Weekly Highlights | South Korea lifts crypto ban, X will support real-time asset data, BNB Chain market continues

PANews Editor’s Note: PANews has selected high-quality content from the past week to help everyone fill in gaps over the weekend. Click on the title to read.

2025 Review and 2026 Outlook

PANews 2025 Impact Column’s 4 Major Rankings Officially Released

Recap of the crazy bull market in 2025: who is the best navigator in the crypto market? PANews annual rankings reveal the most noteworthy authors and must-read articles of the past year.

Elon Musk’s first interview in 2026: exploring AI, robotics, energy, and the impact of US-China competition on the near future

Elon Musk and futurist Peter Diamandis discuss how technological changes will reshape the near future. He predicts that general artificial intelligence (AGI) will be achieved in 2026, and by 2030, AI intelligence levels will surpass the combined intelligence of all humans. Additionally, he believes that Viali Medical School will be meaningless, China’s computing power will far surpass other regions, and in 10-20 years, money may no longer be important, with work becoming optional…

Cathie Wood’s 2026 macro and tech investment roadmap

ARK founder Cathie Wood releases her 2026 macro and tech investment outlook, believing that technological innovation will drive productivity prosperity, curb inflation, and create a favorable environment for economic growth and investment.

VanEck Q1 global market outlook: cryptocurrencies remain bullish long-term, gold demand still strong

Market environment in 2026 is becoming clearer. A pullback in gold is a good opportunity to increase holdings. Cryptocurrencies are long-term bullish, but short-term trends are uncertain.

Fidelity 2026 Outlook: Gold led in 2025, Bitcoin takes over in 2026

Fidelity Digital Assets’ “Outlook 2026” reveals that the digital asset market is accelerating institutionalization, Bitcoin is deepening integration with capital markets, token holder rights are becoming a core trend, AI competition may impact mining patterns, and Bitcoin shows resilience amid macro uncertainties.

Primitive Ventures: Who is paying for the bull market?

In 2025, AI and US stocks drained liquidity from the crypto world. Cryptocurrencies need to develop into practical new civilization tools, not just assets relying on price narratives.

Macro Perspective

Cost 1500, valuation in the millions: Three post-95s leverage “Are they dead?” to start a “small but beautiful” business

At the start of 2026, the minimalist app “Are they dead?” topped the paid app charts. Users only need to check in daily; if they miss two consecutive days, the system automatically sends reminder emails to emergency contacts, solving the anxiety of isolated individuals. Development cost was only 1500 yuan, already profitable, with paid users increasing over 200 times.

The biggest trading theme of 2026: “Can’t afford to lose” Trump, the end of the international order

Senior analyst David Woo points out that the core trading theme in the global macro market in 2026 will revolve around the “do anything” strategy of the Trump administration under US midterm election pressure. This marks a major shift in the international order and will have profound impacts on various assets.

Twitter’s viral post with over 10 million views: If you have broad interests, don’t waste 2-3 years in the future

The article discusses the advantages of broad interests in contemporary society, stating that polymath thinking is key to personal success, and provides practical paths to turn multiple interests into profitable ventures, emphasizing self-education, brand building, and content creation.

Twitter founder’s “Weekend Experiment”: Crypto software Bitchat becomes “Communication Noah’s Ark”

Bitchat’s rapid development is not only due to Jack Dorsey’s personal influence or its free model but also because it has become the “Communication Noah’s Ark” in the eyes of hundreds of millions worldwide.

Finance industry is all about paid knowledge

Recently, the finance sector has sparked a wave of paid knowledge. Many well-known investors have quickly monetized through paid communities, courses, and other methods, with income even surpassing some investment businesses.

Focus on Privacy and RWA

Hong Kong RWA Storm (Part 1): From Frenzy to Reconstruction, Analysis of Nine Major Factions’ Strengths

Platforms like HashKey, OSL, Ant Group Science and Technology lead the market, promoting RWA development through compliant ecosystems and technological support. Growth potential in cash management RWA is significant.

RWA Power Map: Understanding how five protocols “divide” trillions of institutional capital in one article

Rayls, Ondo, Centrifuge, Canton, and Polymesh target different institutional needs, promoting the on-chain migration of trillions of dollars in assets.

Tiger Research: Who is the king of privacy—Monero, Zcash, or Canton Network?

Privacy has become a key link connecting blockchain with real-world commerce. The article analyzes the privacy models of Monero, Zcash, and Canton, noting that financial institutions prefer selective privacy.

More bans, more rises? Unpacking the black-and-white truth behind XMR’s surge

XMR (Monero), a privacy coin, hit a historic high on January 13, with spot prices exceeding $690, sparking renewed market discussion on privacy coins.

Seize the Opportunity

Crypto “Fat Protocol”: Key players in 10 major profit areas

Value is shifting from the underlying protocols to the middle layer and applications that control user access, liquidity, asset issuance, and key infrastructure.

Genius Terminal Evaluation Report: CZ and YZi Labs support—Is it a gift from heaven or a marketing trap?

The article comprehensively analyzes the project’s core competitiveness and differentiation, technology and security audits, on-chain data and user growth, community feedback and public opinion, token and airdrop expectations, and potential risks.

MegaETH loses another major player! Noise shifts to Base after Paradigm funding

Noise received $7.1 million in funding led by Paradigm but unexpectedly chose to shift to Base instead of staying with MegaETH. This defection adds more variables to MegaETH’s ecosystem development.

It’s time to start profiting again: Russell 2000 index breakout may signal a crypto rally

“The Russell index reaching a new all-time high is no coincidence. It is always accompanied by liquidity easing, risk tolerance returning, and capital deciding to move again.”

Web3 Things

The “Tian Tuo” of the mouth players! Twitter bans InfoFi, ecosystem projects fight for survival

X platform (formerly Twitter) announced revisions to its API policy, cutting off API access for InfoFi (“tweet mining” apps), causing a dramatic change in that ecosystem.

Interview with Aster CEO: How will we respond when CZ knocks on the door with “massive traffic”?

Aster founder and CEO Leonard will delve into the story behind Aster’s success, how to handle “massive traffic” and retain users, and how to build a complete business blueprint for “de-trusted” asset management.

2000 ETH “gift”: CCTV exposes former CSRC director Yao Qian’s double life

CCTV documentary reveals that former CSRC director Yao Qian used virtual currency to accept bribes, involving tens of millions of yuan, hiding corruption through hardware wallets and fake accounts, ultimately uncovered using blockchain technology by a special task force.

IOG Deep Dive (Part 1): Korea’s Crypto Market Strategy Guide—From Macro Opportunities to Success Rules

This report on Korea’s local exchanges, media, institutions, research firms, and blockchain activities aims to provide valuable reference resources for investors, startups, community builders, and related parties.

Key News

• Bitcoin spot ETF net inflow of $100 million yesterday, continuing 4 days of net inflow
• MilkyWay protocol will gradually cease operation and be permanently closed
• Kaito will gradually shut down Yaps and the incentive leaderboard, and launch Kaito Studio
• X cancels post rewards and bans “InfoFi” apps from attracting users through reward posting
• MetaMask officially integrates Tron network, supporting native TRX and USDT operations
• CME will launch ADA, LINK, and XLM futures on February 9
• Infinex: Public offering subscription exceeds $7.2 million, TGE scheduled for January 30
• Solana Mobile: SKR airdrop distribution query now online, claiming and staking open on January 21
• DFINITY Foundation releases new white paper “Mission 70,” ICP 24-hour increase exceeds 30%
• CCTV discloses details of Yao Qian’s corruption: used virtual currency to buy a $20 million Beijing villa, received 2000 ETH as gratitude
• CoinGecko: Nearly 11.6 million tokens failed in 2025, accounting for 86.3% of total failures in the past five years
• Grayscale considers including assets in future investment products, covering 36 tokens
• Former NYC Mayor Eric Adams announces launch of “NYC Token”
• South Korea lifts nine-year ban on corporate crypto investments
• X product lead discloses development of smart asset tags showing real-time prices and contract info of related assets