Coinbase International Station announced on the X platform that Coinbase International Station and Coinbase Advanced will add support for Sonic perpetual futures contracts. The S-PERP market is expected to open at or after 17:30 on January 16, 2025, Beijing time.

Stablecoin issuer Avalon Labs announced on the X platform that the airdrop registration for the governance token AVL is now officially online. Users only need to complete the chain selection and wallet entry to successfully register. On the day of the token TGE, users will be able to query the specific airdrop ratio.

Paris-based crypto wallet technology company Dfns has completed a $16 million financing round led by Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund ADQ. Other investors include market makers Wintermute, Motive Partners, Bpifrance, and Motier Ventures, the family office of the owner of Galeries Lafayette Group.

After Circle’s stablecoin USDC’s market value declined in 2023, its market value has surpassed all other stablecoins in terms of growth in 2024. In its third annual USDC Economic State Report released on January 14, Circle stated that USDC’s circulation increased by 78% year-on-year, exceeding the growth rate of all stablecoins in the world.

A blockchain with close ties to Telegram Messenger LLP is preparing to expand in the United States, citing the potential for a friendly regulatory environment under the new Trump-led U.S. administration. The Open Network (TON) Foundation has appointed board member Manuel Stotz as president, with a new strategic focus on growth in the U.S. market. Stotz, founder of investment management firm Kingsway Capital Partners Ltd., succeeds Steve Yun, who remains on the board. Stotz said the TON Foundation expects "the U.S. to soon become a global crypto hub focused on innovation."

The Fed has raised interest rates to historic levels, but the economy is still moving upward. Perhaps this is because we are focusing on the wrong indicators.

The National Chief Prosecutors Conference held on January 13 emphasized that the procuratorate will intensify the efforts to punish money laundering crimes and crack down on the illegal transfer of assets overseas using virtual currency in accordance with the law. The conference emphasized that financial crimes must be severely cracked down on. Financial crimes such as illegal fund-raising, loan fraud, financial fraud, and market manipulation must be severely cracked down on in accordance with the law. The high-pressure situation of punishing mass financial crimes must always be maintained, and efforts must be made to build a solid bottom line for financial security and stability. The role of the Procuratorate Office stationed in the China Securities Regulatory Commission should be brought into play, and the mechanism for the assignment of securities crime cases should be improved and implemented to promote the stable and healthy development of the capital market. We must work together to prevent and resolve financial risks. Actively promote the improvement of the mechanism for the connection between administrative law enforcement and criminal justice in the financial field, and strengthen the joint efforts to prevent risks, strengthen supervision, and promote development.

South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) issued a joint statement with the United States and Japan on its official website, explaining North Korea's alleged involvement in cryptocurrency thefts and emphasizing the importance of public-private sector cooperation. According to the trilateral organization, North Korea stole about $660 million in cryptocurrencies in 2024. This includes $308 million stolen from DMM Bitcoin, $50 million from Upbit, $16.13 million from Rain Management, $235 million from WazirX, and $50 million from Radiant Capital.

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele is planning to install a Bitcoin node in every household in El Salvador, according to Max Keiser, a senior Bitcoin advisor to the president.

Early-stage venture capital firm Sigma Capital has launched a $100 million fund focused on Web3 startups. The Dubai-based firm is seeking to capitalize on the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) reputation as a cryptocurrency hub, according to an emailed announcement on Tuesday. The fund will focus on decentralized finance (DeFi), tokenization, and blockchain infrastructure by managing a portfolio of liquid tokens.

Sony's Layer2 project Soneium has sparked community backlash by blacklisting some Meme coins suspected of intellectual property infringement on the mainnet launch day. As a result, some tokens have been restricted and cannot be traded or supported on the official block browser. The move has sparked strong dissatisfaction among some users, who have expressed their disappointment in multiple posts on the X platform about the sudden inability to trade or access these Meme coins on the Soneium network. The blacklisting action specifically targets tokens that imitate or use brands that Sony or Soneium considers to be protected. As a result, it is reported that trading of these Meme coins has been suspended and cannot be transferred. When users try to access these tokens, they will receive a "No Access" warning on the block browser.

Artela Network, a fully on-chain AI agent L1 network, announced the official launch of the first round of $ART airdrops, which will distribute a total of 21 million $ART to 150,000 addresses. Currently, the airdrop query page is open, and users can check whether they are eligible. In addition, Artefarmers holding Capila NFTs will receive exclusive airdrop rewards. Earlier, Artela announced the token economic model: 62% is allocated to the community.