PANews

Image source: Visual China
Text | Hu Shixin Editing | Ye Jinyan
Produced by | Deep Web · Tencent News Xiaoman Studio
At the beginning of 2026, an app called "Dead?" topped the paid app chart on the Apple App Store. As of January 12, the app has remained at the top for four consecutive days.
This is an app with almost no complex features: it does not monitor heart rate, does not connect to wearable devices, and does not require location permissions. Users only need to tap once to check in each day within the app; if they miss two days in a row, on the third day, the system will send reminder emails to pre-set emergency contacts in the name of the user.
It is precisely such a product, with its features compressed to the extreme, that has been rapidly amplified in just a few days. The founding team states that the development cost was about 1,500 yuan, and it has already become profitable; after going viral, the number of paying users increased by over 200 times in a short period and continues to rise.
In the current app market, most products

Author: Bocai Bocai｜bocaibocai
On December 11, 2025, the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) received a "No-Action Letter" from the SEC, allowing it to tokenize its custodial securities assets on the blockchain.
Once the news broke, the industry cheered, becoming the focus of attention—$99 trillion in custodial assets is about to go on-chain, and the gate for US stock tokenization has finally opened.
However, a close reading of the document reveals a key detail: DTCC is tokenizing "security entitlements," not the stocks themselves.
This distinction may sound like legal jargon.
But in reality, it reveals two completely different pathways in the field of securities tokenization, and behind these paths, two forces are engaged in a strategic contest.

The article discusses the transformation of the global macro market in 2026. Facing midterm election pressures, the Trump administration plans to lower oil prices and implement fiscal stimulus to win votes. Analysis indicates that the end of the international order will reshape asset allocation, with gold and defense sectors benefiting, while emerging market stocks face risks. The stock market and AI bubbles are the main sources of risk, potentially threatening Trump's re-election.

In the Bonnie Blockchain interview, Nansen's CEO Alex Svanevik pointed out that the practicality of Ethereum does not imply that ETH has investment value. Using USD as an example, he emphasized the need to evaluate the success of the public chain and its token's investment logic separately, suggesting that they can be independent assessment systems.

The article discusses the feasibility of the "dual-token + equity" structure, emphasizing the importance of the team's capabilities and long-term commitment for project success. Although token mechanisms are flexible, equity structures still prove more effective in certain application-layer projects. In the future, "equity+" type token designs may emerge, but trusting the team's execution ability and value creation capacity remains core. Ultimately, the team's reputation and performance determine the value of the token.

As financial institutions rise in the cryptocurrency space, privacy has become a key feature connecting blockchain with real-world business. While the transparency of blockchain has its advantages, it can also expose sensitive corporate information, so institutions need to adopt selective privacy to meet compliance requirements. Selective privacy allows for the retention of transaction data while satisfying regulatory demands, and is becoming an increasingly important technological trend.

Highlights of this Issue
According to incomplete statistics from PANews, there were 9 investment and financing events in the global blockchain industry last week (1.5-1.11), with a total funding scale of over $298 million. The overview is as follows:
In the DeFi sector, 2 investment and financing events were announced, including the RWA project TBook which announced a total financing of over $10 million, with a new round led by SevenX Ventures;
In the Web3+AI track, 1 investment and financing event was announced, with NeuroMesh completing a $5 million strategic round of financing, participated by Alpha Capital and others;
In the infrastructure & tools field, 3 investment and financing events were announced, including the decentralized protocol Babylon which completed $15 million in financing, led by a16z Crypto;
In the centralized finance sector, 2 investment and financing events were announced, including the stablecoin payment company R

Vitalik: Hope the open-source mechanism of the X algorithm has verifiability and reproducibility
Regarding "Elon Musk says he will open-source the new X platform algorithm within 7 days, and this process repeats every four weeks," Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin commented: "If done properly, this is a good move. I hope the mechanism has verifiability and reproducibility. While it can't solve all problems, it can effectively respond to my and many public long-standing demands for algorithm transparency. Moreover, I actually think four weeks might be a bit optimistic, as this means the algorithm needs to be updated frequently to prevent exploitation. The algorithm indeed needs to be verifiable and reproducible, so users who feel they are being blocked, downgraded, etc., can review the execution code of the algorithm to understand why their posts are not getting views."
Pump.fun Launches Creator Fee Sharing Feature
Pump.fun on X

In 2025, illegal activities related to cryptocurrencies increased significantly, marking the sector's transition into a mature stage. Legitimate transactions still dominate, but the scale of illegal transactions has surged year-over-year, especially with the inflow of funds into sanctioned entities. Countries like North Korea are also leveraging this for hacking attacks and money laundering. Providers of full-stack illegal infrastructure are increasingly fueling cybercrime, and the connection between cryptocurrencies and violent crimes has deepened. Preventing these emerging threats requires collaboration from all parties.

The article reviews important events and trends in the 2025 crypto market, highlighting the impact of Bitcoin ETFs, the continued existence of airdrops, limitations of fee switching, the growth of stablecoins, and the decentralization trend in DeFi. Overall, it suggests that the market is full of trading opportunities, long-term holding is no longer the main strategy, and focusing on mutual benefits will be key in 2026.

In 2026, the crypto market will usher in a Meme coin boom, with Chinese Meme projects rapidly emerging, especially "I'm Coming," "Life K-line," and "Old Master." As market attention increases, the market capitalization of related tokens fluctuates rapidly, and investors should exercise caution. How this trend will evolve remains to be seen.

News Preview:
Binance Wallet will launch the Unitas (UP) exclusive Booster event on January 12;
Aster announces Stage 4 airdrop collection time and rules, with the collection query function opening on January 14;
The U.S. Senate Banking Committee will review the Crypto Market Structure Act on January 15;
BitMine plans to hold its annual shareholders' meeting on January 15, with plans to elect 8 directors and amend the company bylaws;
Arbitrum (ARB) will unlock approximately 92.65 million tokens at 9:00 PM Beijing time on January 16, representing 1.86% of the circulating supply, valued at about $19.2 million;
Official

Today's News Highlights:
1. Next Week's Macro Outlook: CPI Challenges the Fed's Firepower, Fed Officials Speak Intensively
2. FBI: Crypto ATM Scam Losses Reach $240 Million in the First Half of 2025, Multiple States Considering Banning Crypto ATMs
3. Elon Musk: Will Open Source the New X Platform Algorithm Within 7 Days, Repeating Every Four Weeks
4. Vitalik: The Crypto Industry Needs to Solve Three Major Problems to Develop Better Decentralized Stablecoins
5. BNB Chain Foundation Bought $BinanceLife, $Hakeem, $IAmComing, and $Laozi Within Two Days
6. Analyst Willy Woo: Optimistic About Bitcoin's Performance in January-February, Cautious About 2026
Macro & Regulation
Next Week's Macro Outlook: CPI Challenges the Fed's Firepower, Fed Officials Speak Intensively
In the first full trading week of 2026, cross-asset prices rose simultaneously, Hua

Written by: 100y.eth
Edited by: Saoirse, Foresight News
Under the GENIUS Act, stablecoin issuers are prohibited from paying interest to stablecoin holders.
However, currently, Coinbase is offering a 3.35% reward to users holding USDC on its platform. This is possible because the GENIUS Act only bans issuers from paying interest and does not restrict distributors.
Nevertheless, before the U.S. Senate committee reviewed the Crypto Market Structure Act on January 15 (which aims to systematize cryptocurrency regulation), a debate has been fully underway on "whether the interest ban on stablecoins should be extended to the distribution stage."
Strong Opposition from the Banking Sector
The American Bankers Association (ABA) is the main organization calling for a complete ban on stablecoin interest payments.

The article analyzes the investment value of the gold token XAUT in the crypto market, highlighting its advantages such as high market capitalization, low entry barrier, good liquidity, and leverage potential. In the context of a complex global economic environment, gold as an inflation hedge has attracted much attention. It is expected that gold prices will continue to rise until 2026, making XAUT the best choice for allocating gold assets.

Author: a16z crypto
Compiled by: Felix, PANews
1. Larger market size, broader coverage, and higher intelligence
— Andy Hall, a16z Cryptocurrency Research Advisor, Professor of Political Economy at Stanford University
Prediction markets have become mainstream. By 2026, as they integrate with cryptocurrencies and AI, their scale, coverage, and level of intelligence will only continue to improve, while also presenting new and significant challenges for builders.
First, more contracts will be listed this year. This means not only real-time odds for major elections or geopolitical events but also results at various detailed levels and real-time odds for complex intertwined events. As these new contracts disclose more information and incorporate news (which is already happening), they will raise important social issues, such as how to balance these信

The Zcash core development team ECC collectively resigned on January 8th due to serious differences in mission with the governance organization Bootstrap and established a new company, CashZ, focusing on Zcash wallet products. ECC believes that the non-profit structure limits the project's development, while Bootstrap is concerned about legal risks associated with the transition. This incident caused market unease, and the price of Zcash dropped by 20%. Experts believe this change is a structural adjustment regarding efficiency and risk, rather than a project collapse.

Today's News Highlights:
1. South Korea's Supreme Court rules that Bitcoin stored on exchanges can be seized
2. After the Non-Farm Payrolls report, the probability of the Federal Reserve maintaining interest rates in January rises to 97.2%
3. a16z completes $15 billion in funding, focusing on investments in AI and the crypto sector
4. Stablecoin payment company Rain raises $250 million in a new funding round, post-money valuation reaches $1.95 billion
5. The total stablecoin transaction volume in 2025 hits a new high of $33 trillion, with USDC leading in trading volume
6. Meme coin "I'm Coming" reaches a new market cap high, up 63.4% in 24 hours
Macro & Regulation
South Korea's Supreme Court rules that Bitcoin stored on exchanges can be seized
In a ruling made on December 11, 2025, South Korea's Supreme Court determined that Bitcoin stored on centralized exchanges is subject to seizure under criminal procedure law. The court upheld the seizure

Written by: danny
"All functions must be accessed through API calls. No backdoor access of any kind is permitted. Those who do otherwise will be fired. Have a great day.
In 2002, Amazon's Bezos issued the famous "Bezos API mandate." At that time, Wall Street mocked Amazon as a retail company that had lost focus, yet Bezos was "self-destructively" dismantling its monolithic architecture. He was convinced that if a service could support Amazon's peak traffic, it should become the utilities of the entire industry.
In August 2025, OKX welcomed its own "AWS moment." By burning tens of millions of OKB tokens and permanently locking the total supply at 21 million, Xu Mingxing (Xu) completed a decisive "letting go"—cutting off OKB's dependence on exchange profit buybacks with his own hands, pushing it toward the deep waters of protocol sovereignty.