Morning News | CoinGecko plans to seek a sale at an estimated valuation of about $500 million; YZi Labs invests tens of millions of dollars in Genius Trading; ETHGas launches governance token $GWEI
Overview of Important Market Events on January 13整理：ChainCatcher
Important News:
- VanEck: The four-year cycle of Bitcoin has been broken in 2025, and the market outlook remains cautious for the next 3 to 6 months
- Democrats launch cryptocurrency fundraising platform BlueVault
- SPAC associated with Kraken plans to go public on NASDAQ, aiming to raise $250 million
- YZi Labs invests tens of millions in Genius Trading, Zhao Changpeng joins as an advisor
- Market news: CoinGecko seeks to sell at an estimated valuation of about $500 million, has hired Moelis as an advisor
- ETHGas launches governance token $GWEI, promoting real-time Ethereum and gas-free experience
- Coinbase opens Jupiter (JUPITER) trading to users in New York State
What important events have occurred in the past 24 hours?
US December unadjusted CPI year-on-year is 2.7%, in line with expectations
According to ChainCatcher, citing Jin10, the US December unadjusted Consumer Price Index (CPI) year-on-year is 2.7%, consistent with market expectations and previous values.
Coinbase opens Jupiter (JUPITER) trading to users in New York State
ChainCatcher reports that Coinbase has announced that Jupiter (JUPITER) is now open for trading to residents of New York State, allowing users to buy, sell, convert, store, and transfer through the official website and mobile app. Coinbase holds a virtual currency business license issued by the New York State Department of Financial Services.
ChainCatcher reports, according to Finbold, that as of January 12, 2026, the total number of cryptocurrencies tracked by CoinMarketCap is 29.91 million, an increase of about 620,000 assets from 29.29 million on January 1. In the past 30 days, over 1.57 million new cryptocurrencies have been added, with 357,773 added in just the past 7 days.
The report states that the cost of launching a new token is low, and tools that require no coding typically only need a wallet and a small transaction fee. Many tokens are created to test ideas or gain short-term attention rather than to build long-term infrastructure, which inflates the total number of tokens. However, most assets experience price crashes shortly after launch or fail due to lack of liquidity, poor utility, or waning interest.
ETHGas launches governance token $GWEI, promoting real-time Ethereum and gas-free experience
ChainCatcher reports that the infrastructure protocol ETHGas has announced the launch of a new governance token $GWEI, aimed at managing a programmable block space protocol, with the goal of bringing Ethereum into an era of "real-time execution, predictable costs, and large-scale gas-free transactions." $GWEI holders can participate in governance, delegate voting, protocol proposals, and emergency decisions.
The snapshot time is set for January 19, 2026, at 00:00 UTC (08:00 Beijing time), and the airdrop rules will be based on historical gas expenditures and community verification.
ChainCatcher reports, citing CoinDesk and informed sources, that the crypto data platform CoinGecko is exploring a sale and has hired investment bank Moelis to handle the process, with a target valuation of about $500 million.
This move comes as M&A activity in the crypto industry accelerates, with disclosed M&A totals reaching $8.6 billion in 2025, setting a new high of 133 transactions. CoinGecko, established in 2014, is a mainstream data platform alongside CoinMarketCap.
YZi Labs invests tens of millions in Genius Trading, Zhao Changpeng joins as an advisor
ChainCatcher reports that market news indicates that YZi Labs, co-founded by Binance's Zhao Changpeng (CZ) and He Yi, has invested tens of millions in Genius Trading, with CZ also joining the project as an advisor.
Genius is committed to building a privacy-first on-chain trading platform, offering spot, perpetual contracts, and copy trading, aiming to become a decentralized version of "Binance." The platform has processed over $60 million in trading volume during its testing phase and plans to launch a public privacy protocol test in Q2 2026.
Trump: Powell is either incompetent or dishonest
ChainCatcher reports, citing Jin10, that US President Trump stated that Federal Reserve Chairman Powell is either incompetent or dishonest, pointing out that Powell is not doing a good job.
House Speaker Johnson stated that if Fed Chairman Powell is innocent, the investigation will reveal the truth. The Justice Department must continue its investigation into Powell.
Fitch Ratings classifies Bitcoin-backed securities as "speculative grade," warning of high risks
ChainCatcher reports that international credit rating agency Fitch Ratings released an assessment report on Monday, classifying Bitcoin-backed securities as "speculative grade," warning of "high risks" that could lead to losses for lenders and investors.
The report points out that the extreme volatility of Bitcoin prices is a major risk factor. When the collateral coverage ratio falls below the stipulated threshold, it can quickly erode the value of the collateral and trigger margin calls and forced liquidations.
Fitch cited the collapses of crypto lending platforms like BlockFi and Celsius in 2022-2023, emphasizing the vulnerability of collateral models under market pressure. This assessment primarily targets credit instruments that directly rely on collateral value for repayment, excluding equity products like spot Bitcoin ETFs.
SPAC associated with Kraken plans to go public on NASDAQ, aiming to raise $250 million
ChainCatcher reports that, according to The Block, the newly established special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) KRAKacquisition Corp submitted an S-1 registration statement to the US SEC on Monday, planning to go public on the NASDAQ market under the ticker "KRAQU." The announcement states that the IPO will include 25 million shares, with an expected issue price of $10.
The report indicates that the company was initiated by an affiliate of Kraken and overlaps with Kraken's IPO plans. Last November, Kraken also submitted a draft S-1 registration statement, with a valuation of $20 billion.
Analysts note that while KRAKacquisition's IPO has not yet determined a specific target, given Kraken's previous acquisitions and its goal of becoming a comprehensive multi-asset financial platform, KRAKacquisition's IPO could become a strategic tool for expanding the Kraken ecosystem.
ChainCatcher reports that Senator Cynthia Lummis posted on X platform that after months of effort, the bipartisan bill text is ready and will be reviewed on Thursday.
Senator Cynthia Lummis urged her Democratic colleagues not to abandon the progress made and stated that the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act will provide the necessary transparency to ensure innovation remains in the US and protect consumer rights.
ChainCatcher reports that Yi Lihua, founder of Liquid Capital (formerly LD Capital), posted on social media stating: "China, the US, and South Korea are the three main markets in the crypto industry, and these three stock markets are all in a bull market. Currently, large funds are mainly in the stock market or even in precious metals (gold, silver, rare earths, etc.), combined with the impact of the interest rate hike cycle, and the blockchain technology's impact on reality is not as expected, leading to four years since Bitcoin reached 69,000 in 2021, with BTC slightly appreciating, while ETH is even far below its four-year high. This should be considered a disappointing four years for crypto investors.
However, bull markets often arise in periods of despair, especially with the arrival of the interest rate cut cycle, the globalization of stablecoins, crypto-friendly policies, and financial applications on-chain, both the macro environment and technical indicators suggest that we are currently at the dawn before a major crypto bull market. One should be greedy when others are fearful; although the bull market may be slow, it will be more exciting when it arrives. I also strongly agree with CZ that the crypto super cycle is about to come, with industry leaders like BMNR, Strategy, Tether, Binance, and USD1 continuously buying in."
ChainCatcher reports that, according to The Block, the Digital Asset Exchange Alliance (DAXA) in South Korea issued a statement strongly opposing the government's consideration of setting a shareholding limit for major shareholders of digital asset exchanges.
On Tuesday, DAXA warned in a statement that the proposed restrictions could "seriously hinder" the development of the country's digital asset industry and market, and any attempt to artificially change the equity structure of private enterprises would undermine the foundation of emerging industries. DAXA is a self-regulatory organization representing South Korea's five major cryptocurrency exchanges—Upbit, Bithumb, Korbit, Coinone, and Gopax.
Earlier this month, the Financial Services Commission of South Korea proposed limiting the shareholding ratio of major shareholders of cryptocurrency exchanges to between 15% and 20% to address potential governance risks arising from concentrated ownership. This proposal has sparked controversy as it may apply to existing companies with established equity structures.
Democrats launch cryptocurrency fundraising platform BlueVault
ChainCatcher reports that, according to Decrypt, the US Democratic Party aims to re-attract voters and donors supportive of the crypto industry after facing defeat in the 2024 US presidential election, thus launching a new digital asset fundraising platform, BlueVault.
The BlueVault cryptocurrency fundraising service went live on Monday, targeting Democratic political committees, allowing campaign activities to accept donations in the form of Bitcoin and stablecoins.
ChainCatcher reports that VanEck stated, "Entering 2026, signals from fiscal and monetary policy are becoming clearer, and the overall market is leaning towards risk appetite. After adjustments, artificial intelligence, private credit, gold, and crypto assets are showing more attractive investment opportunities.
The market operating environment in 2026 presents investors with a scenario they have not seen in years: a clear market outlook. Clear expectations surrounding fiscal policy, monetary policy direction, and core investment themes support the market in adopting a more constructive, risk-on strategy, although high discernment is still required in asset selection.
In the crypto market, Bitcoin's traditional four-year cycle was broken in 2025, complicating short-term signals. This divergence makes the market outlook for the next 3-6 months lean towards cautious judgment. However, this view is not a consensus within the team, as there are still differences, with Matthew Sigel and David Schassler holding relatively more optimistic views on the current cycle's short-term performance."
ChainCatcher reports that SEC Chairman Paul Atkins revealed in an interview with Fox Business that Congress passed and the President signed the landmark "Genius Act" at the end of last year, marking the first time the US government has formally recognized crypto assets through legislation, providing a clear regulatory framework for stablecoins.
Atkins emphasized that Congress is actively advancing legislation on cryptocurrency market structure to enhance market certainty, aligning with Trump's goal of creating the "world's cryptocurrency capital." He expressed optimism that the relevant bill could be passed and signed this year, believing it would significantly promote the development of the crypto market and strengthen investor protection.
Standard Chartered predicts Ethereum will reach $40,000 by 2030
ChainCatcher reports that, according to market news, Standard Chartered Bank predicts that Bitcoin's underperformance will give Ethereum the opportunity to surpass Bitcoin and reach $40,000 by 2030.
Geoffrey Kendrick, Global Head of Digital Asset Research at Standard Chartered, stated: "2026 will be the year of Ethereum, just like 2021. The improvement in Ethereum's outlook relative to Bitcoin means that the price ratio between the two assets may return to the highs of 2021."
The bank noted that investments made through ETFs and digital asset vaults have a smaller impact on Ethereum's price performance compared to Bitcoin. Nevertheless, despite an overall weakening of fund flows into cryptocurrency ETFs, they currently have a more positive impact on Ethereum than on Bitcoin. Additionally, Ethereum developers are working to increase the transaction throughput of the Ethereum blockchain by ten times in the next two to three years, which, if successful, would provide a significant boost to Ethereum.
Finally, the passage of the US "Clarity Act" will also be beneficial for Ethereum and its vast on-chain ecosystem. Standard Chartered expects the "Clarity Act" to be passed in the first quarter of 2026. The report reaffirms its price prediction for Bitcoin, stating that by 2030, Bitcoin's price will reach $500,000, while lowering Ethereum's near-term price target from $12,000 to $7,500 for 2026, and from $18,000 to $15,000 for 2027.
Meme Popularity Rankings
According to the meme token tracking and analysis platform GMGN, as of January 14, 09:00,
The top five popular ETH tokens in the past 24 hours are: SHIB, LINK, PEPE, UNI, ONDO
The top five popular Solana tokens in the past 24 hours are: TRUMP, FO, PUMP, ANB, USELESS
The top five popular Base tokens in the past 24 hours are: PEPE, BASED, BSC, SKYA, B3
What are some interesting articles worth reading in the past 24 hours?
Honestly, the development of institutional-grade RWA (Real World Assets) tokenization over the past six months is worth close attention. The market size is approaching $20 billion. This is not hype, but real institutional capital is being deployed on-chain.
I have been following this field for some time, and the recent pace of development is astonishing. From government bonds and private credit to tokenized stocks, these assets are transitioning to blockchain infrastructure faster than the market expects.
Currently, five protocols have become the foundation in this field: Rayls Labs, Ondo Finance, Centrifuge, Canton Network, and Polymesh.
Payment Outbound Deep Water Zone: The Compliance Long March Behind the Trillion Dollar Spread
China's payment industry is undergoing an unprecedented reshuffle.
On one side, small and medium players are leaving in batches. By the end of 2025, the central bank has canceled 107 payment licenses, reducing the number of licensed institutions to 163, more than 40% less than the industry's peak.
On the other side, leading institutions are racing to expand without regard to costs. In 2025, Tencent's Tenpay completed a business change, with its registered capital soaring from 15.3 billion yuan to 22.3 billion yuan. Following that, Douyin Pay and JD's Online Banking also initiated capital increases in the hundreds of millions or even billions.
Brian Armstrong discusses many behind-the-scenes stories of Coinbase: from how to win in the competition in the US, to some critical moments for Coinbase, and the cat-and-mouse game with North Korean hackers; from the crypto influence behind the US elections and the "GENIUS Act," to the trend of banks embracing crypto; from the CEO's opposition to USDC investment that almost led to missing out, to successfully nurturing L2Base, and Coinbase's ongoing research on prediction markets.
Armstrong also predicts that by 2030, the price of BTC could reach $1 million, based on the gradual clarity of US regulation (such as the passage of the "GENIUS Act") and the influx of global institutional capital. He stated that in five to ten years, most wealth management companies or sovereign funds will include 1%-10% of crypto assets in their portfolios.
Raising another $15 billion, a16z is redefining the US strategic position in crypto
On January 9, top VC firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) announced the completion of its largest fundraising effort to date: raising over $15 billion for multiple new funds throughout 2025, accounting for more than 18% of the total US venture capital for that year.
Risk warning
Risk warning
