Original Author: Penny, BlockBeats

Reposted: Luke, Mars Finance

Meme coins on the Solana chain always bring surprises, and the most unexpected new token to explode in recent days is UFD, which, after its release on the morning of the 18th, saw its market value almost surge to $300 million in just a day and a half, becoming one of the biggest highlights of meme coins on the Solana chain.

However, when it comes to why the UFD token is so popular, most investors find it hard to understand its rally logic. There is neither endorsement from the project team nor celebrity backing, and it lacks a strong community; it is merely a social experiment in cryptocurrency conducted by an elderly man out of either speculation or sarcasm. So why has it become a phenomenal myth of wealth within just two days?

Original Title: Why AI Agents Matter

Original Author: Jun

Original Source: https://www.bankless.com/

Compiled by: Daisy, Mars Finance

Yes, they are everywhere. But why are AI agents important for cryptocurrency?

Everyone is talking about AI agents and the changes they might bring to cryptocurrency. Much of the discussion sounds like typical bull market hype—more about driving up prices than predicting the future. And to be honest, most of it is. But beneath all this noise, real changes are indeed happening.

Original title: Opinion I don’t support a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, and neither should you

Original author: Nic Carter

Original source: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/

Translation: Daisy, Mars Finance

Recently, the concept of a 'Strategic Bitcoin Reserve' has begun to attract attention among Bitcoin enthusiasts. Trump proposed retaining a batch of seized Bitcoins, while certain proposals go further. Currently, legislation like the Bitcoin Act proposed by Senator Lummis suggests that the U.S. government acquire 1 million Bitcoins within five years.

Original Title: $2.2 Billion Stolen from Crypto Platforms in 2024, but Hacked Volumes Stagnate Toward Year-End as DPRK Slows Activity Post-July

Original Author: Chainalysis

Original Translation: Tao Zhu, Jinse Finance

Reprinted: Luke, Mars Finance

Cryptocurrency hacking attacks remain an ongoing threat, with four of the past ten years seeing over $1 billion in cryptocurrency stolen (2018, 2021, 2022, and 2023). 2024 marks the fifth year of reaching this disturbing milestone, highlighting that as cryptocurrency adoption and prices rise, the amounts that can be stolen are also increasing.

Original title: Crypto 2025: What Lies Ahead After 2024's Milestones?

Original author: Vera Lim

Original source: https://www.coingecko.com/

Translation: Daisy, Mars Finance

Cryptocurrency 2025: Future Outlook After 2024 Milestones

As we move into 2025, the cryptocurrency market has undergone significant transformations and developments in 2024. From Bitcoin's strong growth to the rise of altcoins, the entire industry landscape is rapidly evolving. Let’s delve into the key trends of 2024 and the possible directions for 2025.

Key trends for 2024: Bitcoin and altcoins

Rumble announces it has secured a $775 million strategic investment from Tether.

Video sharing platform and cloud service provider Rumble (NASDAQ: RUM) has announced that it has reached a final agreement with USDT issuer Tether to secure a $775 million strategic investment. The investment and acquisition are expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2025. Rumble is a high-growth video platform and cloud service provider that is creating independent infrastructure.

SendAI releases Solana Agent Kit, enabling AI agents to autonomously execute operations on the Solana chain.

On December 21, SendAI announced the launch of the open-source toolkit Solana Agent Kit, which supports the autonomous execution of Solana chain operations by any AI model. The toolkit has integrated major protocols such as Jupiter, Metaplex, and Raydium, enabling over 15 functions including token trading, NFT issuance, liquidity provision, lending, and ZK airdrops. The toolkit employs LangChain technology and supports various AI models from GPT-4 to Llama, with plans to integrate with frameworks like Eliza from ai16z and ZerePy from Zerebro. SendAI stated that the project will continue to develop as a public good for the ecosystem and is currently available for use at solanaagentkit.xyz.

Written by: Luke, Mars Finance

In the past week, the crypto market has experienced a significant pullback, with Bitcoin dropping from a high of $108,000 to a low of $92,232, and the altcoin market is in distress. However, amid this decline, USUAL has emerged, rising against the trend and becoming a bright spot in the crypto market. USUAL's strong performance has not only drawn widespread attention from the market but also prompted reflection on what has supported USUAL's firmness in an environment where mainstream markets are turbulent and altcoins are generally under pressure. What secrets lie behind its growth logic?

Original title: Decrypt’s 2024 Project of the Year: Solana Meme Machine Pump.fun   

Original author: Ryan S. Gladwin

Original source: https://decrypt.co/

Translated by: Daisy, Mars Finance

Decrypt 2024 Project of the Year: Solana Meme Machine Pump.fun

in short

Pump.fun allows anyone to become a meme coin “developer”, lowering the barrier to entry into cryptocurrency and opening the floodgates for a massive influx of capital.

As a result, more tokens have been created, purchased, and traded this year than ever before, driving “decentralized finance geeks” (degens) to flock to Solana.

There is no doubt that Hyperliquid is the hottest focus in the recent crypto market. Through an airdrop that shocked the industry, it not only attracted great attention in the decentralized exchange (DEX) track, but also pushed its native token $HYPE to a jaw-dropping valuation. However, what risks are hidden behind this carnival? Can Hyperliquid stand out from the heat and move towards real value creation? Let's analyze it from the beginning.

Hyperliquid’s Airdrop: Value Creation or Short-Term Hype?

The Hyperliquid team initially earmarked 310 million HYPE for the airdrop, with more than 94,000 addresses eligible. So far, according to ASXN data, 87% (270.94 million) of the tokens have been successfully claimed, with a total book value of $7.6 billion. This figure officially broke the record of the $UNI airdrop launched by Uniswap in September 2020.

2 Whale Addresses Borrowed 45,800 ETH from Aave and Transferred to Binance in the Past 12 Hours

Two whales/institutions borrowed a total of 45,800 ETH (about 154 million USD) from Aave in the past 10 hours and transferred them to Binance, perhaps preparing to short ETH. Among them:

The address 0xc09...819 borrowed 34,000 ETH (about 114 million US dollars) and transferred it to Binance in the last 6 hours;

The address 0xb99...cf5 borrowed 11,800 ETH (about 39.86 million US dollars) and transferred it to Binance in the last 10 hours.

A whale deposited 49,910 ETH, about $170 million, into CEX

A whale deposited 49,910 ETH (about $170 million) into Binance in the past 10 hours and withdrew $137.8 million worth of stablecoins from Binance.

Original author: Crypto Stream

Compiled by: zhouzhou, Blockbeats

Reprinted by: Luke, Mars Finance

In the fierce fluctuations of the crypto bull market, opportunities and risks coexist. As the market adjusts, it is those projects that stand at the forefront of technology and have strong innovation that demonstrate their unique value. This article will reveal eight of the most exciting and promising tokens in the current market trough: AI16z, ZEREBRO, ARC, AIXBT, GRIFFAIN, GRIFT, ZODS and ALCH. These projects not only create new possibilities in their respective fields, but also have unique advantages across cycles, and are accumulating strength for future market waves.

Original author: 1912212.eth, Foresight News

MicroStrategy has been officially selected into the Nasdaq 100 Index, and will take effect before the market opens on Monday, December 23. This also makes MicroStrategy the first crypto company in the crypto industry to be selected into the Nasdaq 100 Index.

Since then, MicroStrategy Chairman Michael Saylor has predicted that Bitcoin mining company MARA will be the next crypto company to be included in the Nasdaq 100 Index.

The reason behind the inclusion of crypto companies in the index with strict standards is that the traditional financial technology industry is becoming more and more open to them. From listing to being selected into the index 100, crypto companies may be setting off a trend of imitation.

Original author: Nan Zhi, Odaily

Reprinted by: Lawrence, Mars Finance

On December 17, the Virtuals Protocol token VIRTUAL broke through 3 USDT, with a market value of 3 billion USD. Among the tokens mentioned in the previous week’s Solana AI narrative interpretation (ARC’s 30 million market value, one article to understand the narrative of the new AI token), the “doing” type or AI with actual products and applications has risen the fastest.

VaderAI

Data plane

The highest market value is US$55 million and the current market value is US$28.4 million.

What problem does VaderAI solve?

VaderAI pointed out that AI Agents have evolved to a new level and are able to perform complex tasks autonomously. More specifically, VaderAI believes that AI Agents can generate income through IP (actually KOL influence monetization) or financial speculation. VaderAI proposed 6 potential applications: autonomous hedge funds, AI Agent-based KOL institutions, on-chain arbitrage operations, game NPC guilds, customer support solutions, video games, and entertainment content production.

Original author: DANIEL RAMIREZ-ESCUDERO

Translation: Lawrence, Mars Finance

(The Bitcoin Reserve Bill) could break the halving cycle. Will this four-year cycle unfold differently? Will we enter a mythical supercycle?

There is increasing speculation that incoming President Donald Trump may sign an executive order establishing Bitcoin reserves on his first day in office or will establish reserves through legislation during his term, leading many to wonder if this move will trigger a cryptocurrency supercycle.

Since Senator Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming proposed (the Bitcoin Reserve Bill) earlier this year, states like Texas and Pennsylvania have also introduced similar proposals. Reports indicate that Russia, Thailand, and Germany are also considering their proposals, adding further pressure.

Bitcoin has fallen below 97,000 USDT.

Mars Finance reports that the market shows Bitcoin has fallen below 97,000 USDT, currently quoted at 96,955.17 USDT, with a daily decline of 7.12%.

According to Coinglass data, the total liquidations across the network in the past 24 hours amounted to $1.053 billion, including $910 million in long liquidations and $143 million in short liquidations.

The US SEC approved the Hashdex Nasdaq Bitcoin and Ethereum Crypto Index ETF.

According to market news, the US Securities and Exchange Commission approved the Hashdex Nasdaq Bitcoin and Ethereum Crypto Index ETF.

Craig Wright was sentenced to 12 months in prison, with a two-year probation.

A certain giant whale increased its holding of 9,702 AAVE again, with total position floating profit exceeding 15 million USD.

A certain giant whale continued to expand its long position in AAVE after today's price drop. In the past 8 hours, this whale borrowed 3 million GHO and used GHO and WBTC (3.18 million USD) to purchase 9,702 AAVE.

Since October 13, this giant whale has cumulatively purchased 96,800 AAVE at an average price of 183.4 USD (total amount 17.8 million USD), currently holding an unrealized profit of 15.31 million USD (+86.2%).

Data: Suspected Longling Capital purchased 6,000 ETH after the price drop.

Original author: Four Pillars

Compiled by: Luke, Mars Finance

Key Points

For agents, intellectual property (IP) is the core DNA that defines their essence. By sharing data, licensing intellectual property, and providing training models or expertise, agents can drive the emergence of a new economic paradigm.

As IP transactions become a core pillar of agent-driven economic activity, Story has launched Agent TCP/IP, a trustless framework that allows agents to autonomously engage in sales, licensing, and collaboration by leveraging their unique expertise, data, and creativity.

Original author: Ouroboros DeFi

Compiled by: Luke, Mars Finance

Introduction: Ouroboros DeFi methodology

At Ouroboros DeFi Yield Fund, our investment strategy is always rooted in identifying and providing liquidity to high-quality projects. As liquidity providers, we focus on directing liquidity to the protocols we are most confident in. Our belief is simple: quality projects can achieve listings on top CEXs, thus obtaining premium valuations. A good recent example is Ether.Fi in the LRT vertical, where early recognition of its quality and successful liquidity allocation led it to exhibit significant valuation premiums compared to similar projects.

Original Author: Tiffany Monteverde

Compiled by: Luke, Mars Finance

For over two years, I have been helping venture capital firms (VCs) find investment opportunities and provide financing support for startups. Since the beginning of 2023, I have officially started building a database on venture capital and startup financing. Initially, this was just a personal management tool that did not require in-depth analysis, as real-time interactions with startups and venture capital firms had already given me a good understanding of the market.

However, after reviewing over 1,000 startups in 2024, I believe I have collected meaningful data. With Notion's recent upgrades in data visualization through charts, reflecting on the year to see what insights my database can provide is undoubtedly the best approach!

Original title: Trump Truth

Original author: Arthur Hayes

Original source: https://substack.com/

Translated by: Daisy, Mars Finance

As a macroeconomic forecaster, I try to make predictions that guide portfolio asset allocation based on public data and current events. I like "Trump Truth" because it acts as a catalyst, forcing leaders of other countries to look at the problems facing their countries and take action. And it is these actions that ultimately shape the future state of the world, which is where Maelstrom hopes to profit.