24H Hot Cryptocurrencies and Key News｜Prince Group Founder Chen Zhi Deported to China; Polymarket Rules US Military Venezuela Operation Does Not Constitute "Invasion" (January 8)
- Core View: The overall crypto market experienced a slight decline, while regulatory and financing activities remained active.
- Key Elements:
- Major cryptocurrencies generally declined, with only a few meme coins rising.
- The US SEC is now under Republican control, potentially leading to more crypto-friendly rules.
- Web3 projects like Babylon secured significant funding from institutions such as a16z.
- Market Impact: Positive regulatory expectations boost long-term industry confidence.
- Timeliness Note: Medium-term impact.
1. CEX Hot Tokens
Top 10 CEX Trading Volume and 24-hour Price Change:
- BTC: -1.25%
- ETH: -2.22%
- XRP: -3.91%
- SOL: -1.42%
- BNB: -0.82%
- DOGE:-0.37%
- SUI: -1.53%
- PEPE:+0.77%
- BREV:+6.17%
- LINK:-1.6%
24-hour Top Gainers (Data Source: OKX):
- ELF:+53.97%
- BABY:+18.56%
- GLM:+10.93%
- WAXP:+7.41%
- ACH:+7.31%
- WAXP+7.22%
- KAITO:+5.86%
- BREV:+5.85%
- ANIME:+5.06%
- G:+5.03%
24-hour Top Gainers - Stocks & Crypto (Data Source: msx.com):
- Treasure Global Inc. - MSX:39.02%
- Defi Technologies, Inc. - MSX:10.32%
- Silver Spot ETF 2x Long - MSX:8.18%
- Intel - MSX:6.27%
- ProShares UltraShort Ether ETF - MSX:5.59%
- Recursion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. - MSX:5.49%
- Firefly Aerospace Inc - MSX:5.22%
- Nokia - MSX:4.95%
- Bloom Energy Corporation - MSX:4.94%
- CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. - MSX:4.73%
2. Top 5 On-chain Meme Tokens (Data Source: GMGN):
- Binance Life
- Hakimi
- I'm F*cking Coming
- GUA
- BSU
Headlines
US December ADP Employment Change: 41K, vs. 47K Expected
US December ADP Employment Change was 41K, compared to an expectation of 47K, and a previous reading of -32K. (Jin10)
Several Polymarket users have expressed dissatisfaction with the platform's refusal to classify the recent US military action in Venezuela as an "invasion" and settle the related prediction market accordingly. The controversy centers on Polymarket's stance that the action does not meet its market's definition of "invasion," therefore refusing to pay out to participants who bet on "the US will invade Venezuela."
Prince Group Founder Chen Zhi Arrested and Deported to China
According to reporters from the Guangxi International Communication Center (Cambodia) International Communication Liaison Station and the *Cambodia-China Times*, Chen Zhi, founder and chairman of Prince Group, has been arrested in Cambodia and deported back to China to be investigated by relevant authorities. (Beijing Daily)
Industry News
US Senate Banking Committee Sets Review Date for Crypto Market Structure Bill on January 15
The legislative landscape for the US cryptocurrency industry has reached a critical turning point. The Senate Banking Committee has officially scheduled the review of the *Digital Asset Market Transparency Act* (also known as the CLARITY Act or the Crypto Market Structure Bill) for Thursday, January 15, 2026. Committee Chairman Tim Scott, a Republican from South Carolina, announced the decision following a series of intense closed-door meetings in early January.
US SEC Now Fully Controlled by Republicans, May Issue Crypto-Friendly Regulations This Year
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is now fully controlled by Republicans and is expected to issue crypto-friendly rules in 2026. The agency will continue the crypto-supportive rulemaking work initiated last year, as Republicans are generally more friendly to the crypto industry than Democrats. It is reported that the US Senate is expected to vote on the crypto market structure bill in the near future.
Project News
Ripple President Monica Long stated that the company currently has no plans to proceed with an Initial Public Offering (IPO) and will continue to operate as a private entity, focusing on growth through product development and mergers & acquisitions. She noted that Ripple is in a strong financial position, does not need to access public capital markets for liquidity, and already has the capacity to continue investing in the company's development.
Polymarket Signs Cooperation Agreement with Dow Jones Media Group
According to market sources: Prediction market Polymarket has signed an exclusive cooperation agreement with Dow Jones Media Group to distribute prediction data to Dow Jones Outlets.
Recently, KalshiData posted on X platform that the historical nominal trading volume on the Kalshi platform has exceeded $27 billion. According to the latest data from the website, since its launch on June 28, 2021, Kalshi's total historical trading volume has reached $27,255,757,183, with an average daily trading volume of $16,619,364 and a total of 27,242,274,566 trades.
World Liberty Financial announced that its affiliate, World Liberty Trust, submitted a de novo application to the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) on January 7, seeking a US national trust bank charter. If approved, the trust bank would enable the direct issuance and custody of its USD stablecoin, USD1, and gradually expand into crypto asset custody and stablecoin exchange services, primarily targeting institutional clients.
Investment & Financing
Venture capital firm AppWorks announced that its fourth fund, Fund IV, has completed a $165 million fundraising. The VC's total funds raised to date have reached $386 million. The new capital will focus on investing in startups and projects in the fields of artificial intelligence, Web3, and the broader digital economy across Asian markets.
Babylon Completes $15 Million Financing Round with Participation from a16z Crypto
Bitcoin ecosystem decentralized protocol Babylon announced it has completed a $15 million financing round with participation from a16z Crypto. Specific valuation data has not been disclosed. It is reported that Babylon's competitors are centralized service providers like Coinbase, Kraken, and Tether. It is expected to integrate its technology with the lending protocol Aave in Q2 this year. The company currently has over 40 employees.
Voices
DiscusFish: Manus Founder Xiao Hong Interned at Yibit in 2013
Cobo co-founder DiscusFish posted on X platform, stating that Manus founder Xiao Hong is a Bitcoin holder. DiscusFish recalled that Xiao Hong participated in Yibit-related work as an intern during his time at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in 2013. He noted that over the past decade, from Bitcoin to AI Agent, the industry landscape has continuously evolved, and company boundaries have gradually blurred. In the early stages, it is more important to identify individuals with ideas, execution power, and growth speed and establish connections with them.
a16z: Privacy Will Become the Most Important Moat in the Crypto Industry in 2026
a16z Crypto General Partner Ali Yahya stated that privacy will become the most important moat in the crypto industry this year and is a key feature driving global finance towards blockchain, yet almost all chains currently lack this feature. Three major trends—decentralized messaging, "privacy-as-a-service" infrastructure, and the shift in security models from "code is law" to "norms are law"—will shape the next phase of development in the crypto space.
