Publication Date: February 11, 2025
Author: BlockBeats Editorial Team

Over the past 24 hours, the crypto market has witnessed various dynamics ranging from macroeconomic discussions to specific ecosystem developments. On the mainstream topic front, the regulatory game and institutional stance divergence continue to ferment; on the ecosystem development front, Solana's multiple infrastructure and DeFi product launches, Ethereum signaling positively around the Fusaka upgrade and L2 scalability, and the Perp DEX race seeing increased competition propelled by institutional endorsements and new structures.

1. Mainstream Topics

1. LayerZero Launches "Zero": Multi-Core World Computer Blockchain

LayerZero has officially launched the new L1 chain Zero, positioning it as a "world computer" blockchain. The chain adopts the zkVM Jolt technology developed by a16z, achieving execution and validation separation; through design elements such as heterogeneous architecture, parallel execution, and QMDB state storage, the theoretical TPS of each Atomicity Zone can reach 2 million.

Zero is scheduled to launch in the fall of 2026 and has received strategic investments and partnerships from institutions such as Citadel Securities, DTCC, ICE, ARK Invest, Google Cloud, Tether, among others, focusing on institutional-grade trading, clearing, and asset tokenization scenarios.

Bullish sentiment is high, believing that "institutional cooperation + ultimate performance" is expected to challenge existing L1s (such as Solana) and drive on-chain finance into mainstream application stages.

Bears, on the other hand, are more cautious, focusing on three main points of contention: first, the internal proportion in token distribution is as high as 58%, posing significant unlock pressure; second, the core technology has not officially launched yet, lacking real-world validation; and third, most institutional collaborations are still in the "exploration phase," not firm commitments. Some users liken it to the early narratives of EOS and ICP, jokingly saying "buy the rumor, sell the news," believing that $ZRO may experience short-term volatility but carries high long-term risks.

2. Stripe Launches USDC AI Agent Payments on Base (x402 Protocol)

Stripe has officially launched the x402 payment protocol on the Base chain, supporting AI agents to autonomously conduct microtransactions, API calls, and tool subscriptions using USDC for instant settlement. This feature has been integrated into the Stripe dashboard, running in parallel with the human payment system.

In response, institutions such as Base, Coinbase, and Circle quickly emphasized their low-latency, globally accessible payment attributes. This was seen as a significant milestone for AI + crypto, marking the formal launch of the "Agent Economy": AI agents capable of autonomous 24/7 trading, with USDC further seen as an internet-native currency.

At the same time, doubts emerged, including how to handle refund disputes, sanction address compliance, security, and who will provide continuous settlement or streaming payment infrastructure (some projects, such as Zebec, taking the opportunity to self-promote). Overall, Base is seen by many as the preferred chain for current AI payments.

3. CZ Appears on All-In Podcast, Sparking Intense Controversy

Binance founder CZ appeared on the All-In podcast for a nearly two-hour exclusive interview, reflecting on his journey from China to Canada, initial encounter with Bitcoin, founding Binance, the FTX collapse, DOJ accusations, prison experiences, and future entrepreneurial plans, publicly referring to critics such as Cobie as "FUDers."

Some listeners acknowledged the authenticity of his personal story and believed his insights into the evolution of the crypto industry were valuable. However, more voices criticized him strongly, stating that he deliberately avoided issues such as market manipulation, responsibility for the 10/10 collapse, ties to Trump's pardon, WLFI, and other core controversial topics, viewing the entire interview as a "paid-for whitewashing of his image," and even calling it a "criminal's platformized narrative."

The Chinese community remained relatively calm, with their assessments on "AI agents potentially becoming the main users of crypto" and "privacy coins still having room for development" being noted. However, overall public opinion tended to categorize it as a public relations failure.

4. Million-Dollar Article Winner on X Platform Exposed for Alleged Rug Pull

The winner of the million-dollar article competition on the X platform, @beaverd, was identified by Bubblemaps' on-chain analysis as a serial rug pull operator. The related wallet was found to have participated in multiple memecoin pump & dump schemes (such as the $SIAS market cap skyrocketing to $6 million then rapidly dropping to zero), accumulating profits of around $600,000. Faced with criticism, the individual calmly responded, "cry me a river, these aren't even in the top five."

The incident sparked a significant amount of shock and irony, with blame directed at X's auditing mechanism and the crypto community's tacit acceptance of "grey behavior." Bubblemaps received widespread praise for "the data doesn't lie." A few defenders argued for "separating art from the artist" or interpreted the actions as normal trading behavior. However, mainstream sentiment called for further investigation. Many viewed this event as another example of the "narrative-first, ethics-second" culture in crypto Twitter.

5. US Treasury Secretary Publicly Criticizes Coinbase for Obstructing Crypto Legislation

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent publicly called out Coinbase as a "stubborn actor," stating that the exchange would rather have no legislation than accept an imperfect version. The core of the dispute lies in stablecoin yield distribution, with Coinbase seen as safeguarding Circle's approximately $10 billion in annual revenue.

Despite the White House closed-door meeting being described as "productive," a compromise has yet to be reached between the banking sector and the crypto camp, with a "ban principle" draft emerging and the legislative window needing to progress by March 1st.

Supporters argue that the bill will help foster adoption and prevent regulatory arbitrage, while opponents see it as an "institutional shackle" under banking influence, potentially de facto criminalizing stablecoins and tilting towards traditional finance. Coinbase appears relatively isolated on custody, DeFi, and payment track matters, with some voices calling for Trump to intervene for coordination. The overall sentiment is somewhat pessimistic, with the belief that policy uncertainty is dragging down the market and the window of opportunity is gradually closing.

II. Mainstream Ecosystem Updates

1. Solana

Solana's ecosystem saw several advancements today: FairScale introduced reputation infrastructure for AI agents; Phantom launched the social feature Phantom Chat (scheduled for 2026); SushiSwap officially deployed on Solana, supporting cross-chain exchange and bridging powered by the Jupiter Ultra API; Nansen publicly opened its Solana analysis platform for free.

Additionally, Tessera Lab launched the SpaceX Alpha Vault (with a $200,000 cap, valued at $800 billion, whitelist opens on February 12); Matrixdock introduced the XAUm tokenized gold; xStocks expanded on-chain stock yield solutions, introducing Chainlink data and Kamino liquidity to support equity lending and structured products for SPYx, QQQx, NVDAx, TSLAx, and others.

On the ecosystem front, key metrics recorded about a 10x growth, indicating a significant increase in activity and adoption. Regarding airdrops and project updates, Backpack redistributed 40 million points to compliant users; Bulktrade started its second whitelist round; SplyceFi updated its website, with $SFULC set to launch soon; Cleopetrafun closed its LP and supported user fund withdrawals; SandwatchAI announced its second-season plan.

Users are broadly excited about ecosystem expansion, referring to it as the "Solana Renaissance," with SushiSwap and xStocks seen as key signals of DeFi moving closer to mainstream finance. Updates on airdrops have reignited the "hunt fever" but also brought concerns about Sybil attacks. The significant growth of key metrics has been interpreted by some as a sign of network maturity and rising institutional interest, although some critics point out that the testnet access barrier could affect fairness.

2. Ethereum

An Ethereum Foundation member published an article outlining the expected impact of the Fusaka upgrade scheduled for Q2 on ETH ecosystem projects, focusing on performance optimizations for L2, DEX, and DeFi protocols, such as increased throughput, fee reduction, and paving the way for more institutional-grade applications.

Meanwhile, the Robinhood Chain's public testnet went live. Based on the Arbitrum architecture, the chain is positioned as a financial-grade Ethereum L2, focusing on real-world asset tokenization and digital asset bridging, and opening up building capabilities to developers.

The Fusaka-related analysis received positive feedback, with projects like SupernovaDEX and Aerodrome publicly expressing anticipation, believing that "Q2 could change the game." Some developers shared their experiences of "direct deployment on the mainnet," noting a decreasing reliance on testnets.

The launch of the Robinhood Chain was seen as an "unexpected surprise," but the community also raised questions about its transaction pause mechanism and potential VC influence. The overall sentiment leans towards bullish on the ETH L2 ecosystem expansion, with some users optimistic about the integration potential of $LINK, while there are also opposing voices questioning "whether more L2 is still needed."

3. Perp DEX

edgeX received a strategic investment from Circle Ventures, with USDC natively deployed on the EDGE chain and support for cross-chain transfers through CCTP to enhance overall liquidity. On the other hand, GTE partnered with LayerZero to build Turbo's Treasury Layer on the Zero platform, aiming to support equity perpetual contracts and achieve a high-throughput, low-latency trading experience.

edgeX's funding was described by the community as "massive" and "milestone-like," with some users celebrating the increase in XP value as a significant signal of Perp DEX moving towards the mainstream. GTE's partnership was similarly evaluated as "bullish," with many seeing it as a clear signal of MegaETH's route change and predicting that equity perpetual contracts will become the core narrative of the next phase.

Despite an overall optimistic sentiment, there are still a few voices reminding us to pay attention to security and VC-driven risks.

4. Others

Monad has launched the Nitro project accelerator, a three-month program (1 month in-person in New York + 2 months remote + Demo Day), with each selected team receiving $500,000 in Day 1 support. The program is backed by A-list VC investors such as Paradigm, Electric Capital, Dragonfly, Castle Island, with mentors including key members from Nansen, Bullpen, OpenSea, among others.
The project will onboard 15 teams and is open to applications from all on-chain projects.

The program has been widely praised as the "W initiative" and a "massive opportunity," with many users urging quick applications and describing it as "compressing a year of founder training into three months." The mentors and investor lineup have received high praise, and despite some sporadic tongue-in-cheek remarks, the overall feedback has been extremely positive, seen as a significant signal to encourage cross-chain development and drive the industry forward.

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