute CEO Evgeny Gaevoy stated that as part of the expansion plan, the company plans to offer OTC products to U.S. clients and add about 5 to 10 people to its existing team of 130. Insider sources revealed that Wintermute recently raised funds in a funding round led by Tencent Holdings Limited.

Vitalik: Ethereum Foundation Pursues "Wu Wei Governance," But It's Not About Doing Nothing

On February 19, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik, during a text AMA held on the Tako platform, responded to the question "Why did you decide to take over the ETH Foundation again?" by stating: "Decentralization" does not mean "doing nothing." The Ethereum Foundation's "philosophy of subtraction" does not mean "reduce the Foundation to 0," but rather a way to maintain ecosystem balance. If there is an imbalance in a particular ecosystem (e.g., part of the ecosystem is too centralized), we can help address it. Once that issue is resolved, the Foundation can retreat from that area. If a new imbalance emerges elsewhere, we relocate resources there. In Chinese culture, our approach may be most akin to the philosophy of the Tao Te Ching, but pursuing this path requires intelligence and the Foundation's ability to elevate certain areas, not just a matter of "doing nothing to succeed." Therefore, in the short term, we need to focus on addressing some key issues. Related Reading: "Vitalik Chinese Dialogue Community: Ethereum Needs a New Narrative and New Users; EF Is Reforming Internally"

Monad Testnet Launched; Aptos Research Director Accuses Monad of Plagiarism, While Monad Co-founder Denies

On February 19, the Monad Testnet was officially launched, distributing test coins to over 8.8 million active Ethereum addresses. The next day, Aptos Research Director Alexander Spiegelman posted on X, expressing his confusion as to why Monad would spend so much time copying Aptos's technology. Everything is open-source, and there have already been many peer-reviewed papers. Instead of being secretive, it's better to blatantly copy. In response, Monad's co-founder James Hunsaker stated, "Optimistic concurrency control was discovered in 1979, and I have been studying Software Transactional Memory (STM) in a Haskell environment for a long time. BlockSTM is a simple extension of these concepts. I have never looked at any Aptos code, in fact, if you hadn't posted this nonsense, I wouldn't even have thought about Aptos." Related Reading: "Monad Testnet Launched, How to Interact?", "Aptos Accuses Monad of Plagiarism, Is It Tech Robbery or Riding the Wave of Traffic?"

Meme Project PAIN Completes Refund; Harold's Personal Token Allocation at 50%, Locked for 20 Years

On February 20, the Solana-based Meme coin PAIN announced that 80% of the raised 185,976 SOL had been refunded, with all funds sent after block 318346069 (end of PAINSALE) also refunded. The meme coin's iconic figure Harold's personal token allocation will be locked for 20 years until 2045. Its tokenomics show a total PAIN supply of 10 million, with 50% allocated to Harold personally, 20% for presale, 15% for liquidity, 10% for the community, and 5% for partners. Currently, a whale on the presale leaderboard has not sold any tokens yet, with an unrealized gain of $2.39 million. Related reading: "Presale Profit Reaches 5x, Can PAIN Save the Meme Market?"

Canary Litecoin Spot ETF Listed on DTCC Website, Ticker LTCC

On February 21, as per the DTCC website, the Canary Litecoin Spot ETF has been listed with the ticker LTCC, and the Create/Redeem column shows D. While this listing does not imply any regulatory approval or explicit approval process outcome, being listed on the DTCC website is part of the "standard process" for launching a new ETF. Related reading: "Tracking the Progress of the Top Five Popular Cryptocurrency ETF Applications, Who Is Most Likely to Be Approved?", "ETF Narrative Boosts LTC Against the Trend, Can You Still Buy Litecoin at $130?"

FTX: Customers from China, Russia, and Other Countries Currently Not Eligible for Claims, Chinese Users Account for Approximately 8%

On February 21, Sunil, a representative of FTX's creditors, shared that many claims are coming from jurisdictions temporarily not eligible for FTX claims, including Russia, China, Egypt, Nigeria, and Ukraine. FTX is reviewing potential solutions. Among these, Chinese users make up the largest portion, accounting for about 8% of the customer base. Related reading: "FTX First Repayment Round Initiated: Anxiety Rises as 11.2 Million SOL About to Unlock"

SBF Changes Political Alignment in Latest Interview, Explicitly 'Picks Side' with Trump for Pardon

FTX founder SBF, in an interview with New York Sun on February 18, openly "picked a side" in support of Trump: "I have spent a lot of time studying crypto policy, and I am very frustrated and disappointed by what I have seen and heard from the Biden administration and the Democratic Party. The Biden administration is extremely destructive and difficult to work with, frankly, the Republican Party is much more reasonable." SBF hinted that his right-leaning tendency began in 2022 because he and Trump share a common enemy, which is the judge Lewis Kaplan responsible for the FTX fraud case and the Trump federal defamation case trial. Related reading: "SBF's Latest Prison Interview: FTX Never Went Bankrupt, Just Faced Liquidity Crisis"

U.S. SEC Decides to Drop Lawsuit Against Coinbase, No Fines Imposed

On February 21, Coinbase founder Brian Armstrong shared in a post, saying, "After years of litigation, spending millions of taxpayer dollars, and causing irreparable harm to the nation, we have reached an agreement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to drop the lawsuit against Coinbase. Once the commission approves (expected next week), the case will be completely dropped, with no fines to be paid and no changes to our business. This is a huge win for us."

U.S. SEC Has Concluded Its Investigation on OpenSea

On February 22, according to Bloomberg, OpenSea stated that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has concluded its investigation into the NFT marketplace. Recently, the U.S. SEC has postponed litigation proceedings against several crypto companies and indicated that the newly formed cryptocurrency working group may resolve a series of lawsuits to save judicial resources.

Pump.Fun Meme Craze Cools Down, First Instance of MEME Coin Deployment with Unfilled Cap in 30 Minutes This Week

On February 17, monitoring data showed that pump.fun witnessed a MEME coin deployment where the cap remained unfilled within 30 minutes, possibly a historic first. On February 19, pump.fun saw only 4 graduate tokens with a market value exceeding $1 million in the past 24 hours, signaling a sharp decline in on-chain speculative frenzy. Related reading: "99% of Meme Trades Are Doomed to Fail, Whales Are the Real Winners", "Meme Retreat, AI Rebound: What Are the Noteworthy Project Developments?"

Central Commission for Discipline Inspection Discusses Yao Qian's Use of Cryptocurrency for Power and Money Trading Case, Emphasizes the Importance of Regulatory Technology in the Financial Sector

On February 17, the website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China and the National Supervisory Commission recently published a headline article on "Preventing and Controlling the Clean Construction Risks of Financial Information Systems." The article pointed out: "Yao Qian took advantage of his position to receive huge bribes from multiple companies and provided assistance to others in information system procurement, involving project contracting, project advancement, fund disbursement, project acceptance, and other matters. The case further confirms the high professional and technical barriers in the field of information system construction that we have observed in our daily supervision, as well as the significant risks of clean construction in procurement and other links." A relevant official from the discipline inspection and supervision team stationed at the China Securities Regulatory Commission introduced that in response to the issues exposed in the case, the discipline inspection and supervision team has put forward supervisory opinions to the Party Committee of the CSRC, urging high vigilance against the risks of clean construction in information system procurement and strengthening relevant institutional development and implementation.

Chinese Police in Shaoyang County Uncover a "Fast Money Transfer" Case Involving Cryptocurrency

On February 20, according to Rednet, the Criminal Investigation Brigade of the Shaoyang County Public Security Bureau in Hunan Province, China, received a tip-off about a fast money transfer case, where a sum of suspected fraudulent funds was withdrawn in Wu Fengpu Town, Shaoyang County. After receiving the tip-off, the investigating police quickly launched an investigation and arrested a suspect named Wu. Upon interrogation, Wu confessed to providing his bank card to receive fraudulent funds from accomplices for profit and illegally converting them into cryptocurrency for transfer to the upper-level crime suspect. Currently, Wu has been criminally detained in accordance with the law, and further investigation of the case is underway.

Woman in Anhui Swindled in Offline Transaction of 277,000 USDT, Police File Investigation for Fraud

On February 22, according to Guangming Net, the Hefei police have filed an investigation into a fraud case involving 277,000 USDT in an offline transaction. According to the victim Ms. Cheng, on January 17, she and her boyfriend conducted a USDT transaction with their old friend Sun and two companions at a café, with the unit price of USDT at around 7 RMB. During the transaction, Ms. Cheng first transferred over 7,000 USDT as a test, and after confirming the accuracy, she transferred all the remaining USDT to the other party's account. At that moment, Sun claimed that he was unable to transfer the USDT to his companion due to a "virus on his phone," and his companion immediately used this as a reason to report to the police. When the police arrived, a suitcase containing 2 million RMB in cash was taken away by Sun's accomplice. Through wallet information tracing later on, Ms. Cheng found that all the USDT she transferred to Sun had been moved out.

Michael Saylor Releases "Bitcoin 21 Rules": Never Sell Your Bitcoin

On February 17, Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) founder and CEO Michael Saylor released the "Bitcoin 21 Rules" on the X platform, including: Respect Bitcoin, or it will make you a clown; Never sell your Bitcoin; Spread Bitcoin with love; and more. Related Read:"Interview with Michael Saylor: Does Strategy Face Liquidation Risk?"

Top Articles of the Week

"$1.5 Billion Stolen: The Largest Crypto Hack in History, Was Multi-Sig Also Compromised?"

On February 21, Bybit experienced the largest crypto theft in history as hackers stole around $1.5 billion worth of ETH. The hacker manipulated the smart contract of a multi-signature cold wallet, successfully transferring the funds to multiple addresses. This event caused market panic and a brief fluctuation in ETH's price. While other wallets were unaffected, this incident revealed a potential security vulnerability in multi-signature wallets. Investigations suggest that the attack's methodology resembled previous North Korean hacker actions, indicating possible manipulation of the front end of the Safe multi-signature wallet. Despite significant losses, Bybit stated it remains solvent, with customer assets maintaining 1:1 support.

"Frequent Success: How Did North Korea Cultivate Elite Hackers?"

On February 21, Bybit Exchange fell victim to a $1.5 billion hack, allegedly orchestrated by the North Korean hacker group Lazarus Group. North Korea has used cyber warfare to compensate for its traditional military deficiencies, investing resources in nurturing hacker talent through the "Secret War" program. North Korea's hacker training began in the 1980s, aiming to cultivate elite hackers who undergo rigorous 9-year training specializing in programming, operating systems, and virus development to conduct cyber attacks on enemy nations. These hackers not only possess exceptional technical skills but also deep knowledge of the target country's language and culture to ensure mission secrecy. Successful hackers receive high salaries, luxury apartments, and other privileges, becoming the nation's elite.

"TRUMP-Attracting Outsiders to the Crypto Speculation Game: Are They Still Making Money?"

On January 18, the meme coin $TRUMP launched by Trump quickly gained market attention. Within 24 hours of its release, the trading volume exceeded $100 billion, far surpassing Bitcoin, and rapidly appeared on mainstream trading platforms. While early speculators made significant profits, many new investors faced losses as the hype waned and the coin price plummeted. The extreme volatility of the crypto market led many newcomers to overly trust Trump's business model and blindly follow the investment trend, ultimately getting stuck. The market's volatile nature and lack of regulation often render traditional investment experiences inadequate for adapting to the high-risk game of cryptocurrency.

"After Argentina Coin's 1 Billion Cut, What Insider Information Did the Community Mine in 36 Hours?"

The LIBRA project has exposed multiple participants and underlying conflicts of interest, including Argentine President Milei, KIP Protocol, and liquidity provider Kelsier Ventures. After the project launch, internal disagreements and chaotic fund movements, many project partners such as Photon, Jupiter, and Meteora were involved and faced public pressure. Solayer developer Chaofan Shou raised doubts about the association of LIBRA with other tokens and fund manipulation. There were also leaks within the community suggesting that foreign VCs and intermediaries may be behind the project, and some members of the Milei government are suspected to be involved.

"Uncovering Kelsier Ventures, a 'Crab Family' that Harvested 200 Million US Dollars"

Kelsier Ventures is a venture capital firm that ostensibly focuses on Web3 investments but is actually deeply involved in controlling various memecoin projects, including $LIBRA and $MELANIA. Its behind-the-scenes team is led by the Davis family, whose members include CEO Hayden, his father Tom, and his brother Gideon. The institution has attempted to replicate a similar token issuance model in multiple countries and has been involved in political relationships, such as connections with the Argentine president and the Trump family. Kelsier manipulates the market through platforms like M3M3 Launchpad, engages in insider trading, reaps huge profits, ultimately leading to the collapse of multiple projects, prompting skepticism within the crypto community.

"If LIBRA and MELANIA Didn't Exist, Would the Cryptocurrency World Really Be Better?"

This article reviews the birth of PumpFun, the Bitcoin halving, the differences between 2021 and current scams, and how to adapt to the new market cycle. It reminds investors to pay attention to limited liquidity, have a clear selling strategy, follow the narrative closely in market rotations, avoid excessive FOMO, always keep some profit in stablecoins, and continue to accumulate long-term quality assets like BTC.

《YouTuber Interview with LIBRA Creator: I Am Also a Victim》

Kelsier Ventures member Hayden Davis is one of the four main creators of LIBRA, with the other three being Kip Protocol member Julian Peh, Argentina Technical Forum member Mauricio Novelli, and Manuel Godoy. The project received support from Javier Milei on February 14, 2025. Video creator Coffeezilla interviewed Hayden, attempting to uncover what exactly happened with LIBRA. During the interview, Hayden admitted that the LIBRA team sniped the launch of LIBRA, and the MELANIA team also sniped the launch of MELANIA.

《Solana Meme Market "Drained," Is Ethereum Poised for a Turnaround?》

As the hype in the meme coin market gradually cools down, more and more meme coin projects are sparking controversy, such as the $LIBRA of the President of Argentina. Solana (SOL), influenced by meme coins, experienced significant price fluctuations, shifting market sentiment to bearish, with a substantial increase in short and long ratios. At the same time, many trading bots, arbitrageurs, and insiders earned billions of dollars in profits through Solana's meme coin market, exposing the market's high speculation. Some analysts believe that Ethereum (ETH) may have bottomed out and will attract more funds inflow.

《Fed Decides Not to Cut Rates? Quick Look at PPI, CPI's Surprising Rebound and Its Impact on the Crypto Market》

The U.S. January Producer Price Index (PPI) and Consumer Price Index (CPI) both rebounded higher than expected, indicating that inflation pressure still exists, especially against the backdrop of rising food and energy prices. Powell stated that the Fed will maintain a tightening policy until inflation significantly recedes. The market expects a rate cut to be delayed until the end of the year, with stubborn inflation mainly concentrated in core non-housing services. The U.S. debt crisis is also becoming more severe, as the increasing debt burden may prompt the Fed to take rate-cut measures, affecting the crypto market, with Bitcoin potentially being included in strategic reserves, further reducing market liquidity and stimulating price gains.

"SBF's Latest Interview from Prison: FTX Never Went Bankrupt, Just Faced Liquidity Crisis"

In a recent interview, Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) expressed his deep thoughts on FTX's bankruptcy, the U.S. judicial system, and the political situation. He firmly stated that FTX did not go bankrupt but faced a liquidity crisis, and criticized the handling of the bankruptcy trustee and the judicial system. He believed that his case had been politicized, viewed the judiciary's treatment of him as unfair, and even mentioned the possibility of a pardon from former President Trump. SBF also shared his personal insights after losing his wealth, emphasizing that freedom is more important than money. He stated that if his appeal is successful, he plans to return to the technology and finance sector to continue meaningful work.

"Vitalik's Chinese Dialogue Community: Ethereum Needs a New Narrative and New Users; Internal EF Reform"

On the evening of February 19, Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin participated in a special flash text AMA in the "Flash Interview Circle" on the Tako App. This interview collected anonymous questions from the community in advance, aiming to address the community's concerns and confusion about Ethereum's future development. The interview covered topics such as ETH's future adoption and ultimate narrative, the relationship between L2 and the Ethereum main chain, and centralized sequencer solutions. Vitalik even answered a community user's question about whether he is a communist. It is worth noting that this is the first time in recent years that Vitalik has conducted an AMA in Chinese.

"Conversation with Michael Saylor: Does the Strategy Face Liquidation Risk?"

In this interview, Saylor emphasized that MicroStrategy will continue to acquire Bitcoin, considering it a digital asset. The company plans to issue securities backed by Bitcoin rather than directly lending Bitcoin to earn interest. He believed that Bitcoin has tremendous long-term growth potential and predicted that Bitcoin's price would reach $13 million by 2045. He also discussed Bitcoin's decentralization, considering it the most decentralized encrypted asset globally, and expressed optimism about the policy changes in the crypto industry that Trump might bring. Saylor believed that Bitcoin is suitable for long-term investment, highlighting that purchasing Bitcoin does not require owning a whole coin and that it offers more liquidity and value storage than assets like real estate. He also shared a balanced view on Bitcoin self-custody and institutional custody.

"HyperEVM Goes Live in Turbulent Times, Will the 'Front-Runner' Win This Round?"

The crypto market has recently experienced multiple fluctuations, with meme coins endorsed by celebrities and governments sparking discussions, while retail investors have suffered losses. Against this backdrop, the launch of HyperEVM has become a ray of hope, attracting a lot of attention. Leveraging precise market timing, Hyperliquid has benefited from the outflow of funds from Solana, becoming a new favorite among investors. Its EVM compatibility, low latency features, and integration with DeFi projects make it an ideal platform for high-frequency trading and AI-driven strategies. As new projects continue to launch, Hyperliquid's influence in the DeFi ecosystem keeps expanding, bringing more investment opportunities.

"Explaining Sonic's 'DeFi Engine' Shadow Exchange, Which Surged 500% in a Week"

The Shadow Exchange in the Sonic ecosystem has recently garnered widespread attention, with its native token $SHADOW experiencing a significant market cap increase in just one week, along with growing liquidity pools and trading volumes. Based on the x(3,3) incentive model, Shadow Exchange has improved upon the traditional ve(3,3) model, reducing locking friction and providing a flexible exit mechanism, attracting numerous investors and liquidity providers. Through the xSHADOW token, users can engage in governance, voting, profit-sharing, and rewards, enhancing long-term participation incentives within the ecosystem. With Sonic Chain's TVL growing rapidly, Shadow Exchange is poised to become a benchmark for the next generation of DeFi trading protocols.

"Meme Exit, AI Resurgence: An In-Depth Look at 8 Popular AI Agents on BNB Chain"

BNB Chain has recently seen the launch of multiple AI Agent projects, covering various areas from intelligent investment research assistants, personalized education, to leveraging AI to transform on-chain data capture. These projects include SIREN, ANDY, Tagger AI, among others, showcasing BNB Chain's exploration of the combination of AI and blockchain. Despite these projects still facing product implementation and technical challenges in the early stages, their innovation and application potential have attracted attention to BNB Chain's AI Agent field layout.

"TVL Grew Fivefold in One Month, Reviewing Sonic's Most Profitable Yield Strategies"

After AC.GG's return, Sonic Labs refocused on DeFi, implemented a series of incentive measures, and successfully attracted a large amount of funds, causing TVL to grow by 500% in just one month. Sonic Chain's collaborations with stablecoin integrations, Lombard Finance, Ether.fi, and other DeFi protocols have boosted the liquidity of assets like BTC. Moreover, Sonic introduced various airdrop incentive strategies to attract a significant number of users. In addition to strengthening DeFi, Sonic also engaged AI and Meme users through Hackathons and Meme contests, aiming to build a new DeFi ecosystem. As the market gradually returns to DeFi, Sonic hopes to innovate and stand out in a highly competitive market.

"Slashing Billion-Dollar Contracts Again, What Strange Government Departments has Musk's D.O.G.E Discovered?"

Musk's "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE) has significantly reduced government spending since its inception through layoffs, contract cancellations, and other means, sparking widespread controversy. On February 17, Musk mocked the erroneous data in the U.S. Social Security database and exposed waste in multiple government departments. Furthermore, the government's layoff plan has led to over 9,500 employees losing their jobs, especially in key areas like public health and environmental protection, increasing the pressure on social services. DOGE also requested access to taxpayer data, raising privacy concerns. While the reform has brought short-term benefits, its aggressive approach has sparked profound debates on efficiency, credibility, and security, with an unclear future direction.

"Withholding Pledged Information for Five Consecutive Quarters, What Is the Largest ETH Custodian Coinbase Planning?"

As the largest ETH staking custodian, Coinbase manages about 21% of the staked ETH but has not disclosed staking information for five consecutive quarters. Data shows a decrease in its staking ratio from 15%, possibly due to address rotation. While Coinbase emphasizes transparency, it has not disclosed the amount of staked ETH or the status of cbETH support. Over 75% of the circulating supply of cbETH remains unused, prompting investors to focus on the underlying staked ETH rather than the LST circulating supply. Coinbase chooses to inflate cbETH through unused supply rather than transparent operations.

"Aptos Accuses Monad of Plagiarism: Tech Theft or Traffic Riding?"

L1 project Monad launched its testnet this week. However, just before the release, the research director of one of its competitors, Aptos, accused Monad of plagiarism. The founder of Monad countered, claiming their technology is based on earlier research. This incident occurred at a crucial moment with the release of the Monad testnet, drawing significant attention. Aptos made these accusations at this time, possibly seeking to attract market attention through controversy and drive up its token price. This dispute over technological originality once again highlights the complexity of open-source culture and fierce market competition in the cryptocurrency industry.

"The 'BROCCOLI Plate' Goes Live on Binance Alpha, Retrospect on the 'Broccoli War' Triggered by Donations"

On February 18, the $BROCCOLI token saw a sharp increase in a short period, with a market cap surpassing $50 million. The token's surge was related to CZ's 'Broccoli Night' and a charity event, where CZ publicly donated 150 BNB to support a charity project initiated by a college student, inadvertently sparking a meme coin hype. Subsequently, multiple Broccoli-related tokens emerged, experiencing significant price fluctuations, revealing issues of whale manipulation and community division. This meme coin frenzy exposed the vulnerability of the crypto market and unveiled the capital game and trust crisis within decentralized communities, emphasizing the industry's need to improve its ecosystem from technological, governance, and regulatory perspectives.

"99% of Meme Trades Are Doomed to Losses, Whales Are the Real Winners"

In this article, the author reflects on their losses in Memecoin investments, comparing it to casino gambling and highlighting that the expected return on investment in meme speculation is even worse than traditional gambling. Key reasons include high transaction fees, slippage losses, and market manipulation. While there is no clear 'house edge,' insider trading and market manipulation make it challenging for retail investors to profit.

"New Essay by Vitalik: Significantly Expanding L1 Still Has Value, Will Simplify and Secure App Development"

Ethereum is discussing whether to increase the L1 gas limit, which has recently been raised from 30 million to 36 million, increasing the network capacity by 20%. Supporters believe that this limit can be further expanded in the future, especially in the context of L1 scalability and upcoming technical improvements. However, raising the L1 gas limit may pose centralization risks, especially in the context of a rollup-centric development roadmap, and whether it is worth continuing to expand L1 in the long term still needs careful consideration. Nevertheless, increasing L1 capacity still holds significant short-term value, enhancing censorship resistance, optimizing asset transfers between L2, and addressing key issues such as L2 mass exit.

"Comparing the Current Cost-effectiveness of Four Major Public Chains: How Do BTC, SOL, BNB, and ETH Compare?"

Realized Price (RPC) is an important indicator used to measure the capital flow and chip structure of the cryptocurrency market. It is calculated based on Realized Capitalization (RC) and circulating supply, reflecting the average cost basis of the token holders. When RPC is below the current price, it indicates a market loss, attracting more bottom-fishing funds; when it is above the current price, it signifies a relatively healthy market. Different cryptocurrencies show significant differences in RPC performance, for example, Bitcoin's (BTC) RPC is higher, with most holders in profit and good stability; while Ethereum (ETH) shows weaker performance, with lower unrealized profits for holders and potentially larger price volatility.

"The Battle of Solana's Top Four DEX: Raydium, Jupiter, Orca, and Meteora, Who Will Prevail?"

The decentralized exchange (DEX) ecosystem of Solana has shown a changing competitive landscape from the fourth quarter of 2024 to the beginning of 2025, characterized by changes in aggregators, improved user experiences, integration partnerships, and the evolution of tokenomic standards. Raydium continues to dominate the market with deep liquidity and an active buyback strategy; Jupiter, as a primary aggregator, although facing inflation risks due to supply growth, still holds a leading position in the Solana ecosystem; Meteora demonstrates strong development potential through liquidity aggregation and upcoming tokens; Orca faces challenges in liquidity and capital efficiency, making it difficult to maintain long-term competitiveness.

"ETF Narrative Boosts LTC's Counter-trend Surge, Can Litecoin Still Be Bought at $130?"

Litecoin has high potential in the cryptocurrency market, with the current price around $130. Its technical advantages are reflected in innovation on top of Bitcoin, especially in the payment space, enhancing privacy through the MimbleWimble protocol and enabling low-cost, high-frequency transactions through the Lightning Network. Additionally, the anticipation of a Litecoin spot ETF has increased market attention, potentially attracting more institutional investors. With its scarcity and inflation hedging properties, Litecoin is also seen as a safe haven asset. In the future, with ETF approval and changing market sentiment, Litecoin is poised to enter a new bullish cycle.

"Exclusive Interview with Tako Growth Lead: How Vitalik's Mandarin AMA Platform Combines Crypto + Social | Base Builder Talk"

In the second episode of Base Builder Talk, Julie shared her experience in building the Tako social platform in the field of social product growth, emphasizing the construction of a solid user base through sincere communication, precise invitations, and high-quality social relationships. Tako's growth strategy is not eager for rapid expansion but focuses on ensuring the platform's social atmosphere and user quality through an invitation system. In terms of user growth, Julie leverages deep screening and personalized engagement to closely bind core users to the platform while exploring AI's potential application in social networks, suggesting that AI could become a significant player in social platforms in the future.

"Review of 8 Innovative Projects at the Cookie DeFAI Hackathon"

The Cookie DeFAI Hackathon attracted many high-quality teams, and despite token-bearing projects being disqualified, numerous innovative products emerged. The winning projects showcased various applications ranging from smart contract auditing to market analysis, including an AI-based copy trading intelligence and an intelligence entity that helps preserve digital heritage. Although some mature token projects did not participate, the overall event demonstrated the immense potential of DeFAI technology, showcasing the innovative prospects of combining blockchain, AI, and social sentiment data.

"a16z: How Crypto Startups Can 'Introduce Themselves'

Founders need to clearly communicate the company's vision and mission, especially in the early stages, as this helps unite the team and establish a brand image. An effective mission statement can articulate the company's goals and values, differentiate the company from competitors, and provide direction for market changes. Moreover, a clear ideal customer profile and value proposition statement can further support sales and marketing efforts, helping founders concisely articulate the core value of the product to different audiences. As the company grows, these core pieces of information should remain flexible and be adjusted as needed to adapt to market changes.

"Forbes Interview with Gavin Wood: Five Key Criteria for Blockchain Long-Term Success"

Gavin Wood has put forward five criteria to assess the success of a blockchain: Robustness, Performance, Generalization, Accessibility, and Consistency. He emphasizes that the robustness of a blockchain is the most critical, and the ability to remain decentralized and resistant to attacks is non-negotiable. Regarding performance, Wood points out that a blockchain needs to find a balance between decentralization and efficiency, with Ethereum and Solana having their own strengths and weaknesses. In terms of generalization, Polkadot provides greater computational power through parachains, while consistency is a challenge for many projects. Although no blockchain can perfectly meet all criteria, successful blockchains of the future will continually adapt to change under the core principles of Web3.

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